potty training. day #2.

Well the second day was definitely harder than the first...the newness & excitement wore off and she started off the day with two accidents. It was hard to stay excited & encouraging, but I did my best. She seemed to know that she needed to go when she had her accidents... I had been asking & encouraging her to try all morning, but she kept saying no. After asking one time, I found her in a corner saying that she went... right after telling me that she didn't need to go. And the next accident happened right behind my chair at the kitchen table, like she was hiding from me. The rest of the day went better... no more accidents, just successes. She really wants to see Frozen again in the theaters, so that might be her reward for filling up her sticker chart... she may change her mind again by the time it is full though. I'm not sure how the weekend will be for potty training, but I hope to come back to it next week. I can't wait until it's just our normal for her to use the potty!

potty training. day #1.

Today was finally the day to start real potty training... a day that I've been dreading. Diapers are so easy in my opinion! I haven't held out for so long because of dread, but because I wanted to wait until she was close to 3. She's a smart little girl, and I knew the longer I waited the quicker she would catch on to it. After a pep talk from my mama friends last night, I woke up ready to conquer potty training... knowing that I can't make her want to do it, and I just need to celebrate & encourage her. We started the morning off with a pair of Doc McStuffins undies and the Elmo potty video- both of which were very exciting to her. My plan was the ask lots and encourage her to try many times throughout the day... rewarding her for each try and also for dry undies... well she was too smart for this. She knew that she didn't need to go, so she refused to go try- even for a reward. A couple hours after being up, we were working on a craft project and she said that she needed to go potty. She got up quickly and went by herself! We did a little dance, put a sticker of her chart, ate a few marshmallows, and called daddy to share the news. I decided to stop bugging her about it for the rest of the day, just to see if she continued to remember. I gave her some dry undie rewards and reminded her that she wasn't wearing a diaper, but didn't ask her to try. She did great all day... even going #2 twice. She had one small accident, but I was expecting that. She wore a diaper for her nap and her normal sleep diaper for bedtime. It was an encouraging first day, but I know from blogs & friends' stories that the second day can be harder... so I am preparing for that. We told her over & over again how proud we are of her, and she would just smile with pride.

a successful first day!

snow.

her first snow angel. snow kitchen play while i sat warmly at the kitchen table. and time in her little house.

what i wore wednesday.

a snowy day.

hat- meijer / cardigan- buffalo exchange / shirt- target / leggings- walmart.

a sunday.

sweater- h&m / jeans (maternity)- target / shoes- gap.

goodbye crib.

we set up the crib in january of 2011 and took down the crib in january of 2014!

after 2weeks of giving millie the choice between her crib or her bed, we finally said goodbye to her crib. she was choosing her crib about 90% of the time, and she was only choosing her bed for naptimes when she picked it. we finally encouraged her to sleep in her bed overnight, and she did great! after a few more successful overnights, we told her that it was time to get rid of her crib. she was super excited while we were taking it down, and wasnt anxious at bedtime about only having her bed. our plan is change up the dresser and move the rocker out next month when my parents are visiting... making this her big girl room and moving things out to use for the little sister.

so excited!

school.

millie often asks if she can go to school... i'm thinking her time to start preschool will hopefully be this fall, so until then we are having school time at home with mama. and she seems to love it. we've been working on some pre-k workbooks- picking & choosing the right activities for her right now... tracing lines- straight & curvy, seeing differences between pictures with my help, beginning to learn about opposites. she's been obsessed with mastering her toddler scissors, and she loves activities with glue involved. we do lots of crafts! we are also focusing a lot on learning letters... she is recognizing more & more and will hopefully know her name soon. i'm not completely sure what she should specifically be learning at her age, so i look for the age recommendation on the book or activity and try it out with her. if it doesnt seem to be clicking, we move on and come back to it later. i love seeing her learn.

a hippo pouch.

after seeing this cute fabric store in occ on their grand opening day, cathy & i knew we wanted to take a class... and once we saw this super cool hippo pouch- we knew it was the one! and there was a living social deal in the fall for half off a class which definitely sealed the deal for me. the class was 3hours, and i enjoyed every minute of it. i learned how to free motion quilt the hippo, i put in my first zipper, and i made my first pouch with gussets. so awesome! and it was fun to spend a sunday afternoon with a friend... away from the littles!

i'm growing. twenty-four weeks.

i'm wearing my maternity jeans more & more...

an afternoon in breckenridge.

