Week Cousin!

Camp Cousin - having a great time! The kiddos did not come up to the house from the lake today until 6pm, starting at 9am; needless to say, they all tuckered out HARD!

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let’s have a potty party!

BIG NEWS!

Our big 2 year old has entered the fun world of BIG GIRL UNDIES!  Hello Kitty style, preferred, please!

(this is her face after she “goes”…hilarious)

We started potty training boot camp last Sunday with Emma and she has done AWESOME!  I decided to start, as she seemed interested the past couple of weeks and clearly cannot stand to have a dirty diaper as she was ripping them off – NO THANKS.  I also wanted to get it done while we are still in our condo with all rooms on one floor instead of running up and down the stairs with a dripping toddler. So, boot camp was near, and we were armed with jellybeans, Hello Kitty undies, princess stickers, and lots of energy!

So we woke up Sunday super excited and Jack was amazing at joining in on the fun.  He ran with us to each “Potty Party,” cheered for her when she went, and of course, joined in on the consumption of jelly beans. 

Day 1:  We set the timer for every 20 minutes to remind her and she went every time – by the end of the day, she literally had 26 stickers on her chart…does she go that much in her diaper?  We had a “potty party” – ran back to the bathroom, and the look on her face was priceless when she tinkled – so cute and proud of herself.  One #2 accident, and three #1 accidents and we counted Day 1 as a SUCCESS!

Day 2:  Woke up super excited again, and continued on the timer plan – but this time we set it for every 25-30 minutes.  I would say 50% of the time, we didn’t even use the timer, but she told Jack or I that she had to go and rushed on back.  She only had ONE accident on Day 2!  And both times in going #2, she went on her own in the toilet – even asking for “privacy,” closing the door, and when I walked in to check on her she was done (and had “wiped” her bum – not a pretty site)!  Accident total – only ONE!

Day 3:  Did not set the timer, and she did great!  No accidents all morning and then she got a little upset when I put a diaper on her to travel up to Libertyville for the 4th.  Went up north, and she did not have an accident until we were at a 4th of July concert and she had lasted an hour and a half.   Cute note:  When she “has to go” she says “I have to potty train!'” and runs toward the bathroom – so adorable.

Days 4-7:  Doing great and telling us about 80% of the time when she needs to go – both 1 and 2!  We started “venturing out” of hibernation on day 4 and she even pooped in a public toilet; awesome.   Slowly weaning off the jellybean rewards…

So…we are well on our way with only having 1 kiddo in diapers, and I could not be more excited and proud of our little girl!  She is very proud of herself, and loves wearing her big girl undies.  Jack was amazing with encouraging her and being so excited for her – I walked into the bathroom on Day 2 (prerequisite to this is that she always goes to the bathroom with Jack and they “tell stories” to each other – it is kind of their special place together) and he was bending down pulling up her undies for her, it was ADORABLE.

WOO!  HOO, GOOOOOO Emma!!!

still hot

O.M.G.

It’s still blazin hot here and between potty-training (more on that later) and the 95+ degree heat, we are going a bit stir crazy! 

There have definitely been a few more cartoons this past week, but also a few fun things to pass the days inside!

lots of lounging – and already growing out of our seat!

just looking handsome…

ARGHHHH Mateys!  Pirate Day! (they LOVED this, as they are both obsessed with “Jack and the Neverland Pirates” – new tent, accessories, pirate speak, “P” snacks")

Crafts – we painted, colored, did worksheets, and made some cool “fireworks” for the 4th ---

special red, white & blue drinks for the 4th!

Trips out – we had bagel Friday at CBA and went to our favorite indoor playspace (and waited 30 minutes to get in – it was 104 that day and every kid in the city was there!)

and still keepin’ on smiling!

PRECIOUS!

sophia newborn & momma pics

our amazing photographer thomas (http://www.tkphotographychicago.com/) and his wife tiana came out when sophia was 3 weeks old (she looks SO different now!) for a fun little shoot.  scott couldn’t get away from work, so it turned into a newborn/bro-sis/single momma shoot, which was kind of fun since I rarely get to be in pics as i am the main shooter!

tiana created a little montage of the photos which you can view below – I especially love the ones of the kids clinging to me in front of the window = REAL LIFE!  the individual photos can be viewed from our picasa site link to the right --->

a BIG shout out to thomas & tiana who spent 3 hours here amidst the chaoes with jack and emma requesting certain shots (he has shot them since emma was born at several occastions, so they think he is their personal papparazzi), and who even went out back to the alley to get them in action!

enjoy!

sophia mae–1 month (3 weeks later…)

obviously with a new little one around, things have been a bit crazy around here and I am behind on so many things!  the 90+ degree heat does not help, as I have been sequestered inside with 3 little ones who LOVE the outdoors and our local parks, as I do not want to subject sophie to too much of this grueling heat, and having her in the ergo right next to my body sounds downright cruel.

so...our little gal is 7 weeks old now, but here is her rundown for 1 month!

At that point, she could barely stay awake more than 20 minutes (she seriously slept for a month straight, I swear!), so all I could get were sleepy pics!

Such a sweet little bug.

here are her one month stats:

      Birth:  7lb 4oz, 19 3/4” long  --  1 month:  10lb 2oz, 22 3/4” long

Whoa baby ----  who loves to eat?!  Yes, she is a terrific eater – only takes 1 breast at a time, which is just fine with this momma as it cut down on both the time and the initial pain!  she has only taken 1-2 bottles thus far (I hate pumping) and is taking 4-5 oz at a time at this point.  I forgot how much I love nursing a baby…such an amazing feeling and one that I feel so lucky to be able to do every day – and with #3, I have no problem “whipping it out” anywhere, anytime… 

Sophia is a great little bundle.  sleeps great – mainly in our arms, on our chests (her favorite), or in the bouncy seat during the day.  at night, she sleeps next to me in the Rock ‘n Play Sleeper (AKA best invention ever – thanks, Jane!) and gets up every 3-4 hours to eat.  Not bad!  She went through a spell around 3/4 weeks where she was GRUNTING like a maniac from 2-5am…I thought it was reflux, but it went away after about 5 days, so it must have been a phase. 

When she is awake, she loves to look at Mommy and Daddy and is starting to like her pacifier (as did both Jack and Emma).  Tummy-time daily and she seems to like it with no struggles…

big surprise – she is another blond-haired, blue-eyed gal.  seems to be also inheriting big bro jack’s famous eyelashes from heaven, so we will see!

overall, a wonderful first month with our newest blessing.  big bro and big sis are doing great – loving on her and wanting to hold her any chance that they get and are overall adjusting very well.  jack told the doctor at her 1 month checkup that he loved having 2 sisters – so sweet.

we tend to refer to her at soph, sophs, sophers, or just sophia…but sometimes sophie just comes out and is phonetically easier to say quickly, so that is okay, too!

2 month update in a couple of weeks – bear with me!