Santa's Beard!

In the bath tonight, Addison gave herself a bubble beard and said, "I'm Santa. It's Christmas! I bring pink presents!" I thought that was pretty cute.
I love the mind of a two year old! When asked what she wanted for Christmas this year, Addison told me she wanted 1. a ball 2. a magic flower (a reference to her attendance at the play Beauty and the Beast- see older post for pics) 3. a heart 4. a baby pumpkin -----all items she already owns! :) That was about a month ago and her list has remained the same, but she has added that she would like a "Minnie Mouse" and just tonight she informed me she also wants a "pink princess." We will see what Santa brings! ;)

Living at Grammy's House

Muffin doesn't usually let the little girls play with her, but yesterday Muffin decided she wanted to cuddle with Addison and let her pet her.

Currently, Addison and I are living at my parent's house waiting for our apartment to be available. Originally, Steve and I had planned to purchase a home in Ohio; however, it did not work out as we had intended. We had trouble finding anything we liked and after finding one home that we did like, we lost it during negotiations. I even flew up to Ohio to help Steve find something, but nothing seemed to be right for us.

I had been praying ever since we accepted this relocation offer to Ohio that Steve and I would find a beautiful home that would help us with this difficult transition. We are leaving our beloved Oklahoma where our roots are planted very deeply with having so much family close by and a close network of friends. During my visit with Steve, we both realized that God wanted us to not buy a home right now and to take an apartment that Steve had found. They are smaller than what we are used to, but they are brand new and it feels nice that we will be the first people to live in it.

I feel very sad that we won't be moving into a home and that we have to leave A LOT of our belongings in storage here in my parent's warehouse, but I really feel at peace about this move. I know that God really wants us in Ohio right now and I think our family will be experiencing a lot of growth. I even think that living in a fairly small two bedroom apartment will ultimately draw us closer together and will really be a rewarding experience for us. I hate change and have spend my entire life fighting against it, but I feel equally excited and nervous about this move. I am ready to embrace life in Ohio, so please Redwood apartments hurry and finish soon!

Beauty and the Beast

At a special tea party before the play began, the girls received a magic rose. They also got to listen to a performance by Bell and Gaston and got to take pictures with them. Here are the three girls chasing each other before the play begins. The girls loved the roses because they light up when you push the button!

Addison has been in an anti-picture phase. She doesn't like to have her picture taken and runs away most of the time, so sorry that a lot of the pics aren't the best. Here is Addison in her Belle costume. I loved that I was able to find it in a toddler size (and on sale!), so it didn't drag all over the floor!

Waiting for the play to begin!

Mommy and Addison at the special tea party!

I'm posting this really late, but I definitely wanted to share Addison's first time seeing a play! My mom bought tickets for Tyler, Jen, Bryn, Makenna, Addison, and myself to go see OCU's production of Beauty and the Beast. They were bringing in professional costumes and everything. We had a wonderful time, even though the girls were too tired to stay for the entire thing. Addison became very concerned when they locked up Bell's father. Even after he had been released, she kept asking me where he was and if he was okay. Her favorite character was Gaston. She said he was a "nice guy." :)

Carving Pumpkins!

Addison and I had Poppa over for Family Home Evening this week to help us carve pumpkins! Addison wanted her pumpkin to have circle eyes and circle mouth, which Poppa did EVEN though he wasn't thrilled about the difficulty level. :) Addison is waving her "baby" pumpkin that she picked out at the store. She LOVES when things come in her size!

Our finished jack-o-lanters. Not our best ever, but we were kind of in a hurry and we are elementary level pumpkin carvers at heart. :)

Poppa and Addison. I think my favorite part of carving pumpkins was when Poppa decided to tell Addison about the time that my older brother Tyler told on me for eating pumpkin seeds (I was 9 months old at the time, so it was probably good he told on me) Poppa quoted Tyler saying: "Mommy, Dan-yell-ee is eating a pumpkin seed!" Addison asked him to "say it again!"

Momma and Addison

It was actually night out, but the flash makes it seem a lot bright out. . . Overall, a fun and special FHE for Addison and me!

