First. Pick. Dada.

Today Ella and I were driving in the car and I told her we were going to pick up daddy and then take dinner to some friends who just had a baby. Two minutes later I heard her pipe up from the back seat:

"First. Pick. Dada.

Then. Go. Pool.

Okay?!"

Apparently she didn't think our friends needed dinner.

I've been MIA for the last couple of months while I made one last push to finish my master's thesis. A couple of weeks ago I presented and defended my thesis--and I passed! Unfortunately, I missed the deadline for August graduation by one week, so the degree will officially post to my transcript in December. But, for all intents and purposes, I have finally earned my Master's degree in Nutritional Science!

In the meantime, here are some things that happened around here and a list of posts to come:

Blair's Birthday

Florida Wildlife

Ella's Birthday at Home

Fourth of July

Family Birthday BBQ

Atlantis and Orlando

The second week of May Blair had a furlough day. It just happened to fall on the day of the recent space shuttle Atlantis launch. Since Atlantis will be retiring this year, and are only a few launches left. Neither Blair nor I have ever witnessed the spectacle, so we decided to have an adventure and go watch the launch then spend the night in Orlando so we could go to the temple the next day. The drive there was about 4 hours (give or take, but could have been faster if not for an impatient toddler) and we were in fine spirits when we arrived in Titusville, FL. The launch was scheduled for 2:20 and we had an hour and a half to wait.

(Not our car, but I liked the artwork)

We planned to view the launch from Spaceview Park. The park is situated on the edge of the waterway that separates Titusville from the NASA facilities. Every last inch of parking close to the park was claimed, so we had to park about 12 blocks away. The closer we got to the park, the more the air sizzled with anticipation. There were many people who had been there since early morning and plenty more crawled along like ants marching to a spilled lunch. Shade umbrellas, lawn chairs, camping chairs, blankets, towels, coolers, and even a few sleeping bags choked out all the grassy areas. There were T-shirt vendors, food vendors, beverage vendors, and memorabilia vendors on street corners and dotted throughout the park. We managed to find a little piece of pavement on a pathway in the park where we promptly laid out our blanket and began slathering on sunscreen. I watched in fascination as strangers talked and joked, people checked and re-checked camera batteries, and children asked over and over, "is it time yet?" Boy scout troops were there and news crews vied for good positions for reporting on the scene. I heard one report that attendance for viewing the launch was over 35,000 people.

The clock ticked on and we made conversation with our fellow spectators. There was a sense of camaraderie and easiness bred from our shared purpose. Ella ran and danced begged to sit in every stroller she could see. Blair kept telling her about the shuttle and made a rumbling noise while showing her with his hand how the shuttle would fly up into the sky. Soon the chatter became louder and we heard snippets of conversation: "Just 5 minutes!"; "Not long now!"; "It's 2:18!"; "Get ready!"; "Here we go!!"; "10...9...8...7..."

And I heard myself join in with "6...5...4...3...2...1!"

We heard a great rumble and the suddenly silent crowd stood with eyes fixed, frantically searching and hoping to spot the space shuttle as it rose into the sky. Arms were raised heavenward with cameras ready. Then the shuttle came into view and the crowd exploded with squeals and exclamations. Ella was sitting on Blair's shoulders and she was mesmerized by the bright fire exploding from the end of the shuttle. We watched until it was too small to watch anymore.

Then it was over. The crowd immediately burst into action, folding chairs and blankets, buckling children into strollers, and packing up coolers and bags. I stood watching the commotion and reflected on the experience. The experience that lasted less than a full minute. Hours of planning, preparing, and waiting all lead up to just one minute of awe. Then everyone was strangers again, elbowing and running to beat their neighbor out of the park. Blair and I stood and watched and let Ella play for a while. Then when the crowd had thinned out a little we buckled her into her stroller and headed out to our car.

