potty time

We got Eden a potty a while ago. At first, she was excited and would "use" it quite often. That faded rather quickly, and now she only "uses" the potty on occassion. Two weeks ago, Eden's CC came into town with a present - a new potty for Betsy! Of course, Eden had to show her how to use it.

*Editor's Note: Yes, that is Eden's Easter dress, and, no, she doesn't normally wear it to play potty around the house. But, for some reason, she loves this dress and must wear it each time she sees it. I had taken it out to show my Momma, Eden was there, and well you can guess the rest ... ashley

It had to happen at some point ...

Ashley and I were sitting on the couch talking about our days. We heard a cry from Eden's room. "That didn't sound good. You want to go in or me?" asked Ashley. "I'll do it."

As soon as I opened the door, the smell hit me ... vomit ... and lots of it.

Eden was sitting up saying "Yuckie. Yuckie. Yuckie." and pointing at it. I quickly got her up, turned around, and handed her to Ashley (who had run to see the commotion). While I got the sheets off the bed and into the washing machine, Ashely got Eden cleaned up.

After a minute, she was as good as new - good mood and all. We sat on the big bed for a little while and read her requested book - Baby Bird's First Nest. All was well. That is until it happened again. We should have known better than to let her drink a lot of water, but we didn't. It was less solid, but still not fun.

A brief strip down in the bath tub followed by a head cleaning, new pjs, a new book, more new pjs (she was "hot"), and some rocking, and she's back in bed ... hopefully for the rest of the night. Word is that Keegan, her buddy from PDO, experienced this on Wednesday night and her teacers were out most of the week, too. Fun.

(We'll spare you the pictures.)

Colors

We've been working with Eden on her colors for a while now. At first, everything was blue.

"What color is that car?"
"Blue."

"What color is that tree?"
"Blue."

"What color is that yellow duck?"
"Blue."

Then, she became more sophisticated.

"What color is the frog?"
"Blue"
"Noooo."
"Green!"

Then, all of a sudden, this week she knows some colors ... for real. For instance, yesterday Ashley and Eden played a game of searching for specific colored letters in E's alphabet magnets. Eden successfully pulled out a few magnets of each color (red, blue, yellow, and green) when asked. Today while out riding, she correctly identified the stop light as red and when asked what that meant she said "stop!" When the light turned green, she got excited and named the new color. Tonight at bedtime she looked at a picture of a brown teddy bear and said "B'own." She knew her paci was "red" (okay so it's pink but that's pretty close), and the other day she said "Green" when I asked her the color of a frog (which was actually green).

So much fun watching her learn!

Eden is not a baby.

Well, it's official.

Yesterday while Eden and I were shopping around Target, we heard a baby crying on another aisle. As we were talking and acknowledging the baby, I asked, "Eden, are you a baby?"

Her response, "No."

"Oh, you're not a baby. Well, what are you?

"Bi' girl."

Dang, I thought I had a little bit longer for her to be my baby :).

She is also not a maniac. For some reason, Graham has latched on to asking Eden lately if she's a maniac, to which she'll reply "No." When you ask, "Well, what are you?" she replies, "B'ooks Bo'ie"

Cute.

{ajb}

Has anybody seen Eden?

Eden loves to hide. I mean absolutely loves it. Most of the time she hides in plain sight, but sometimes she'll hide behind things (like the closet door). Whey you ask if anyone has seen her, she answers. When you ask "Where's Eden?" she mimics.

If her antics don't get you, her outfit will ...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

time-out

On Tuesday, Eden did not have school (Mardi Gras) so she and I hung out in the morning. We were in her room playing at her table when she got up, walked to the big chair, grabbed Lamby, said "No. No." then proceeded to take Lamby to time out

We have been using the time out mat for several reasons - sometimes Eden will get upset because we take something away so we'll take her there to calm down; other times she gets into trouble so she has to sit there by herself.

The other day, Eden put herself in time-out after "bouncing" right after Ashley told her not to jump on the ottoman again. She was jumping. Ashley told her to stop. Eden looked at her and raised up on her tip-toes ... not quite a "jump" but close enough. Then, she pointed to the mat outside her door. Ashley said ok, and Eden went and sat for a minute.

Last Sunday we had to say "Eden, if you eat a booger one more time you are going to time out." She tries her best not to eat them ... asking for a tissue or putting them on her shirt (better of the two evils?)

Just this morning we were in Eden's bedroom playing. She got upset so she went to the mat then said "'Mon Daddy." I was being called to help her calm down. I sat down on the mat with her as instructed then waited until she said she was ready to get up and not cry.

laundry

When Eden was a bit younger she used to help Ashley with the laundry. Now, she likes to pretend she is the laundry.

