Bartons Blabbing

Potty Training Chronicles

2012-03-04T11:45:00.001-08:00

I've had so many people ask me for the links to our Potty Training posts so I decided to create a quick post for ALL the links to make my life easier. Enjoy!

Days 1 - 2

Days 2 - 3

Days 3 - 4

Days 4 - 5

Days 5 - 6

1 week later

Bye Potty!!

1 month later

Gma and Gpa Mudd's visit

2012-03-04T11:26:00.002-08:00

What a great visit we had this weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Mudd!! We were so happy to see them, they got to stay for 3 whole days this time! They were amazed at how much Layla is eating and talking...and got to witness how good she's doing with potty training.

On Thursday we went to the outlet in Birch Run so I could check out the deals at Pottery Barn and see if they had anything for Layla's big girl bed. We were in luck and picked up a pretty pink duvet cover for her bed. SCORE!!! It was kind of a long day and Layla hates shopping, so I didn't get any pictures.

On Friday we met our playgroup friends at Dow Gardens for story time and got to see the butterflies. I kept my cool and only freaked out once when this little boy tried to put a butterfly on my leg. I probably traumatized that poor child for life. Layla did great though! She didn't want to hold any of the butterflies but she did enjoy watching them. I can NOT believe I forgot my camera but here are a few pictures I took after we got back to our house:

These are the glitter tattoos that Grandma and Layla got. Layla got her's first but then started to freak out a bit so Grandma got one to make her feel better. LOL

Curly girl and Grandma.

And here is the $20 fake butterfly that Grandma bought for Layla. It actually looks very real from a small distance. It flutters away in its jar and Layla LOVES it! She named "her" Pink and it is the first thing she wants when she wakes up in the morning and after nap.

Here she is admiring "Pink".

Her face is hilarious in this pic.

Friday night we went to the mall (because that is the only thing to do). Layla got to ride the choo choo train. She was very excited at first and then got a little bit scared, but she did OK and has talked about it all weekend. I was excited because I got some one on one time with the "conductor" so I could ask a very important question that has been eating at me ever since we have discovered this mall train with no tracks...has he ever ran anyone over? The answer, in case this will keep you up at night, is no. But you can't tell me he doesn't channel his inner Blues Brother while he drives that thing.

On Saturday we ate breakfast at Cafe Zinc and I really wanted to get a nice shot of Layla with Grandma and Grandpa when we were done. As usual, that didn't happen. But I did get a couple of cute ones:

After breakfast we ran over to the Home Depot to get a few things for Bob to fix a huge hole in our bathroom ceiling that has been covered with masking tape for about 3 months. LOL. They had a workshop for the kids there that was AMAZING! I had no idea they did this and I'm so glad we stumbled upon it. Layla even got her own smock and pin for completing her project. I don't think she was into it as much as we were...in fact, she was really doubting my building abilities.

Grandma and Grandpa left this morning and we miss them already. We can't wait to go home and see everyone for Easter!!!

Breaking the curse

2012-02-28T11:34:00.001-08:00

In an effort to break this terrible toddler bed curse, we finally got Layla's bed frame done and put together! It looks great and her room is slowly coming together (yaaaay!!).

Layla decided that she hated the rail we put on the bed. After sleeping on the floor for a few days, she got used to not feeling like she was in a crib and the rail didn't allow her to get in and out by herself. Because I was scared she'd fall out (even though she barely moves when she's sleeping) I grabbed anything soft that I could find in her room and put them on the floor. This includes a few pillows, quilt and a HUGE stuffed monkey (thanks Dad and Cindy!).

It has been a few days and she hasn't fallen out, but she does get out of bed. On Sunday night I went in to check on her and I couldn't open the door...sure enough she was laying up against it. LOL. But as long as she doesn't leave her room, I don't really care where she sleeps.

Yesterday during nap, I decided to get a quick shot of L sleeping...something I've never been able to easily do. Ever since she was a baby she'd wake up as soon as I got the first picture in. So this time I decided to crack her door open and take the picture from in the hallway.

Look how sweet and innocent she looks! And in case you are wondering, yes...that is a toddler sleep sack she is wearing. LOL. Her body temp has to be at least 230 degrees or she won't sleep...so when I put her to bed she is normally in a long sleeved shirt and pants, socks and a sleep sack. On top of that she MUST be covered with at least 3 small blankets. D-I-V-A. But only during the day, at night she sleeps fine in just normal PJs. Silly girl.

Anyway...so I got that top picture in and as soon as the shutter closed her eyes open. I jumped back into the hallway thinking "if she doesn't see me, maybe she'll go back to sleep". HA! I should know her better by now...I peeked around the corner and she's staring at the door like "What the HECK?!". I can't believe she even heard the camera, she sleeps with a sound spa on high...it sounds like there is a waterfall at the foot of her bed.

What I didn't get a picture/video of was the screaming that took place after I took the picture above. I decided to just walk into her room (camera still around my neck) and lay down with her for a second. As soon as I stepped foot into the room she put her hand out and screamed "NOOOOOOO CAMIIIIIIII" that means "no camera" or "no pictures please" in Layla's language. This is crazy to me. It takes me at LEAST 20 minutes to wake up from a slumber, it takes Layla 20 milla seconds to wake up and gain enough composure to tell me not to take any more pictures of me...this must be Bryan's fault somehow. Haha.

And for the record, this will be the last picture you probably ever see of L sleeping because I will NOT risk waking her up an hour early from nap or bedtime EVER AGAIN. ;o)

Toddler Bed Curse

2012-02-24T17:37:00.000-08:00

Enough of the screaming, enough of the crying...we are ready for a big girl bed. Layla has been HORRIBLE at nap time for the past 2 months. I can count the number of times on my fingers that she's actually taken a nap since we started potty training.

I'm fine with her not taking a nap, but she's not getting any down time. I've tried EVERYTHING and this week I decided enough was enough, I was throwing her mattress on the floor and calling it a "big girl bed". Sure enough, she started staying on the mattress and seemed really excited about her "Simba bed". Whatever works right?!

