Breakfast for Dinner

A few days ago I was just wanting something totally unhealthy for dinner...and pancakes sounded like they would hit the spot. It helps that we have an IHOP down the street! Megan always loves going there so we headed over for our breakfast dinner. YUMMO!
I have to admit it was the first time we actually bought Megan her own meal. Their portions are so huge that usually she just eats part of ours, but I have to admit that last time we were there she ate half my eggs, and pancakes. So this time, we let her pick her dinner.

We actually thought she ordered something different - a pancake with the yogurt tube to decorate your own pancake... but evidently the names are similar and instead we got a chocolate chip covered smiley face pancake -As for it's redeeming qualities... it was whole wheat and it did have bananas... under all the whip cream. :^) Let's just say, Megan was in heaven!!

And with smiles like that, I'm sure we'll have more breakfasts for dinner in the future!

My Gym tot

It was hard to say goodbye to gym class this week. Megan's had a great time with her gym classes and little gym camps this summer. Her teacher Ms. June was great and Megan is still talkign about her. I finally got some pictures from her last gym class - they aren't very good because they are through a window and without a flash, and there's lots of movement going on. But it was fun to watch her in action and see how much fun she was having.

As soon as the doors open, Megan shoots into the room and usually onto the balance beam or the hanging bars..

Everybody needs a little time to get their jumps out.

Lately, Megan's been talking about her friend "peter"... I have no idea who Peter is. Finally I got out of her that Peter is from gym class... that's him with the curly blond hair on the balance beam with her. Not sure why or how he made such an impression on her, but he did.

This is the final shot of her roll down the hill.... with Ms. June's assistance. Megan's all about trying to do a little summersault!

Gym class is not complete without jumping on our circle for circle time! Megan takes her circle space very seriously!!!!

They do fun songs during circle time that Megan has been singing non-stop - especially "head, shoulders, knees and toes" - so fun!

My little gymnist has announced that she is ready to be a ballerina.... so we are going to take a little creative movement/dance class next... her "dancing dress" is all ready to go!

Tis the season...

...for consignment sales, that is.....

I just have to say - I love consignment sales. OK, I love them even more if I don't have to stand in line for 45 minutes like I did Thursday night. But, what's awesome is when you can leave a sale and come home with fun things like a changing table contoured pad and 2 Ultimate Crib sheet protectors for $10... when in the store, you would've paid $60-80 for those things, easy....

And 2 of my favorite sales are still to come... YIPEE!

I have to say, A lot of the baby things we had for Megan had been hand-me-downs, but they'd seen their final days. I was just dreading having to buy new things... but it's been fun to stock a new nursery and realize just how much money I didn't spend!

Today I went to one that I happened upon - so fun! I got some fun outfits for Megan and the baby, and for my niece (surprise!). They had a few other things that I was eyeing... I just have to decide if they are worth getting up and going in the morning when they are 1/2 off.
Yipee! Sale on!

I have no idea how I have gone through the whole summer and not posted these pictures of our trip to the fountains. They finally opened up at a local park and we are hoping to head back over there this week - depending on the weather. Megan didn't last as long as I expected, but I have to admit that I did agree with her - the water was cold.

Here she is enjoying the spray with her friend Lynley...

And after some water play, we had lunch with some friends. We are definitely ready to give it another try! Maybe next time we'll go early and play on the playground first to get hot and really ready for the cold sprays. Unfortunately without any shade, the playground is too hot to play on later in the day.

Wild Thing

Rrrrrrooooooaaaaarrrrrrrr!!!!! A few weeks past we meet up with our friends Amy and little Shay at the zoo. With the drama of potty training, I just haven't had a chance to get pictures uploaded to the blog - so today, I'll take a drama break and try to catch up a bit.

Shay decided she wanted to be a lioness as well!

And when in a giant bird's nest - be a bird. I wish you could hear her tweeting and see her flapping.

Megan really really really wanted a turn to hold the baby gorilla. It took a lot for me to get her to understand that she couldn't hold that baby.

And all I can say is... I remember a time when Megan was terrified of the petting area part of the zoo... That's long gone - she'd stay there all day if I'd let her. And I must admit on hot and humid days it's a great place to be because they have giant fans. If it gets too hot, they blow a cold mist. I don't mind staying and letting Megan pet and brush the animals - as long as it's near the fans!

