Where has the month gone??? I can't believe it's already MAY! It's the last month of school, and my baby girl is growing so fast she's 20 months already!! I wish I could tell you--20 months and potty trained..but..I can't. :)
We were trying the "3 day method" where you basically say "bye bye" to diapers and put on undies and remind them to go all day long. Even though most of the books say that 22 months is the age when children are ready, I was running low on diapers and figured since Leeza has been sitting on the potty since her days at the baby house, it might click with her even though she was only 19 months. Well-I was wrong. However, we are not giving up. I will continue to put her in her cute lil panties when we're home, but we'll be making frequent potty trips, and we got a cute lil travel potty for the car. Just to avoid soggy outings-we'll be doing a diaper on over our undies for our Gymboree and Kindermusic classes. I don't want her to feel and smell gross-and I don't want to feel and smell gross either!!! Her attitude is GREAT about it-she runs gleefully for the potty and does the happy dance when she gets a "smarty" for success. She is pretty much trained for the gross stuff but has a hard time controlling "number 1". I know we'll get there.
So that I dont' forget, here are the things we have seen with Leeza the past month.
She has successfully navigated the fork and spoon, and can now eat yogurt quite successfully. Joe commented yesterday that she was "surgical" about it-maybe she will be a surgeon and we can say.."oh yes, when she was 19 months old, we saw her mad skillz with a fork and spoon and NEW she'd be the next Meredith Grey (without the emotional baggage-we can only hope!). We ditched the sippy cups and she now drinks from a normal cup without spilling, or choking. I always forget and fill it up to the very top. She likes to put the cup on the spot for cup on her high chair tray. She is very particular about everything being in it's proper place. She wants her cup in the proper spot, her food in a bowl or plate, and she must have her bib on too (can't mess up all her cute outfits, now can we??)
She is getting taller, and unlike Sean, she is INTO EVERYTHING. She totally is into pulling stuff off the counter, going into drawers, pulling stuff of the kitchen table, and bathroom counters. Her favorite thing is to go thru my makeup bag and steal my chapstick. I have to watch her like a hawk!!!
Her vocabulary continues to increase and amuses us to no end. Whenever the phone rings, she says 'HI' and loves to grab Sean's phone or my phone and have "conversations". She has grown to love her "Auntie Lala" who graciously agreed to watch Leeza on Friday nights so we could actually watch Sean's football games. Although Leeza would cry when I left, (for only a few moments) when I'd tell her she's going to "Lala's" and we get out her "suitcase", she runs around yelling LALA LA LA and happily packs up her elephant, soska, and jammies and says "night night" and puts them in her suitcase. I was impressed with her pronounciation of "La La" as Sean could not say his L's until around kindergarden or first grade. We used to practice in the car saying "LOLLI LOLLI LOLLI POP" which he prononced "wahwee pop".
Kudos to Sean's football team..the Belleair Bolts. The kids were all new to tackle football and started a new spring league and played against teams who had been playing together for 3 years. It was a tough season-they hadn't won a game and only scored 2 touchdowns the entire season. However-they all kept positive attitudes and THE LAST GAME was a total LANDSLIDE and they won 44-nothing! It was a fun game to watch and see how far the team has come. Next year-watch out!
Great shot of the football stud coming off the field at the end of THEIR FIRST VICTORY!!
When we walk in the door, she starts calling "Miles, Miles", but it sounds more like "Mi-oz" but I can tell what she's saying. She loves music and loves to sing "eieieo" from Old McDonald has a farm, and loves doing the motions to "if you are happy and you know it". She is a good lil feet stomper..which I feel is just gearing her up for some good ole fashioned tantrums as she gets closer to turning 2. :)
She is also starting to ham it up. She will look at me and tilt her head and give me this funny look with raised eyebrows. I will try to get a photo because it makes me laugh, which makes her do it more. However-my camera broke so I am waiting for my new one to arrive to download the pictures stuck on my memory card.
Giving Miles a kiss. :)
Her favorite thing is being pushed around the house "Nascar style" with her big brother running. Sean's commentaries are HILARIOUS and I just crack up listening to them play. He is really fun playing with her and its even funnier when he's playing Rockband on the wii and Leeza is over there "getting into his stuff" and he's telling her "Leeza..this is MY TERRITORY..get out of SEAN'S TERRITORY" and she looks at him and mimics his tone and just keeps on or else grabs his drumsticks from him and runs. She is a riot!
We start private swimming lessons at our house on June 1st-for 3 weeks for 30 minutes a lady will come to our house at 12:30 and teach Ms. Leeza to swim. I am excited because she loves the water and she is such a wacky brave lil thing, that despite the pool fence, I want her to learn to swim. One of her favorite new books is "Beach Babies wear shades" and it cracks me up to watch her "read it outloud".
