come and gone

I feel like we missed Christmas, somehow. First, Rachel got a terrible cold--her second since Carly was born, and also her second since she was about 18 months old! I don't know how she has managed to stay sick now, of all times, but she has, and she can't seem to shake the cough and runny nose, even though she's better. She was probably well enough to handle our Christmas rounds, but then Carly and I woke up sick on Christmas Eve! I noticed Carly's congestion the day before, but hoped I was just being over-sensitive to her little grunty noises. She ended up with a nasty-sounding cough and belabored breathing. SCARY! I have a couple of friends who have babies who stay sick with one thing or another (you know who you are!), and I don't know how they deal with it! I guess it's true that the Lord only gives us what we can handle, because I am such a wimp. Jarrad did end up taking Rachel to his family's Christmas at his Grandma's house on Christmas Eve, but we sat out the rest of the celebrations last week. I was the sickest I've been in years, and my wonderful husband, who is on "vacation" right now, waited on me hand and foot, while keeping Rachel thoroughly entertained and happy (albeit, a little messier than usual). When I finally snapped out of the haze yesterday, I looked around and could not believe the condition of our home. What happened around here?? It is messy and dirty, and a bit overwhelming to think of all the chores that need doing, but I'll write it off for now, and hope for a little grace from any visitors we may have in the coming days.

And little Carly? After two reassuring visits to the pediatrician's office (a place I usually try very hard to avoid), she is getting better. Apparently RSV, which causes bronchiolitis, in babies, is going around. The doc says the emergency rooms have been full of infants needing oxygen because of it!! It's a good thing that I was sick too, since my body was producing antibodies that she got through my breastmilk, and that was probably be enough to keep Carly in the clear, according to her pediatrician. Phew! I think it's amazing how God designed my body to cope and help my baby cope with a virus like this.

Here are some pictures from our boring Christmas (notice Rachel at Jarrad's grandma's house...yes, those are ALL her presents). Although I was really sad to miss our family gatherings (I'm pretty sure I've never missed mine), it actually was a really sweet time for us to be together as just our little family, excusing ourselves from any activity other than just being a family. It was nice to reflect on the season and what we really celebrate this time of year, instead of rushing from place to place being inundated with stuff we probably never needed in the first place.

(Also notice...pictures of our family = none, pictures of our pretty Christmas tree = none, pictures of either parent with either daughter = none. Pitiful, I know. We really need to try harder with the sentimental stuff...maybe we'll try to recreate some of these moments tomorrow.)

spring cleaning

Well, it's not spring, but I've got this nesting thing down to a science, thanks to the help of so many people. PopPop and Uma came this week and helped get our spare room in order (the room that's always been full of junk and has never been used as a functional space). It's like having an addition put on our house! I have my sewing machine set up in there, two brand new bookshelves (compliments of PopPop and Uma) and the guest bed, and there's room left for Rachel to play too! I am really excited, and relieved to have a place for the moms to stay after Baby Sister arrives. My daddy (Poppy) came today and aerated and over-seeded our yard using the riding lawn mower we borrowed from our neighbor, Mr. Henry. My dear husband has been working on remodeling the girls' upstairs bathroom, AND we got new carpet upstairs. My friend who owns the maid business where I was office manager several years ago sent a team of maids over to clean recently, which motivated Jarrad and me to go through a lot of JUNK that had been cluttering up our various extra areas, so the house feels all ready! Another friend kept Rachel Monday morning while I ran some errands, including getting my car cleaned and Rachel's seat moved over to make room for the second carseat that will need to squeeze back there. I love fall and have always associated it with going back to campus, to be near my love, Jarrad. We met and fell in love in the fall, and that's such a sweet memory. I am excited to share this time with a new memory of having our second little girl, choosing her name, and settling down to life with her. Next fall will be full of all of the familiar nostalgia with the added excitement of this little girl's first birthday. I can't wait to meet her!

Now...where's this baby??

rachel goes to the museum

We are very blessed to live so close to most of our families. Rachel is surrounded by grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins, and she just loves them all so much. It is also most helpful to have them all around. Their visits are a great distraction for me and for Rachel, and they willingly babysit regularly.

