Geaux Tigers

Amanda bought the kids some LSU shirts, so they wore them the morning of the first game. Of course Steven's is a little tight on him, but it's cute nonetheless.

Where has the summer gone??

I just realized I haven't posted since early June! Where has the summer gone? Some of the reason I haven't posted is our old computer was VERY slow, and about a month ago Chris finally decided to get a new one. Then he had to set it up, transfer the files, etc, and I am still getting used to Vista, which I really like!

June was a pretty quite month. Anya started MDO for the summer in early June. Her teacher, Miss Sarah, was adorable, and they did some cute stuff. Every week they did a different nursery rhyme, so one week she came home with a paper candle stick and kept jumping over it. Adorable! Steven starting taking a step or two, but only when really coaxed. My Uncle Paul and his girls came down for a few days, and my Aunt Becky and her two came also so we went to New Roads for a fun visit. Anya loves playing with all her older cousins. I love it too!!

We did a number of little things in July. Anya was still doing MDO three days a week. I went to Lake Charles for a cropping weekend early in the month - LOTS of fun! Steven learned the fun of climbing, including standing backwards on chairs and getting on tables. My friends Nicole and Meredith came over one day with there kids. All together there were 5 kids, not including the 2 buns in the oven! Very loud but very fun! On the 15th we went to Jambalaya park with Ashlie, my ol' strollerfit leader and her two boys, Jeffrey and Nathan. We also went to the Lowes Build and Grow with my friend from high school, Michelle, and her son, Kolin. I think the adults got into it more than the kids! Anya took swim lessons at Crawfish Aquatics the last two weeks of July. She cried the first two days, but ended up doing great and loving it. Anya is in the center of the picture in the blue suit.

In early August Chris and I took Anya to her first theater movie: Ice Age. She loved it, as we knew she would! The Balloon Festival was the weekend of the 8 - 9. We didn't go, but the balloons flew right over teh house both mornings. They are so beautiful, and Anya and Steven just loved watching them. We spent August 14-16 in El Dorado Arkansas visiting Chris's cousin Amanda and her family. We had a great time. The kids did great on the ride up there (thank goodness for DVD players). Steven really took off with walking while we were there, and Anya even rode a horse! Steven's 15 month checkup was a few days ago and he weighs 32 lb and is 33.5 inches long!!

San Antonio

Hard to believe, but Chris and I have been married for 5 years. Doesn't seem like that long. It just amazes us how much life has changed for us in the last 5 years, and all for the better!!

Chris was going to San Antonio for a charity golf game the Monday after the Valero Texas Open. We decided that would be somewhere fun for a quick getaway. We had enough Holiday Inn points for a few nights on the river, and then his company was paying for the nights he was staying at the resort for the golf game, so that helped make the decision even easier!!!

We left Friday morning and spent the day driving. We arrived around 3 and checked in. Life had been busy the weeks leading up to the trip, so once we arrived I took out his laptop and checked out Frommers.com for suggestions on things to do. It had just started to rain when we got there, so I did some Internet surfing and Chris checked out the golf game on TV. After it quit raining, we walked down to the RiverWalk and just walked around and then enjoyed some Mexican for dinner. After that we went on a boat ride down the river. FUN! Next we went ahead and walked to the Tower of the Americans. By the time we left it was about 8:30, and we were tired.

Saturday we did the Alamo, then went and saw a movie, something we never do at home because we have the kids. It ended up being a smart move because it POURED!! After the movie we went back to our hotel and went to Mass. There's a Catholic Church across the street from our hotel, which was nice. After that, we went to an Italian restaurant we had seen on the RiverWalk. Beings we went to Italy for our honeymoon, it seemed necessary to enjoy Italian food on our anniversary weekend!! After dinner we went to a Martini Bar and I had a Mojito for the first time. YUCK!! But it was fun sitting on the river just hanging out!
Sunday we had breakfast on the river, then drove to one of the missions: San Juan. So cool!!! After that we headed to the La Cantera Resort where the golf tournament was being held. We walked over for about 30 minutes to see what was going on, but no one real exciting was in the game, so we left so Chris could get ready for his thing that night. I could have gone, but it would have been a $500 donation for me to go, so I obviously didn't!!

