here toothy toothy toothy

Rachel has been extremely cranky the last two or three days. Today, I am exhausted from fighting her for everything. She won't sit on the potty, she won't lie down on the changing table, she won't sit in her car seat, she won't sit in her high chair, she won't eat what I give her. The child wants to do what she wants to do, end of story. Of course, there are some things that can't be compromised, like the car seat. But, wow, what a fit she can throw these days. I have never ever heard her carry on the way she did today when I forced her diaper on her and when I forced her to sit in her high chair and in her car seat. However, except for fighting sleep this afternoon, she's been sleeping pretty well, even taking a 1 hour 45 minute nap this morning, which is really unusual for her. I think part of the problem is that she wants to do everything herself, independently. At any rate, I'm blaming it all on teeth--all of it. So she'd better get another tooth or two, or I'll be crazy soon.

Thank goodness for distractions on days like this. Yesterday, GiGi came by for a quick visit after getting her hair cut on our end of town, and Cousin Anthony came over for a couple hours. Rachel lights up when she has visitors, although she did get really mad and frustrated when she wanted to get into Anthony's bag and play with his college math book. I appeased her by offering her free rein over a little plastic bowl of Cheerios, which deligted her.

Since GiGi came over, I was able to get the pics from our trip to NaNa and Papa's house over the weekend. I added them to Sunday's post, so check it out...Rachel in her little aerobics outfit, complete with sneakers!

Today, we went to see Koen. He will soon be out of school for the summer, so we probably will be seeing him on a different schedule. He seems pretty exhausted by school these days, so I'm looking forward to hanging out with a more refreshed Koen. Rachel always has a good time at Koen's house because they have really exciting big kid toys for her to explore. Aunt Mamber was here when we got home, and Rachel was definitely ready to sleep by bedtime.

Regress Report

We're back to baby days, with all diaper and no potty Rachel. We did have a little breakthrough, though, as she was really interested today in learning to sit herself on the potty without my help. She comes pretty close, but usually ends up lying across it on her belly. I've always looked forward to the day when she can walk herself over and sit on the potty when she needs to use it. Of course, she doesn't actually want to use it right now, but eventually I guess she'll put the pieces together. I guess.

cute moment

Rachel walked around this afternoon with some new bracelets she discovered in her toy box. I guess she is turning into a little lady, with her purse she carries around, and now with her bangle bracelets.

non-toy toy of the day

Racel played with a mirror at Koen's house. She gave lots of kisses to the baby in the mirror.

blog-x

Rachel was really cranky all day today. I'm thinking she has some teeth about to break through (isn't she due for a third tooth sometime??). She cried and she fussed, she woke up early this morning, and early from her naps, and she was in my feet all day wanting me to pick her up just so she could pitch a fit and squirm to get back down. We got out of the house after her second nap. We took a trip to Target, which amused her for a little while, and then we went to the park so she could walk around outside in the shade. She loved that, and she was the happiest she'd been all day. She did her mad-cry all the way home.

We had a lovely picnic yesterday afternoon with our friends Nick & Stacie. Stacie is taking a photography class, and she got some great pics of Rachel (as seen here). The boys had plans to use Nick's new fancy portable grill. They didn't read the instructions. They ruined the meat by cooking it in plastic fumes. We ate potato salad and fruit for dinner.

Here's my favorite picture Stacie took. Doesn't she look tough??

Progress Report

I think she used the potty twice today. Twice. Total. Two times. Sheesh.

cute moment

There were ducks at the park, and they were very friendly (to be sure, they thought we came with food for them). They waddled right up to us, quacking away. Rachel thought they were hilarious, and she talked to them, "Nanananana" (I guess that's her quack approximation?). She enjoys being outside so much, and it's fun to watch her just walk and walk and pick up things and feel the grass and the breeze.

non-toy toy of the day

Today she played a lot with sticks and stones. They didn't break her bones. Whew...close call.

we're back

I do have pictures, but they are held hostage on GiGi's camera. Maybe I'll be able to add them eventually.

We had a wonderful trip to visit NaNa and PaPa. GiGi came along, too, so I had lots of help with Rachel. In fact, it was like a mini-vacation. NaNa cooked delicious food and played with Rachel while I ate, GiGi gave Rachel a bath after playing in the dirt outside, and PaPa made Rachel grin and grin. She was constantly waving and barking ("uhuh") to Toby (their-year-old boxer-bulldog), and Uncle Steve even called to tell Rachel about the 17" flounder he caught at the beach (Rachel said "ahgoo").

Rachel slept really well while we were away. Today, she cried when I left her in the nursery at church. It's the first time that happened, and it was so hard to turn around and leave her. She was bound to be exhausted from our trip, and I guess she might be experiencing a little separation anxiety for the first time too. Poor baby.

