95% Potty Trained!!!!

So, I'd say that as of about 12/21/12 (the day the world was actually supposed to end...lol!), you became almost 100% potty trained. It was literally as if the world had ended because up until that point you weren't doing so great and I was getting OOBER worried!!! It was like you woke up one day and decided that you would just do it, and besides when you're asleep, you haven't had an accident (knock on wood!). You tell us when you have to go "peepies" and/or "poopies," and sometimes just go to the potty on your own and tell us after wards. It's fabulous!!!! Not sure how we're going to do the whole night time thing, but if it's anything like this, I'm hoping that one day it'll just happen!!!

Winter Colds!

This week (wk of 12/17/12), you had a nasty nasty cold. I knew when I took you to school that there was a BIG possibility that I'd get the dreaded call that I needed to come get you. You were warm and just not yourself, but thankfully, you were able to stay most of the day. Daddy was leaving work early on 12/18/12, so he picked you up and took you to see Dr. Warner. Just a nasty cold, so that's good! I was getting worried with a weekend and holiday coming up, so better to be safe than sorry. :) We've been pumping you full of honey elixir, cough syrups and Vicks plug-ins and rub. At the doctor's, you were weighed, and you only weigh 32lbs!!!! You must be getting tall because I feel like you were not must smaller than that months ago. Makes sense, too, because you NEVER eat! I'm lucky to get maybe 1 full meal total in your body all day! Such a little nibbler!!!

Potty Training Progress???

Well, I'm still dreaming of the day that you're not in diapers, and well that day is here, but there's a twist. While you're not wearing "diapers," per se, you are wearing Princess Pull-Ups, which in my mind is PROGRESS!! You are refusing regular diapers, and only wanting to wear the pull-ups, and today (12/9/12), you told me you needed to go potty TWICE before going in your pull-up, making you dry for HOURS!!!! This was super. We are regressing a bit tonight - MAJOR meltdown, so I am not going to make you go potty tonight. Tomorrow is a new day, right?

Disney on Ice!

On Sat. (10/27/12), daddy and I took you to see Disney on Ice! We still have yet to take you to a movie, but this gives us hope. You were able to maintain focus (for the most part) and I think really enjoyed it - especially when the princesses/fairies came out. I even enjoyed it!!!!!

"Call Me Maybe"

Oct. 26, 2012 marked another Hailey Kozinn 1st...we were driving and Carly Rae Jepsen's song "Call Me Maybe" came on and all of a sudden I heard a little voice behind me singing...the right words!! It was so funny. Such a little singer you are!

BIG GIRL BED!

This whole climbing out of the crib thing is getting old, so daddy and I decided we HAD to take off the front of the crib and put up the toddler railing. It's so neat!! You immediately loved it, and got right in. But now...it's so much easier to slide right out! I didn't think about that - ha! I went out that day to get you new bedding - PRINCESS bedding and stickers for the wall! I transformed your room into a princess wonderland, and you loved it, BUT, not enough to stay in your bed...haha! I haven't found the magic trick to get you to stay yet, but I'm working on it. Time out doesn't phase you. Sometimes an extra cup of "chalky milk" helps, but not always. I'm going to figure you out little girl!

2 1/2 year Check Up!

Today (9/14/12) we went for your 2 1/2 year check up! You've grown to 31 lbs and are 36in tall!! You can ride most kiddie rides now!! YAY!!! You also had to get your Hepatitis A vaccination and the seasonal Flu mist. You did GREAT!!! You cried for just a second, and then got a Barbie bandaid!!!! After the doctor's visit, we went to Kenwood Mall to have lunch with mommy's friend, Julie, at......of course, The Cheesecake Factory! I ordered you a vanilla sundae, but you didn't want anything to do with it! SO WEIRD!!!! On our way home, we stopped by the dollar store and stocked up on princess dress up accessories, your favorite thing to do! Now we're just waiting on daddy to get home so we can go to the Chinese buffet! I would imagine you'll eat a bunch because you really haven't eaten all day!