Last Saturday, Aunt Julie took Rachel to the museum for a fun morning of bonding. They saw butterflies and pigs, chickens, and bears. Rachel was most impressed with the train ride, though, and the plush butterfly and personalized "Rachel" mug she brought home. She's been dragging her butterfly, cup, and Wolfie (another new addition to her friends) around all week and refusing to sleep without them.

Thank you, Aunt Julie, for the free morning for Mommy.

Saturday night, Aunt Mamber babysat so Jarrad and I could attend an appreciation dinner for a friend. We called it a "date" and had a great time, and Rachel appreciated her special time with Aunt Mamber. Rachel also got a fun visit from her cousin, Tyler, this week. Rachel tried her best to boss him around, but he just kept looking at me and saying, "What's she doing?" He was really funny to pick up toys and hold them really close instead of playing with them, and he'd come running to me saying Rachel was going to take the toy, even when she was on the other side of the room. Once, he was holding a toy tightly and running around in a circle around our kitchen island. Rachel was watching, and she asked me, "Where's he going?" I said, "I don't know, Rachel." So she started following, which prompted him to immediately say, "Ahh! She's chasing me!" I couldn't stop laughing all morning.

We just love our family.

roadtrip

Last week, I took Rachel for a long-anticipated visit with my Grandma Mae (Rachel Mae is named after my two grandmothers). It is a long drive to get there--2.5 hours--and spending the night isn't really an option, because we don't want to wear Grandma out too much, so Rachel was looking at a solid 5 hours strapped in the car seat. I was dreading the drive, but I talked to Rachel a lot about it the day before, and she was really excited about going to Grandma's house. She seemed to actually get the being-in-a-car-a-really-long-time thing for the first time, because she was an angel the whole day, in the car and at Grandma's house. She even took a good nap in "Grandma's biiiig bed." When I got home, a good friend told me she was praying for us and our trip all day, and I really felt it! Here are some pics from our trip... BubbleShare: Share photos - Powered by BubbleShare

mountain oasis

Jarrad and I were invited to a wedding over the weekend, which was conveniently located just minutes from PopPop and Uma's house. We had a lovely couple of days. Rachel ran PopPop and Uma ragged, and, likewise, Rachel was run ragged, too. PopPop and Uma live in the mountains, in the most perfect spot in the best little neghborhood, with a little duck pond right in the middle and a big creek running right under their bedroom window. They've carved out a little oasis behind their home, with a deck and a small garden, and a little pebble yard. It looks like it's right out of a magazine, and it feels like a vacation every time we go.

While there, Rachel fed ducks, watered flowers, went for a ride on the paddle boat, and went to a party in PopPop and Uma's neighborhood. What fun!

non-toy toy of the day

Although PopPop and Uma have some toys they've bought for their house, and although we brought toys with us, Rachel spent most of her time playing with the box from the portable crib PopPop and Uma bought for Rachel's visit. First, it was a bed. Rachel requested a pillow and blanket, and pretended to snore, holding Sleepy Elmo and Blanky tight. Then, it made a the most wonderful house. She invited all her friends (stuffed animals) to join her, and then threw them all out again. She moved everyone in and out many times, even at times demanding that they individually ask permission to enter (she sometimes answered, "no" to their requests, to which her friends responded with dramatic crying, delighting Rachel. She picked up each one, hugged, patted its back, and declared it, "happy" before tossing it in the pile with the others). It then became an empty sandbox of sorts, when she asked to take it outside to play in the pebbles. Uma gave Rachel several containers--bowls, cups, and spoons--and Rachel had the time of her life, sitting in the box, pouring pebbles, serving pebble soup, and sipping pebble tea. Later, the box became a sliding board, and each of her friends (stuffed animals) got a turn sliding down to Uma and PopPop. Rachel cackled, and eventually convinced Uma to let her "slide" down too. By the end of our time there, the box was completely worn out, as I'm pretty sure everyone else was too.

