No Turning Back Now

About four weeks ago I was putting Marlee down for bed only to realize that we were out of pullups. For a split second I thought about getting one of Cooper's diapers but decided against it. I explained to Marlee that she would not be wearing pullups. Now this was a risk since she had drank plenty of milk, juice, and water. Also, I didn't have a waterproof mattress pad. So we were going out on a limb.

Sidebar~Marlee is 100% potty trained during the day but just hasn't broken the nighttime habit. I talked to her pediatrician about it at her 3 yr check up. She said many kids are not nighttime trained until 5 or 6 years old. So I wasn't going to rush it.

Well she was dry for 2 nights in a row! We celebrated and celebrated. She was very proud of her self and is now the owner of Barbie, a little stuffed barking chihuahua for her efforts. We've had a few accidents here and there, but for the most part we're done with the whole potty training until I start all over with Cooper! Our new struggle is trying to justify why I won't let her drink anything after 6. Oh well.

Wordless Wednesday

Marlee's doodle while I cleaned the kitchen after breakfast.

Following My Head or My Heart

Marlee has started a bad habit of waking up in the middle of the night and coming into our bedroom. In the beginning, we would instantly take her back to bed. This could happen several times in one night. Slowly, Chad and I let her crawl in bed and cuddle for a bit, then we would take her back once she fell back asleep. Now this is happening almost every night.

A few weekends back, Chad and I were talking to her about the importance of staying in her own bed at night. Of course she asked why. Our reply was our bed just isn't big enough for 3 people. She said Chad and I could roll over and make a spot for her right in the middle. How could we argue with that? She's got reasoning 101 down. LOL

So the problem is, do I follow my head and continue to put her back in her bed or follow my heart and enjoy cuddling with my daughter? I worry that she's not getting quality sleep at night because she's waking up. I know how important sleep is for her especially since she doesn't take naps anymore. On the other hand, I know one day soon she won't want to lay in bed and cuddle with us at all.

What's a mother to do?!?! Have you had any experience with this? Strategies? Tips?

Calm Down and Be Nice

Boy, over the last few weeks Marlee and Cooper have been playing together like a someone is flipping a switch on and off. One minute they are all buddy-buddy and the next minute someone is screaming and crying. It makes for some exhausting days around here. Cold and rainy weather doesn't help the situation much. That's why this past weekend, I threw both kids outside in the sun and locked the door. Ah, I'm just joking, but we did spend LOTS of time in the sunshine. I think everyone slept like a rock Sunday night.

Cooper is becoming more and more independent. He is playing by himself more and more, too. Saturday afternoon he headed to the steps with a handful of monster trucks. I could tell he was on the steps, so I went to check on him. He jerked around and threw his hand in my face and said, "No, Mommy! My play monster trucks on steps!" It was rather cute to sit back and watch him play. He's starting to develop imaginative play. He was making truck sounds and racing them back and forth.He sat there for several minutes playing. Today, he did the same thing with his trains. He's definitely becoming more like a little boy and less like a toddler.

All of this independence disrupts Marlee's game plan. She's developing a bossy streak and has meltdowns if Coop doesn't do exactly what she wants. Cooper will voice his opinion usually with a scream and running away from whatever he was doing. Needless to say, my nerves have been tested lately. A few new sayings around the house are"Calm Down!" and "Be Nice!" I'm sure the neighbors are thinking, "What in the world is going on over there?!?!"

Snow Over Georgia

We were covered in 3-4 inches of snow after a few hours of serious snow showers Friday afternoon. It was an unexpected surprise since I don't watch the news and didn't know it was coming. I heard through the grapevine that snow was headed to South GA, but didn't know we were on the weather map, too.

Cooper was SO excited. At one point he was pointing to the window and saying, "Look! Snow!" He then preceded to get his shoes and attempt to put them on. We headed out, but didn't stay too long. It was still coming down like crazy and was super wet. We were pretty soaked, so we headed inside. Marlee and Cooper had their first taste of hot chocolate. Actually it was warm, since we can't say the HOT word in front of Cooper. Their favorite moment was adding marshmallow after marshmallow to their drinks. Yum! Yum! We all went back out after dinner and attempted to make a snowman. Chad squished his head when he went to add the eyes and carrot nose. So we handed our supplies off to the neighbors.

We got up this morning and had a wonderful, big breakfast and didn't even get the kitchen cleaned up before we were all dressed and out the door. Marlee made her first snow angel. Cooper was half loving and half hating the snow. Poor thing, he kept trying to scrape the snow off his boots! He didn't understand why his shoes were dirty. Ha Ha

We walked down to the playground to see the snow amounts they got and headed back to sled with our neighbors. As our neighbor said, " I knew that hill would come in handy for something!" Ha I was the only one from my family to give it a try.

My sledding attempts down the neighbor's hill.

Happy Snow Day!

Worth a Look

Have you been stuck inside with your kids due to the crazy weather lately? I know we have played with every toy in our house too many times to count. I enjoy reading TeachMama's blog and saw this great link for indoor activities to do with your little ones. Many of the ideas aren't new, but it never hurts to share with others. Be sure to search through the rest of her blog for great ideas!

Cooper Cuddles

One of my most favorite times of any given day is cuddle time with Cooper. He is such a Mama's Boy and will cuddle with me for several minutes. The best time to catch a Cooper Cuddle is right after he wakes up or when he's sleepy. He grabs his paci and deece (aka blanket) and will walk up to me with a smirky grin sticking out from behind his paci. I'll pick him up and he just relaxes in my arms. I can play with his hair, whisper "I love you" in his ear and give him the occasional squeeze. I usually warm up his little pigeon-toed feet and end up holding his little hand or his hand gripping my finger.

It never lasts long, but I do try and savor every moment of Cooper Cuddle Time. I know one day he won't be such a Mama's Boy or cuddle in my lap. Do you have a cuddle bug at home?