Potty Potty Princess

See that sweet face?? She was in an especially good mood tonight, and not just because Mommy bought her a new princess dress, but also for the reason that she earned it. Okay,I'm just going to do it....just rip off the band-aid. Alexis is officially potty trained!! She has gone for about a month with zero accidents, except for a few when she was sick, but once she felt better she was back to the potty. An and, she also used the potty while she was sick. She just had a couple of accidents. She's so proud of herself, and we are so proud of her!! She's come a long way in just 5 months from when we started this process. She's also using the potty at stores, and away from home too, so I think we're good. Like I said no accidents in a month! Not that we won't still have a couple accidents here and there I'm sure. But, the everyday gambling game of when she is going to pee on the furniture next is over. And we couldn't be happier!! So here's my "baby" 2 years and 5 months old, and SUCH a big girl!

A Creative "NO!"

Alexis continues to amaze me everyday at how much she knows, and how much she actually understands. She has loved Tinker Bell for a long time. When she was about 1 we bought the first Tinker Bell movie for her, and she. loved. it. And I think we have watched a Tinker Bell movie at least 1-2 times a week since. Her bedroom is Tinker Bell, and so is her bathroom. We were thrilled when the second movie came out, and now with the release of the third we are even happier. In the third movie it starts raining and the fairies can't fly when their wings are wet because it makes them too heavy. This is the back story behind many of Alexis' and our conversations for the past 2 or 3 weeks. Here is an example from yesterday.

Me: "Alexis will you go put your dirty clothes in your hamper in your bathroom?"

Alexis: (Frantically starts jumping around the room)

Me: "What are you doing??"

Alexis: " I can't go put my clothes away."

Me: "How come?"

Alexis: "My wings are wet and I can't fly."

I started laughing so hard at her. It is so CUTE! So, now anytime I ask her to do any type of chore or to go get a bath or anything that she doesn't want to do. She starts jumping around complaining that her wings are wet and she can't do whatever it is that I ask her to do. After a couple of days of this I told her that she would just have to walk like the other fairies do when their wings are wet. I got a BIG huff out of her, and a little whining, but now she's back to helping out around here.

Oh And Those Wonderful Things

Do you remember at the end of my last post I said Alexis had started some wonderful things?? Well, 2 weeks before she turned 2 years old I started (seriously) potty training. We worked on it all summer. I was bound and determined to have her potty trained before she started daycare and I went to work. I had her close to it. So close in fact I almost declared her officially potty trained. Well about 2 days before that she stopped wanting to even touch a potty. It was so weird. All of a sudden she loved her diapers, she loved being " a mess", and she loved her princesses on her pull-ups. GREAT! The next week I started working...... So she goes to daycare for TWO days. TWO DAYS.... And she LOVES the potty! She peed in it all day.I think she saw the other kids using it, and she just decided it was cool. In fact she told me, "It's cool to pee pee at daycare." Okay... She wouldn't touch the potty at home. Nice huh?? Well, after about a week she started wanting to pee at home and hasn't stopped. We had almost a week of totally accident free days. Most of the time she has only one accident during nap time which I think is awesome. She wakes up dry at night, and pees first thing in the morning in the potty. It's starting to be wonderful, and less irritating since she is telling me when she needs to go, and it's not a guessing game any more. The only trouble we are still having is when we are out in public. She won't touch a public toilet. Which is fine with me, except for the accidents...Any suggestions?? I bought a Dora toilet ring that just sits on the big potty and it's easy to take around. I've been carrying her little pink training potty with me EVERYWHERE! It's become a hassle. Tonight for the first time she used the Dora ring on the potty, so maybe now I can just carry that with me when we are out in public. I know it sounds crazy, but we think she is scared since she's not as stable on a big potty. So I will carry the potty ring in my diaper bag, and look like a fool, but hey it may work.