Monday was probably the best day!! Chris and I got up and went to work out in the resort gym. Nice. After that we had a little breakfast and then decided to go check out the hot tub by the pool. Not your average square hot tub. It was huge!! I loved the way all the pools just fit in with the landscaping. Chris got ready for his golf game, so I went and had lunch by the pool, then went to the spa for 2 treatments: a massage and a hot stone facial. LOVED the facial!! Next I decided I needed a nap, then I went back to the pool with a book until about 7, when I went back to the room for room service dinner.
Then it was Tuesday, and I had to get my head out of the clouds and return home. The kids looked like they had grown in the 5 days we were gone! I had missed them, but had a great time with my husband!!

Anya's Extended Birthday

Poor Anya! This year was a little crazy for her birthday. I had to work the day of her birthday, and then Chris and I left for our San Antonio trip the day after, so her party was 2 weeks later. Oh well, she was able to enjoy her birthday for 2 weeks!

On May 12, I went to Anya's class for snack time and brought homemade chocolate chip cookies for her birthday. They were yum, and the kids loved them. I think Anya enjoyed her mom and brother coming to her class, and I enjoyed seeing her and all her classmates.

May 14 was her actual birthday. My baby is 3!! Not at all a baby anymore, or even a toddler for that matter! It's amazing to me what a true miracle she is, and every day I just thank God for sending her to us!!! Well, I had to work that day. I ended up getting off 2 hours early. I had already bought a small cake, and Chris stopped at Zippy's on the way home for some yummy Mexican for supper. She had her usual, chicken quesidillas, and then we had some chocolate cake and ice cream.

Chris and I were gone that weekend, and the next weekend Chris's sister and mom were out of town for a graduation, so my family came over for dinner (May 23). We were going to grill beings it was Memorial day weekend, but the forecast was for rain, so I made crawfish fettuccine. My sisters got Anya an ice cream maker, her own pink ice cream bowl, and a frilly cute pink apron. She is really getting into helping me in the kitchen, and LOVES ice cream, so I thought she would enjoy making it herself. She put on the apron and helped shuck corn for dinner, and we made the ice cream (fresh strawberry. We enjoyed it for days).

On Saturday May 28, we had a few of Anya's friends meet us at Potteryworks and we painted some pottery. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and not near the mess I had anticipated. I had made all the kids a tee-shirt with their names on them to keep their clothes clean. They were so cute!!!

Whew! I hope next year her birthday is a little calmer!

Steven is now ONE!

Where has the time gone??? My baby is not a baby anymore!!
Saturday, May 2nd was his first birthday. I have made it a tradition to go into the kids rooms with the video camera to wake them up and sing happy birthday. A friend gave me the idea. Anyway, he was so cute with his toothy grin!!
It was a pretty busy day. We had a party for him in the evening, so I spent the day cleaning, cooking, and shopping.

We simply did a small family party. We had only gotten home from the beach 2 days before. I had done big family party's for Anya, but it is hard and tiring, and they don't remember anyway. We had our siblings, parents, Chris's step-mom and my Aunt Polly and Uncle John over for dinner and cake. We did pizza from PastTime and a sensation salad for dinner, and I made a yummy chocolate cake with chocolate icing from scratch. Steven had a ball, which is all that matters, and it was so sweet for everyone to come share in his special day!!

The kid's birthday gift

Those who know me know that I am a traditional gal. I am not big on toys that make a lot of noise. I like classic toys that have been around for generations that spur the imagination. I also am not crazy about 1000 toys littering my house. I decided that this year for the kids birthday we were going to give them a swing set. It's outside, will last for years, and plus it was simply time to get one.
We (or should I say "I") decided that backyard adventures would be a great choice. We went to place in town to look a few weeks ago. The owner was very nice and helpful, and Anya had a blast running between sets and trying everything out. She thought we were at a new park!
Our backyard is fairly small, so I didn't want anything too elaborate. Plus elaborate = expensive and I didn't want to spend a ton of money. It's nice, because as they get older we can add new pieces to it. Of course the best thing about it is they come out and build it. We didn't lift a finger. Of course, it is very well built. It passes the shake test, the ladder for the swing has handle bars for extra safety, and even Chris and I can swing on it and it doesn't budge!!
It was a surprise for Anya. We put a movie on for her upstairs while they were working and she was oblivious to what was going on outside.
When they finished, we got her outside and she just stared at it. Chris asked her what it was. She said, "I don't know, but I'm gonna swing on it," and off she ran! It was priceless!!
They have both enjoyed it. We have been on it almost daily since it went up. She even wanted to swing last Sunday when it was raining!!