She'll get it and yell out "Daddy! Daddy! Ride. Go Daddy!" Once she sees me she'll sit down and hang on for a few loops around the house.

Sometimes she'll lie down and go night-night.

She's even been known to not want to get out. So we feed her the essentials, and she doesn't perish.

looking out the window

last November ...

one year ago ...

this week ...

She still loves to look out her window ... but how did she get so big?!?

Fee-Fee

CC left on Saturday around 2:00 and was "replaced" by Eden's Aunt Fee-Fee. Boston's training flight was rerouted away from Pensacola so we got to see her as an extra special Valentines weekend treat.

Eden got to show Fee-Fee her "new" table set-up, and Ashley and Fee-Fee got to go shopping, out to eat, and change Fee-Fee's hair color. It was a nice visit all around.

 

CC's Visit

On Thursday Eden's CC came to visit. She was supposed to come last week to let us have a Valentines evening (yes, she thought Valentines Day was last weekend). Due to a brief head cold she had to postpone to the actual Valentines Day weekend.

CC and Eden got to hang out all day on Friday ... inside since it SNOWED!

 

I got to spend the day at the office while Eden and her CC played. Then, Eden got put to bed while we snuck out to see Valentines Day. We're thankful her CC can come visit like this often!

valentines

When Ashley and Eden got home the Tuesday before Valentines Day, it was craft time. They made several hearts and sent them to family and school friends.

Then, a few days later, flowers arrived. Eden's Granddaddy is always good for a few red roses.

Ashley and I promised not to buy presents, instead opting to go on a date Friday night. We went to see Valentines Day, which was quite good actually. Eden's CC put her to bed (post to come) and waited up for us since it had snowed that day and the roads were still a little icy. Then, I made chocolate-covered potato chips (not my favorite either) on Sunday night after Eden went to bed. They were actually not as gross as they sound.

busy week, new year, new movie

It's been a busy, busy week, and Graham and I both have neglected to write down some memories this week. We have done a few fun things including ...

• staying out "late" to watch the Super Bowl ... We were invited over to some new friends' house (Ed & Felicia) with Jennifer, David, and Josie, and we stayed for the whole game! Eden was a trooper and was in heaven playing with Josie and Ed & Felicia's 5-yr-old daughter Hannah
• watching it snow on Friday morning ... then going to campus to work since LSU was the only school to remain open
• hearing the good news from our friends Marie and Brett (Keegan's parents) that their second son, Connor Thomas, was born at 4:00 am on Thursday morning {5 weeks early but perfectly healthy}
• spending time with CC who came to play with {and spoil} Eden
• having a student tell me after a 15 minutes discussion of infomercials, "Agghh, you mean we were actually learning?!" I swindled them into learning with a fun discussion.
• actually going out on a date to a movie ... We made it to one movie in the theaters last year, so we thought we'd get a head start on this year while E's CC was here. We saw Valentine's Day last night and even Graham liked it.

Graham is taking over the blog posts for a few weeks so we should actually have some things up soon.

two pacis please

The other day Eden got into her bed for a little relaxation time. While in there she noticed that she had not one but two pacis. What do you do with two pacis? It depends. Are you asking an addict?

my first pig tails

The other day, Ashley and I were on our bed with Eden. Then, it was as if Ashley was struck from above with a grand idea ... Eden's hair was long enough for pig tails! Surprisingly {well, we were watching Elmo on the computer}, E sat still enough for Ashley to put them in.

And she kept them in until bathtime. Now, she can ask for them by name (and her teachers think they are adorable).

paranoid parents

Well, we took E to the doctor this afternoon because she's had a yucky cough since Thursday. No real runny nose, no fever, just a cough ... that sounds like she's working out a lot of junk. So the paranoid parents (thinking of her month-long cold that ended in antibiotics and walking-pneumonia over the holidays) took her to see our favorite pediatrician this afternoon.

Thankfully, all is well. Nothing in E's lungs, and nothing wrong with the ears or throat. After she warmed up a bit to her doctor, E even gave her a cute "thank  you" and "bye-bye" as we left. As we walked out, I heard her pediatrician say to one of the nurses, "Don't you just love her?" I couldn't agree more.

We spent about 10 minutes going down the stairs to the first floor of the clinic while E counted each step, 1 to 10 and then over again, and back up in the elevator to do it all over again. Good thing we didn't have to be anywhere.

Oh, and the little munchkin weighed in at 25.7 pounds, fully clothed.

Which reminds me, did you know that when I was pregnant I was basically carrying around 2 nearly-two-year-old Eden's (yes, almost 50 pounds, I'm really not sure how it happened ... preeclampsia?) on my 5ft 1inch body? No wonder I felt tired.