1st Hair"trim"

You're ALMOST 2 1/2 years old and just haven't been able to "cut" your hair, though let me add, you have cut your own hair! LOL! A few months back, you took "play" scissors, scissors that barely can cut paper, and trimmed some of your hair! LOL! So, when it came down to planning our trip to Buffalo for Labor Day 2012, it seemed only fitting that Maria would cut your hair. She has cut daddy's hair, mommy's hair, Gaga's hair, Pop Pop Marc's hair, Great Grandma Rita's hair and I'm sure Great Grandpa Harvey's hair. You'd be the 4th generation Kozinn/Rogers to have you hair cut ("trimmed") by Maria! It was last Saturday (9/1/12), and you weren't really thrilled about it. Maria had to trim a little bit of my hair, and then trim yours, back to mine and back to yours. I had to hold you for a little bit, and daddy had to hold you for a little bit. All in all, it went well given the situation and your age :) After that, we went to Anderson's for an ice cream lunch!!! HA! You have such a sweet tooth! Ice cream and rainbow sprinkles! We had a great weekend in Buffalo. GaGa and Pop Pop Marc took us all to Fantasy Island. You had a ball - rode so many rides. You really are fearless! You went down waterslides, too...ALL BY YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Such a brave little girl!

1st Trip to the Dentist!

August 16, 2012 - Your 1st trip to see the dentist. This is the FIRST 1st that mommy had to miss, but by choice actually - I don't like going to see the dentist, and probably would have made you nervous, SO you went with daddy!!! I heard that you did FABULOUSLY!!!! Daddy had you dressed in purple, and while you were there, the hygienist painted your nails purple to match!!!!! You let the hygienist clean your teeth, but didn't really like the dentist using tools in your mouth - totally understandable!!! Sounds like you were a very, very brave girl!!!! Next visit: 6 month check up in February!

Climbing Out of Your Crib!!!

It's been awhile since I've blogged, but this certainly is blog-worth! Today on 8/12/12, you are ALMOST 2 1/2 years old, and today of all days, you climbed out of your crib not once, but TWICE!!!!!!!!!!! I had left to get a pedicure, and daddy was going to put you down for a nap. I guess he put you in the crib, and you got out, walked into the office and started laughing! Eeeeeeeeek! Also, you just started doing this...ever since mommy and daddy were in Seattle last weekend, bed time is such a process now. Before, we could just put you in the bed with your cup of chocolate (aka chalky) milk, and you'd go right down. Now, you have to hold my hand or have my rubbing your back. I keep trying to assure you that I'm not leaving, but you don't believe me :(

July 2012 - 28 months old

I haven't written in awhile, so here goes... It's July 2012 already, which makes you 28 months old!!! You're doing so much, and saying SO much. Here are some of my favorite Hailey phrases: "I don't know" "Different!" (when I choose a pair of shoes for you, or anything for that matter) "Hailey's.........) (everything is yours, but you now say "Hailey's hat" or "Hailey's cup." "I go poopies" or "I go potty" "I need to go potty" "Please" "Thank you" "Sorry" (you actually just said "Sorry Bunny" as I was writing this. "I go with me" (which really is "I go with you" when I take Honey outside, but you always hear me say, "You want to go with me?") Here are some of the new things that you're doing or mastering: * You almost always go "poopies" in the potty, which is SO GREAT!!!!! * You have started going "pee pee" in the potty, and the last few days have actually said, "I need to go potty." * You can sing (your own version) or "Rock-a-Bye Baby!" It's soooo cute...you say, "Rock-a-babies..." * You also can count almost perfectly to 15, sometimes 20. * You can sing-along the ABC's with me, and sometimes do know most of the letters. * You don't typically dance on command, but if the song "I'm Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO comes on...you shake that tush, and get this grin on your face...it's so funny! Some of your favorite movies right now are: Lady & The Tramp, The Lion King, Happy Feet (which you call Happy Two Feet!), and Thumbelina. Some of your favorite shows are: Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go, and anything on the Nick Jr channel - Bubble Guppies, Little Bear, etc. Favorite foods: Chicken Nuggets, Macaroni "which you call nah-nee," rice!!!!!!! and soup actually - your preference is Panera's chicken noodle. :)

