Potty Training Day 1

Armed with these...


And a copy of Elmo's book on using the potty, Lydia and I have spent much of the day in here:



I've made a concerted effort to truly embrace each stage of motherhood with open arms and so far, I've been pretty successful. I have genuinely enjoyed each of her firsts. I don't want to miss a moment of her sweet little life.

Until now.

I've found a milestone that I could hand over to someone else and not feel too bad about it. Potty training.

I've been putting it off for months. She's been giving us some cues on and off for a long time now, in fact, we bought the potty seat nearly a year back. (I don't think she was really ready at that time, but she like the novelty of the princess toilet seat and would occasionally sit on it.)

Anytime I mentioned to friends the possibility of starting down this road, the response was always the same.
"It's terrible!" They'd say. "Worst part of parenting ever."
So you can imagine I wasn't overly anxious to get started.

But what were once subtle comments from my mother and my mother-in-law regarding Lydia's apparent readiness were growing less subtle and I thought — they've done this before. They know more than I do. Why not give it a go? So I selected today as the start date.

In preparation Derek and I went to the store with Lydia yesterday to pick out big girl pants and potty training treats. She chose Hello Kitty underwear and Skittles.
For days I've been telling her that we would get to start being a big girl today and how much fun it would be.
Trying to be over-the-top enthusiastic about this project is absolutely exhausting!

This morning arrived early and with it came a jubilant 2 1/2 year old, requesting her big girl underwear. It seemed like a wonderful sign. I helped her into the Hello Kitty pants and not two seconds later she decreed she didn't like them and took them off.
With some coaxing, I got her to put on a different pair but she couldn't understand the need for underwear AND regular pants. Oh well, we weren't going anywhere for the moment so I let her just run around in her underwear.

I never thought I'd be that mom. But then, I never thought I'd be posting a lengthy discourse about my daughter's bathroom habits either and look at me now!

The first potty attempt yielded some positive results so naturally, it was time for the Skittles. She put one in her mouth, chewed a moment and spit it out.
Apparently she doesn't like Skittles.
Great! That was supposed to be the incentive.
Thank goodness we had fruit snacks on hand.

The day went on and on and ON! Soon we were in the negative with 3 accidents and only 1 success. I looked at the clock. It had only been 2 hours. I was ready to throw in the towel. Yet my excitement over her success was unparalleled and somehow gave me the strength to go on.

Somehow, we made it through the morning — including a trip to the dentist where she successfully used the child-size toilet. Thank goodness for a well-equipped pediatric dentist office!

During her nap I frantically tried to read my Toddlerwise book (again!) on potty training. I realized everything I'd been doing wrong. One of which was my omission of the potty doll/bear that Lydia could "teach" to use the bathroom. So after her nap, we started again.

There's been good times, as well as bad. Unfortunately we ended the day in the negative with (I think) five accidents and four successes. No matter, we survived. I just can't believe I have to do it all over again tomorrow!

Tell me it gets better than this!

Big girl birthday party

Lydia was invited to, what I would consider, her first "big girl" birthday party. You know, the kind of party where parents drop their kids off instead of staying the whole time, and it happens at some sort of venue like a roller rink or McDonalds?

Lydia's friend Amy turned 5 last week and even though there is quite an age gap between them Lydia seems to think they are best pals so it was really sweet of my friend Sunnie, Amy's mom, to include her in the party.

Lydia was the youngest one there so even though it was a "big girl party" and the other kids' moms dropped them off for the 90-minute celebration, I stuck around to help out.

They all seemed to have a wonderful time noshing on chicken nuggets and ice cream and climbing all over the McDonald's play land. It was really cute watching Lydia trying to keep up with the big girls.

Doesn't she just look ecstatic to be included in this group?

Time with the ducks

What is it about being a kid and wanting to feed the ducks? As a child I always loved going to a pond and throwing bread crumbs into a clamoring, quacking flock of bird and Lydia loves it too.

We have a duck pond pretty close to our house, so it's a place we visit often — along with everyone else in town. Believe me, these are some well fed ducks!

She is such a stinker about getting her picture taken lately. I can't seem to capture a smile.

A little for the ducks... a little for Lydia...

Hiking with Grandpa

I got the cutest text from my father-in-law, Kurtis, a couple of weeks ago asking if Lydia was available for a hike the next Saturday.
Ironically, Derek and I had been plotting some outdoor family time for that weekend as well so Kurtis was nice enough to let Derek and I tag along on their outing.


Grandpa had purchased Lydia a really nice hiking backpack — or "pack pack" as Lydia calls them these days — and had been looking for the best way to unveil the gift. It was adorable — Kurtis had packed the backpack with all of Lydia's favorite treats. She was thrilled!


It was a perfect day to get out and explore! Kurtis led us to some petroglyphs and then we spent a fair amount of time looking for more.
Since we were taking Lydia I had envisioned the trail being smooth and level — something it was decidedly not. However, I was amazed at how well Lydia did. Holding Derek's and my hands she was able to maneuver up some pretty steep sandstone formations and she kept telling us how much fun she was having.

The whole thing reminded me of the many times my Grandpa Petty took us out to explore the red rocks of St. George. It was a wonderful day!

Lydia is going through a camera shy phase.

We stopped frequently to enjoy the snacks Grandpa packed.

Lydia discovered this hiding place and kept gleefully running back to it as if each time she saw it she was discovering it again.

Kind of a weird angle, but here she is laying on the ground, her head on her blanket, all tuckered out. Don't be alarmed that she carried her blanket most of the way, despite the steep inclines where free hands would have been a nice luxury.

Thanks Grandpa Larson for a fun day!

A big pile

When you leave a box of Kleenex too close to a child's bed during naptime, this is what happens:


Allow me to explain.

Lydia has the sniffles. Nothing major, but one of her attempts to get out of naptime has been calling out again and again for mommy to get her a tissue. Today I thought I'd figured out a way around her sly plot. I put the box of Kleenex near her bed so she could reach her own tissue if her nose required one.
Obviously I'm a first-time mom who didn't know any better.

After laying her down one of my neighbors dropped by for a visit. I could hear Lydia wasn't sleeping but decided to ignore her while my neighbor was here, thinking she'd eventually settle down.
I kept hearing her say "Mom, I made a big pile" but I had no idea what that meant.

After 20 minutes or so my neighbor left and I went in to settle her down. She let out a squeal of delight as she gestured toward her bed.
"I made a big pile mom! I did it myself!"

Indeed, every last tissue out of the box was rumpled up on top of her blankets and dolls. She was so pleased — I couldn't help but laugh and grab the camera.


Needless to say, the Kleenex box will have to find a new spot in her room.