September 5th, 2012

This will be a huge day. HUGE.

Kaylee starts preschool. How is she old enough to go to school?? Nevertheless, I'm ready. She needs more kid interaction. I need more one-on-one with Liam.

I start working again. I pretty much quit when I got pregnant with Liam because of my issues. I've been chomping at the bit to get back to it. My Mac has been updated. I am now sporting the latest version of OSX, Mountain Lion and I signed up for Adobe's Creative Cloud, which for a mere $50 a month, allows me unlimited access to the latest versions of all the programs I need. This will pay for itself well before I hit the $2400 mark to buy this version outright. I imagine there will be a new version release before then.

I'm also going to put it out there that this is the day Liam will crawl for real. He's So.Close. I'll try to post a video soon. He does this scoot-hop and can pretty much get to wherever he wants to go... eventually. He's so little, which makes this so much more adorable and heartbreaking. Liam turned 5 months old today. Why is he crawling so soon?? I think it runs in the family. I crawled at 4 months. My poor mother... at least she didn't have a toddler to run after.

And finally, this will be my first night out in a long time. I stopped going to Zumba for a number of reasons. I miss it and want to go back.. I just can't right now. But, I'm taking a few hours and going to the residence club with my neighbor to drink wine and eat chocolate. It's just too good to pass up. We can stumble home on the hike and bike trail together. :p

Building a fort

I left him on the mat to the left... and when I got back from making lunch, he was there, chasing the toy cat.

Silence is Golden...

Unless you have a toddler.

I saw that phrase on one of those cartoons people post on FB. It rings so very true. Needless to say, my house is rarely quiet. The kids tend to take naps at different times, although I'm working on getting Liam on a more regular nap schedule so he can sync with Kaylee's afternoon nap. He typically takes 3 or 4 naps a day, but they don't usually last very long. I'm hoping to get him down to 2-3 naps so that maybe he'll sleep a bit longer during them.

Today, while nursing Liam, Kaylee had her first "hit" on the potty. I set the baby down, who began crying almost immediately, to praise her for a job well done. I had tears in my eyes from being so happy. She received high fives, a handful of M&Ms (I told her 2, but didn't have the heart to take away the extra 3 she grabbed), a sticker to put on her potty chart and we danced around like little fools. It was great. :) Then we called Daddy and her Mima to tell them the good news.

In other news, I'm still uber tired. Sleep is not coming very easily to me. I'm starting to gear up to start working again. Last night, I did some preliminary stuff and will start coding later next week to get my site back up and running. I have a few jobs in the hopper that I hope pan out. 2 are trade, but the rest would be paying gigs, which we ohhh so need. So, if you or anyone you know needs either a web site, updates to a web site or search engine work done, please send them my way. I work quickly and am a lot cheaper than the companies out there.

My work hours will be M,W,F 9:30a to 12:30p and every week night 8p-10p (probably later, but that's as late as I want to take calls or reply to emails.) 

I've decided that we're going to hold off on Liam's swim lessons until January, which means he'll be 9 months old and 4 months ahead of when Kaylee started. I'm super excited to see if he surpasses her milestones just by starting him a few months earlier and not having any breaks. They have a $25 admin fee every calendar year so starting him in October doesn't sound like a good use of time or money. Plus, with the holidays, things will be hectic enough.

Anyway, that's it for now.. off to clean, then maybe back here later for some more work stuff. I'm so excited! September 5th cannot get here soon enough. :)

Preschool

Today was "meet the teacher day." I was super nervous about meeting not only the teacher, but the kids and their parents. Kaylee will be one of 7 kids in her class. Kaylee will also be the only girl. And the youngest. And the only one not potty trained. But, because of a recent post I just read about not being negative on your blog... I'm going to try and find the silver lining in all of this.

a) She's the only girl -- meaning, she'll learn to stick up for herself instead of being pushed around.
b) She's the youngest -- but also still on par with the almost 3 year olds in the class. I was impressed by how well she fit in.
c) She's not potty trained. This is probably what I'm most excited about. The teacher is going to work with her, but also seeing the other kids not in diapers should help as well. I'm hoping by December, we're done with diapers. But, of course I would love for that to be much, much sooner.

