It's been a hard week

Currently Juliana is trying to convince me it's 3 o'clock and she can be done w/her nap. It's not 3, it's 1:59 and she can't tell time. She's 2...going on 15. She went down early today b/c it was a rough morning. And a rough day yesterday. Her attitude has been horrible this week and I am not sure why. She is constantly in trouble and is always pushing the limits, crossing the line and refusing to listen or follow rules. She is stuck in this terrible place of wanting to be a big kid but also wanting to be a baby.

I am sure potty training is a large part of her attitude. She is as stubborn as can be and will only cooperate when she wants to. If she's too busy, she will go in her pants. Then she is not allowed to do again whatever it was she was doing (playing outside, watching a show, etc) for awhile so (we hope) she will realize, you can never be too busy for the potty. Everyone is telling me this is normal b/c when she wants to cooperate, she is golden.

I have a hard time remembering a day when Juliana was not in trouble. And if it was just her having accidents that would be one thing, but her behavior is terrible. I feel like the worst parent in the world...I am the one that is with her the most. Is it me? Am I doing such a poor job parenting her that this is my fault? Is this a reflection of me? Mark and I were talking b/c I was concerned that it's b/c she isn't getting enough attention but we agreed that over 75% of our time is devoted to Juliana and the other 25% is split between Samantha and Miriam. We try to do nice things for her but w/her behavior being so bad, I don't want it to seem like we are rewarding her bad behavior.

I am going to FL in a couple days and I really need the break. I need some time w/just Miriam. I need some time w/my best friends. I need to relax. I honestly have no idea how people have more than 3 kids b/c I am beat. Done. Parenting is the hardest job in existence and it seems to only get harder as they get older. I will take a sweet nursing baby who grunts and moans and has explosive poops over a 2.5 year old any day.

Please don't get me wrong. I love Juliana more than I can explain, and she is sweet and caring and extremely bright. She is funny and so friendly but I need to know what to do to make the attitude and misbehavior less. I know it won't go away, but just lessen. Soon.

Potty Training Weekend

Well, we did it. We started potty training Juliana, and, it wasn't a complete disaster! :) I always sometimes get myself all worked up, over thinking the outcome of a situation before it occurs, so I tried to not think about it much until the day before.

I read a ton of different posts on Pinterest, BabyCenter.com, Parenting.com and many other places and had a mental checklist of things we were going to do.

-talk it up - we did this all week leading up to Potty Training weekend. She knew it was coming. I like to mentally prepare for things and I am not sure if she is the same but I wasn't going to chance it w/such a life changing event!

- Create a reward system - I bribe my children. I admit it. Usually it's w/a small treat such as chocolate milk, a "mom or dad" food (such as my favorite chips or Mark's Oreos), or a half hour of Mickey Mouse or Sesame Street. For Potty Training we used a Success Chart I found at the Target $1 section before Easter that has Sun-Saturday in columns w/stickers you can put on the days. This was a generic book that I deemed "Potty Training Success!" Every time she pees in the potty she gets to put a sticker on the day. Every time she poops she gets a sticker and a "special treat"! Her special treat was an apple sauce, squeezable fruit thingy. She  LOVES them but we don't get them all the time.
She also got an 'X' on that day if she went in her pants and not on the potty.

-switch to pull ups/underwear - When she woke up Saturday morning, she peed on the potty first try and I put a pull up on her. We have had these pull ups in the closet for months now b/c my husband had this INSANE idea that we should potty train Juli right on her 2nd birthday...I was 39 weeks pregnant!!! Yeah, that didn't happen! At that point I didn't care if she stayed in diapers til she was 5, there was no way I was potty training anything or anyone! So, she has been asking to wear them since then but I didn't want to put them on her and not actively be potty training. Confusion much? I think so! Also, we didn't switch to real underwear yet b/c, well, I don't have the patience or the time to clean up pee puddles. Oh, but when she does get her big girl underwear, she requested Mickey Mouse...

-Ask every 10 mins and put her on the potty every 30. Now, I can't say I was great at this b/c I was by myself for half the day and I had Miriam to tend to also.

-keep the liquids, fruit, veggies, yogurt, etc coming. If they aren't eating/drinking, they aren't going to need to go! 

So, how'd it all go?
Saturday - She got 6 stickers and 3 'X's...I was getting discouraged b/c I KNEW she had to poop but she wouldn't do it and finally ended up going in her pull-up.
Sunday - She got 7 stickers and 2 'X's and she POOPED ON THE POTTY...at my Sister in Laws house of all places. She also didn't wet her pullup at Church, in the car while driving all around today and told us she had to poop and then ACTUALLY did it!

