Lucky #13

Remember way back when I was having wrist and thumb issues? Remember how it was going to require surgery to fix the problem? Guess what? The pain is gone! The surgery was scheduled for August 23rd, but that day came and went without the tiny procedure being performed because Ellie wouldn't take a bottle. My stubborn, but so sweet, baby refused the first 12 bottles I tried until magic bottle #13 came along - the MAM bottle. Hallelujah! I finally found one that she'll drink out of! I thought I was destined for a year of having her by my side 24 hours a day. Just when I was about to cancel my social calendar (ha!) for the next 8 months, my friend told me about the miracle bottle. It couldn't have come at the better time, as the Texas A&M v Alabama game is this Saturday and you better believe I'll be there. Prior to her taking a bottle, I was considering renting an RV so that I could bring Ellie and a babysitter to College Station to tailgate with me before the game. Notice I said RV - I'm pretty sure Ellie is allergic to the sun and/or heat...more on that later. No need now, my mom is going to watch her on Saturday while I go sans Ellie. Thanks, Grammy! My dad will be on Caroline duty while Mom snuggles with Ellie. I'm not sure which girl will have the better time as they are both getting a day full of what they love! (On a side note - please say a little prayer for my mom that all goes well on Saturday. We're both nervous that Ellie will refuse the take a bottle from her, despite our practice rounds.)

In addition to Katie's Law (the one that made the thumb pain stop just as soon as I canceled the surgery), I think another reason the pain has subsided is because Caroline is potty trained and I no longer have to lift her 10 times a day. Woohoo! It took a couple of weeks and a whole lot of patience, but she's been accident free for 5 days now. I'm so proud of her! For those of you who are about to try this parental challenge, let me give you a few pieces of unsolicited advice:
1) Don't put your toddler on the potty unless they need to go. This will only lead to frustration on both ends. And a lot of boredom. And a lot of unrolled toilet paper rolls piled on the floor. And a few close calls with your iPhone almost dropping in the bowl.
2) Don't put the portable potty in the middle of the den so that your toddler can watch TV while trying to pee. This will lead to a ruined rug, and a lot of unnecessary potty sitting.
3) The toilet lids with the built in toddler seats are awesome - you can find them at Lowe's and Home Depot. We got ours from Amazon. Be warned! There are two different sizes - elongated and round. I accidently bought the round and we have an elongated toilet. Oops.
4) The dollar store has great potty prizes. Make sure you stock up for those first couple of days. I know a toddler that stopped peeing in the potty when she found out I was out of prizes. Sassy beast! I also recommend buying yourself a daily reward in the form of a bottle of wine. You'll need it. I do not recommend getting that reward from the dollar store.
5) The training underwear with the inner plastic lining are awesome for those first few days. They hold a lot of liquid. That being said, buy about 20 pairs of underwear unless you want to do laundry every hour.
6) Start on the weekend when there are 2 adults at home! I could not have done this without Luc's help. And wine. That helps too.
7) I know some people say not to wear pull-ups, but I sometimes put them on C when we go on long errand runs. I call them her bye-bye underwear. I also send her to school in them because I don't trust her teachers yet...it's only been 2 days and I'm waiting until she gets used to her school routine before we try underwear at school. I also refer to them as night night underwear (see below).
7) Read 3 Day Potty Training. It's a quick read with lots of great tips! They recommend waiting until your toddler wakes up from nap and nighttime with a dry diaper to start. BUT, I didn't. Caroline goes to sleep in pull-ups. I'm totally fine with her wearing them as long as she's out of them by age 5. Tough goal, I know. Gotta set that bar high! ;)


OK, enough potty talk. It's been consuming our lives for the past month, so it's on the brain..

Here are some pictures to hold you over until the next blog post (about wedding, anniversaries, housekeepers and new jobs!):

Caroline's first day of "school." She attends Mother's Day Out at the local Methodist church. Side note - the castle house in the background still hasn't sold. I found out why when I walked through it this past Friday - the interior (and exterior) are AWFUL! I really think the builder will have to do major work on the inside if they want it to sell.

No tears here! She walked right in, put her stuff down and did a puzzle. I asked her for a kiss goodbye and she looked at me like I was crazy.

Meanwhile, Ellie and I shop! She loves Target!

We also like to play dress up. Caroline has decided she wants to be Dora the Explorer for Halloween, so Ellie gets to be Boots. Isn't she cute in her 12 month bubble? Seriously, people, 12 month bubble at 3 months of age. I'm excited to see how long she measures at her 4 month appointment this Friday.

Drinking a bottle!

This is what happens when Caroline sees the cutie boys who live across the street. All manners fly out the window and I'm left being the mom yelling "put your dress down!" at my daughter.

Sister snuggle time! Caroline was trying to hold Ellie's hand but Ellie just wanted to suck her thumb.

Seriously happy baby.

This cute princess dress was one of C's first potty prizes. I quickly realized that I needed to stop buying the prizes from Target and head across the street to the dollar store if I wanted to have money to buy groceries.

Lucky #13!

That's all for now. I planned to get a longer post done but I'm too tired tonight. I hope everyone has a great week! Here's hoping cooler weather is on the way...