Saturday, November 28, 2009

Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at our house. N's dad Grant drove down that morning from Pioneer, CA and arrived around 11:00 am. I was still taking care of a few items in the kitchen so they hung out with Miss Molly. Then at 1:00 pm Molly went down for her nap. She babbled until about 1:20/1:30 and then all was quiet.

My parents, N's mom Lucille, Jim, and N's cousin Ali all arrived around 2:00 pm. We had some adult only conversation time and then sat down for dinner promptly at 3:00 pm. Molly was kind enough to sleep through the entire meal and clean up and woke up around 4:30 pm. Worked out perfectly.

The rest of the day was spent watching Miss Molly tear around and entertain everyone. Oh, and I think a football game was on. Carina, Chris, and Temperence stopped by just in time for dessert. I had just finished getting all the meat off the bird and was going to ask Lucille how to make soup when I stepped out of the kitchen to greet the new arrivals and heard a loud crash. Sadie took that moment to pull the turkey off the counter. Soup was out. PLUS little miss piggy had to get up on her back legs to grab the bird and that meant up on her BAD leg. She spent the rest of the day in her kennel thinking hard about what she had done.... well, sleeping.

Everyone took off just as we were putting Molly down for the night. The kitchen was clean. The dishwasher was running. Leftovers had been sufficiently pawned off.

All in all it was a great day.

iPhone pics

I just uploaded some of the recent pics taken on my iPhone. This one was my favorite:



Molly loves to ride around on daddy's shoulders.

Potty Training

Since it's a long weekend I decided to try the next step in potty training. After Molly's diaper toss incidents I figured she was ready to take the plunge. Pull-ups have been a no go for us as she freaks out at the very sight of them. Full on kicking and screaming. I'm not sure what her issue is, but it has been this way since the very first time I tried them. If I do successfully get them on her she will immediately take them off. So, I went out and got Molly some Elmo undies and decided to just go for it and take off the diaper. I figure long weekend, N's home, no plans... we can do this.

Not so much.

After two outfit changes in 30 minutes and a quick google search I decided to do the bare bottom technique for the rest of the day. We got Molly to go ONCE in her potty. Once. The rest of the day was spent watching her like a hawk and she still managed to pee everywhere but the potty. A few times she would walk into the next room or around the coffee table to sort of hide it. Then we'd be staring right at her and realize she was going. By the time we got her on the potty (in the same room as us) she was done.

Yesterday was a looong day.

We put her in a diaper for nap time and it was full by the time she woke up. Then we put her back in a diaper just before bed time so we could do story time snuggled next to each other on the couch.

After reading a million more sites last night I think she's just not ready. She has 90% of the "ready" checklist, but the main one she's missing is communicating when she has to go... or even when she's gone. Plus, if yesterday is any indication, she's not really holding it for long stretches, but rather going many times with little amounts. I could have sworn her diaper had been dry for a long stretch, but maybe there really was just a little amount in there and I couldn't tell.

So, rather than force her into something she's not ready for, we're back in diapers and trying to introduce the potty as much as we can. I will probably do some more bare butt time when we're home and I can watch her to help her realize when she's going and to hopefully work on the communication part more. Plus it does help with the diaper rash. She tends to wake up with a poopy diaper and that always leads to bad diaper rash for a few days so some air time will definitely help on that front.

The up side was she LOVED her panties and wanted to pick out which pair to wear so hopefully that will be an easy transition when she's ready.

N got up with her this morning and Molly all of a sudden looked really embarrassed and whispered to him that she had a dirty diaper. So that's something. Of course right as we're leaving and I'm putting on my shoes she walks up to me and I smell the poopy diaper and ask her about it and she looks me straight in the eye and says, "No poop."

It's a work in progress.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

That's my tech savvy girl!

Our morning routine usually consists of waking up slowly snuggled on the couch watching Sesame Street. Molly has her snack cup with cereal and a sippy cup. Once I'm a bit more awake I'll hop online and check my mail.

