Happy Birthday Princess!

Happy birthday Marlee Josephine!

Marlee turns four today!

Four!

How is it even possible for her to be four years old? 

Time is certainly getting away from me. I just brought her home from the hospital. Swaddled her in her bed. Stayed up all night with her as she cried and stared at her all day as she slept soundly. Now I prepare her for preschool and listen to her speak with such confidence and knowledge. I beg her to stay small but she isn't having it. Four going on fourteen, with the sass to prove it. 

Last year I did a little interview with Marlee and actually remember to interview her again! She is quite funny with her answers and I love picking her brain. 

What is your favorite color? Pink and teal

What is your favorite toy? My Little Pony toys

What is your favorite food? Grapes and blueberries

What is your least favorite food? Lemons

What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Blueberries and applesauce

What is your favorite snack? Fruit snacks

What is your favorite animal? Polar bears

What is your favorite song? Moana song 

What is your favorite book? Elsa book

Who is your best friend? Adalaide (I have been replaced)

What is your favorite cereal? Fruit Loops

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Drive my big truck!

What is your favorite drink? Juice

What is your favorite store? Baby Panda store

What do you want to be when you grow up? A police officer

I feel like I need to clarify that the "baby panda store" is actually Panda Express in Belden Village. I don't have the heart to tell her that there are no baby pandas in there regardless of what's on the sign. I will take this secret to my grave.  

Today we will have a small get together with rainbow cake and cookies. She will joyfully open presents and I will take a million pictures. I will imagine her staying this age forever knowing tomorrow she will be one day closer to five years old. 

But for today, she is four. She is intelligent and funny and sweet. She adores her family and loves to be outside. She is stubborn like I am and silly like her father. She cries when she has to sleep but only because she doesn't want to miss anything. She hates bugs and pasta. Yes, I gave birth to an Italian baby that hates pasta. Italian mom fail. She is artist and could paint for hours.

She is destined for great things.

Ok now for photo mania. 

First Day of Preschool

I have a child big enough to go to (pre)school!

Wasn't she born yesterday?

Marlee Jo had her first day of preschool today and all the nervous build up was for nothing. She did amazing. I knew she would but I was selfishly more worried about myself. Marlee is rarely away from me. And I mean rarely. Neither of my children are. Being a stay at home working mom (like that?), we do everything together. We play together, eat together, shop together, I get her dressed, brush her teeth, help her when she falls, make her chocolate milk, and the list continues. Working midnights allows me to stay at home with them while Nick is at work and not miss out on anything going on. 

So with school fast approaching, I was nervous. 

What if she didn't like it? 

What if she missed me? 

What if she fell down? 

Would her teacher kiss her boo-boo? 

What if she was hungry and didn't like the snack they served? 

Would she be nice to everyone? 

What if someone was mean to her!?

Are there little toilets? 

Who will help her if she can't reach the toilet?

I mean seriously? Can I just stay with her a day? Or two?

Marlee on the other hand was so excited. I mean she has been talking about this day for months. She is so smart and I was sure that she would do wonderfully. I was excited for her to be around other little kids. She needs that socialization. 

So today, off she went to school. Her book bag was as big as her. She is barely big enough to wear her own book bag! I dropped her off, gave her a big hug, and told her that I would be back later. She hung her name on the chart, letting her teacher know that she was there, and off I went. I did it! No tears or anything. And then I started to think. Should I have stayed a little longer? What did she do after that? I should have helped her find a seat. OMG what is my baby doing now?

But no tears. I did not cry. I just panicked a bit. At home, Nicky was still pouting over his sister leaving the house and he did not go with her. We did some coloring and some laundry to pass the time. Finally, it was time for Marlee to come home!

We stood in line waiting for the teacher to dismiss Marlee. The second she saw us, she ran into my arms. She was so happy to see me! And I was so happy to see her. My nose started to tingle with that awful feeling you get right before your eyes fill up with tears. We bolted out of there right away!

Marlee was so excited to tell me all about her day. They played in the big gym and picked out shapes. She said she has a new friend who is a "girl with a pink shirt." They ate pretzels for snack and drank orange juice. The teacher read them a book and they even sorted gummy bears! She had an amazing time. 

And the ugly cry started. I don't even know why. She did all of these amazingly fun things and I missed it. I did not get to see her play in the gym or sort gummy bears. I didn't get to meet her new friend. I still don't know if everyone was nice to her or if she was able to use the potty without help. I need a detailed update teacher lady! 

