a narrow win

Rachel was in a pretty good mood today and yesterday, and so was I. She took at 1.5-hour morning nap, which allowed me to be really productive. I put an old sheet under her high chair (per GiGi's recommendation), which greatly reduced mealtime stress (Rachel will not stop throwing food. I get so frustrated with her because she throws food, then says, "nahnah"...I don't know what to do!). Yesterday afternoon, we met Koen and Carla at a museum. It was a 25-minute drive there, but a 40-minute drive back (rush hour). Rachel was not happy being strapped down that long. It didn't help that we were driving home during her normal dinner time. If I had any sense, we would have stayed put and had dinner near the museum, and then gone home after rush hour. DUH.

We met my friend Shawna for lunch today. We went to a place with a salad bar and pizza buffet. Rachel ate a bunch of cottage cheese, some crackers, and she devoured some vanilla pudding. I was going to let her taste a peanut butter cookie (yum!), but she threw it overboard before she even tasted it. Her loss, I say!

Aunt Mamber came over after work, and Rachel pranced around as usual. She really loves having Aunt Mamber around so much, and it's always a nice break for me, even if all I do is look at a magazine for a few minutes while she's playing with Rachel. Here is a picture of Rachel giving Aunt Mamber one of her sweet hugs.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	5	4
poop	1	1

I tried to relax a little about the potty yesterday. As a result, she only used it a couple times. Today, I broke out the Cheerios and bribed her shamelessly. I think it worked, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. For the first time in a while, though, she used the potty more than her diaper, and she was consistently telling me she needed to go all afternoon. She only used one diaper between lunch and bedtime!

cute moment

There was another baby at the restaurant today, and, as her family left, I leaned over to Rachel and said, "Say, 'bye bye' Rachel." Rachel looked over and started waving. Awwwww. Then she yelled "BYE BYE, BYE BYE, BYE BYE, BYE BYE," at the top of her lungs--not exactly what I had in mind.

non-toy toy of the day

Since Rachel is finished using the toddler tub (I need to give it back to her cousin, who kindly let us borrow it), I put it in Rachel's room to keep her busy while I vacuumed upstairs. She thought it was a funny to have the tub in her room, and she enjoyed climbing in and out, and pretending to bathe the giant teddy bear.

hello closer-to-two

Ever since she learned to say "no," Rachel seems to have suddenly become Miss Defiant. I feel an urgency now to figure out a discipline technique of one kind or another, because hollering "NO" at her all day ain't cuttin' it. Rachel's naps were too short today, too, so she was really cranky, even crying a lot, for no apparent reason, between her naps. It made the day long, but we survived. After her second nap, we took my car to the new AutoBell close to our house. It was a nice distraction, and Rachel got to explore new territory for a few minutes while we waited.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	5	7
poop	0	1

When I went to get Rachel from her crib first thing this morning, she had a dirty diaper. I felt terrible...she had cried for a few minutes around 4:15am, but stopped abruptly and fell back to sleep. I'm afraid she may have slept in that for over 2 hours. Yuck!

cute moment

Rachel touched an outlet today, and said, "nah nah." Of course, I screeched, "NO TOUCH, Rachel," because we consider outlet-touching a serious offense. She looked at me and then picked up one of her stuffed animals, lunged him toward the outlet, and yelled, "NAH NAH."

non-toy toy of the day

One of Jarrad's computer gadgets came in a cool box that has a plastic handle. Rachel carried it around like a suitcase this afternoon, like she was packed and ready for a big trip.

farewell PopPop

We have been really busy around our house! PopPop finished up painting the exterior of our home Saturday night, and it looks a thousand times better than before! Here's a before(above) and after(below) glimpse:

PopPop headed back home early Sunday morning. Rachel can definitely tell something has changed. PopPop stayed with us for two weeks, and Rachel had really grown to love seeing his face outside all the windows all day. Now, every time she glances out the window, or if she hears a noise outside, she quietly says, "PahPah" and pats her chest (that's his sign). She also asks for him first thing in the morning, because he usually came to visit her in her room before he went out to start painting for the day.