Well, this morning I'm a few steps behind as I needed to feed the cats their morning scoop and feed the fishies. I walk into the living room and Molly is standing by the coffee table, remote in hand. She is actually putting it back down as she successfully turned on the tv and the channel it was left on was the Disney channel.

Yup, little one now knows how to turn on the tv with our universal remote.

Hrm, so if I can get her potty trained think she can get herself up in the morning? I'll leave the snack and sippy cups on the coffee table for her. ;-)

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Hugs

Play date with Logan.

So delicious...

Monday was day two of no naps. I am happy to report she slept for a good three and half hours yesterday while I was in Mill Valley with Sadie to get her staples out. Sadie is healing nicely.

Anyway, Molly and I had a nice two and a half hour battle over nap time. To be fair I was checking in on her every 10-15 minutes to make sure she didn't tear off her diaper again. She did. To pee in the corner of her crib. *sigh* Is kennel training an option?

At one point during the battle I came in and she immediately perked up and said, "Buh-bee?" I told her to wait in her bed and I would go get it. I just made her a small one as I didn't want another incident. She laid down as soon as I came in with her bottle and reached for it while saying, "In my mouth. Put it in my mouth." Two seconds later she had sucked the thing down and as she's handing it back to me she says, "Yummy. So delicious."

Yep, deeee-licious!

I'm pretty sure she got that from Granny Marsh as I seem to recall her saying the same thing when Molly "feeds" her (both real food and imaginary).

It *almost* made up for the pee incident.

Almost.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Slide Game



I love this game. She goes down the slide. Then she turns around and walks *up* the slide. Nice and exhausting.

Monday, November 16, 2009

It's time to potty train.

Yesterday Molly not only skipped her nap, but also took off her pants and diaper and threw them outside of her crib. N was the lucky one that was home to deal with this. Lucky in that he only had to deal with a pee diaper. This morning I was not so lucky. Molly woke up and I was in her room within 5 minutes of her first babble. I'm still half asleep and about three steps in when I realize I'm looking at a naked Molly butt. I freeze and look down and see her pants and diaper. She also tore off her socks... dark socks. So I took a minute to figure out which piles were socks and which were... well, you get the idea. I first clean up everything on the floor as Molly watches and laughs. Then I pick her up (carefully) and put her in the tub for a bath. Once she's clean and dressed I strip her bed. Luckily the mess was confined to her sheets as I didn't come across anything on her crib. I still cleaned it just to make sure. Then I hopped in the shower. Even though I didn't get anything on me, I still felt quite dirty after the whole ordeal.

So yeah, apparently it's time to get going on this potty training thing.

When we first got Molly her potty she was very interested. She used it several times and even asked to be put on without any prompting. Then she started to not like it so much. This progressed into screams and protests at the mere mention of her potty. I wasn't going to pin a screaming crying kid onto a potty as I did not want her to hate the thing so I let it go. We had our Kauai trip coming up and I figured it was easier to just deal with potty training thing when we got back.

Then Sadie had her surgery coming up and I put off potty training again since I knew having a suitcase dog was going to be a chore in itself. (Suitcase dog = harness with handle on top so you can lift her as steps are initially a no go)

However, tossing diapers on the floor is a clear indication it's time. I have already tried to get her to use her potty several times today. Molly has refused. A very polite refusal as I heard, "No thank you. You're welcome." (Molly says both, it's a work in progress) I think my next step is to go get some underwear and just hunker down for a few days until she figures it out.

Luckily Sadie gets her staples out tomorrow so she will no longer be cone head dog. She's still suitcase dog, but can now at least get down the steps in front and back to go to the bathroom. We still need to lift her in and out of the car though and walks are very limited.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Baby Temperence



Yesterday Molly and I spent the day with baby Temperence while her mom and dad moved. Molly was a little jealous while N was still here in the morning and wanted him to hold her like I was holding Temperence, but she quickly got over that. I think my favorite part of the day was when I was getting situated on the couch to feed Temperence and apparently I was taking too long because she started to cry. Molly came over and said, "No cry baby. No cry. Buh-bee (bottle) soon. Soooooon."

