Big News x 2

News Story #1: I know I said in the last post that I wasn't interested in potty training Syd until Millie is 100% potty trained.  And really...I'm not.  We do have the baby potty sitting out though, just to get Syd used to it. She's sat on it many, many times with no results.  Until today!  She wanted to sit on it and we were both shocked that she went.  She was so proud.  I was so proud.  After dinner, we tried again with another successful attempt!  I should probably go with the momentum.  We'll see how I feel tomorrow. ;)

News Story #2: Millie finally got a big girl bed!  She loves it.  She's proud.

She's been in her beloved crib up until this last weekend.  Yes, she is 4.  Yes, that isn't the norm.  But it really worked for us.  Her crib was even the kind that converted to a toddler bed, but we never even did that.  I guess we are the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" sort.  Up until the past couple of months, she had never even crawled out of her crib.  We were lucky.  However, since she did start crawling out recently, I didn't want her to give Syd any ideas, since they were still in the same room at the time.   We decided to do a big shake-up this weekend and move everyone around.  Millie got a big girl bed and moved into the playroom.  Syd took Millie's old crib and moved back into her original room.  Guests now sleep in Millie's old room. We decided to separate them because Syd wakes up sooooo early.  Since Millie doesn't nap, she was often cranky from not enough sleep.  Hoping this will help.  We are on night 3 and everyone seems to be loving it.  And Millie has stayed in her bed all night the last two nights!

In other news:
Zak and Whitney had sweet baby Cheston.  He looks perfect.  Can't wait to get ahold of him!  Congrats to Grandma Tricia!

Dan got his driver's license!  Way to go, Danno!  beep beep

Brandon and Leann closed on their new home in Erie!  super exciting - congrats!

Nana came for a quick visit to job hunt.  She's moving to Arkansas!!!  We're thrilled, of course.

Sadly, our Summer fun with Cayden and Beckham had to come to an end.  They left Saturday.  We're still a little down about it.  But we honestly crammed an insane amount of stuff into the 5 weeks they were here.  So grateful for that little family.  Lifelong friends, for sure.  Not just the kids either...Amanda and I have really grown close and it was pretty amazing having her so close this Summer.  

The kids love eating dinner at the pool.  I sort of love it too.

Amanda and I did the color vibe 5K on one of the hottest days of the year.  We started out running and then just ended up gossiping while we walked. ;)  It was still fun!  We also had a fun girls trip to Kansas City for some shopping.  

Fab Four, fo sho

It really isn't just us that can see it...Mr. Stephen at Little Giggles even said "wow, Millie and Cayden really love each other".  It's surprising that they don't fight or bicker.  They get along soooo well.  Going out to eat is even easier with Cayden around.  Check out this very strange video of these two weirdos playing at the "chip place".  Syd and Beck just kind of hang out and share food.

Milestone alert:  first daddy/daughter date.  JKK took Mills to Build-a-Bear and then to get ice cream.  She was in heaven.  She is a huge daddy's girl, and I know this made her feel very special.

We love ice cream.

Ice cream = happiness

Real Talk

First let me preface this by saying that I've had some dental work lately that is making me extra grumpy...and also makes me feel really old talking about my dental work.  Things have been a bit hard around here lately with our 4 year old.  Nothing out of the norm...just new to us.  As I've said before, Millie refuses to play by traditional potty training rules.  I refuse to even think about potty training Syd until I feel like Millie has it down 100%.  She never full-blown poops her pants, but on an almost daily basis, there's enough in there that I have to throw the panties away.  I seriously buy panties every time I go to walmart.  Thank goodness for Garanimals 10 pack for $4.95.  After a full year of dealing with this, I had gotten to the point of really showing my frustration and practically shaming her every time we had to throw panties away.  Every single expert will tell you that this is the absolute wrong way to go about it.  Positive reinforcement not only works the best to get results, but it also helps them not think about going potty in a negative way or holding it or creating unhealthy habits.  Yes, I'm a reader, I know all of these things but your instinct is to show them how disappointed you are and there have been times that I've wanted to rub her face in it like a puppy.  So this week it all came to a head.  Millie was sick this past weekend; not sure what it was, just some sort of bug that made her vomit a lot and no appetite.  Apparently the next phase of the bug was diarrhea.  I didn't know that though.  I thought she was just pooping her pants a little, like she normally does.  After the third time in a few hours, I started crying.  Like sobbing.  I'm just so so tired of having my face *this close* to her bottom covered in poop while cleaning her up.  In the middle of bending down to clean her up, I noticed she had sucked down another tube of My Little Pony toothpaste and hid it under our bathroom counter.  I sobbed harder.  I'm pretty sure I scared her.  I decided right then that whatever I've been doing....all of the negativity and shaming and disappointment....wasn't working.  Time to try something new.  I got out the Reward Chart and she gets an X every time she poops in the potty.  After she gets a row of Xs, we can go to Chuck E Cheese.  She's very excited about it, but this is soooo hard for me.  I want to get all technical about it.  For example, she often poops a small amount in her panties then goes and finishes the big one in the potty.  Then she wants an X.  I'm thinking "but it doesn't count because I had to throw your panties away".  I'm trying really hard to keep those nuggets to myself though.  Positive Patty.  Fake it til you make it.  If you see me in person, go ahead and give me a hug.