To help fill the void, GiGi came over last night so Jarrad and I could go out. She spent the night with us and was here to greet Rachel early this morning. This afternoon, we went to visit MeMaw, GGPaw, Aunt Libby, and Cousin Anthony. As usual, Rachel lit up as the center of attention, and she circled the room dozens of times, chattering away.

And now for a new Rachel development: she is really starting to show a preference to men. She warms up to men much more easily than to women. I wonder why?? Today at MeMaw and GGPaw's house, she went straight over to GGPaw and let him pick her up, and even sat in his lap for a moment or two at a time. On Sunday, I left Rachel in the nursery at church, and they tell me she cried unless JD, the only guy working in there was holding her. On a sidenote, JD is JonDavid's daddy. JonDavid and Cousin Tyler are best buds, and we get to hang out with them sometimes!

Rachel took a bath sans toddler tub tonight. I think we have officially graduated from the little tub, and she got a big kick (literally) from all that space.

Progress Report

Nothing interesting nor new to report here. Rachel knows exactly what's going on, but, I guess it just hasn't "clicked" for her yet. I'm putting all my money on betting that she'll wake up one day and just get it. Call me crazy, but I have to believe that or I will go absolutely insane with this potty stuff.

cute moment

Rachel's newest and favorite word is "no." She actually says "nahnah," but I know it's "no" because she usually does the sign for no with it. She points to outlets and says, "nahnah," she throws her food on the floor and says, "nahnah." Saturday, I was working in the kitchen, and I heard Rachel giggle and say, "nahnah, nahnah, nahnah." I looked up and she was standing with one foot on the stone hearth (a "no no"), looking straight at me with a grin on her face, signing "no." It was really hard not to laugh as I insisted she remove her foot. (Doesn't she look just like PopPop in this picture??)

non-toy toy of the day

She hasn't played with any interesting new non-toys, but she has invented a new game with her non-toys. She sits on them. She sits on everything. Today, she sat on top of a plastic yogurt container she's allowed to pull out of her cabinet. The best part is how proud of herself she is when she successfully sits on something. She always chuckles and looks around to see if anyone is watching. Here she is sitting on a pack of paper plates, in her pretty blue outfit from Aunt Julie:

gobbler

We had another good day, with a 1.5 hour morning nap and a 2 hour afternoon nap! Rachel and I met her friend Koen and his mommy Carla for lunch. I was determined to feed Rachel real real food, so I ordered for her from the Kids' menu!! She had some yummy mac & cheese, and she ate some cottage cheese and crackers from the salad bar. She was such a good girl! And Koen was in a great mood, grinning the whole meal and cleaning his plate. I took Rachel's new flip phone with us, and was very careful to pick it up when we left (Koen had been playing with it and so it was at his place on the table). After I drove away, I realized I had left MY cell phone on the table! I was pretty frustrated with myself. Luckily, Carla and Koen hung around long enough for the waitress to chase them down with it. I can be so spacey.

So far, since Rachel's birthday, she has tried and LOVED chicken, corn, and turkey. Poor PopPop offered Rachel some of his corn and ended up never getting a bite. In fact, I had to heat up more because Rachel ate so much! I was a little worried it might upset her stomach, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. She also gobbled up some turkey tonight. It's a relief that she likes chicken and turkey, because I haven't really given her any meat, and I was afraid she would hate it!

