Sunday, March 28, 2010

Circus

On Sunday we went to the circus. I was worried about how it was going to go and that there would be just too much going on and too dark and too loud, but they loved it. When the first acrobats came out and were swinging around and hanging on those rope/ribbon things, Brooke looked up and said "I do that." They both really liked the elephants (possibly cause D kept telling him that those were his favorite!) and the little performing dogs. They did not really seem to like the clowns (perhaps cause I kept saying that I did not like them at all). For a treat we got some cotton candy - Audrey was not a fan and Brooke loved it. The little hat they are wearing came with the cotton candy.

Toddler Beds

This past week, D was out of town for work all week - which is really irrelevant other than now you can feel sorry for me :). One day after nap, the girls wanted to stay in their cribs and keep playing footsie through the slats with each other. So I let them and walked into another room to get some work done (in other words, get on the computer and play). I hear them chatting about getting in Audrey's crib so that they can read a book. When I look up, I see that Brooke has climbed from her crib into Audrey's crib.

So on Saturday, we decided that it was time to convert the beds to toddler beds. Thus far, naps and bed times have gone well - but we have had very busy days and they have been exhausted. The true test will come at nap time during the week....and we need nap time during the week!!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Feeling like a slacker...

Since I have not posted anything in a while. Even more amazing is that I really haven't been taking that many pictures. Though to be clear, the girls are still as adorable as ever...but a lot of their adorableness has been through words lately and therefore much harder to get on camera.

One of my favorites right now is by Audrey. When you tell her something that she did not know she goes "Ohhhhh. Is that right?" Beyond adorable!

Here are some shots of what we've been doing:

Enjoying a Zoo Safari birthday for their friend Grayer.

Helping make dinner - our house has really become clothing optional as you can see. Brief update about the potty training: potties are back in the bathroom, only 2 accidents since those first couple of days, most days they are dry after naps as well. I consider them potty trained - at least while awake.

Listening for instructions at their gym class from their very favorite Coach Kurt (he is some kind of toddler girl magnet) - apparently I point to my ears a lot when I am telling them (mainly Brooke) to listen to me.

Checking out Gramma's eye color - again. They are obsessed with seeing what eye color everyone - real, in books, animals, whatever - has...and they are quite disappointed when they discover that it is not blue like theirs.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Another Update

We have been at the (daytime) potty training business for just over a week...and I am so happy and so proud of how well the girls are doing. As of Thursday at 2 pm - the girls have not had an accident since Sunday!! And a few days they have been dry after naps as well. We are currently using either diapers or pull-ups over panties for naps.

Today was the big test since we had MOPS. I put the girls in panties and just hoped that all would go well. I was thrilled when I went to pick them up to see that they were still in the same clothes. Brooke was actually using the potty when I got there - the potty is so adorable as it is a little miniature real potty. Unfortunately Brooke did not feel comfortable pooping in an unfamiliar place (tinkle ok though) so I had to break out the little travel potty.

As a reward we went to chick fil a - where B announced that she needed to go to the potty while we were eating. And she actually went (though Audrey was very upset that she had to leave her food) That was something I had not fully thought through -what do you do? just leave your food and hope it is still there?

Monday, March 15, 2010

Potty Update

Today, Monday, was Day 6...and it was our best day yet. The girls had NO ACCIDENTS!!! Hooray!! (which was huge cause we had art class and a birthday party to go to!)

I know that this in no way means that they are officially potty trained but for the time being I am thrilled...though I have got to stock up on more M&M's as there are only a couple browns and blues left.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Weekend Potty Boot Camp

We are continuing our potty training - with mixed results. It baffles me how at one point they can seemingly have no idea that tinkle is about to come out and other times, they can stop what they are doing and voluntarily run to the potty.

We went for a long stretch with no accidents, but had 1 late Saturday (with a babysitter, I might add!...though we were nice enough to put on pull-ups to minimize the cleaning for the babysitter). And so far today, we have had a couple again.

I bought some more supplies - the pull-ups, some piddle pads for the car seat, and some little portable potties that one of my friends up here swears by (the potette portable potty) cause you can use a grocery store bag and some paper towels! She still uses it with her 4 year olds before going into stores.

As an aside - I went to a consignment sale this weekend and am very excited about my purchases. I got 13 outfits (shirts and shorts or dresses) for just over $40! Of course, I am still a little unsure what sizes they should wear - hopefully they will fit or else my bargain is not quite as exciting.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Potty Boot Camp: Day 3

Friday was Day 3. I am pleased to announce that we had ZERO accidents all day! We even had an outing involving the car - I loaded up the two potties, towels, water, change of pants, panties, and put the girls in some plastic panties over their regular panties. None of which was needed. Of course, I think that I was subconsciously limiting their liquid intake all morning to help make the outing successful.

Sporting their plastic pants

I must say that while I don't enjoy cleaning up messes (and really, who does?), I have actually enjoyed these few days. I have spent more time with them than I usually do, and we have been restricted in space so I have REALLY spent more time with them. And let me say that they are hilarious.