Christmas past

This Christmas was very different for us. Of course, Rachel has changed everything about our lives in the most wonderful way. She had so much fun this year. She knows her grandparents and aunts and uncles, and she enjoys them so much. It's fun to watch them enjoy her and spoil her, and Rachel got royal treatment on all our visits. She is such a blessed little girl to be loved so much by so many people.

cute moment

Jarrad's Uncle Steve is a pretty tough guy. He builds custom Harley Davidson motorcycles for drag racing, and he has a dog who only likes him and will snap at anyone else. But Rachel found Uncle Steve's soft spot. He adores her, and she's pretty fond of him too. Rachel was exhausted on Christmas morning, and Uncle Steve carried her to the rocking chair and sat down. Rachel quickly fell asleep and slept peacefully in Uncle Steve's arms. Awwwwww...

non-toy toy of the day

Of course Rachel thoroughly enjoyed the giftbags and wrapping paper, but I must admit that all her toys were a huge hit this Christmas.

where in the world

Our camera batteries are completely shot, so here's one old picture of Rachel...

So where have we been? Where do I begin? Rachel has had an ugly tummy virus for almost two weeks, but it seems to be clearing up. Insanely, I woke up Tuesday morning and decided I should take Rachel to Tennessee to visit her Great-Grandma, who was there visiting relatives. For a variety of reasons, Rachel and I never make it up to the mountains of West Virginia where she lives. Where she was in Tennessee is only 1.5 hours from where Jarrad's dad lives. So, I made all the phone calls to line it up, threw everything in the car, including Rachel, and headed out. We stopped by my hometown and picked up my dad, who graciously accompanied us on our roadtrip as entertainment for Rachel. So on Tuesday afternoon, we landed at Jarrad's dad's house, where we spent the night, and then the four of us (Rachel, Poppy, PopPop, and I) headed to Tennessee and back on Wednesday, spent the night again, and then back through my hometown and back to Raleigh on Thursday. (Hopefully I'll get pictures from the visit from Jarrad's cousin soon.) Whew!

We returned exhausted and sickly. I recovered, but Rachel is quite sick with a nasty headcold. After two weeks of the stomach stuff, I decided to take her on to the doctor on Friday, who predictably told us it was just two viruses back-to-back, and we just have to wait it out. On a funny note, Rachel wasted no time trying to boss the doctor, and the doctor pointed out several times that Rachel is "very grown up for her age." Rachel peepeed in the potty and blew her nose while we were there. What a show off.

Although Rachel's vocabulary has been a bit slow to grow, she finally started saying "more" and "please" this week. She has used the signs for these words for months, but she seems to finally have made the connection between the sign and the actual word (now she runs around saying "muh, muh, muh" for everything). She still has yet to say anything with the "ee" sound (she says "mama" for MiMi), but I do try not to get anxious--difficult, isn't it??

cute moment

Of course, Rachel did not cooperate with my roadtrip plan, which was for her to sleep on the way to pick up my dad and then stay awake with him in the backseat on the way to the mountains. She did the opposite, and she yelled essentially the whole 1.5 hours we were in the car alone. My nerves were completely shot, and, at one point, I turned around to her and said, "Rachel--that is TOO LOUD!" I guess I sounded kind of mean, because she looked so hurt and sad. Her bottom lip poked out and her brow furrowed, as if she was fighting back tears. She silently peered out the window, but she perked up shortly, and recommenced yelling. I felt bad that I hurt her feelings, though.

But the cutest thing for me was when we were spending our second night at PopPop and Uma's house. Rachel and I were sharing a room, which Rachel did not realize on night one. She woke up at 1:15am on night two, and she insisted from her pack n play that she needed to potty. In an effort to keep her from waking up the whole house, I set her on the potty, where she proved to be wide awake. As I sat in front of her, struggling to keep my eyes open, she looked at me, wide-eyed, with a smile all over her face. She was still, and seemed to be studying my face. She reached out and patted my cheek a few times, and then she wanted hugs. My little sweetie didn't really need to potty, but that was okay. I put a new diaper on her and attempted to put her back to bed, which she protested LOUDLY. So, I put her in bed with me, and I told her that she had to go to sleep or she'd have to go back in the pack n play. She seemed to understand that, because she lay down quietly. But she was wide awake, and she tossed and turned, talked to herself and giggled. After about 45 minutes, I decided to try again to put her to bed. She cried. She screamed. I tried to ride it out, and she settled down in about 10 minutes, but started right back up again. So I gave in, and she must have worn herself out, because she ended up falling right to sleep lying next to me--something that hasn't happened in a really really long time. I didn't sleep all that well, but it was really sweet to sleep by my baby. She stirred a few times after 5:00am, but she quickly curled up on me and went back to sleep every time. She was finally up for the day around 6:30am, and she was in a surprisingly great mood.