This is one of the last pictures I took of Layla's crib. Please note all the books (3), pillow (1), babies (3), blankets (4) and "lovies" (3)...and their is one McDonald's toy Smurf ("Mousie") in there too.

Bryan's parents came for a visit last week and actually brought the bunk bed's that Bryan and his brother shared. We are using one of them as Layla's big girl bed but we had to sand, prime and paint it. It is still a work in progress...only 1 coat left, then some drying time and Layla will officially have her big girl bed (sob).

But having that little crib mattress on the floor looked so weird so we decided to let her take a test drive on her mattress. And this is where the curse begins. Yesterday we took the crib down and put all the "baby stuff" away, including the rocker that was in her room. We brought up the new twin mattress, laid it on the floor and I made the bed. The whole time we were making a big HUGE deal about it and Layla seemed really excited.

As soon as I got the bed made she jumped in and wanted covered up. Awesome! She loves it! She just laid there and looked at us like she was really thinking about something...and then we realized she was PEEING. This kid hasn't had an accident in the house in I don't know how long but apparently she felt the need to mark her territory. So I take the bed apart and wash ALL the sheets, blankets...etc.

She did great last night, slept all night in her bed and called me when it was time to get up. I was so proud of her! Apparently things like potty training and "big girl" beds come naturally to Layla, but eating is an issue?! LOL. Anyway, she went down for nap like a champ and even SLEPT! Holy cow...it's a miracle!

I laid down with her for a few minutes to play after nap. How amazing it was to just lay in the same bed and play as she woke up. All of a sudden I smelt pee but I just thought her diaper was full from actually napping. Nope...I was sitting in a pile of pee. Apparently her diaper had come off during nap and she peed all over. Great...sheets off, blankets and such BACK in the wash and Layla got a bath at 3:30 in the afternoon.

We all know Bryan and I practice top parenting skills everyday. Today, we let Layla jump on her bed. I know we are going to pay greatly for this...but I'm going to go ahead and blame this one on Bryan. Anyway, here is a video of Layla jumping on her mattress and reason #3 (starting at about minute 1:15) why we might need to hire a priest and get some holy water up in here:

The look she gives me at the end is priceless and I really wish it would have been in focus! But it is a good thing it wasn't...it's kind of like the movie "The Ring". If you look directly at it, the curse might come to your house! LOL

Barton's Visit

2012-02-24T17:15:00.000-08:00

Grandma and "Paw Paw" Barton came for a visit last week. We had a really fun time with them and love when they come (and bring Annie of course!). Layla loved being babied by Grandma, here she is getting her lunch fed to her:

She even got to feed Annie a little bit:

Little baby getting her milk:

Paw Paw brought Layla a VERY special treat...a chocolate bear! She ate the ears, feet and hands while she sat on Paw Paw's lap. She's been taking bits on and off this week but we still have lots of bear left!

Thanks for coming to visit Grandma and Paw Paw! See you soon!

Pez time!

2012-02-13T17:14:00.000-08:00

Here is L enjoying her first Pez experience:

Note to self: Sick toddler + sugar = HOT MESS! But Layla and I have been stuck in the house staring at each other all day (Daddy had to work late) so what else was I going to do?

Fablous Foyer here we come!

2012-02-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have a problem, I can not finish a project before I start another one. It is TERRIBLE. My focus right now should be on L's room redo but I can't control myself, our foyer was just begging to be started. I blame this on a steal of a deal table that I found at Marshall's.

I found the table for less than $90 (there's a scratch on the back but who cares?!) and had to get it. But now I had a great table, crappy lamp and NOTHING else. Pretty impressive front entrance, right? So after looking at this for a week I decided it was time to get stuff done. One Sunday I just jumped up and started measuring. We were doing faux wainscoting!

I started with where I wanted the chair rail to be. We already have one in our dining room (we also plan on doing wainscoting in there) so I used that as my guide. Measuring from the floor, my first tape line was to determine where the chair rail would be- about 30 inches from the floor. After taping the "chair rail" around the foyer, I started on the boxes. I decided how many boxes I wanted on each wall, then determined how far away I wanted them from the chair rail, baseboard and each other. I decided after looking at several other blogger's tutorials that 4 inches was a good number...and just went with it!

Taping- DONE! Just having things taped looked better than before...maybe we should have just left up that beautiful blue stuff. Ha!

Now it was time for a trip to Home Depot. We needed a Miter saw and trim! Thankfully we were able to find the same chair rail material that's in the dining room and then just used piece of flat wood trim that we liked for the boxes. Neither of these were primed so we saved some dough there (plus I am a freak and LOVE priming and painting). Here's a quick pic of our materials:

Time to get down to business. Bryan took over from here because I don't go near machinery. He took all the measurements he needed (SO easy since he just had to measure the tape) and went to his work room to cut the materials. He made all cuts at a 45 degree angle and fitted them on the floor of his work room before brining them up to make sure they all had nice clean fits.

Next up- putting the trim on the walls! Now stop. Hammer time. Haha...I crack myself up. Using my tape as a guide, Bryan used 2 1/2 inch trim nails and hammered the trim to the walls making sure to hit the studs for maximum "stayness". Yep, I just invented a word. Also...a nail gun would be easier but we like to do things the hard way. Here was our first completed wall:

Eeek! Such a huge difference. The corner to the left is the start of our living room. Eventually we will continue the "wainscoting" there and into the dining room. For now, that chair rail is just cut at a 45 degree angle and will hang out as is.

We ran into a bit of a problem when we started to do the next wall:

First issue with pocket door: we have a wall with no studs. Second issue with a pocket door: there's a pocket door. I have a feeling it would be no longer in use after using 2 1/2 inch nails to attach a chair rail to that side of the wall. And this is why I have my husband...because you better believe I would have just nailed those suckers up, caulked and painted the whole thing and one day realize "hey, I can't pull out the pocket door!".

So we decided to use some Power Grab adhesive ($8 at Home Depot) to "glue" the trim to the wall then the 2 1/2 inch nails further along the wall where the studs started back up. We had to "tape" the trim to the walls for 24 hours while the adhesive set, but I think this turned out to be a pretty good solution.