Progress Report

Rachel has done exactly as I would have predicted: near-perfect at NaNa's house (a new house, a new bathroom, a new big potty), and back to her normal, cantankerous, I'll-potty-when-I-want-which-is-not-very-often Rachel.

cute moment

Rachel started saying "thank you" while we were away. NaNa, GiGi, and I wrestled Rachel's tennis shoes on and took her outside for some exploring. Rachel was very entertained, since she is into picking up little things and handing them to people. Every time she gave one of us something, we said, "Thaaaank you." It wasn't long before she started saying, "Aaaaaahgoo" when she reached out. She used the same inflection and everything!

Today, I was cleaning in the kitchen, wiping the cabinets with a damp cloth, and Rachel was right in my feet. So, I gave her a clean rag, and she put it right on the floor and started cleaning away. How humbling (and kinda scary) to know my every move is being watched and imitated.

non-toy toy of the day

I carefully packed a bag of Rachel's most special toys for our big trip, and then I left the bag at home. Of course, Rachel could not have cared less, as she got to play with lots of non-toys: whipped topping containers and lids, an oatmeal container, shoes, leaves, etcetc.

busy bee

We've had a really busy week, and tomorrow Rachel and I are going with GiGi to visit NaNa & PaPa! We are getting out of the house until Saturday so Jarrad can work on the continuing remodeling project(s). I can't wait to see what he gets done!

Tuesday, GiGi came over for a visit and brought Rachel two new summer dresses. While she was here, I got to run a few errands, even stopping by the party store to find things for Rachel's 1st birthday party (woah). Yesterday, Poppy came to visit Cousin Tyler and Rachel. He even treated my brother and me to a lovely meal at Macaroni Grill (a rarity!). Poppy especially enjoyed watching Rachel busy at her favorite pastime: walking. She walked round and round and round and round, like she always does. I wonder if the fun will eventually wear off? My friend Abbey stopped by for a few minutes with her little girls, Zahra(3) and Maya(13 months). Today, GreatAunt Libby came by to bring a big load of new clothes, compliments of PopPop and Uma, and Aunt Mamber came over for her usual Thursday visit after we got home from Koen's house. What a crazy week!

Progress Report

I am so tired of the potty. I just want to be honest about this potty business, and today, I'm tired. I was so skeptical before we started. Then, we started so strong, and she figured things out really quickly. I became so optimistic that I moved our target train-by age from 18 months to 12 months, and I secretly hoped for even sooner. Although it seems Rachel completely understands the whole concept, she is just not doing it. It makes me crazy, but it is what it is. I feel like we're back to the beginning, when I'm happy to catch what peepee I happen to catch, not expecting her to hold up her end of the bargain (so to speak). So I'm thinking we'll be dealing with diapers for a while longer. I guess one great thing has come out of it: I hardly ever have to change a poopy diaper. I guess that's good enough.

cute moment

Our best adventure to date happened at dinnertime tonight. Rachel has not been eating well the past day or two, and tonight she flat out refused to eat the yogurt I offered (she LOVES yogurt!). Even when she does accept a bite, she often sticks her hand in her mouth so she can mush it around and play with it. She pushed my hand away when I offered her a spoonful of yogurt, and some got on her finger. She licked it right off her finger. Okay, so, clearly, she wants to feed herself. Well, fine, today was bath day anyway, so I let her go for it, and Aunt Mamber was here to witness...

non-toy toy of the day

Yogurt. *sigh*

still here...

Here's what's been taking my blogging time the last few days...

I promise we'll be back soon. The dress is still not quite finished, and I'm working on the hat and bloomers, too! Fun!

super mario

It's was a frustrating day today, so I've been pouting. Rachel never went to sleep for her morning nap, and only slept one hour this afternoon. Luckily, we had several distractions. Two of our neighbors came over for lunch. Isabel and her son, Mason(4) joined us for hot dogs and macaroni & cheese. Her son, Jackson(5), was very disappointed he missed lunch due to preschool, so I invited them to come back over for a few minutes late this afternoon to have cookies and say hello. I think he was satisfied with that. They are a really sweet family; they've been married almost 20 years, and they have another son, Alex(16) and a daughter, Ellen(17). They started all over with Jackson and Mason!

Rachel and I also went to the store to buy the rest of the materials I need for Rachel's dress. I bought red fabric for the diaper cover, pockets on the dress, and bow on the hat, ladybug buttons, and elastic. BUT, I forgot the red and blue thread I need! So I still can't really proceed until I go back to the store...again.

Jarrad's childhood friend, Jesse, came over tonight to see Rachel's tricks. He hasn't seen her in a couple of months, so he was pretty impressed! On the other hand, Jesse is the best guitarist we know, and Rachel was impressed with his playing. She even tapped her foot some. In the video, notice that she applauds his playing by blowing raspberries.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	2	3
poop	1	1

cute moment

Rachel ate "nanana" for dinner, which meant we were both a sticky mess. She had banana all over her face and in her hair, her hands had banana film, and her arms were sticky all the way to her elbows. So, when I put some Cheerio's on her tray, they stuck to everything. For some reason, she thought it was hilarious when I stuck Cheerio's to my fingertips. She laughed so hard, and then she picked them off one by one. I stuck them back on, she cackled, pulled them off, and we started all over again. Maybe it was exhaustion from her lack of sleep that made it so funny to her.