It was alot easier today b/c Mark was around all day and could tend to her if I was feeding Miriam, cooking dinner, etc... But, I think she gets it. She likes to tell us that she is dry and loves when we are proud of her for doing a good job. We have a long road ahead of us and honestly, diapers would be easier at this point and we could easily turn back, but having only tossed 5 pull-ups and not changed one poopy diaper in 2 days (from Juls, not Miriam), is kinda nice. Plus, she's gotta do it sometime...

Hope you enjoyed hearing all about our crazy busy weekend. Oh, and Happy Spring!! :) It's finally WARM!!

Colleen

7 Quick Takes (vol 3)

Here, there and everywhere...

1

Life has been busy. I have been running from one place to the other, all week long! Really looking forward to Holy Week next week...I need to slow down and reflect on the amazing gift that Jesus gave us on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. 

2

Speaking of Jesus, have you been watching 'The Bible' mini-series on The History Channel? It's really good! I am a bit of a Catholic nerd and have grown to love the Bible so much more over the past 3 years of doing Bible studies at a local parish. You should check out the remaining 2 episodes, and catch up on the previous 3 (they rerun it all the time, might be on demand or online)

3

One of the many places I have been running is to doctors offices, both for myself and Miriam. I am finally getting some PT for my knee (old injury, had surgery in 2008 and it started to really bother me again while pregnant w/Miriam) and I had my hearing checked. I have never had good hearing. I ALWAYS failed the tests that the schools did but being the sixth of six, Momma didn't always react to our ailments the way other parents might. Oh, and we were poor so there wasn't an option for special docs and hearing aids. But, now my husband has talked me into (possibly) getting hearing aids. Super exciting.

4

Miss Miriam has been battling an eyelid inflammation for a month or so now and we finally got the right medicine to heal it! It's called Blepharitis and it was EXTREMELY bothersome to her, not to mention really ugly looking! But w/the correct eye lid cleaners (really, they do exist) and cream, it's 90% healed in a week! She is in much better spirits and is much happier (is that possible?)!

5

Last weekend I sent Mark to get the Eyelid Wipes from Walgreens and he took Juls w/him (yay, a few moments of peace and quiet...Miriam fell asleep while he was gone and I had a cup of coffee and read 7 Quick Takes... from last Friday). But when he came back 

he was like, "There was a great sale on the wipes!"

Me: "really? awesome! What was the sale?"

Mark: Well, you buy the eyelid wipes and you get 2 cans of cashews for regular price! 

Me: LOL! I was cracking up...

As Juli would say, Silly Goose, that's not a sale! :)

6

Miss Juliana is ready for potty training. Tear. She is a big girl and is showing all the signs:

-knows when she pees/poops and tells us

-doesn't like to sit in her pee/poop and asks to get changed

-can pull her pants up/down by herself

-asks to use the potty but just a few mins too late.

Can't believe she is almost 2 1/2 years old. Time is flying. We will do a potty training weekend the weekend after Easter. Prayers appreciated! Oh and advice! 

7

I am living out my dreams through our kids. Samantha starts gymnastics tomorrow. She is almost 10 and has been asking to do it for a while now. We finally worked w/her mom, figured out a time and set it up! She is excited and nervous all at once. She said she had a bad dream last night about the first class that I wasn't there, she had to wear Princess stuff (the horror!) bc we didn't have anything else, her mom didn't see the big deal about the Princess clothing (I would have said the same thing in real life)...

I always wanted to do gymnastics. I hope it goes well. She isn't terribly flexible, but if her heart is in the right place, she will have fun, do great and learn tons of new tricks!! Prayers for that too!!

Don't forget to check out Jen and all the others for 7 QTS of the week! 

HAPPY HOLY WEEK!

7 Quick Takes (vol 2)... That moment when

I try to live moment to moment but it's hard when I am a perpetual planner, hate spontaneity and feel panicked when things don't go as planned! My meek life as a Stay at Home Mom is filled w/"moments" planned and not but I often find myself thinking or saying out loud,

That Moment When:

~1~

You brew a cup of coffee. 

Life until that point was calm, no one had a poopy diaper, spilled their fruit on the floor, the baby was asleep, the phone wasn't ringing, life as we know it wasn't ending (or at least according to the two year old). But somehow, some way, as the last fresh, delicious drop of coffee is falling into the mug and, pardon my language, all hell breaks loose. Thus, you are stuck w/a cup of warm (not hot), close to room temperature coffee. Again.