Then we got lunch. 

I am a crazy person. I already know this. I didn't need the first day of preschool to tell me this. I just love my little beans. I like to share in all the things they do. I love to see them grow and laugh and learn. I missed today. And today won't be the only day. They will continue to grow and have experiences without me. Eventually she will be starting high school and getting on and off the potty will be the least of my worries. This is the worst part about being a mom. It's not the temper tantrums or being up all night with a crying baby. It's not lunch time when they refuse to eat chicken nuggets, even though they said they wanted chicken nuggets. It's not cleaning up toys off the floor every. single. day. It's letting go. Trusting others to watch over them. Trusting them to be kind and caring to others. It's hard. And it's sad. 

Once we were home, I laid Nicky down for a nap and I sat and talked to Marlee some more. She talked and talked about school. She cannot wait to go back. I gave her the biggest hug. Possibly too big and long of a hug because she whispered "Can I go play with my OhDoe now?" while I was still hugging her. So now she gets an hour of quiet time while Nicky sleeps and I can catch up on laundry. 

Next Tuesday is her next day and and I think I am more prepared.

Hopefully I got all the ugly crying out of the way! 

Another milestone down. You can stop growing any day Marlee!

Potty Training is Fun - Part 3

We finally hit a wall. Marlee and I had gone to war over using the potty and she won.

Well she won the battle. I won the war. 

If you have read part one or two, you know how I feel about potty training. Marlee and I are still trying to figure out our groove. Four days ago, I woke up so gung-ho about potty training and I was determined to make today the day! Marlee had been wearing big girl undies during the day but refusing to use the potty. She would literally be dry all day, pee in her diaper during her nap, and then be dry till bedtime. I decided to really load her up on apple juice and she was going to pee on the potty! Long story day short, Marlee was not having it. She begged for her diaper. She cried on the potty. We were in the bathroom all day and all night. No successful pees. She peed on the rug. She peed in the corner. She peed in the kitchen. 

I gave up. 

Back on went the diaper and off she went to bed. 

I bawled. Ridiculously sobbed to my husband. 

I did not know what I was doing wrong. I had the treats. I had the Minnie Mouse potty. I had the sticker chart. I was a born motivator. 

I had become frustrated and out the door went my patience. 

I took a couple days off. I decided I would stop pushing her so hard. Marlee was just not ready and forcing her to sit on the potty till we are both crying is counterproductive. 

Then my husband did the most wonderful thing. He waited for her to tell him that she had to pee. He waited for her. Then he took a video of her accomplishment and sent it to me at work. She was so proud of herself! She had peed on the potty and she didn't even have tears running down her face or redness from throwing a tantrum! I was over the mood with happiness. I think I showed everyone at work the video.

Sorry fellow co-workers for making you look at pee in a Minnie potty. 

Something must have clicked after that night - for the both of us. I took a backseat to the forcing of the potty and the constant asking if she had to go, and she asked to put on the big girl undies. She peed in the potty four times yesterday! We did have quite the flood of an accident in the kitchen (that grilled cheese was too good to pull herself away from apparently) but I was calm and positive. She helped me clean it up and we put on a new pair of undies. She even went number two in the potty before bed! Her sticker chart is filling up and I could not be more proud. 

Bonus moment: she woke up at one in the morning to go pee and woke up dry. We still use diapers at nighttime but I was quite impressed with her since we have not really talked about not peeing at nighttime. First thing she did this morning was head for the potty. Seriously, who is this kid?

Do not get me wrong. We are no where near being officially 'potty trained'. I literally just got done fishing a giant turd out of the bathtub. Sorry for the image. But I am feeling so good about how things are going. Instead of begging for a diaper after her bath, she begged for big girl underwear. The one with the wittle bow to be exact.

My word of advice for moms going through potty training troubles - be patient! I know it is easier said than done but being stressed is only causing them stress which only leads to an unpleasant experience. 

Patience and sanitizing wipes. 

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?

Goodbye Summer

Goodbye Summer!

You will be missed but it was time for you to go.

Bring on the football, pumpkins, bonfires, and warm sweaters!

We really did have a great summer as a family and had an action packed weekend to end it all.

All three kiddos were able to spend a little time together on Monday and even Pawpa Jim was home for the weekend. I wish I would have taken more pictures over the last couple of months but here are some of my favorites.

That last one is freaking golden. Sums up my husband pretty well (haha).

My family is so beautiful.

Goodbye summer! It has been fun but I am ready for fall.