My mom said that Bailey had ONE accident on Saturday evening, and then a second one on her way to the bathroom. That’s all it took for her to figure it out. On Sunday morning she had one accident on the way to the bathroom again. Then my mom took her to Chuck E Cheese in underwear, and she stayed dry. At this point I will also admit that MY MOTHER TOOK HER TO CHUCK E CHEESE IN PAJAMA SHORTS. And she KNEW they were pajama shorts. Groan. SHe thought they would be comfortable and easy to pull down.

Bailey was accident free for four days after that, until she “dripped” on the way to the potty one night. Since then, she has had one accident at gymnastics camp and one at her preschool. Both were situations where she was dropped off for several hours and I wasn’t there. She has even started pooping on the potty in the last few days, instead of waiting for her nighttime diaper. She does wear a diaper at nap and bedtime. She is almost always dry after nap but usually a little wet in the morning. First thing she does in the morning is sit on the potty though, which is her choice.

We discovered FINALLY that the key to her potty training is that we could not ask her to go potty. That was what was making her freak out. We had to just let her go on her own and not even ask her to try. Now, if we are leaving somewhere I still don’t have much luck asking her to try. I have to be pretty firm and say something like, “You need to go make pee before we leave. It’s not a choice right now.” But thank God, she is potty trained. At 38 months- we always joked she’d be reading before she was going potty but I guess not. And thank you, mother. Now she can actually go to preschool this fall… which is a whole ‘nother topic.

It takes a while to use (I would say about 45 minutes to do a room, by the time you vacuum, then put water in this and change out the water/add solution probably two or three times per room). Jonathon does it all though so I don’t even really know how to work it- and I don’t want to learn! HOWEVER. Our carpet is now almost completely spot free and looks like a whole different floor than it did a week ago. I can’t say enough about what a great job this machine did- and now for what it would cost to get the carpet cleaned one time, we can do it whenever we want! We bought it at Kohl’s and had a 30% off coupon, in addition to the sale price, so I would look there if you are considering buying one of these.

Now our next project is to finish making the storage room a little nicer. Jonathon has converted part of it into an office space since our fourth bedroom is now MY office/Avon area. We are working on cleaning some outdoor rugs that we have and putting them down in there to keep it a little warmer for him. Someday we will have a house with more space!

This book has been great because the writers are both so honest. It’s a husband and wife team and they each share from their own perspective. First off, they admit that marriage is not going to be easy. Do you know what a relief it is to hear someone actually say that? It’s not just us. We’re not the only ones who struggle. I struggle to be nice to my husband on a daily basis, to appreciate him, to show him respect. With the way my hormones have been lately, I’m guessing that he struggles to not strangle me!

Love and War talks about how marriage won’t be better until we learn to seek fulfillment from God and not our spouse. It discusses dealing with hurts and insecurities, working as a team, learning about our differences… stuff I’ve heard before. But the way the message is conveyed is captivating and really got under my skin. It made me want a change, to want something better, to believe it’s possible. I honestly recommend this book for anyone who is married or about to be married. I think it will change the way you approach your relationship. If you want to borrow it when I’m finished, just let me know.

And I just wanted to share some of my favorite quotes from this book:

“God created marriage as a living, breathing portrait laid out before the eyes of the world so that they might see the story of the ages. A love story, set in the midst of desperate times. It is a story of redemption, a story of healing; it is a story of love. God give sus marriage to illustrate his heart toward us. It is the deepest and most mythic reality in the world–that love is true, that God pursues us. Our love is meant ot be a picture of both his love and his fight. The masculine and the feminine, the courage and sacrifice, and yes, the blood, sweat, and tears–these play out for us and for the world the story of truest Love and his Beloved. God is fighting for the hearts of his people. He is a valiant king and lover, who will set his people free.”

“So there you have it–we live in a great love story, set in the mindst of war. We need each other, desperately. We have been entrusted with the heart of another human being. Our loving will prove to the world that love is real. We will play out before watching eyes the Great Love Story of the ages.”

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

She is also really into “big girl books” with real pages. She looks at board books sometimes but has to be in the right mood. Her current favorite books are anything princess (Especially Cinderella!), Wocket in my Pocket, Where the Wild Things Are (she calls it “Wild Fings ARE”), Sneetches, Dora Visits the Dentist, and Berenstein Bears Big Honey Hunt. She used to like the Little Mermaid but we were at a friends house one day and the movie was on. She saw the part where Ursula turns back into the Sea Witch at the end and now all she says is, “I don’t like the bad lady!” and she won’t have anything to do with it anymore. We have to be really careful what she watches and what parts of the books we “edit” when we read because she has such a big imagination!

Another thing she loves is her new colored pencils. She likes to draw with them. She doesn’t like coloring books much anymore- she would rather draw her own pictures and have us draw/color with her on blank paper. I guess that’s a good thing because it gets her to be more creative. She also likes to pretend to wrap presents for us. Anytime she can find a piece of tissue paper or scrap paper she starts folding it around a small object and then brings us the present to open.