Not long after that we discovered why people were running and throwing elbows to get to their vehicles. On a normal day, the drive from Titusville to Orlando takes about 45 minutes. But that day we sat on the road for over 3 hours. That's what you get when 35,000 people are trying to get out of a small town.

We discovered during that drive that the Orlando temple was closed for maintenance so we wouldn't be able to attend the next day. But since we had already paid for our hotel room we stayed anyway and took Ella to Sea World the next day. She really had a good time seeing the fish and sting rays and splashing in water wherever she could (sorry no pictures--I left my camera in the car). Blair and I really enjoyed the shows and had a good time, too. As Florida residents, we were able to pay less than one day of admission for a "fun pass" that will let us come back all year long. We plan to go up at least a couple more times in conjunction with temple trips, so we think we'll make good use of the tickets. It was a fun family vacation and I'm glad we went!

Saturday at my Sister's

In April Ella and I took a trip to Idaho to visit my mom and siblings who live there. All of my siblings have families of their own and all but one live in Idaho. I love that I can see everyone in just one trip. We had a great time and Ella loved playing with her cousins. One night we stayed over at my sister's house and in the morning the sun was shining, the kids were all happy with legos, books, video games, trains, and breakfast. The lighting in my sister's kitchen was beautiful, so I pulled out my camera and started snapping pictures of her youngest as he ate his breakfast. Soon the 3 year old wanted in on the party, then the 7 year old. And that's how the most relaxed photo session I've ever witnessed unfolded. All the kids were in pajamas with hair ruffed from their pillows, but they were bright eyed and happy. Twenty minutes later I had shots of all the kids and they barely noticed the interruption.

Do we really need to stress over matching outfits, perfectly parted hair, and perma-smiles? I don't think so. Sometimes it's nice to see kids just being themselves.

Get Movin'

Greetings from Sunny Florida!

After spending January frantically searching for a place to live, packing our house, and visiting with friends and family, our big move started on the first day of February. Blair and his dad drove our moving truck across the country while Ella and I bunked with family in AZ. Then at the end of the week Ella and I flew out to FL where Blair picked us up and took us back to our mostly empty new apartment. The next day some members of our church congregation arrived to help us finish unloading the truck. Everything went amazingly well considering the length of the drive and the timing involved. Ella was even delightful during our flights!

We've settled in pretty well now and Ella is really well adjusted. We like our apartment and Blair enjoys his job. Of course there are some things that we haven't gotten used to (and we may not ever) but we're remembering to be grateful that Blair was able to find a job in his field when cut backs and hiring freezes are occurring around every corner.

The picture at the beginning of this post shows Ella in our 'backyard' in mid-March. We have a screened patio that opens onto a common grassy area along a canal. It's nice to look out at the water and see different kinds of birds. Ella really enjoys going outside, too, so it's great that we have easy access to a grassy area. We've also been enjoying beautiful weather and Ella re-discovered the pool this week. I have a feeling that we'll visit plenty of pools and beaches this summer for her entertainment! Okay, and ours, too...

Double Trouble Strikes Again

My long-time friend came for a quick visit from Vegas before we moved to Florida. Her babies are close in age to Ella and they had a fun time together. Here are a pictures from their visit:

These baby blues are real...no doctoring here

Little boys actually do eat dirt...and mud...and grass...and...

Bath time!

Even babies dread the customary group shot...at least they're all looking in the same general direction

Closing your eyes too soon for that first kiss could cause an embarrassing chin kiss. Don't take it too hard, Adam. There's still plenty of time to win her over.

During the trip we hung out at our house, went to the park, grilled some delicious ribs, and generally just relaxed. It was a very short whirlwind trip, but we're so glad they came.

Adventures in Colorado

Still playing catch-up...

In January Blair and I decided we should take a trip to Colorado to visit Blair's sister, Charlotte. At her house there are lots of kids, lots of toys, lots of shoes, and a swing hanging from the ceiling in the family room. Ella had a blast. She also loved playing in the snow (and sucking on a snow ball) and has been asking for "no" ever since that trip.