I like everything so far about the school in the big picture. The things I don't like.. well, I think that just comes with having your kid in a different environment for the first time. Three days a week is starting to seem like a lot of time away from me, which does make me sad. But, the silver lining is I'll be able to have a good bit of quality time with Liam, just like she had.

Kaylee is super excited. She has been asking to see "teacher" ever since we got home. Occasionally she'll use her name, but I suspect she'll call her "teacher" for a while. It's pretty darn cute.

Ok.. I lied.

This will be the final update for a while. Only because we hit what I think is pretty big milestone in training. Dryness. This has never happened. But today, she stayed dry through her nap, which I had to wake her from after 4 hours. Then again for another 4 hours when we went to my dad's. Now... in between that? I had her sit 3 times. She did nothing. But the second I had to get something out of the truck, she peed a lake. So, I know she's not sick or anything like that.

I never thought I would be this talkative or excited about pee. Ahhh motherhood...

Day 5... last update for a whlie...

Today, I have not been so vigilant. So of course there has been no progress. We skipped the panties altogether and just went with the pullup. She's still practicing with/without, so that's good. I think I'm going to carry on with this route for a little while. The more I think about it, the more I think I need to talk to her teacher and see how they might be able to help me. She'll start school in a few weeks and since she'll be a young 2 year old, this might be an advantage. All the kids needed to be 2 by September, meaning they could have easily turned 2 in October of last year. So, I suspect there will be a few trained kiddos in her class.

I'm also hoping that her finger sucking will break as well. She does it more as a habit during the day than anything else. I don't mind if she does it at night/naps. But, I'm kind of over it for during the day. It isn't as cute on a 2 year old as it is a little baby, especially since she is getting into everything, so keeping her hands clean has become a challenge. 

Day 4.

Still. Nothing. No hits.

Now.. that doesn't mean we didn't make a tad bit of progress. She's still super excited about sitting there, which was not the case the first time we tried. She pretty much hated me after day one that time. I thought I would give up if we didn't have any hits today. But, I'm starting to think that if we just keep doing what we're doing, even if there's no hits for weeks, she'll get it sooner than if I stop altogether.

And it could be that I'm confusing the hell out of her. I only bought 1 pack of panties. It's all I honestly had time to hem so they would fit her. And her panties are as expensive as mine! How is this so?? (ps.. yes, I wear cheapies compared to a lot of women.. lol). And even then, I barely got it done before she needed a new pair. Today, we had so many accidents that I couldn't get them cleaned and dried fast enough, so back in the pullups she went. UGH.

I also broke down and found the cheapest potty I could find. The reason? We had one close call yesterday. I just couldn't get her there in time. She literally peed while I was running with her. Again. Double UGH. This might have been the best thing I could have done though. She is now getting all of her stuffed animals to use the potty. She sits on it regularly by herself. Sometimes she takes her pullup/panties off, sometimes she doesn't. I praise her for trying either way.

So... on to Day 5, which will be tricky because we have swim lessons and later on dinner at my dad's. My dad has a potty because of my nephew when he was training, so I may ask him to move it to the living room so she can continue her little routine.

I'm so much less frustrated today than I was yesterday.. and the day before... and the first day. I'm still in a bad mood though, but it is starting to have less to do with this.

My next question is... what happens Sunday? I am supposed to go to church with my grandmother. We'll be there pretty much most of the day. It's a huge celebration for the church hitting 75 years. I went from pretty much birth to 15 and then on and off til 18, so thankfully I know the church building well. Do I take her potty with us and just leave it in the bathroom? I don't *think* anyone would mess with it.. Lord, I hope not... or do I just put her in a pullup and not worry about it? This whole leaving the house thing during training kinda sucks...

Days 1...2...3

I decided to take a different approach this time. Day 1 was spent at the store and lots of talking/showing to get her excited about everything. We used pull-ups the first day but they are just like diapers. I don't get it. So, I now just use those during naptime - have to use them since I already spent the money on them. We made zero progress this day and I really think it was because of the pull ups.

