Potty training is evil…

This morning I had to leave Lexi with Mom for my annual physical.  I brought her plenty of clothes to change into and had mom prepared to potty train.  Lexi did well with her for the most part.  She peed on the potty and had one accident.  Then she went to bed for a nap and wet all over the crib.  No worries… So I take her home and begin the potty vigil. I swear if I had so much control and could capitalize on it, I’d be a very RICH woman. 

While I was away,  I bought her a new “kini” along with a $10.00 froggie cup (on clearance of course!) I brought her home and immediately began the potty vigil.  We took the potty outside and then to the living room and then to the bathroom.  I’m telling you our girl can “HOLD” it!  I told her that the new cup was for either the table or the potty.  I wish I could say it helped but no…. we have a very stubborn child in need of being in control.  She may be 15 before she is fully trained.

Here’s the new baby doll sitting on her potty chair.  Not so bad from this angle. 

But from this angle she looks like the spawn of “Chuckie” (but hey, I got her from a consignment store at half price!)

\

So later I tried to convince her to pee-pee for  a “juice bribe”.  Apparently, I stink at Potty training even more than I thought!  Here she is trying on  her a new “kini”.  It’s too cute! Frogs and polka dot kinis…. such a treat! 

Missing This View

I took a lot of pictures last Saturday morning about 6:40 am.  I just put them into a panoramic picture this evening. I only wish I had gotten up a little sooner but anyone who knows me, knows that I am NOT a morning person. 

Here’s a few more pictures I love from our trip.

 

Potty Progress

Potty training is one of my summer goals for Lexi.  Since we’ve come back from vacation, I decided to tackle it head on this week.  We started with a baby doll that goes pee-pee on her own potty when you give her a bottle.  Lexi likes to make her go pee-pee.  Yesterday we managed to get her to tinkle in the potty after her nap and she was so excited! That was yesterday’s progress.

Today, once again we put on training panties.  Lexi had an accident in the living room floor and cried when it happened.  I have been encouraging her and telling her it’s okay to have accidents.  The whole time I was cleaning it up she was saying “I sarwe, I didn’t mean to pee-pee on uh floor”.  Over and over.  It just about broke my heart but I know she is going to make mistakes and we are not fussing at her about it so I continue to try.  She did make it once to the potty when I sent her but she didn’t quite get her panties down before she started but hey!  That’s progress.  Then later this afternoon, she went outside.  I asked her before she went if she needed to go but she said no.  Within a few minutes I hear her "I’m going to pee shreek” and I thought she had peed outside again. (This happened this morning too.) But this time she ran to me in the kitchen and peed there.  Had she ran to the potty she  probably would have made it.  I still think this is progress. I think we will begin moving the potty all over the house where ever she is and see if that helps.  Right now our primary outfits are dresses and long tops.  Tomorrow I have a dr. appt and mom is baby sitting.  Is it awful if I am looking forward to mom helping with the training? 

 

Summertime is flying by…

 

I know I have a lot of catching up to do.  I was doing so well posting last week during our vacation and then wham... not so much.  I'll be adding more later.  I did take some time yesterday and today to go through our gazillions of pictures and do some uploading to Shutterfly.  One of my Aunts has also requested an updated picture of Lexi so I decided this year instead of doing a 4th of July greeting, we'd just do Summer with a few of my favorite shots of Lj that were just taken last week.  I'll have to see if these print up nicely and get some in the mail.  Aunt Lucille must not be disappointed!  I'll have to post more about the rest of our vacation later on.  Right now, I'm smack in the middle of Daughters, Grandsons, toys, and potty training!

Where’s the Week Going???

I didn’t ever finish posting about yesterday.  The stories to tell are many so I just have to pick and choose.  After Lexi’s nap yesterday, she came back down to the beach with Brittney.  I brought some hamburger buns to feed the sea gulls and the girls started feeding them. Carolyn was already down there and told me that she JUST KNEW that if anyone was going to get pooped on by one of those birds, it would be her.  Just minutes later, it happened.  I swear I laughed so hard I lost my breath and had to concentrate not to pee my pants. In this picture it looks like Brittney is about to “get it” but no it was poor Carolyn! 

After we left the beach we went back to the condo and I bathed Lexi and we cleaned up.  Later she and Brittney blew bubbles off the balcony. They have done so well together and it’s been so much fun to watch them together.

Lexi has been enjoying the new freedom of sleeping in a bed vs. a crib.  We’ve had no trouble getting her to nap or go to bed.  We do allow her to read a book before she lays down by herself and that works really good.  Well last night when we went to the bedroom to go to bed ourselves, we found this…

 We are not sure the significance for the dollar bills placed under her flip-flops or why she lined up her videos in the floor. It was funny though.

We are having a great time and the week is just flying by.  I finally relented today after yet another fitful night coughing what seemed non-stop and went to the Urgent Care here on the Island. I kind of expected it to be a sinus infection and it is but I also have a throat infection.  I’ve coughed so much that my body hurts.  Carolyn took Lexi and Brittney down to the beach today while Geoff took me.  Hopefully, the antibiotics will kick in soon and the cough will go away.  It’s been the worst part. Carolyn tried to take some pictures of Lexi in her bikini playing with Brittney but our girl as usual would not look at the camera.  She wouldn’t even crack a smile when Geoff and I came back.  I didn’t get much beach time today but will do my best to make up for it tomorrow.  John is coming tomorrow and we are going to make Low Country Boil.  We’ve been enjoying cooking and just hanging out.  We will go out to dinner a few times but for some reason we just love being right here on the beach and really care very little about running all over the place.

