Most of you know that Ella and I tried the whole potty training thing this summer while I was home, and that the process ended in one tired mommy and a potty-hating toddler! So, my goal was to try, yet again, on Fall Break to see if she was ready. We started yesterday with no big expectations in mind...... although Ella surprised us all!
Day One: She started off by pooping in her potty first! She was so proud of herself she could barely stand it and you'd think I had just won the lottery! We were both jumping around the house like a bunch of crazies! Throughout the course of the day she peed in her potty a total of 4 times and pooped the one time. We had no accidents, but she still wore a pull up during nap time and bed time. I was pretty impressed to say the least.
Day Two: We woke up and Ella hopped right on the potty and peed! She was excited to wear her panties again and loves dumping her potty into the "big girl" potty! By lunch time she had peed 2 times and only had one small accident which was quite hysterical! We were both in our bedroom and I was laying on my belly looking up something on the computer. Ella, of course, was on my back pretending I was a horse, when I heard her say "Ella need to potty!" At that moment, I noticed my back becoming warmer by the second.... she peed on top of me! So, we ran to the potty and she finished up there. My mom had promised Ella a potty present since she had had such a good day the day before, so we were venturous and went without a pull up on. We took Elmo potty with us in case we needed him, but Ella had no accidents while we were gone. I think she held it the entire time because we sat her on the potty several times both in the car (on Elmo) and in Ruby Tuesday's and Wal-mart, but NOTHING. This evening Ella told Kermie and I she had to poo poo so she hopped right on the potty and went. She was so excited to see it that she did it again, and again, and again! We pooped, wiped, and dumped three times until she said she was finished! Each time she would say, "Ella so proud!"
I am so excited that this go at training has been so successful! We are keeping our fingers crossed that it stays this way and she sticks to it when I go back to work next week! But for now.... WAY TO GO ELLA!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Our Baby Girl is Turning TWO!
We can't believe it... but yes it's true.... our baby girl is turning TWO!!
This year, Ella's birthday fell on a Monday (today), so we decided to have her party the Saturday before at her Nana and Pa's house. It's hard having a large family and small house, so we needed the extra space for sure! Ella had a lot of fun playing with friends and family at the party and other than a couple of trampoline blunders.... it was a blast!
As you can see, Ella had a Minnie Mouse party this year. A super nice lady off of Etsy.com made her dress. Ella loved the dress so much that the day we got it in the mail she said, "Beautiful dress Mommy!". She wore it around the house dancing and prancing and even let me take a few snap shots!
So I've been joking with Kermie about having to buy a new house because all of the new toys do not fit in the existing one!! On the other hand, we finally got everything put away and organized Sunday night. We actually ended up getting rid of old toys by taking them to all of the babysitters' houses. I think they will enjoy having more choices and Ella may actually get to play with everything at our house. She is definitely in to pretending at the moment, so her kitchen and dress up gear were right up her alley!
I was so excited to have Amy Day make Ella's birthday cake this year. I knew I wanted to have one made instead of tackling that on our own this year, so when I ran across some of the pictures of cakes she had done I called her up immediately! I really think the cake turned out perfect. Ella was so excited about eating it; she chose cake over opening presents!!
I seriously thought Ella was going to cry during the Happy Birthday song! She normally loves this song and says "again!", but I think she was just a tad overwhelmed!!
Once the singing was over, she couldn't wait to blow out the candles again and again and again! This is actually something we do quite frequently at our house, but typically we just light a lighter, sing, and then she blows it out! She has birthdays all year long! haha
YUMMY!!
We were so excited for Lynise and Robert to come spend the weekend with us and I know for sure that Ella enjoyed it just as much! She has talked about Emmie all day long and wants her to come sleep in her bed again. Maybe one of these days they will move back (just a small hint!).
I know going to the doctor for a 2 year check up isn't the best way to spend your birthday, but that's what we ended up doing today. Dr. Q says Ella is growing wonderful and Ella did much better with her shots that the last time! Although she did tell the nurse to stop a few times! She has once again fallen below the average range for height at 33 inches and below average for weight at 24 pounds. The only thing that we can always count on being consistant is her large head..... she's 89th percentile! Ella's daddy saved the day by showing up at the doctor's office to rescue Ella from the pain. He brought her two roses and a balloon and took her to eat Chinese. What a sweet daddy and perfect way to top off her birthday!
This year, Ella's birthday fell on a Monday (today), so we decided to have her party the Saturday before at her Nana and Pa's house. It's hard having a large family and small house, so we needed the extra space for sure! Ella had a lot of fun playing with friends and family at the party and other than a couple of trampoline blunders.... it was a blast!
As you can see, Ella had a Minnie Mouse party this year. A super nice lady off of Etsy.com made her dress. Ella loved the dress so much that the day we got it in the mail she said, "Beautiful dress Mommy!". She wore it around the house dancing and prancing and even let me take a few snap shots!