So I've been debating on writing this post for a long time now. I didn't want to jinx her progress, but hopefully she will continue being a big girl that pees in the potty! This is one case where I think peer pressure turned out to be a positive thing!

P.S. She is sleeping in big girl panties for the first time tonight. (Shhhh....)

First Day of "School"

( I had a picture but it's not going to load right. So sorry)

Alexis is going to a learning center while I am at work. It's daycare with a curriculum :). I was very, very, concerned and worried about how she would handle being away from not only me, but someone besides family. In her whole two years she has never stayed with anyone except family. We've never even had a friend watch her. So, I knew there would be tears, screaming, kicking, and worst of all those horrible words...."Mommy don't leave me!" I was dreading it, but I didn't let her know that....

Before we even registered her we went to the daycare several times at different parts of the day, unannounced. We took a tour. I grilled her teachers. I grilled the secretary. Then we visited the daycare with Daddy. We had a family talk, and decided that this was the place for us. Two days before we left I started making a big deal about her going to daycare naming all the pros. You'll get to play with new toys, you're going to make friends, yada yada. I talked it up big! We went to JCPenney and picked out a new outfit for her first day of day care, we laid out her blanket and pillow for nap time,we packed her bag, and we talked about how much fun she would have the next day.

So the next day came and I reluctantly woke her up. She woke up very happy! I asked her if she was ready to get ready to go to daycare, and she said "YES!". She ate "purple cereal" (blueberry frosted mini wheats), and got dressed quickly.We took pictures, and made a big deal, and kissed Daddy bye bye. Once we got to the daycare I gave her a big hug and a kiss outside, so I could tell her goodbye before she got upset. We walked into the daycare and she started to tear up. I told her that I was going to go to work, and I would be back to pick her up after she woke up from her nap. She started to cry, and said "okay mommy". Then the teacher asked her if she wanted to go put her milk in the fridge, and she stopped crying immediately. I told her bye and she said "bye bye Mommy!" No crying, kicking, screaming, and best of all not those horrible words that I feared. I couldn't believe it, and I was so proud of my big girl! I called at lunch to check on her, and they said she cried for a little bit in the morning, and she was fine the rest of the day! When I went to pick her up she said, "MOMMY! YOU CAME BACK!!" I said, "Of course I came back silly!" She laughed, and we left. And she hasn't had any problems since. What a relief! My big girl grew up just a little bit more this week, and has started some wonderful things! It was much harder for me than her, and I'm so thrilled that we only have to do this for a year and then she will be in preschool at the same school I'm at. It will just make me feel better having her close, and we get to sleep in a little later :)!!

Busy, Busy....

I have felt so busy the past couple of weeks! It all started with finally getting the keys to my classroom! It is pretty big, and I am so excited about my new job! I spent an entire day moving furniture, with some help with a volunteer. Michael was particularly excited that he didn't have to help me move the heavy stuff around. Not that he wouldn't, but he knows how much I change my mind when moving heavy objects. :) I felt bad for the volunteer. Who was a college student, and called me "Ma'am", and it made me feel old. A lot of my furniture was broken, and I got to set it out in the hall to take off to the dump. The headmaster told me that he would replace anything I wanted. Oh, and another point. My school has a headmaster...I feel like I'm working at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry :). It was a mess, but I've started going through things, and it's looking like a classroom instead of a storage room!!

Then we went to West Virginia for 4 days to see family. When Alexis was born we had 5

generations on my mom's side. So we went to get a picture with my great grandpa, grandpa, mom,

me, and Lexi. So, yes in essence we drove 13 hours for a picture, but it was worth it. It was good to

see family I don't get to see often. Alexis was a pretty good little traveler. She just really hates being

in a car, but my parents had a car dvd player, and it saved the day. :) She also slept in the same bed as me for the whole 5 days we were gone. f

I thought it might be hard to get her back into her own bed when we got home, but it wasn't. She's slept like,

well, a baby :). She's definitely glad to have her own bed back....and so am I!

