Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Ava: 5 Months!



Ava: You are pretty much the happiest baby ever! All we have to do is glance at you, and you will crack up! You spent the night for the first time at po-po and gung-gung's house, and you let them carry you the whole day without crying! We are so proud of you! Happy 5 months! xoxo


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

San Diego 2014



We decided to take a family vacation before Leah started preschool, and it would be Ava's first trip away from home. We booked 3 nights at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, and I was excited and nervous all at the same time! Our friends with kids the same ages as Leah and Ava also joined us, so Leah could not stop talking about how she was going on vacation with her friend. 



We booked a junior suite which happened to actually come with a separate living room area. The Del provided a "pack and play" and mini crib for the girls to sleep in. This would be the first time the girls slept in the same room together, and fortunately, it went well! Besides waking up a little earlier than normal, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night to tend to either of them. {I was happy to have them back in their separate rooms once we got home though!} 

Ava's first time in the water! She loved it! 




We pretty much spent all day, everyday at the pool and beach. The kids were having so much fun swimming and playing...



... that they ended up passing out for 2 hours in the funniest positions!

The Del had a cute s'mores roast on the beach where they set up a bonfire and provide the crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. The kids might have had a major sugar high afterwards. :)

While I wouldn't say the trip was relaxing, we had a lot of fun. In particular, it was nice to have another family where the dads could play with the older kids, and the moms could hang back with the babies. Leah still talks about wanting to stay in the hotel and can't wait to take more trips with her buddies!

*this is not a sponsored post. all opinions and words are my own.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

First Day of Preschool




The time has come - my baby is now a preschooler! She was in the preschool class at her old daycare starting June, but this was her first day at her new school. Tuesday was her first day, and this week we've be going through a transition period of half days, and she has been doing great! Leah seems to really like her new school and even asks to go back at the end of the day! I'm so proud of my girl! It's a bittersweet moment to be sending her off. I look forward to giving Ava some of the same opportunities Leah received when she was a baby, and it's also nice to catch a little break from terrible twos going on terrible threes. ;) At the same time, it's a little sad seeing how fast Leah is growing up! In a blink of an eye I'll be sending her to college! 

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Tips for Potty Training



Since Leah's been potty trained, I have had a few friends ask me how we did it. Potty training is definitely a daunting task, but there are ways to make it slightly easier. Every child will have a different path, but here are a few tips that helped us.

1. Don't force it too early. When Leah was 18 months, we bought a mini potty and introduced it to her. We casually placed her on it to get her familiar with the action, but she never actually went. A couple months earlier, we tried to be more persistent and it ended up backfiring. She refused to sit on the potty and often ran out of the bathroom. At that point we decided to hold off. At around 2.5 years, Leah's daycare teacher told us she thought Leah was ready since she'd been having dry diapers. We decided to try the 3-day method and picked a weekend to dedicate to potty training.  We left Leah loose around the house bare-bottomed, and I was terrified! After one day and one accident, she got it. Since then we've only had a handful of accidents. {She still wears pull-ups at nighttime} Waiting until she was ready rather than we when wanted her to be ready, made the process 100x easier!

2. Make successes a big deal! Whenever Leah successfully peed or pooped in the potty, we did a big song and dance, she got to put a stamp on her "success chart," and we gave her an M&M. That made her really excited and motivated. Even her day care teachers commented that her enthusiasm made some of the other kids in her class want to go potty! 

3. Downplay accidents. Even though it's not fun to have to clean up an accident, we made sure not to show any type of disappointment. Leah already felt embarrassed/disappointed in herself when she knew she had an accident, so we didn't want to make her feel even worse. We didn't ignore it, but rather told her that it was okay and to just try again next time. 

4. Be prepared when you leave the house. Leaving the house with a toddler who was just potty-trained is terrifying, but you pretty much have to expect that an accident will happen and be prepared for it. We try to have extra clothes in the car at all times. We carried around a travel potty top to make going potty in a public restroom a little easier. We stopped using it once she learned how to support herself with her legs. I also know people who use the Potette Plus for emergencies like when the public restroom is closed or too dirty. When your toddler is busy playing, don't forget to remind them to use the potty. If you're going on a long car ride, you may want to consider putting your toddler in a pull-up if he/she naps frequently on car rides or make frequent pit stops. 

Good luck!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...