- ashley

blankie

Last week Eden started a new thing at bedtime ... getting tucked into bed. After Ashley rocks her and tells her stories about all of her immediate family rocking her (Big Daddy, Nona, Granddaddy, CC, everyone comes by to rock Eden - and sometimes she asks for them by name ... "Where's Ashley?"), she puts her in her bed. Then, Ashley takes her turqouise-blue blanket, lays it over Eden, and tucks away.

The other day I went into the room to turn down her heater, and I saw her lying down on her stomach, her head cocked to the right, and her blanket still neatly tucked under her sides and feet. So very cute. Perhaps this is the first sign that she is ready for a big-girl-bed? Nah ... we're not ready for that yet.

lots of extras

the view into E's room one morning last week ...

loving her lego duplos ...

finally found a rug for E's room after she's lived in the room for over a year (found the rug on clearance at Target!) ...



We've been having dance parties in the afternoons to a mixed CD of music approved by E's friend Josie and made for us my her mom Jennifer ...

a few random photos from this afternoon ...

-- ashley

once upon a potty

We have some great friends in Baton Rouge. As one example, our friends Jennifer and David West have lent Eden a mound of Josie's clothes. Recently, they let us borrow a few books and a DVD about pee-pee and poo-poo (that's what Eden likes to call it). Eden really enjoys reading about the little girls who are big enough to make pee and poo in the potty; just a day after we got the books, she looked at one of them and said "Hannah" (the little girl's name). Wow. Now she can even say Prudence, the main character of the other book. The DVD is an Elmo potty DVD - she calls that "Elmo. Poo-poo." After she watches it she likes to sit on her potty. Usually she just pretends, complete with sound effects (pssssss).

We're hoping that we can read and watch, when Eden shows interest, until the summer when Ashley will have some dedicated time to potty train Eden. We're also hoping that Eden continues to only talk about pee and poo with us - though we're not very optimistic about that. For now, it seems Eden just likes pretending and figuring things out. In the past few days, Eden's babydoll Bebe has even been pee-peeing and pooing, and Eden asked us to help change Bebe's diaper. Seems like everyone around here is catching on.

who dat?

Some kids learn their ABCs. Some learn to count. Some learn to read. Apparently, Eden goes to school to learn the finer things in life ... how to cheer for the Saints. That's right. At school yesterday Eden (and her classmates) "made" signs then subsequently waved them around and learned how to say "Who dat?!" She brought home her sign and made sure to show me and Ashley her newfound talent. I suppose we should let her watch the Superbowl now.

Scuse me, Momma.

Yesterday, I was standing at the dining room table and was obviously in Eden's way a bit. When she walked toward me pushing her pink stroller (bag on her arm and babydoll in the stroller), she said "scuse me, momma" without giving it another thought.

It's pretty amazing to notice her new phrases being added in each day.

{ashley}

separation anxiety - volume 1, issue 3

Last semester, we wrote about Eden experiencing some separation anxiety (here and here). She would scream when I dropped her off at school, and she would scream at the church nursery. She would scream when Ashley left in the morning, and she was not happy when I even mentioned going to school after she calmed down.

Fortunately, that subsided for a bit. We visited family for a while, and had a while at PDO where she was her normal, happy self. Then, the second week back this semester, it started again. I've been able to calm her quite easily when Ashley leaves in the morning. In fact, she is even happy to have me get her out of her crib (which used to be a "Where's Mommy?" event). Unfortunately, she has not been her normal, happy self when I drop her off at PDO in the mornings.

I've reverted to giving her Georgia and a paci, and her teachers say it helps. They get it from her about 15 minutes after I leave when it is time for a snack. Not ideal, but certainly better than a nearly-2-year-old screaming and kicking for what seems like an eternity (though they say it only lasts a minute or so).

Some say that "It's just something that happens" while others claim particular "universal strategies" to cope with it. We think the answer lies somewhere between these two claims. If anything has worked for you and your little ones, do share. For now, we've gone back to our original strategies of a very systematic drop-off, combined with a strategic team approach of me doing something fun with Eden while Ashley leaves in the morning, and reminding Eden of who will pick her up.

After a week of this, it seems to be working. On Sunday, her favorite Sunday school teacher was in and drop off went much better. She even wanted to walk back in the building to say "goodbye" and give a kiss to Miss Cayla as we were headed to the car.

The next challenge ... working on getting Eden excited about the snacks and lunch we send to PDO rather than the cheese puffs that everyone else gets for snack and the random chocolate covered pretzels in the lunches of kids sitting next to her! We're trying the same strategies of talking to her while I pack her lunch and hyping up how special and good her food is. Only time will tell with this one.