Too tired...

I'm too tired to be angry. Now that I am over the initial shock, I am just sad...

Angry...

I'm angry. I know that I am supposed to be supportive. I know that the correct response is sympathy and empathy - I have been in her shoes before. Okay, well not exactly her shoes, but in the last decade, Brian and I have lived in 4 states, 3 since leaving New England. We moved from apartments to houses and back again. We have been the ones to leave, always the ones to leave and that's hard enough. But this whole being left thing... It's not for me.



After moving to Arizona I almost immediately regretted it. Whitney decided it was time for a change and moved to Colorado a month after her God Daughter was born. We then moved out to the 'burbs and I though that we had found the absolute best place in the world to raise our kids, but my feeling about that started to change as well. Most of the people I thought I had connected with have little in common with me other than the fact that we have children the same age or close in age. Save my Jersey girl, who keeps me sane and grounded with good old fashioned east coast sarcasm. Then last fall, just before Lily was born, quite by accident and on a random walk on a street in my neighborhood where I never walk - I met Monica. She and her daughter, Rylan, had just arrived that day from St Louis and were waiting for her husband with the U-Haul. They were in the driveway drawing pictures with sidewalk chalk and Rylan and Grace took to each other like no two children I have ever seen.



Monica and I started talking on the phone and after Lily was born started spending more time with each other. It was nice for Grace to have a playmate who did not have her life already all scheduled out. As we were in the neighborhood longer and longer, play dates became hard to come by with all the scheduled activities the kids were getting into. Monica and I hit it off right away and share very similar experiences with family and life and moving. It was clear from very early on we were kindred spirits and in the blink of an eye permanent fixtures in each other's families. My Arizona family was now complete, The Jersey Girl, The St Louis Girl and The Masshole. Maybe and unlikely trio, but it was working...



Before I say I am angry again, I must say this. I am sympathetic to how hard this year has been for my dear friend, my sister. Before I say I am angry again, I must first say, I am empathetic. I had to leave my California family behind almost 3 years ago and it is so hard to do. Before I say I am angry again, I must say that I understand, I am sorry, I will miss you and I will ALWAYS be your friend, your sister. But I am angry that Monica is moving back to St. Louis, I am angry that our girls will not grow up together and I miss you already!



The guest room is always ready for the Millers and I hope that the new house in St. Louis has room for the Hurleys, 'cause you know that we'll be there for Christmas!

XOXO

What a week...

My computer crashed, forever and ever - dead to the world - no longer - R.I.P. - That sucked!

Then, Grace got a cold...then Lily got a cold.... then Shelbi got a cold.... now Brian has a cold and Grace, Lily and Shelbi are all still sick with the cold since last Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We are all drowning in snot and it is not fun...

I have not seen Monica, left the house, save for a few doctors appointments, or done anything fun in a week. We have been moderately creative here, but I miss swimming and play dates and fresh air - Okay, well there really is no fresh air in Arizona in July, but still... - and story time, pretty much our life, I miss our life. Grace has completed her summer reading but I cannot turn her paperwork into the Library as long as we are sick and the deadline is Sunday. We've had the same 8 library books for over a week now and we are longing for something new...

In short and I will keep this post short, 'this week blows'. The one bright and shining spot in an otherwise dreary, depressing, snotty week is that the Millers finally found a house!! Well I should say found another house and fingers crossed, if all goes as planned will close on this one in a little over a week and be in their new home in October. If the stress of house hunting was getting to me, I can only imagine how horrible it must have been for them. I am so sad that they will no longer be around the corner, but they will still be in our little desert community, so I am thrilled about that. Oh yeah, and Grace has started to make a fist, stomp her foot and clench her jaw while saying "Damn it!" . To be honest - it's hysterical... It's been a real challenge to keep from laughing as Brian and I try to explain that she cannot say "Damn it!" I did catch her saying "Jesus!" instead the other day, so I'll have to be really careful about saying that. But the foot stomp and fist pump as she says "Damn it" are funny, no matter what you think, it's funny to see a two year old that intense.

