Big Girl Potty Success

This is a post mainly for my own reference, but it's a pretty big deal.  Delaney successfully used the big girl potty for the very first time last night.  We had a rough evening with a lot of tantrums, crying, and screaming.  She was tired and getting more tired every minute, so we decided on a early bath.  For the last couple weeks we have been sitting her on the "potty" right before bath.  We aren't pushing the potty training yet, but we figured we'd get her used to the idea.  She is also very into sitting on chairs and things, so it's "fun" for her right now. 

Last night was just like any other (except Craig was working late, so it was just us girls).  Daddy typically does bathtime with D, it's one of  "their things".  I stripped her down and set her up on the throne, and said "Go potty D".  I was putting my hair in a ponytail when I heard a little tinkle.  Of course, I freaked out and we clapped and cheered!  Delaney enjoyed this thoroughly and joined in with a big grin and lots of clapping.  I'm sure she had no idea what the big deal was, but we will take it.  It's a start! 

I don't plan to actively potty train her for a while yet, unless this is the start of some crazy new occurrence!  So far in the 18 months of Delaney's life, she has achieved all of the "milestones" at her own pace.  She could have crawled, walked, talked, etc. long before she actually did.  She's stubborn and independent, so she does things when she's good and ready.  I'm not expecting anything different when it comes to potty training.  She will have to decide when she wants to do it, and that will be it!  Last night was a tiny first step in that direction!  Way to go Delaney, Mommy is so proud of you!  (Although, it does make Mommy a little sad to see you growing up so fast!)

18 months!

Already 18 months!?!  Believe me...I know!  It doesn't seem possible that just a year and a half ago that tiny little bundle was born.  Remember when she was only 5lbs and ate out of a syringe...crazy!  They say "time flies...", but I didn't really understand until now!  In honor of Delaney's half birthday (yesterday...actually), I thought it would be fun to do a little bullet list all about her...

