Everyday life

Not a lot of news to report. I've noticed that Lynsey is asking for TV more, which is a bit distressing to me, but I can hardly blame her - there just isn't much to do in the house all day long! I try to get out with her at least once a day, but some days we just don't, and on those days, her TV watching has increased a bit. I'm still not letting her do it whenever she wants, instead telling her we have to play instead, which she does accept eventually. I made her some play dough the other day, and she got some entertainment out of that. She just doesn't stay interested in any one thing for very long unfortunately. We did go to Edmonton the weekend before last and she had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's. She actually got to see both sets of grandparents, which was really nice. She now talks about going to Edmonton from time to time. She is becoming quite the conversationalist, now using pronouns (my, I, etc.) sometimes, and in the right context even:). We started swimming lessons again last week, and the first week was a bit tough. She just wanted to go off and do her own thing. I explained to her after that we have to listen to the teacher, and this week went much better! She said a few times she was "all done" and "no more teacher" but overall it was much better. When we got home, Brian asked her about her lesson and she said "Lynsey listen to teacher" - it was really cute:). She's growing up so fast!

My pregnancy continues to go pretty well. Still going to chiro regularly, and I had a massage today, which was fantastic. The midwife says the baby is in a great position right now, head down, good to go. Only 7 weeks to go! I am still sleeping reasonably well, although my bladder doesn't quite make it until morning most nights anymore:).

Putting the potty training on hold, turning two, etc.

We had a fun week of potty training! Well, not really, but it actually wasn't that stressful:). She actually did pretty well the first few days. We saw a lot of progress, even to the point where she would sometimes go to the bathroom, climb on the big toilet by herself, and pee without us even being there. I thought, "Surely this is it - she's getting it!". She was even dry after her nap most days! Well, unfortunately, while she seemed to be catching on and learning how to do it physically, mentally we just didn't get there. After her nap, I had to beg and plead with her to go pee - it was so frustrating. She obviously had to go (it had been two hours!) but she just refused - stood beside the toilet and cried, and eventually peed on the floor. She stopped telling me before she had to go by the end of the week, and she was only going when I asked (and coaxed!) her to go. By Monday, I was so tired of constantly coaxing her onto the potty and after three consecutive afternoon accidents, I put her back in diapers. I am not the right person to be dealing with this - I think it was just a bit too soon. I said in my last post that this was an experiment, that I just had to see if she was ready, and I am willing to admit that she is close but just not quite there. She never did get the pooping thing - she pooped on the potty a few times, but she was just not catching on. We'll give it another month or maybe even wait until after the baby comes to try again. Everyone has a different opinion on how this should happen, but I know what I can handle, and I know she won't be 3 before she gets it, so I can wait a few more months. At some point if she doesn't show interest I will have to maybe fight some battles to make it happen, but at the ripe ole age of 2 we are not at that point.

Joyce and John and Lexi came to visit us on Monday! Lynsey has been in love with baby Lexi since we saw them in La Crete, and she was just thrilled to have her at her own house:). She got lots of hugs and kisses, and there were some tears when she left. It's nice to see how much she loves babies - here's hoping she loves her baby brother half as much!

We celebrated Lynsey turning two yesterday! A few of my friends (and Lynsey's BDR aunties) came over and we had some cake and presents:). She actually got her present from us on Saturday already - she loves her kitchen! It was a fun evening, and I'm glad she's still young enough to not care that we didn't have a big party with lots of kids. I figure I have several years of exhausting parties ahead of me, and I will treasure this time where I can just have a few friends over for dinner and cake. Maybe she will look back at this someday and tell me I depraved her, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there!

Giving the potty another shot

So things have changed again since my last post. Lynsey has been showing interest in the potty again. For the last week, she has been going to the potty every evening before bed, and has shown considerable improvement from our last attempt - we no longer have to read her books for half an hour before she pees. She sits down and pees within 30 seconds every time. She definitely understands how to release, because even if she barely has to go, she still squeezes out what she can (sorry if this is too much information!).

We weren't sure if we should just let things take a natural course or bring out the panties again - I've been a bit mixed on it. A part of me really just wants to stick with diapers and let her become more ready, and a part of me thinks she IS ready and with just a bit of encouragement, we could nail this thing. Well, this morning, I decided to try the panties again. Call me crazy, but I just couldn't resist seeing how she would handle it this time.