That's all I know. I am laying low and praying for good health come Monday. I am not sure if Grace could survive another missed swim lesson., She's been asking about swimming daily and really devastated that we have been unable to go. I don't know what she's going to do this winter when it's too cold outside for the pool. I guess that's the perfect time to start gymnastics.

Oh yeah, how could I forget? Grace has been able to spell Grace, or tell you it's spelled "G-R-A-C-E" for some time now, and after we mastered that we learned to answer: What's your name? Grace Elizabeth - What's your sister's name? Lily Kathryn - Mommy's name: Shelbi - Daddy's name: Brian - Where do you live?: Peoria, Arizona or as Grace says "Air-ah- ZONA!!" (to cute!) So I started writing Lily and saying "L-I-L-Y" and now she recognizes the word LILY and then Mom and saying "M-O-M" and Dad "D-A-D" and she recognizes the words by sight but can only tell me Lily is "L-I-L-Y". I've seen YourBabyCanRead on TV and have been oh so tempted to buy it... for the moment I will bask in her accomplishment and keep working on Mom & Dad.

As for Lily she has learned to clap when we say "clap-clap-clap" and we are working on waving 'hi' and 'good-bye'. She says "Mom" and "Dah-Dah" we are sure she has no idea what she is saying be she loves to babble and chatter. I am afraid that she will not be walking on her own by 9 months as I predicted, but she is pushing her car and the leapfrog table and anything else that will move. They grow up so fast... "Damn it!"

Never underestimate the power of the random

The girls have coughs. *Sigh*, *Groan*, *Eye roll* and *Growl.* I hate having sick children. First and most important I feel so helpless and my heart aches for them. Even smart as a whip Grace does not understand why she feels terrible when she feels terrible. Second, living in Arizona I spend more than my fair share of time hiding indoors. We've been in the 110-115 degree heat range for a few weeks now and it's no-fun. So I especially hate being trapped in the house with sick kiddos when we had something to do or an excuse to leave the house. Mondays are swim lessons and we were unable to participate today. Beside the fact that I am bored and trapped and frustrated, the girls are used to doing something fun or hanging with Rylan. Now on to the task of entertaining them as best as I can...


I can only let the girls watch so much TV before I cannot stand the fact that they are rotting their little brains away. Grace, while she has learned a lot from Dora and Kai-Lan, needs to be creative and not sedentary. Even as happy as she seems vegging out in front of the tube, if she doesn't "do" something she goes crazy or at least she acts crazy. A few shows, a movie, ask about Rylan & Monica, paints, crayons, play-doh, ask about Rylan, puzzles, story time, songs, blocks, more paints, re-read library books, ask about Rylan for the millionth time, Grace tries to teach Lily her shapes, Grace tries to teach Lily to clap, Little People, busy bee band, more stories, there were some naps in there, more Little People, a lot more asking about Rylan and a lot of talking back and frustration over being kept inside and away from Rylan.



When 'the boys' (Rory and Sean) and I were kids, there was something about a bed sheet for a hammock that was more fun than the hammock in the yard; A bunch of plywood up in a tree that was more fun than out play set in the yard; A mattress on the floor that was more fun than the beds we slept in nightly; A refrigerator box that was way more fun than all the toys we owned combined and a big bucket of water beat out the slip n' slide, pool and sprinkler any day. Random, right? The girls and I had gone through most of the obvious things to play with today. It's 5:30pm, Brian is out the door for his weekly softball game with the other husbands from the neighborhood and I am at a loss... So I give in and put a movie in - It does not work.



((Light-bulb!))