Bring a Friend to Dance Class

Addison's first dance class. Addison's friend Sophie goes to Velocity Dance and they had "bring a friend to dance class" week. Here's Addison waiting for dance class to start! (Addison and I got there a few minutes early and I had to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, the bathroom is IN the dance studio. We walked behind the teenage girl's dance class and Addison tried to start dancing with them! It was really cute. . .)

Addison and her friend Sophie. These two LOVE to giggle together!

"grab your friend's hand and line up for class!" Sophie grabbed Addison and then Addison tried to go over and grab another girl too!

Addison and Sophie are all lined up to go into class. I was a little bummed that the class is behind closed doors, but they do it so the kids are distracted by the parents. I just wish I could have gotten some pictures and video of the actual class! Addison told me afterward that it was "fun" and she "loves dance."

Healing Socks

Addison's foot had a blister on it today. After receiving her healing kiss, Addison disappeared into her room. I look up to see Addison walking toward me with one sock on. Addison then informs me that the sock will "make it better." I love my silly girl!

Where's the Baby?

I think Addison has begun realizing that there is a baby coming. . .sort of. Addison, Steve, and I were at church together in Ohio when Addison began patting my chest and saying, "baby? baby?" I finally figured out that she was trying to ask, "where's the baby?" I told her that the baby was in my belly and Addison's response was "oh."
Since then, Addison hasn't said anything about the baby. . .well, until last night. Last night, Steve mentioned the baby in my belly and Addison started patting my belly and saying, "baby." Then, Addison patted her belly and said, "baby." Steve and I both thought that was pretty cute!

Kiss it!

Addison accidentally bit her tongue. With tears in her eyes, Addison stuck out her tongue and said, "kiss it."

1 Baby Shower, 2 Salads!

I had a baby shower this morning that I fixed a couple of salads for. A few ladies were asking for the recipes, so I thought this might be the easiest way to share them. The recipes originally come from tasteofhome.com. I love their website because I can easily search a recipe and every recipe has a picture and people leave ratings/reviews, so you can get an idea of what you're getting into.

Creamy Cucumber Salad
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. salt
3 medium cucumbers, sliced
1/2 cup sliced onion

In a bowl, combine sour cream, vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, dill and salt. Add cucumbers and onions; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 6 servings.

Easy Italian Salad (Addison helped me make the homemade croutons and taste tested them. She declared the croutons "good" and "yummy")

3 slices Italian bread, cubed
olive oil
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 bunches romaine, torn
2 cups grade tomatoes, halved
1 can (2 1/4 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 small red onion, thinkly sliced and separated into rings
6 pepperoncinis
1/2 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing (I used Marzetti Italian garlic dressing-in fridge section)

For croutons, lightly coat cubes with olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder; toss till evenly coated. Transfer to a baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450* for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once or twice. Cool

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combined the romaine, tomatoes, olives, Parmesan cheese, onion, and pepperoncinis. Drizzle with salad dressing; toss to coat. Top with croutons. Yield: 6 servings.

Enjoy! I know I did!

Book Review: First-Time Mom

When I saw this book in the library, I just had to pick it up. As a first-time mother, I often feel that as soon as I get used to the phase of life that Addison is in then she begins to go through more changes. This may be easier for other moms to handle, but I struggle with change and often avoid change as much as possible.
Book Review: This book covers a large span of time (from birth to 1st grade), so I found myself skimming the sections that were about the first two years of your child's life as I have arleady passed that time. My favorite chapter; however, was about the birth order of the parent. I had NEVER thought about the effect of my birth order may have on the way I parent my own child.
I don't like to think that the order I was born in made a HUGE difference on who I am, but I did find some "middle child" insights here that made sense for me. "Middles tend to be the most mysterious-and closed- of all the birth orers, and they are likely to be mentally tough and very independent. While they embarrass easily, they also tend to be the most loyal." I found that description very true in my case.
Other interesting sections of the book talked about the "Ten Most Common Parenting Mistakes" and another section talked about "Caring for Your 'Other' Child".