Then we ran into problem #2 on the other end of the foyer. We are not continuing the chair rail down the hallway so we have another dead end.

Again, my genius husband crafted this cute little teeny tiny piece to fit snugly into the crack for a nice finished look. Pretty good right?!

After using a nail punch to get the nail heads further in the trim, we used wood putty to fill in the holes and lightly sanded down any excess after it dried. Then it was time to caulk along the edges of all wood and fill in any gaps. This helps things look nice and crisp after the trim is painted (aka- no gaps or cracks along the wall).

We used a tube of Alex Plus and it went on very easily. Just applied at a 45 degree angle with the caulking gun doing a "line" at a time...caulking then pressing the white stuff into the cracks with a wet finger. Have LOTS of wet and dry paper towels with you so you aren't running back and forth to the sink. We also used a wet paper towel to wipe up any spills and "oopses".

Finally we can prime and paint! Using a latex primer (because that's what we had) I primed all the trim. I used painters tape so I wouldn't get any on the existing trim and baseboard...but I didn't bother with the walls since they are getting a fresh coat of paint as well.

Bryan didn't trust me to keep paint off the wood floors so he used masking tape to secure a drop cloth. Instead of taping the floor...he taped the baseboard. Guess I didn't need that blue painters tape...baseboard will now need to be sanded, primed and repainted. Me to Bryan after discovering this: "I'm going to KILL YOU". Bryan to me "At least there's no paint on the FLOOR".

In his defense, all of the trim in this entire house needs redone. The trim itself is in great shape, even after 30 years! But the contractor that updated the house before we bought it painted right on the wood...no primer. So we get the job of sanding, priming and painting ALL of the doors, closet doors, trim and baseboards in the entire house. We'll be doing this room by room as we go. Talk about a lot of work!

After 2 coats of primer and 1 coat of paint on the trim, and 2 coats of paint on the walls, our faux wainscoting is finished! We couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!

I think the first thing you notice in the before/afters is the wainscoting...second thing is my crooked lampshade. Ha! That lamp and the candle sticks will be getting a fresh coat of paint...along with the top part of the walls. I'm really thinking a light gray will look gorgeous in this room but I'm waiting to find a rug that I fall in love with to coordinate.

Although I'd love to cross a line through this room on our to do list, I'm not going to rush the paint color decision. For now, I'll just sit back and enjoy the faux wainscoting transformation!

Super Bowl Weekend

2012-02-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was SO much fun! I had a session Saturday morning (I'm getting busier and busier with photography!) and then we just hung out as a family for the rest of the day. On Sunday we had church in the morning and then a pool party in the afternoon! Layla had so much fun in the pool with Daddy

After the pool, it was time to head across the parking lot to our friend's house for the Super Bowl! We let Layla drive over there...she did pretty good!

I didn't do a single load of laundry that weekend (felt SO good) so on Monday I realized I didn't have any clean socks for Layla. I looked through her dirty clothes basket and there were only a few pairs in there! Where did all her socks go?! Oh wait, I know...

Yep, there were 8 pair of socks behind her bed! Haha!

Potty Training - 1 Month later

2012-02-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that we have potty champion!! Layla is doing AMAZING, I'm so proud of her. A month ago I would have never thought that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Layla is now going on the potty 100% of the time at home (still in diaper during nap and bedtime) with no accidents! In public, she will tell us when she needs to go but we are working on our fear of the "loud potties" (aka- automatic flushers). The only time we have accidents is when we are in the car...and she typically has a Pull-Up or diaper on for that reason. I was sick of taking the car seat out, taking it apart, washing all the stuff and putting it all back together. But if that's the worst thing, I'll take it!

We are still struggling with naps because she typically poops during nap. I'm kind of hoping she will just grow out of this or start to hate sitting in her own poop...but no luck so far. She did poop on the potty today though and she kept saying "yuck! yuck!!!" while she was going. LOL. And she took a 3 hour nap! I wish we could get this thing worked out, she's not ready to drop nap yet but she's not quiet good enough to poop on demand. Ha! But surprisingly I haven't had to deal with a single poopy mess in her underwear.

All in all, I think Layla has been one of the easy kids to train. Or maybe I'm just that good...haha.

This is probably my last potty post since it is becoming a non event in this house (YAY!!). But I will recap on some things that I've learned though this experience...things that I want Layla to know when she starts potty training her children:

1. If I would have known that potty training would interfere with nap time, I would have waited until you were 5 to start.

2. You must own at least 25 pairs of underwear if you are going cold turkey like we did.

3. Socks can soak up A LOT of pee.

4. Pull-ups are not that absorbent and are not to be used as back ups in the car.

5. Your car seat comes apart and you can wash everything from the cover to the padding in the washer.

6. It takes 24 hours for padding from car seat to dry...you won't be leaving anytime soon after #4.

7. The word "potty" sounds a lot like "pirate".

8. Use a potty doll and practice for a few days "training" the doll before you get started. Use water for pee, and chocolate chips for poop.

9. Don't leave chocolate chips in the potty, dogs will get them.

10. Having your carpets professionally cleaned is expensive, just buy a carpet cleaner and clean up messes as you go.

11. Apple juice goes though a toddler in 3 minutes and 46 seconds.

12. I can read "Apples on Top" 5 times in a row...if you aren't ready to poop on the potty, you aren't going to go.

13. Finding Nemo is a LIFE saver when you are trying to get a toddler to sit still on the potty for the first few days.

14. You will know where EVERY. SINGLE. BATHROOM. in the city is located and that it takes 1 minute, 23 seconds to get to the Mejier bathroom from the back of the store. Or 4 minutes if I let you walk.

15. Automatic ("loud") potties were invented people that do not have children.

16. No matter how much pee you are covered in, no matter how many times you have to wash that 25 pairs of underwear, through all the screaming and tears, packages of Oreos and episodes of Wow Wow Wubbzy...I promise you that BOTH of you will get through this, but your life will never be the same.

Fact: 2 year olds do not like to share

2012-02-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

Layla has started using the phrase "NO MIIIIINE" a lot more lately. We are really working on manners and she's been doing great the last few days...until Daddy decided it was a good idea to go get ice cream.