Rachel also experienced bubbles for the first time today. I thought she would be enthralled. She was barely impressed, and quickly continued her rock collecting.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	3	6
poop	2	0

cute moment

Rachel and I had some quality snuggle time tonight. She seemed ready for bed before I wanted to put her down, so we sat in the rocking chair and played with a little cloth. I put it over her face, and she pulled it off and put it on her belly, and then waited for me to be surprised (she opened her mouth in anticipation of me doing the same). As soon as my mouth dropped open and I gasped, she just cackled! She could hardly contain herself, and we played the game over and over.

non-toy toy of the day

PopPops are good for inventing new, strange games. Rachel loved her sled, which was really part of the box from the scrapbook Aunt KiKi made (the most beautiful scrapbook you've ever seen). Since Rachel is so into sitting on things, it was the perfect game.

squirt spurt

I think Rachel's going through a growth spurt. She's been eating a LOT and sleeping really well during the day. Today, her morning nap was 1 hour 45 minutes, and her afternoon nap was 1.5 hours. We've had some fun outdoor time yesterday and today! Last night, Rachel, PopPop, Aunt Mamber and I went to Jarrad's softball game. It drizzled on and off while we were there, but Rachel didn't seem to mind. Today, just after all the rainfall, PopPop took Rachel outside. When Rachel got wiggly (it doesn't take long), he let her walk around in the sopping wet grass! Then, he taught her to stomp in puddles. Rachel had a blast, and she gave me a fit when I made her stop playing so she could take her afternoon nap. After pasta with tomato sauce for dinner, Rachel needed a bath in a big way. As for her current bedtime, I've been inching it later so she's going around 7:30pm now. I've figured out she seems to need 11 hours of night sleep, and I'll take a 6:30am wake up time (although I might keep trying to get it a little later, and shoot for 7:00am). So far, it's working out pretty well, and she hasn't been up before 6:00am in several days.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	5	3
poop	2	0

Yesterday wasn't as good as today, but it wasn't terrible.

cute moment

There are train tracks that run right by the softball field where Jarrad plays. Last night, a train came through and caught Rachel completely off guard. She's usually not afriad of loud noises, but she grabbed the first set of legs she could find--Aunt Mamber's, and clung on tight!

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel played with sticks while we were at Jarrad's game.

new year's day

We have been recovering from a busy busy weekend. Rachel was in good spirits all day, and she even took a 2-hour nap this morning! She also slept until 6:45am, which made me a happy mommy. Our downstairs is back to normal now, too, with a freshly remodeled half bathroom!! Since it's not one big 'no touch' zone anymore, Rachel was back to having lots of room to roam, and I'm back to being able to do chores while she's awake. Whew!

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	4	6
poop	1	0

cute moment

PopPop has been teaching Rachel his name. He pats her chest and says "Rachel," and then pats his own chest and says, "PopPop." Rachel definitely knows his name now, and, today, she added his sign too. So now when she says "PahPah," she also pats her chest.

non-toy toy of the day

I let Rachel feed herself with a spoon today. 'Nuff said.

the ONE!

I can't believe it's Rachel's birthday!! How does a year go by so fast, when they went so slowly before? Aunt KiKi made the most beautiful scrapbook of Rachel's first year...it's unbelievable how little she was, and how much she's grown.

We had a great weekend, ending with a great party for Rachel. Rachel even had three great-grandparents (GGPaw and MeMaw, and Grandma Mae) at her party! Unfortunately, with all the partying, we never stopped and took pictures with them. I'm really sad about that, but we'll have to make up for it on another visit. Here's a slideshow from today's festivities!

Happy Fathers Day to all the daddies out there. Rachel is so blessed to have a wonderful, loving, involved daddy. I couldn't be happier that the man who has made such a wonderful husband to me for five years (our anniversary was June 15th!), has made an equally-as-wonderful daddy. I always hoped we'd have at least one girl, because little girls LOVE their daddies. Rachel is definitely no exception!! (And Jarrad will tell you, I'm no exception either...I love you Daddy...er...I guess you're "Poppy" now!)