Ella enjoyed playing with all of her friends and family... although the thought of sharing "her" toys at Nana's house wasn't her favorite aspect of the day! But, what two year old likes to share?!?
So I've been joking with Kermie about having to buy a new house because all of the new toys do not fit in the existing one!! On the other hand, we finally got everything put away and organized Sunday night. We actually ended up getting rid of old toys by taking them to all of the babysitters' houses. I think they will enjoy having more choices and Ella may actually get to play with everything at our house. She is definitely in to pretending at the moment, so her kitchen and dress up gear were right up her alley!
I was so excited to have Amy Day make Ella's birthday cake this year. I knew I wanted to have one made instead of tackling that on our own this year, so when I ran across some of the pictures of cakes she had done I called her up immediately! I really think the cake turned out perfect. Ella was so excited about eating it; she chose cake over opening presents!!
I seriously thought Ella was going to cry during the Happy Birthday song! She normally loves this song and says "again!", but I think she was just a tad overwhelmed!!
Once the singing was over, she couldn't wait to blow out the candles again and again and again! This is actually something we do quite frequently at our house, but typically we just light a lighter, sing, and then she blows it out! She has birthdays all year long! haha
YUMMY!!
We were so excited for Lynise and Robert to come spend the weekend with us and I know for sure that Ella enjoyed it just as much! She has talked about Emmie all day long and wants her to come sleep in her bed again. Maybe one of these days they will move back (just a small hint!).
I know going to the doctor for a 2 year check up isn't the best way to spend your birthday, but that's what we ended up doing today. Dr. Q says Ella is growing wonderful and Ella did much better with her shots that the last time! Although she did tell the nurse to stop a few times! She has once again fallen below the average range for height at 33 inches and below average for weight at 24 pounds. The only thing that we can always count on being consistant is her large head..... she's 89th percentile! Ella's daddy saved the day by showing up at the doctor's office to rescue Ella from the pain. He brought her two roses and a balloon and took her to eat Chinese. What a sweet daddy and perfect way to top off her birthday!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Is there a pause button near by?
Well, things are now in full swing at the Donovan house! We've become our usual busy selves and I do not have near the amount of time I had in the summer to get on the computer (let alone blog). We are three weeks into the school year, the kids are great, graduate school has started, and Ella is getting closer to 2 each day that passes! My how the time flies and I have to say that 2 is quite fitting for Miss Ella (although mommy and daddy will be glad to see parts of this stage fade!). Kermie and I find ourselves laughing at her more these days than ever before! She is very comical and knows she's funny. We've heard her say on many occasions, "Ella's funny!". She is also very bossy as well and much too independent for her own good. She spends a majority of her time at home in time out or being told no, but the worst part is that I think she enjoys the attention.
One person that Ella absolutely adores is her cousin Ava. She asks for her all the time and enjoys spending Wednesdays with her for sure! I remember always being so close with my cousins when we were younger and I am SO excited that Ella is going to get to experience that too! Her and Ava are so sweet together... running around, squealing, dressing up, so on and so on! I cannot wait for slumber parties in the very near future :)
One of her favorite things to do this summer was to color with her dry erase markers on the easel, but for some reason we've made a digression in our ability to do this the right way. She has had the markers removed from the easel due to the urge to give herself and other household items "tutus" or tatoos. Tonight she asked for the markers and said before we could answer, "Ella color with markers. No arms." She actually was successful with the markers, but when the paint came out she decided to eat it and give herself polkadots. Who would've thought?!?
Ella constantly has boo-boos because she is the most clumsy child I've ever seen. She walks with no regard to where she is heading and frequently runs into walls, doors, you name it. And, so the obsession with her boo-boos continues and we have all given her knees and fingers and head countless, demanded kissses.
She has done an excellent job with the transition back to the school routine: being drug out of bed at 6:30, put into a much less comfortable carseat, and drug to the house of the day! The first week was a little rough, but of course she now doesn't want to leave when I come for her in the afternoon! I rarely get home by 5 because she insists on staying wherever she is! I'm very thankful for this :) Here is a picture of Ella playing at her Granny's house this week. She loves to build! Maybe she'll take after her daddy and pa! :)
Church has become a "horrible" adventure for us on Sundays. There for a while she did WONDERFUL in the nursery, but then we hit that stage when she would scream and I just cannot do that! So, this past Sunday we got to church early (yeah...early!) and she decided to take over the entire isle. I thought letting her get some energy out would help, but that wasn't the case. She and I ended up in the foyer and I chased her around for the remainder of the service. I was completely embarrassed when she opened a door and ran into children's church screaming! I guess I could have held her down in a chair, but then she would have screamed. And, then I thought about going to the car, but then Kermie didn't have his cell phone.... what's a mom to do with a crazy 2 year old? By the end of the service I was 100% sure she would be in the nursery the next week with no questions asked!
