I Must Be Crazy!!

The pictures are of Avonlea putting a diaper on her baby doll, letting baby go potty, doing a shape puzzle and a counting Cheerios book where you actually put Cheerios on the book and count (them eat them-yummy!).


So, lately Avonlea has really had an interest in the potty. Her very own potty sits in our living room (although never used) and she only sits on it and puts her animals and dollies on it for fun. She was watching her Potty Elmo DVD the other day and when Elmo yells, "Hoory for underpants!" to Prarie Dawn, Avonlea said it at the top of her lungs. I figured, okay...go with the teachable moment here. I got out the underpants I had bought for her a month or so ago and showed her (of coarse they had Elmo on them!) and she kept saying, "Avonlea's underpants". I let her put them on and thought to myself, "I must be crazy!" She went for two hours and stayed dry, but then...oh then... it happened. We were tickeling each other on Rob's and my bed when she got down and looked me square in the eye saying,"Uh oh, sorry Ma ma". Yep, she had peed!!! She darted out of the bedroom (thank goodness this took place on the wood floors and not the carpet)and went into the living room. I tried to grab her and tell her that it was okay and show her her potty, but the moment had lapsed. She's definately got the majority of the signs down as far as being ready, but who really knows how much she comprehends. We may try underpants this afternoon, but while she's napping, I'm going to call a friend who recently had a baby and was potty training her 18-month-old at the same time. If I wasn't about to have a baby myself, I think I'd feel a little more secure knowing that my consistency would prevail, however I'm worried that she might regress once she sees baby Lincoln getting his diaper changed and she isn't. We shall see.

As far as what Avy is doing, gosh where do I begin. Every day there's something new and exciting. Basically as far as words, she'll attempt to say anything we say so we really have to watch the words we use around her (the other day I said "darn" and although it's not a horrible word, I don't need my 1-year-old saying it so I had to catch myself). She LOVES to count things and really knows how too. She'll put her finger on an object and count how many there really are. She can count up to 14 all by herself (which sort of, okay it really impresses me as a mom!). She knows the following shapes and will say them: square, circle, heart, diamond, octagon, triangle, circle, oval and star. She loves doing her shape puzzles and we like to color them on big drawing paper I used to use for teaching (easel paper). She knows TONS of animals (too many to list) and can label body parts very well. She knows lots of fruits, veggies and other foods. She gives me a hard time with brushing teeth, but I recently found a new light-up toothbrush at Publix and the tooth brushing has gotten better. She loves me to paint her toenails, watch Elmo DVDs (I really limit her TV watching although some days I slip and she watches more than I like), paint pictures, go for wagon walks around the neighborhood, do any kind of water activity, interact with animals (We found a frog in our backyard the other day and I let her hold it on her arm. She was so tickled and watched him for 20 minutes just in awe at God's creation) and so much more.

As far as myself, I've been feeling great lately. Sleeping has taken on a whole new meaning (tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable) and my appetite is getting worse. I feel like I'm always hungry. I've been trying to drink LOTS of water during the day though to "fill up" so I don't eat the extra calories that I really don't need. Thank goodness I haven't gained as much with this little guy as I did with Avonlea. So far, I've gained 20 pounds and I'm hoping not to exceed 30 (with 7 weeks to go). Lincoln moves all the time now and it's comforting to know that everything has been perfectly formed by God how He wants Lincoln to be. All the baby needs to do now is put on weight before the birth (hopefully not too much!). Rob's going to get out my suitcase from the attic tonight so I can start a list of things to pack for the hospital (just in case-I'm definately a "plan-aheader"). I've already got the baby clothes washed and folded in a bin (poor kid doesn't have a room since we only have two bedrooms) and ready to go. Lincoln will be sleeping in the same cradle Avonlea slept in located in our bedroom on my side of the bed. We're trying to figure out if we'll be officially moved by then (still haven't sold our house-please pray for this as paying for two mortgages is really hanging over our heads right now!!!). If we are moved in, I've picked out the bedding for Lincoln's room and Avonlea's will stay the same. Click HERE to see bedding.

Rob's knee is getting better by the day and praise the Lord for that!

I'm still working on getting Easter pictures developed and have two rolls to pick up so hopefully I'll get those up by the weekend.