Brooke: as her reward she gets 3 m&m's. And basically as she is going she yells "Blue M&M. Blue one, orange one, brown one!" And that is what she gets every single time. (Audrey varies her reward except she will not get a blue one cause they are for Brooke!)

Audrey (shaking her finger at Brooke): "Brooke. No ma'am. You no touch Audrey stuff. Sit down." and Brooke goes and sits down (our version of time out). So funny! Apparently Audrey has a little bossy in her after all.

Here are the girls doing a little dance (please excuse the horrible music - apparently I don't own any good kids cd's) Brooke was dancing between the table and the pantry and I thought it was so funny!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Potty Boot Camp: Day 2

Thursday was day 2 of Potty Boot Camp. Another day spent primarily in our kitchen (which is about 9 x 9) and in our big girl panties. I don't remember what I put in Day 1 (and am being lazy about going to read it) so there may be repeats. We have moved the girls' little potties into the kitchen and for all of day 1 they were confined to just that room.


Brooke likes to pull her panties up Very High!

End of Day 1: Audrey had one additional accident right before dinner.

Day 2: My plan was to still have them drink more (not to the excess of Day 1) so that there would be more opportunities for success. I also thought that they would be allowed to play in the kitchen, entry way, den, and dining room - all areas without carpet -but all still close to the potties. I put up the baby gate to keep them out of their playroom.

Playing with stickers while on the potty...and I have no idea where Audrey got her idea for sticker placement!

It started out rough. Audrey had her first 2 tinkles in her panties. And she really did not even seem to know that she was about to go (as I had just asked her and she had just gotten up from trying) And then about 5 minutes later - while I was cleaning up from the second accident - Brooke tinkled in the den...on the one nice rug! I thought that we should quit then.

But alas, we persevered -though now confined back into the kitchen. And I am pleased to announce that from 10:40 am on Thursday to 3 pm on Friday there have been NO ACCIDENTS!! All tinkle or poop has gone into the potty (or diaper during sleep). HOORAY!!


Showing off their success

and yes I am aware that I have jinxed myself!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Potty Boot Camp: Day 1

Today is the first day of our Potty Boot Camp. As previously posted, during our snow storms of Feb. the girls started to use the potty. I thought 'well this is gonna be a snap.' Fastforward a month and the girls pretty much refused to sit on the potty (though D can convince them some of the time.) So I got a few books, read a variety of ideas, and declared this to be Potty Boot Camp.

I borrowed some of the ideas from a book about training in less than a day (cause seriously who wouldn't want to do it in less than a day) where they wear nothing but panties and you basically quit doing anything other than focusing on the potty and talking about the potty and rewarding them with snacks and lots to drink. And lots of practice if they don't make it to the potty.

Well, I may have overdone the drinks. A tally of our day as of naptime (a total of about 5 hours of training):
Brooke:
tinkled in her panties 2 times
tinkled in the potty 5 times - of which 2 sprayed onto the floor (seriously, can't I catch a break?)
pooped in the potty 1 time

Audrey:
tinkled in her panties 4 times
tinkled in the potty 4 times
pooped in the potty 1 time

I am going on record now as saying that this is certainly one thing that is harder with two.
They are waking from their naps now (we put on diapers for that!) and it is time to go back to training!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Photo Shoot

Finally took the girls to get some photos done. They are seriously the cutest kids ever!! Here are some of the cute ones...though these aren't even ones that I bought (well I may have actually bought one of them). I have to wait to debut those until I have given them to the fam....which means that I most likely won't ever put them up cause I will forget to come back which is why I am putting some up now.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Skiing

We went on a mini-vacation this past weekend to go skiing up at Whitetail in Pennsylvania. We left Thursday night after dinner and drove up to our hotel. Friday was super windy (gusts of 40+ mph) and so the lifts did not start running until noon - as we discovered when we got there at 9. So we returned to our hotel for some swimming in the pool (where we ended up going Fri, Sat, and Sun!) and lunch at Chick-fil-a. D returned back to the slopes and did his solo skiing. He skied a bunch growing up and was able to ski all of the blacks here even though he had not been skiing since college.

So Saturday we got up early so that we could get a whole day of skiing in. We had made reservations in the child care center for A and B and they seemed to have fun. They did arts and crafts, played, had snack, lunch, and rest time


I have only been skiing once - when I was 12ish- and I am generally not athletic at all. Add to that, the fact that the last time I was on any type of ski (water) I broke my femur and apparently D had extremely low expectations about what I was going to be able to do. Which turned out to be nice as he was extremely impressed with me!! He was super sweet and skied on the little beginner greens with me - actually behind me in case I needed any assistance. We skied the beginner greens and one harder green with a little bit of a blue section. It was a fun day even though my calf muscles are still killing me.

So D is making me post this video of me skiing.