Molly also ran and got her pacifier when she started to fuss before nap time and very gently put it in. I think I might have stressed the word "gentle" around babies a little too much because Molly pretty much repeats that word whenever she sees a baby anywhere... even on tv. Heh... better safe than sorry.

Another adorable moment was when Molly gave Temperence a kiss on the cheek. Molly doesn't really pucker up for kisses. They are more of an open mouth smack and Temperence definitely had a "what the hell?" look after Molly laid one on her. I wish I had that on video. It was adorable.

Molly just walked up to me while patting her baby doll and saying, "Baby. Baby Temperence. Good baby." She does this for a few days after seeing a baby. It was Connor for a while, but now it will be Temperence. At least this time she was patting her baby doll. She has done the same thing while gently cradling a Croc shoe.

Recent picture upload can be found here.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Little Miss Bossy



These days Molly has an opinion on everything. From what to wear to where to sit... well, where mommy and daddy should sit. N and I don't mind being bossed around because Molly usually turns it into a game. She turns EVERYTHING into a game. It really is quite endearing. However, yesterday she tried to boss around two older kids at the park. The 4 year old boy did what she said, but the 3 year old girl did her own thing. I thought that was pretty funny.

Molly isn't rude about her bossy behavior, but rather just wants you to know she has an opinion on the matter... a strong opinion. My mom was putting her down at our house Halloween night and Molly was very happy and chatty. Then it came time to put her pajamas on and she looked my mom straight in the eye and said, "No monkeys." She was very calm while stating this fact, but there was no question about whether or not she would put on the pjs. So the monkey pjs went back in the drawer and Molly wore another pair. Then she wore those same monkey pajamas a few nights later. She is wanting to be involved more and more when I get her dressed in the mornings. I am giving her two choices for pants and two for tops, an either/or situation. I think if left to her own devices she would just run around naked. Not a problem in the summer, but it is chilly these days (chilly for CA that is) and she needs to wear something.

Molly is still LOVING her swim classes. Well, everything except the dreaded monkey walk. The one thing all the other kids that hate water don't seem to mind she find torturous. It's hilarious because she will make a fuss the entire way. Then she will stand on the ledge at the end, with her hands in fists at her side, and scream at me for a good 5 seconds to let me know she is *not* happy. Then she's all smiles and jumping back into the water again. She's getting really great at diving in (from a sitting position on the wall) and turning herself around and grabbing the wall again. I pretty much just stand there and watch her. Every 3 or 4 times I might help lead her hands to the wall, but for the most part it's all her. Plus she insists on pulling herself out of the pool each and every time so she's really tired by the end of class. (Yes!)

N went to class with her this week and they have this underwater bench thing with hand rails. They were having the kids put their faces in the water to grab rings. It really was just an exercise to get kids used to putting their faces in the water. Well, Molly thought that was completely ridiculous and used her foot to pick up the ring. She held on to one of the hand rails for balance while she brought her foot up out of the water so she could grab the ring with her free hand. It's not that she has a problem with putting her face in the water, it's more that she thought that was just a dumb way to pick up the rings.

I think my favorite thing right now is story time. This doesn't just happen at night before bed, but really any time Molly wants to snuggle down and read. Some times she will hold the book next to me and turn the pages herself. Other times she crawls into my lap and leans back and has me hold the book in a hug around her. Sometimes we read the story, but other times Molly will sit there and point out everything on the page. "And" is turning into a game that we can play anywhere. Molly will point at something and say it's name and then will say "and" in a very drawn out manner until she spies the next thing. It's definitely her version of "I Spy" and it's adorable. I am constantly amazed at how patient and observant she is. She takes in *everything*.