Breaking from the Beach

Leave it to Geoff to take off for part of today to go do some work during his vacation.  I actually feel sorry for the man because he is surrounded by girls.  John is not coming until Wednesday so it’s just been us girls and Geoff.  He left early this morning and headed back to Ga. to his office to finish a little bit of work and will be coming back this afternoon.  I’m inside right now so the Direct TV guy can fix the satellite… yes, Geoff has been without TV as well!  He’s had movies and games but no channel flipping.  I’m the kind that could do without the noise of TV but not Geoff.

I took our little pink ballerina to the beach this morning.  It’s still taking her awhile to warm up to the beach.  Last year she was fearless but this year she is cautious.  We’ve not been pushing her and she is slowly getting into it. We brought Cheetos to feed to the birds today.  Lexi had fun feeding them and HERSELF.  Before we left the condo for the beach she was whining “Hold Me, Hold Me!”.  I told her that there was nothing wrong with her and that she could walk.  She very quickly told me “well, I got a hurt knee!”.  LOL!  This HURT knee was from a week ago when she barely scrapped her knee in the parking lot after Bible School.  Carolyn and Brittney got a kick out of how quick she came up with a reason to be carried around. 

After we finished feeding the birds, we put the bag BACK in my beach bag and walked down to the water.  When we came back the bag was floating in the water behind us.  Those birds had went into the my bag and gotten the rest of the bag out.  Lexi was not too happy with them. 

Oh, one more thing… Lexi slept with us last night.  Now I know that’s not a big deal but to me it is.  She never would sleep with us before.  She rolled around and would play.  Last night she crawled in bed and settled right in.  I find this significant because I’m seeing more and more signs of trust in us.  Of course, she she woke up this morning I had to hear “wake up Mommy, no more sleeping.”  We wanted her to talk… Yesterday Carolyn was teasing her and told her that I was “Wanda” and Lexi argued with her and said “That’s my MOMMY!”.  I am and I’m so proud.

I could get used to waking up to this…

It was actually more beautiful around 6:30 this morning but I was in no way ready to crawl out of bed.  Actually, I did get up and take a peek but didn’t grab the camera. My cold is making nights (and even days) very annoying.  I’m coughing all night and my voice is gone.  Hopefully, today will be the turning point.

We had a really nice low key day yesterday.  The beach was great and the company was even better. Lexi has been a very good little girl and she keeps us all infatuated almost 100% of the time!  I got tickled with her yesterday at nap time.  We brought her in from the beach, bathed her, fed her and then put her down for a nap.  She was wearing a hand-me-down dress from Aubrey Cate that was so cute.  Well, when I peeked in on her to see if she was asleep, she was laying across the bed in just her diaper. I guess she got hot!  There are advantages and disadvantages to toddlers learning to dress and undress themselves!  LOL!

We grilled out on the deck last night.  I didn’t think grilled hamburgers could get any better but add the beach and the view and Viola’!  You have an amazing hamburger! 

I wish I had to time to scrapbook all the great pictures I’m taking but then I’d miss some fun so here are a few of my favorites from yesterday.  Of course, most of them have Lexi in them!  I was watching Brittney and Lexi yesterday playing on the beach and just thought how blessed our families are to have these beautiful girls. Adoption is a wonderful blessing that has touched our family in so many ways.

Playing blocks with Daddy.  (notice the covered up cushions on the couch… although it’s very pretty the condo owner must have lost her mind when she ordered this wicker couch with WHITE cushions from Pottery Barn.  We have covered it with beach towels to try to Lj-Proof it!)

What a helpful little cousin!

We thought she was having problems with this big shovel but turns out she was enjoying making the dirt fly.

Looking like a Sumo Wrestler  in this pose…

These expressions in these pictures are so cute!

Our adorable little beach babe! (Yesterday was AC hand-me-down day! Love the suit Tracy!)

Happy Father’s Day Daddy!

Dear Daddy,

     You are the best Daddy in the whole wide world and I love you as much as the ocean is deep and wide and until the end of the earth!  I’ll always be your little girl!

Love Always,
Lexi

Vacation 2010!

Amazingly we were off for Amelia Island by 12:30!  It was a sister caravan.  This year we rented a condo that is just 30 steps from the sand.  Yes, Beach front and Heavenly! It’s not quite as roomy as last years condo but very comfy and actually more Lexi-friendly. I warned Carolyn before we left that Lexi would be dressed much cuter than us but that’s just fine with us.  She had a new Pillow Case dress that Carolyn bought her about a month ago that matched a fish bow that she had made her during the winter so THAT was how we started the day. CUTE!

Before we left, Lj and I went to visit Mom and Dad and give him his Father’s Day present from me and Carolyn. Mom was so happy to see Lexi even though she had seen her every day this week.  Seen is the word.  They did get some time together but we had so much to do after Bible School that we would get her settled eating her Cheetos and finish before I would swoop her up and take her home for her nap.  Lexi had a Papa’s present from me and Carolyn and Mom and Richard.  It was funny but yet so precious to watch them.

And then we headed to Amelia Island.  Once we got here, Lexi, Brittney and I headed to the beach as Carolyn and Geoff unpacked. Lexi was a little more cautious than last year but Brittney helped a lot!

Then Carolyn gave Lexi a new bathing suit complete with new matching flip-flops. 

We ordered Pizza tonight and as we ate on the deck as the sun set, we took pictures of Lexi as she relaxed in her chair.  She is now asleep in our bed.  We put her down on a pallet on the floor next to our bed but as I type this post, she is in the middle of the bed.  I guess she had other ideas.  We’ll figure out who sleeps where before the night is over.  I’ve almost completely lost my voice to coughing with allergies and will not keep her up all night with my coughing.  We’ll update with Va-Kay Day tomorrow.