Myrtle Beach 2012

We just got back from our first trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! It was so much fun! You had a BLAST, and certainly love the pool. You're not so thrilled with the ocean, though you seemed to like the sand. The pool is absolutely your favorite thing to do. We drove down to Myrtle Beach, and stayed in North Carolina on our way down there. We got there last Friday, May 25 and met up with GrAndi and Pop Pop. No joke, this was our daily routine. Get up...go to the pool for about 3-4 hours (you literally played in the water that long!), take a nap, and go to dinner. Your Great Aunt Joanie and Great Uncle Joel visited with us, too! They love you so much, and brought you all sorts of presents! You are definitely picking up lots and lots of vocabulary. Your words are definitely being formed into longer and longer sentences. You still have LOTS of meltdowns, but we're (mommy and daddy) slowly being able to calm you down and undertand why you're throwing these meltdowns. :) We just got back today, after staying in Knoxville, TN last night. You did not want to go to sleep!!!!! LOL! Our drive home today was shorter than yesterday, but I think after 3 1/2 hours, we were all ready to get out of the car. We're thinking of going back to Disney World for our next family trip!

"Hand, Foot, Mouth" AND...you're a singing sensation!

This past week has been CRAZZZZZZZZY! I picked you up from Skidaddles on Fri. May 4, and you were a little warm. I think you had a fever of 100. :( You also had these little spots on your cheeks, but I thought it was just skin irritation from your sheets or something. That night, we picked up GrAndi and Pop Pop and then met daddy and Pop Pop Marc for dinner at Panera. All was fine. The next day, the spots were still there, but still, I thought nothing of it. We had daddy's graduation "laser tag" party at Laser Adventure. You got to play with your friends, Mady & Lucas Igo, while daddy got to play laser tag with his friends. Unfortunately, Pop Pop couldn't come because he wasn't feeling well. :( GaGa met us there and later picked up Aunt Kinneret & Uncle Max. That night, we all went out to dinner for Hibachi, and the spots seemed to be getting worse... The next day, the day of daddy's graduation, the spots had spread around your mouth, and I thought..."OH NO! Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease." I checked out your hands and feet, and sure enough, you had a couple of blisters on each. :( GrAndi and I took you to Urgent Care to be sure, and it was confirmed. :( Luckily, GrAndi was able to stay the entire week because you couldn't return to Skidaddles for 3-5 days. Miss Lauren and her husband, Josh, came over to babysit you on Sunday while we went to the graduation and had dinner. You had a BLAST with them. You got to stay home all week with GrAndi. Pretty sure all you did was watch Lady & the Tramp, though. Haha! But, you know what's funny??? GrAndi started singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and you did, too. It was the funniest thing...you would start off really soft, and then at random moments during the song, you'd get REALLY loud! LOL! So crazy that you know most of the words. A couple of months ago, you only knew the last words of each phrase. Yesterday was Mother's Day! It was so great that we got to spend that day with GrAndi - how often are we all together to celebrate a holiday!?!?! We took you to brunch at Grandview Tavern. You didn't eat a whole lot, but you loved playing with the roses they gave us. Hopefully you'll learn later, but right now, you were popping the rose heads off, and ripping off petals! Ha! It wast still funny! Though we took you to Skidaddles for a few hours on Saturday, today is your first day back to "school." Hope you're doing okay! :) Love you!!

Night Time Necessities!

You're almost 25 months old now, which of course...I CAN'T BELIEVE!!!! Every day your personality comes out stronger and stronger, and lately, you have really established some FIRM requirements when going to sleep.