In case you were wondering what Dr. Leman considers the top 10 parenting mistakes:

1. A critical eye
2. Overcommitment
3. Not enough Vitamin N (as in NO)
4. Lack of Vitamin E (as in Self-Esteem)
5. Getting Caught up in the Competition Game
6. Getting Overexcited
7. Overdiscipline
8. Underdiscipline
9. Letting Other People Raise Your Child
10. Allowing Your Child to Be the Center of the Universe

I enjoyed the little ancedotes that Dr. Leman gave and enjoyed the chapter on the relationship between husband and wife, making sure it is nurtured after you have a baby. Steve and I definitely had some bumps in the road as we became first-time parents, so it is nice to see that this issue is being discussed.

Buy or Borrow: I would borrow this book. It has great general insight to raising your first child and really it just allows a mother to feel comfort in knowing that others have felt the same way you feel (overwhelmed, uncertain at times, etc.). While it is a good book, I don't think you would have to pick it up off the shelf time and again for advice.

My Friend's Blog

It is always fun catching up with your college roommates and I get to do that regularly on my friend's blog. Kadie's blog follows her journey to becoming a published author, her career/love of interior design, and gaming. Check her out if you are interested in any of these topis. P.S. She is also doing a giveaway this weekend, so check it out soon!

You can easily link over to her website. Click on Kadie Kinney to find her blog 3 Point Perspective. Happy reading!

Danielle

Farewell Mousy

Please join me in bidding farewell to my former roommate, Mousy. Even though Mousy and I didn't live together for very long, Mousy was a very giving roommate. Mousy always left me "little presents" on the panty floor or as Mousy called it "his room." I tried to recipricate this gift giving spirit by leaving Mousy pads of glue to play on, but he continued to reject my gift, pushing it out of his way.
Mousy and I did have our differences, which unfortunately led to us both saying things out of anger that we didn't mean. I threatened to move out if Mousy didn't and Mousy threatened to chew holes in the pantry wall.
Mousy's ultimate demise, however, was his love of peanut butter. After rejecting my pads of glue, I gave him the ultimate gift. . .a smooth, silky glob of peanut butter perched on a yellow platform of doom. Mousy has now left this world and has gone to the giant green can.

Sparkle, Sparkle!

Makenna and Addison. . . 2 cute cousins!

Love that smile!

3 little cousins. . . could they be more cute?

Is it legal to drive like this? Who cares, it's fun! Daddy, Bryn, and Addison joined the parade. I love that my dad immediately turned into our driveway and abandoned the rest of the parade.

Addison loves sparklers. Bryn and I both got sparkler ash in our flip-flops, so maybe we should do tennis shoes next year. To be fair, I complained A LOT more than Bryn did!

I don't know why, but I think this picture is so cute of Addison.

Feeding the fish at Lake Tenkiller.

Addison and I only stayed on the boat for a little over an hour. Addison's cast is waterproof, but you are not supposed to take it into the lake. Addison did get to splash around in a little wade pool on the lake house deck though, so she was okay with it.

My lil' sis Kimber, mom, Jen (she is taking the picture) and I taking the girls to feed the fish. I was SO nervous that one of the girls would fall into the water!

Addison would NOT stay still for this picture. I felt like I was in a wrestling match---and losing! Addison was really tired and cranky during this picture. About 10 minutes later, Addison fell down the stairs and got a little cut on her head. She scared me the little spots of blood on her, me, and the deck but she was fine. Grammy held her and it stopped bleeding really quickly.

Addison and I celebrated 4th of July this year at Lake Tenkiller with my family. We were really sad not to have Steve with us, but I was really glad to be able to have all my siblings together. It gets harder the older you get to get everyone together, so it was special to get that extra time. Dallin realized that he's getting old now and that he can actually get hurt doing the crazy stunts of his. After telling Tyler to "punish him" on the tube, Dallin went to the hospital with hurt ribs! Luckily, they weren't broken, but this old man may have to start taking it easy next time. Not sure what we will do then to entertain ourselves. . . . we may need to instill another flagpole so we can try and hoist Dallin up it again. . . good times.