Day 2... training underwear. I had to take them all in so they wouldn't fall off of her. This was an endless cycle of accidents/wash/dry, repeat. No progress.

Day 3... also known as today. She told me twice that she needed to go, but I didn't get her there in time. Two more times, she told me as she was going. We are now at naptime. She is refusing to go to sleep, saying she needs to go potty. I'm at a loss... do I bow to her demands (I did once but she did nothing), knowing that she really won't go? Or do I leave her in there hoping she'll go to sleep? I'm wondering if I should just give up the diapers during naptime as well.. but I know that's a huge mess waiting to happen.

We have yet to have a "hit"... maybe later this afternoon things will progress at least a little. I'm super sick of all these stories on the web talking about how their kids have all these signs - the exact signs Kaylee shows - and how easy everything went. Where's the horror stories? How long are these people really trying? Are they lying when they say the first day ended with only 1 or 2 accidents?

The laziness in me wants to give up.. but OCD in me wants her to get the idea down by the end of tomorrow so we can leave for swim lessons in panties instead of a diaper.

Potty Training... Take 2

We have nowhere to be until Friday morning for swim lessons. And since she's been asking to sit on the potty again, and doing so willingly, I figured it might be worth it to try again.

Liam is on a more regular schedule and I am suspecting a growth spurt, as he is sleeping a ton. This also makes timing good.

The only thing I'm worried about is school. She starts her class in a few weeks. So, at what point is "too much change" really too much? Because our lives always have changing going on...  so if I keep putting her off, she'll be 10 and still in diapers. LOL I kid.. I hope...

On top of the bottomless method, I'm giving in and throwing in rewards. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's how my inlaws are able to get her to go. My plan is to get her up, sit her on the potty and explain to her that we are going to the store and why. Then, we shall go across the street to the Dollar Tree and I'll let her pick out some goodies. And while she's not paying attention, I'll grab some M&Ms, because I think that's what the inlaws give her.

I'm not so much desperate as I am tired... and for some reason, I have in my head that after we get through the hard part, things will be easier. I still think she has been ready for a while, but again.. the change... last time we tried I had a new baby in the house who was constantly nursing. Here's hoping the 2nd time is the charm.... :p

PS: anyone know where to find 9-12 month panties?? Because 2T will fall right off my no-butt child... yes, I'm serious. My 2 year old is still in 12 month pants. But, that's with a diaper, so without, she needs an even smaller size. EEK!

Scrappin'

Since Kaylee was born, I haven't been able to scrap very often. Here and there for a few hours at a time, but it's really like 3 or 4 times a year. Since I had Liam, I was afraid I would never be able to scrap again. I brought this up to Brian, who insisted that I make time. But in reality, I'd have to leave the house to really be able to concentrate.

That's when a friend of mine told me Archivers reopened. Woot! So, I'm going to my second Scrap Mania tonight and I couldn't be more excited. Especially since they have a big coupon out right now.

Since I was running out of embellishments, I have been on the hunt. Well, another friend is getting out of the scrapping business altogether. I'm super sad for her, but she has a really busy life with 4 active little girls. I bought a good bags worth of stuff from her the other day. I'm super excited to use some of this on my upcoming pages. She had a ton of eyelets, which will come in super handy with my brand new tool - the Crop-a-dile. My next door neighbor gave me one after I showed a ton of interest in hers. This thing is NUTS. But, it takes the hammer and setting tool out of the equation, making setting eyelets virtually silent. Score!

Next month, I'm hosting an overnight scrap-a-ton. 24 hours of scrapping at the ranch. If you don't want to scrap, go sit on the deck and chill... walk around and pet the donkeys... you could try fishing, but I don't think there's anything worth catching in the tanks right now. Anyway, the point is to scrap a ton, get away from the house/kids and have a fun girls night. I'm super stoked! So far there are 9 of us going. I had no idea I knew that many people that scrapped!

I'm almost caught up with Kaylee and will soon be able to move on to Liam. Problem is, we've lost our mailbox key, so I can't access my pictures that just shipped. :( I'm so irritated because I never move the key and now it's just gone... ugh.

