Songs

Ellie loves songs. She can sing these songs, among others (most notably "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Five Little Ducks") even better than is shown here, but getting her to perform for the camera is tricky at best.

This next one should be a Cheerios commercial.

Sit Toilet

This maybe isn't the delicate post in the world, but I felt like this is all we have been living and breathing these last few weeks so I have to post about it.
A couple of weeks ago we went to Ellie's two year check up. At that appointment we were given a little handout on potty training. Included on there was a list of signs that indicated that your child was ready to be potty trained. We looked at the list and decided that Ellie was doing those things, so we decided to give it a try.
We did about two weeks of putting her on the toilet really regularly, but still keeping her in a diaper. Then last week we started her in training pants (just the cotton ones with extra absorption). She has picked it up a lot better than I thought she would. I honestly thought we would give it a good try, and she wouldn't make any progress so we'd try again in six months, but turns out she was ready. It wasn't easy though, especially at first. I can't tell you the number of hours we have spent sitting on the edge of that bathtub reading stories, singing songs, and letting her make faces at herself in the mirror.
Ellie didn't really get the whole reward thing at first, but she sure does now. In fact sometimes she'll only go part way in order to maximize the rewards that she gets. Fortunately the rewards are singing a song or reading a story, so they don't take too much effort or money.
So she hasn't had an accident in 5 days so we're crossing our fingers that we're most of the way there. She still wears a diaper while she sleeps, but I hear that takes longer.

Check out the pink underwear hanging out rather than a diaper! Yes, that is her swimming suit bottom over her pants.
So we're pretty excited to be at the point now where she tells us if she needs to go, and we go stick her on. I think it is pretty cute to hear her say "sit toilet."
Ironically, as Ellie is gaining more and more bladder control, I feel like I am losing mine. This baby just really likes to kick that direction. Lovely.

Primary

As a primary teacher, each Sunday is kind of a new adventure. There are always a mix of expectations and personalities that are sure to keep things interesting. There is one kid in my class that when upset or bored likes to stand up and walk out of class or the primary room. If one were to walk after him and try to convince him to come back he takes off running. I talked to the parents about this particular behavior and discovered that they were more understanding of their child than I was. So today when he didn't like the sharing time activity and started wandering around the room, I pretty much ignored him. The Sunbeam teachers threw angry looks in my direction as they were telling him that he couldn't leave. I just wanted to explain how a couple of weeks ago (pre-talk with parents) I spent the entirety of sharing and singing time kneeling on the floor, try to convince him to come out of the chairs. I tried every tactic I could think of, but all I got in response is, "I just want you to go away." I didn't admit to him that the feeling was mutual. When I approached his mother after this incident, we chatted for a minute, and he saw his opening: "Sister ____, you're a really good primary teacher. Thanks for having such good lessons." At this point his mother was almost in tears at how sweet her little darling was.  If she only knew...


In our last ward, we were also primary teachers of the same age group. When I introduced the topic of the lesson one Sunday (the war chapters in Alma), one boy declared, "That doesn't apply to me, I am a pacifist."

Another little boy while describing a 'bad kid' at his school said, "He eats drugs."

The most delicious moment for me as I see these kids every week is when one of them decides to suck on his sweater. The sleeve goes in the mouth and the child proceed to soak it with saliva and then noisily suck the saliva back into the rest of his mouth. Repeat as often as desired. Delish. This moment is shortly followed on my list of gross moments by the girl who after taking all of the band-aids off of her numerous warts taped her mouth shut with them.

One challenge is when the kids like you too much. One girl in my class last year when she first met me stroked my arm for most of the meeting, interjecting with, "You have such beautiful skin. I just love your freckles." She also really loved to try to give me and John back rubs/scratches, play with my hair, and tried to kiss me a few times (on the lips).  Today a different girl who normally likes to rest her head on my shoulder for most of the meeting turned her face towards me, opened her mouth, put it on my shoulder and breathed out really hard. I just felt this really warm sensation all of the sudden on my shoulder. I know I should be flattered, right?

Prayers are always fun in primary. I love hearing the sunbeams say prayers in particular. I love to hear their high little voices and see what they come up with to say. The seven year olds in my class are less impressed. Once, one boy in my class said really loudly during the midst of one of these prayers. "He's bad at saying prayers. I can't understand him at all." 

There is another boy in my class that without fail when asked to say the prayer will ask that he can be blessed with a good lunch. Several times per prayer.

Another boy asked once to be blessed that "Mommy and Daddy will play nicely."

I am also in charge of the activity days in my ward. Once when I picked up one girl, I asked her who the little boy was that she had been playing with in her front yard. She said that he was her cousin. She followed this up with, "We're in love." I thought I hadn't heard her correctly so I asked her to say it again. She blushed and said it again more quietly. I didn't want to embarrass her so I asked her how old he was. She said that he was her age. I told her that I had a cousin my age that I grew up with, which was really fun. She said, "Yeah, it is fun. It is also really fun to be in love." Yeah, I guess she's right. It is really fun to be in love.

