the binky wars

Lula still gets her pacifier when she sleeps... naps and night time only... otherwise the binky stays in the crib. Lately she has become obsessed with having it all the time. She "sneaks it" and then runs and hides so she can use it without me knowing. I usually try to keep it in the middle of the crib back against the wall because her little arms are unable to reach it. However the other day as I am trying to put laundry away... she got creative.  This is what I hear from her room, "mom I'm gonna use my net to get my binky." I'm like, okay sure Lula, go for it; obviously I'm thinking she has no chance of accomplishing this goal so what's the harm in letting her try. Well then I hear, "mom! I got it!" I walk in to find this...

It was so cute and she was so proud. I reminded her that binkies are "catch and release" only, but she wasn't buying it. She kept it for a little while until I distracted her and hid it somewhere a little more secure.

Aunty Chriddy and Uncle Garrett get HITCHED!

This is long overdo... but time always finds a way to slip away from me!

In January, we hopped on an airplane and headed west. Destination: Los Angeles to celebrate Aunt Christine and Uncle Garrett! 

It was really great to be back in LA, the weather was perfect; it was so clear you could see all the snow covered mountains! We hit a lot of our favorite restaurants and found some new ones...

The best part of course was visiting with friends. Andrew, Kim and Olive were generous enough to open their home to us, and let me say this, Lula was beyond stoked! So much better than a stuffy hotel room. The Cahn house is like paradise to her... a playdough table, an art table, books and toys everywhere. Movies, popcorn, cupcakes, princess dresses... not to mention her pal Olive!  Lula was living it up! Thank you Cahns! And we will miss you Sunlight Place!!

One our favorite activities was catching the metro and heading to the science center, there were so many cool exhibits. In the short amount of time we were there, we saw a real baby chicken hatch and got up close and personal with the space ship Endeavour!

Not only did we get to visit with our old LA friends, since Chriddy was getting married, there were so many people we don't get to see very often... like Auntie Sarah from NYC and the Rabins who live on the Big Island! Phoenix I miss you so much!

 I hate that we see everyone so infrequently now, especially with kids because they change so much so quickly and unfortunately the week went by way too fast.

But I will say this... it ended in spectacular fashion...

Garrett and Christine's wedding in one word: EPIC!

In several words: beautiful, sentimental, classic, inspirational, funny... with great atmosphere, great food, great people, incredible desserts (noviello) and a dance party that was off the charts. Did I mention the entertainment? That speaks for itself, if you haven't seen the video prepared in honor of the groom, do yourself a favor and copy and paste this address...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwIgfxZRyB4&list=UUN_Y800nYOx9xt7dTPmb56Q&index=1

I wish I had more pictures of the event itself, because it was truly beautiful, but I decided to go sans phone, camera AND Lula so I could fully enjoy the evening. Let me just say... I totally did! Congratulations Christine and Garrett! We wish you a lifetime of happiness, thank you so much for including us in your incredible day! We love you and miss you! 

A sweet little delivery...

The other day when we got home from a long day, there was a sweet little package waiting for us. It had an even sweeter note inside. It was a bag filled with an assortment of delicious Isabella's Cookies from our favorite perfectionist confectionist: Chris Noviello! The note, addressed to Lula, instructed her to share with her mom and dad, she reluctantly complied! Thankfully she did because the Maui-Wowies are my favorite!  Lula (and Ellie) were way into "The Shortcake."

Thanks Noves,  You're the best!

from the mouth of babes...

 Here are some gems I've been holding onto...

- I opened a present for christmas and inside was a new bra, Lula saw it and said, "mommy got boobies!"

- One night we were eating spaghetti for dinner and she kept dropping it on her belly, she finally said, "I need a rain jacket!" It was so funny. After a continued conversation, I think Olivia the Pig may have talked about that before; still it was used in the right context and really funny.

- Out of the blue she said, "My doggie says, 'I like kitty poo.'" And it's true, she does. Then Lula said, "yucky!"

- I was trying to get her to nap the other day, we battled for about 30 minutes. During one of our interactions, when I was threatening to take away her binky, blankie, minnie mouse and pillow if she did't stop talking she looked at me and said, "I really love you mom." I love you too Lula. "I really love daddy too." "I really love my doggie too, mom." It was so sweet, but clearly she was trying to play me. So I sweetly replied, "We all love you too Lula, but if you don't stop talking, I'm taking the binky!"

Potty Training Diaries

Disney World and Back! NO ACCIDENTS!!

We still have accidents here and there, but this was a HUGE accomplishment! We stopped twice on the way down and once on the way back (it was a three hour drive). She even HELD it while we were stuck in traffic until we could make it to a gas station!

We went to EPCOT and it was a lot of fun! We were there to celebrate her cousin Emma's 4th Birthday (I cannot believe she is already FOUR!) Auntney, Uncle Luke, Aunt Chelle, Uncle Matthew, Aunt Erica and of course Emma were all there! It was a really fun day. I'm bummed I didn't get a great picture of all of use, but here are a few from the day...

Can't wait to go back... I think Animal Kingdom is next!

A school poem...

My favorite uncle, Uncle Ronnie, has written poems for me my entire life; I treasure all of them.  Perhaps a little has rubbed off on me... Lula and I often make up little songs and poems throughout the day. We usually do it as entertainment in the car. The other day we came up with one about school...