While there I also took some pictures for this cute couple...they tied the knot a couple of weeks ago and you can see more engagement pictures of them here.

Adventures in Potty Training

My unconventional potty training methods have earned a few quizzical looks, some "you must be crazy" eye rolls, and an occasional gasp. But I'm glad I did it the way I did. I know potty training is a hot topic for moms so I want to put this out there for anyone interested. For this post I'll write a summary of what I did and then point out the advantages and disadvantages of this method. Warning: If potty training is gross to you or body functions make you squirm, don't read on. Second Warning: This is a long post.

I introduced Ella to the potty when she was only 7 months old. At the time she was sitting up very well and showing a lot of interest in her surroundings. I did some reading on some methods of infant potty training but what I saw was a bit extreme. I didn't want my baby crawling around diaper-less in a fully carpeted rental apartment, nor did I want to arrange life around my baby's potty schedule. However, I did see an advantage to making the potty a regular part of daily life early on. So I scaled back the method and worked on "infant potty awareness" with my daughter. When she was 7 months old, I found a cheap little potty ($0.99 at Ikea) for Ella and started sitting her on it.

Week 1 (7 mos old)

The first day I sat her on the potty when her diaper had been dry for a while. We played and read books and sang songs. After about 15 minutes she went and I acted really excited, clapped my hands and cheered and covered her in kisses. I also made a "pshhhhh" sound so she would associate the sound with going potty. I showed her what she put in the potty and how we cleaned it up then I put her diaper back on and we went about our business. We did this about 3 times the first day and 4 times the second day. By the third day when I sat Ella on the potty and made the "pshhhhh" sound she voluntarily went within the first minute. She still went in her diaper between potty breaks, but she definitely understood the concept of going in the potty and got really excited with huge grins when she went. During that week she also pooped on the potty a few times and figured out the difference between the two functions.

Week 2 (7 mos old)

By the second week, I had made sitting on the potty part of our routine. We went when she woke up in the morning, after meals, before and after naps, and before bedtime. Nothing was rigid and we missed a few times, but the point was to simply give her opportunities to go. I tried to give her 4-7 opportunities each day to go to the potty. I never expected her to keep her diaper dry or to always go every time I decided to sit her on the potty. The point was to just let her be comfortable using the potty.

After 1 month (8 mos old)

By the end of 1 month, Ella stopped pooping in her diaper. She decided it was uncomfortable to sit in her own poop and much better to go on the potty. If she needed to poop, she would either hold it until a regular potty time or make a noise to tell me she needed to poop. Since she was 8 months old, she has soiled a diaper less than 15 times. That alone made the potty awareness worth it to me--No wiping up a poop covered bum for us.

After 2-3 months (9-10 mos old)

Ella started peeing less in her diaper and more in the potty. This translated into big savings on diapers for us. By the time she was 10 months old we were down to using 2-3 diapers a day (including one at night!).

Holding Pattern (10 mos-18 mos old)

We continued in this pattern for several months. I eventually found a potty seat that goes on a regular toilet and Ella started using that. This eliminated potty clean up and helped Ella identify more with how grown-ups go potty. I decided to wait until Ella was walking and able to communicate to us that she needed the potty before I transitioned from diapers to panties.

At 18 months old

Just before Ella turned 18 months old the time felt right. She was mobile enough to come get my attention and she had just learned to say potty ("otty"). Santa also brought Ella some brand new panties for Christmas and I was tired of seeing her wear them like hats. So one morning I put panties on Ella and sat with her in the kitchen for 3 hours and we played with a doll who drinks and wets. We talked about wet panties and dry panties and sat the baby doll on the potty. We clapped for baby when she peed in the potty and told he we were sad when she made her panties wet. We repeated this over and over and over. All the time I gave Ella snacks that made her thirsty and made sure she had plenty to drink. I also let her have her first accident on the tile floor (that's why we were in the kitchen) so we could talk about how her panties got wet and how uncomfortable it was. (This one-day method comes from a book called "Toilet Training in Less than Day" by Nathan H. Azrin and Richard M. Foxx.) After 3 hours we took a break but kept the panties on. She had a couple more accidents that day but only 2 accidents the next day and only 1 the day after that.

