Happy Halloween!

Our little witch is tucked into bed, after a fun and tiring day. Her preschool held a halloween party, where all the parents brought in something for the kids to eat and drink for lunch and they trick-or-treated to all the classrooms. The only rule was no costumes that were scary or devilish, so the witch costume stayed home and she sported her Cleveland Browns cheerleader outfit (more comfortable anyway for the whole day). After a fun morning, our first nap without the pacifier was attempted. Lots of crying and screaming for her beloved "paci" but she finally fell asleep. This evening, crying only lasted 10 minutes. Knock on wood, but this is going smoother than I thought. We carved the pumpkin together this afternoon (long story on our pumpkin, but we never made it to a pumpkin patch due to Tropical Storm Neal who has been smashing us since last Thurs., so we had to resort to Publix). K asked "What's inside a pumpkin?" So I took off the top and showed her, then told her to put her hands inside. One tiny touch and she yanked her hands out, "I don't like that!!" She wanted nothing to do with the pumpkin, but did tell me she wanted all diamond shapes, so I carved a diamond eyes, nose, etc. After a quick dinner, she and Bryan headed out to trick or treat in the dark and they were gone for over an hour. Her pumpkin was overflowing with chocolates and after a quick check of the candy, she opted for a tootsie pop to eat before bed. Three licks and she was done....ready for bed. We're ready for bed as well!!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Katelyn!

Barely time to recover from our long (but very fun) day at Disney, and Katelyn's 3rd birthday party started at 11am. She wanted a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party and lots of yellow (currently an obession). Last year, we barely knew a soul here and had a quiet party at home. This year, we invited kids and parents from Katelyn's class, new neighbors and friends and suddenly 45 people were over for the party. The kids had a blast, running from the living room where we set up a teepee and one of those cozy coupe cars to Katelyn's toy room. Most of the kids got along very well...no fighting over toys, etc. We grilled hot dogs for lunch (keeping with the MM Clubhouse theme...hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog for those forced to watch the show), plus some chicken salad for the adults, followed by a very yellow cake for dessert. Katelyn blew out all but one candle on her own and we opened her piles of gifts. She had so many and I had intended to open them later, but everyone kept asking to see K open their gifts. It got a bit overwhelming for her, so after 2 presents, she left the room to play with her friends and then came back to sit and color with DJ's mom. We opened the gifts for her and put them in a pile for her to look at later. So many wonderful new toys and adorable outfits. The party was a success and we had so much fun...so did K! It's been 2 days since the bash and she's been so into her new toys and new tricycle that she hasn't watched a minute of tv...not even mickey.

Tonight, the pacifier fairy is coming to take K's pacifiers to the babies who need them and will be leaving K a special toy. This is going to be a tough transition for all of us, but it's time.

EPCOT...Every Person Comes Out Tired!

Fall is an awesome time in Orlando....the humidity FINALLY breaks, school is back in session, and EPCOT hosts its annual International Food and Wine Festival! My sister Ali and brother-in-law Rob introduced us to this last year and we've become huge fans. On Saturday (Katelyn's official 3rd birthday, although we kept it on the down-low so we wouldn't have to pay an admission fee for her), Bryan, one of my best friends Andrea (visiting from Chicago), and I headed over to Disney. Luckily, Bryan's cousin (a Disney employee) was able to meet us at the gate and let us in for free. A BIG thank you to Jeff! After a short walk around and a ride on "Nemo and Friends," we decided to take advantage of our park hopper passes and take Katelyn on the long-awaited monorail ride over to Animal Kingdom. K enjoyed the train ride, but then we realized the monorail doesn't go to Animal Kingdom...just to the the magic kingdom. Oops. We got off the monorail and decided to take another monorail through the Contemporary Resort (I thought it was an amazing hotel and always wanted to stay there. I was in awe of it back in the 80's and thought one day when I hit the lotto, I would stay there). Bryan and Andrea convinced me it was stuck in the 80s and wasn't that great, that I was pining for something that doesn't exist, so we took the train through the hotel and they were right. I'll save my pennies for the Grand Floridian hotel. Once that train ride was over, we had to take a bus to Animal Kingdom. Two and half hours after leaving EPCOT we arrived at Animal Kingdom...the transportation took forever!!! It started to rain and we wondered through AK. Our plan was to ride the safari, Everest (roller coaster), and the train, then head back to EPCOT. The safari was a 70 minute wait (not going to happen with Katelyn an hour passed her nap time) and the train ride was the lamest ride we've ever been on. It takes you absolutely nowhere and you see the back side of an industrial area. We were walking over to Everest, and the rain really started falling and Katelyn was losing it in her stroller. We just turned around and got back on the bus. Animal Kingdom did not impress us at all....if you're ever at Disney, I'd skip it.