I think we are the only parents that take their child out at 7:45 to get an ice cream cone. In our defense she took an amazing nap today and probably won't sleep until 11. LOL. Someone obviously needs to tell this child how awesome we are so we can at least get one small lick of her ice cream!

Pony tails and temper tantrums

2012-02-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

It has been yet another challenging week at the Barton household. A week full of no naps, early mornings and more screaming and crying then I've ever witnessed in my life. This is starting to become Layla's "normal" expression:

She was mad at me in the above picture because she wanted to drink apple juice and watch "why kin keen". Anyone want to take a guess what that translates to in English? Lion King. ;o)

My concession prize for putting up with the attitude this week was PIGTAILS! And honestly...I'll take it! She looks so stinking cute with her hair up. It doesn't matter if she's screaming, crying, rolling all over the floor...if her hair is in pigtails, I can't help but smile. This is a big step for Layla...next phase is "Operation Bows". I'm giving her a week of getting used to the pig tails and then we'll try something different. I'm honestly scared to do anything different since she seems to actually like having pig tails "on".

I needed Layla's help getting ready for a session not 5 minutes after I took the above picture. She was still carrying on so I had to bribe her with her favorite thing..."chalky"...guesses anyone? That's toddler for chocolate. I'm getting good at this...almost fluent in toddler actually. Here are a few pictures of happy L:

Taking her first bite of chocolate chip:

I didn't wipe the tear from her cheek...I think it is so cute!

Pigtails!! Now what to do with that mess in the back of her head...haha

Are we almost done? PS- that is snot on her shirt

In the middle of asking for "moooooooore chalky"

And now, Layla would like to show everyone what a lion says:

Layla - Princess of Pop

2012-01-31T12:08:00.000-08:00

There was a point in Layla's life where the only song she wanted to listen to in the car was Smooth Criminal. It was when we still lived in Illinois and she commuted an hour with me to work everyday. She would be SO crabby in the mornings and the nursery rhyme CD wasn't cutting it (and I could not listen to Hickory Dickory Dock one more time!). One day I turned on some MJ and all of a sudden, she stopped crying. So we listened to Smooth Criminal over and over and over again. I didn't mind ;o)

I let Layla listen to pretty much whatever she wants on my Ipod. My brother and I grew up on MTV, we used to get permission to leave the dinner table when Thriller came on and we turned out OK. She even knows how to turn our surround sound on, plug my phone in and find what she wants (currently a LOT of Lady Gaga). This is pretty impressive since I can barely figure the thing out! Haha. She just loves music, and this makes my heart happy. :)

Anyway...today I had to run some errands. What a perfect day to do this...the high is 50 today! I promised Layla that if she was good on all our stops, she could get a balloon at the party store. Our first stop was JoAnne Fabrics. I hate taking Layla in there with me because I need to concentrate...and that's hard to do with a two year old that can't decide if she wants to walk or ride in the cart, drink juice or eat Cheerios, potty or not...etc. I tried to make the trip quick but she was getting a little crabby while we waited in line.

Now, I have no idea what possessed the folks at JoAnne's to have a box fan set to "high" on the floor but Layla thought it was hilarious. While I was checking out she kept creeping over there and all I could see was her sticking her fingers in there. I kept telling her "no" and roping her back into the checkout lane...and then the "terrible twos" kicked in. All of a sudden she takes off towards the fan, turns around to look at me standing right in front of it, and while I'm running over to get her...she does this:

I kid you not...fists in a ball, hair flying everywhere and yelling. If the above image wasn't the first thing that came to mind, I would have gone over there and taken her to the bathroom for a talk. But all I could do was bust up laughing. I mean I was literally crying because I was laughing so hard. And now all the workers there think I have a mental disorder because I couldn't compose myself. The more I tried to stop it, the harder I laughed. And of course Layla is ticked because now I'm making fun of her.

I know she has no idea who Michael Jackson is and where this came from (I swear if someone would have walked in with a top hat resembling Slash...I would have LOST IT) but it doesn't matter, it is still the funniest thing that happened to me all week. Did she finally get the timeout she so well deserved? Let's just say we had a discussion in the car. Did she get a balloon for being good at the next place? Yep...how can I deny the future Pop Princess a single pink polka dot balloon?

Let's dress up

2012-01-26T11:15:00.000-08:00

After "nap" (aka- 2 hours of alternate playing and crying in crib) yesterday, Layla decided it was time to bust out her dress up gear. Since all the dress up stuff is in a drawer (dress up corner will be created when we get the room painted) she doesn't get them out often but something sparked her interest yesterday. All she wanted to do was walk around her room in her purple dress and strut her stuff in some gorgeous purple heels!

I really need to start painting her toe nails, she just doesn't sit still long enough. She does like to pretend paint her fingers and toes with the fake nail polish that came with her vanity set. She makes sure to hit every single nail. And after each foot/hand, she puts the brush back into the bottle to get "more" and starts on the next. I have no idea where she picked this up...I haven't painted my nails in front of her in such a long time.

Seeing her attempting to walk in those shoes yesterday reminded me of a time when I used to wear heels everyday (yes, even to career fairs where I'd stand for 3 hours straight). I can't remember the last time I actually wore them now...oh how your life changes when you stay home. I honestly think I'd have to practice in them before we left the house...it would be like walking a tight rope! ;o)

Next time we play dress up, my goal is to get her to wear the crown. What I wouldn't give to get just ONE picture of her with a tiara on her head...

Oh the drama!