Book Review: What to Expect the Toddler Years

I am sure many of you are familiar with this series. I read the What to Expect When You're Expecting while pregnant and also enjoyed reading What to Expect the First Year, so I was pleased to find that this series continued into the toddler years.
What I found: One thing that I really like about this book is that is gives development markers to look for. It gives me a few skills that I can work on with Addison and can see if she is keeping up with what is typical for her age. I also like all the specific examples that are given from mothers and how the answers are described step by step.
This book is really good if you are looking for tips on dealing with specific problems (getting rid of pacifiers, toilet training, temper tantrums) and if you are wanting to see the typical milestones for child of that age. Development is divided by months, which helps for a parent to see a more specific time frame.
Buy or Borrow: In this case, I would buy this book. There is SO much information and the whole book can be cross referenced for different problems you are having. I could see myself picking up this book in several different situations to look for suggestions. Since this series is so popular though, I am betting that I can find this book used at either a child consignment store or online. I think this would make a good addition to my book shelf for future reference.

What good parenting books have you read? I would love suggestions for future reading.

Book Review: Happiest Toddler on the Block

A few weeks ago, I took a special trip to the Edmond library on a mission. I had been looking online for good books on toddlers: toddler mind development, toddler discipline, and stay-at-home mom with toddler books. Anyway, online I become overwhelmed with the number of books. How could I decide what to buy? I really didn't know what book to begin with, so I figured I would go to the library and check it out.
The library didn't have most of the books that I had written down and were interested in, but I found 6 books to begin my education in Toddlerville. I chose to read The Happiest Toddler on the Block first. I was familiar with Dr. Karp's book The Happiest Baby on the Block. I haven't read it, but I watched a dvd version that my friend Catie brought me.
Book Review: This book is great for helping a parent to gain more understanding of their toddler. These are 3 the main principles covered in The Happiest Toddler on the Block book.

1. It helps to think of your toddler as a little. . . caveman. Basically, Dr. Karp is reminding parents that toddlers have brains that are developing. They are not able to understand our logical explanations and respond VERY emotionally. Toddlers are also driven by impulse.
2. Getting to know your child's temperment. Dr. Karp explains different temperment types and helps explain how knowing your child's temperment can help you in the way your react them them.
3. The Fast Food rule: When a toddler is upset, Dr. Karp suggests showing that you understand what the toddler wants before telling them "no" or telling them "it's okay." The name comes from the idea that all fast food windows will confirm your order (repeat it back to you) before they do anything else. Similarly, Dr. Karp suggests that a parent repeat back to a toddler what they want and show they understand the toddlers wants/desires before redirecting them or telling them no.

Buy or Borrow?: Personally, I think this book is worth a read but I think that borrowing will suffice. This book is full of general tips that can help a parent to better understand the attitude and behavior or their toddler. I think it really helped me to better understand Addison's development and her level of understanding at this time. When Addison begins to have a meltdown about something she wants, it has helped me to show her that I understand what she is feeling before I deny her request or redirect her to something more appropriate.

Does anyone have suggestions of good parenting books? I am really looking for good books on toddler development, discipline, or about being a stay-at-home mom.

Pass the Diaper

I thought she was ready! The books, articles, everything I read gave "signs" of readiness and Addison was showing those signs! Truthfully, I had wanted to wait longer to potty train. I jumped into this potty training nightmare thinking that if I didn't act now that potty training/sitting on the potty was going to turn into this big game.
Do I regret trying to potty train? No. It was a lesson learned. In many ways I feel like I failed, but the truth is that I approached potty training with 1. patience 2. a plan. Five days later, it was time to get out the diapers. Thanks mom, for giving me the push that I needed to make that step. It was a hard step and my back still hurts a little from the pushing, but it was needed. :)
What will I do different next time? I'm really not sure right now what I will change in my approach. Ultimately, I think Addison wasn't ready for this step. She would always tell me "potty", but only after she had already begun to pee/poo. I'm having some rethoughts about the reward system/needing stickers, but I do think that patience is a big part of potty training. For now, we will stick with the Pampers and will enjoy our summer!