Out to the garage and I grab the air mattress. This thing is great! Plug it in, push the button and in less than a minute you have a bounce house, a bed, part of a fort, something to belly flop on, a way to entertain a sick child who is not sick enough to rest quietly, but too sick to go for our evening swim... Why didn't I think of this sooner??? This is amazing!! Lily's laughing, Grace is laughing, there has not been laughter in this house for hours!! Maybe tomorrow if the kids are still under the weather I'll pull a big cardboard box out of the garage and we'll figure out what we can do with that... I'm only 33, I was a kid not all that long ago...How could I forget how much fun the random stuff is?



Here is what happens when you turn your back on the kids in my house...
All I did was walk out to the garage to get the air mattress...

Money WELL Spent!

Big Day! (But am I ready to let go?)

Well it's Monday again, and that means swim lessons!! - But it's not just any day for lessons, is a big day! Grace has jumped from her "Mommy and Me" lesson to on her own with the instructor. We are only halfway through this session, but I couldn't hold her back one more week! Okay, well to be honest, her instructor essentially kicked me out of the pool and said that Grace had to be moved up. So while I am sad that Grace will no longer be in Vincent's and Rylan's class, I am beside my self with excitement and nerves about her big leap today!

She is going from a level 2 class with her buddies into a level 5 class that has just one child in it. I am hopeful that this will be the last push to real independent swimming. I also really like that it is such an advanced level for her. I think her competitive side will push her to swim as well as the boy in her new class. Time will tell if this is a good move or an overwhelming move. Grace adores her instructor and will begin private lessons with her soon (as will Lily) but I have always been in the pool with her. I am curious to see how she reacts to being in the pool alone with Miss Mary.

My hope today is to finally catch Grace on video. We will see if I can do it... Stay tuned...

Home Sweet Fricking Nightmare

Where to start? I suppose the best place to start is always the beginning...

July 13, 2007- Our new home is finished. The builder is touching up the paint, the Project Manager is walking the house with us one final time before he hands us the keys and we officially own it! It's beautiful. Big enough for the 3 of us and room for one more when we are ready. The yard is larger than the average for our new neighborhood and to top it all off we bought a lot that backed up to a future city park! I am thrilled beyond belief how this all just fell into place. I even joked that after 2 previous failed attempts to vacation then honeymoon on Grand Cayman, that this house, model name Cayman, would either be 3 times is a charm or another nightmare. It was on a whim that Dad and Penny drove me out here to look for homes and after all our hunting this was it! Things were just 'too good to be true'.

Fast forward 1 year - Our yard has finally been landscaped. It's beautiful, but we cannot enjoy it because they have started construction behind us, yup, you heard me right, construction. After all the promises from salesmen and all other manner of builder representative, the park we were promised, the park that made our home site more expensive, the beautiful, now disappearing, mountain views, One-Big-Lie! So now I have construction workers shouting and swearing and littering right behind my house from 5am through out the day. Kicking up dust, stinking of diesel, making so much noise it is miserable to be in my home, never mind in my beautiful new yard. They start at the crack of dawn, they wake Grace with their beeping trucks and then the leave at 3pm! Why can't they roll in at 6 o'clock and start at 7 o'clock instead of rolling in at 5 o'clock then leave at 4pm? This is making me sick. How could this be happening? Not only are they NOT building a park behind us, that foundation is less than 60 feet from my back wall! They are building a school right-on-top-of-us! I am pregnant with Lily and losing my mind, this stress and anger cannot be good for the baby. Breath Shelbi, keep telling yourself that horrible horrible blatant lie aside, you will not be looking at the back of someone else's home, this has to be better. Who knows, if the builder told you the truth you might still have bought this lot... Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

It's Fall now and that foundation has reached over 2 stories into the sky, it's blocking out the sun and almost entirely the beautiful mountain views we once had. It has become nearly impossible to be positive about this situation. I am angry! Lily is here and Grace needs to be out in the yard to get some of her energy out. It's just horrible to be out there. The construction workers are up on the roof and on scaffolding looking down into our yard. There's no privacy and it's loud and smelly. I am not sure if I am angry or sad but this is not the dream home I thought it once was.