I've noticed that it's easier to get you to go to sleep if I start whispering, and talking quietly to you about 15-20 min before "bedtime." Last night, I did this, and you started to get a pillow. I then asked you if you wanted "blanket," and you proceeded to run upstairs. I made you a cup of "chalkate" and when I was walking up the stairs, you were coming down them with your "H" pillow and the super soft puppy blanket GrAndi had bought you. I said, "let's go night night," and you gave me your pillow and blanket to take upstairs. You ran in your room, which lights were already off and you had your "stars" (lady bug light) already on - color purple! :) I asked you to turn your "songs on" (sound machine), which you did. I put your jammies on, and asked if you wanted to lay down. You said yes, and then I gave you your babies (including Bitty), and you positioned them on either side of you just like you wanted. You said, "blanket" and I put THREE blankets on you - because 1 isn't enough. :) You took your cup immediately and went to bed.

Now lately, and I'm hoping this is a growth spurt, but you've been getting up in the middle of the night. Usually around 12:30am or 3:30am, but last night (this morning), you got up at 4:30am and then again at 5:15am. When you got up at 4:30am, you were so funny. You were still half asleep I'm sure, but you handed me your cup, said "chalkate," and then reached to be picked up. I picked you up, and then you said, "cover! cover!" I grabbed the super soft dog blanket, and wrapped you up and took your downstairs to get chocolate milk. When I put you back in your bed, the "stars" had turned off, so of course you asked for your stars to be back on.

You are just so funny with what you want and need. I know I probably shouldn't give into you, but if it helps you sleep, well by golly, it's gonna happen!!!

Next weekend, we're going to Buffalo. SO HELP ME if I forget your "stars" and "songs."

Sad Mama!

Well, this blog does not need the details, but mommy is sad and has to go to the hospital today. What would've been your brother or sister got really sick and had to go to the Rainbow Bridge.

You're going to play at Skidaddles today while I'm at the hospital with daddy. He will pick you up, don't worry. You're going to have to be a really good girl for daddy because I won't be able to pick you up, or play with you very much because I'll be sore.

I love you very much, Hailey. Can't wait to see you later tonight!

Poopy in the Potty!!

Tonight (3/15/12), you asked to go on the potty. As soon as I put you on the potty, you said, "done!" SO, we put a new diaper on, and washed your hands with Dora soap. A few minutes later, you ran into the closet (which is your sign to go poopy). I opened the closet door and quickly asked if you wanted to go sit on the potty. You said "yes!" so we went back to the potty, and I left you in the bathroom for a few minutes. When I checked on you, you said, "done!" and sure enough, you had made a poopy in the potty!!!!! You were so excited!!! YAY!!!

2 Year Check-Up!

Today is your 2nd birthday, officially! We had to celebrate yesterday because your birthday fell on a Monday this year because of Leap Year.

We went to breakfast at IHOP with GaGa, Pop Pop Marc, and Mamas (your new name for GrAndi). After breakfast, Mamas and I took you to your 2 year check up with Dr. Warner. You are now 27lbs 7oz and have grown to 34.25in in length!! WOWZERS!!! You don't have to go back until you're 2 1/2 years old (Sept 2012), but Dr. Warner does want us to schedule a dentist visit...eek! Hope you like seeing the dentist more than I do!!!

Tonight, Mamas, daddy and I took you to Chuck-E-Cheese. WHAT CHAOS! You had a ball, but man there were kids running around everywhere...screaming! Ahhh!!! You had fun, though, and that's what counts!

Mamas is staying an extra week because mommy is a HOT MESS! :) We put the house up for sale tonight, too, so she is helping me clean and get it ready - thank god!!!! That Mamas of yours is sooooo wonderful!

Sleep tight buttercup!

LOVE YOU!

GrAndi, Pop Pop, GaGa & Pop Pop Marc are here for your 2nd Birthday!!!!!!

I cannot believe you're ABOUT to turn 2 years old!!!! Where has the time gone??

GrAndi has been here since Tuesday so that she could help me get everything ready for the party, and let's not forget...help with laundry! :) You guys got to spend all Thursday together, and had a blast!!! You have a new game: You close the door, and then the person on the other side knocks. You then open the door to see who it is, or if they're hiding, and then run back behind the door and do it all over again...if we didn't stop you, you'd do this all day! Ha!