One of Rachel's favorite things about our visit was feeding the ducks that hang out at the pond in PopPop and Uma's neighborhood. This morning, before I went to Rachel when she woke up, I heard her calling the ducks. Uma called the ducks over by putting her fist to her mouth and quacking. Rachel's interpretation of that is putting her open palm to her mouth and saying "duck duck duck duck duck." She is still talking about our trip, including Uma and the ducks.

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel took a decent nap today, for the first time in almost a week. She was in a good mood between nap and bedtime, and she spent a lot of it folding and stacking her diapers. She hasn't played with her diapers in a long time, since we don't use them much. Rachel also continues to play with the bucket of bubble gum she got from the big gorilla at the mall on Halloween.

But her favorite play right now comes from her shopping cart and her vacuum (the popper push toy). She prefers that someone push one while she pushes the other, so she is constantly insisting on that. She has enjoyed two visits from GiGi this week, and GiGi has been a willing playmate.

schoop de croup

Rachel woke up around 1:30 or 2am with croup. Scary?...YES. She woke up coughing like she was really choking on something, and then she was wheezing like she couldn't catch her breath. My first thought was, "Oh no, my child has asthma!!!" She sounded like she was gasping for breath. I rocked her and she collapsed sweetly on me, but when I tried to put her back in her crib, I was scared to leave her because she sounded like she couldn't breathe. My brainstorming had yielded two possibilities: asthma or pneumonia. So I rocked her a little more, and then I took her down to Jarrad, and we called the advice nurse. I let the nurse hear Rachel over the phone, and, cooperatively, Rachel coughed for her. The nurse said definitively, "Yep, she's got the croup." I guess I am grateful it's that, since it's a rarely-serious virus-caused illness that passes in 5-6 days. No asthma, praise God!

Rachel and I went to my mom's extended family reunion Sunday afternoon, and we spent the night at MiMi and Poppy's house Sunday night. As soon as we walked into their house, Rachel clearly recognized where we were, and started looking for Poppy (who hadn't attended the reunion). She slept great Sunday night, and we were able to visit a couple of old friends on Monday. Here's a picture of Rachel Mae with GreatGrandma Mae.

cute moment

Monday afternoon, Poppy and Rachel were playing outside, and Rachel was chasing their cat (named Bear). He's a fluffy black cat who lives outside and is really sweet, but he is not used to the likes of Rachel. She tries to catch up with him and give him loving pats, but he usually shrinks away with intsictual self-preservation. At one point, Bear was lying in some ivy up on the hill, and Rachel got about a foot from him and was pointing at him, grinning from ear to ear. She looked down at Poppy and me, pleased with herself for finding the cat. She kept her eyes on us, pointing to Bear and squealing with delight. In the meantime, Bear slithered away without Rachel noticing, leaving Rachel pointing and squealing at the bed of ivy. She then bent over to give Bear a friendly whack, only to find he was gone. She quickly looked around for him, but he had disappeared into a thorn patch, out of her reach.

non-toy toy of the day

At the reunion, Rachel found the kids' table, complete with kids' chairs. She spent a lot of the afternoon rearranging the chairs the way she thought was most appropriate.

lifesaver

Rachel's new kitchen has become the biggest and best distraction yet for Rachel. My worst frustration with her has been when I'm trying to get things done in the kitchen. She always wants "up" to see what I'm doing. Now I just say, "Rachel, where's your kitchen?" She stays out of my feet and busy busy busy. To add to her fun, we decided to put together her shopping cart (a gift from Aunt Mamber). Rachel just piles stuff from her kitchen into the cart and zooms around. It is a wonderful thing.

