Reflections on Potty Training Day 1

Well...Merritt, Morgan, Dorothy and myself made it through day #1! As I have been saying over and over to Merritt "I am so proud of you!" I could not even imagine the amount of energy it take to encourage, remind and praise on a regular basis. Mark was working, so Dorothy graciously agreed to come help with Morgan so that I could focus a little better on Merritt. Merritt did great, he had a couple urine accidents and a couple #2 accidents, but in the end he pee'd in the toilet more often than he didn't and we got one #2 in the toilet! He wet the bed once last night, but when I woke him up at 5am to go potty, he was clean and dry...and so was the bed. Hopefully when he wakes up at 7, it will still be dry. If you read this today, please keep us in your prayers. Mark will be home the next two days to help and we would like to try and make this as fun an experience as possible (for everyone).

The First Official Day of Potty Training

Well, Merritt and I started a book called "Three Day Potty Training" today. The short version is that it is really intense potty training for three days, no diapers day or night ever again from this morning on. So far we are getting along as expected. He has pooped twice in his underwear and pee'd in his highchair once while eating lunch. The goal is to have accidents so that you can catch them in the act and take them to the bathroom to finish. So far we have been able to do that. At nap time he told me twice that he had to go and we had no accidents! I think this may have had more to do with finding a way to get out of a nap that any urgent need to urinate, but we will take what we get! Now I rest....more updates to come....

Twinkle Twinkle

Every night Merritt and I sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at bed time. Morgan usually goofs off and thrown herself around her crib wrestling her bunnies and doesn't usually participate. Well....tonight she stood at the crib rail and did EVERY hand motion and then clapped for herself at the end of the song! I backed out of the room and said goodnight and she blew me a kiss...how cute! I guess these are the little moments we work so hard for all day long.

A Couple More Photos I Could Not Resist!

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All About Morgan

A friend of mine recently reminded me that if you are receiving these updates in your e-mail, click on the title and it will transport you to the blog. Morgan really started to walk on her own (not just take a few steps) in the beginning of Feb. A few of these photos are of her walking. Now that she has legs, she won't crawl anywhere! She is also learning to identify animals and can point them out in books. She knows a few of the sounds, but her favorite is to imitate the lion "rooooaring." She is still very small for her age, but makes up for it in aggressiveness. She eats at least twice as much as Merritt at every meal and screams if she doesn't get her food refilled fast enough. He stomach looks like a protruding balloon and is usually hard as a drum, but that does not stop her from eating more! Her favorite foods right now are avacados, stawberries and bananas. As she gets older we are starting to see what a ham she is. She loves to show off her belly button...and everyone elses....she also loves to steal Merritt's giraffe and tries to run off before he notices. She still has her bunny lovie that she carries around. She has three that we interchange as they start needing laundry time. To Morgan, the more bunnies the better...she will dig through clean laundry baskets until she finds them! Here are a few photos of Morgan being herself!

Lots of Photos!

These are photos from Morgan's Birthday, Christmas and a few random December / January Pictures.

The latest and greatest

We have had quite a winter here! We just had a few days of snow, but it has all melted off. Mark and Merritt spent a lot of time "shoveling" and building a snowman.

Our family is moving into a very busy few months! Mark is taking a class that will prepare him for becoming a Fire Captain; it is every Friday in addition to his normal shifts. He is really excited about it though, as we all know Mark excels at learning. He is also hoping to squeeze in a few ski days when he gets the opportunity.

Merritt is a great helper around the house. He clears his dishes, puts his toys away (when he feels like it) and loves to step in to help Morgan whenever he sees a need. I have enjoyed listening to him pick up and use phrases that Mark and I say. Last night I told him to get some books to read and he stood at the bookshelf saying, "hmmm, lets see..." then he would pull a book out and say, "I don't think so, " and shove it back in. This happened over and over until I realized it wasn't funny, but rather a stalling tactic! Merritt is also singing songs. He will sing with us or by himself as he falls asleep and wakes up. He like to sing "Jesus Loves Me," "Old MacDonald," and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." ....Or at least those are the songs we recognize...

Morgan had her 1 year visit at the Dr. and is still registering petite. She is in the 25th percentile and losing weight. The Dr. isn't too concerned though due to increased exercise and change in diet. She isn't walking yet on her own, but scoots around at a good clip with someones hand or one f her push carts. She has a few words, "mommy, daddy, hi, bye" and something that sounds like "dip dip" and "kitty." She waves and claps and loves to dance. Nina and Edwin gave her a children's guitar for her birthday and it is her favorite toy. Morgan easily eats Merritt under the table and sometimes me. A normal breakfast for her is 1.5 adult servings of oatmeal, banana, 1 cup of mixed veggies, applesauce and whatever Merritt doesn't eat.

I am enjoying some extra time off with the kids since Mark is working so much. I am trying to really be present with them instead of busying myself with the things that need to be done in the house. Mark and I are both still involved in our unions at work. Mark just got elected to a position on the executive board and I am still Vice-Pres of my union. Life is very full right now, but we still try to make family and friend time a priority.

That's all for now!