Confession

When I began this blog, I wanted it to serve as a medium to be able to share info about Addison with family and friends. I purposefully left out a lot of the things that were happening to myself and Steve.
When I was training to be a teacher, we were told again and again (once by a lawyer!) how important it was for teachers not to put "stuff" out on the internet. Tales were told of people fired based on things they had put on the internet. Now, I don't live a lifestyle that would leave me fearful of being fired, but I didn't like the idea of students or their parents looking me up on the internet and reading my blog or facebook account. I remember after Addison was born that I wrote an entire blog post about my experiences suffering from baby blues. I never posted it.
What has changed? I am no longer a teacher. It feels weird at moments to say that because I loved being a teacher. Even though I have loved being a teacher, what I wanted even more was to be a full time stay-at-home mommy. As a child, my mother stayed home with us. I remember vividly sitting down at the kitchen table for mommy's "school" (mom wanted to keep our brains sharp during the summer months). I remember several times forgetting needed items as home that were quickly brought to me by my mother. I always knew that if we had a big event at school or if they needed a volunteer to help that my mom would be there. I've always wanted to be that kind of mother.
Steve and I couldn't afford for me to stay home when Addison was first born, but with Steve getting his first big 'after college' job it has made this possible. There are still sacrifices. Steve is gone for 3 weeks at a time. When he comes home, the visit is 3 days before he returns. Addison often asks for her daddy and I have to remind her daily "Daddy's at work." Financially, of course we would be better off if I continued working, but we have agreed that we can make this situation work.
Okay, so now that's out of the way. . . here's my confession. I've wanted to be a stay-at-home mom for years, so I found it very interesting my gut reaction to a situation a few weeks ago. While Steve and I were at the hospital with Addison, the nurse was asking me questions about our insurance. She asked to confirm that I was a teacher. I corrected her and told her that I was a stay-at-home home. She plugged me in as a "homemaker." And it happened. I felt this small flutter of embarrassment inside of myself. Why? Where did that come from? I worried about how that woman perceived me because of my "lack of a job." Did she think I was uneducated? Did she think I was lazy? I felt embarrassed and confused about why I felt embarrassed.
I told my sister-in-law Melissa about this experience. She said she thinks it was Satan's influence. I think she has a point. Satan has been working on destroying the family. Culturally, it is typical now for the husband and wife to work. Steve and I discussed how nice it would feel to have me work another year and to pay off a nice chunk of the house.
But then I think back to the mornings when Addison wanted me to read her a book and I had to rush her/me out the door to get to school. I think of the times that she showed me a letter and wanted me to teach her about it, but I was too tired or too busy fixing dinner or grading papers. Now, I imagine all the books we have read together now that I'm home all day. I imagine the little "discoveries" that Addison has made and I was able to witness. I think of all the times she has grabbed my face and kissed me with all the love and gratitude she feels towards me. I think this stay-at-home mom thing is going to be good. . .

Potty Training: 3 Day Charm?

Today's potty training was thrown off by so many variables that I have a hard time even counting today as potty training! I wanted to have 3 full days to fully focus on potty training as suggested in the E book I read 3 Day Potty Training. Today; however, was full of chaos and just weirdness. For starters, Addison did not want to drink very much today which affected how much she even needed to go potty, so we really didn't have that many opportunities to practice going potty. Secondly, I didn't do as good of a job of keeping the proximity that is needed for Addison right now. Thirdly, I found out today that the baking cups that I needed TODAY that should have been here LAST WEEK were NEVER shipped! I couldn't believe it! This lead to me leaving the house with Addison to take baking cups to my sis-in-law who is making the declicious, gorgeous cupcakes. I decided not to put Addison in a pull-up for the trip, but I did have her go potty before we left and tried to get her to go at Melissa's house when we got there. Again, Addison barely drank today so I wasn't as nervous as I may have been in different circumstances.
For bed, I ended up putting a pull-up on Addison. For starters, Addison was very thirsty when we got home (30 minutes before her bedtime) and I wanted her to drink since she hadn't all day and we had gone out in the 102* weather (air conditioned car, but still!). I don't even really want to make ANY decisions right now about potty training because it has been such a stressful, messed up day to begin with. I'm glad that I had mentally allocated Saturday to be another practice potty day if needed. I think that Addison and I will take a trip to Grammy's house to take a dip in the pool, but otherwise it will be another low-key day working on keeping those panties dry. . .