~2~

You smell dinner cooking in the Crockpot.

It's the end of nap time. For some reason you toddler is crankier after nap than before, your 4th grader is due home any moment w/loads of homework and the babe is particularly fussy. And then, you smell it, DINNER wafting up the stairs!! Thank you Jesus for speaking to me this morning and telling me to cook dinner at 9am when all is good in the world and not at 4:30pm when everyone is cranky and waiting for Daddy to get home! 

~3~

School is cancelled for snow!

One of the perks of living in a cold weather state is snow days! Now, it pretty much snows all the time but will accumulate only to 2-3" at a time. However, this past Wednesday, Samantha had a snow day and to make it even better, Mark stayed home and played in the snow w/Sammy and Juls! They made a gigantic snowman

A view of our backyard in the morning

Sammy and Dad making a snowman

Mark is almost 6'2"...tall snowman! Love my little puffy pink Juls! :)

Finished product...it lasted 2 hours and then it fell over! The weather reached 42 degrees that day!

~4~

You read the word "maternity"...

and you think to yourself, or say out loud, Thank Gosh I am not pregnant anymore! If you've never been pregnant, you have no opinion on this matter. You have never been so big, bloated, uncomfortable, hot, tired and feeling like you are going to POP at any moment. I love my girls and I don't know if there are any more babies in my future but for the time being, I will enjoy the feeling of "normalcy" w/no person living inside of me! A few friends and my sister have just had babies w/in the past week, and I find myself thanking God for surviving that first month and know how happy they must be to have their baby in their arms and not in their bellies!

~5~

You ask (or are asked) to pray w/your spouse.

Lent is upon us and I am really trying to focus more on the prayer aspect of Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. But, lets be honest, I like to pray in a church, by myself, in front of the Eucharist and have the ability to stay for as long as I'd like. <---- This is not an option in my life right now, so I pray at home, when I get a few moments of silence or in the car or when the kids go to bed. My hubby and I prayed a Rosary together the other night and it was so good and reminded me why marriage is a Sacrament in the Catholic Church. It should always have God in the center and He should be involved daily in the marriage and PRAYER is the way to do it! It's when you are most vulnerable, most calm, most at peace and your spouse, w/the help of the Holy Spirit, can bring you closer to God and to Heaven! And you are called to do this for your spouse too! (Note to self: Pray together more!)

~6~

Your two year old breaks out in song and you catch it on video:

You are welcome!

~7~

You realize how blessed you are.

Life is full of bad days, hurt feelings, things you wish you wouldn't have said/thought but when in the end, it's the little things that matter the most. The days spent in PJs w/the kids, the endless celebrations b/c between my husband and I there are 50+ people in our immediate family, watching your kids master new talents every day, warm, home-cooked meals, hot showers, good education choices for the kids, a good job for your husband and the chance to stay home w/the kids. When you realize, Life is Good! 

Don't forget to check out Jen and all the others for 7 QTs this week!

 

Stats

Happy 4 Months to Miss Miriam! :) 

 I can not believe it has been 4 months already! My how the time flies! What a true blessing she is to our family and what joy it brings to my heart to watch her develop and learn everyday!


So,  we just went to the doctors for her 4 month check-up and shots and she passed w/flying colors! Wait, it's not a test? Hmmm...the competitive side of me thinks it is! :) While the whole getting to the doctors at 9:25am, finding a spot to park, carrying lugging an infant carseat and dragging a 2 year old along behind is not my idea of fun, it has to be done. Once inside Juls is content to do chalk and play in the waiting room and Mim was happy to be out of the seat! My favorite part of the visit is when I find out her stats. How chunka monka is she? How long? And Mark's favorite, her head circumference (Juls had a big head, like 99% since 1 month old, and is only now in the 97% at almost 2.5 years old!) Well, Miss Miriam isn't as big headed as her sister but she is AS BIG as her sister was at 6 months!

Weight: 17.8lbs       

 Height: 26"         

Head Circum: 42.5cm 

That's right ladies (and gentlemen?) my 4 month old is wear 6-9/9 month clothing and is in the 98th percentile for Weight and Height! Only the 93rd for Head. I mean she did come out at almost 9lbs (8lbs 12oz) so I wasn't expecting a peanut, but my goodness! She is a fan of her Momma's cooking! :) Speaking of food, she had her first taste of rice cereal the other day and she LOVED it!

First bite! :)

Such a big girl! :)

 Can't wait to see how she changes over the next 2 months!

Traditions...