Pop Pop flew in last night, and GaGa & Pop Pop Marc drove in, too! We all met at a restaurant called John Phillips. They have this gourmet mac & cheese which you loved (as did I!). I had you dressed in this 4T (only size I could find) rose-colored shirt that said "BIG SIS" on it. You had yellow leggings, and I had a fleece on top of that. You were sitting on daddy's lap, facing everyone, and I just said "Adam, take off her fleece, it's getting warm." As daddy was doing this, I was filming with my i-phone! Best video EVER! Everyone was so shocked!

March has been quite a month so far. You're turning 2! You're getting a sibling! Daddy got this amazing new job at Amazon! AND...we're putting the house up for sale on Monday and hopefully moving into this new, bigger home near daddy's work!!! SO MUCH CHANGE!!!

I CAN BLOG AGAIN!!

Okay...let's back track a couple weeks...

February 28...looks like you're going to be a BIG SISTER!!!! Congrats, Hailey!!! We can't believe it. Not that we should be surprised, since we had recently decided to give you a sibling (hehe!), but didn't expect it to happen so quickly. It's a little too real right now, and perhaps I'm in shock. I'm certain once I start poppin' out of my pants, it won't be such a shocker! Ha!

I pray that I have as good, and event-free pregnancy as I did with you. I might have complained the first time around, but I didn't know what to expect. Now I do! :)

You're going to be such a good big sister. You are so good with your baby dolls. I know you're going to be such a big help to me.

I hope you're excited!!!

No food + Enema???

The past week or so, there has definitely been a change in your appetite. And by that, I mean you're eating close to NOTHING!!! Before, I could pretty much put anything in front of you, and you'd at least humor me by eating a little. Nowadays, I'm lucky if you take 1 tiny bite of a chicken nugget ALL DAY!! :(

Last night (2/20/12), you were struggling to go to the bathroom. It was so sad to watch you push. Finally, I went to change you, and noticed that a large BM was stuck coming out. :( Obviously this caused you a lot of pain. A few weeks ago this happened, and daddy had to put a glycerine wedge inside your bottom, but it worked wonders and popped that BM right out.

Tonight (2/21/12), I broke down and called Dr. Warner after hours. She said that the not eating was actually normal for your age, and to limit your milk to about 8-10oz per day. Eeek - that will be a challenge considering that's about all you drink!!!!! :( She said to focus more on the constipation issue, and to pick up a Pedialax Enema, prune juice and raisins. The Pedialax Enema I was just not prepared for. I'm not sure what I thought it would be, but it was totally not what I thought would come out of the box. It's this 7-8" contraption with a 2.5in long piece that goes in your bottom. It's connected to a large bottle of Saline solution. I had to somehow pin you down long enough to get this in your bottom, and squeeze the solution inside. It was absolutely horrible - you were screaming, and I was nearly in tears...BUT...it did the trick! Within 5-6 minutes, 2 LARGE BMs came plowing out, and another 10 min later, the 3rd one came out!!! Hopefully you're all done...I can't imagine anymore BMs being able to fit inside your tiny body. I'm hoping that with you emptied out, that you might get your appetite back.

I just laid you down for bed, and gave you a bottle of diluted prune juice. I don't think you have ever had that, but you took it no problem!

It's crazy the things you do for your kids. I can't ever imagine administering an enema before becoming a mother. Though it was difficult to do, there was no question that I had to do it.

I love you, and hope you can forgive me!!!

Pop Pop & GrAndi Visit!

Pop Pop and GrAndi came to visit you over Valentine's Day weekend!! You had a blast with them, especially Pop Pop. It's so strange that you have this preference for him over EVERYONE because you've actually had more contact with GrAndi. So interesting how you form relationships.

While Pop Pop and GrAndi were here, I heard you count to THIRTEEN!!!!! I couldn't believe it! You were walking the steps with GrAndi, and you both were counting and I thought you would stop at 10 because that's where you normally stop, but you kept going, and going, and going!!!!!! You are SO smart!