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel played with an empty yogurt container all afternoon. She even got the lid on!

pink flouride

First of all, the symphony was AWESOME! They played with a full rock band and even had a rocker-dude singer with long fuzzy hair and sloppy clothes! I've never been a huge Pink Floyd fan, but it was great to hear some live music and just relax for a couple of hours. Thanks to Aunt Mamber for contributing to our evening by babysitting!

Rachel woke up at 3:00am and was back to sleep until 7:00am. She seemed ready for a nap around 8:35am, so I put her in her crib and hoped she would fall asleep for a short nap before church. She finally fell asleep at 9:00am, and I couldn't bring myself to wake her up when it was time to leave for church. She woke up at 9:45am, and, since we only live 10 minutes from our new church, we were only a tad late. Please note, however, that she woke up on her own, after only 45 minutes of napping! Ugh! This afternoon, she fell asleep at 1:40pm and slept only one hour. She willingly went to sleep at 6:30pm again tonight.

Triple coupon weekend is almost over. I will publish a special edition when we have Jarrad's grand total of savings. I'm happy to say the house is already back to normal.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	3	4
poop	1	0

cute moment

Either Rachel really loves bananas, or she is enjoying her new word, because she continually points to the bunch of bananas and repeats "nanana, nanana, NANANA." She also got a bath this morning, and she showed that she knows the sign for "bath." Every time we went by the bathroom today, she did the "bath" sign, which just looks like she's washing her belly and chest with her fist. So cute!

non-toy toy of the day

A [free] bottle of mustard. She was happy to carry it around and gnaw on it this afternoon.

deep thought

I have been really working hard in my house to get things straightened up and keep them that way. I've never had much trouble keeping things relatively clean, but I struggle with keeping things tidy. For about three weeks, I've been working hard to find a home for everything and just get rid of things we don't need. I have been so productive, and it's been easier than I expected to keep it up. Thursday night, Jarrad pulled out all his couponing stuff and spread it out in the kitchen, living room and dining room. After his trips to the store, he added lots of products everywhere, waiting to be stored. It was amazing how my mood was affected by the mess! I hadn't realized how much better I was feeling from a more organized environment. What a great lesson to learn, and a great motivator to keep things tidy.

triple threat

Yesterday was a pretty good day, with a visit from Aunt Julie and her dog, Jack, and Jarrad was in and out all day, too. It was nice to have some company and some help, and it made the day fly by. Rachel took two good naps, and Jarrad went to the grocery store 3 times, buying over $300 in groceries for less than $40. Maybe I haven't mentioned Jarrad's newest hobby: couponing. One of the grocery stores in our area is tripling manufacturer's coupons all weekend, so our house is a mess of clipping and sorting. It's all worth it, in the end, and the house will hopefully return to normal by Monday.

Last night, I cut all the pieces to make Rachel's birthday dress. I recieved a really nice sewing machine from my parents when I graduated from college. I'm ashamed that I haven't used it much, but I'm hoping that will change. It is a really fun hobby, and one that should come in handy through the years, when my kids want really weird costumes or repairs made to their favorite clothes. We're doing a ladybug theme for her party, so I bought some ladybug fabric online. I borrowed the pattern from my friend, Lisa, who has already made two dresses for her little girl, Leah!

Today started out great, with Rachel sleeping until 7:30am (after her usual early-morning snack), and a visit from Cousin Tyler and Uncle Travis first thing. I guess our visitors had Rachel feeling pretty hyper, because she never went to sleep when I put her down for her morning nap. Everyone assured me she'd make up for it with a long afternoon nap, but it lasted a mere one hour. I was really frustrated, and she was really cranky. Tonight, Aunt Mamber is coming over to babysit while Jarrad and I go to "The Music of Pink Floyd - A Rock Symphony" with some friends. It will sure be nice to get a break for an evening.

Progress Report (Friday)

	potty	diaper
peepee	4	4
poop	1	0

I discovered a new trick: let Rachel play with a warm washcloth while she sits on the potty. Duh! She loves playing with little pieces of fabric or paper, especially wet washcloths. Why didn't I think of that sooner??

Progress Report (Saturday)

	potty	diaper
peepee	3	5
poop	1	0

cute moment

Yesterday, Rachel walked around and around for 45 minutes with her My First Purse on her arm. A couple of times, she got so frustrated trying to get it on that she just sat and cried a mad cry. I'd like to know what she's thinking sometimes.

non-toy toy of the day

Uncle Travis let Rachel play with Cousin Tyler's hat and bib she insisted on pulling from his bag. Uncle Trav even entertained her by putting the hat on his head. Rachel is blessed to be loved so much by Uncle Trav!

eleventy

Rachel is 11 months old today! I can't believe we are closing in on one year. This has easily been the quickest year of my life, and I hear they just go by faster and faster with age and babies.