New life has entered our family! My next oldest sister has had her first baby on March 2nd, a girl, whom they named Savannah Marie! She decided to grace us w/her presence 3 weeks early, but she was a healthy 5lbs 15oz and Mom and Dad are head over heals for their sweet bundle of joy! I am so proud of my sister! Labor and delivery is hard, especially the first time around! You are going in blind with no idea what to expect. It's one of those "you have no idea what to expect nor can it be explained" type of events. I love you sis and can't WAIT to squeeze my niece and spoil her rotten the way you spoil my girls!

 

 

 Savannah Marie. 1 day old. Loving this hat!

 

This new life had me thinking even more about my family than I do on a normal basis. Savannah is the 8th grandchild on my side and the first niece to me in 13 1/2 years! My girls are my siblings first nieces in a decade, as the last to be born before Juls was in 1999. I am so excited that Juli, Miriam and Savannah are so close in age and when we get together for YEARS to come, how they will play, grow, learn, scheme, get in trouble and just 'be' together. It made me realize just how important the traditions we establish are in the lives of our little ones. How they will carry these memories with them forever! How they will look forward to them and the rise of excitement as the moment/day approaches. How these traditions could very well shape their lives and help them to realize how loved they are!

  I sat back trying to recall some of my favorite traditions from my childhood and just a few that I came up with are:

• Sunday Mass and then coming home to browse the Sunday ads, read the comics and relax as a family
• Singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out the candles twice. Why do we do this, I don't know. This was a tradition already instilled in my family when I was born (#6 of 6, remember) but it's one of my favorites because in a big family birthdays are your day!
• Christmas morning eggs and bacon! This was big b/c we never had hot breakfast, just a bowl of cereal but on Christmas it was hot! Even bigger was, wait for it, MY DAD MADE IT! ::Gasp:: This is huge! I know some dads do the cooking/baking but this was the ONLY time my dad ever, ever made us food. It was a special day (more many reasons, obviously) and I will always remember it!

I hold these so dear to my heart. I pray that as the years go by, my hubby and I can start (or continue) traditions the girls will savor for the rest of their lives.What are some of your favorite traditions or what traditions have you started in your growing family? Please do share!

Happy Sunday! Don't forget to rest up, another week of Lent starts in the morning! :)

7 Quick Takes Vol.1 :)

So this is my first time at this but I loved the idea of a "week in review" type post. Plus, lists make my heart happy. :)

-1-

Juls got tubes in her ears this morning. Over the past year she has had 7 ear infections. 

I seriouslyfeel like I pay the pediatrician's salary! 

This should give us close to a year w/out ear infections! 

Yay for modern medicine! :)

-2-

Playdates are Stay at Home Moms' excuses for adult conversation! The Pittsburgh Catholic Mom's Group has allowed me to meet some amazing women over the past 2 years. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to surround myself w/faith-filled women and give my daughters friends w/similar morals. 

-3-

Technology Rocks! I figured out that I can deposit checks FROM MY PHONE! Say what? Amazing! Okay, it's cold here and to get myself and 2 kids out the door in the snow/ice/sleet is not happening unless absolutely necessary! One less thing to worry about. Thank you! 

-4-

The Bible is incredible. Seriously, you should study it. I have been in a Catholic Bible Study for 3 years and have learned so much!Other Christian religions get on Catholic's case b/c we can't always quote scripture but the Catholic Church is so deeply rooted in scripture that we may not know book and verse, but it's alive in every aspect of our faith!  It never ceases to amaze me how the Old Testament foreshadowed the New so perfectly! How many men lived their lives prefiguring Christ for thousands of years and in just 33 years Christ fulfilled ALL that was written! Mind Blown!

-5-

I love to feed my family. My husband works hard so that I have the privilege to stay home w/our girls and I feel the best way to say thank you to him is to have a home cooked meal on the table when he arrives home. Pinterest has been a blessing for me. I can browse, pin, read, and plan all while nursing Miriam! 

-6-

Juls found a flower! She was so excited! First of the Spring!

I am ready for SPRING! It was 45 and sunny here the other day and we just had to get out of the house! For those in warmer weather states this is cold to you, but here in the 'burgh, it felt like summer! Juli has cabin fever as much as I do and didn't want to go inside, even after an hour of playing! 

-7-

My family on my wedding day! :)

I miss my family. We are all over the country, well the eastern half of it. My sister is due to have her first baby any day now and my brother and his wife are expecting their first in August. I savor every moment of the times we have together and look forward to the next visit from the moment we drive away. Friends come and go but family is forever!

Well, thanks for stopping in! Please make sure you visit Jen and get linked in w/all the others on their 7 QTs of the week! :)