Potty fun!

Wednesday, I had a chance to get together with a good friend I haven't seen in a while. While Jocelyn played in the kiddy pool, our conversation eventually got around to potty training and I explained what the tentative plan was (see previous post). My friend mentioned she had a potty seat her son never wanted to use, so she graciously offered it to us. Well, Jocelyn was fascinated with it, calling it "MY potty" and "MY toilet". This morning, first thing, she insisted that I put it up on the sofa so she could sit on it in her pjs. The yawning cracked me up I must say!

Later in the morning, after a dip in our kiddy pool at home, I removed Jocelyn's swimmy diaper and off she went streaking through the house (I chose the blurry picture in hopes of protecting her future dignity, ha!)

So here I was with a naked kid and a handy potty chair, so I made the suggestion and she went for it. My living room is not the preferred location, just the opportune one, I can assure you.

As was to be expected, there were no miracles the first time, but 30 seconds after getting up from the potty chair, she proceeded to take care of business on the kitchen floor. I rushed her back to the potty for the last 3 drops, and SUCCESS!! Ok, well sort of... But those 3 drops will be recorded for eternity in her list of firsts.

Just in case you're wondering, the diaper was back on right after that!

Strawberries and Goats Oh My!

On Tuesday, Jocelyn and I joined some friends to go strawberry picking at a nearby “Pick Your Own” farm. We were doing pretty good at picking the juicy red strawberries (I told her to pick only the ones that matched the color of her shirt and that worked surprisingly well)...

Until she remembered that strawberries are mighty tasty, and from then on, my helper was too busy chowing down!! I came across a photo of a similar occasion last year. And it seems Jocelyn has carried over her talents in this area.

After picking our strawberries, we went back to the barn to see the animals. They had goats and llamas. The llamas were pretty boring, but the goats caught Jocelyn's attention! They had a series of wooden bridges that brought them to platforms where they could look down on us. As you can see, the goat couldn't have cared less about us, but Jocelyn was pretty facinated with the "goat up there!"

When all was said and done, we came home with some pretty tasty strawberries and I just couldn't resist baking them into a yummy bread! Blueberry season is coming soon!

Potty Training

Today Jocelyn and I went to a "Potty Time" story time at one of the local libraries. The idea was to get kids excited about potty training and being a "big kid". Well, all Jocelyn was excited about was the kiddy shopping cart I couldn't let her bring into the story time room!! We're off to a great start!

I've been doing a lot of thinking about potty training. I also read the book "The No-Cry Potty Training Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. (She also wrote "The No-Cry Sleep Solution", which was a sanity savior for us last summer.) We also have a multitude of kids potty books that make too many weird noises!! Potty training is pretty close to the top of the list of things I really have not looked forward to as a Mommy. Messes are not my thing to begin with (I know I have some OCD, no doubt in my mind), and bathroom germs give me the major icks!! Having to spend hours in the little closet we call a bathroom, waiting for the almighty tinkle or splash, just doesn't sound like fun to me, and taking my precious child to use a public restroom... I cringe at the thought.
I know, I'm getting ahead of myself. After all, Jocelyn has yet to sit on ANY potty. But I think I'm ready to consider having her sit a few times a day and hope for something exciting to happen. I'm good with that - heck, I'll even put together one of those cool sticker charts I've read about. But I'm not ready to ditch the diapers. There's a sense of security there that I just don't think I'm ready to give up yet, yes I said me, not Jocelyn. Part of the problem is we have two vacations planned this summer. They involve either planes or long car rides, hotels, and strange beds. They also involve much activity and potentially some stressful times (which is hard to avoid when traveling with a family of five). I just can't picture adding the need for trips to the bathroom every couple hours.

So maybe there's a plan of some sort in all of that? Start with some visits to the potty now, encourage successes, and come August, when vacations are over, bring out the Elmo underwear. (That Elmo guy is on EVERYTHING, including kids behinds - what they wear on them and what they sit on - see above) Yes I will be one of those mothers that spends huge amounts of money on the disposable toilet covers with the cute characters and the sticky backs, for use in public restrooms. Come on! Give me some slack here!! That may be the only way I'll survive...

Budding gymnast

As her sister Allie says, it looks like Jocelyn is a gymnast in the making. Running a marathon through the bedrooms and doing head stands in the crib have become part of the regular bedtime routine. You would think this would be a bad sign for sleepiness, but once it was lights out, she was conked out! Amazing!

43 and holding

(That's me on my birthday! )

So... today I am officially 43 years old. I remember years ago, as a kid, thinking that if I actually lived to see the millenium, I would be REALLY old!! Of course, the new millenium came in a decade ago, so what does that make me now??

I was born in 1967. Lyndon Johnson was president, the Vietnam War was still going on, the VCR and cassette tapes had yet to be invented, (what the heck were CDs and the DVR!!), Thurgood Marshall is elected first african american Supreme Court Justice, Elvis Presley married Pricilla, and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood aired the first episode. (Yes, I did a little trivia hunting on the internet, oh! did I mention computers were not around in 1967 either??)
As I said, I turn 43 today. Most would say "I'm stopping the clock at 39". I thought about that, but some of my best living has been done in my most recent years! At 38 years old, I graduated from college and of course, I married my incredible hubby (Love you!!), at 39 we moved into this really great home, and at 40 I had my sweet baby girl Jocelyn. And I can't possibly discount this time with her!!

So, today, as the number 43 stares me down, I've decided that I like my life just the way it is, so I officially declare that I am 43 and holding.

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Mother's Day

Hello all and welcome to my world!
It seemed appropriate to start a blog today, since this blog will most often focus on my life with the beautiful little girl that made me a mother.
Jocelyn is now 2 years and 3 months old. The time has flown by, and yet, we have thoroughly lived every moment of every day together, her and I. And I wouldn't trade one of those moments for anything in the world.
As I kiss her good night tonight, and later look in on her as she sleeps, I will thank her again, as I often do, for the privilege of being her Mommy.

For those of you that are honored to be someone's Mommy, here is a little poem I found this morning:

A – Z: For My Children on Mother’s Day
A is for Awe, when they placed you on my chest
B is for Birth and for Bottles and Breasts
C is for Colic and Car Seats and Crawling
D is for Discipline, Diapers and Drawing
E is for Ear Infections, Lord knows we had those
F is for Father and a Family that grows
G is for Genetics and Giggles and Go
H is for Hugs and the Home we love so
I is Imagination and that darn Ice Cream truck
J is for Juice and Jelly and Junk
K is for Kindergarten, bringing tears to my eyes
L is for Listen and Little, White Lies
M is for Mom and Maternity Clothes
N is for Naps and your cute button Nose
O is for Ovaries, Outdoors and Obsessed
P is Potty Training, Pizza and Pets
Q is my voice saying Quickly! or Quiet!
R is Rashes and Reading and Riot
S is your Safety, which is what matters most
T is for Temper Tantrum, Timeout and Toast
U is Unruly and Ugly at times
V is Vaccinations (there are no other rhymes)
W is Whining and Water and Weather
X marks the spot where you bury the treasure
Y is for You, no matter your age
Z is for Zero things that I'd ever change
Just being your Mother, is an incredible gift
When my morale is down, you give it a lift
With a touch or a hug or the sound of your voice
I know that Motherhood was my greatest choice.
My marriage to your Daddy, made me a Wife
But when you were born…YOU gave ME life.
By Cindy Schieffer