Oh and p.s. You're now 23 months old! I can't believe it and I'm still trying to figure out how to stop time and keep you little!!!!!!!

Love you!

Keys! Keys! Where are Daddy's Keys!!

Forgot to blog about this - thank you GrAndi for the reminder.

SO...last week, Daddy had "misplaced" his keys...for days!!! We both searched high and low, tearing apart the house. You have been known to play with keys/rings, and "misplace" them, but always we find them immediately. This time was different. We searched the closet (aka your potty room), in the couch (so we thought!), in toy boxes, in shoes, etc, and still nothing! After about 4 days, we searched the couch again. We lifted a cushion, and Daddy noticed a hole in the bottom of the couch (even below the cushion). He lifted the end of the couch, and all of a sudden we heard what sounded like keys!!!! I stuck my hand in the hole, tearing it even bigger, and low and behold...the mystery of the keys was solved!!!

Now, I'm not 100% convinced that you did this, but Daddy thinks you did! Who cares!?! The keys have been found!!! Lesson learned - keey EVERYTHING out of reach! :)

"Hedder"

Forgot to blog a couple of days ago, but when you take my phone, you now start saying people's names...it's so funny. Most often you'll say "pop pop," but just recently, you've been saying or asking rather for "Shayna" and "Hedder." Your Aunt Heather would freak out if she knew that you could say her name, but it's clear as day to me when you say it.

You're a little under the weather right now. Runny nose and cough! YUK!! You didn't nap yesterday or today, so I put you to bed about 20 min ago. Hopefully you'll sleep okay. You certainly slept well last night, sleeping until nearly 11:00am today! I couldn't believe it, but you did go to bed late.

Any ways...sleep tight!

Love you!

Chuck-E-Cheese!

Last night (1/24), we went to Chuck-E-Cheese for the first time. It was your friend, Bailey's, 3rd birthday. We also celebrated Brooklyn's 2nd birthday. You had a blast!!!!! Though you didn't eat much, once that ice cream came out...you shoveled it right in! :) You loved the rides, and actually some of them took your picture! How fun!!!!! While we were waiting for Bailey & Brooklyn to arrive, we ran over to TJ Maxx. You got a Princess (aka "Pincess") bookbag!!! YOU LOVE IT!!! You wanted to bring it to the birthday party, but we had to leave it in the car.

This morning (1/25), when I left for work and you were home with daddy, daddy texted me and said that he tried to take you downstairs WITHOUT your bookbag, and you got REALLY upset! It's your new favorite thing!!!!! It's really so cute - it's almost bigger than you, but I'm hoping you'll be able to use it when we go to Myrtle Beach in a few months!!!! Yay!!! Can't wait to take you there!!

Have a GREAT day today with daddy!!!

"Let Go!"

Today I had a new photographer, Dawn Burgan, come over to take some pics. Overall, I think it was a success (in between your raging meltdowns!!). Saving graces today??? Well, lollipops, juice and cheese puffs! LOL! I'm sure the pictures with your mouth full of puffs will be beautiful. Haha!! I did, however; hear a new phrase of yours..."Let Go!" I'm not liking that one, but hopefully it will pay off when you're older and fighting off those boys!!!

Rough time getting you to go to sleep tonight. Normally you just your milk and go right to sleep, but tonight you wanted nothing to do with your milk. I left it in there and am hoping for the best!

Love you!

Artist???

Tonight (1/20), you decided to draw WITH PEN on our leather bar stools. Luckily, it's just one, but still, it's EVERYWHERE! Doesn't really seem to be coming out, however; in the grand scheme of things...you really have been a pretty harmless almost 2 year old. When your daddy was younger, he and his brothers apparently put holes in walls, so I guess a little pen on a stool isn't so bad.

We still love you! ;)

"Doodie!"

Today (1/16/12), you stayed home with daddy because he did not have to work. Around 1:30pm, daddy called me and said that you went up to him and said "doodie." Daddy then asked you if you needed to go poopie on the potty, and you said "yes!" He put you on your potty seat, and you pooped!!!! This is the first time you have asked to go poopie on the potty!!!!! Daddy said that you got all excited when you flushed it down! SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!

