Almost There!!

I started working on potty training earlier in the year, with a ok start and then it came to an abrupt hault. Knowing that my daughter is just as stubborn as I am and just as independant as I am, I knew that I had to let her do it on her own time frame and not when I wanted her to be potty trained!
In the past 3-4 weeks, every time I change her diaper, she wants to go sit on the potty. Luckily I had gotten her a step stool for the bathroom and the seat that goes on the toilet for her. She is tall enough to reach the light switch and takes care of everything all by herself without my help. She normally goes in there, sits on the potty, gets some toilet paper, wipes and then flushes and she is done. NEVER actually goes potty.
So yesterday, she was upstairs playing, I was in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher and she came downstairs and said she needed to go potty. So we went into the bathroom, she took off her diaper and was in quite a hurry to get seated on the potty. She quickly handed me her diaper and said eww and sat down on the toilet. She had started to go poopie in her diaper and wanted to go in the potty! YAY!!! Since it had been FOREVER since she had gone in the potty, she didn't just get a m&m, she got an Oreo!!!
And then, the topper...this morning when I went to change her diaper when she woke up, she wanted to go use the potty. Not out of the norm, so I sat in the living room and waited for her to get back. I sat there for about 30 seconds when I heard her go potty!! I jumped up and went into the bathroom. I was so excited that again she got an Oreo! I am sure she will still go potty in her diaper, but we are so much closer to being potty trained! I am so happy!
Potty training should be left to the pros!

Taking Care of Baby!!

Last night we got home from a short trip to Ohio. There was a lot of time in the car and Emily did so well. But as soon as we were a mile away from the house, she recognized everything and kept saying, "Home...mommy....we're home!"

Last night she was more than ready to just run around and play with her toys. I was attempting to get her ready for bed and she decided that it was time to change her baby's diaper. She got out a diaper wipe and began to clean her baby. Jen got the camera to shoot this video really quick. There was a video before this one, but then Emily decided that she was going to give her baby kisses, so we took this video too.

And on a side note, I have been blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom for the past year and half. It was the strangest thing to go from working 2 full time jobs and never seeing her, to being able to be home with her all of the time. Thanks to Rob and Jen for letting me live with them and live off of the money that I saved up while I was working so much, I got to stay at home with her. But, recently I have become too restless and wanting to work so badly. But, living in a small town, there is really nothing to do here! But, I just randomly looked online in the help wanted ads for the local paper, and seen a CNA position at the local nursing home. Thinking to myself that I have NEVER worked with the elderly and have only worked with children or receptionist type work, I thought that this would be a nice change in pace. I applied for the job last Tuesday, had a 30 minute talk with the supervisor while I was waiting for the lady before me to finish her test, and then I took my test in 5 minutes! I just got the call about 30 minutes ago that I was offered the 2nd shift (aka swing shift position!) I go in tomorrow to finalize paper work and find out when I get to start work! I am so excited! So, I will be able to spend the days with Emily and Aunt Jen will be able to watch her when I leave for work...so I will NEVER need a babysitter!!!

Nana and Papa Mail!

Today Fed Ex showed up at the house...and for once it was something good from Fed Ex!!! Emily recieved a nana and papa package! She LOVES getting stuff from them. After I got the box open, she could barely wait to see what was in it. The fish lamp, tea set, bear backpack and the ABC book with hand puppets were all for her. And my dad to add the completely ugly figurine that I had sadly received in a Christmas exchange! I had told my parents that they got to keep it. Now, it is just going to be an ongoing joke between us with mailing it back and forth!
And this is the best picture of Emily that I could get with her by all of the stuff! She was in the middle of eating dinner when I had decided to get a picture!!
And attempting to put all of the hand puppets away...ha!!
This is what the ABC book looks like. Isn't it the neatest thing ever! I had told my mom that after Kenneth and Tina go back to school on the 2nd, that I am really going to buckle down and work on the ABCs with Emily and the finishing stages of potty training. She won't be so distracted with playing, that I might be able to sit down with her and get something accomplished!!
She loved the tea set the most, but the ABC book was her second favorite. There might be hope for teaching her the ABCs quickly! Wish me luck! This mommy thing isn't as easy as it looks!

Quiet time

Just some random pictures since I haven't really been taking any lately do to so much scrapbooking that I am needing to get caught up on!!! But, while I was taking a shower the other night, Jen took these pictures of Emily for me. She LOVES to look at books and LOVES to be read to.
And she loves to read with her cousins. I just thought that this picture was just too perfect. They yell, argue and scream a lot during the day, and then there are moments like this that just make is so much better. They are so cute together!

More weekend pictures

Times like this I treasure every moment that she wants to be near me. She clung onto me so tightly, it was so nice.
And of course my little model! She loved walking around the pool and being a little model.
And the kids were all laying on the hide-a-bed watching the olympics so intently. Made Rob get the camera to take this picture!
And I just thought that this picture was just too cute.

A day at the pool

This is where Emily hung out in the pool 80% of the time. The other 20% she was clinging onto her uncle Rob, Kenneth or me! She also liked to get out and get the ball when it would get out of the pool. For not being able to swim yet, she had so much fun!
Uncle Rob got her this to help her hopefully want to get in the pool more. It didn't work out so much, but she did appear to be more comfortable in the pool with this one compared to the other one.
She would want to come up, get a drink of juice and then head back to the steps. Of course she had to wave goodbye every time she went back!
And after swimming, the girls were so tired. They laid out on the couch until Emily and I went back to our room where she passed out for 2 hours...and so did I!!!

Memories

I recently went through and organized all of my stuff. Sadly, as much stuff as I have here in MI, I think most of my stuff is taking over my parents garage and storage unit! (Sorry about that dad!) But, in the process of organizing, I came across a 5x7 of this picture of Emily. It was perfect timing too when I found it. She was having what I like to call a 2 year old day! I was so tired of dealing with my 2 year old daughter and I was just wanting my sweet daughter back. I found this picture and my heard melted. All of those memories came pouring back. Remembering all of the wires hooked up to her, the tube in her nose, not being able to touch her for 2.5 days! Not being able to see her for more than 2 minutes for 2.5 days! The whole not knowing what would happen with my baby. Being on the Oregon coast recovering from my c-section, and Emily being in Portland in the NICU. She was born on a Friday and I didn't get to see her until Sunday afternoon. It was the longest weekend of my life. To finally be reunited with my baby! I had sent my poor mother to Portland with Emily to make medical decisions for me in my absence. A week later on Christmas Eve we were finally able to come home. After one problem after another, it was finally nice to be home.

I LOVED this outfit on her. She outgrew it WAY too quickly. My mom's best friend Shirley got this and brought it to me at the hospital in Portland. Shirley was there to support my mom while I was there with Emily. She was about 2 weeks old here.
Wal-mart had this dress and I had bought it when I was 6 months pregnant with Emily. I absolutely loved it. Again, she grew out of it way too fast! Emily was about 1 month old here.
And here are a few firsts. I had just gotten home from work and she just stared at me! It was one of the first time she recognized me, not just by my voice, but by my face. It is one of those moments that I will never forget.

I know, this blog might be boring to some of you, but I just went down memory lane with Emily and wanted to post some of my favorite pictures. It is amazing how fast they grow.