11th-month shameless photo count: 487 distinctive portraits of our beauty queen.

After refusing to drink formula last night, Rachel woke up at 4:00am and nursed really well (and I'm pretty sure she was satisfied). She woke up again at 7:00am, content with the world. She took two great naps today, although it seems to be getting harder for her to fall asleep in the afternoons, even though she is sleepy. Could it be because she needs more milk??

I tried again with the pasta, carrots, and green beans at lunch today, and she hated them all. Tonight, she had green bean casserole (my fav) and real oatmeal with baby peaches, both of which she seemed to love. I gave her green bean casserole first. It's probably the saltiest thing I've given her to date. Consequently, she finally agreed to drink some of the formula. But, as soon as she started eating the peaches, it was no more formula for Rachel. She probably drank a couple ounces of formula, though, which made me happy.

Since Rachel started sleeping better, a new little personality has emerged: Rachel's willpower. When she was playing behind the curtains today, I decided my best bet was to ignore her (her biggest joy comes from being discovered back there). She hollered for my attention, and it was really hard not to look at her and react to her super-cute self, but I ignored her. I am gambling that it will get old if I don't pay attention (I don't want to have to take the curtains down!). Anyway, when I tried to remove her from the curtains for naptime, she performed what has become a familiar act: she collapses her arms straight up in the air and arches her back, yelling and screeching at the top of her lungs. Her face gets red and she kicks her feet...it's really quite a show. I just ignore her and do my best not to drop her in her fit of rage, and she soon stops (maybe because she's tired). It's weird to listen to her fuss, though. She's never been a crying or fussy baby, and when she does get fussy, there's almost always a reason, usually fixable. I suppose I could fix these fusses by letting her do whatever she wants, but I know that wouldn't be healthy. As I told my mother-in-law, it is hard to listen to her fuss, but I guess I can't just let her walk into danger, can I? And so the difficult task of actual parenting begins.

Koen, Bob and Carla came over this afternoon for a while, and Aunt Mamber came on her regular Thursday schedule. Rachel had a full day, but she really seems to like it that way now. She has changed so much in the last few weeks...I guess she's growing into a little girl.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	1	6
poop	1	0

I was so happy she peepeed more today, that I didn't even care about the potty. Just like she's too busy to nurse, though, she seems too busy to potty. And too busy to be diapered. And to busy to be dressed. And too busy for a bath...

cute moment

Jarrad goes to Bible study at 7:00am on Thursdays, so when I took Rachel downstairs this morning, she walked all around our bed, saying, "DADDY, DADA, DADA, DADDY!" She couldn't find him anywhere (he's usually in bed, still sleeping)! She seemed a bit confused. She is such a Daddy's girl!

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel found a few crinkly plastic bags in our bedroom today, and she insisted on carrying them all, every one, in her left hand. When she dropped one, she stopped to pick it up. They do make a fun noise, I must admit.

here today, gone tomorrow

We had a really fun day today. Rachel slept straight through until 6:15am, and took two good naps. We went to lunch with my two Dutch friends, Carla and Sylvia! I’ve mentioned Carla many times, and Sylvia goes to our church. When I heard Sylvia say she is from Holland, I knew Carla would enjoy meeting her and speaking Dutch for a change! They had fun with Rachel, too. I told Carla that everyone in the restaurant was probably confused about whose baby she is, since she definitely looks more like she belongs with the fair Dutch ladies than with me. See the picture and judge for yourself.

I’ve been pushing myself to let Rachel try some new, ‘real’ foods, since she’ll be 11 months old tomorrow. Yesterday she tried real green beans, and she liked them fine, though she wasn’t crazy about them. At lunch today, she first tried cottage cheese. She hated it. Then, she tried vanilla pudding. She loved it. Last, she tried vanilla ice cream. She devoured it.

Our college friend, Jay, came over when he got off work today. It was his first time meeting Rachel, but he feels like he knows her because he keeps up with the blog! Jay does lots of voices and impersonations, and Rachel found his booming voice amusing. Jay got to watch Rachel try some more new foods: real carrots and mushy multi-grain pasta. She hated them both, screwing up her face and ejecting each bite. I guess we’ll try that again tomorrow.

Speaking of trying new things, it seems that Rachel has successfully weaned herself. She has nursed better the last day or two, but she doesn't seem to be getting enough, which means that the little strike she went on may have done in my milk supply. It was a hard decision, but when she only peepeed 4 times today, I knew I had to do something. So tonight, I mixed her up some formula. She loves drinking out of her cup, so I thought she wouldn't skip a beat. She got really excited when she saw the sippy cup, and she clamped down on it for her first gulp. Her first gulp immediately came leaking out of the side of her mouth. She gave a confused look at the cup (she has only ever had water from the cup) and caustiously tried once more. She shuttered at what she tasted, and would only play with the spout after that. I don't really know what to do now, but I'll sleep on it and see what tomorrow brings.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	2	2
poop	1	0

cute moment

This morning, Rachel played with her "My First Purse," a gift from Aunt KiKi. She actually put it on her little arm and was walking around her room like she was on a shopping trip to the mall. I know Aunt KiKi will be thrilled, since she's looking forward to taking Rachel shopping a lot in the future!