2012-01-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I love about having a little girl is the dramatics. I know I won't be saying that in a few years...but I happen to be a little dramatic myself (I know, hard to believe) and I can't help but laugh when Layla is being over the top. This was taken during bath time last night. I'm sure I've mentioned that's he now likes to lick up bath water like she's a dog (sick!). I'm trying to get her to stop by teaching her that blowing bubbles in the water is actually a lot more fun. As she's trying to figure this out, she sucks up some water:

It is amazing how a 1 minute, 21 second video can sum up our evenings. Layla being dramatic, Mommy laughing at her, Daddy yelling at Oscar to "get off the table" and then two seconds later yelling at Moose for something...then at the very end Layla starts asking for Daddy and I turn of my camera because I don't want her to realize when she's older that she actually preferred him over me at this age. :)

Bye Potty

2012-01-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

Layla is in the habit of saying "bye" to her potty now when we clean out her little potty and flush everything. For some reason this is a bigger deal to her than actually going so we make a big deal of it too. I grabbed my camera to take this video (with the wrong lens on it...when will I learn?!) today:

If that doesn't make you laugh, nothing will. And please note how Oscar HAS to be in the video...he is ridiculous. I have been working on L's 2 year photo book and it is basically like "Where's ~~Waldo~~ Oscar?".

Naptime, please come back!

2012-01-18T12:53:00.000-08:00

Oh boy...I didn't realize that I was trading in nap time when we decided to potty train. I would have waited until she was 4 if I thought my 2 hours of peace and quiet per day would go away.

We literally went from this:

To this in the 1 hour that I made her sit in there and scream her head off just so I could get a few things done:

I know a ton of people suggest still putting her down for "quiet time"...but is it really worth listening to screaming for 30-45 minutes? Normally the first 15 minutes of her "nap" consists of her saying "mooooooommyyyyyy", "dadddddddyyyyyy" and sometimes "paw paw?" over and over again. Basically asking anyone within a 3 state radius to get her out of bed. Then comes the screaming. At first it's just a few little squeaks. They progressively get higher pitched until the dogs are running around the house with their tails between their legs. Next comes the full fledged crying, kicking and wailing. That goes on for about 20 minutes until I go get here.

So to recap: In the last 3 1/2 weeks Layla has taken 4...yes FOUR naps. Life as I know it, is over. See that face in the 2nd picture? The one slobbering because she is suffering from uncontrollable crying? The one with red and purple circles under her eyes because she's tired? That's what Bryan and I get to deal with from 2:00 - 8:00. Maybe I should just giver her some coffee to perk her up in the afternoons?

Seriously...someone tell me what to do! Layla and I are both going to loose our minds! ;o)

PS- as a side note, L had a change of clothes before nap because she had soup ALL over the red top.

PPS- She also did not wear pants for 90% of the day and when I put her down for nap, the only ones I could find were leopard leggins. So, my daughter was wearing a black and white polka dot shirt and leopard leggins with navy socks. Maybe she's afraid to sleep because the fashion police are going to get her? LOL

Snow day!

2012-01-14T11:52:00.000-08:00

I guess technically I can't call this a snow day since it's Saturday...but who cares! We have a few inches of snow on the ground and in effort to get Layla better acquainted with the cold, we bundled up and decided to help Daddy shovel the driveway (snow blower is being picked up SOON! haha).

Before going outside, Mommy put two pairs of socks, pants and shirts on L. Plus her boots, snowsuit, coat, hat and gloves. Whew...we were sweating after all that bundling up! I didn't think she'd last long outside but we were out there for almost an hour!

First we helped Daddy shovel, then we rode around on her sled. Oscar and Moose played a bit too...but got cold so they wanted inside. Layla had so much fun that she didn't want to come in!

I need ideas...desperately

2012-01-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

Layla and I went to Marshall's today and I can't step in there without wanting to buy one of the funky chairs, $200 mirrored jewelry boxes (even though I couldn't even fill 1 drawer) or a bright purple ceramic elephant that I have NO use for. But I could not pass this up today:

I promised myself I wouldn't by another dark or black piece of furniture. I just didn't resist and it can always be painted right?! This baby was on sale for $119 because of a few dings in the back and I had a few gift cards so this all makes it OK that I didn't tell Bryan about it until I got it home (he is going to make me get a job if I keep this up LOL). I even took it out of the car and carried it in by myself. Thank GOD none of our neighbors were out to witness that.

So now, to my dilemma. I just purchased another black piece of furniture for the purpose of putting it in our entry way and now it looks like this:

Impressive right? Ha! One crappy 6 year old lamp from Pier 1 that's lamp shade is lopsided and nothing else. I don't even have an entry rug. Here are my thoughts...paint the lamp white (and possibly the table), redo the shade and fix the lopsidedness (I can't believe that's actually a word), paint the walls a light grayish/bluish color to keep it light (even lighter than my terrible Photoshop work below...L is waking up and I need to hurry!!), add a mirror and some pics of Layla, accessories on the table, an umbrella stand and shoe tray and call this finished. Oh yeah, and a rug. I really don't want to cover these beautiful floors though :(

Any other ideas? Paint colors? Paint is a big decision because it has to be neutral enough to flow with the kitchen (thinking of gray), living and dining rooms (thinking of gray or blue to possibly match the foyer) and hallway (gray again...what is wrong with me?!).

Oh well, I shouldn't worry too much. Bryan will be home soon and will probably make me return it LOL. Just kidding...but I bet he is reading this right now and my phone will ring in 3, 2, 1... ;o) Love you BB!

Layla's room...making progress

2012-01-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

I am freaking out about all the stuff we want to do to our house...inside and out. We have already done so much and we haven't even lived here 7 months. See here for a refresher. I know that when the house is done, I will wish I hadn't rushed things. But I just have so many ideas and want to get started!

The first room I want 100% D.O.N.E. is L's room. My initial inspiration (mostly for color) was this room:

I just love the idea of putting blue on a little girl's wall. And it is SO Layla.

My Grandma worked her tail off to do Layla's big girl quilt and a few pillows (she threw those in as a surprise!) and gave them to us at Christmas. It made my day! :) You can find the tutorial for the quilt here and pillows here.

After getting the quilt, looking for accessories and making sure I'm 100% OK with this paint color and pallet...I started to hesitate. Let's take a look at the paint chips (all Benj Moore) below and you guess why I'm a little freaked.