It's winter and we have not enjoyed our yard once, not even on the weekends since they are working practically around the clock to get the school finished by August 2009. That almost 60 foot buffer between our back wall and the building... the nearly 60 feet that was there is now gone. In it's place they are building a wall. What the F^!*? How does it keep getting worse?? My beautiful home, my beautiful yard, my great neighborhood, it's all turned into a nightmare.

Spring is here, the weather is beautiful. Arizona usually only has two seasons, and Spring is not usually one of them. We are having the most glorious weather but they finishing up the Great Wall of China in my back yard. The remaining sliver of mountain view I had is not gone. This fricking school is closing in on us and I now feel claustrophobic in my own backyard! My sadness has once again become anger, but I am not sure who to be angry with. The builder who lied, the school district building this monstrosity or the dirty pervert construction workers who stop to watch Grace play in the back yard as they sit on my back wall and take a break from ruining my life! Okay that was a little dramatic, but I am seething about this whole thing now!

May.. Did you know the entire school lights up? They have parking lot lights and security lights and spot lights that light up the walls of the school. Did you know that one of my most favorite things when we moved here; before there were any houses across the street, before they put up street lights and when the lot behind me was empty; my favorite thing was the millions of stars you could see. Southern California is too populated, you don't see stars, same with Houston. Brian and I had not seen stars since we lived back home in Massachusetts. But out here, in the middle of the desert, you could practically touch the stars, not anymore!

June has arrived. We've had a few parties and the friend and neighbors have all tried to make it okay. They say "It's not that bad" and as they strain to see the mountains always reply "See you still have a mountain view." It's a kind thing to do. but it does not fix it. I might as well just get over it, accept it and start living with it. We cannot sell our home. The market crashed and will take years to recover. It's part of my life and there is nothing I can do but embrace it. Then something nice happens... The construction trucks roll out. The nasty chain link construction fence comes down. The landscapers come in and they plant some decent sized trees. It's gets quiet and it's not so bad. My shoulders drop and I stare out the second story windows at what is a decent looking school. Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe I can get used to it and yeah, it's going to be okay.

YEAH RIGHT!!!

They turned the a/c units on! The big industrial, right behind my fence a/c units. It sound like a wind tunnel in my house! If it sounds like a wind tunnel in my house, can you imagine what it sounds like in my yard??? And now I am stuck, in this HOME SWEET FRICKING NIGHTMARE...

Big News... Big News...

In all the excitement, and drama of potty training last week that was the only thing I blogged about. Admittedly that was the only thing I have time and room for in my life last week. I was focused and determined and it paid off in a big way! But now that the boot camp is over, the holiday has passed and life is getting back to a more normal state I can jump up and down and shout...

MONICA AND RYLAN (& Robbie) ARE NOT LEAVING US!!.......YET

So, a week ago Friday we all went out and in part it was supposed to be a celebration. But closing on a house can never be simple, at least it never has been for Brian and me. So delay and broken promises and shady builder practices (We unfortunately know a thing or two about SheaDY builders...) etc.. So they did not close and have since walked away. YIPEE! They walked away and are once again looking for houses in Vistancia! I am so excited. I can hardly contain myself.

Honestly, I think I was so wrapped up in the potty training stuff that it did not really register until today that the Miller girls and the Hurley girls are still together. I am sure that even if they had moved to Cibola Vista we would have seen each other almost daily, but now I know, as long as they stay in Vistancia, we will still see each all the time!! In the way back corner of my mind, I am aware of the possibility that even though they walked away from that particular house in Cibola Vista, the possibility of the Millers leaving Vistancia is still there. For now, I am blocking that thought out and chanting into the universe, "Keep the Millers here!!"

We'll see what a week or a month brings, but I will selfishly keep them in the neighborhood as long as possible and LOVE every minute of it. As a friend, I am sorry for the frustration of looking, finding, walking, looking... I know how draining house hunting is. I hope they find their dream home soon (and that it has room for the Hurley girls)!!