We recently bought a Groupon to see an ice castle in Breckenridge... we decided on this weekend because it was also the start of the International Snow Sculpture Championships- which we thought would be awesome to see with Millie. Millie woke up excited to go to a castle, and during our drive she finally understood that it is an ice castle... like Elsa's from Frozen. She was SUPER excited to see it after that! We checked out the snow sculptures, spent a long time in the ice castle, went to the best little toy store with a play area, got pizza at Fatty's, and went back to the castle after dark to see it lit up with colors. It was a super fun afternoon & evening... I love adventures with these two!

thankful it was a warm & sunny 35degrees... i can't imagine if it had been much colder!

a family drawing.

by millie!

millie loves crafts.

she especially loves valentine's day crafts... pink & purple!

what i wore wednesday.

a thursday.

sweater- forever21 / jeans (maternity)- target / shoes- gap.

a friday.

cardigan, shirt, & shoes- gap / jeans- forever21.

a saturday morning.

sweatershirt- helloapparel / sweats- target / shoes- can't remember.

a saturday afternoon.

sweater & shoes- gap / jeans- target.

a monday.

shirt (maternity)- target / leggings- walmart / shoes- gap.

a tuesday.

 hat & shirt (maternity)- target / jeans- sweater & jeans- forever21 / boots- gap outlet.

a wednesday.

jacket & shoes- gap / shirt- target / jeans- forever21.

the big girl bed.

her first overnight was a success!

church.

one of millie's favorite things... the time after church when she gets to run around & play with her friends.

our saturday night.

crazy outfits & funny faces.

thirty-five months.

millie's thirty-fifth month...

- she is wearing 24month & 2T clothes and mostly size6 shoes.

- she is still wearing a size4 diaper, and fingers crossed that we just bought our last box.

- her medication has stayed the same... except for her pharmacist changing the color & taste- that did not go over well. i had to have a new prescription filled the old way. she knows her medicine well!

- she is napping 2-3hours a day, and has started to nap in her big girl bed.

- she is no longer fighting her bedtime... our trip over christmas seems to have reset her back to her easier ways. she sometimes tosses & turns for 30-45minutes, but she isn't calling for us.

- her big girl bed is officially set up in her room along with her crib. we are giving her the option for a few weeks while she transitions... and then we will take down the crib. she picks her crib 90% of the time, but has napped in her bed a few times successfully. we just need a successful overnight! 

- she hasn't tried to climb out of her crib again... we have a video monitor now to keep an eye on her!

- no potty advancements... we will really go for it once she's in her bed full time. one big girl thing at time for this mama.

- she went on her second road trip to indiana... she was amazing.

- she loved her time in indiana with her grandparents... and was crazy spoiled at christmas.

- she got her first special baby doll- an american girl bitty baby. the eyes open & close!

- she went "sledding" for the first time.

- she loves the disney princesses & doc mcstuffins.

- she loves dress-up dresses & princess shoes.

- she loves the color pink & sparkly shoes. 

- she bows after she performs.

- she is constantly making up songs while she plays.

- she asks lots of questions, but still doesn't need to know why.

- she likes to do things by herself.

- and she is going to have a little sister!

two little girls.

it's like i already have my 2 little girls...

sparkly shoes with jams.

luckily she agreed to take them off at bedtime.

what i wore wednesday.

first time in maternity jeans.

sweater- gap / jeans (maternity) & shoes- old navy.

i love this jacket.

jacket & shoes- gap / shirt- target / jeans- forever21.

 g hates these boots. i like them.

shirt- gap / joes jeans- marshalls / boots- gap outlet.

its maternity clothes time.

shirt & jeans (both maternity)- target / shoes- gap.

a tuesday.

scarf- gap / cardigan- old navy / shirt- target / jeans- forever21 / boots- gap outlet.

a wednesday night at a coffee shop.

cardigan- garage sale / shirt (maternity)- gap / jeans (maternity)- old navy / shoes- gap.

keeping her busy.

and keeping mama busy too.

our tuesday.

dance class, a mullet that is ready for a first haircut, a dream come true- the cutest little cowboy boots for millie found on a facebook moms' selling group, some great thrift finds like a complete set of alphabet stamps, and asking to take a bath just to play with the little mermaid dolls that she got for christmas. and we had lunch out with g! what a great day!