Full Sentences, Potty Time, Ticks for Mommy...

This past week was Ava's Spring Break from day care. On Monday morning, I got the hair-brained idea that we should start hitting the potty-training circuit. If she would be home all week, why not take advantage of that time? And so it began, the time and energy-consuming process of putting my toddler on the potty repeatedly in hopes of banishing diapers forever. We also switched to Pull-ups (thought these might seem more like underwear to Ava than diapers).

At first Ava had a few accidents the first day. We then were able to eventually venture out without Ava wearing a diaper, but wearing big girl undies. We then were able to venture out without a diaper AND use public (albeit grotesque) restrooms! We're now officially down to one Pull-Up for her nap and one Pull-Up for sleeping through the night. She has the ocassional accident, but alerts us immediately. I was surprised at how mess-free the week actually was! Other than the use of Pull-Ups for sleepy-time(s), Ava now wears big girl undies! She is seriously proud of herself when she goes on the potty.

She is also officially a serious chatterbox. As of this week, she now talks in mostly complete sentences... Some we recently heard were:

I know, Mommy.
Thank you, Mommy.
I get up in the morning.
It be hard (this is what she says whenever she finds anything "hard" to do.)
I be cold. I freezing! (She thinks whenever the wind blows that it is cold).
I cook! (She now pulls a chair up to the counter to cook).
I did that! (What she says when she gets up from the potty, pointing into the potty. :-)
I'm a big girl!
Go to the Play Place? Please?
It's raining outside.
It's a birdie outside!
Go outside? Water the flowers?

Other sentences slip my mind, but I am astounded at the amount of things she recognizes, understands and verbalizes lately. It definitely seemed to happen over the week.

She said the sweetest prayer two Sundays ago. While on the way back from small group, she said "Pray?" So, I started out saying "Dear God". She then said "Dear God," at the same time, so I assumed she was going to say her own prayer. She jibber-jabbered for a few seconds, enunciated "Taco Bell" very clearly, and then said "amen". :-) When we ask her what her favorite restaurant is, she always replies "Taco Bell!" (Aunt Sherry would be proud). So, I think she was saying her own little prayer, thanking God for Taco Bell. :-)

I REALLY hope that Ava's day care will be able to be proactive about the potty-training this week, and not "undo" what we've worked hard at for a week now! We sent her off to day care this week in big-girl undies and with ONE pull-up in tow (along with some extra changes of clothes & underwear). Tune in later to find out how that goes!

This year I planted some vegetable plants in containers. The first time ever! I normally stick to planting flowers, but am excited to see how successful I will be with actual veggies and fruit. I planted Big Boy tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil, cilantro, burpless hybrid cucumbers, Quinalt strawberries, Fall Gold raspberries, Latham Red raspberries. I have fond memories of snapping many large bowls of green beans with Grandma Nila, from Pa's garden when I was younger, and tasting Pa's yummy Concord grapes and amazing tomatoes from the garden. Hopefully this year's "harvest" will be plentiful!

While wiring some tomato cages to the tomato plant pots yesterday (or while planting eight flowers, not sure which), A TICK BIT ME and decided to hang-out for a while (7 hours or so :0(. I found it on my head in the afternoon, swatted it off and didn't see where it went... Until looking in the mirror before bedtime. It had firmly affixed itself to the inner part of my ear (the "curly" part?). I pulled it off quickly, freaking out. I stashed it in a small Tupperware container in some rubbing alcohol. Not able to sleep well after that, I looked up Lyme's Disease on-line and noticed the # for the Poison Control Center is 24 X 7, so I called. The person I spoke with didn't seem to think that there would be any issue with Lyme's Disease (considering the tick wasn't on for 12 hours or more), or with me being 7 months pregnant. Fortunately when I pulled the tick off, there wasn't any blood, but definitely an impression where the little guy had been residing. Lovely.

Aside from the tick bite yesterday afternoon, I also FELL while lugging our tomato plants into our garage last night before bed, over the hill from our backyard into the front. It was dark outside and I got tripped up with two different aluminum pails in one hand. I skidded headfirst onto the driveway, stopping myself with my hands (which are pretty scraped up), and right side of my body. I tried to land as gracefully as possible. The hill is hard to maneuver with sandals on, even if one is not pregnant, carrying two pails and talking on a cell phone. (Oops, guess I don't know my "pregnant" limits). I was fortunate to forego landing on the ever-so-pronounced belly. When I called the doc this morning, they wanted to see me and monitor the baby, just to be safe. The baby is fine and his heart is lub-dubbing along quite nicely. He is quite the mover and shaker, too. The doctor didn't seem concerned about the tick bite, but told me to call if I experience any symptoms (flu-like, joint pain, etc).

I WAS OUTSIDE FOR AN HOUR!!! How in the world did a tick attach itself to me? Doug and I will be taking Brad Paisley's song to heart this summer... "I'd like to check you for ticks". Ooooh! How romantic. :0) On to less bug-infested days with fewer falls...

Peace, love and DEET,
Shelly

~Update! Update! ~
Ava did GREAT at day care today, going potty there, wearing the Pull-Up only for naptime and wearing big-girl undies for the rest of the day. She didn't have any accidents today, either. AT ALL! Woo-hoo! I have a feeling that the next few weeks may not be as accident-free as today, but I'm SO GLAD to know that her day care is willing to work with her and the other kids so well while potty-training. Yay for Ava! :-)