June

June has flown by.  I can't believe it's already June 24th.  Jeremy came home at the beginning of June after a mini family vacation to Bedford Springs Inn, a resort in Bedford, PA.  Since Jeremy has been around and hasn't had to work, we've been busy.

Emma and Ellie on the porch outside our beautiful room at Bedford Springs.

Enjoying a little of the evening on the swing in Bedford.

Getting ready to make S'mores.  We ordered kits through room service and then they set up a fire just for us!

The S'mores were delicious, but the activity was short lived.  Emma was not as into as we hoped she would be.  Plus it was a little weird with just the three of us around this huge fire.

The beautiful Bedford Springs Inn - I enjoyed an amazing prenatal massage at the spa!  Jeremy surprised me with the Mommy To Be Massage as a belated Mother's Day present.  It was heavenly! I can't believe I've never been to a spa before or had a massage!  I'm definitely going again!

After our little trip, Emma went to Children's Corner at our church.  It's kind of like school, but for kids under 3.  It's run by the pre-school she will attend in the Fall.  She loved it!  I'm not really surprised.  She's very social and loves learning.  I did think she might have a little trouble being away from me for 2 or 3 hours since she's barely ever even had a babysitter, but my fear was unfounded.  She barely said goodbye to me.

Since Children's Corner went well, I decided to give Tiny Tots camp at the Y.  She went Tuesday and Thursday for the last two weeks and again had a blast.  If it weren't for wanting to focus on potty training this week, I would sign her up again.  Maybe at the end of July when I'm exhausted and we're waiting for Baby Cate to arrivek we'll five it a whirl again.

Speaking of Baby Cate, Emma went to a Sibling class at the hospital where I will deliver.  It was just for 2 and 3 year olds.  They learned to diaper and feed baby which I'm sure she'll be able to do all by herself as soon as Cate arrives!  They also took us onto the Postpartum floor so they could see the room Mommy and baby would be staying in before coming home.  I don't know if it helped her at all, but it was cute.

Here she is giving her pretend baby sister a bottle.  She also helped me put the little diaper on.  She seemed to love the baby, but wanted nothing to do with the baby doll she brought with us

This past week, Jeremy's parents came to visit for a few days.  Since they probably won't make it back for Emma's birthday due to the fact that they will be back shortly after that to see Cate, we decided to do something special to celebrate with them.  Last summer, we took Emma to Idlewilde Park and Story Book Forest.  She loved it and has been talking about it for a year! So we decided to take her again there while Grandma Helen and Grandpa Barry we're in town.  It was hot and tiring, but Emma was in heaven!

With her buddy, X the Owl.  We got him last year at Story Book Forest, but she had to take him this year on her ride through the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

Trying out a desk in the little school house.  Doesn't she look like the perfect little student?

Trying to remove the sword from the stone

Making some wishes in the wishing well

After a long hot day, Emma enjoyed her first - very large - bowl of chocolate soft-serve. So yummy!

In baby news, I will be 34 weeks on Monday!  I can't believe I'm getting so close, but at the same time, it still seems so far away. I have begun going to the doctor twice a week for Non-Stress Tests.  I just sit on the exam table for a half hour or so with a monitor on my belly to check the baby's heartrate, movement and to make sure I'm not having contractions.  So far so good! I did have to have a biophysical profile last week because Cate was very sleepy and not moving much.  Once they did the ultrasound, she woke up and past her test with a perfect 8 out of 8!  I had another ultrasound on Wednesday to check growth.  They estimate that she weights about 5 1/2 lbs!  Above average for sure.  I'm not surprised though. 

Overall, I'm feeling better than I did in the first two trimesters, but my pelvis hurts ... a lot.  I'm starting to get into nesting mode.  In fact, at the moment, I'm boiling bottle nipples and pacifiers!  I know she'll be here before we know it.  I'm just hoping Emma's 3rd birthday comes and goes before she makes her entrance!

Me and my belly and 33 weeks

On a final note,  just a little update on potty training.  We are progressing well with the use of the potty!  When at home or running errands with us, Emma wears underwear all day with the exception of nap and bedtime.  When she goes to camp, Children's Corner or the nursery at church, she wears a Pull-Up.  Telling us that she has to go is not her strong suit, so if we're not around, we take precautions.  She hasn't had a pee accident in at least a week, although pooping is a bit of an issue.  I know it will come with practice though.  She even wake up dry many mornings!  We're not quite there, but feeling good about where we are after only 2 weeks.

Potty Training Boot Camp

It's Saturday morning.  My parents are on a flight to enjoy a week in Napa Valley.  Jeremy is here until July, and the 3 of us are in the unfinished, carpet free part of the basement starting our version of potty training boot camp.  I know, I know ... I'm supposed to wait until she shows interest, wait until she shows me that she's really ready, not supposed to force it but guess what, I don't have time for that anymore.  I have a baby coming in just over 8 weeks, a husband that will be gone in July and then leaving for a year in less than 3 months, and a soon-to-be 3-year-old daughter who is registered for a 'diaper-free' pre-school in September.  She, and I, really need the preschool so I can't give up her slot (she'll never get back in) because I was sitting around waiting for Emma to tell me that she was ready to get rid of the diapers. So here we go.  We'll spend the next week in the basement, outside or in my parents GIANT bathroom keeping her entertained on wipeable surfaces while she learns that 'Pee goes in the potty!' instead of peeing and pooping in her underpants. My mom said she did it with me, so lets hope Emma can follow in my footsteps.  With any luck, Grandma and Grandpa will come home to a diaper free Emma!