On another high note... Miss Grace Elizabeth jumped from her level 2 'Mommy and Me' swim class to Level 5 (alone with the instructor) swim class! She starts next week. I am so proud of her. She is just doing an amazing job in the water. If she keeps progressing like this she will most certainly be on the swim team by age 3! I'll try to get Brian to join us and video tape her this week, it's a sight to behold!

Potty trained, friends staying, swimming alone... It's been a good week. It's only Monday!! Here's hoping it continues to be as good!!

Oooooohhhh ~ Ahhhhhhhh

We spent a very lazy 4th of July day. It was, after Grace's and my intense potty training, a slice of heaven! We hid from the heat, avoided the insane 4th of July crowds and played, painted and enjoyed each other as a family. But of course, come sundown we were missing our buddies, the Millers. After all, we have not seen our friends in 4 days! Grace and I were going through some serious withdrawal. Brian and Robbie do love to bust Monica's and my chops about our 'addiction' to each other. But she and I, like Grace and Rylan are two peas in a pod. We're better when we're together. Okay maybe that should have been Peanut Butter and Jelly or Cookies and Milk, but you know what I mean.

So as the sun was setting we headed to the Millers to chalk it up on the driveway until the fireworks started. Again, not into crowds and unsure how the girls would react to the noise of fireworks we had made a plan to drive up Lone Mountain and look out over the valley and watch the fireworks. We were sure, okay Robbie and Brian were sure, that we could see the Peoria Sports Complex display from there. I, on the other hand pointed way off in the direction of California and said "Isn't that the sports complex way beyond/behind that mountain?" My sense of direction or lack there of became the running joke of the evening.

I am sure if you asked Rylan and Grace how he fireworks were you'd get some story of hanging out on blankets snacking on crackers and fruit snacks in the bed of Robbie's truck, but nothing of the actual fireworks! We did teach them to say "ooooooh and ahhhhhh" but... they had no idea why they would be saying "ooooooh and ahhhhhh" . Even still we had a great time. We were all together laughing and it was exactly the 4th of July I wanted!

I was able to snap a few pictures of Grace and Lily before we went to see the Millers. Don't worry Lily was changed into something a little more comfortable before the fireworks. I think Monica caught 1 picture of the Grace and Rylan, I'll have to get that one from her.

3 Day Potty Training (Day 3 ~ Part 2 ~ DONE!)

Okay, to all of you who thought I was crazy... The doubters, the nay sayers, the haters... 3 days! It was long, it was difficult, it was exhausting, but Grace is potty trained. Now, I will admit we still need to work on staying dry during sleep times BUT... She only had 1 accident today, and in her defense... Brian and I were getting ready for Kelli & Brian to come over and neither of us were fully listening to a hopping, dancing, singing "I have'a go potty!!!!" little girl. By the time I got her to the potty I was just a second too late! My fault... She was telling me, I just wasn't listening.

GRACE IS POTTY TRAINED!

I will so totally do this with Lily!

3 Day Potty Training, I LOVE YOU!

3 Day Potty Training (Day 3 ~ Part 1)

I woke Grace at 7am so as to catch her BEFORE she wet the bed. The best laid plans... She was asleep in a puddle. Oh well....

7am - 1:13pm
NOT ONE SINGLE ACCIDENT! I AM BEYOND PROUD!!!

Nap Time in a few minutes, we'll see how the afternoon goes...

3 Day Potty Training (Day 2 ~ Part 2)

I have to say honestly, I don't think I have it in me to transcribe my notes from this afternoon. Who would have thought I could be this exhausted from sitting in my house all day! Granted there has been a lot of sprinting and a lot of lifting, but still....

So for those of you who care, here's the Cliffs Notes version of this afternoon.

2:20pm
"Mommy - I have'a go pee!"
Apparently when a 2 year old says that they mean right that second. I did not sprint up the stairs fast enough... Wet sheets

2:50pm
SUCCESS

3:21pm
Diarrhea, uugh... Guess I over did the juice today. I did not want a repeat of yesterday, went too far in the other direction... Can't win for losing. Poor kid!