As you can tell-we are quite enamoured with our Lil Leeza. She is a funny lil girl and stubborn stubborn stubborn. I've had to really watch my emotions and not let her know what really BUGS ME (like pulling out her bows, or picking her nose, or trying to make her say please) because she will just do it more. She says thank you now several times a day, but for some reason, saying "Please" causes much angst. We had an hour and a half stand off with her in the high chair and I asked her to say please for more pretzels, she refused. I asked her to say please to down, she refused. I had made such a huge deal out of it, I couldn't give in. I put her pink car next to her and told her I'd push her around in it, and that FINALLY did it. I also realized we don't use the word please very much in our house. So, now everyone has to say please and maybe she will like to say it more. LOL
Sean, the ever witty big brother, went over to the computer to dictionary.com and typed in please...and pressed the prounciation icon. He asked the computer..do you want a pretzel? The computer said YES PLEASE, then he made the computer say THANK YOU. Leeza was fascinated by that-but it still took her forever to say it.:)
I still don't get why the "Please" thing sets her off. She does other things that I would expect an argument about with a smile (cleaning up her toys, running to the potty, cleaning up her high chair, etc). After Sean and Jillian told me it was "fun to make me mad" I just have to learn to keep my cool at ALL times. If anyone has any suggestions for that besides heavy drugs or alcohol..let me know. :)
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12 comments:
What an awesome post Susan!! I adore half those outfits Leeza has on- oh my!
I can't believe she is 20 months already, wow! Where does the time go? She is such a cutie. I love all the pics of her funny expressions.
That's cool you're not stressing about the potty training thing. Even if she's not initiating all of it yet, it's still amazing that you can set her on the potty and she goes.
Love the descriptions of everything. You guys have such a full and busy life with the two gorgeous kiddos-at-home. Sean looks EXCACTLY like a football player should! He was born to it!
Lovely post! The pics are great!
I love the matching dresses! She is looks prettier each time I see a picture of her. :)
It's good not to stress the potty stuff. My boys are still having accidents just as frequently. It will take time but eventually they will all get it.
How cool for Sean's team to win 44 to zip!! Way to go!
Auntie Lala is really unhappy that football season is over, so lets just put some dates on the calendar that my Leeza will come over, okay???? Love all of you to pieces.xoxo
Leeza is looking more fashionable then ever!
One suggestion, don't put panties on her at home, let her run naked. That's what we did with Sadie and it was what pushed her toward success starting at home.
I love the picture of Sean after his win. The studly football player that he is. So glad that the game they one was a big win. They will be pumped up going in to next season with a win like that at the end.
And of course the mommy and me outfit is adorable. It fits both of your personalities and is simply precious!
I love your dog. He looks so cuddly.
That's awesome you can get private swimming lessons at your home! We certainly don't have that in Northern Illinois. We would love to have a pool but we are lucky to get 4 months use out of them this far north. Lots of people still put them in though and we are considering it. We have plenty of room.
It's so fun to read about Leeza. She is just a little older than Anton. Anton is 17 months right now. I can't imagine Anton talking that much in just 3 months. And potty training - uggggg! He is terrified of the potty chair.
Oh my gosh, can you make her any more adorable? You have to enter her photos in "Adoptive Family" magazine. She's definitely cover girl worthy. Maybe they'll even devote an entire month to her.
I also love how Leeza wants everything in a particular way. You have a real Virgo on your own hands, don't you.
Way to go Sean on the last game. End the season with a bang.
that's an all-star post if there ever was one. And GREAT PHOTOS! Your princess is just adorable - all the outfits, the stories, her loyal subjects - wonderful reading! Thanks!
Stubborn Leeza crying in the high, oh my. She is in trouble 'cause her mom is even more stubborn than she is!
Good job on the baby journaling. She is more beautiful and fashion forward than ever!
What a beautiful family you have! Your dog is just the cutest too. While I was reading your blog, Nick was in time out for simply just refusing to do something easy! I feel for you! We have learned that modeling with emphasis is a great way to get Nick to do something without the battle. It doesn't always work but if Pat and I are saying please and thank you to each other (we sometimes are very "animated" about it)and him, he seems to just incorporate it into his thought processes better. Now, onto the five million other battles. It is so hard for me, a very non-conflict, obedient type to deal with the battles. I don't understand why you wouldn't just do it and get on with it....but then I am stubborn to a fault in other areas.... Parenting teaches you so much, doesn't it? :)
She is growing up so fast. Where did our babies go? I love all of the photos and the update. Poor little Leeza Pleaza screaming in her high chair. The being into everything is maddening at times, huh?
I love that pic of Leeza on her tip-toes! She is such a doll... with dash of sass! Love it!
Sean is such a total stud! What a great kid!
The Dog is cool too... and good lord he is huge!!
Happy Mother's Day!
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