non-toy toy of the day

The long curtains that hang in our dining room over the sliding glass door have been off for a couple weeks because I hemmed, washed, and ironed them. Now that they're back up, Rachel has discovered that they are great for playing hide and seek. She went back and forth behind them this afternoon, giggling every time she peeked out. I guess that should be a no-no...we'll start tomorrow.

blue skies, sunshine

We have been having the best weather, and today was no exception. Rachel had a pretty good day, so we headed to Jarrad's first softball game tonight. We went early and Rachel just walked round and round in the shade at the park. She pulled things out of my bag to carry around (she doesn't like to walk empty-handed). She still did not seem fond of the prickly grass, but at least she doesn't have to sit on it now. It's nice that she's such a good walker, and I don't have to worry about her little knees so much anymore!

I forgot to report that Rachel started pointing over the weekend. It's her newest trick, so she points at everything (and often, nothing).

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	4	3
poop	1	0

cute moment

On the way to the park, Rachel got pretty quiet in the back seat. I glanced in the mirror and saw that she was putting her paci in Little Rex's mouth. So cute!

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel has discovered the stack of papers waiting to be shredded, and she likes to scatter them around and ball them up. She was carrying around some of my medical records today. I took a couple videos of her walking and walking and walking, holding the papers. Jarrad says it looks like I gave her a map of the house and she's trying to navigate through. Haha!

where have you been?

It has been way too long since I last posted. Suffice it to say that we've been out of town without internet access. Friday, GiGi came over to visit and spend the night. She played with Rachel while Jarrad and I packed and loaded the car for our trip. Saturday, we checked into a really nice hotel in the Charlotte area. Rachel took a decent afternoon nap in the hotel-provided Pack-n-Play, and then we all went shopping! Jarrad has given me a shopping spree as an early gift for our 5-year anniversary that's coming up next month! We went to an outlet mall near our hotel. Even though I only ended up buying one thing, it was just nice to shop while Jarrad strolled Rachel around and tended to her. The mall was ridiculously crowded, which is always a little stressful, but we went back to our hotel room and bedded down for the night around 8:15pm. Rachel went right to sleep, and woke up only a time or two during the night.

Sunday we went to my grandmother's house for a get-together with my mom's family. It was the most perfect weather, so we were outside, under the giant oak trees (the very ones my grandma and papa planted years ago when they built their house). The breeze was nice and the sun was shining, and Rachel had a great time walking around and around and around in the grass. Apart from a temper-tantrum or two because I wouldn't let her eat grass nor walk down the big hill, and apart from three spider bites and a mosquito bite, she had a grand day. The bites really bothered me, but she didn't even seem to notice the welts on her ankles and wrist.

A confession: We forgot the camera for our fun weekend. I kicked myself a time or two, but, oh well, what can you do? Perhaps you can close your eyes and imagine the great pictures we missed.

Today, my good friend Brian came over to meet Rachel for the first time! Brian lives in the mountains and he doesn't make it our way often. He and his girlfriend, Megan, had tickets to a concert tonight, so they came over and spent the day with Rachel! She showed off all day, and really enjoyed Brian and Megan. Brian has 4 nieces, so he is very experienced in baby-entertaining. Rachel thought his faces and peek-a-boo games were quite amusing. She even walked right over to him and let him pick her up! She also loved Megan's flip flops (of course). Brian and I went to middle school together (in fact, he was my boyfriend in 6th grade), and we even ended up going to the same university. We've been friends forever, and I haven't seen him in such a long time. It was great to catch up with him (on his birthday!) and get to know Megan better, too!

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	6	3
poop	1	0

This is today's stat report. Rachel had been giving me a hard time with the potty, and I was getting discouraged. Saturday, when we got to the hotel, Rachel explored our suite (yes, a suite!). She quickly found the bathroom (okay, the suite wasn't that big), and she noticed the potty right away. She did the potty sign and said "GOOgoo" (her word for potty). I took her diaper off and put her on her potty, but she was completely uninterested. She wanted to stand up, and she certainly was not having any part of actually using it. So, I carried her to the bathroom and held her sitting on the big potty. She peepeed right away! The rest of the day Saturday, she refused to sit on her little potty, but she used the big potty without protest! Sunday, she was back to her old ways, but she did use her little potty some. I guess it was just a curiosity for her. Funny!

cute moment

Included in the price of our room, the hotel had a great cooked-to-order breakfast Sunday morning. So we took Rachel, her Bumbo, and a bib downstairs early. She had banana and a few Cheerios, but she had the most fun watching all the people. I had to feel sorry for her though, as she waved at every single person who walked by, and most hardly even glanced her way. But she stayed upbeat, and continued to wave, not phased by the lack of interest. It's so hard for me to understand why every person didn't stop and speak to her! Poor baby!

