Gymnastics

November is over and it was one hell of a busy month! 

Between potty training, Isaacs basketball practice, working extra shifts, and doctor appointments, we were one busy family. We also decided to put Marlee in gymnastics for five weeks and I have to admit, it was my favorite activity this month.

Nick's family owns Flips and Hits in Magnolia so it was perfect for Marlee. She knew the instructors, it was only 45 minutes long, and 100% designed for toddlers with very short attention spans. In reality, it was not as much about the gymnastics as much as it was about socialization and getting Marlee around other little kids. Since she only goes to the babysitters a couple times a month, she misses out on group playtime a lot. A lot of little activities too were amazing for her to be introduced to also such as standing in a line (she still does not understand this concept), listening to instructions, and waiting her turn. I was really impressed with her ability to listen and pick up on the different activities. Stretching at the beginning was her favorite and she still walks around the house saying "make the meatballs!" which is an arm stretch. Adorable. 

While Marlee did amazing overall, she ended the class horribly. Her desire for cookies just killed all of her motivation and she could not collect herself. We ended up leaving with 10 minutes left. I do not pretend to know all about toddlers but I do know one thing - you cannot argue with a strong willed child. So while I wanted her to recover and finish, we ended up leaving - without cookies. Luckily, there will be another class at the beginning of next year and I am really looking forward to it!

I also think she needs more outfits. Nick disagrees. Seriously though, can she get any cuter?

Happy Ten Months Nicky!

We have a walker!

Nicholas James has been walking all over the place. He is not exactly good at it but he does it all day long. Apart from a few accidents here and there, he has been pretty good with catching himself so falls have not been a issue. So proud of my big boy! 

Unfortunately with his new found freedom, comes his new found joy for exploration. And by exploration, I mean his ability to get on, under, and squeeze between everything and anything. He is my dangerous little boy. We have four little chairs in the living room that he loves to climb and stand on. Surprisingly enough, rocking chairs and round chairs are not meant to be stood on. So we are battling this issue right now but he sure does love being on them. 

Some good news this month is that his surgery which was scheduled for Wednesday morning has been cancelled! His tear duct opened up by itself this weekend so we are in the clear. I am so overjoyed for many reasons. One being that we do not have to do surgery and two, I get four days of relaxation with my family! One of those days being Thanksgiving which involves lots of food - one of Nickys favorite things. 

Nicky continues to be a great eater, loves to cuddle, and has been sleeping through the night. All wonderful things! He is not exactly a great napper but I will take what I can get. He is saying 'mom' now (mostly when he is tired and whiney) but 'dada' is still his favorite word. We will have to work on that...

Now for picture time! Thanks Isaac for your help in distracting Nicky!



Showing off his Celtic gear for daddy!

Potty Training is Fun - Part 2

Marlee hates the potty.

She really, really does not like it.

Its pink! Its Minnie Mouse! It has a cushion for gosh sake!

What is there not to love?

No successful pees in the potty yesterday and today is not looking very promising considering Marlee screams bloody murder when I take her in the bathroom. I even give a treat (Starbursts - the healthiest of breakfast food) when she attempts to go. She does not care. The potty is the enemy.

I am still full speed ahead though! Today is the day! I really feel that if she can just see what its like to pee in the potty, then she would realize that it is not that big of a deal. Its just pee, in a potty. I have the mattress pad out (one of the most brilliant ideas I have seen btw - thanks John!) and I am pumping her full of fluids. She was excited to put on the panties this AM so we are ready to go.

Now we wait.

And check.

And wait.

And check.

Update: Marlee peed all over the house today. Not quite sure what I am doing wrong but I am going to have to reevaluate this plan. She peed on the couch, on the chair, and on her potty. Yes, I said on the potty. After sitting on the potty for an extended period of time, she wanted to be done so we decided to brush her teeth. The potty seconds as a stool so after about two minutes she began to cry because she peed all over the place. Straight to the bath for Marlee Jo. 

Unfortunately, I work all weekend so I am afraid that this week is not the week for potty training. Hubby does not do very well with pee and poop so I do not think he is going to be able to finish what I started. 

Maybe she is just not ready yet?

Halloween Costumes

I never had a chance to do a Halloween post so I just wanted to put some pictures up of our Halloween adventures. Marlee loved getting all the candy and Nicky loved being outside in the stroller. Win-win situation for all of us!

Isaac was a huge help too with taking Marlee up to the houses.

Marlee hated that hat and Nicky hated the monkey feet but gosh they were adorable. 

Potty Training is Fun

If you cannot sense the sarcasm in the title, I will further elaborate the fun of potty training. 