22 Months!!

So, you're 22 months old now - 2 more months and you'll be 2 years old!!!!!!!!! Craziness!!

You are saying so much, including..."I LOVE YOU," well, in your own little way. It's so cute. You're also finishing songs for me. Last night (1/14/12), I was singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and when I got the last word, you said it for me. You did that after EACH verse! I had no idea that you knew the words, but you absolutely do!!!

Today (1/15/12), we met one of mommy's friends, Brandie, from high school for lunch! She hadn't seen her in over 11 years!!!!!! You were a little cranky, but luckily the restaurant was empty so you got to run around with Brandie's 3 little boys!

I have a new struggle...planning your 2nd birthday party!!! WHAT TO DO? WHAT TO DO? I can't decide which theme I want to do...Elmo? Diego? Princesses? You're into all of these things equally, so it's hard to just pick one! You know me, your party has to be PERFECT!!!!!

Okay, I just put you to sleep! I heard you fussing in there for a minute, but you've been quiet for a good 10 minutes or so. Sleep tight!! You get to stay home and play with daddy all day tomorrow - lucky!!!!

Love you!!!!

Privacy!

You are definitely on your way to potty-training. You're ALMOST 22 months old, and within the past 2 months or so, I have really seen a change. I noticed a couple months ago that you would go behind chairs, or in corners, etc, and strain like you were pooping. You might not always poop, but it was definitely a sign of wanting privacy. Recently, and especially tonight, you have been going into the kitchen closet, and closing the door. 9 times out of 10, you're pooping. :) Tonight, I caught you running to the closet, so I swooped you up and took you to the potty in the downstairs bathroom. You motioned to close the door, and seemed to get frustrated if I would open it. It sounded like you were pushing, and both daddy and I thought we heard something "plop," but nope. Either way, it's a definite sign that you're able to tell when you're going to poop and wanting privacy to do so. You still have a ways to go, but at this age, I'm SUPER impressed that we're even this far! You're SOOOO independent and very smart. I wouldn't be surprised if you just kind of figured it out - which would be GREAT because I'm dreading potty training!!!!! :)

Just put you to sleep, and I said "I love you," and you said it right back to me! Love you so much!!!

Mommy & Daddy's 1 week Vacation

Well, we just got back from our vacation (of 1 week!!!) today - this was the longest that we had been away from you EVER!!!! It was really hard to leave you last week, and though we tried to Facetime, I think it was really hard on us all. I got really upset because I didn't think you missed us, and then the 2nd time we tried it, you seemed to be confused and upset. :(

While we were on the cruise, we did not have access to a phone, but we did email with GaGa and GrAndi! GaGa stayed with you at our house while we were gone, and from the sounds of it, you two had a BALL!!!!! Sounds like you were on your BEST behavior. GaGa told me that you went to the mall and rode the choo choo train, and the carousel. And yesterday, GaGa took you to a very ritzy place for lunch in Kenwood - Trio! :) You had lunch with GaGa, Auntie Jill and Auntie Jill's friend, Katie! Normally you can be kind of a hot mess for long periods of time at restaurants, but GaGa said you were GREAT!!!! :) You had a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich - YUM!! After lunch, you went to Kenwood and GaGa bought you flashy silver shoes called Tom's! They are soooo cute on you!

GaGa definitely had you on a good schedule!!! You slept 12 hours, and would normally wake up around 10:30am! Eeek - might be a challenge tomorrow morning when I have to wake you up at 7:00am! :( You definitely are talking A LOT more, and your words, phrases, requests, etc are definitely more and more clear. You are now saying "I love you," "thank you," "here you go," and can sometimes count to TEN (with assistance!)

I was sooo excited to see you this morning when we landed!!! You seemed a little confused when you saw us for the first time since last week, but QUICKLY warmed up which I loved!!! You were extra cuddly today.

Okay - time to go night night!!!!! :) So glad to be home!