9:00 AM - We have just gathered our potty chair, clean underpants, M & M's for reward and incentive, wipes for messes, and laptops to keep Jeremy and I entertained.  Emma has picked a pretty pair of big girl underpants the color of orange sherbet.  Happily she plays with her Play-Doh.

9:20 AM - I've set my online timer as a reminder to try the potty.  She sits for a few minutes, but nothing happens. Good try!  Jeremy decides to influence the peeing process by giving her some juice and a bowl of cereal.

9:40 AM -Timer goes off, but still nothing.  I'm not sure if she's holding it in or it she really just hasn't had the urge to go.  She's starting to get annoyed with the timer and scheduled potty breaks.  I'm beginning to think I should perhaps just let her go and see what she does. 

9:50 AM - Jeremy notices some 'wetness' on her pretty organge panties.  Emma doesn't.  Oh well, we say.  Let's try to get the rest out in the potty.  Jeremy shows Emma her wet underpants to explain that she peed in them.  She seems unimpressed.  She's puts on a new pair of underpants - white with flowers this time - and off she goes to playing again.

10:05ish AM- Emma and Jeremy are happily dancing away on her new alphabet mat when I hear, 'Oh no, I'm peeing!'  It's a full stream, but she does manage to hold a little in until she gets herself on the potty chair.  Sure it was another accident, but this time she noticed it and even got a  little in the potty. Success, I say! I head upstairs for more underwear, paper towels so she can help clean it up, and a camera to take a picture of the little bit of pee that made it into the potty.

10:50 AM - The timer goes off, so Emma reluctantly leaves the computer game she's been playing - 'The Puppy Show' as she calls it.  She pulls her new cupcake underwear down and sits on the potty while I read her a book.  She seems much more willing to sit there if she's being entertained at the same time.  We sit there for the length of the book.  No pee this time.  I wonder if I should give her something more to drink to get her to pee more?  She pulls her underpants up, goes back to the computer and happily accepts her one M & M for trying.

11:05 AM - Jeremy and I are contemplating a change of venue.  As great a play area the basement area is, after 2 + hours down here, it's getting old.  The plants have to be watered anyway, so maybe it's time to head outside.  Just as we are planning what to do, Emma shouts for her perch at the computer desk that she has to go potty! Hooray! Could this be it? Could this be the first time she's going to make it to the potty?  On the way over, she says, 'Then I can get another M & M!' Ahh ... she's just 'gaming' us.  Oh well, I don't care.  The more time she spends on the potty, the more likely it is that she gets a 'hit'.  She ends up sitting there for a few sips of water and 3 books.  Nothing.  Ugh! Well, at least, we haven't changed underpants in about an hour.

11:25 AM - Time to head outside! Maybe using the hose to water her garden will give her the urge to pee!

4:35 PM - Almost 8 hours into our potty training experience and we've been through about as many pairs of underpants.  Shortly after getting outside, which was just a few minutes after trying the potty inside, she peed.  Changed the underwear, watered the garden, and while on a trip up on the deck to get some toys out of her playhouse, we heard, "Oh no, I'm peeing!" Once again, we cleaned her up, this time just putting her pj pants back on sans underwear since naptime was close.  Nap time was spent in a pull-up.  Of course, it was wet when she woke up.  Andrew and Jen came over to hang out for awhile.  While she was happy to show off her underpants, she was not as happy to try sitting on the potty again. Reluctantly, and with some coaxing from all of us, she tried.  Nothing.  10 minutes later, Aunt Jen heard and 'Uh oh' and noticed the pee running down her leg.  Change number 7 (I think) turned into change number 8 soon after when we realized she had her first poop accident.  So much worse than her pee accidents, but the first one is behind us now.  She's starting to get highly annoyed when asked to try the potty.  I'm not giving up, but starting to wonder if this is helping or hurting our cause.

5:14 - Jeremy has been searching the internet for potty training videos that Emma can watch.  He stumbled up on an Asian cartoon of a tiger learning to go potty complete with illustrated 'Pee' and 'Poop' characters. That is the one, of course, that Emma wants to watch on repeat.  Can't understand a word of it, but she just wants to keep watching it. Oh well, if it helps, I'm all for it.

7:36 PM - Ahhhh.  Emma is in bed in a diaper until morning.  She didn't want to try the potty after dinner, but she also didn't have another accident after the poop so I didn't really mind.  I'm sure she's not thrilled about Day 2, but I can't say I am either.  She did like wearing underpants though and I was proud of her for doing it all day.

Wish us luck tomorrow!