Progress Report

Rachel has done really well this weekend. She has actually been telling us she needs to potty more than half the time, and her diaper is staying dry a lot more of those times. I'm excited, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up [again].

cute moment

All weekend, Rachel has been really excited about sitting on things. She finds her target, she turns, and she sits. She still misses a lot, and she often tries to sit on things that are un-sit-on-able (like the sliding glass door), but she still gets really excited over her little triumphs.

non-toy toy of the day

Of course, Rachel loved the wrapping paper and giftbags from her party today. We visited MiMi and Poppy Friday and Saturday, and she fell in love with their kitty cat (named Bear...try to explain that one to a 1-year-old). She constantly went flying to the door, meowing at the top of her lungs. A couple times, Bear was feeling purry, and he brushed up against Rachel, walking round and round. Rachel was thrilled, and she is still talking about him ("MOW...MOW...MOOOOOOW...").

comfy rules

Rachel woke up this morning at 4:45am, but I left her alone. She whimpered and fussed for about 10 minutes and then went back to sleep. She was up for the day at 5:45am, but we stayed busy. We met GiGi and two of her friends for breakfast, which was a great distraction until morning naptime. She settled right into a 1.5 hour nap, and she took a 2-hour nap this afternoon! She was in a a pretty good mood for Aunt Mamber's Thursday visit. PopPop did some painting outside Rachel's window today, so they made lots of faces at each other. PopPop is trying to teach Rachel to do the Vulcan greeting. Rachel just stares at the palm of her hand.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	6	4
poop	1	0

cute moment

Since Rachel and I were meeting the ladies for breakfast, I dressed her in her pretty green gingham seersucker dress with hot pink bows (GiGi bought it for her), and I was sure to bring her My First Purse. Everyone got a big kick out of my little girly, walking around with her purse on her arm, wrist loose in so-prissy fashion. And, of course, Rachel loved all the attention. When we got home, I had to change her into some super-comfy, play-ready overalls (GiGi also bought these for her).

non-toy toy of the day

Aunt Mamber's birthday card...we forgot about it yesterday (on her birthday), so Rachel gave it to her tonight. And then Rachel took it back. In her defense, the card had lots and lots of glitter...what girl can resist??

i heard a shot

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Aunt Mamber!! Yes, one year ago today, I think Aunt Mamber had her fingers crossed that Rachel might be born a bit ahead of schedule and land right on her birthday. But hey, it's fun sharing the same birth month too!

Okay, so the plan backfired, just like the Healthy Sleep Habits book said it would. Rachel went to sleep last night around 7:45pm, 1 hour 45 minutes later than the previous night. She woke up this morning at 5:00am. Thankfully, she did nurse and go back to sleep, but only until 6:15am. As a result of significantly less sleep, I was one cranky mommy with one cranky baby all day. Thanks to the rain, PopPop didn't get to do much painting on our house, so he surprised me by doing some much-needed weeding and planting some pretty flowers around our mailbox. To further help my mental state, he came inside and played with Rachel this afternoon while I worked on the hat to match her ladybug dress. PopPop took all of us out for Aunt Mamber's birthday, and Rachel was very well-behaved! She loved sitting in the high chair, and she tried (and liked!) cottage cheese, tomato, and pineapple! She was asleep tonight at 7:20pm. She was biting on her hand all the way home from the restaurant, and she felt a bit warm...maybe she will get those teeth soon.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	7	6	Now, that's a lot of peepee...why...I don't know...
poop	2	0

cute moment

This evening, Rachel wore jeans for the first time. She looked like such a big girl. Aunt Mamber bought this cute outfit for her.

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel concentrated today on her little tennis shoes (again). It was just like yesterday's video, only with her shoes. She placed them in different arrangements, studied the laces, examined the soles, tried to put them on top of each other, tried to put them on her feet.

THIS JUST IN: Will is one year old!