• Stats from our 18 month check up with the pediatrician today:  29lbs 15 oz (97 percentile), 33.25 inches tall (90 percentile), I don't remember the actual head circumference off the top of my head, but it's big... head size (90th percentile).  Basically, she's a big girl all around!  She's proportionate across the board, and she's thriving!  I was a little worried that we'd have to start restricting her diet or something, but so far so good as we are still on the charts!
• Clothes/Diapers...She is just starting the transition from 18 month cloths to 2T.  The 18 month stuff is getting a little snug and short, and doesn't look the best sometimes.  It's nice that this is happening with the change of the seasons, as she was going to need a new wardrobe for fall/winter anyway!  (We also scored some super cute hand-me-downs from Miss Julia Bright last week that helps with this transition!)  She is still wearing size 4 diapers, which I think will be our size for a while yet.  Her little feet have been growing lately too.  She's wearing Toddler size 5s right now, but even a few of them are a little snug on her fat little feet!  The kids loves her shoes, and I couldn't be happier that there seems to be something she finally got from me! 
• Eating & Drinking...She only drinks milk & water by her choice alone (not that we are complaining) out of her sippy cups.  She is also mastering her fork and spoon more every day!  She actually eats better with her silverware versus the "caveman" method with her fingers.  As far as what she eats, it changes on a daily basis.  There are really very few things she actually doesn't like, but there are many things that she chooses not to eat when she doesn't feel like it.  It's always "fun" to try to figure out what she's in the mood for!  We do know this girl has a sweet tooth, and will share a sweet treat with Mommy (or Daddy if she's quick) anytime!  Her favorite foods that she will always eat are spaghetti, mac & cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets, peas, green beans, and Nila Wafers...not all the healthiest options, but there is always fruit and/or veggies with all of that I promise!  She also loves to snack, which is probably a bad habit we've started; however, that kid will run around with her little snack cup filled with crackers all day every day if we let her.  She'll even go to the little cabinet where we keep all that kind of stuff and help herself.  We might need to re-locate that cabinet soon!
• Teeth...She has a new obsession with brushing her teeth.  She will go into the bathroom, open the drawer, get out her toothbrush, take the cover off it, and start brushing multiple times a day if we aren't paying attention.  We typically brush her teeth while she takes her nightly bath and before we leave for Holly's every morning.  She is slowly working on getting her 1 year molars in...no fun!  Delaney hasn't always been the "best" teether, so these are especially tough.  She just doesn't seem to get them in very fast, so they hurt for a long time!
• Talking...it seems like Delaney learns a new word almost every day.  Her two latest that I find exceptionally cute are "Amen" & "Hot Pink".  She also can no refer to herself as "Miss D", the pet-name Holly gave her when she was just a wee little peanut!  The kid can repeat almost anything, but still refuses to even attempt "please" or "thank you".  She could totally say those things if she wanted do, but again like everything else she'll do it when she's good and ready!  She can name all her friends at Holly's house as well as most of her cousins.  We are working on the other family members, and hope to debut some of those names soon!  We are also working on animals and animal sounds.  She definitely has the  Moo! down for cows, but we have room for improvement with the others.  
• Books...she is addicted to books!  That kid isn't happy unless there is a book in her hand and several at her feet.  She loves her books.  She turns the pages on her own.  She is even starting to point out things like balls, ducks, and pretties (hairbows) as we read.  First thing in the morning and last thing at night, that girl is at her bookshelf.  She has even woken up hysterically in the middle of the night and as soon as we get her out of her crib, she wants down and goes straight for the books!  She's nuts!   I've actually had to take books away on a few occassions...Mom of the year right here! Her favorites right now are Snuggle Puppy (Sandra Boynton), The Very Hungary Caterpillar (Eric Carle), and Hoppity Hop Bunny (A flip tab book I picked up for her Easter Basket at Sams).
• Playing...She would play outside all day every day if we let her.  She loves to run and kick balls.  She loves sidewalk chalk.  She loves going for walks in the new wagon her daddy bought her.  She loves to ride on her tricycle (with Daddy's help).  She is infatuated with the bumble bees that love our flowers.  She loves to climb up on the front porch and dance around.  She loves her swing, and prefers to go up her slide.  She's even better at fetch than Izzy (although fetch has never been one of Izzy's favorite tricks!)  She can find dirt or mud without trying, and skinned knees and falls don't hardly slow her down.  Inside, if she's not into her books she is running around climbing on everything...coffee tables, kitchen tables, bathroom counters, toilets, chairs, dog kennels, etc.  She's a little monkey!  She also really enjoys running the carpet sweeper around, and she'd love a crack at our Dyson (but it's a little big for her to manage).  I'm thinking of dressing her up as a little French Maid for Halloween since she's into "cleaning", but I'm not sure how appropriate that is!?!  She has also recently decided coloring was a pretty fun activity too, which I think is quite fun!
• Dancing & Swimming...Delaney loves to dance.  If we aren't entertaining her enough, she go over to the stereo, grab the remote, and turn it on herself just to boogie down.  Let me be the first to warn you, Beyonce better look out because our little "single lady" has "moves like Jagger".  I could watch her dance all day long!  I can't wait to get her into dance lessons...birthday gift idea Grandmas, hint, hint!  She is still going strong in her swimming lessons with Miss Jessica at Lifestrokes.  She's still learning so much, and getting so much better all the time.  She can hold her breath better than most of the kids in her class.  Miss Jessica says she has amazing breath control for someone her age!  Our little fishy makes us so proud!
• Attitude...Delaney definitely has a little diva 'tude she displays on a regular basis.  She's stubborn, independent, and has a serious temper.  Last night after her bath, we had a glimpse of a actual throw-yourself-down temper tantrum.  It didn't last long, but I can only imagine what these will evolve into soon!  Oy-ve!  She throws things, hits, kicks, and screams!  She lets everyone know when she's not happy.  She starts running in place and screaming when she gets told "no" on a regular basis.  I guess my only saving grace is that I know this is all a stage.  It is making me a little nervous for her teenage years though...I can feel the gray hairs already!

Well, I could go on about my little love bug all day, but I'm sure you're all beyond bored by now!  We started a new adventure this week with Craig's new job, so we are all adjusting to that!  This has great potential for all of us, so we are excited to finally get it started.  So far so good...

Where were you?

Ten years ago today, Craig and I were Seniors at Tekamah-Herman High School.  It was just like any other day.  I first heard the news of the attacks as I was in-between first and second period.  First period, I had Band, and since it was football season we were out on the playground practicing for Friday's upcoming halftime performance, so I didn't hear the news initially.  Craig (along with the rest of the football players in band) was excused from Band class to go to Student Center.  Student Center was a glorified study hall for "honor" students, that had no supervising teacher and a pop machine, so he heard about the attacks a few minutes before I did.  As I headed up to my locker after Band, the word was spreading throughout the halls.  Ironically, I (and Craig) had Government class second period.

