Mixed Bag

After going two weeks during which we only had to change two stinky diapers, potty training has come to a grinding halt. Jill now uses the potty as a bed time stall tactic with very little production. But that's OK. She's happy and comfortable sitting on the potty and we'll watch for signs that she is ready for actual potty training.

It's been a tough few weeks of parenting which probably accounts for my extended blog silence! Jill's repertoire of difficult behavior includes acting like a human tornado opening drawers and cabinets then dumping the contents, throwing food from her high chair (a classic), and repeatedly turning off the TV if Bryan and I are watching something that isn't Barney. Then there is the hitting and kicking that accompanies some diaper changes. Whew. We're going to pick up our pack and play from my mom's this weekend so we can start implementing some two minute time outs. I'll feel better about all of this when we have a plan in place for discipline.

Do I sound a little down? It's probably because my two-year old is routinely kicking my butt and crushing my spirit!

I guess this is just normal two-year old stuff. Don't get me wrong, Jill is still a super sweet girl. She is saying and doing so many new things. She sings about 80% of the alphabet song and recognizes and names maybe 7 letters. She also loves to sing and dance. She sings "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," and "If I Lived Under the Sea," with the choreographed dance moves. My favorite things she says right now are, "Thank you very much," and "Kiss. I love you!" My mom left last night without kissing Jill good-bye and Jill got very upset saying, "Kiss?! Buh-bye, Nana?!"

Jill just started wanting a blankie for naps and bedtime. Her timing is great. We wouldn't have let her have it much before her second birthday (for safety sake), and she has almost outgrown her extra large sleep sacks. We didn't know what we would do when she reached that milestone, but now we're hoping the blankie will comfort her so that her sleep habits won't be disturbed when she doesn't have the sleep sack.

Things are going well with the pregnancy. I'm 18 weeks right now and feeling good, though I feel much bigger this time around! I'm getting weekly progesterone shots to prevent preterm labor so it feels like I'm at the OB all the time. My level 2 ultrasound is on Tuesday and I'm hoping that we will see first a healthy baby, and secondly whether that baby is a girl or a boy. I can't believe the ultrasound has come so quickly. I'll let you know what we see and then we can start shopping! This time I'd like to have the nursery ready before the baby comes!