Orange Beach!!!

We love Orange Beach. We have been going every fall with Chris's family for the last 4 or so years. It's far enough that you feel you are getting away, but close enough that it is less than a 4 hour drive. I decided this year that we needed to go with my family in the spring. I booked a condo at the Phoenix West, which is brand new. Beings it was 7 adults and my 2 kids, we needed a 4 bedroom. It also had 4 1/2 bathrooms, a nice open kitchen, and a wet bar with an ice maker, in addition to the ice maker in the kitchen fridge. Also, beings our unit was on the corner of the building, our balcony was huge, and every bedroom had a sliding glass door. No balcony for bedrooms, but enough that we could open them if we wanted. We had the place for a week. Chris, the kids and I were the only ones that stayed all 7 nights, the rest of the family stayed for 5.

We mostly vegged out at the condo, played on the beach, the pools, including a lazy river. There was also a nice gym that some of us visited. I only went once! Chris and Matt (Ashley's boyfriend) went golfing twice, Mom, Dad, Amanda and I went to the outlet mall in Foley, we all went to LuLu's for dinner, and Chris and I took the kids to The Track, a place similar to Celebration Station.

I hate that I can only post about 5 pictures; there are so many good ones.
Steven loved playing in the sand and being in the pool. Anya was OK with the sand, and only liked the pools if she was in her turtle floaty. They both loved the condo. I had bought Anya a kid sized air mattress, which she loved. It was her "special bed." Steven liked to use it as a trampoline!
I am counting the days until I can go back!!

Anya's visit to the dentist

The day before we left for our trip to the beach we went to see Dr. Comeaux, Anya's new dentist. This was her first trip. I know, I'm a horrible mom, considering she is almost 3, but c'est la vie.
Every time I brushed her teeth on the days leading up to the visit, I talked about Dr. Comeaux, how nice he was (even though I had never met him), how he was going to brush her teeth just like I did and look at them to see how clean and shiny they are. She kept saying "Are we going to see Dr. FaComeaux?" Halarious! She merged Dr. Fakouri and Comeaux's names together!!
Anyway, when we walked to the back, she looked at all the chairs and silver tools and got a little nervous. Tori was our hygenist that day and she was very patient with Anya. At first Anya didn't want to lay on the chair, and kept saying she didn't want those things in her mouth. The girl next to us was older, probably in high school, and they were cleaning her teeth. I think the noise made her nervous. But Tori just talked to her, got her to kneel on the chair, and then she brushed her teeth and then brushed on the flouride (all with a normal toothbrush). Then she went to floss her teeth. Anya decided laying down would be ok, so she did. She talked Tori's ear off.
Then Dr. Comeaux came, counted her teeth, looked at them, Anya talked his ear off, and we left.
She did great!! I mean look at her, just laying their so some stranger could floss her teeth (which we never do. Guess I need to start), holding her new toothbrush like it was the greatest thing in the world! I think it helped that Tori was young and talked to her, and Dr. Comeaux was very nice.

Gymboree

On Friday, April 17, the playgroup at St. Aloysius went to Gymboree play and music. The owner goes to St. Aloysius and opened her place to us for the playgroup. Very sweet!! The kids had a blast!! Anya had a little potty accident; she was having too much fun. Other than that, it was great. Steven did really well climbing, and Anya liked running around and talking to the other kids. It was such a kid frindly area. Not much they could hurt themselves on. I wish it was closer to our house.

Look, Mom, I want to be a nurse, too!!