She wore them all day with the exception of her nap, and she did really well considering. First three hours - two pees on the potty, no accidents. At this point, I'm feeling pretty good about myself! She had a lot of water and some juice in the morning, and from 11 - 12, we went through a rough patch. A lot of pees in the panties, a few pees on the potty. A touch discouraging, but she did pee on the potty a few consecutive times before naptime so I was revitalized. After the nap, no accidents until after dinner, and even then, she couldn't be blamed for one of them, and one of them was pretty minor (didn't even produce a puddle - thank goodness for training panties!). Right before bed, she actually climbed onto a regulation sized toilet by herself, settled herself in near the back, and peed with absolutely no help from me at all. I couldn't believe it! She did make a comment at some point about falling in, but she steadied herself and didn't freak out and ask for help or anything. That has got to be a sign that she is at the very least fast approaching readiness! We'll see how tomorrow goes. I can't be home all day tomorrow like I was today, so that might disrupt things, but I'm determined not to grow weary. It was a long day today, and my pregnancy hormones are not helping how easily I can get discouraged, but I'm just trying to look at all the positives of today and see that she really did quite well for her first day in panties. I can definitely see how it could turn into a power struggle, and am trying to really be on the lookout for signs of that - from what I've heard, no good comes from a power struggle, in this area in particular. So stay tuned! I will say right now that there is definitely a chance that this will not work, and I will not be too proud to admit it:).

In the area of talking - she continues to amaze me. She picks up everything that is said around her, and frequent exclamations of "Oh my goodness" and "Oh dear" make me thankful I've never had a dirty mouth lol! There definitely are worse things she could be saying as she remembers that she forgot her doll downstairs:). She remembers things I tell her from one day to the next, and communicating is getting easier all the time. I was actually able to tell her last week on the way to my morning Bible Study that she would be going into the church nursery, and that Mommy wouldn't be there because I was going to Bible Study, but that it would be okay and she shouldn't cry. She didn't cry when I dropped her off for the first time in forever, and although she wasn't happy about it, let me go without a fuss. When we went to my Mom's group on Friday, she asked me if I was going to Bible Study, and I was able to tell her that no, this time Mommy would stay with her - she definitely liked that answer better:). What a good girl! She is also doing fantastic in her bed, even settling into her naps better and better all the time. She knows she's not supposed to get up from her bed, and I hear her telling herself that on the monitor sometimes ("Lynsey stay in da bed"). I am so thankful for a little girl that adjusts so well to new situations - she always has!

In a big girl room now!

Since my last post, the potty training has pretty much come to a halt. She seems to have lost interest in peeing on the potty almost completely. Oh, well - we'll leave it for now and pick it up again in a month or two. She continues to become more conversational, and it still amazes me what she remembers sometimes! I love it that she can articulate more what she wants, although there's still a way to go. At least she tells me now when she wants Mini-wheats versus Cheerios for breakfast, saving me from wasting a bowl of cereal:).

The biggest news is how beautifully our little girl has transitioned to her toddler bed! Last weekend we painted her new room (the old spare room) and set up her bed. She loved it right away. She's been in it for a week, and we have had very few problems. She seems to take a similar amount of time to fall asleep at night as she did in her crib, and she wakes up about the same time. She also stays in her room playing for a long time in the morning before she calls for us, just like she always did in her crib. Naptime is coming, it's a bit more frustrating. Yesterday she didn't fall asleep for an hour and a half. After an hour and fifteen minutes of just messing around in her room, I heard her saying that she had pooped so I had to go in there and change her. She could tell I wasn't happy that she wasn't sleeping yet, and she fell asleep shortly after I changed her. She sometimes took that long in her crib, too, so I don't know how much of this is the distraction of the bed and how much is just her not being sleepy yet. Despite naptime being a bit of an issue still, I would call her transition to a bed pretty much seamless. Apparently she was ready! She doesn't seem to have any attachment to the nursery or her crib, which will hopefully bode well for the little intruder that will take them over in a few months:).

There was snow on the ground this morning, and I tried to take her outside to play in it, but she didn't last very long out there before wanting to come inside. I will keep trying - I'm sure she will get used to the cold and the snow.

On the non-Lynsey front, we finally got the shower finished in the basement bathroom, and the laundry cabinet assembled. The bathroom is pretty much done, finally! We also found a suitable portable bed option (double high queen air mattress with a 3 inch memory foam topper) so that guests can still be somewhat comfortable when they come for night:). Becky slept on it last week for a few nights and said it was comfortable. One more thing I can check off my list of pre-baby things to get done! Pregnancy is going well still - I have been growing exponentially it feels like. Two thanksgiving dinners in one weekend didn't help that feeling! The baby is incredibly active - I wish I could remember if Lynsey had been this active. I certainly don't THINK she was, but I might just be remembering wrong. He just goes crazy in there sometimes! I've also had a cough for the last month which has been a real pain. I am resisting going to the doctor, but have decided that if it persists until the weekend, I'm going. I don't know when I've had a cough that's lasted this long.