As soon as we walked into the classroom, the TV was on, and we could see the towers burning.  It was the quietest that classroom ever was...nobody knew what to say.  That classroom was typically always a class discussion of some sort with a laid-back, open sort of feel, not that day.  We all just watched in silence.  We watched the towers fall.  We all knew this was big & horrible, but I know I didn't have any concept of exactly what all this meant for our country.  The entire rest of the day, we moved from class to class, one TV to another.  We had one lone teacher that felt that we didn't need to watch the coverage, and we should go about our normal coursework like any other day.  (I can still attest, that we didn't learn anything in that class that day.)

We were scheduled to play a volleyball match in West Point that night.  The Seniors always traveled to the games a little later than the Freshman & JV teams.  We road in a van driving by Coach Andrew.  Normally, he would have 99.9 (KGOR) on with his Blues Brothers sunglasses, grooving to the oldies on the way.  All us girls would be chatting up a storm, driving him crazy.  That day the van was silent except for the talk radio station Coach had tuned in.   We were all still sucked in by the media coverage.  Any other day, we would have protested talk radio, but  not that day.  We arrived in West Point, and it was so surreal.  We dressed, we warmed up, we sang the National Anthem, we had a moment of silence.  We were all there going through the motions, but nobody in the gym was thinking about Class C-1 High School Volleyball.  If I remember right, we lost...it didn't matter.  Nothing mattered that night.

The coming days are somewhat of a blur.  I remember the school guidance counselor speaking to our Government class as a pseudo-grief counselor.  I didn't really understand why.  Like I said, I knew it was bad, but I didn't have any idea what it all meant.  We had another moment of silence Friday night before the football game.  We distributed yellow ribbons before the game.  Everyone went through the motions.

I don't think I started to grasp the "big picture" of the events until a few weeks later at our first Close-Up Meeting following 9/11.  (Close-Up is a program for high school students that gives schools the opportunity to take a group of students out to a "workshop" of sorts in Washington, D.C. for a in-depth look at our nation's government.)  At the beginning of the year, we had over 25 students signed up to go and begun fund raising.  After 9/11, over half of those students backed out.  That meeting was an all-out screaming matching by parents on both sides.  Some wanted the trip canceled for everyone.  Some wanted us to still have the opportunity to go, but they were not allowing their child to board a plane bound for DC.  Craig & I still ended up going with a handful of others as scheduled in March 2002.  We experienced all the security changes of D.C. post-9/11.  We were denied access to places that were always part of the normal Close-Up program.   It was by far the best trip we took in High School, and we learned and saw so much; but it was definitely tainted by what happened 9/11.

As we have built up to the 10 year Anniversary, we have seen the news specials all over TV.  We have watched some, recorded some.  I can't get through one of them without crying.  I understand now what I didn't way back then.  Every time (which thankfully isn't that often) I step on an airplane...I get it.  I think of all the people I know who have been serving in Iraq & Afghanistan that wouldn't have been there otherwise...I get it.  That chill I get anytime I'm at an event with a fly-over as the planes are heading toward us...I get it.  I didn't know it at the time, but that day 10 years ago would change everything.  I know I'll never forget!

God Bless America!

On to bigger & better things...

After 5+ years, Craig has decided to move on to bigger & better things.  He turned in his two weeks notice last Friday, and a week from Monday he will begin a new venture working with his brother, Brent.  This is a big change for all of us, but it will be good for everyone.  Initially, Craig will have to commute to Omaha, but he long-term plan is to open a branch in Lincoln so it's not forever.  His daily commute to the office in Omaha will be about 50 minutes one-way, so it about doubles his current drive.  

This will give Craig a change of pace, opportunities for upward movement, full benefits, and hopefully more respect!  He was getting more and more frustrated with his current job, so this couldn't have come at a better time.  Brent & Craig have wanted to work together for years, so now it is finally happening.  It will be fun to see what these two can do together! 

Delaney & I are excited for him, and cautiously optimistic the commute won't take away too much of his time with us.  We keep telling ourselves that it won't be forever!  We have no immediate plans to move to Omaha.  If anything, maybe we'll move to the other side of Lincoln in a couple years, as right now we are in the complete opposite corner from Omaha and a move to East Lincoln could cut his commute in half.  We shall see...this housing market isn't conducive to us trying to sell our house anytime soon without losing some serious dough, so we'll (Craig will) have to tough it out for a while!