I forgot to leave my stethescope at work the other day, so it was sitting by my purse. Anya saw it and immediately started playing with it. She said she was "Dr. Fakouri," our pediatrician. I told her that she didn't want to be a doctor, but a nurse, like her mom and grandma. After much coaxing, so decided a nurse was okay.

Easter weekend

Easter week was pretty busy this year. On Good Friday we headed to New Roads for a crawfish boil at MeMe and PawPaw Bondy's house. YUMMO! All of mom's siblings except for those in North Carolina were there. Anya loves the crawfish, but would not eat the corn or potatoes because they were too spicy. Poor Steven was stuck eating chicken and steamed veggies; he's still to young for crawfish. I'm sure he would have torn into some crawfish if he had been given the chance!! After dinner, Chris took the kids on the four wheeler. Anya had a blast. Steven was neutral about it. I'm sure in a year or so that will change.

On Saturday we went to Barnes and Noble. Someone Chris had gone to high school with, Julie Cantrell, has written two children books: God is with me through the day, and God is with me through the night. She was doing a book reading and signing so we decided to go support her. We talked it up to Anya, who was very excited to go. They are cute books and now we read them every night before bed. After the reading we went to California Pizza Kitchen for some lunch. It was the first time since September that we had taken our kids out to eat. They were so well behaved we might do it again!! Anya also pottied at the restaurant, which was new for us. Potty training is going very well. If only she would poop on the potty! After lunch we walked around Perkins Rowe for a few minutes. They were doing an Easter thing and had some booths set up. We didn't stay long. The kids were tired, and the lines for everything were long. After naps, Anya and I painted eggs. I meant to get dye, but saw the glitter paint, and bought it, not realizing it was paint. Anyway, it was fun and made minimal mess.

On Sunday morning we woke up to find the Easter bunny had come and left some candy in the kids baskets, along with a monogrammed beach towel for each of them. We headed to Mass, which was beautiful, and then to New Roads for lunch at Aunt Bena's house. Megan hid eggs for Anya. MeMe had cooked a yummy pork roast, rice and gravy, green beans, and salad. You should have seen Steven tear up some pork roast!! Of course, there is not much he turns down!

After lunch we headed to GiGi and Paw Paw Marks for dinner. We did an egg hunt inside for Anya and Olivia because it was raining. They didn't seem to mind! While we were there, Steven head butted a table in the living room and busted his lip. It bled for a while and he wouldn't let me ice it. When it finally stopped, it looked like the frenulum was torn and he had a bruise on his gums, but by the next afternoon, it was gone. I'm sure this is the first of many bumps and bruises!!!
Overall it was a very tiring, but wonderful weekend!

Facebook?? I just don't know!

Chris signed up for Facebook about a month or so ago. I log in under his name all the time just to check it out, and I have some friends who do it so I keep up through Chris's page, or whatever it's called!! But now, I think maybe I should do it too. I mean, I do this, which I don't always keep up as well as I wish, but maybe I could stay connected with more people if I Facebook. My friend Tina, who got me blogging in the first place, and Chris have been trying to convince me to Facebook, too. Hmmmm, just can't decide.

Oh, and on an exciting note, Anya pooped in the potty this morning. I know, very gross, especially considering it was in her little potty. I was on the phone and Chris was in their room getting ready to vacuum, and she just waltzed on in to the bathroom and did her business, and then called out to us to say she did it. Chris and I went crazy!! It's funny what gets you excited when you have kids!!! We are so proud of our big girl!!

The Satsuma Tree

Earlier this week Chris and Anya planted a Satsuma tree. Thankfully it's not the type of tree to cause damage to our house, plus, it's about 50 feet from the front of our house. Plus, with Mr. Man in Washington, we would all be smart to start growing our own food. Heck, Chris and I discussed buying some goats. (not really, but not a bad idea!!). Anyway, Anya had a blast, as did Chris. He is so cute with her, and he said he wouldn't trade moments like that for anything in the world!!