I am a bit of a Pinterest addict. I have scaled back significantly but generally enjoy my daily Pinterest scroll so what better resource to use for potty training Marlee than the one and only Pinterest. 

I read the articles, probably all of them and their jazzy titles.

Potty Training Made Easy!

Potty Training is Fun!

Potty Training in Three Days!

Potty Training Blah Blah Blah!

Lies. They are all lies. There is nothing fun about potty training. Or easy. Do not lie to yourself. This is a full time commitment and job. Especially if you have a very stubborn and strong willed child. AKA Marlee Josephine. 

I was going to wait until Marlee was fully potty trained to finish this post as to show our growth and improvement but I am on day one and on my third load of pee laundry so have quite a bit to say. 

Most of the methods of potty training involve letting your child just go. By go, I mean pee all over the house. Fun and easy are not two adjectives I would use for this method. Its is constant surveillance. My daughter is a pee bandit and I am the mom security guard. I am losing the battle against the inmates. So far today we have had three pee accidents and one poop accident. A big fat zero on successful tries. 

Needless to say, I should have purchased more big girl undies and more sanitizer wipes. 

Ok back to guard duty. Nicky is up and I do not want to find him playing in poop. 

Happy Nine Months Nicky!

I have to admit that I had to get out the calendar to figure out hold old Nicky was this month. Pretty much sums up my life right now - busy and unorganized! Needless to say, he is nine months old and we are getting ready to head to the doctors!

Honestly, if I get this post done in time, it will be a miracle. I just had to take a moment to pull Marlee's Sophia the First easel off his face. 

If I could describe Nicky in one word it would be destructive. 

All boy.

All the time. 

Literally, just had to stop again because he managed to get into his walker - head first. 

He is just a go, go, go baby. He wants to walk but is not quite ready so instead he just grabs and climbs on everything. If it is in his grasp, it is automatically his. Marlee is less than thrilled about this because God forbid anyone touch her things. He is getting stronger and smarter everyday though and I can tell he is learning more and more about his environment. For example, the microwave beep means he is getting a bottle. It is officially a bottle warmer and do not bother telling him any different. 

New this month is his ability to clap and dance. If you have watched any of my YouTube videos (use the menu on the right!), you know that we are a big dance family. Marlee really shakes her groove thing. This month, I noticed Nicholas starting to do a little head bob and body wiggle. It is so darn cute and I am going to try and be quicker with my phone so I can get it on video. He also started clapping with Grandma while doing patty cake. Does not matter what is going on, he will stop and clap. Adorable!

Nicky has one more tooth coming in on the bottom which brings his count to seven teeth which is a good thing because he is big eater! No more pureed foods here. All 'adult' food, all the time. Messy little bugger though. 

On the up side of things, we are down to four bottles per day and he is sleeping through the night 80% of the time. Cannot argue with that number! He is still up at five in the morning but he has been pretty good at sitting in his playpen so Nick can get ready (and I can get 10 minute of sleep!).

He really is such a good, happy boy. 

Update: Doctors appointment went great! He is weighing in at 22lbs 4oz and is 29.5 inches tall. My big and tall baby. He had one vaccination today and didn't even cry - just gave an uncomfortable 'ehhh'. Dr. Weber gave the number for a pediatric ophthalmologist to unclog his tear duct so it looks like surgery could be in the near future. It breaks my heart to have it done (surgery is such a scary word!) but it has to be done. I can tell that it is more and more uncomfortable for him as the months go on. So wish us luck with our next venture!

Welcome October

October is my most favorite month of the year. 

I love the colors.

I love pumpkins.

I love Halloween.

I love my sister - and it is her birthday month!

It is also my birthday month but that is not as cool as everything else. 

Unfortunately, there is also never enough time to get everything done. It is already the 19th and I am just now making an October post! These last few weeks are jam packed full of work, doctors appointments, Trick or Treat (still have to make Marlee's costume!), and two baby showers! To top everything off, Nick is out of town this week so I am low on available time - and energy. Thank goodness for my mother and helping me organize the next couple weeks to get shit done!

We were able to make it to the pumpkin patch last weekend with our dear Moore friends. It was a blast as usual and although Marlee was a grump butt, we picked out a baby pumpkin and she was thrilled. Nicky loved the corn pit they had, even though I was constantly monitoring how much went into his mouth. We enjoyed the day as family should. 

The weather was perfect as you can see! I always regret not taking more pictures but I love being in the moment also. We have yet to cut/paint our pumpkins so hopefully I will get more pictures then. The kids are getting so big that I want to document everything! 

Especially fun in my most favorite month of all - October!