And we can't leave the zoo without a ride on the train.... Megan was really excited to give her ticket to the "engineer".

Is that not the "cheese"iest grin ever!

Not Me Monday

Here's my version of Not Me Monday....

I did not go buy a box of fruit loops under the guise of doing a fun small motor skill/pattern activity with Megan when really I just wanted to sit and eat them all myself as she played with them - no not me, I'm much more healthy than that - right?!

I did not cart my half naked child through Target after she peed all over herself, the cart, and ME... Oh no, I'd have more class and at least buy her a new bottom half of the outfit right? I mean we are at Target right? hhhuuumm.....

Note to self... next time Megan says, "mommy I have to go pee pee in the potty." - before picking her up from the cart and placing her on your hip ask.... did you already go? Are you going now? Can you hold it till we get there? These would have been very important questions to ask before we both were soaked. Ugh! Have I mentioned how much I HATE potty training?! Seriously, this may kill me.

Baby Steps Forward...

Ok, so I had to update our potty journey - So this morning I woke up and prayed for a good day and mustered up my courage to stick to my plan. My bottom line is 3 fold..... first, we've come so far to not keep going forward - even if it's only baby steps. Second, we have to get the poop issues under control at all costs (while continuing to move forward with the potty). And third.... this has been a chore and a half (and Megan actually LOVES to go potty) and I said on day 3 that I don't know how I'd do it if I had a baby to take care of at the same time.

I had to step back and ask myself... Did I jump the gun? And I have to say - no. I feel really confident about that. Megan had started asking to go to the potty back in March. She loves her potty... then I got sick (thanks baby sister) and suddenly we stopped because Megan thought that she needed to "spit" into the trash can every time she sat on the potty... because that's what mommy did. I was so sick and she had started putting potty and throwing up together so we just stopped because I couldn't do it. So - she was ready months before I was. And she's had relatively few accidents since we started this process (in comparison to stories I've heard). AND one of her big poop issues.... she doesn't want to poop in her diapers anymore. So..... where does that leave us? Perservering forward with a plan!

Here's my plan....
1. Diapers are only for nighttime!
2. Each day Megan can choose special undies or pull-ups (I won't force this issue due to the poop issues that seem to be the driving fear factor for her).
3. We pee pee in the potty... we poop whereever we want to! :^) It's ok to poop in the pull-up.. but not in panties (and the funny thing is, she has always asked for pullups when she knew she needed to poop - see #5 for an explanation if that seems totally wierd to you).
4. If we can go all day without wetting our undies/pull-ups (poop doesn't count at this stage) then we earn a special treat (trip to park, making a treat with mommy, gummies, cupcake, lollipop.... I give her choices and she can choose one to work for).
5. ANY POOP earns a treat.... doesn't matter if it's in the potty or pull-up! Hopefully this will help her realize that it's ok to poop.... and slowly we'll move this to the potty... but for now our strategy is to stop the withholding that has thrown our potty training under the bus.
(Thanks to the nurses at my ped's office who listened to me and gave me some of these suggestions - to focus on the issue of stopping the withholding and getting her to poop on her own and then slowly tackle that issue of weaning her off the pull-ups for pooping.... baby steps!)

So, I've reminded myself of our accomplishments so far...
1. she loves her potty
2. she goes and asks to go without constant reminders (although they are still needed at times)
3. she has NO problem going for anyone else (church, family, babysitters)
4. Even in a diaper, she asks to go to the potty and won't pee in the diaper.
5. We started this process on July 13th (exactly 33 days ago) and we have only had 4 bad days... ok, that's pretty good.... and those were the only days we had "accidents".
6. She wakes up in the morning and the first thing she asks to do is "go to the potty".