Potty Training: Take 2

If you haven't potty trained, be prepared for the second day slump. For me, the "slump" is the fact that your child probably won't be near as fascinated with potty training and being a big kid as they were the day before. Sure, Addison enjoyed her panties, but she didn't greet the training with as much excitement as before. I have to admit that I too was feeling a little less excited about our new adventure.
That does not mean there wasn't progress today. In fact, Addison today did not have any accidents. Now, you have to understand what I mean by accidents. Currently, Addison says "potty" and gives me "the look" right as she is about to go or right after she begins to pee. At that point, I become a member of SWAT whose mission it is to bear the ticking time bomb and to haul uh, booty to get that bomb out of the danger zone! I RUN (not joking) holding Addison saying, "Hold it! Hold it till we're on the potty!" Addison's panties are a LOT less wet today, so I think she is beginning to get the hang of it. I am hoping that tomorrow we continue to progress, although I am mentally preparing myself for digression. Reading and other friends have warned me that children sometimes digress after the novelty has worn off, so I'm trying to prepare for that.
How do I feel this adventure is going so far? Overall, I am very pleased with the progress. I am beginning to question the need for the rewards/sticker chart. It does help get her enthusiastic and helps her to be rewarded for going potty, but I do fear that she may at some point begin trying to potty just to get a sticker. There was a point today that she asked 3 times in 10 minutes to go potty, but nothing came out. Was that because she misread her body or because she wanted a sticker? Also, Addison sometimes gets upset that I am putting the hearts on her chart instead of on her body. Should I allow her to wear a sticker AND put one on her chart? Also, how long should this reward/chart routine occur? I'm THINKING that maybe after my stickers run out or my printed charts run out that it would a good time to call the rewards/charts quits. . .we'll see what happens. I didn't realize in potty training Addison that I would also be going through training too!

Potty Training: Day and NIGHT!

Day one of potty training. . . a huge success. Last night, a nightmare! It took forever to convince Addison to go potty twice as recommended by 3 Day Potty Training. I finally got Addison to bed and went back in a little over an hour later to take Addison potty (the author suggests this for children that do not wake up dry- Addison NEVER wakes up dry). I gently tried to rouse Addison only to find her DEAD asleep! I touched her bottom only to find that she had already gone pee and was now completely sleeping in her own urine. . . nice. I removed her shorts and panties (she's still completely asleep by the way) and picked her up because she was still sleeping in a pool of urine that had been soaked into a potty training mattress pad sheet. I placed a very groggy Addison on the potty and she very confusedly hugged me and groaned. No go.
After wiping off the pee, changing the sheets, and redressing Addison's bottom half, I dropped my still mostly asleep child back in bed.
At 5:15 am, I awoke and went in to rouse Addison to have her try and go potty (again following the 3 Day Potty Training instructions of going in 1 hour before the child usually rises). I found myself enjoying a cup of dejavu as Addison was already sleeping in a pool of sickenly smelling urine. I repeated my past steps with the only difference being that Addison fussed a lot about being put on the potty this time. After she sat there, not going potty, I lifted her up and took her back to the room to lay her back to bed. I thought Addison would lay down quietly because she was basically asleep on my shoulder already, but NO! She began screaming "mommy, mommy!" and wanted OUT OUT OUT! I went ahead and left her and thankfully after 5 minutes she calmed down and slept till 8pm.
After going through this nightmare, I seriously questioned WHAT SHOULD I DO? Do I put Addison in pull-ups at night? I have LOTS of friends that use pull-ups at night till their children are older, but they are potty trained during the day. . . .I could see how it be confusing to the child. . . don't pee in panties during day, pee away at night. . . .but still I didn't want to do THIS routine every night.
You may be surprised to hear that I laid Addison down tonight in her panties! I'm shocked myself, but here's what happened. Addison woke up after her afternoon nap. . . dry! I didn't think she would; she had downed milk like there was no more milk in the world and all the cows had disappeared, but it was true. I also kept thinking about how I had only given it one night and I keep hoping, wishing, PRAYING that it won't be as bad as last night. So I sit here typing while Addison gently falls to sleep and I'm hoping to find a dry baby in 30 minutes that wants to go potty and not stew in pee during her sleep. . .