Yesterday, we had another incident that involved a bottle of bubbles dumped all over the sunroom rug and Syd's head.  If you've ever tried to get bubbles out of a rug, you know this is impossible.  It just keeps bubbling up and I don't even know where to go from here.  I was just telling Amanda this morning how proud I was of myself for walking straight out into the sunroom and calmly sitting them in timeout.  Again...those instincts can be overpowering.  I so badly wanted to grab them up and bust those little bottoms.  But I didn't.  That moment came later when they were jumping off the back of the couch and someone was going to snap a leg bone. Gah!  Parenting is so hard.  My mom always comments on how often we are out of the house.  These two little paragraphs explain why.  If we're home, I feel like they get into trouble and I yell.  If we are out of the house doing an activity or at the pool or park, then they can play and be kids and I can relax more.  If you see me anytime soon, go ahead and give me a hug.  Can you see the sticky mess that is Syd's hair in this bottom pic?!

How Mommyhood Changes You

One of my friends recently posted this article on Facebook.  I've read it before and remember thinking how it perfectly sums up what it's like to become a mother.  My kids are only 2 and 4, and I already know it.  It's hard to imagine loving them even more, but I like to picture them as grown ups and how proud we'll be.  By the time they're ready to have their own babies, my heart just may explode.   There is no author listed, but here is the link to article.

Mom Gives Best Explanation Ever How Life Changes After Pregnancy. This Is Perfect.

Do you know how life changes when a young couple decides to become young parents? Do they think it boils down to adding more commitments and costs? Or do you already know about the emotional toll and everything it entails? Here’s a story that elucidates it all.

"We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family." "We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?" 

"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. 

"I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations." 

But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. 

I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable. 

I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. 

That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die. 

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moments hesitation. 

I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right. 

I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom. 

However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. 

Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. 

That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs. 

I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. 

My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. 

I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. 

I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic. 

I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. 

I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike.

I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. 

I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts. 

My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings. 

Please share this with a Mom that you know or all of your girlfriends who may someday be Moms. May you always have in your arms the one who is in your heart."

Happy 4th Birthday, Millie!

Our Millie Bear is Four Years Old!  Here is this year's birthday interview video.  Just for fun, here's last year's post, which contains her third year bday interview.  Both made us laugh. ;)
A few of my favorite answers:
     Favorite animal: crocodile (complete with Syd's crocodile sound in the background)
     Favorite book: Pinkalicious
     Favorite thing to do with mommy: play in the pool
     Favorite thing to do with daddy: play volleyball (means playing with balls)
     Favorite thing to do with Syd: reading books together by holding hands
     Favorite song to sing: Let It Go
     What do you want to be when grow up: A Witch
     Who will you marry: Cayden

The morning of her birthday, she was super excited to see her new VW bus tent!  We hid some balloons and a princess guitar inside.  They've had a lot of fun playing in there already.  Millie keeps calling it "her bus".

There has been no sharing of the guitar.  Sharing has been hard lately.  (brushing her hair has also been hard lately...she's a screamer)

Bday girl had to wear her princess dress and big 4 necklace to get bday donuts.  She's the perfect mix of tomboy and girly girl.  Very athletic, dominating any physical activity quickly, playing "gun shooters" with Cayden or Asher....but then also into "fashion" (she randomly calls things "fashion"; it's hilarious because she's not using it in the right way but she does sort of have a grasp of what it means so i can tell what she's getting at - "Syd, this necklace is fashion").  She still loves pink and princess dresses.  Wearing jewelry is very special to her.  Yet she also gets excited to wear her spiderman shirt.