So... how did it go today (so far).... AWESOME! She got up, I gave her a 2 year old run through of the day and how this process was going to work. I laid out her treat options (she chose a cupcake - white with pink icing - how funny is that.) She chose a pull-up. She went to the potty on her own - 4 times so far today... we've stayed dry! AND.... she pooped in her pull-up! That is a HUGE accomplishment. Her last withholding "episode" lasted 10 days (and that was with a lot of help) and this time it was only 3 1/2 days. YEAH! I'm telling you it was NO small miracle to get her to poop in her pull-up. She was panicked and I asked if she needed privacy and she said yes and that's all it took. And she asked for "2 M&M's"... I love it, just 2!

So - it's a new side of potty training - and I'm cool with it. Tonight or tomorrow may not be so good - but that's ok. It's a process and we'll just make it through! I'm hoping in the next 3 months I'll be able to get the poop transitioned to the potty (pre-baby arrival) but if not... oh well, it's just a "goal". I just am so thrilled to have made a little progress with Megan's withholding issues. The nurse I chatted with today is going to check back with me on Monday and see how it's going.... we've been trying to determine if there was some underlying medical issue since she's done this since she was a baby. But today proved,that it's not. WooHoo!

Yeah - I know you are thinking, OK val, TMI! Sorry - welcome to my world.
This morning Megan and I made a trip to Publix so that she could get her "white cupcake with pink icing" and a chocolate one for Daddy. She made sure he knew he had to go to the potty before he could eat it. :^) I just love her!

The Lord has been good and reminded me that this to is a stage and it'll be over in the blink of an eye. I feel good about continuing forward, with some modifications and am so thankful for this day as affirmation that it was the right decision. Tomorrow I might question it again... but I'll let tomorrow worry about itself!

A Gajillion steps backward!

Well.... Yesterday was my official breakdown day. You know the one where you put yourself in time out and just have a good ole cry. Thankfully Tom was working from home so he took over with Megan so that I could breathe deeply and try to regroup.

There's nothing like parenting to bring you to your knees... in prayer, revelation that you just can't do it, submission, isolation, crying, cleaning pee up off the floor... whatever - it seems to be my most common position these days. And being 3 months away from my due date, it's hard to pick myself back up - in every way imaginable. Yesterday was a low for me though - I had to take some time for myself and just regroup and refocus and do a LOT of praying. I give myself some grace and blame the hormones for a lot of it - but still....

So what happened.... Megan was doing so great with potty training. Our only area of concern is pooping on the potty - she's terrified of it, and she's not regular so that poses a problem. She "withholds" and then it's just bad. Last go around it took 10 days, a bottle of prune juice, lots of miralax, and finally a suppository. Oh dear. You know you are in trouble when your child's tummy is SO distended the her shirts are tight. The last night before she finally gave it up she was soooo uncomfortable (and scared to go) that she was up every hour all through the night, crying. It was soooo pitiful.

Now we are on a new 2 days and counting calendar. This has really causing some major major major issues. Because yesterday Megan decided that she just wasn't going to go on the potty anymore - she said she needed to go and then proceeded to pitch a fit in the bathroom - a fit that included kicking and screaming and throwing herself on the floor. Let's just say - it wasn't a positive experience for either of us. This is totally new "bathroom behavior" and it's thrown me for a loop. Then she proceeds to go to the bathroom in her booster seat at lunch (5 minutes later). At this point I'm just feeling like a failure because even mentioning the bathroom sends her into an absolute panic and sobbing, screaming child... what's up with that????? After hours of this behavior - I just lost it (in the bathroom) and sent her out to daddy because Mommy needed a time out. So I cried... I felt like a failure... a failure because I couldn't "control" this situation, I couldn't find a way to make it all better, I couldn't stop her tantrums, I couldn't comfort her.... It was so disheartening.

Now to add to that story.... last night Tom took Megan to choir so that I could have some much needed "escape by myself" time --- and Megan DID go to the potty 3 times at church, with no hysterical issues...... OK, I won't revisist why I was feeling so discouraged, but lets just say that although on one hand I was happy, I was also further disheartened.

Today, I'm better. I realize that I think we need to take a break and get the #2 issue under control. Her fear of that seems to be affecting her normal going to the bathroom.

She woke up today in a GREAT mood (Thank you Lord!) Before Breakfast I told Megan I had to go potty, did she want to go... she said no and ran away. OK..... Then a minute or so later she informed me that she wasn't a big girl anymore and she wanted her diapers back.