Now, we are getting the end of the summer things together. I'm working on getting stuff ready to consign.

This is the first year I'm going to actually put stuff in the sale instead of just going to buy. I went

to the dentist, and apparently I have a clenching/grinding problem. It's going to take a splint( kinda a

retainer/night guard) which costs a mere $785! It's causing a lot of tooth sensitivity and jaw pain so I guess it's necessary. They are sending the request into my insurance so

hopefully they will cover most of it!

That's about all the news for now!

The Job Front

Well, I signed my contract, and I start work on August 2. I'm really excited to see my classroom come together. I have big plans for it. :) Right now they are cleaning and painting everything so it will be nice and pretty (I hope!) When I walk in. I am in the process of finding lots of things at yard sales, and thrift stores. Like books, and other helpful things. I have found quite a bit of stuff at some yard sales, and I can't wait to get it out of my house!! We have also found a great learning center for Alexis. They have on of those big mazes like you would find at play world, or Chik-fil-A with safety nets all around it, and swirly slides for them to play in when it is too hot, cold, or rainy.It's pretty cool! They also seem to have a great staff, and a good area for the kids so I think we will really like it! But, that's the only update I have so I'll post more in August!!

Obsession

Alexis is obsessed with birthdays. Absolutely. 100%. Obsessed. It's so silly :). We sing the "birthday song" about 20 times a day. Everyday we sing happy birthday to Mommy, Daddy, and Alexis. Then we sing it to all 5 of her Fairy Barbies (Tinker Bell and the gang), then we sing to all of the My Little Pony's, then we sing it to Alexis a few more times. While we are singing this song all day she is holding a little birthday candle (unlit) and after we sing, every time, she yells "MAKE A WISH!" And proceeds to "blow out" the little candle. And she knows all of the words and leads it every time.

This all started with my mom, brother, and sister-in-laws birthdays in February. Then at my nephews birthday party in April she was ecstatic, by her birthday in May she understood that a birthday meant cake and presents, and she couldn't have been happier that it was her turn. By Daddy and Big Pa's birthday's in June she knew all the words to the "birthday song" and we began singing it every day. Now with my birthday coming up in August, she is geared and ready for it. She knows I'm next and is forever trying to plan my party. The other day she told me "Mommy you need a Snow White cake for your birthday!" She said it with such a big smile on her face, and with true excitement. I said "Maybe" We'll see....:)

Which brings me to my next point. She's also obsessed with Snow White at the moment. She's taken turns having a favorite princess. Cinderella was her favorite for a while, then she moved to Ariel, Aurora, and now Snow White. She started this right after her birthday. We were shopping with some of her birthday money, and she HAD to have a Snow White dress. And of course the shoes. So she has worn in everyday around the house (well, all the days I haven't hidden it ;)...) She has torn the lace off of the bottom, and I've had to cover the ends with fray check several times. She ripped the Snow White heart off of the front, which I've put back on for her, and it's been washed way more times than it needs to have been. She also started putting it on over her pajamas after I left her room, and I would find her in full costume (shoes included) when I would go check on her before I went to bed. One night I was taking off the shoes and she woke up screaming I " NO NO NO MOMMY! I NEED MY SNOW WHITE SHOES ON!! DON'T TAKE THEM AWAY!" And since I really wanted to go to bed too, and it's not going to hurt anyone. I put them back on. :) She wants to watch it everyday, but I try to not let that happen. We're actually watching it right now, but it's the only T.V. she's watched today, well except a little Diego. Actually, I don't mind so much sometimes because well, you know how at the beginning it's a book. And Snow White was one of the only movies that doesn't read it to you. So Lexi says "Mommy read it." I mean she will find me wherever I am in the house. And she listens with a big smile on her face, and after I'm done she says, "Good reading Mommy. Thank you! " And it makes me happy. I used to like it when my mom read that to me too. :)