Birthday 2011

This year was the big #27!  I for some reason don't really like this number- it could be that it means that there are only 3 years left until I turn THIRTY??!! Yikes.  Oh well, what can ya do but enjoy it:) I did get some great gifts though so they made it a little sweeter:)

Brian knows I love surprises (who doesn't on their special day) and he definitely did the part this year.  We are both due for upgrades on our phones-like over a year ago-and we just have been putting it off because everything requires a so called "media" plan.  Well, much to my surprise I received the one and only i phone!  Yep, I'm pretty much in love with it.  He sacrificed his own desires for mine:)  He even stayed up till 3am the night it was released from Verizon Wireless to order it to make sure I would get one on time for my b-day-how nice huh!  He also got me a TON of my favorite candy since I am pretty much a candyoholic these days (I have been craving sugar with this pregnancy and with Alli it was all steak-weird).  The sugar will definitely help me with my # on the scale-it just keeps going up and up and up:)  I also received some presents in the mail from my family which is ALWAYS a fun surprise too.  It was nice to be remembered-thanks ya'll:)

Alli told me "Happy Day Mama" when we were eating breakfast-Brian had been telling her that it was my birthday and she remembered:)  She decorated herself with stickers for my present...how sweet

We went down to Louisville for my birthday weekend to visit the Wright's and also look for a place to live for when we move this summer.  It was nice to get a weekend away someplace slightly warmer than OH-and the sun came out too:) Kailee is such a great cuz and made me a yummy cake and all the kiddos sang me Happy Birthday(she has those pics).  The kids had a great time together-Alli can never get enough play time and Hunter and Hudson were great playmates...we are excited that we will be living right in the same city with them!

On a side note...

There are only a few weeks left until Baby Beckstrom #2 arrives.  Can I just say that I am totally not ready?  Yeah- I've sorted through Alli's baby stuff etc. I've got clothes, diapers and all that kinda stuff AND I'm physically ready, but emotionally, NO WAY!  How am I going to handle a cute (stinker bug) Alli J. and a newborn?  Do I have enough patience?  I don't feel like I do. 

I start getting "checked" at my next appt. Uggh! This pregnancy has been more difficult for me in that she is sitting so low(and is probably about 9 lbs now due to my sugar overload) and puts a TON of pressure on those "bones" down low:)  Apparently my Relaxin horomone is kickin' in a little early and with a vengeance...walking is pretty much torture and so is my "rolling" from side to side at night.  What a joy!  This little girl also likes to have play time right when I'm trying to go to sleep-usually between 10-12 and she also is an early riser at around 0600-her favorite play area-my ribcage.  Does it sound like I'm complaining because I really am trying hard not too-wink wink! 

All in all, I am thankful that things are going well, but my body could at least try to hold itself together a bit better for the next few weeks since I still have a few 12 hr. shifts I have to make it through (after all I am ONLY #27-remember:)  If you don't hear from me again, it's probably because I've either lost it (as in my mind) or I've gone into labor.  Which one will come first?  Who knows...

Potty Update

We have some good news to report...this little hooligan has officially gone #2 on the toilet 2 days in a row for a total of 5 times-woo hoo!!  I never thought I would be so excited about poop, but hey this is one big step-we'll take it (and yes I am counting) :)  Who knows if it will last, but its better than nothing.  She has actually come to me on her own and told me she needs to go-no forcing this one.  The first day Alli did it she kept running around in a circle saying she needed to go, but refused to go into the bathroom-I offered her a pull up because I felt so bad for her that she was holding it in so long, but she refused one.  I think she finally decided it had to come out so she RAN to the potty saying "mommy I gotta go poo poo" and was doing a little dance.  I sat her on the toilet and the rest I'll leave to your imagination-we've all done it and know the rest of the story:)  Alli has also been waking up a little more dry in her pull ups from nap time, but the night time wetness has kind of stayed the same.  We have our fingers crossed that this will continue-although I keep telling myself not to be too disappointed if she regresses a little off and on.  Oh the joys!     

Progress...

I don't know how to really describe this last week...the words that come to mind include:  painful, torture, unbearable, crazy and/or frustrating (well for the first 2-3 days of the potty training).  Potty training is probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do as a parent.  Little Miss Alli J. pushed my buttons to the limit and let's be honest here, patience really isn't my forte at times :).  Brian was gone so it was just me on my own doing this fun thing, so I would suggest having the daddy around to vent to and share in the torture :)  I almost cried a few times because it was so overwhelming, but in the end it was worth it!

We (and I say we because it feels like I was potty training myself too) are now successfully potty or "pee pee" trained.  After the first 2 days Alli started staying dry and telling me she needed to go to the potty. We started this whole process on Wednesday the 25th and by the 28th she was definitely staying dry-minus one accident while she was playing with some friends and got distracted(sorry Hunter's). Just yesterday we went out for most of the day-no accidents-and she told me when she needed to go to the bathroom.  It is AWESOME!  The other side is that she is afraid to go #2 still.  She waits until nap time and bedtime to do her business-she will often say she needs to go, but then just toots on the toilet:).  We put a pullup on her at those times because she has never woken up dry and she is a very deep sleeper (and I can't give up her 2-3 hr. naps right now).  We just change her after 10-15 minutes of putting her down and she says "Uh oh I poopy."     So, we will continue to work on that.  


I am very proud of Alli-I honestly didn't know if we were going to make it there for awhile, but she is a trooper!  I guess parenting is about trial and error and of course success too!  Here are a few pics of our adventures...

I wasn't going to do the little potty chair thing, but it made her feel safe on the toilet.  She didn't like it in the room, but preferred it in the bathroom so we just put the seat on the toilet and she has handles to hold on to.  When we are out and about she has not complained about not having her potty seat, we just set her up on the toilet and hold her there and she is fine with that.  At home though, she prefers her little seat and steps.

This was definitely not all smiles, but at times there was light at the end of the tunnel...
 

Day one...showing her the new panties that were going to take place of her beloved diaper...she obviously didn't know what they were:)


 

Alli is was not quite sure about the actual peeing in the toilet-it took quite a few pretend tries to get this one right

 We painted our toes together while we were in between accidents and or running to the bathroom

We also had to have some dress up time

Alli loves to wear Brian's gloves all the time-even when she eats-and yes she still loves baby food-I don't know why, but she does.

This whole process was not the best, but the results are worth it.  I really didn't think it was going to click with Alli and I had a fear that we would not be getting out of diapers anytime soon.  After reading and researching, every potty training experience is different for every child and there is no right or wrong way to go about doing it.  If they want to do it, they will, if they don't, they won't.  That's what I learned.  So we shall see what happens with the #2 situation and maybe one day Alli will surprise me again and just do it! Keep your fingers crossed! 

 Thanks Kristen for your ideas and words of encouragement:)

And finally here is our new little one at 29 weeks.  In all of the pictures that we tried to get she was sucking on her fingers or had her hands by her face.  It is always fun to see them from this perspective because all you feel is the strong kicks in places that don't always feel the best:)  Things are going well so far although I am definitely feeling very large and pregnant now.  This pregnancy is different in that I am feeling a lot more pressure in places that I didn't know I could ;) I have a feeling she is going to be bigger than Alli-my weight gain is going quite nicely(I really need to stop my sweet tooth)!   We are excited to meet her in person although I am so not ready to be a mother of 2!