Hhhuuuummmmmm.............

So.... what's a mom to do?
I have some ideas on how to deal with this - most of them being just stepping back and not turning this into a power struggle. She's not even 2 1/2 yet so it's not there is a "deadline" or something. I think we have to get poop issues under serious control and then we can refocus and try again. It's just been such a process - it's hard for me to let go. I think I feel like I've failed at something. God's dealing with me on that one and on how my pride somehow got involved in a 3rd party's potty issue. I'm also seeing just how strong willed my child is. This is not news to me. I don't have a laid back, take it as it comes kid.... I've always known this - but this week I've really gotton some interesting insights into what Megan's battle lines look like. And I got a bit terrified about what the next couple of years could look like in the discipline arena. Especially when the baby arrives. So - here's to our prayer lives as parents... may they grow stronger and stronger and stronger... we'll need it!

Anybody been there? Words of encouragement, ideas for how to deal with it? I'm up for anything!!!

New Things

It's so bitter sweet to see my little baby doing such big girl things. In light of all her "new things" I had to share them...

Her NEW electric toothbrush. Let's just say that Dora has made tooth brushing MUCH more enjoyable for everyone involved. The NEW train table! Thanks to Craigs List, I found a really inexpensive train table for Megan. She loves her trains, but on the floor she was struggling because she'd knock the trains off the track or step on the track and it would fall apart.... but now - oh, trains, trains, everywhere! And being the girl she is, she gets all her little people involved and sets up a little town. It's super sweet.

And... I can't say potty training is complete by any stretch - but we've come a LONG way. I went to check on her during nap time a few days ago and that little tushy in her big girl undies was just too cute to not take a picture of.

(Boring to everyone else... this is for my memory)

On that note - PT update.... it's going well. At home she's "bare" or in her undies all the time. When she's out with me for short trips she gets to pick her undies. I'm still a little chicken to put her in undies for longer outtings (like church or gym camp). I think she can do it, I'm just worried that she'll get too caught up in the action and forget to go... so she's got her fair share of pull-ups in the closet. At night we are in diapers - mostly because we still have to get a handle on going #2 in the potty.... That's our big challenge right now. My goal is to have her in undies all the time and everywhere by September (except for overnight). We'll see if she jives with my goal. I've realized quickly that to make this a plesant experience for both of us - I'm not pushing it. She's not even 2 1/2 yet - so PT grace goes a long way with me.

Cookie Monster

Megan and I made cookies! She is my little cookie monster and it was a special little treat for all of her big girl potty training efforts. And I have to say - I loved every minute of it, but boy howdy, that was the most labor intensive cookie making I have ever under taken! And that's saying a LOT since I always cooked at school with my Kindergarten and first graders.Megan loved getting it all mixed up. We ended up with spoonfulls of flour all over the table - but hey, what's fun without a little mess involved.
After we got the cookies in the over, Megan wanted to be a cookie sampler. It took every thing in me to not stop her from eating raw cookie dough... I know how bad it can be.... BUT - she's like her mommy.... she'd prefer raw dough over cooked cookies any day of the week. And isn't that half the fun of cooking!

Summer Fun Revisited

We had a lot of fun outings this summer - and all the photo's have been sitting on my camera all summer. We met up Megan's cousins at a local Waterpark - it was super fun. And Megan went to her first puppet show. She loved having her friends Macie and Carson there too!

Of course, summer is not complete without lots of trips to the pool with Mommy.

And at the end of July, we had a fun time at our friend Shelby's outdoor backyard birthday party.

It was a fun family summer!

Happy B-day Grandma!

Once again - better late than never!

This past weekend we got together with my family to celebrate Grandma's birthday. Megan always loves a good party and family gathering! Especially when she gets to help blow out some birthday candles.

Here's a great shot of Grandma and Granddad with the 4 grandkids - Justin, Megan, Daniel, and Anna.... just think - in only 3 months we'll need an extra arm for grandbaby #5... the boys will be outnumbered!

All is well

Well - the stomach bug officially swept through our entire household. And thankfully, it was only a 24 hour bug... so we are all well - or at least mostly well. :^) Hopefully I'll have a super productive remainder of naptime and can get another post on here.