I was just looking at my friend Lisa's blog, and she reminded me that today is our buddy Will's birthday (I'm the worst at remembering birthdays). He was born a few days before Rachel, but he had a long road ahead of him because he weighed only three pounds! He has really grown this year, and I have been amazed by him and his mommy Christina. Check out their blog and praise God with them!

and another one

Rachel woke up at 5:15am again today. My first attempt to fix it was trying to put her down for an early morning nap at 6:30am. She never went to sleep, so that didn't work. She did make it to a normal 9:00am nap time, though, and both naps were good today (she did get 11 hours of sleep last night, after all). In an effort to keep her up later tonight, we went to Jarrad's softball game, where Rachel and PopPop explored the surrounding fields, finding shiny rocks and piles of cut grass. She whimpered all the way home, and went right to sleep when I put her in her crib at 7:45pm. Maybe that will help her sleep a little later!

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	5	4
poop	1	0

cute moment

Rachel and I met Aunt KiKi and Cousin Tyler at the mall today. On the way, I heard Rachel start giggling from the back seat. I looked to find that her hat was in a wad on top of her head. She seemed really pleased with her accomplishment.

non-toy toy of the day

I'm not exactly sure of the objective of her task, but Rachel worked really hard this afternoon, doing whatever she's doing with these diapers. She continued this activity for about 20 minutes, hardly breaking to even glance at anything else in the room. I wonder what she's doing...

repunzel

Today was such a long day. Rachel woke up, ready to play, at 5:15am. By 7:00am, she was one cranky baby, so she went down for her 1.5 hour morning nap at 7:15am. That made the whole day so weird. To make it worse, since Jarrad is working so hard on the half-bathroom, the whole downstairs is no-touch zone. To avoid chasing Rachel, saying, "No touch, no touch" all day, we have been locked in her room. We did take a field trip to WalMart to break up the morning, but her sleeping was so off that she was really difficult today. I could not keep her awake past 6:00pm tonight (well, not without pulling my hair out). If we have a repeat tomorrow...I'll figure out some way to fix it. Maybe...

PopPop is still working on painting our house (I'm so excited!!), so Aunt Mamber and Cousin Anthony joined us for dinner and a visit this evening. I thought I cooked a lot of food, but those hungry people did not leave any to spare! I guess big guys doing manual labor yields big appetites!

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	6	5
poop	1	0

Rachel figured out a potty trick of her own today. She learned that if she doesn't want to sit on the potty, I give in to her when she snuggles up and gives me a long hug. It feels so good...what's a mommy to do? I must counter her...but how...

cute moment

PopPop spent all day caulking the house (what a job!). He spent a good part of the afternoon right outside Rachel's window. Periodically, he climbed his ladder so that he was just on the other side of the pane. Rachel cackled at the faces he made, and I think it was just funny to her that someone was out there!

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel played with a pair of cute tiny tennis shoes that she's worn once (I cleaned them, don't worry). They're so difficult to get on her feet that she'll probably never wear them again. But what fun toys! She has always loved shoes, and these are just the right size to carry around. She also started saying, "shoes" in Rachel language: she loosely buzzes her lips and vocalizes at the same time, approximating the "oooo" sound in "shoes." It's so funny to hear her "words."

tired tired

Has it really been so long since I blogged?? We've been busy busy, and I've not been sleeping well, so I've been tired tired. I did finish Rachel's new birthday dress. It's much smaller than the other, but it's still too big!! She can wear it, though, so she will. I think it will fit much better at the end of the summer, and she can wear a shirt under it in the fall if the weather gets cooler before it fits. I'll post pictures soon! The outfit she's wearing in this picture was given to her by Aunt Mamber...so cute!

A lot has happened...let's see if I can remember. Thursday, Aunt Mamber came over for her Thursday visit. She came over tonight, too, so we could go to Bible Study. I am soooooo happy that Rachel really loves Aunt Mamber. She seems to feel as comfy and safe in her care as she feels with me. Rachel has started separation anxiety, and she's cried when I've left her in the nursery at church the last three Sundays (although she seems to recover fairly quickly). It's sad to leave her like that, but I know it's just a phase. Tonight, though, she hardly seemed to notice when we walked out. PopPop was entertaining Rachel with some blocks. Aunt Mamber put Rachel to bed without a hitch. What a relief to know she's taken care of!

