One Month Old

It is hard to believe that Sara Frances is almost 2 months old. Since I am SO far behind on blogging, shameful I know, I'll drop her one month old picture here.

She has already grown so much! And, she is smiling and cooing at all of us. Sara is definitely a Moma's girl. Which is good, because Miss Adelaide is a daddy's girl.

Speaking of Addie, she had to be included in the fun too.

Addie loves Sara. It took some time for her to warm up to the idea of another girl in the house. But, now she is a very attentive and protective big sister.

Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to get these two gals in a picture together. Here's hoping we have one before Sara turns one!

Introducing . . .

Sara Frances McLin

Sara was born on November 16, 2011. She weighed in at 7.7 oz and 20 1/4 inches long. She is just a joy. We are having so much fun with her!

Its getting closer . . .

I guess the title of this post should be "it's ALL getting closer." This fall will go down in the history books as being the most wonderful and busy falls of the McLin family. We have not one but two monumental events that will take place within mere weeks, if not days (hopefully not hours) of each other.

First up, Victor and Amanda's wedding! My baby brother is getting married in less than 30 days. And, the parties are upon us. We have two showers this weekend, the bachelor/bachelorette parties next weekend and then "Wedding Week."

Next (or maybe first, who knows), Sara Frances will make her debut. Of course, given my history, we really have no idea when this will occur. November 18 is the due date. But, Addie was 4 weeks early, so we'll see.

Oh, and I have to throw in two rather large Junior League events right in the middle: Hollydays and the Susan G. Komen Survivor Brunch. And, let's not forget Halloween. Wooohooo for October.

Everyone out there in the blogospher cross your fingers and toes that these two monumental events do not occur on the same day! And, say a little prayer for us too!

Addie at 2

I just read the blog of a dear friend where she wrote about some funny things her kids do everyday. I was inspired to do one as well, especially since I'll probably forget Addie at 2 once Sara makes her way into this world. Just so you know that our entire lives do not surround the potty . . . here are some funny things that Addie does at 2:

-She is a little OCD. Ok, maybe a LOT OCD. For example, she has to group her Legos by color and by type of Lego (aka, 4 pronged vs 6 pronged Legos). The different types of legos are not allowed to be in a tower together. And, the towers are usually color coordinated. I did not teach her this. I blame it on her OCD Auntie BB.

- She cannot run unless she waives her arms around in the air. It is pretty hysterical to watch her run around.

- She is very independent. She wants to pick our her own clothes and her own food.

- She loves Strawberry Shortcake, Elmo, My Little Pony, Caillou, and most all Disney movies. It is an 80s flashback every weekend at movie time.

- She loves to sing. I'm not sure that she really has natural talent. It is mostly just shouting to the music. Her favorite songs are ABCs, If You're Happy and You Know It, Wheels on the Bus and all of the intros to her favorite shows (see above).

- She loves to color. Coloring is also a hilarious endeavor. She wants to control the colors that you use and she usually will not mix her colors on a page.

- She loves to dance, usually at the dinner table.

- She loves to swim.

- She loves to "read" . . . this is in quotes because she really just tries to memorize the book when I read it and then make up the rest.

So . . . there is Addie in a nutshell at this age. She definitely keeps things interesting at our house!

Potty Time - The Sequel

Remember my last post, where at the end I was joyous in my little one's ability to go to the potty. Well . . . I should have waited a week to write that post. Since her first "good day" of pottying at school, she has flat out REFUSED to sit on the school potty. She will sit on it when I take her, but puts up a fight with the teachers. I am not sure if she is scared or just stubborn. Oh well, the teachers agreed to keep trying, so we are.

We are also having little success with pottying at home. Apparently the potty chart has lost its appeal. On Sunday, we had another 6 pair of wet panties before we went back to Pull-Ups.

So, I am back to my original thought about potty training - It is for the BIRDS! Ugh, I just hope that she can use the bathroom before she starts kindergarden. I mean, she should be able to do that by 5, right?

Potty Woes

Potty Training -- the two words that strike fear in the parents of toddlers everywhere. Well . . . now I know why . . .

Addie is 2 and 1/2 years old. All of the books say that 2 and 1/2 is plenty old enough to learn the art of pottying. So, this past weekend, as instructed by "Potty Training for Dummies," me and my little precious had "Potty Boot Camp." Addie woke up Saturday morning and it was full on potty time. My Mom was in town to help me with a little remodeling (posts on that later). Bless her heart, she got to start potty training by herself while I was out running some early morning errands. When I returned home, Addie had wet approximately 8 pairs of underwear in about 2 hours without one successful potty attempt. But, she refused to put on panties so we kept going. However, every time we took her to the potty we had a crying screaming fit about having to sit on it.

At the end of Day 1 we had 10 pairs of soaked drawers and NO successful potty time. I was beginning to think that Addie was not ready. I mean, the book says that even if your child has all of the signs of readiness but exhibits a "bad attitude" about pottying, then maybe they aren't ready. I figured the full out temper tantrum on the floor to avoid the potty was a "bad attitude," so I was willing to give in.

At the beginning of Day 2, Addie woke up and flat out refused diapers. She opted instead for "Tinka-bell" panties. So, she wore panties all day. 3 pairs of panties later, we had ONE successful potty attempt. Count it -- ONE successful potty attempt in 48 hours, but a small victory nonetheless.

On Day 3, Addie had to return to daycare. I took her in Pull-Ups, even though I was staunchly against using them. I just could not in good conscience send her to school in a pair of panties when I knew she would likely go on the floor. But, apparently those ladies at daycare know what they are doing. Addie had a "good" day with pottying. She succumbed to peer pressure and went with the bathroom because the other kids were doing it. (Aside - although I am thrilled at this development, I will now watch her very closely for any following into bad behavior!)

This morning, Addie woke up in a great mood, skipped to the bathroom and used her potty chair without issue. She was very excited to put a sticker on her potty chart that she then proceeded to hug and tell it that she "loved it best."

I guess the moral of this story is, at the end of the day, my little girl will be potty trained. When it doubt, give it up to the professionals! And, you can be replaced in your child's heart by a piece of poster board.

The Nerve

Well, my sweet little baby has turned into a saucy sassy teenager. Seriously, I did not know that being 2 is the fast track to being 13. Last night when I tried to get a good night hug from my precious baby, she put her hand up and said "Stop Mommy, you're getting on my nerves." Yikes! I expected this kind of behavior from a bubble gum popping, high heel tapping, make-up wearing teenager. Not from my sweet bundle of joy who still looks cute in her Cinderella princess night gown. This snarky comment, coupled with an eye roll and an over-dramatic sigh are Addie's newest ways of letting me know exactly what she is thinking. I believe I've got a long road ahead!

Oh well . . . as my Mom says . . . "at least she's cute." And, she sure is . . .