She has just started learning the “grownup names” of people in our family. I think it’s good that she knows what our real names are, including last names, in case she ever needs to get help or talk to another adult for some reason. We are also going to start working on a phone number soon. She can say her full name and we are starting to learn how to spell it. She really likes knowing what adults’ names are, and she knows not to use their names but for some reason thinks it’s fun just to know.

She loves talking about her baby brother, and talking to him while he’s inside me. She always tells him, “Hi, Baby _____ ______. I’m your big sister! I love you and I will take care of you.” She puts stickers on my tummy for him, and talks about how she will hold toys for him to look at and read books to him when he is too little to hold the toys by himself. I love to see her excitement about him.

Getting Ready

Reception

(Clapping as the bride and groom are introduced)

Can you tell she was getting really tired?

Here she was about two minutes into the car ride home and already falling asleep!

We enjoyed a Wendy’s stop on the way home. I miss Wendy’s since all of them around here closed

Congratulations and Best Wishes to Faith and Bryan. It was so good to see you guys. And Bailey has been playing “wedding” since we got home, with my bouquet and her flower basket. It usually starts out, “Mom, let’s play wedding! You’re Uncle Bryan and I’m Aunt Faith!”

If you are tired of trying home remedies for blackheads or breakouts then I have to recommend this Avon product called Clearskin Immediate Response Spot Treatment. All you do is dab a little bit on the spot and it clears it up superfast. It’s clear, it doesn’t sting or anything when you put it on, and it seems to be fairly gentle. I have sensitive skin and it has never bothered me. The best part is that it’s on sale right now for $3.99 and you can use the code FSANY to get free shipping from my Avon site!

It’s from Gymboree’s Wild One line. I didn’t think I was in love with animal print until I saw it on my daughter. It makes me giggle. Now don’t ask me about how I like it on her ten or fifteen years from now…

To see what other people have been accomplishing, visit Mommy Community!

Just a few pics from before trick or treating on Saturday.

Bailey had the greatest time. She did a wonderful job of saying trick or treat, and thank you, and wishing everyone a happy Halloween. At one point someone asked her if she was a princess. She said, “No, I’m Bellay. I wear a princess costume.” (Yes, it has become Bellay instead of Beelay. Really, she doesn’t have to hurry and get all grown up on me. Soon she’ll be pronouncing her name so that people can actually understand and my heart just might break!)

We were out for almost two hours! We kept offering to let her “Come home, watch Barney, and eat all the candy” but she kept saying, “No thank you Mommy. I do more tricker treats. I want more candy in my puckin.” Finally when we had her coat on, hood up, and she was starting to stumble from exhaustion, daddy carried her home!

We tried to stop by the neighbor’s firepit gathering but she was like, “I too scary for fire!” I think we’ve done a good job warning her about the dangers of fire… now she probably won’t want to sit around a fire until she’s about 16 though. Oops. Daddy took her home and played for a while and I got to stay and socialize with our neighbors. I picked up a new Avon customer and recruited someone to start selling while I was there. Plus, it was fun and I don’t talk to the neighbors nearly enough.

We were flown into Miami and had a welcome dinner. There were over 950 Avon reps on this trip. We stayed at the Downtown Hilton and it was really nice. I spent that first afternoon at the pool until I had to get ready for dinner.

The view from my hotel room… I love cities where all the buildings downtown are white- it just looks so much cleaner! My city has kind of a crummy downtown area in a lot of spots.

Me with one of the “Avon Celebrities” at the dinner. There were a few president/ceo/important type people there and we got our pictures taken. I am just leaving her name out for goo.gle reasons.

One of the pools on the top deck of our ship. It was 12 stories high and my room was on the 9th floor- which had the biggest staterooms except for the suites. It was still only something like 160 square feet! Rooms on ships are tiny!

On the island of Nassau

Straw market

Snorkeling- the snorkeling here was the best snorkeling expedition I have ever been on. The water is SO clear and beautiful. It was 15-20 feet deep where we were and you could see straight to the bottom and see every detail on the coral. There were thousands of fish- all different kinds. It probably helped that our guide was throwing Cheetos off the boat to make the fish come!

I know I am so behind on posting and I have millions of pictures to wade through but at least I got started…

We’re so excited! I didn’t even realize how much I wanted a little boy until I found out! The ultrasound took over two hours- after it got started a full hour late- because they were training someone. This isn’t my regular doctor but the women’s center for fetal something or other at the hospital. Then the longest ultrasound ever, then the big doctor came in to check the baby’s heart because I had heart surgery as a baby. Everything looks great and there are no abnormalities anywhere, all body parts are present and accounted for. God is so good!

-She knows all her colors now including gray, black, white, and salmon LOL
-She can count to 14 and also count items- but she sometimes says “One, two, six” still and we have to help her out!
-She loves to have her toenails painted “just like mommy” and to basically do anything that mommy is doing
-She can tell you that her name is “Beelay Sophia _____”
-If you ask her how old she is, she says “Two olds!” instead of two years old
-She enjoys building with lincoln logs (so boring) and still loves Little People
-She knows the alphabet song and can also identify all 26 letters by sight. When we are out she will see a letter and tell me what it is. She will also name several words that start with that letter. She seems to enjoy letters and sounds. Maybe she’ll be a reader like Mommy??
-She can identify about half the numbers by sight. She always clarifies by saying “Number six” or “Number two” or whatever.
-She knows animals like antelope and rhinoceros and can pronounce them too! Her favorite places are the zoo and Grant’s Farm.
-Her eating continues to get better and she no longer cries at the OT’s office. Praise God!
-She pretends to read her books and has memorized the words to some of them. She can tell you the titles of most her favorites.
-It shocks me how fast she learns the words to songs. She can hear them once or twice and then she sings them!