NaNa and PaPa (Jarrad's grandparents) came for a visit early Friday morning. Rachel bossed them like she would anyone, and NaNa even complied with Rachel's insistence that she sit on the floor with her. They freed me to get a few chores done, and that made my day. As soon as they left, Rachel took her nap, and, although it was a bit earlier than usual, she was in a great mood for most of the afternoon.

cute moment

Rachel has learned to "hide" things by holding them behind her back. She grins mischievously and thinks she's so clever, and, of course, I always pretend not to see what she's holding.

non-toy toy of the day

The three of us joined some friends for bowling Friday night. Of course, Rachel was most interested in milling around, greeting people and sticking her nose in things. There was a face painting table where she got a heart painted on her hand (she was mesmerized). Just when she seemed to be getting a little antsy, I found an empty box that was just her size. She sat down in it, and I pulled her around. Leah hung out in there for a few minutes, too, but the two kiddos were definitely getting sleepy. But the box was definitely a big hit.

no excuses

We haven't really been that busy, and we have had some visits from friends, and we've gone a few places, too, so don't ask why I haven't blogged. I guess you could say I've been experiencing blogger's block. But the weather has turned cooler and my spirits are up, so I'm attempting a post.

I always feel guilty when I don't get to spend much quality time with Rachel, even if she's spending quality time with her daddy or other family. I don't know why that is, except that I think God puts a special kind of worry in the heart of a mommy. I am thoroughly convinced that no one will take care of her as well as I do--even though she really doesn't require much these days...just keep her belly full and a pair of shoes nearby, and that child stays pretty happy. Saturday night, Jarrad stayed home with Rachel while I went out with some girlfriends from church. We had dinner and painted pottery, and it was a lot of fun. Jarrad didn't have any responsibilities at church this week, so he brought Rachel Sunday morning and took her back home while I stayed and helped teach a kids' Sunday school. Rachel went down for her nap about an hour after I got home, and I left for a soccer game before she was up again. I didn't see her the rest of the night because we had Community Group and PopPop and Aunt Mamber babysat. I was happy to see her little smiling face this morning, and I'm pretty sure she was happy to see me too.

Jarrad installed Rachel's new car seat this afternoon, and it is HUGE. She looked like such a big girl, and such a little girl at the same time! This car seat lasts through 80 lbs, so we won't have to buy another one for a long time. To give her a chance to try it out, PopPop and Uma took us all out to dinner, which was a real treat, especially at the end of the meal when Rachel wanted to run around talking to everyone. Uma chased her while we relaxed!

cute moment

Jarrad and PopPop decided to bring Rachel to my soccer game for a few minutes Sunday afternoon. They reported that Rachel walked around in the grass, picking up every tiny piece of trash, and demanding that PopPop carry her to drop it into the trash can. She's such a good citizen. At halftime of our game, our team was sitting around drinking our water and Gatorade. Rachel found a cooler, and the owner let Rachel take all the items out one by one. She then replaced the items in the cooler and commanded the girl to put her gatorade in there, too. She proceeded around our group, collecting unclaimed bottles and deposting them into the cooler. Everyone appropriately exclaimed over her cuteness, and I was a proud mommy.

non-toy toy of the day

Trash, water bottles, and coolers, oh my. Rachel additionally loved playing with a napkin at dinner tonight. She also played with her food.

one nap, two naps, three naps, four

The weekend was fun, with lots of visitors. Saturday morning brought MiMi and Poppy, Uncle Travis, Aunt KiKi, and Cousin Tyler. My mom baked her specialty: Chocolate Pound Cake, and I got to keep half because it was MY birthday last week. Rachel skipped her morning nap, although she did have some quiet time in her crib before our company arrived. After her 1.5-hour afternoon nap, Jarrad and I took Rachel strolling at the mall, where we ate an early dinner (Rachel ate a peanut butter sandwich and a banana) before tucking her in bed.

Sunday is always a one-nap day, but Rachel did well. We all went separate directions in the afternoon: Jarrad helped a friend with some house work, I had my first soccer game (100 degrees is too hot for soccer), and our friend Stacie graciously came over to hang out with Rachel. Rachel's nap was only 1.5 hours (again), but she didn't seem to mind that Mommy and Daddy weren't home. Our Community Group came over Sunday night, and Jarrad served $0.45 tacos from Taco Bell.