4:20pm
Accident ~ I was just saying to Brian that it'd been an hour... Oops.

4:35pm
SUCCESS!

4:47pm
Accident

4:57pm
Success, sort of ~ She said she had to go and waited until we got to the bathroom but started to go as I was lifting her and pulling off her underpants. I might have to rethink my placing on the potty while removing underpants method.

5:09pm
SUCCESS!

5:50pm - 6:45pm
Accident ~ Accident ~ Accident

7:30pm
SUCCESS!

7:40pm
So close again, just couldn't hold it long enough to get on the toilet...

8:00pm
SUCCESS!

8:05pm
Accident ~ What?!? Didn't she just go???

8:30pm
SUCCESS ~ Bedtime

I just don't have any witty recap in me. It was a better day than yesterday but a long day none the less. I am anxious to see what tomorrow brings! She is doing such a great job! One more day if this book isn't a crock! We'll see!

G'nite!

3 Day Potty Training (Day 2 ~ Part 1)

Lily was up all night... Okay, well, 4 times, but that still equals a pretty sleepless night... When Lily woke for good a 7:15am I prayed for a quiet cup of coffee before Grace woke up. Oooohh, So close...

7:20am
"MOMMY! Oh No! Oh No! Where are you???"
Wet sheets, just as I expected. I had hoped for dry but c'mon it was only the first night. I had laid a puppy pad down on her mattress, covered it with a long receiving blanket that I tucked in on either side, but when you child moves around as much as Grace - Dry pad, wet sheets.

7:35am
False alarm ~ That's what I am going to start calling it from now on. I think she might be feeling the urge but isn't ready to go? I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. She did however immediately ask for a present. This is one idea from the book I am not a fan of anymore. I think a sticker chart or some other means of reward... I don't know.

7:45am
Tantrum ~ wants a present. I have not given her anything to drink yet, Prepping her breakfast.

8:00am
Breakfast

8:40am
Accident ~ She was watching Dora. I am also not a fan of the TV while potty training. She gets so engrossed that she forgets to tell me she has to go, or doesn't pay attention to her body, either way, the TV is not working.

9:04am
1/2 and 1/2 ~ Told me she had to go. Made it to the bathroom but couldn't hold it long enough to get her underpants off.

9:16am
SUCCESS! ~ I am wondering now if all the successes happen right after or as I am reminding her to tell me when she needs to go. I will have to keep better track of that.

9:35am
Accident ~ WE WERE STANDING IN THE BATHROOM!?!?! How do you have an accident while standing two steps from the toilet? We were putting up a new chart for stickers when it happened. Accidents happen and I've said it before , accidents are learning opportunities. It's okay...

9:50am
SUCCESS! ~ Unprompted at that! Stopped playing, said she needed to go and made it all the way to the potty. GREAT JOB G!

10:07am
SUCCESS! ~ Again unprompted. She might be getting the hang of this potty thing! Very impressed and happy!

10:20am
SUCCESS! ~ Another unprompted trip to the potty! I feel lighter and happier and less exhausted.

10:47am
"Oh man..."
She told me she had to go, but couldn't hold it. Did not even make it to the bathroom. Still feeling proud and impressed.

11:15am
Accident ~ Told me she had to go as she was going.

11:40am
Accident ~ My fault. I was sewing her teddy bears ribbon again and I should have been paying attention. I have not given her anything to drink in a while. I would like her to go down for her nap at Noon. It's about an hour and a half earlier than her normal nap time, but I need to eat something. Yes, I understand how selfish that sounds.

12:15pm
KICKING AND SCREAMING was placed in her crib. Brian went up, told her a story, tickled her back and got her to sleep. We'll see if she wakes up dry!!