She sings this song from Barney- “Oh Mr. Sun, sun, Mr. golden sun… hiding behind the tree.” Only she says “Oh Mister Sun, sun, oh goad sun. Hidee be hiner-ree!” Here she is hiding behind a tree at Grammy’s house.

My mother in law sent us a ridiculous amount of coupons in the mail. Bailey sat at the kitchen table today and “sorted” them all out into stacks. She told me she was working. I guess she sees us sitting with a bunch of papers and thinks that’s what we do!

She also keeps saying “How ya doin, HUH?” We are trying to get her to drop the HUH.

Other commonly used Bailey-isms:

Oh thank you, Mommy!
Oh thank you, Daddy!
No, please!
Watch Beelay do it, kay?
Get Beelay out now! (In the carseat, when I am unbuckling her)
Idea! (then I will ask her what her idea is, she usually says “Good idea!”)
I sleeping. I snack. I comin too! I drink. Everything is “I”
Oh, Sure! (in a high pitched voice) or Sure, Daddy!
In the swimming pool: I slim the water!
Fish time! (she wants to go look at the aquarium)

And just some cuteness from dinner at Five Guys Burgers and Fries a few nights ago

I love this lion.

Have you ever seen a cuter paper plate lion? I think this is my favorite art project so far. She made this at her Messy Monsters camp last week at her O.T.’s office. They have a little sensory play summer camp that she is going to. And she’s doing GREAT might I add!

Look how messy she gets now! Can you believe this dress? I only put her in play clothes when she goes and this is why!

(And if you haven’t used this site before, she posts all kinds of great coupons, giveaways, shopping tips, etc!)

And yes, I had Bailey’s stroller. She hates it with a passion and so I don’t make her get in it too often. Only if we are walking really far. And usually if we are going through a parking lot. If we ever have another child I guess I don’t need to invest in a double stroller. Really the stroller is just my diaper bag carrier. And when we go shopping it’s my clothes rack!

I love that you ride a tram to get into the park. I would say the ride is about 15 minutes but can be longer on a really busy day or if there are a lot of animals in the road. The rule is that kids sit toward the inside and adults sit on the seats along the edge. So that you don’t lose stuff… or a kid… well today I turned and reached toward Bailey who was sitting on the inside and somehow my shoe (Birkenstock sandal) went FLYING off and landed on the ground. If you know me IRL you know that I tend to have outbursts so of course without even thinking I was all “OMG my shoe! My shoe is over there!” And the tram tour guide started asking me on the microphone about it. He couldn’t get the driver’s attention in time to stop (the tram is like four 10-row cars long) so they had to radio the next tram to pick it up. So then on the microphone he had to ask me what color my shoe was and everything. I’m glad they got it for me because that would be like walking through the zoo without a shoe… ick! Plus not a cheap shoe, either.

Here is Bailey before the tram ride started and before the shoe incident.

She fed a goat with a bottle for the first time today. She asked me about it a couple times. I kept trying to blow it off because I know the goats are a little psycho sometimes if you go in their pen. Like they will start nipping at your clothes, nudging you (not gently, either!) and put their front feet up on your leg to reach the bottles. Bailey was NOT happy with just feeding them through the fence- she wanted to go in there. This picture was taken within the first ten seconds while it was still fun, before she had three goats climbing on her and fighting over a bottle. She kind of freaked out and I was trying to get the lens cap on my camera and stuff it in my pocket because the goat area is so dusty AND I was afraid they would bite at it. Now when I ask her about feeding the goats she says, “No no goats! All done goats!” We will probably try another time through the fence.

And toward the end of our visit, by the camels. You can buy food to feed the camels and Bailey is always sticking her hand in the food dispensers to see if there is anything in there. They’re like those gumball/candy machines where you put in a quarter and turn the dial. She is such a scavenger.

Overall it was a really fun day and I am looking forward to going back! I am so glad we got a parking pass again so that we can go whenever we want. It is a great way to spend a morning because it’s closer than the zoo and smaller/less crowded so the kids can run around more.

Oh and last night I had an appointment to sign up a new girl and do her sales training. Well I got there and she brought her friend, who after about two minutes agreed to also become a rep. Good thing I had an extra contract in my car! So sometimes it just really goes my way… other times, not so much. But lately it’s been good.

And another thing that makes me happy? Oh of course, Bailey. Who announced last night, “I Muffin. Hello, Muffin!” Now if the expressions on her face in these pictures don’t make you laugh, then I don’t know what will. First she was glaring at me and then she decided to fake a smile to get it over with. And I should also mention that those pants are supposed to be capri’s!