I mentioned PopPop. He's here all week painting the exterior of our house!! I'm beside myself with excitement. Jarrad has been working hard on the half bathroom that's been sitting empty for two years, waiting for its remodel. He thinks he'll be finished by her birthday! It is looking great, and I can't wait to post pics of the finished product.

Since so much work was happening at our house, Rachel and I went to visit GiGi and Pop Saturday, and we spent the night there. I definitely have decided that there's something to be said for cultures where several generations live together; it is wonderful to have so much help with Rachel, and to know I'm not the only eyes watching to keep her safe. As usual, they let me go out and run an errand or two, which does wonders for a full-time mommy's mental health, and, even though I was only gone for a little over an hour, I missed my little girl. I was glad to get home and hold her, and I think she was glad to see me too. Oh, and, once again, I have pitures, but they are held hostage on GiGi's camera.

Anyway, we've had a pretty great few days, and it's all because of great family. Praise God for his blessings!

Progress Report (Thursday)

	potty	diaper
peepee	8	6
poop	0	0

There is an explanation for the high peepee count. Thursday afternoon, Rachel told me she needed to potty. This is not unusual, but what followed had not happened in a really long time: I removed her diaper, which was dry, she sat down on the potty, and she went, right away! I was so shocked at the sequence that my mouth dropped open. Rachel thought that was hilarious. The next time she sat on the potty, as soon as she started peepeeing, she looked up at me, scrunched her nose, and dropped her mouth wide open, waiting for me to do the same. We did this all afternoon, and she apparently was so excited to see my surprised face that she would stop midstream. So, I changed a lot of barely-wet diapers, and she did a lot of partial-peepees on the potty. So funny!

Progress Report (Friday)

	potty	diaper
peepee	5	4
poop	0	0

Progress Report (Saturday)

	potty	diaper
peepee	6	3
poop	1	1

Progress Report (Sunday)

	potty	diaper
peepee	6	2
poop	0	0

I know I usually don't post so many potty reports at once, but I am so excited about the apparent progress. This afternoon, she told me every single time she needed to potty, and her only two diapers she used today were early this morning and at church. Yay!

cute moment

Rachel has learned to lap sit. That is, she has figured out how to come over, turn around, and sit down in my lap. She discovered this new trick on Thursday, and she kept coming over, sitting down, getting right back up, only to walk away and start all over again. She giggled every time. She doesn't get it every time though; sometimes she tried to walk right into my lap, and ends up face forward on her belly, wondering what went wrong. Today, PopPop was lying on the floor in her room, and she kept going over and sitting on his shiny bald head. She go a kick out of that!

Rachel also, for some reason, has started randomly stretching her arms straight up over her head. She'll do it now when I say, "biiiiig Rachel." I don't know what started it, but I think it's pretty cute.

non-toy toy of the day

There are so many non-toys that I can't name them all. At one point on Friday, she was walking around with a yogurt container in one hand, and a Capri-Sun pouch and a greeting card in the other. There's no stopping her!

where's you from?

Okay, long story short...actually, short story short: The dress I made for Rachel is tooooooooo big. SO, I've started a new one, this time with a different pattern, but using the same material (I have barely enough left to piece it together). I hope this one fits! Anyway, the other one will be cute...someday!

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	4	5
poop	2	0

cute moment

Rachel is understanding so much these days, and she's saying a new word almost everyday (today, she started saying "bye bye," although it usually sounds like "da da"). To encourage her learning, I'm trying to teach her to point to her ear and her nose. Usually, there is some context because we read a book that has pictures of the body parts and we talk about them. But this morning, I was trying to get her to show off for Jarrad, and I randomly asked, "Rachel, where's your ear?" She looked around the room and thought about the question. Then, she picked up one of her stuffed animals. "Yep, Rachel, that is Eeyore." HAHA! Jarrad and I could not stop laughing.