How in the WORLD did that red get in there?! This was not my intention...I don't want my 2 year old having a red, white and blue room (Oh say can you see, By the dawn's early light! ugh...). So in an effort to make me feel better about this, I have spent hours...and I mean hours on Pinterest. Now I'll be honest, I get side tracked and if I would have just focused, I could have found this in 2 minutes. But in my effort to make myself feel better, I found this gem:

Those pics are a little yellow, but I believe the reds she used are more of a super dark pinkish orangish color (these are all very technical terms of course). Now I feel better about the red and I have redesigned L's alphabet art work to reflect and incorporate the red to make it look like I did this on purpose. Take a look:

I'm feeling better about things now. Whew! I was scared my Grandma was going to have to make another quilt (LOL...just kidding Grandma!). Now for our "to do" list to finish L's room:

1. Paint (the thought of holding a paintbrush for even 5 minutes after painting the entire house this summer makes me shudder)

2. Figure out shelves for and where to put her reading nook (the pillows in this post are going on the floor in that corner)

3. Order and hang artwork (picture above, pictures from this blog and frames, maybe more shelves for accessories?!)

4. Figure out window treatments...which will be the death of me

5. Hang mirror, wall hooks and find a cute basket for her dress up area

6. Hang chandler in front of closet

7. Maybe find rug if we have any money left...doubtful LOL

I'm feeling pretty accomplished now that I've written this post. That's why I love writing blogs...I get great ideas from people, can put my to-do list out there and HAVE to stick to it, and this is really the only way Bryan and I communicate ideas. Haha, hope you are reading this at work BB...you have some shelves to build! :)

Potty Training - 1 week later

2012-01-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

I know I said that I was going to stop doing updates...but I just can't help myself today. Layla has done AMAZING today and I must share!

Layla has had NO ACCIDENTS this morning. NONE! And to top it off, she has told me every single time that she's had to go (3 times). She says "moooooommyyyyyy pottyyyyyy" and then runs over to her little potty. :)

And the icing on the cake today is that she pooped in the potty!! She started making the face and I rushed her over to it. She sat down with no trouble and a second later, she pooped! I'm so proud of her. :) When she finished she stood up and waved hi to the poop in the pot LOL. Then as I was flushing it down the big toilet she yelled "bye bye poopieeeeeee". Only my daughter...

So overall, it has been a terrific day! Now if I could just get this girl to take a nap. I think we are going on day 4 or 5 of no nap. :( I still put her down for quiet time, but it just isn't the same.

Yellow Shirt time- 2 years old

2012-01-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy with potty training that I almost forgot about our yellow shirt project. See this blog and picture for a refresher:

I probably won't do another storyboard of the whole picture until we can see a bigger difference, but here is our official 2 year yellow shirt entry :)

It has only been 6 months and I can not believe how much she has changed! Take a look:

Obviously the main difference is the hair. It is getting so long and wild! Haha. She also is a bit healthier since 18 months, she is eating so much better and finally gaining a bit of weight. She had kissable cheeks then, but REALLY kissable cheeks now. Just the way we like it!

And that brown spec in her eye is still there. I think it is my favorite part of her.

And here is an absolutely ADORABLE storyboard of our photo shoot. I plan to use the three of these as art work in her new big girl room...maybe 3 big pictures above her bed? I don't know...but I could blow these babies up wall size and stare at them all day. I just love our beautiful little 2 year old girl.

How precious are THOSE?! I am so proud of her for letting me take her pictures this time...she is getting used to the bribing (this time, it was with the juice box picture above lol). I know soon enough I will have to start paying her in quarters, dollars...I'll probably have to write her a check in Jr. High just to pose. Haha.

Layla's date and fun weekend

2012-01-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

Layla had a "date" over on Friday night. I was so busy with potty training and chasing these two around that I didn't get a ton of pictures, but we had a blast!

When Landon first arrived, we had a quick snack and then it was time to play. And by play I mean take EVERY toy we own out and put it on the floor. :) I think Layla was showing off, and Landon was just curious to know what all these girl toys are about.

Then we had a quick snack and watched a few minutes of Finding Nemo. The kids got bored really quick and so I broke out the Play-Doh. Landon decided to try and eat it while I wasn't looking...but I'm just a quick as these sneaky 2 year olds! Layla thought that was pretty hilarious and then tried to put it in her mouth.

After about 30 laps around the house and lots of potty breaks, it was time for dinner. Layla and Landon love to share their drinks and food. So Landon would take a bite of banana and hand it to Layla. Layla would lick a cracker and hand it to Landon. And trying to explain that they each had their own drinks? Forget it. Good thing neither one of them is sick!

After playing "1, 2, 3 GO!" up and down our hallway (I can't believe how fast these two are!) we took a bath. This was the only time I could get pictures because they were pretty much stuck in there and couldn't run away!

After bath, it was time for Landon to go home. We had some much fun with him! Thanks for coming over to play Landon!

Last night Layla got a special treat...one of her favorite things in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD for doing such a great job with potty training. Ice cream! Now, she normally likes chocolate but when it comes in a cone she'll eat anything. She even got to eat it on the couch and share a bit with Moose.

Potty Training 5.5 - 6.5

2012-01-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

Day 5 (after nap):

Layla surprisingly didn't poop during nap today...this might not be pretty. She also didn't take a nap...so my day is ruined. She was up out of her crib at about 3:00 and I was expecting a loooooong afternoon.

Right before I got L out of bed, we had a visitor dropped off for the evening. Layla's friend, Landon came over to play for a few hours and they had so much fun! I thought this would mean that Layla would forget all about potty training...but it turns out Landon might just be our lucky charm!

After 15 minutes of drinking juice and snack time, L went up to both her potties (in playroom) an started doing "the dance". I took the undies off, she sat right down and a few seconds later grunted and peed! Not just a few tinkles...this was the real deal!!

She jumped right up (before I had a chance to wipe her...sick!) and started jumping up and down screaming "mommy mommy mommy!!!" "pee pee!!" and pointing. I have never been so happy/proud in all my life. Having your kid pee in the potty by themselves for the first time is like winning the lottery. Landon was also VERY impressed!

About 20 minutes later, the kids were playing on the couch and Layla all of a sudden jumped down and ran into the kitchen. She was looking for her potty which I had moved into the living room. I called to her "it's in HEREEEEEEE" and she came running and tried to sit on it with her underwear on. I quickly pulled them down and she sat right there and peed again!