One person that Ella absolutely adores is her cousin Ava. She asks for her all the time and enjoys spending Wednesdays with her for sure! I remember always being so close with my cousins when we were younger and I am SO excited that Ella is going to get to experience that too! Her and Ava are so sweet together... running around, squealing, dressing up, so on and so on! I cannot wait for slumber parties in the very near future :)
As I have already mentioned, Ella is quite the booger. On the other hand, she is also the most sweet and adorable thing I know too! She enjoys her play time so much, but I find it amazing that she loves her "down" time equally as much! It is so fun watching her play and use her imagination. She is learning so many new things during this age of exploration. And, just like her mommy, she loves to get in some r and r! There have been many days that she has not wanted to get out of bed or has stayed in her pjs and lounged the whole day through! Oh, the life of a two year old!
One of Ella's top two things to do, other than play cooking, is dressing up. She is such a girly girl. She loves lipstick, jewelry, shoes, clothes, purses, etc.! In fact, I can no longer do my makeup in front of her because it becomes a battle of who gets the blush brush! I find her in my closet pulling down shirts or shoes, in her closet rummaging through anything that she can find, and from time to time in the laundry basket when mommy leaves it on the floor! She'll wear just about anything you give her, but her daddy's underwear are a top fav these days :)
I'd have to say, and I'm sure her daddy would agree, that Ella has been a wonderful and incredible blessing these past two years. She is the most amazing little girl and we love watching her grow and change even on those days she throws herself to the floor and pouts! Come Septemeber 12th (since her bday is on a Monday), we will be celebrating the miracle of her life with friends and family once again! Like I've said before.... "I wish I could press pause!"
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Bye-Bye Summer..... Hello School!!
As summer dwindles away and the school year begins, I have become a little sad and anxious all at the same time. I am sad not being able to spend every waking moment with Ella, but super excited about teaching my new fourth graders! I have to say that this summer has probably been the best summer of my life for many reasons!
One, I got to wake up every morning to my sweet Ella!
Two, we took our first family vacation to Florida!
Three, we had tons of fun playdates!
Four, we had our fun in the sun!
Five, I did not have to move classrooms or learn a new curriculum!
Six, I made it past the half way point in my graduate school work. These are my robot campers!
Seven, Kermie finished his last 2 weeks away with the military EVER!
Eight, Ella and I took more walks in one day than most weeks during the school year!
Nine, we saw Dora and went to the fair.
Ten, we had great memories with family.
What a wonderful summer! Now... let's have just as fun of a school year!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
A month has passed....
So, I guess we've been really enjoying our summer because I have not posted anything in a month! Here's a little bit of what's been going on in the Donovan Household.
Kermie has been in Pennsylvania for the past two weeks with the military (with our camera) so I do not have any cute photos to share! I will be so excited for him to get home on Wednesday and Ella will too! He has left for long periods of time before since Ella has been born, but this time she is old enough to know the difference and really LOVES her daddy! Every night at bath time I get her out, wrap her towel around her and the tradition is for her to walk to daddy, throw off her towel and run around the room nakey! Well, every night since he's been gone she gets out and says "walkey daddy". Of course she knows he's not here, but this is one ritual she does not want to forget while he's away! Ella also has a fixation with Daddy's red truck so any time we see a truck that is red or close to red she assumes it is Daddy's truck and he's on his way home! I cannot wait for her expression when he walks through the door on Wednesday!
This next week will be the offical last week of my graduate class for the summer! Yay! It has actually been a very enjoyable class and I've learned lots about Robots! There were two weeks that we had to attend class every morning and then the other two were online, so I can't complain! After this class is over I will only have 4 to go---thank the Lord! I will be sittin' pretty this time next year, but I'm trying not to wish my life away! haha
Ella and I have had so much fun this past month! We have had lots of playdates: several with Ashley and Brayden, several with Rachel and Trevor, and a few with Jackie and Ava. Ella loves to play and especially loves to play on a playground! Any time we go to a school she has to play on the play ground first... no questions asked! I actually took her to Paris Elementary this past week where I taught my first year. We met up with Ada, my long lost teacher friend, who I hadn't seen in 3 years! The year I taught there we were raising money for playground equipment, so Ella and I both thoroughly enjoyed the new stuff! We've been to the pool several times and Ella has gotten to the point where she will put on her float and swim across the pool without me by her side every step of the way.
As for school, I still have not made it back to school since last the day of the last school year, but I do plan to head that way very soon. Ella and I went to Michael's and the Parent Teacher Store to get a few things to make the room feel a little new. I'm hoping I will be able to take her with me this year to play while I decorate. We will see how that works!
Ella has offically gotten rid of the bottle (#1 on our list for the summer) and only sucks the paci in bed (#2 on our list). As for potty training..... we worked fairly hard at it for about 2 weeks and she got to the point where she HATED the potty all together! She loves panties and pull ups, but either pees on the floor or in her pull up. Therefore, I do not think she is ready and I do not want her to hate the potty! I will try again during fall break and maybe she will be ready. Only time will tell! But I am extremely proud of her for adapting to the other new changes so well!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
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