Present day

Ella hasn't worn a diaper since the day we played with the drink and wet baby doll. She tells us "otty" when she needs to go and unless she gets too distracted with playing, she rarely has an accident. She's used to the routine and has even started to use toilet paper to clean herself. I still pay attention to how much she has had to drink and how long it has been since she went to the bathroom and try to remind her if it has been a while.

Outings

I didn't want to put pull-ups on Ella because they are so similar to diapers. But when we go out in public I don't want her making messes. So I compromised and decided to put a pull-up over her own panties. We call them her "girl panties" because there is a picture of a girl on them. This way if she has an accident while we're out, all I have to do is change her panties and pull-up. I take the pull-up off when we're at home and there hasn't been any problem or confusion so far.

Public Toilets

Public Toilets were a big concern for me because Ella is just physically too little to use a public toilet. But I didn't want to plan my life around potty breaks at home, so we hunted around and found a fold-up travel potty seat that goes with us on errands and outings. It sits right on top of the regular toilet and Ella loves the pictures of Elmo and Cookie Monster that are on it. She has used several public toilets without any problem. I keep the travel potty seat in a ziploc bag inside of a zipper pouch designed for holding soiled clothing/diapers. I also keep a spare pair of panties and a pull-up in there just in case. So far I've never had to use them. (Just FYI, I clean the seat and change the ziploc bag regularly.)

Night Time and Sleeping

Ella stopped having accidents in bed after 4 nights of wearing panties. Though I wanted to claw my eyes out and shoot myself when she woke up wet at 2 am and I had to clean up the mess, bathe her, and change the bedding, I held out and refused to go the route of pull-ups. By the 4th night she had held it all night long and barely went just as she was waking up. On the morning after the fifth night, she held it until I got her out of bed and took her to the potty. She keeps her bed dry now and will wake us up if she really has to go (this has happened less than 5 times since she fully trained). For dry bed insurance, I stop giving her liquids 45 minutes before bedtime so she'll be less likely to have a full bladder during the first half of the night. Ella did have one week of relapse just a couple of weeks ago when she wet her bed every night for 5 nights in a row. I think she stared sleeping more deeply and lost control, or she might have had a mild bladder infection that affected her potty routine. In any case, she stopped as abruptly as she started and again keeps her bed dry all night.

Was it Worth it? Yes.

Here are the advantages to this method:

Huge $$$ Savings: Fewer diapers and wipes from 8 mos old to 18 mos old; NO diapers and wipes after 18 months old!

No fighting: The potty was never a choice for Ella--it was just part of the routine

No manipulation: The potty isn't a power struggle (as it might be for a 3 year old)

Quality time: Potty time is one on one time with mommy or daddy-she loves it

Confidence: Ella is very proud of herself and knows we're proud of her

Less stinky: No poopy bum since she was 8 months old

Here are the disadvantages to this method:

Time: It can be time consuming and so may not be as doable for a baby with older siblings or a working mom

Convenience: Diapers are simply more convenient--they get changed on mom's schedule

Patience: This method requires a lot of patience--rushing Ella or getting mad if she didn't go when I put her on the potty could have spelled big trouble

Spouse Cooperation: If you have a spouse, you have to have have their full support and cooperation (my husband was supportive and helpful but I might have lost it if he hadn't been so great)

Disclaimer

This method is a fusion of two known methods of potty training. Though doctors and specialists have been known to support both infant potty training and Potty Training in Less than a Day, I have not seen any references that from doctors or specialists that either recommend or discourage using them together. This method may not work with every child. I paid close attention to my daughter and how she reacted to and learned about her body and the potty. It was a good method for her and I'll use it again with future children only if they are similarly receptive and eager.