I was so busy with both kids that I completely lost count of how many successes we had with L. She was a peeing machine last night! I couldn't believe it...every time I turned around she was running over to her potty! She did have one accident in the kitchen but things were a little chaotic (I was making dinner and the kids where chasing the dogs around) so I think she just lost focus for a bit.

Day 6 (morning):

We have been gone most of today. We went to Toys R Us to pick up L's new play kitchen, ate sushi for lunch (3 bowls of miso soup for L) and ran by the Post Office. Layla wore undies while we were all getting ready to leave but didn't pee on the potty or have an accident before we left. She was in a diaper the whole time we were gone and bounced around whining a few times...I explained that it was OK to go in her diaper and we did have a couple of wet ones.

I'm glad that she's still showing us signs when she's in a diaper. I'm just not ready to battle the war that will be a public restroom. I want to have a solid good week at home training (with very little accidents) before we try in public.

So the secret to all this success? I mentioned it earlier but I'm 100% sure having Layla help us "potty train" her baby is what made it click for her. I'm so glad we came up with that idea...it is genius really. We only had the baby "go" on the potty 2 times and have 1 "accident" yesterday and 1 of each today. Layla is so into it that she hugs and kisses her baby ALL over when she goes in the potty, and then tells the baby (nicely) "no no potty floor" when she has an accident. I can't believe how something so silly and simple could make such an impact on this.

My suggestion to all my Mommy friends reading my blogs...use a baby to help (even for boys!). Just get a cheap baby at Target if you don't already have one and use your bulb sucker thing from the hospital for the "pee". If I could turn back time (now I will have Cher stuck in my head ALL day), I would have had L train her baby for a few days before we started on her. Maybe she wouldn't have been so frustrated with sitting on the potty at first and had some earlier success.

I think this is the last of my daily potty training blogs. I'm sure I'll have plenty more stories to share along the way but Bryan and I are very comfortable now with Layla's potty schedule and her new found ability to pee on the potty. ;o)

In closure to all this, let me just say that this has been a very challenging week. We tested our patience, ability to parent, humor and above all, our marriage. LOL. Seriously, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy...and I think we had it easy in relation to some people's stories. I'm glad that so many people got a kick out of these blogs. And for those of you that have yet to potty train your kids...please write things down so I can read them and laugh at your misery. ;o)

Potty Training Diary - Days 4.5 - 5.5

2012-01-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

Has it really been 5 days since we started? Part of me feels like it has been 10 years but realistically, the days go by SO quick when the only thing on your mind is pee.

Day 4 (after nap):

I get Layla up and find a soaking wet diaper, even though I went to her room at the first sign of her stirring. I put her on the potty and she sits for a few minutes but no pee.

Layla drank 1 juice box and a sippy cup FULL of applejuice and had a small snack. I just knew within 30 minutes max she was going to burst but 2 1/2 hours later she still hadn't gone. I could tell she was in pain from holding it and she was just running around the house crying like crazy. Finally she had a small accident in the hallway and we got her to the toilet but nothing came out. As soon as she got up she started crying again and leaning over...then peed all over the bathroom floor.

No pee for the rest of the night.

Day 5 (morning):

Layla had her 2 year check up today with the doctor. She is in the 75% for height and 25% (woo hoo!) for weight. Doc is very proud of her weight progress...she is definitely eating more FINALLY! Doctor and I had a serious potty training discussion. I told him that I felt she is holding it too long now and she seems nervous/scared to go on the potty. He said that although it might feel like too long for me, it is amazing that she has learned to hold it already and that's a great thing. Next we just need to work on getting her to go on the potty...something that he feels like she's being defiant about (not scared).

Ok...so new game plan: sit her on the potty only when she's showing the "gotta go" signs to try to make those times really count. We don't want to burn her out by continuing to try to put her on the potty just for practice anymore. Also, Bryan did some research on potty dolls last night. Layla is very into her babies right now and we thought this would be a great way to help her practice and put a little peer pressure on her. ;o)

She was in a diaper all morning while we were out and you better believe she took full advantage of that situation. When we got home, she was doing a little dance in the kitchen and I knew she had to go. I was struggling with getting her leggins off (she hasn't worn pants in a week...I forgot how long it takes to get those off LOL) and she peed in her diaper. But I think that it was great that she was "telling" me she had to go, even with a diaper on!

We had lunch and lots of juice. I got out one of her baby dolls and set her on the potty all through lunch. Every once in awhile I'd turn around and tell the baby to "try to pee in your potty". Layla thought this was pretty entertaining. After lunch I filled up a nose sucky bulb (you know...those blue things the hospital gives you) and hide it behind the baby. I called Layla over so she could tell her baby to pee and while she was looking, I squeezed the bulb. Baby peed in the potty!! Layla was SO excited! She gave her baby a great big hug and kiss.

I let L go in the other room and play while I kept the baby. I spilled some water on the kitchen floor and said "oh no baby!" really loud. Nosey Rosey came rushing in to see what all the fuss was about and saw the "pee". She told her baby "oh no!!" and helped me clean it up. I think this is really going to help things click with L.

30 minutes later L is watching TV and starts bouncing. I told her to take her baby and put her on her potty and that she needed to try and "make pee" in hers too. So we sat in front of the TV with L bouncing and whining about it. She stood up and peed a bit, I put her straight back down and she stopped. Dang! But after a few seconds of coaxing and LOTS of bouncing she finally did it! She had another great potty success!!

10 minutes later she had an accident in the dining room. No warning...just stood right there and peed. Dang!

Now she is down for nap and talking again...I'm sure she'll poop in there, I'll go check in a few minutes. Let's take another moment to reflect on our success:

*Day 1- Getting her acquainted with the potty and repeating the concept of "pee goes in the potty" 1,000 times. Plus she's learning to hold it. CHECK! Lost count of accidents but had 7 successful tinkles in potty.

