Potty Training Houdini

First off I don't think I told everyone ....we're having a BOY!!!!!  John and I are so very, very excited!  It's hard to believe we only have a little over three months to go! 

Because we're so close to baby time we thought it would be a good idea to get Sloane started on potty training while still allowing ourselves a few months to prefect it.

I don't know what impressions other first times mom had about potty training but everyone I knew told me it took their kid like three days (if that) to get the hang of it.  Other then it should take three days and let Sloane run around naked we didn't really have any idea of what to expect.

We're now on day 10 of no diapers (expect at nap and bedtime) and doing well!  In fact we took our first start to finish poop in the toilet today....sorry if that's TMI :)  Of course we've had our ups and downs.  I was about ready to throw in the towel on day three when someone told me to give her a little bit longer to catch on.  Thank you whoever told me that....

We give her a treat every time she has a "hit" on the potty.  It started out as three m&m's then moved to a Hershey kiss then Skittles next to chocolate covered raisins and now we're on to gummy lifesavers.  We had to stop the chocolate mainly because John and I kept grabbed a handful whenever she got one too.  Not a good habit to get into :) 

Aside from a few accidents here and there we're doing well.  The only big problem we're working out now....she somehow can get out of her pajamas and nap and bedtime.  If you remember way back I posted this about Sloane taking her clothes off all the time.  We tried backwards diapers, layers and layers of difficult clothes, taping her diaper on and finally settled on footless pajamas on backwards- meaning the zipper is in the back.  This genius idea has worked for almost a year... until now.  You know it's not good when you walk upstairs to go to bed and see a diaper and pajamas thrown over the gate.

John came up with another genius idea in hopes to keep her fully clothed at bedtime. 

If you look really close you can see that he snipped the "handle" of the zipper off.  The only way I could get it down to put it on her was to bend a paper clip back through.  If she can get out of this she's talented. 

Wish us luck! 

The $175 baby blanket

Thanks to Pinterest I'm often finding projects online and thinking to myself, "I could do that if I had a sewing machine."

After convincing John that this was going to save us money in the long run we bought our first sewing machine and tonight I made my first baby blanket!  Please note- this may look really nice in the picture but in person you can totally tell I'm a novice :) 

The problem is that while I could teach myself to do clothing alterations/repairs, curtain making, etc I keep finding "cute baby stuff" to make for all my friends and family that are having babies- which isn't exactly the money saving route John wanted me to take with this new machine.  (he should have seen this coming) 

So....all in all, machine, thread, scissors, fabric, batting, fountain pop to keep me focused this one blanket set us back about $175.  Totally worth it right?  :)

If you're interested I used this tutorial I found via Pinterest

Blessed

You want to know what I'm most thankful for this Thanksgiving?

These two, right here...

Seriously, try not to be jealous ;o)

 

Of course also on the thankful list include wonderful parents, in-laws, jobs we love, a home that's just perfect for us, and a new baby arriving in April!  And who could forget about Midas!?  While the drool does drive us both insane- he's pretty wonderful too!  

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!  Let the Christmas countdown begin! 

Happy Halloween!

Our first Halloween in the new neighborhood was absolutely AMAZING!  I'm not kidding when I say it was like something out of Martha Stewart magazine- the weather, tons to people, mom with their coffee's, dads with their "drinks", the leaves on the ground, every house lit up.....it was just perfect!

We spent the first hour out trick-or-treating with Sloane while my parents handed out candy.  Sloane did a pretty good job considering it was her first treat time out trick-or treating from house to house.  Of course she wanted to eat the candy before we got home.  :)  

My first costume pick for Sloane was to go as Curious George, her favorite but then I got worried people would think she's a boy.  I switched it to a pig in a blanket where I'd dress her up at a pig and give her a blanket but of course she wouldn't wear the pig nose.  And without the nose she looked like a bunny....so then I found a great owl costume on Pinterest (if you not on it- get on it now- awesome, awesome stuff).  So after a few burns with the hot glue gun Sloane was ready to be the cutest owl ever! 

I asked my mom to keep count of how many kids came to our door- over 100 and all prepared with a joke and most even said "thank you"! 

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween! 

 (I realize this isn't the best shot but I wanted one to show how busy it was- lines at most houses for treats!)

We're Pregnant!

If you haven't already heard the news (or read the post title).... I'm pregnant!  And yes, that's my excuse for taking a small vacation from updating the blog.  :)  After a few rough weeks in the beginning I'm feeling great!  We're due April 26, which makes me 15 weeks prego- I'll save you from doing the math in your head.

Sloane seems to be pretty excited about it too.  She thinks the baby is in my "button" (belly button- close enough right?) and it's always sleeping :)  She loves to say, "Shhhhhh, the baby's sleeping in there, don't wake the baby."  She's going to be a great older sibling.

Again, I feel like everyone else is pregnant too which is great- more friends for Sloane and more mom's for me to troubleshoot with!  I'm sure it's just our age but John and I have close friends/family that are due every month from now until May!  Babies, babies, babies!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited John and I are to have another shot at the baby stage.  Ask either one of us and we'll tell you babies (under 12 mths) are just not that fun.  We'd much rather have a running, talking, even sometimes kicking and screaming toddler then a baby.  But now that we're in Des Moines, closer to friends, family, entertainment, the gym, multiple babysitters, and equipped with much more knowledge I think we might be able to enjoy the early months this time around and dare I say it.....relax a little bit and have fun!

Stay tuned-- Halloween pics to come soon!  

I'm crazy!

Again, I've been a little slow to blog about our exciting Summer and now it's September!  (I think my last post started out very similar hmmmm). 

Everyday honestly keeps getting more and more fun with Sloane.  She talks, sings, giggles, and of course still cries from time to time but some of the things she says and does just amazes me.  So..... if you haven't had the privilege to see Sloane in awhile I've come up with the top ten thing she does that crack us up.  Enjoy!

10. A hug always comes with a kiss....on the lips.  Even if she barely knows the person.
9.  Every morning she asks for some coffee (my luke warm, heavy on the cream and sugar version of coffee) with a spoon.  (I wish I was joking about this)
8.  She'll shake her head back and forth yelling, "I'm crazy!"
7.  She finds every blanket in the house (including towels) put them on the floor in our bedroom and jump from our bed to the floor over and over again.  I've given up on making beds. 
6.  Every color is green.  Next guess?  Yellow.  Always
7. She can hear a fire truck a mile away and when she does she'll come running to you to see it.
6. She thinks fire hydrants that are two colors are wearing a "hat"
5.  If you leave your wallet and/or money laying around it will end up in her "cash register".  Sounds vaguely similar to her father....
4.  Hold up an outfit and ask her what she thinks, "Cuuuute." is always the answer.  Sounds vaguely like her mother :) 
3.  She knows our neighbors by the names of the dogs that live in them
2.  Some how magically waits to pass gas until she's naked in the tub and then laughs and says, "I tooted"
1.  When she figures out something all by her self she yells, "Yay!  I did it!"

Gosh, I love her!  Don't you?

July in Review

It's August?  Seriously?

What happened to July?

Here is a wordless recap of our "fly by July".  Enjoy!
(click on photos to make larger) 

 

 

-------------------Ely-----------------

more to come....