Back at EPCOT, the weather got a little better and we rode some more rides....a highlight was the Test Track where you ride in a car going through a series of tests (brakes, speed, weather changes, etc.) and Journey through Imagination with good old Figment. Enough rides, and time for food and wine! Everything is sold in an appetizer size and is priced $2-$4. I had the most delicious cheese, fruit, and bread plate from Ireland (a perfect snack at 4pm and K ate most of the cheese) and we had to wash it down with guiness. South Africa was represented and served "Durban Spiced Chicken Skewer" and a bobotie...still not sure what that was. We enjoyed a sausage in Germany, cabbage roll and perogie in Poland, and potato soup and maple custard from Canada. It was delicious! We'll be back next year! And yes, EPCOT does stand for Every Person Comes Out Tired (my grandma was right!).

About to Turn Three!

Lucky girl! Katelyn won this firetruck at a raffle at Bryan's company picnic this weekend. This is her in the hoola-hoop contest (she's wearing her witch costume) and she cheated...just held the hoola hoop and wiggled around inside. :-)

Katelyn turns 3 on Saturday. One on hand, I love how much she talks and things that come out of her mouth. She gets so excited about simple things and loves to shout out "oh goody!" and "I just can't believe it!" and it can be so sweet. When we drive, she tells me she wishes for green lights and sings along with songs. She's become an ABBA fan and knows which U2 cd I put in the stereo, and just can't get enough of Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend." I love her sweet prayer at night "Dear God, Thank you for making the world. Amen." And when I add to her prayers and list people for special blessings, she turns to me and says, "That's so nice, mommy." Oh, this is such a sweet age. This time last year I was worried. Worried she wasn't speaking nearly enough and worried about her ever-present digestive issues and lack of weight gain. I wondered when she would be able to have a conversation with me and when some of this food would actually stick to her ribs. I worried we would never find friends like we had in Gainesville. Now, fast forward a year later and Katelyn doesn't stop talking, her stomach issues have been resolved, and we've met some wonderful people down here. It's a great time in our lives. And 3 is a fun age....

Mostly.

Except lately Katelyn has started telling lies. Obvious lies. Big lies. When we told her no more bounce house at Bryan's company picnic, she ran over to the bounce house and told the woman guarding it, "my mommy said yes," and started yanking off her shoes as fast as she could. I grabbed her before she could climb in and Bryan put her in time out. About 15 min. later, she ran off again. I found her climbing a slide and asked her what she was doing over there. "Daddy said I could slide." Daddy never told her she could go over there. She also started spitting in our faces and on food. That lasted about a day. Suddenly, she refused to sit on the potty again and we were back to square one. Melt downs in the bathroom, kicking and screaming when asked to sit on the potty. Luckily, today she was right back on track. We are learning 3 has it's own set of challenges and we have to be on our game all the time. I keep thinking this is such a tough age, but then I remember the newborn stage was no picnic...hating the bottle, not nursing well, sleepless nights, c-section recovery...that was not easy. Crawling was not easy...getting into every thing, not wanting to be contained, everything in the mouth. Walking was tough...not being able to deal with steps, but not wanting to stay away from them, reaching and grabbing and breaking things, starting to hate the stroller....I know this too shall pass and I know despite it's challenges (some days I'm in tears, not knowing if I'm doing the right thing), I know EVERY stage is an absolute blessing and is full of wonderful memories. It all goes by so fast. I know I'll be laughing about her first lies one day and the crazy outfits she insists on wearing. 3 years ago, I prayed for a safe delivery, and a healthy baby. God answered my prayers then, and continues to.