*Day 2 - Getting her more comfortable sitting on the potty than she was on Day 1. Getting more pee in the potty than on Day 1. CHECK! Had 7 accidents and 4 successful tinkles in potty.

*Day 3- Getting her even more comfortable on the potty and getting more pee on the potty. Also, recognizing Layla's "gotta go" signs. Getting her to pee in the pot without having an accident right beforehand CHECK! Had 6 accidents and 5 successful tinkles in potty.

*Day 4- Reduce the amount of time L is on the potty by reading her "gotta go" signs. Get more pee in the potty. She had 3 accidents and 1 great potty.

* Day 5 (so far)- Getting her to have more potty success. So far we've had potty in our diaper, 2 accidents and 1 great success.

Potty Training Diary - Days 3.5 - 4.5

2012-01-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

Day 3.5 (after nap):

I knew it...she pooped again at nap! I ran in, changed her and told her to "Go.To.Sleep.". She's still in there talking. I purchased Elmo's Potty Time on iTunes, can't wait to try it out after nap!

Sat on potty after nap, no pee but did enjoy 5-10 minutes of our newly downloaded Elmo's potty time.

Sat on potty about 30 minutes later after having half a cup of juice. Reading her "Together at Heart" book from Gma and Gpa Bawk Bawk...I'm running out of new ideas to keep this fresh! No pee.

Mommy ran to target to get more toilet paper, flush able wipes, pullups and a new potty. While I was gone, Daddy was in charge. I got back to a little girl holding an ice cream cone with a BIG grin on her face. Apparently she was running around crying, Daddy knew that she had to go and tried on the little potty but he didn't want to. Then he took her to the bathroom to try the big potty. She started going on the floor and daddy quickly put her on the pot. After a little more coaxing, she went like a champ! This wasn't just a little tinkle...this was a full blown pee pee experience!! Daddy and Layla were so proud that they ate ice cream to celebrate. :)

Tried to potty before bath on her new potty...she seems to really like this one but no pee. Mommy is just excited to not have to run around the house holding a toddler toilet all day now that we have two.

Probably peed in the bath because she didn't pee before bed either. It was an early bedtime today since Layla didn't get a nap.

I'm so proud of the progress we made today! Let's hope we can keep this up!

Day 4 (morning):

We had a terrible night. Layla was wide awake from midnight to 3 am. They say when babies learn something new (rolling over, crawling, sitting up...) that they don't sleep as well because they want to keep practicing. Maybe this applies to toddlers and potty training?

Unbelievably she woke up at 8:30am. I feel like I've had 3 minutes of sleep. In that 3 minutes I had 2 dreams. In one, Layla pooped on the potty. In the second, Will Smith came to our house to potty train her. Apparently this is going to take an effort of Men In Black proportions. I'm expecting Tommy Lee to ring our doorbell at any moment.

Layla sits on her potty without a fuss while I make breakfast but doesn't "make any pee".

I'm staring to recognize Ls potty patterns. She really only goes once before lunch. So we have a big glass of milk for breakfast and a 1/2 glass of AJ/water. My guess is in 30-40 minutes we'll be running around crying because she has to pee.

It has now been 30 minutes and I can tell Layla is exhausted from our long night. I have a feeling this isn't growing to be a very productive potty day. I sit her on her potty to watch some Little Einsteins while she screams "I want ice cream". Thanks for starting that last night Daddy...I decide to never leave the house alone again. I watch as no pee is produced and Layla stuffs her clean underwear in and out of her shirt.

I have never in my life prayed for something so stupid as for my child to pee in her potty. I have no shame.

10 minutes later she starts running around and crying. I tried to get her on every potty we own but she just wanted me to hold her. Finally she started peeing standing up and I rushed her to her potty. Lots of pee made it in the pot after some screaming and fit throwing. An LOTS of pee made it on Mommy. Thankfully the floor was spared. But this is great! Second success in a row where more than a few drops made it in. I just hope she starts to realize that it's okay to go on the potty...she's really starting to get ticked when she has to hold it.

I've learned that dressing in layers is an absolute necessity when potty training...less clothes for the toddler, more clothes for the Mommy. While Layla was still on the potty, just in case, I start peeling a layer off to get cleaned up. I take my eyes off her for TWO SECONDS and turn around to her putting her hands in her pee and then shaking them violently. The is pee on the dogs, floor, back of the couch, all of her and her potty, and several books. I am going to light a match, burn the house down and rebuild when this is all over.

As I'm making lunch accident #2 happened. I didn't catch this one at all so no pee in the pot.

Finally naptime....she sat on the potty for almost 30 minutes watching cartoons. I have a feeling that we need to switch our strategy. She's obviously holding it and knows not to go in her pants, but she's having a hard time understanding it is ok in the potty. After nap I'm just going to read her signs for having to go and stop forcing her to sit to hopefully reduce both of our frustrations. We'll see how that goes.

As I'm typing this, I can hear L's monitor flicking on and off. I run in there to find her unplugging the monitor (it is right behind her crib) and what do you know...she pooped. Ugh, she will not be pooped trained until she's in Junior High if she keeps this up. I'm now back from starting laundry and she is SCREAMING bloody murder in her room. She has to be tired....I am exhausted.

People that say they potty trained their kids in one day and it was "no big deal" are liars and I hate them. Man, I need a nap.

Time again to reflect on our success:

*Day 1- Getting her acquainted with the potty and repeating the concept of "pee goes in the potty" 1,000 times. Plus she's learning to hold it. CHECK! Lost count of accidents but had 7 successful tinkles in potty.

*Day 2 - Getting her more comfortable sitting on the potty than she was on Day 1. Getting more pee in the potty than on Day 1. CHECK! Had 7 accidents and 4 successful tinkles in potty.

*Day 3- Getting her even more comfortable on the potty and getting more pee on the potty. Also, recognizing Layla's "gotta go" signs. Getting her to pee in the pot without having an accident right beforehand CHECK! Had 6 accidents and 5 successful tinkles in potty.

*Day 4 (so far)- Reduce the amount of time L is on the potty by reading her "gotta go" signs. Get more pee in the potty. So far we have had 2 accidents and 1 successful GOOD potty experience.