Look how much she's grown since January! ~43 inches  (definitely taller than most kids her age).  Pediatrician appt not until August.

Millie seems so grown up lately.   Sometimes it scares me.  Like when she sucked down an entire tube of children's toothpaste and hid the tube under the cabinet so we wouldn't find it.  The sneakiness is shocking...it's just all of a sudden there one day.

Other current likes:
Gum.  Gum should get its own sentence.  I didn't allow her to have gum until she was 4 and ready to not swallow it.  Now she thinks she should have it all the time.  It's a daily fight.

Princess crowns and magic wands, Scooby Doo movies (she likes to be a little scared, but not a lot), jumping off the high rise platform at the trampoline park, Cayden (she gets in trouble for not paying attention to her other friends when he's around), treats (especially popsicles and ice cream), playing chase and hide-n-seek, bossing Syd around, daddy (big daddy's girl...huge), My Little Pony toothpaste, Miles from Tomorrowland tv show, Pinkalicious books, going to school, eating at the "chip place" (Chuy's), playing that Syd is the mommy and she's the big sister, games (memory matching, chutes & ladders, raccoon rumpus, sneaky snacky squirrel), painting with mommy, kicking balls with daddy in the backyard, Jake and the Neverland Pirates tv show, making lists or orders (walking around with pen and paper asking you what you would like to eat), Chuck E Cheese, swimming (she could stay at the pool all day), square pizza (Dominos thin crust cheese), Chick-fil-a or McDonald's happy meals (she will take down an entire 6 piece chicken nugget meal, which is strange since she usually doesn't eat meat...but then again, is that meat?!), wearing necklaces.

Other current dislikes:
vomiting (she pronounces it "bomit"), doing what mommy asks, getting too hot, eating meat, washing her hair, giving hugs if it isn't her idea.

She's a wonderful big sister.  She tries to take care of Syd a lot and make sure she's okay.  She also LOVES that Syd is super slow at eating popsicles; Millie ends up swindling bites out of her.  She's a born leader and extremely independent when we are out of the house (I feel like she forgets I'm there when we go on outings...never seems to need me).  She's happy and affectionate...and has the cutest smile with a dimple.  She's beautiful and brown and has the most perfect little body, tall and lean - looking more and more like a little girl instead of a toddler.  She has good hair too, but you wouldn't know it since she won't let me near it.  She can be whiny and high maintenance, but she can also blow your socks off being funny.  I'm so proud of her.  Happy fourth birthday to our big girl, forever our Millie Bear.

Update for pediatrician appt:  height 43.25" (97th percentile); weight 42 lbs (89th percentile); BMI 65th percentile.  She also had hearing and eye exams done (passed both), as well as a pretty in depth interview by Dr. Averitt this time.  Mills made us so proud.  She held a conversation with Dr. Averitt and answered every question like such a big girl.  She wasn't shy at all.  She seemed so confident and independent.  Dr. Averitt said she'll definitely be ready for kindergarten next year!

Fab Four Superhero Party

Last weekend, we had a combined birthday party for The Fab Four: Beckham and Sydney turn 2; Millie and Cayden turn 4.  The party was at Little Giggles and the theme was superheroes!  They had the time of their lives, of course!  We had Sue Lee take pics again, so I'll post those when they come in.  In the meantime, here are a few snapshots to act as placeholder.

Back Row: Cayden, Millie, Syd, Abigail, Audrey, Elle
Front Row: Beckham, Asher, Esme, Lily Kate, Kalyn
(not pictured Wells & Rowan)

We had Mara (Made by M.E.) make the cakes again this year.  She outdid herself!  Millie kept saying she wanted a unicorn cake, so Mara combined the two themes.  The eye mask and cape on the unicorn really make it perfect!

Beckham's favorite is Spiderman; Cayden's favorite is Ironman

Instead of gifts, we had everyone bring supplies for the animal shelter.  Everyone loved the idea and we have tons of stuff to deliver next week!

Since the party, Mills has been wearing this eye mask daily.  She takes being a superhero very seriously.

I don't know what we're going to do when Cayden and Beckham leave.  We've been with them almost every day.  I love how the kids just pick up right where they left off.  Video: Trampoline Park Compilation

Update:  we delivered the pet supplies to the animal shelter and it was so much fun!  Millie kept asking why we couldn't bring a kitty home, since Buddy was dead (picture my shocked face).

Second update:  Sue Lee pics!

Happy Birthday to all four of our beautiful babies!