About every other day, Rachel has nap troubles. She sleeps until 7:00 or 7:30am and, although she may seem tired and sleepy, she has a really hard time taking her morning nap. I've been letting her skip it, but, consistently, it results in a too-short afternoon nap, and, consequently, a really cranky baby. She slept until 7:00am today, and was acting sleepy by 8:15am. I decided not to even try putting her down for a nap until 9:30am (she's usually down at 9:00am), and, by then, she seemed really ready. She settled on my lap for our book, and she got really still and quiet. But once she was in her crib, she rolled around and finally pooped in her diaper before going to sleep around 10:15am (of course, I cleaned her up first). She woke up at 11:30am, just in time for GiGi's visit. At 2:00pm, GiGi left, and Rachel, who had been going full speed ahead showing off for GiGi, and I headed upstairs to settle down for nap. Surely she will sleep well...but, as it turned out, she never slept at all. So I got her up, and we went to Koen's house for a visit. Being in a different setting was enough distraction to keep her happy, and Carla was kind enough to even feed us dinner! Rachel ate chicken and veggies (something she does not usually love), cheese, and mandarin oranges (a Rachel favorite). She had nooooo problems going to sleep tonight.

Progress Report

I think we're ready to cut the progress reports. Rachel is doing GREAT on the potty, now, and I feel fully confident leaving her in a coverless diaper all day (except when she sleeps). She still has one or two "accidents" almost daily, but they're always small. Exciting!

cute moment

Rachel stays so busy all day. One of her favorite pastimes is to drag around a bag (preferably a gift bag or shopping bag), putting things in and taking them out. Another favorite hobby is sitting on things, and, most recently, climbing. A few days ago, she successfully into our shortest living room chair, and she was so proud. Today, it occurred to her that she might be able to climb onto the coffee table, something she's never before attempted. She hoisted herself up in no time, and stood up, with a conquering grin. I took a few pictures before forbidding her to climb on the coffee table, and she quickly moved on. When Jarrad got home later in the afternoon, Rachel stopped her play to run and greet him at the door. As soon as he came in, she turned back, ran straight to the coffee table, and climbed up. What a show off!

non-toy toy of the day

I was on the phone for a moment yesterday when Rachel found the Q-tips in the bathroom drawer. She made it out with about 8 held tightly in her little fist. I took them away when she started pulling the cotton off the ends, bit by bit.

it's your birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Yesterday was Uncle John's birthday, and today is GGPaw's birthday! Here are two old pictures...I'll let you figure out which one is Uncle John and which is GGPaw.

Things have been quiet in our world yesterday and today. We've mostly stayed indoors, because who wants to go outside when it's 103 degrees?? Rachel also slept in both days, until 8:00am yesterday and 7:45am today. She struggled to take her naps yesterday, so I didn't force the morning nap today, and she ended up only taking one 1 hour 15 minute nap this afternoon. Tia Milli came back from her summer in Honduras this week, and she came to visit Rachel for a few hours. She took lots of pictures and video, and she brought Rachel fun gifts from Honduras. In the picture, she is wearing her Honduras tee shirt and playing with her new Honduran purse, which contains her new hopping chick toy. Tia Milli also brought some cute clothes from her mom, and a pretty Honduran doll like the ones little girls in the villages play with. It was just what Rachel needed to forget she hadn't had a morning nap!

Progress Report

Now that I've decided to take full responsibility for being sure Rachel gets to the potty before she wets her diaper (that is, I'm not waiting for her to tell me she needs to go), things are going great! Yesterday, except for wetting her diaper at her naptimes, she only wet one diaper all day. Today was the same, until tonight she had two wet diapers and two peepees in the potty within one hour, but we were all a bit distracted with Aunt Mamber stopping by and Jarrad being home earlier than usual.

cute moment

UP! Rachel is always wanting "up." Since she learned to say the word, she has been using it constantly. I can't get much done in the kitchen because little Miss Nosy wants "up" in the middle of the action. I'll have to admit--it is hard to resist those skinny arms stretched high in the air and that tiny voice asking to be held.

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel's favorite play for the moment includes sitting on any and every piece of furniture in our house. She stands by her choice chair and either says "up" or does the sign for sit until someone helps her. Sometimes she sits for a long time, and other times she enjoys getting up and down and up and down again.

monkeys always look

Did you give up on us? It has been well over a week since I last reported our goings-on. Jarrad kindly posted a cute video he produced with some old footage of Rachel, and I'm hoping that was enough to keep everyone checking for new posts.