Lula Mae, Lula Mae went to school one day. 
Ms. Jenny taught her how to rhyme when she sat in circle time. 

To get fresh air, the play park was there waiting for them outside. 
Up, down and all around; Lula loves to climb the slide. 

After Lunch, they were a sleepy bunch, and whether she napped or not... 
Ms. Delores said, "Lula Mae! You better lay down on your cot..."

But when you wake up you have snacks in your cup and play with your friend Jack. 
Then it is time to say good bye because mommies always come back!

Lula loves to say the last line, "mommies always come back." Then she usually says, " say it again mom." I think it has actually helped a little with her school anxiety as well!

p.s. there is actually a little boy named Jack in her class!

Potty Training Diaries

I apologize for delaying the news of my (our)  Potty Training saga (I know most of you have been anxiously waiting news of Lula Mae's toilet habits), but I finally have a moment to fill you in on all the happenings!! Got your popcorn ready? Here we go...

On December 12th I declared we were going all in starting Friday December 14th; here's how it went...

Cold Turkey... Day ONE.
I started Friday much like I began the other "no diaper days" running around behind a naked toddler asking her if she needed to go potty, then cleaning up the mess. This "no plan" "go with the flow"approach was not working for either of us. Lula wasn't getting it and I was just getting frustrated so I started researching ideas for an actual gameplan. Unfortunately all I could find were tips on how to start the process, like:  looking for signs of readiness, leading by example, buying a small potty seat, getting them familiar with the idea of using the potty, buying big girl underwear... check, check, check, check, and check. Nothing useful.

Lula is very familiar with the idea. She knows all about the potty and will sometimes actually take her diaper off and sit on the potty and go poo, then two hours later she will poo in the closet. As far as pee goes, if she has on clothes she just pees in her pants and all over the floor. I was confused, she gets it but at the same time she doesn't. The disconnect seems to be getting her to recognize the need to go and then HOLD it until she gets to the potty. I found no solutions to this specific problem. One thing i did find people talking about was how often you put them on the potty, which made me realize, you just have to keep putting her on the potty all day at regular intervals. The only problem is that I always get busy or distracted and forget to take time out to put her on the potty. So I decided to create alarms that go off EVERY 30 MINUTES! It seemed ridiculous at first, but surprisingly it was great for Lula AND for me!

So for the rest of the day on Friday and subsequent days thereafter my phone sounded the alarm! Robots on the hour and Ducks quacking on the half hour (I finally found a use for the weird ring tones Apple provides).  It was great having a third party / outsider give us the signal to go potty. When she heard the ducks quacking she knew it was time to sit on the potty. It reminded both of us about the need to go and at the same time I think she felt a little empowered by doing it without me telling her to.


Present Day:
The alarms lasted for about a week. No matter where we were if the robots talked or the ducks quacked we would do our best to get to a potty seat, or AT LEAST hit the "snooze" so we were reminded 10 minutes later to try. I still hate public bathrooms so if we are in a store, I try to make it to the parking lot where Lula will usually feel more comfortable sitting on her own little traveling potty seat. I just make sure to have sanitizing wipes and doggie bags in case she actually goes #2. If it's pee, I just dump it in the grass and move on.

I don't think she completely gets it yet, but the alarms helped immensely. I need to start implementing them again, but I think I will only do it every hour (as suggested by my ever so smart husband). She seems to be holding it longer and longer. We have had our share of accidents, but I think they are mostly my fault. When I don't have the alarm, I forget to get her on the potty regularly, then when she is sitting in the back of the grocery cart while we fill up our 5 gallon jug of water... she pees on the floor at Publix. Can't really blame her! Every time she has an accident I say to myself, I KNEW I should have made her try before coming in the store instead of saying we will do it after. But then there are those moments when you smile and say, "bravo! bravo!" Moments when she does it all by herself, like the other day at the zoo...

 

Many people may find this embarrassing, I find it hilarious and honestly I couldn't have been more proud of her when she did it.  Lula and her cousin Emma were playing on the playground, completely distracted and the perfect scenario for an accident when she ran over to the side and started pulling down her pants. In a panic I hurried over to her and said, "what is happening? what do you need? what are you doing?" She replies, "I need to go poopy." Oh! Ooookay. Well, this is happening! I didn't want to discourage her so, I decided to let her go for it. My sister n law was there to witness the entire event. We were both laughing, but trying to keep a straight face because Lula was totally just doing what she thought she should do (and I agree with her), we both told her "Good job Lula Mae!"  and then looked at each other and smiled! When she finished, Lula pulled her pants up and went back to playing. Done and done. Thankfully she went in the bushes and I used an empty chip bag to scoop it up (after having a dog for 9 years, I've definitely gotten over the disgust of picking up poop, it's not my favorite activity, but at least I don't gag anymore). The surprising thing is... no one even noticed!

Like I said, we still are not completely potty trained, and last week we had a really big setback. I'll spare you the details, but it involved the need to wear diapers for about 4 days because of uncontrollable BMs. Poor little thing.

But it is time to get back on track. I'm going to arm the alarms and hopefully the next entry will be about how we are 100% a part of the underwear wearing club!

stay tuned...