3 Day Potty Training (Day 1 ~ Part 2)

2:00pm
"Mommy Where are you?!?"
The pad that I put down is damp, I assume that she wet the bed near the beginning of her nap. I am surprised since she went right to sleep, no crying and did not wake until now. BUT... She sat on the potty as soon as she woke up and pee'd!!! SUCCESS!

2:18pm
1/2 accident ~ 1/2 success ~ We 'might' be learning some bladder control!

2:30pm
Fake out

2:37pm
Fake out

3:05pm
Accident ~ My fault, she sat on the potty twice in the last half hour and it's been 45 minutes since she last pee'd. I should have known, but the book says DO NOT sit the child on the potty to "try" so all I can do is remind her to tell me when she needs to go...

she has 3 more accidents in the next 50 minutes... What?!? maybe I'm overdoing the fluids..But the book says the more accidents, the more opportunities to learn. I keep telling my self this.

3:55pm
SUCCESS!! ~ Is it me or have we been in the bath room ALL DAY?? I am starting to feel exhausted. I was not prepared for this to be exhausting. Oh well , we're in it now, no turning back!!

4:11pm
Accident ~ I normally spend my days with the kids playing and hanging and really in it with them, why does this feel so different? I wish someone would call, I need a break... Focus, no phone calls, no visitors, no distractions...

4:26pm
Success!! ~I think painting would be a good idea, let's try it.

4:40pm
Accident ~ But... She told me she had to go, then went on the way to the bathroom. This is a big improvement over telling me then going right then and there.

4:46pm
Accident ~ I'm now thinking - "Didn't she just go?" Need to remind myself that accidents are learning tools. Accidents are good. This needs to be my mantra...

4:52pm
Accident ~ What is her cue? I am supposed to be learning her cue so I can scoop her up and rush her to the toilet. My daughter doesn't have a cue. "Mommy, I need to potty" (then release) that's her cue...

5:00pm
Accident

5:12pm
Success ~ Headache - Exhaustion - I wonder if this is as hard for Grace as it is for me? Did I realize it would be hard? I did not expect miracles. The book says that it takes 3 days and kids don't get "it" until day 3. What's a positive? Grace has successfully used the toilet 7 times, that's good! She has told me right before she was going or right as she started every time! That's reinvigorating... She's had a great day...

I should call Kelli find out how her first day back to work was and tell her about Grace's day.

5:37pm
Success ~ But... We almost didn't make it. I was talking to Kelli and not paying attention as Grace was trying to tell me she needed to go. Another pair of wet underpants, but she said she had to go and walked right to the toilet She only wet herself as I was lifting her on to the toilet.

6:00pm
Success! She did it again!

6:40pm
Success~ She asked to get out of the tub to go! I am impressed!

7:12pm
Accident ~ I knew she had to have a bowel movement, but when I sat her on the potty she wouldn't go. I think she's still a little traumatized by this morning. She went off in a corner and soiled her underpants. Who can blame her...

8:15pm
Bedtime, We'll see how tonight goes. Tomorrow is day 2...

10 successful trips to the potty.
I am very proud. Never thought I would talk so much about, think so much about or spend so much time in the potty, but... We live to fight another day!

G'night

3 Day Potty Training (Day 1 ~ Part 1)

Okay, the girls are down for a nap so while I have a few minutes I'll try to recapture the morning. I must say at the start that I fully expect to be changing wet sheets shortly, but I am pumped. The book says the more accidents the better, which is why you push fluids, and we've had quite a few accidents already...

6:45am
Grace is up. She runs out to the driveway to get the newspaper, her new favorite thing to do. Yes, I understand this is reminiscent of a dog fetching the paper for it's master, but she LOVES it!

7:15am
Breakfast - A smoothie so as to maximize her fluid intake.

8:00am
Changed the last diaper of Grace's life (fingers crossed) Grace throws it away to cheers! She is so excited to be in underpants - It's adorable!

We talk about what happens when she needs to use the potty. Grace recites excitedly
"Mommy - I need to sit-on-the-potty!"