Feeling Good

Just wanted to say thanks to all of you for calling, sending food, sending well wishes on Chris's Facebook page, etc.
I actually feel pretty good. Still pretty tired by the end of the day. I even went to work yesterday for 8 hours. I know that's a full day for most of you, but I usually work 12s, so an 8 hour day feels short to me. I was pretty worn out when I left, but not sore or anything.
Please just say some prayers for me. My doctor is concerned with my chest x-ray. We are hoping it was just pneumonia, but it could be something more serious. We are going to keep an eye on it and I'll get another chest x-ray late next week to see if it has cleared up or not. I know I shouldn't be worried, but when you have 2 small children you can't help but fearing the worse. I am trying to keep my mind off of it, but I am by nature Type A and can't help but worry about it, especially when I can't control the outcome. I am praying alot, which helps, but would love having extra prayers going up, too.

pictures from the storm

Some of you have been wanting to see pictures of the house, dad's truck, etc. so here they are. I went to work Thursday morning when it was still dark, and by the time I got home the roof had been cleaned off. I was shocked to see the picture of how small the limb that messed up our porch was!! It must have been a heck of a wind to do that!

Oh, and it doesn't look like alot, but that branch that pushed the AC condenser off it's spot into the gas meter caused a leak. It was fixed that evening, but when you say "gas leak" I think of big explosions!!

The week from hell!!

Oh boy!! Where do I start?? I think this will be a long post so sit back and enjoy the read!

Sunday (March 22) my Aunt Becky and her kids, Megan and Vaughn, were at my grandparents in New Roads for Spring Break, so the kids and I took a little ride to the country to visit. Now, Anya was just getting over whatever cold she had and Steven's was just revving up. When he woke up from his nap he had a horrible croupy cough. As the evening went on he was very clingy and you could tell he did not feel well. I set up the humidifier, read up on the croup, and went ahead and put him to bed. He actually slept fine, even though I didn't. I kept waking up every couple of hours to check on him, and then I had to get up at 3:30 to get ready for work.

After he woke up, Chris called and said he and his mom felt he needed to go see Dr. Fakouri (our wonderful pediatrician!), so I called and got him an appointment. My wonderful co-workers let me leave to go meet them at the doctor's office, where she confirmed my suspicion about the croup and then proceeded to tell me he had an ear infection (the second since January). So we got a steroid for the croup and antibiotic for the ear infection.

Tuesday he seemed to feel better so while Anya was at school Steven and I ran to the outlet mall in Gonzales to run to Carters and Baby Gap for a few clothes. That afternoon a guy came out to look at the AC duct work under our house which needs some repairs due to wild animals having a party down there. They also said under our shower had some wet boards. So we also need to replace that. We were actually planning to get a new shower soon, and suspected it was leaking so it came as no big surprise, but it's still something else added to the money pit we call a house!

Wednesday actually started off great. I decided we were going to try potty training again, and Anya went on the potty 7 times, and had only one accident!! Still no pooping on the potty, but I'm still thrilled at the progress. I think she is pretty excited with herself, too! I made some yummy rice and gravy for dinner and Mom and Dad came over. My stomach was starting to feel bad and I was feeling mildly nauseated, but nothing to get excited about. I went to bed around 10 (I had to get up at 4 for work the next morning). Around 12:30 in the morning, it started to thunder, which woke up Anya, who ran into our room. We sent her out a few times, but we could tell she wasn't going to stay in her room while all the noise was going on. Around 1:30 or so, I had met Anya in the dining room (she was again on her way to our room) when we heard a loud noise outside and my front door started to fly open. Chris grabbed Steven and Mom and dad came downstairs. By then it was pretty much over. The power was gone, so Chris grabed the flashlight and he and daddy started to assess the damage. They discovered half a tree on my dad's truck (which he somehow drove back to Morganza!!), the top of a tree snapped off on the roof over one of our upstairs bedrooms, which had some sheet rock on the carpet and water already dripping down the wall, and another limb (that was actually pretty small considering the damage it did) over our BRAND NEW front porch. It pierced the roof and some of the ceiling boards are missing. I think we also have some shingles loose up there. Another really big limb moved the AC condenser (I didn't know that was the name for the AC thing outside) off it's spot and pushed it into the gas meter, which caused a little leak. All sounds really bad, but all fixable, and we are all okay. We went to bed to try to sleep (Anya came to bed with us). As soon as we got settled we saw lights and heard voices outside so Chris went to investigate. It was Greg Merriweather from Channel 9 checking out the "carnage" as Chris says. He ended up interviewing Chris, which ended up on the news!! Chris finally came back to bed, so I got an hour sleep on top of the 2 I had gotten earlier in the night.