Rachel and I are back, and finally back in full swing. We had a fun time visiting MiMi and Poppy last week, and Rachel did really well adjusting to her new bed (a Pack-n-Play). She didn't even seem to mind that MiMi and Poppy put her to bed every night while I helped my old coach at his soccer camp. They reported that she walked over to the Pack-n-Play and asked to go to sleep whenever they gave her a signal that it was bedtime. It was a big relief to me that she did so well.

While back in my hometown, I made a few attempts to see old friends, most of which fell through. We did get to see my high school history teacher, though! We still keep in touch, and Rachel really enjoys his silliness. He always has an interesting gift for her, too, like a Cheerios dispenser that looks like a boy with a baseball cap and a Wiggles CD.

There were several times last week when Rachel actually wouldn't let me take her from Poppy. MiMi didn't get to see Rachel as much as Poppy because she had to work most of the week (while Poppy is already retired). She and Rachel still had fun in the early mornings and evenings, though, and Rachel enjoyed MiMi's singing the most, even at times trying to imitate her.

We got back Saturday, and PopPop and Uma came Saturday evening for the wedding of our friends, Glenn & Jessica. Rachel was so exhausted and overstimulated with all the excitement that she had trouble going to sleep Saturday and Sunday night. Aunt Mamber babysat Sunday night during the wedding and ended up putting Rachel in the bed before 7:00pm because she was so tired! (pictured are PopPop and Uma...I took a few pictures with Poppy's camera last week, and I even made a CD with the pictures, but I forgot to bring them home withe me.)

Today was a bit quieter. We visited our neighbor, Mr. Henry, between naps, and then my friend Theresa brought her daughter, Alex, over this afternoon. Theresa and I visited while Rachel napped and Alex did her homework (she just started third grade in year-round school!) I've already calculated that Alex can be our designated non-family-member babysitter in six or seven years--especially since she loves Rachel and they live right down the road from us!

Progress Report

Rachel is still doing pretty well on the potty, but no better. Interestingly, Theresa's daughter, Alex, was trained by 13 months with the help of Theresa's mother. She said Alex started wearing training pants when she was Rachel's age (a switch I've considered making). It's so nice to talk to someone who was actually successful with early potty training, since I've only read stories until now. I've been discouraged, but knowing it's not impossible helps a lot.

cute moment

We were going out last week, and I was driving, with Poppy in the back seat entertaining Rachel. He whistled his funny whistle several times, and then Rachel attempted to imitate him by scrunching her nose, sticking out her lips, and snorting and blowing in and out. Poppy thought it was hilarious.

Poppy left Thursday afternoon to go to Romania on a mission trip, and he was already gone when we got home from having lunch out. As soon as we walked in the house, Rachel looked all around, stuck her arms way out and said, "hmmmmmknn?" (which sounds like our, "Where'd he go?"). She patted her chest and said "Poppy" several times for the remainder of the week. (She learned to pat her chest when PopPop taught her his name, and it quickly became her "sign" for any grandfatherly man.)

Rachel is also really into sitting on things right now. MiMi has a doll chair and a doll bench that are the perfect size for Rachel to sit herself on. She regularly stopped her play to go over and sit on the bench, and she loved carrying the lightweight chair to various places in the house, setting it down, and plopping on top. She always grinned, very pleased with her accomplishment.

But my favorite part of the week is when she came out to our soccer camp. Rachel understands the phrase "kick the ball," and she showed off for all the girls and their parents by kicking the soccer balls. She looked pretty coordinated, and everyone assured me that she would be a soccer player one day. We'll see!

non-toy toy of the day

Rachel has continued to enjoy playing with the plastic packaging from the Cheerio dispenser she received last week. It opens up nicely so that she can put things inside and close it again, pretending it's hidden (even though it is made of clear plastic).

MiMi and Poppy also kindly allowed Rachel to play with their plastic containers, and Rachel thoroughly enjoyed pulling them out of the cabinet, carrying them around, stacking them, and pretending to feed her stuffed animals and baby dolls from them. Oh yeah, and she liked to sit on the containers, too.

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:

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.