non-toy toy of the day

Today, Megan let Rachel dig around in her bag! She pulled out a wrapped disposable camera, wallet, earplugs, cell phone, some receipts and cards, and a cute Tony the Tiger. They even let her keep Tony the Tiger!

life lesson

I am learning a lot about prayer, namely, that God cares about every detail of our lives, and he cares about what we care about. Friday, I ended up having to take Rachel to the doctor for a little rash she had (which turned out to be nothing). Going to the doctor was not in my plan of things to do. But Rachel and I got in the car, rushed to Target to pick up some pictures I got developed to mail with Mother's Day cards, which I stuffed and stamped before rushing straight to Rachel's doctor. Her appointment was at 4:50pm, which meant that I needed to get the cards in a blue mailbox before her appointment. With no time to spare, I simply hoped there would be a mailbox at Rachel's doctor's office. I was really stressed out. As we turned the corner, I remarked to Rachel that I should pray about the situation, but I know I obviously can't pray a mailbox into existence. Of course, there was no mailbox. As we came out of the office at 5:10pm (pretty quick, huh?), I was really mad at myself for procrastinating and being late with the cards. As I drove by the drugstore on the corner, I noticed a mailtruck. The mailman was standing behind his truck, just sorting through mail. Could it be? I pulled up next to him, held out my cards, and asked if I could give them to him. Of course he took them, and all was well. How amazing is that??

snacky

We had a great day today, especially since Rachel slept straight through the night until 6:00am, and then she played in her crib for a while before I got her up. I ended up feeding her dinner really late last night because she had a big Cheerio snack with Tia Milli late in the afternoon, and I guess that did the trick! So, now I know to feed her a snack in the afternoon, and then we'll have her dinner at a more normal dinner time.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	3	5
poop	1	1	a naptime poopy diaper :(

cute moment

This morning, Rachel played in her crib a long time. Just as I was getting up, I heard her die laughing. I have no idea what she saw or did that she thought was so funny, but I thought it was pretty cute.

non-toy toy of the day

I let her hold my apple for me while I got her lunch ready today. She wasn't sure what to do with it, so she mostly stared at it, glancing at me occasionally.

She also thought the Cheerios box was funny when I shook it in her face, so I let her examine that too. She figured out how to open the box and pull out the bag.

a tribute

A quick, lots-of-pics-to-post blog today. Tia Milli is going home to Honduras on Saturday, so she came for a visit and to say goodbye to the kiddos. She even hung out with Rachel while I went out for a couple hours this afternoon. She is going to miss Tyler and Rachel so much, and they will miss her too. We'll look forward to seeing her again in August, and I know she will be keeping her eye on the blog!

Milli, Rachel, Aunt KiKi, and Cousin Tyler. So cute!

Aunt Milli took this pic while I was gone...she let Rachel have free reign over a bowl of Cheerios! Nice face, huh?

Rachel took two great naps again today: 1.5 hours this morning and 2.5 hours this afternoon. Good baby!

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	7	2
poop	1	1

Rachel woke up for the day at 6:30am and played in her crib until 7:00am. When I went to get her up, she had a poopy diaper! I look forward to the day when she can yell, "Mommy, I gotta gooooooo." Or something like that, anyway.

cute moment

You can hear Milli and me laughing. This is Rachel, trying her best to put her own diaper on. So silly!

what size 2??

Who knew pacifiers come in sizes?? Apparently Rachel has been sucking on 0-6 month pacis all this time. Will her future teeth be messed up? Maybe it's just a way for them to make more money, but I bought Rachel some new, size 2 pacis last night (hers are probably pretty gross now anyway). They come in weird colors, but they are pretty cute. She didn't seem to notice any difference.

We went to visit cute, tiny, brand new baby Cameron today (but I forgot my camera). He is not quite a month old, and he felt as light as a feather! He slept peacefully (except for a few grunts here and there) the whole time Rachel and I were there. Rachel had fun walking around and exploring unfamiliar territory. Oddly, she kept her hands off almost everything, and she didn't try to climb the stairs! I don't know what kept her from trying to pull everything off the coffee table, but I only had to tell her "no touch" a couple times, and she listened, too! I definitely don't think I can take much credit. I mean, I've never told her not to pull candles off a table, so how would she know not to? I hope she will be as easy when she's a teenager :\ one day. Whew, that is too much to think about...

Aunt Mamber came over to see Rachel for a few minutes this evening. It's fun to see Rachel react to a familiar person, and she loves Aunt Mamber. Rachel mostly walked around and around the downstairs, and then up the stairs, as Aunt Mamber followed.

Oh, and Rachel's sleeping? Jarrad put her to bed, and she was asleep at 7:30pm last night. She woke up (not sure why) and nursed around 12:30am (I had a hard time convincing her to nurse at all before I left last night), then slept until 6:30am and played in her crib until 7:00am. How great is this?? Her naps were 1.5 hours this morning and 2 hours 20 minutes this afternoon!! It was 7:30pm to sleep tonight. It is so nice to have my good-natured, well-rested little girl back!