Pics for Prepping for Panties

Addison showing mommy the sheep car she got for going potty on the toilet 3 times!

Look at the excitement!

I posted this checklist on the mirror in Addison's bathroom. It has really helped, because Addison is so excited about going potty that she wants to run out of the bathroom in excitement. I'm able to easily remind her with pictures the steps she needs to take.

Addison's personal potty chart. This is her 2nd potty chart, so the next time she goes 1. pee in the potty 2. poo in the potty 3. or wakes up dry after a nap or bedtime she will earn another heart sticker and get a present!

Prepping for Panties

I was not eager to hit the potty training milestone. Compared to some, I don't really mind changing a dirty diaper. Sure, if my husband is around I might try and finagle him into changing Addison (secretly it is hoping it is a poopy diaper and I can hear his groans of displeasure). But, then the day came. Addison began asking to go to the potty, multiple times a day. I worried that if I didn't take advantage of her curioristy and enthusiasm that this moment might pass me by. More signs came. My mom came to wake Addison after her nap only to find that Addison had removed her diaper. I noticed Addison attempting to remove her diaper many times. My favorite "readiness sign" was while I was teaching sharing time at a ward I was visiting. One of the nursery leaders comes to tell me that Addison needs a diaper change. I go to the nursery to find my child missing! The nursery leader informs me that Addison is already in the bathroom. I walk into the bathroom, assuming a nursery leader has Addison in there awaiting my diaper change. Instead, Addison is sitting on the potty! The nursery leader explains how confused she was that Addison had on a diaper but was asking to go the bathroom.
Okay, I get it. I give up. Let's potty train. First, I needed some prep before I went and bought princess panties (actually, I ended up with Dora panties, heart panties, and flowers. . .) I opened up the E book recommended to me by a friend from school 3 Day Potty Training. I read through it about 5 times and even took notes over the principles it taught. What I enjoyed most about this method was the focus on remaining positive and on actually dedicating 3 days to just potty training. Originally, I had pictured myself setting a timer and every 15 minutes, 30 minutes taking Addison to the potty to "try." Instead, the author encouraged statements such as "Tell mommy when you need to go potty, okay?" thus allowing Addison to feel trusted and like she was in control of the situations. Accidents were expected to happen and were to be treated as part of the learning experience. No lecturing, no timeouts. Instead, saying something like "Yucky, your panties aren't dry anymore!" was enough to indicate that Addison had failed to keep her panties dry as instructed.
After reading 3 Day Potty Training multiple times and making a checklist for myself (if you know anything about me, you know I love a checklist!), I went shopping for rewards for Addison. I got her coloring books, fruit snacks, stickers, play food for her kitchen etc. I also made her own custom reward chart. I was able to save money, make it personal for Addison, and was able to get the reward chart to fit with my intentions. Some charts have you giving stickers for each step wiping, flushing, peeing, etc. . .I knew that I would not be able to keep up with that kind of chart every day! I also wrote out what we would be eating (including snacks) and prepped as much food as possible. That way, I would be able to focus on Addison and her potty training the entire day!
Potty Training Day 1: After breakfast, I took Addison into her room and removed her diaper. I showed her the big girl panties and told her how proud I was of her. Addison and I together threw away the last diapers and wipes that we had (part of the 3 day training method- shows Addison that we are done with diapers and also removes the temptation for mommy to put diapers back on!) To summarize the day: Addison had about 10-15 accidents, most of which were not difficult to clean up. Addison went potty on the toilet 5 times today! Granted, she is still telling me "potty" right as she begins to pee so she only finishes going potty on the toilet, but she is still figuring out her own body and the "when" she is going to go. Addison didn't poop today, so it will be interesting to see how she handles getting to the toilet for that. After 3 heart stickers, Addison received her present. She got a sheep car and a mini package of m&ms. She quickly gobbled the m&ms and kept her sheep car close to her the rest of the night, often reminding me that she went "potty" got "hearts" and "hearts" got her "sheep car".
Overall, I am very pleased with the first day of training. My favorite part was that neither Addison nor I broke down in tears and I think she felt herself getting big. Addison kept pointing to her panties and saying "Kenna", because she recognizes that she has big girl panties just like her cousin Makenna.

