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.