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	5	5	higher peepee count: another indication she wasn't eating enough, poor baby
poop	1	0

cute moment

She did two things this afternoon that amazed me. First, when Aunt Mamber was over, Rachel was carrying around a pair of her socks. I looked at her and said, "Rachel, can you put your socks on your feet?" I didn't give her any other clues to what I was asking her to do, but she looked at her feet and then put the socks on top of her foot! Then, at bedtime, we were cleaning up her room. She followed me to her toy basket as I was putting in the last few toys. I said, "Rachel, go get a book to read." She looked across the room where her books are stacked and cooed. "Rachel, go get a book, get one book. What book do you want to read?" She went over, picked up a book, and brought it to me! I can't believe how much she understands now.

non-toy toy of the day

She was mesmerized by tearing up a baby wipe this afternoon. She concentrated on ripping it into the tiniest pieces possible.

and now back to our regularly scheduled program

We had a busy-but-fun weekend. My 16-year-old cousin, Cory, spent the night with us Saturday night. He and Jarrad had fun playing...they went to the movies, played XBox, skateboarded. It's nice for Jarrad to have an excuse to be a big kid sometimes. Cory went home Sunday afternoon, and Aunt Julie and Landin came over last night so Jarrad and I could go to church. I left Aunt Julie specific bedtime routine instructions, and she put her to bed last night! Rachel had no problems adjusting.

Our day was not perfect today, but it was immensely closer to normal than any day we've had in two weeks. Rachel woke up at 4:00am (booooo), but went right back to sleep until 6:40am. She woke up as happy as ever, and she played in her crib for almost 30 minutes before I got her up (she hasn't done that in forever). She has been in a great mood all day, even taking two 1.5-hour naps.

Rachel has been eating a LOT lately, which leads me to believe I hadn't been feeding her enough. It's just so hard to believe she really wants more food sometimes. I felt awful when I realized that might be her problem, so I really stuffed her today, and she had a big, tight belly to prove it!

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	5	4
poop	2	0

cute moment

Rachel has been in the best mood since she has been catching up on her lost sleep. It doesn't take much to get a giggle out of her. Our newest game is that I will stretch out my arms and say, "Come here, Rachel, come to Mommy." She grins and starts walking towards me, only to veer in another direction before she reaches me. She thinks it so funny, but she really laughs when I reach a little more and grab her, smothering her with Mommy kisses.

non-toy toy of the day

Still, Rachel isn't playing with much of anything. She is really enjoying just picking things up and carrying them around. And anything will do: Little Rex, a sock, washcloth, shoe, a piece of fuzz, a ball, coupons, or any combination (she really loves to carry multiple things in one hand). She also figuree out how to open one of her dresser drawers today, and she pulled a few things out of there to carry around.

road to recovery

Yesterday morning, Rachel woke up at 4:45am, but I went straight to her (always hoping she'll go back to sleep for a couple hours). She did go back to sleep, until 7:10am! It felt weird to get up after sunrise. So the morning felt really short, because she still was ready for her nap at 9:00am. Whew!

Last night, I volunteered at the JoyProm, which was SO much fun. Because the event lasted all night, Jarrad had full bedtime responsibilities. Predictably, he had no problems, and Rachel went right to sleep. However, I had not been specific enough about nighttime diapering, so Rachel woke up at 1:00am, soaked from top to bottom due to a leaky diaper. I got Jarrad up to help me change her sheet while I cleaned her up and changed her clothes. Once she was back to sleep, she slept until 6:00am, which made me happy. To make up for the leaky diaper incident, Jarrad got up at 7:00am, and I went back to bed for a whole hour. Rachel went to bed at a normal 7:15pm tonight. I hope we are back on track!

Rachel took good naps today, so this afternoon, we went to see MeMaw and GGPaw and Cousin Anthony. I didn't get a picture of Rachel with MeMaw because Rachel jumped out of her lap before I even had a chance to get the camera.

Progress Report

I really do not remember her potty count yesterday and today, but she has been fairly cooperative. We've had two good-but-not-outstanding days. She probably used 3 or 4 diapers both days.

cute moment

I got a pair of socks out for Rachel today, and she wanted to play with them. I gave them to her, and then asked, "Can I have one to put on your foot?" She looked down and put a sock on her foot! (Not on her foot, but on top of her foot. I thanked her and really put it on, and then she put the other sock on top of her other foot!

non-toy toy of the day

Last night, I got all dressed up for the JoyProm. My fancy shoes were out, but not on my feet, so Rachel went straight for them. She loves shoes!

product placement

Rachel woke up too early again, so was cranky all day. To keep her from playing out all her energy, I took her on a little field trip to the music store, and just walking around the shopping center. Rachel had a great time, and I was able to hold her off until 1:40pm for her afternoon nap. Both naps were 1 hour today, even though she could really use a good 3-hour nap one of these days. Going to Koen's house also kept her happy this afternoon, and she was in bed and right to sleep at 6:35pm. I am really hoping she will sleep all night and wake up well-rested, sometime AFTER 5:00am.