8:15am
"Mommy I have'a go potty!" ~ Fake out - But at least she told me she needed or wanted to sit on the potty...

8:22am
"Mommy I have'a go potty!" ~ Fake out - This might be just a game. She laughs when we run to the bathroom... Hey, whatever works, it's getting her to the toilet with dry underpants, I'll say that's a success...

8:37am
Another fake~ but I am not frustrated, and repetition is a good thing...

8:45am
"Oh No! I pee'd..."
She had an accident ~ but we run to the potty anyway. Saying "Oh man... *sigh*..." and acting bummed that we missed it. Not angry, or frustrated, just... "Oh man..."
Grace tells daddy "I-had-a assident"

9:00am
Another fake out ~ but hey... at least she's telling me.

9:15am
Accident ~ She probably had to go before just is not used to this whole potty thing... We run to the potty anyway. Every time we have an accident or say we have to go we sit on the potty..."Oh man..." Grace likes saying this now, and looks so bummed, it's sweet. The more accidents the better... so I think it's going well.

9:32am
Another accident~ I'm impressed. She's telling me "Oh No!" as she's going and I am pumping her full of fluids, so... Things are going as expected... don't forget - "Oh man..."
I have been telling her every few minutes. -
"Don't forget to tell Mommy when you need to go potty."
It's not a 'yes' or 'no' question, since 2 year olds will almost always say 'no' - just a gentle reminder. I feel like a broken record, but it's what the book says...

9:54am
Accident ~ I keep getting pee'd on since she tells me she has to go or says "Oh no" as she's going... But at least she's not sitting in wet underpants and is acknowledging she needs the potty

Time for more fluids. So far 1 smoothie, 1 sippy cup of water and 1 juice box. More than normal, but only 4 accidents in 2 hours. I don't think that's enough, time to step it up. I am not discouraged though, I think it's going very well!

10:04am
Accident ~ *sigh* How to be sure what I am saying sounds positive to a 2 year old but still get the point across ~ It's a bummer to pee in your pants ~ I think we'll stick to "Oh man..."
I did not expect miracles in 2 hours - She's doing GREAT!

10:15am
Another accident ~ I am starting to think a movie was not a good idea. The book suggest that as one of the things to do with your child, but since The Little Mermaid started, Grace hasn't faked me out once and has had only accidents. I think we were doing better when we were playing and coloring. I think we'll avoid the TV for the next few days... Too distracting. I'm not a fan of kids and TV anyway. Even if Dora has actually taught Grace Spanish and the Backyardigans supplied one of the best laughs to date this weekend. (Remind me to tell you about the Very Heavy Tiki Mask.)

10:30am
Accident ~

10:40am
Accident ~

10:47am
SUCCESS!!! WE MADE IT! WAY TO GO GRACE!!!!

10:58am
Fake out ~ I think the surprise for making it to the potty can be a double edge sword.

11:00am
Fake out~

11:15am
PAINFUL, hard, traumatic BM. Maybe she wasn't faking~ Poor kid ~ BUT...

~ SHE MADE IT TO THE POTTY! ~

Great job G! Mommy is so proud!!!

11:38am
Fake out~ You get what I mean, right? She tells me she has to go then as soon as she sits down says "No, I no have to go..." ~ Fake out...

12:00pm
SUCCESS!!!

NAP TIME... Can she stay dry???

As you wish...

Okay, Potty Training starts as soon as Grace wakes up. That could be any second and the next three days my undivided attention needs to be on her, so real quick...

Yesterday Monica, Rylan (and Aunt Emily) Grace, Lily and I went to Desert Ridge for lunch, pottery and water play. IT WAS THE BEST AFTERNOON EVER!!! First, the girls and I love our time with the Miller girls, but Rylan and Grace glazing their plates at 'As You Wish' was the most darling thing I have ever seen. They had such a good time together. Of course they had to hug and hold hands and chase each other around the splash pad... Here are the pictures.