I woke up Thursday morning at 4 and tried my best to get dressed in the dark. I couldn't flat iron my hair and put my makeup on in the dark, so I didn't even know what I looked like until I got to work. It weren't pretty!! My stomach hurt worse, and really bad on the lower right side. I was nauseated and had also developed a cough overnight, but pressed on. I knew it could be my appendix, but hoped it was a bug or an ovarian cyst. Plus I was so tired from the overnight events that I figured it was making it seem worse than it was. When I got home, I pretty much ate dinner, helped get the kids to bed, and went to bed myself. Chris had obviously been pretty busy while I was at work getting someone to come put some tarps on the roof, getting someone to come fix the gas leak, and starting to clean up the yard.

Friday morning we woke up, still in the dark. My stomach felt a little better, but still hurt on that right lower side. I called and made an appointment with Dr. Tabor for early in the afternoon. I didn't want to go through the weekend if it was something I needed to be worried about. Ms. Gail had taken Anya to see Sesame Street Live earlier that day (which Anya LOVED), so she stayed with the kids so I could go to the doctor. She decided I needed a CT scan to make sure it was or wasn't my appendix, so I went down the street, drank that HORRID contrast, and did the scan. By this time it was almost 5pm. I went home, hoping it wasn't my appendix, but knowing it could be. Dr. Tabor called me within an hour saying, yes, it was my appendix, and I also have pneumonia!! She said she was going to find me a surgeon on call, and I of course told her I wanted to go to my own hospital. I started packing me and the kids. Ms Gail and Mark would keep them overnight. We went ahead and brought them over beings their house is on the way to the hospital. While we were there I got the call that Dr. Dupre was going to do the surgery and to go ahead and get checked in. I had already called my co-workers to say I was on my way, and of course they were so sweet to stay late and check me in (Jennifer, Jamie, and Linda - you rock!!!). I went ahead and stayed overnight. We didn't even know if we had power at home yet, although when mom and dad left the hospital they went to our house and called us to say we had power.

Saturday morning, I ate real food. No post-op nausea!! Went home around 10am. Of course we had been without power for almost 48 hours, so mom gutted the fridge while I wrote everything down. I felt pretty good considering. I ended up moving around too much, so by mid afternoon I moved to the couch where I stayed most of the evening.

Today is Sunday. The week is over!! Anya is still doing pretty good with her potty training. Very few accidents, but she will not have a BM on the potty. I am pretty sore. I move slow. I hate that I can't bend over or pick up Steven. The coughing from the pneumonia hurts more than anything. My appetite is not back to normal, but I can eat real food without any problems. So many people have called, emailed, or stopped by to check on me and say they are thinking of me and sending up lots of prayers. To all of you - THANKS!!
I hope next week is better!!

update

I just realized I haven't posted in 2 weeks!!


Things around here have been pretty quiet. At my last post, we have stopped potty training. Nothing has changed on that front, I am sad to say!


On Wednesday March 3, our neighbor Katherine Claire turned 3, so we went to It's My Party to jump for about an hour, then to McDonald's for lunch. I think it was the first time I ever took Anya to McDonalds! We had a lot of fun with Tina and Katie Claire. Steven even tried to get in the action, too!!

That Saturday we went to the zoo for Katie Claire's party. Tina threw a wonderful party, and the kids had a lot of fun.

On Thursday the 12th, Mom and Dad took the kids to Morganza for 2 nights. Chris and I went out to eat, twice! That's more than we usually do in a month! We love our children, but it sure is nice to have them out of the house every now and then!

On Saturday the 14th was the St. Patrick's Parade. We had a couple of people over, and did a brunch. It rained on and off, and after about 30 minutes or so, we left. It's so nice being only 3 blocks from the parade!