Another talent she's developed is singing along to songs. Lately she's been obsessed with "Honey, Honey" from the Mamma Mia! soundtrack. The first song I caught her singing along to with accuracy was in Kauai. Bob Marley came on and then I heard a little "No woman, no cry" from the backseat. I think I might need to edit some of my playlists before she starts understanding the lyrics. Now it's definitely more mellow songs that she can repeat, but it's only a matter of time before she repeats some of the faster songs.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

"No pasta. Carrots."

That was the dinner request I just received. Plus her standby of kidney beans and peas. I guess this makes up for the second breakfast of Pirate's Booty (or booty booty as Molly likes to call it) she conned N into.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Our little mermaid

Molly showed off her swim skills for daddy.

Monday, November 9, 2009

latest videos

N took some videos with his iPhone while I was out of town. Not the greatest quality, but still super cute.

First up - Molly, the somersault master!



Playing catch... "I'LL GET IT!!!!"



Molly enjoying the fort daddy made her.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

N's latest camera upload...



N uploaded some pictures from the last few weeks into the October, November, December - 2009 gallery.

I've got a fort!

And you don't!



While Mommy was in LA for the weekend (visiting Auntie Lisa), Daddy and Molly played hard.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Molly's fort.

No daddies allowed!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Chillin with dad.

Such a cutie.

Sadie Sadie Sadie

When Molly and I got back from swim lessons/park play date yesterday we found Sadie in her kennel... surrounded by little bits of bloody bandage. Someone forgot to put her cone on before leaving for work and Sadie had taken advantage of the time alone and tore out 4 staples.

*sigh*

I got an appointment with our local vet and N came home from work to take her as it was smack dab in the middle of Molly's nap time. Four stitches and a new purple bandage later and she was all set. She didn't actually open her wound, but it was pretty swollen. Sadie is now permanently a cone head when we're not feeding her.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Bionic dog

She did great, but is happy to be heading home.

Bye Bye Daddy

Perched on her pumpkin by the front door watching daddy leave for work.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Sadie's surgery drop off

Poor girl doesn't suspect a thing.

Update - Sadie is out of surgery. Everything went well and she is resting comfortably.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Ren Faire and Googleween

I finally got around to uploading pics from the past few weeks. The K - Oct, Nov, Dec 2009 gallery is all new and I added some more pics to the Kauai - 2009 gallery that were taken on my camera. The two main events were the Ren Faire and Googleween.

Molly waiting for Moonie to take stage at the Ren Faire:


Molly's not too sure what to make of all those crazy Ren Faire people:


Completely mesmerized by the exotic petting zoo at Googleween:


Giving Frankenstein a high five with some help from Daddy:


The Itsy Bitsy Spider wasn't so Itsy, but it sure was comfortable:

Trick o' treat

This was the first year Molly went trick o' treating. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first, but quickly grasped the concept and figured out how to get front in center where the candy was. We just hit a few homes as both Grandmas, Grandpa, and Papa J were over and I knew they wanted to get some Molly time in before bed time. The first stop was the house on the corner that Molly has been checking out on her walks for the last few weeks. We then wrapped around to the street behind us and made our way back home. Molly liked getting little treats put in her little monster pail and tried to go back for seconds a few times. Once she was done with a house she would put all the treats into her bigger lady bug pail that Grandpa was carrying and then look for the next house to hit. She never did say trick o' treat, but would nod when asked if she'd like some candy and hold her pail out.

Waiting for the door to be answered:


Molly got front in center in this crowd and scored two rounds of candy:


That's my little love (lady)bug:


Since Molly is still too young to actually eat any of the candy I picked out our favorites and put the rest in our dish to hand back out. Grandma Lucille brought her little packages of raisins that she was much more interested in anyway. All in all it was an excellent Halloween.

Click here for more pictures from the day.

Jump Jump Jump!

Molly and I went to the Lesters for a Halloween party before trick o' treating. Their son Grant has a kid-size bounce house that Molly loved. Both kids pretty much spent the entire time in here.