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel is playing with one of her diapers...she loooooves playing with diapers, for whatever reason. In the first video, she actually says "diaper" (which, in Rachel language, sounds like "dagoon"). In the second video, she approximates the sign for "help" because she wants to put the diaper on Monkey. So silly!

a grin means happy

Rachel seemed to be feeling a bit better this afternoon. We went on a field trip to EarthFare today. I love that store--it's never crowded and everyone is so nice. I never have much to buy, but we always linger for several minutes. I think Rachel was glad to get out of the house, and I know I was glad to get out for some new scenery. Overall, it was a fairly quiet, restful day. Rachel finally got "new" toys that have been out of rotation for a while, and she was really content playing with them most of the day.

Progress Report

	potty	diaper
peepee	4	3
poop	0	0

cute moment

Here's Rachel waking up from her wonderful almost-two-hour morning nap...

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel gets really excited over her kitchen cabinet. I haven't switched what's in there at all; it's just the same couple pieces of tupperware, two cards mailed to her by two of her great-grandmas, a cereal box, and a few rectangular pieces of cardstock, perfect for gathering and carrying around. She usually toddles in the kitchen, goes for one of the locked cabinets, and then, as if to suddenly remember, she turns to her cabinet door with a yell of excitement. She opens the door and yells again, looks up at me, and then begins pulling things out, one by one, periodically shrieking or yelling, and sometimes picking one thing to carry around for a while.

on the move

Rachel and I have been traveling a lot lately! Ater meeting Aunt KiKi and Cousin Tyler at the mall for lunch on Friday, we drove 1.5 hours to visit MiMi and Poppy in my hometown. Rachel is really getting used to sleeping in her Pack n Play, and she slept great Friday night and during her naps Saturday. Jarrad stayed home to do more work on the house (not housework, unfortunately).

MiMi and Poppy really enjoyed Rachel's visit, as she made herself at home picking up everything she could reach, opening all their kitchen cabinets, and digging through their trash cans. She really thinks Poppy is funny because he copies all her faces and noises, and because I think she senses that he's really just a big kid at heart.

Aunt Mamber came over Sunday night so we could go to Bible Study. Sunday nights are such a nice break for us, and we are so grateful to our family for being available to babysit so often. Cousin Anthony came over this afternoon and was here to greet Rachel when she woke up from her nap. She walked around the living room grinning and giggling at him. I let her have Cheerios in the living room, again, and I let her play with a laundry basket full of clean diapers, again. Both of those things kept her happily occupied and gave us time to do school work.

Today was a great day, starting with Rachel sleeping late. She took two great naps, and went to bed a little early. She's not been feeling so great the last day or two, and I'm still blaming the coming teeth. But will they ever come??

Progress Report

Rachel is doing a much better job on the potty. I hope we can move along this week, and maybe actually progress for the first time in a while.

	potty	diaper
peepee	4	4
poop	1	0

cute moment DAILY DOUBLE

While Anthony was here, Rachel really turned into Little Miss Show-off. She pranced all around downstairs, cutting her eyes at him and belly-laughing for no reason at all. She was all smiles the whole time, until he was ready to leave. As he was walking out, I tried to get her to wave and say "bye bye," but she just sat on the floor with a really serious look on her face. After he left, she let out a quiet, kind of sad, "bye," and a weak wave.

Rachel is really into imitating now, which is really cute most of the time, except mealtime. At lunch, I was eating a sandwich and chips with dip. She desperately wanted some of my food. Since she clearly wanted to feed herself, I got out a piece of Zwieback toast. That was not good enough. I pretended to dip it in the chip dip, which appeased her momentarily. So, considering it was about bathtime anyway, I gave her the rest of her babyfood peas, and she spent the remainder of the meal dipping her toast in the peas. She ate it all!

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel played with so many non-toys this weekend. She loved carrying around a little tin with three clothespins, she played with lots of tupperware, Tia Milli's soccer ball pillow, and today, she found my trash bags...