Two!

Our little girl just turned two. Isn't she pretty? She has really been into coloring recently and loves to identify colors. So not only was this a birthday activity it is an everyday activity. Still fun though.
We also broke out the bubbles. She had a really fun time trying to get them and blow them herself. So much so, that she had to go get her baby doll so she could see.

For her birthday dinner and treat she had her favorites: broccoli, noodles, and cherry yogurt for dessert. Really, if we had had a cake she wouldn't want to have eaten it.
Look, two candles! She blew them out first time before we had even finished singing "Happy Birthday."Then she got to open a present from her friends, Knightley and Mason. It was a pretty big hit, no pun intended. Thanks guys!
The following Saturday we had a little party with friends that included more noodles, broccoli, and yogurt. We don't mess with a good system. The stroller is a prized possession. Really, don't try to make her share it. Also, we got some good kid plates just in time because this week she threw her plate on the floor for the first time. We went "wimming" after the presents and stayed pretty late. Ellie had a blast and couldn't get enough. The only thing to worry about now is what to say when she regularly asks for more presents and swimming.

We're having....

We're so excited!!!! Everything looked great in the ultrasound, and the baby is measuring a day ahead. The only problem now is what to name her?!

Certifiable

Seventeen weeks pregnant.

I have heard other people say that they are different when they are pregnant, but I would like to think that I am way more than different. I hope I am not this crazy normally. I say to John regularly, "I am certifiable!" Normally this is preceded by some unreasonable display.

1. Emotions. A little more than a month ago, John as released from co-teaching with me in Primary and put in as the Elder's quorum secretary. Doesn't seem like that big of a deal, right? Wrong. They forgot to release him before Sacrament Meeting so the first we hear of it is his name being announce from the pulpit. Shock on our part turned to tears on my part. I cried through the entire meeting. Not subtly. Anyone who has seen me cry knows that my face turns as red as a tomato and my nose might as well be Niagara Falls. Between the strange looks I got and the make-up running down John's shirt, I had to leave the meeting a couple of times to change Ellie/sob in the bathroom.
After Sacrament Meeting we headed to Primary where the flood of tears continued to spill forth. Our Primary class had never been better as they were so nervous as to why their teacher was having a break down. Of course, a couple of members of the presidency so discretely whispered across the room to John if I was okay. "She's fine," he said. That was one of the only times I have wanted someone to know that I was pregnant. I am sure they thought that someone had just been killed by the way I was acting.
2. I don't want to tell people that I am pregnant. Weird, I know. John has either had to tell people, or walked me through exactly when and how so I feel like I have to do it. The weird thing for me is that I love finding out when people are expecting. It's fun and exciting.
3. Food. I am obsessed. If I am not eating food, I am thinking about it. ALL OF THE TIME. I am reminded of a book I read as a kid in which one character was so fat that as soon as he finished one meal he was worried about the next one--when and what to have. That's so me. Thankfully, there isn't too much dessert around our place, and I have monthly accountability weigh ins with my doctor. Dang scale. Of course, John doesn't help. He's all about this new snacky/I-want-to cook-all-of-the-time wife. And just to add salt to the wound, it is not like he is gaining any empathy weight. No, if anything, his metabolism will probably make him lose weight, just to spite me. So, please don't offer me any food, because I probably won't have the self-control to resist.
4. Money. I don't know if it is nesting or what, but I am kind of obsessed with saving money. Somewhat ironically this leads me to spend more money in order to save money. For instance, buying a printer and ink in order to print off coupons. Also, buying a bunch of winter clothes for the three of us for next year. They are on sale right now and what a better time to get Ellie a little snow suit?! This goes on and on and $100 later at Walmart, we are wondering what we bought considering there were only three things on our list. (I did save $12 in coupons though!) I know, crazy.
So, fair warning to people I have to interact with for the next five months. Crazy pregnant woman over here. But the question is, are you really crazy if you think that you are?

This was taken the same day as the above picture, just a different shirt and poking out the overgrown belly.

I don't think that I am actually capable of doing a post without a picture of my kid.

It fits!

When Ellie was blessed at about age 2 months, her blessing dress was very large on her, as seen in the following picture.

Well, now that she is almost 2, the dress seems to fit. We put her in it and took a few pictures. The dress comes down to about her ankles when she is standing up.



We can't believe that Ellie has gone from such a tiny baby to a toddler. But I guess it is a good thing since baby #2 will be here around July 12th. We have goals to move Ellie into a big girl bed by then, and also to potty train her (I should think one set of diapers to change will be plenty, thanks). Wish us luck!