I didn't take many pictures today, so here's a bonus video from yesterday. Notice her face after she whacks her head on the dresser:

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	3	4
poop	2	1

Yes, a poopy diaper. Unfortunately, she dirtied her diaper when I put her down for a nap this morning. I felt so terrible that I didn't know she needed to go. When I put her on the changing table, she gave me this look, like, "Duh, mom. Duh." I haven't changed a poopy diaper in a really really long time. Oh well, I guess there will always be accidents!

cute moment

You might remember that Rachel's great grandparents gave her two singing bunnies for Easter. She has grown to love the one that wiggles his ears and taps his foot, so it gets played often. Because it gets played often, I have learned the song he sings. Of course, it's one of those terrible songs that gets stuck in your head, so I find myself singing it aloud. Rachel has also started tapping her foot when she hears the song. Anyway, on the way to Koen's house today, Rachel was really fussy. So I started singing the bunny song. Rachel grinned and tapped her feet!! I sang all the way there, and she stayed happy the whole time. It worked on the way home, too.

non-toy toy of the day

Jarrad's gym bag was in the living room this morning, and Rachel found his deodorant and carried it around for a while.

toddle toddle

Rachel woke up at 4:30am, but I went straight to her, nursed her, and put her right back down. I think I was back to sleep before she was, and she slept until 6:30am. What a nice nap! Her morning nap was really good, but she was asking to go to sleep again really early. When I finally put her down for her afternoon nap, it took her a long time to go to sleep, and then she only slept for 45 minutes. I decided to put her to bed super-early tonight: 5:50pm. I'd rather have a well-rested early-riser than a cranky early-riser, and it seems like those are my only two choices for now. Now I just need to learn to go to bed super-early.

I felt pretty good today after sleeping until 6:30am, so I was able to get a lot done. Jarrad also bought a "new" [used] car today. It's a '94 Honda with good mileage, and it will be much cheaper to drive than his giant truck.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	1	5
poop	2	0

Rachel was very sleepy and cranky most of the day, but even when she seemed to be in a good mood, she was non-compliant on the potty. She finally signaled to me she needed to go this morning, and she pooped. I was excited she had told me and thought we might be turning a corner for the day, but then she peepeed in her crib while I emptied her potty (I was about to run her a bath, so I didn't re-diaper her). I was happy with her until I returned to find the huge wet spot on her sheet. She looked guilty.

cute moment

Rachel crawled onto my lap today and lifted up the tail of my shirt to give my belly a big sloppy kiss. She looked at my stomach, and then she went and picked up her burp cloth. She brought it straight back over to me and wiped off the wet spot she had left!

Rachel is definitely a toddler now. She prefers to walk, and she can change directions and navigate around things. She can even stop, bend over and pick something up, and then keep walking! It is so exciting to see her develop this new skill. In this video, she uses the sign for "no," but she still can't resist putting her little paws where they don't belong!

what's the matter, can't keep up?

I think I'm going to slow down my blogging. My early-waking baby and late-bedtime hubby are making for one tired mommy.

Rachel and I went to see MiMi for a couple hours today. She's working at an office one hour from our house, so the drive wasn't too bad. Plus, she got to show Rachel off to all her coworkers, which she thought was great fun. Rachel had a fun time, too, and everyone "oo'ed and ah'ed appropriately," as my mother always says.

Rachel was up at 5:00am again, this time not as well-rested. She struggled all day, and started rubbing her eyes at 3:30pm this afternoon (after she had taken her nap). Aunt Mamber came by after work, so I held Rachel off a few more minutes. I finally put her down at 6:30pm, and she has been sleeping quietly (a good sign) since.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	4	2
poop	1	0

MiMi took us to lunch today. While I was feeding Rachel, she appeared to get uncomfortable, like she was about to poop. Luckily, I had brought the potty. But what do it do? Do I bring it in the restaurant bathroom? Do I set it on the ground outside. Do I set it in the trunk? I decided to put it on the backseat of the car. I took off Rachel's [clean] dipe, put her on the potty, and she peepeed right away! Did she hold it?? Maybe, but then she wet her diaper late this afternoon when we were back home again. I am amazed that she used the potty in the backseat like that. I honestly cannot believe that we might be finished potty training soon.

cute moment

Regardless of the fact that Rachel was cranky all day because of lack of sleep and whatever else is bothering her, she was a real show-off at MiMi's work. Like MiMi, Rachel seems to light up when she has an audience. She waves, she grins, she lets everyone hold her. Today, she showed off all her signs (including her newest: sleep), and she walked from me to MiMi's coworker and back again, giggling. At the restaurant, she talked to the gentlemen in the booth next to ours, and she waved at our waiter every time he passed our table. She slept on the ride home, and was the crankiest Rachel EVER until bedtime.

non-toy toy of the day

Walking. I know it's not really a toy, but Rachel hasn't been playing with toys much at all lately because she's having so much fun just walking round and round.