Home Improvement

I was raise where if you can do it, you don't pay others to. If you've never done it, look for instructions and figure it out. And for the most part, I'm good at home improvement kind of stuff. I can build things, fix things, etcetc. The one thing I've never messed with though is electrical.

When we were at the old house, we had a fan go out right before we were to move. This wouldn't do. I couldn't, in good conscience sell a house with a faulty fan. Who wants to move somewhere and immediately have to fix stuff? Not me... do unto others...

Well, I was newly pregnant and everyone was treating me as a delicate flower, so I was kind of forced to call an electrician to replace the fan. The fan cost $39.98. The labor to install cost $75. I was SO.MAD. when I got that bill. And since then, I became even more determine to fix things that seemed reasonable. My motto is kind of "If I know my dad can do it... so can I." And I know my dad has installed ceiling fans before.

When we bought the new house, it only came with two fans. In the master and the livingroom. The other bedrooms and media room only had a light fixture. This is not cool (ha!) during Texas summers. I was finally able to buy 4 fans. And today, I installed my very first ceiling fan. Because I was a little nervous, I read and reread the directions over and over to make sure I understood. I double checked and then checked one last time with each step. So, the first fan took me an hour to install. The only thing that stumped me was when all was said and done, the blades would not move. I could hear the motor, but that was it. Turns out the directions were missing a very important piece of information.... Remove the rubber stoppers. Ugh. Oh well. After I got that done, everything went fine.

We now have 3 of the 4 fans installed. A friend was bored and offered to come help. This friend also has 9 years of electrician experience. So, I promptly hopped off my ladder and allowed him up. He installed the other two fans for me. I have one more to do, which will be on my own, but I am so much more confident in this now.

Installing a ceiling fan is EASY. I'm almost still mad that we wasted so much money at the old house...

The Journey Continues...

I'm very excited to announce that I have hit a big milestone. I'm half way to my weight goal. I'm 10 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight, which will be my next goal. I'm 15lbs away from my "pre-Brian" weight. And 30 lbs away from my overall goal, which may vary by 5lbs depending on how I feel once I get close.

I haven't exercised much in the past month. Things kept getting in the way. Walking is near impossible as it's so hot when we get going that I don't want to subject the kids to that. If the long parts of our walk didn't face the sun, I would probably have a different stance... but unfortunately, the streets are mostly W-E.

On top of everything, my supply has dropped some. Liam is cranky a lot, so I've picked up the pace with all the things you can do to increase supply. Continuing with that... his 4 month checkup went like this: 11.6lbs and 24" tall. Or.. in doctor's terms, 2% and 5%. UGH. Kaylee was also tiny, but there's only been one boy in our family that has been this little. So, I think just the anxiety of it all hasn't helped me. Knowing that the reason he's cranky is because he's still hungry makes me sad. I did supplement with a bottle yesterday just to get him feeling better, but I don't have much in reserves, and I know bottle feeding won't help my supply... so here's hoping I can make it to my first goal with Liam... 6 months. And then my 2nd goal... 9 months.. and my final, ultimate goal.. 1 year.

And now on to the exciting news.

Kaylee starts school in FIVE WEEKS (Sept 5th). I'm super stoked. Super sad. And super anxious. I will have 12 hours for all sorts of things. I can clean my house (hehe)! Liam will start swim lessons in October. I can start WORK again. Brian is so excited that he's given up his gun allowance for the year so I can upgrade my software. Awww!

I have a huge project that I'll be working on. It'll take years for it to get off the ground, but it's something else that I'm really excited about. I hope it works out because if so, it could set my family up for a nice, comfortable lifestyle once we break even and make a profit. It'll also give me a bigger purpose in life. I know that sounds awful, but I was not meant to be a SAHM. It's not that I don't love being the one to raise my kids. It's that I am a workaholic. The one thing that I got from my dad was my work ethic. And it truly makes me stircrazy when I can't get things done that I want done NOW. I need that in my life to feel successful. Awful. I know. But.. it is what it is.