Sunday was Angela's birthday so we went to Ms. Gail and Mark's for dinner. I gave up sweets for Lent, so I had to pass up the cake. Sacrifice!

potty update

Well, just an update on the potty training. We hardly left the house all weekend so Anya could be close to a toilet, but it didn't really matter. She only went twice Friday and once both Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday I was at work and she did not go at all. I was up at 3:40 in the morning and when I got home the last thing I wanted to do was fight with footprints of urine through my house!
This morning she is at MDO, so when she gets home, I guess we will start over again! I have decided to give this through tomorrow, and if it doesn't look like she is going to get it soon, I'm going to stop for a few weeks and try again.

The Heaven's Have Opened Just for Me!!!

This morning I decided it was time to potty train Anya once and for all. For those of you who do not know, Anya has NEVER urinated in the toilet. Oh, she has sat on many occasions, once for as long as 45 minutes. We run water, I push on her bladder, offered M&Ms, stickers, etc. Nothing!

I usually try til about lunch and then give up, and don't try again for a month, so it is somewhat my fault. But today, I decided come hell or high water, she was going to pee on the potty.

After breakfast, around 7:30, I took off her diaper, put on the first pair of panties, and told her the deal. We were going to drink a lot, set the timer for 20 minutes, and when the timer went off go sit on the potty. I told her if she went on the potty, her daddy would take her on an ice cream date when he got home from work.

Before the 20 minutes were even up, she looked at me and said "I pooped!" I could have cried, but I actually stayed pretty calm. We placed the contents in the toilet where they belong, cleaned up, washed hands, and put on our second pair of panties. We reset the timer.

The timer had not even gone again when she ran from the kitchen into the living room saying she had urinated. I put her on her potty, went to mop up the mess, cleaned her up, put on pair 3! Reset the timer!

I can't remember if the timer went off or not, but Steven was in his crib while was doing something and Anya was playing in their room. She runs to the toilet saying something about peeing. She has another wet set of underwear (I swear, you can't make this stuff up!!), but at least she knew to run to the potty.

By this time it is almost 9. We have already dirtied 3 pairs of panties in 1 1/2 hours, I am sweating, exhausted and frazzled. It is almost time for Steven's nap and I want nothing more than a good shower. I put him down, give Anya some water and a few books, and tell her that while I am in the shower, she is going to sit on the potty. She wasn't excited about the idea, but did as she was told.

When I got out, I was very doubtful that anything had happened. I had her lean up so I could see, and there was some beautiful yellow liquid!!! (I know, that is gross, but any mom who has potty trained will understand my excitement!). I jumped up and down, gave her big hugs and kisses, praised God, high fived her, constantly yelling "You did it!!! You tee-teed on the potty!!" I don't think she quite got it at first, but she caught on to my excitement! We called daddy, both grandmas and nanny. I gave her an M&M, and told her after Steven woke up from his nap we would put a sticker on the potty chart I made around Hurricane Gustav!

We set the timer again. We have pretty much tried every 20 minutes, and she has gone again since. Another big cheering session, another sticker, and another M&M.

Right now is nap time, so she is in her pull up. I pray the rest of the day will continue to go well. Of course, I only have 2 more pair of dry panties, but I am hopeful they last the rest of the day!!

Happy Mardi Gras!!

Today Chris, Anya, Olivia, and I headed to New Roads for the Mardi Gras festivities! We left Steven at home with GiGi after he screamed so much at Southdowns. We parked at my mom's parent's house and walked into town to my cousin's house which is on the parade route.

The girls seemed to really enjoy it. They not only caught tons of beads, but tons of stuffed animals, like we don't have enough. That's okay, she will forget about them by tomorrow and we can donate them. Anya was very tired by the end of the parade and Chris let her ride in the wagon on the way back. There were a few times I thought she was going to fall asleep sitting up!

Yes, I know, it's a really big bow in her hair, but it was $10 and to get my moneys worth she will need to wear it for a few years, especially because you only wear mardi gras colors a few days a year! And I know I'm not the big bow type, but the trend is growing on me!!