Broken Bird

I have been trying to blog about Addison's broken arm for awhile, but I had some computer issues and then got lazy. Sorry! Here is Addison on the way to the bounce house. She was feeling a little cranky on the ride. I thought her pout face was pretty cute, so I took a pic!

See, the bounce house was fun at first. . .

Love this pic of Makenna!

My very cute nieces!

Addison was loving climbing through the different tunnels and going down the slides!

Bryn and Addison playing the ball pit. You could put balls in front of the air gun and shoot them into the hoop!

Daddy and Addison

Steve and Makenna playing

Both Bryn and Addison kept trying to interrupt Steve and Makenna's game. They wanted to play too!

This machine blew air at you to make you feel like you were in a hurricane. Addison and Makenna loved it; Bryn. . . not so much.

AND THEN. . . .

Addison and Steve climbed to the top of a slide. I was waiting with Bryn and Jen to follow after them. Steve told me that he let Addison go down on her own and she went down 2/3 of the slide fine. Towards the end of the slide, Addison ended up rolling and she began to cry. Jen and I heard her cry on the other side of the slide, but it didn't sound bad or particuarly distressing. When I went down the slide; however, I was greeted by Steve with Addison in his arms, her shoes/his shoes in his arms, and Addison's butterfly backpack.

"We have to go" Steve whispered urgently.

"What, why?" I asked confused.

"Addison broke her arm."

"What!?"

Steve says I overreacted and was "causing a scene", but you have to understand that this all happened in 10 seconds and I was still wrapping my head around what had happened.

Addison's arm looked swollen, her hand was limp, and there was something about it that did appear "off." I didn't have trouble believe Steve's analysis of my daughter's broken limb. We climbed into the car and drove quickly to Mercy hospital. (The same hospital where Addison was born)

Addison was a real trooper during this entire experience. She barely cried as long as we held her. At times, she wanted her daddy to hold her and other points she wanted mommy. We passed her back and forth gently each time she requested it. Waiting for the doctor, Addison fell lethargic, almost asleep.

Addison napping on me waiting for the doctor. It is her right arm that is broken; we tried to keep it gently on my soulder. Steve held Addison during her x-rays. I felt terrible for Steve and Addison. The x-ray tech was having trouble deciding how she wanted to position Addison's tiny arm under the machine. Addison was crying to whole time, because who wants a stranger to be messing with you arm that hurts? The x-ray tech gave Addison a purple bear for being so brave and good during her x-rays. Ever since, Addison has insisted on sleeping with it. (Every night, Addison has to sleep with 1. her "lamby" 2. her "paci" 3. her "blanky" and 4. her purple bear)

Addison had her arm wrapped and was put in a sling. She didn't like wearing the sling very much, but it really helped to keep her arm from moving. You can also see her new purple bear and her very stressed mommy!

I can't believe my baby girl already has had a broken arm. . .she's barely two! Steve and I have always stayed so close to her and have watched her so protectively. . . .we've been teased about it! And yet, it happened. As much I hate seeing my broken bird, I love seeing how she has risen above it. I have never seen her frustrated with her cast and I have seen her quickly and beautifully find ways to use just her one arm to accomplish all of her goals/desires. Addison has shown her cast to lots of people (whether they asked her or not). Addison holds up her cast, smiles, and says "slide."