Whoa...this post was way longer than intended!!

Playgroup Birthday Party

Happy 3rd Birthday to all the Oct./Nov. 2004 babies born in the same hospital in Gainesville, Florida. Our playgroup, most of us together since our babies were only 2 weeks old, celebrated their 3rd birthday in the gymnastics room of the YMCA. This has become an annual event and as the years go by, they have more and more fun. Katelyn always has a great time and it was so good to see our friends. They exchanged gifts...each had one friend to buy for...and Katelyn was thrilled to receive Mickey Mouse Clubhouse toys, dress-up shoes and magic wand/tiara. Her real birthday (Oct. 27) is right around the corner and she cannot wait to have yellow cake with yellow "prosting" (can't say "frosting") and a Mickey Mouse party. Tomorrow Katelyn has her pictures taken. Can you believe I had to exchange the 4T dress I bought for her pictures for a 24 month size dress??? This child still needs to gain some weight :-) Maybe after her yellow cake!

Fire Truck Field Trip a Bust

October is Fire Safety Month, so Katelyn's school arranged for a fire truck and fire fighters to visit the kids. We were excited and joined the other kids for a presentation before being allowed on the truck. The fire fighters showed the kids how they have to wear lots of gear, including an oxygen mask, and crawled down on the floor to get up close to them (as they would in a fire). Well, most of the kids freaked out and screamed in fear, including Katelyn. She was particularly hysterical. It took the room a while to calm down, but once the fire fighter took off the mask, Katelyn ran up to him and gave him a high five (this picture is her next to him after crying). After the emotional presentation, we were ready to get on the fire truck, but they were called away on an emergency. We waited for an hour, they never returned, so we left. We'll have to get on the fire truck another time :-)

Success!!

This is Katelyn giving her "thumbs up" pose (Uncle Robby taught her how to do this so she always says, "Thumbs up...Robbie says!"

Just a quick update on the potty training....Katelyn has been successfully using the potty, both at home and out and about, for 6 days now. She's even keeping her pull-up dry at nap time. A friend of mine passed on a very helpful hint. I cover the automatic flusher sensor with a piece of masking tape and it prevents it from flushing. Katelyn feels much more secure and has no more issues using the public restroom. We are sooooo happy with her success and are so proud (and we think it's about time!!).

Adventures in Potty Training

Yes, Katelyn is almost 3 and not yet potty trained....but it's not for lack of trying. About 6-7 months ago, she was almost fully trained and it really wasn't too difficult. I took her to Sea World in undies and she did great....until she encountered an automatic flusher. Not only was it very loud and splashy, it was also malfunctioning that day and was flushing continuously, along with all the other toilets. It was loud, messy, and she was terrified. She wouldn't sit on a toilet again for months. Back to square one. But we'd done it once, we could do it again, right??? Well, the fear of public toilets remained and she got very good at holding it for long lengths of time...which led to an awful UTI with a 104.2 fever and much pain. Her pediatrican told me to lay off the potty training and keep her in pull-ups for a while. Okay. Back again to square one. In the meantime, K is showing NO INTEREST in going on the potty and keeps telling me it will hurt if she pees on the potty. So now we have two big obstacles to overcome....automatic flushers and memories of a painful UTI. BUT...she is turning 3 in 3 weeks and as my mom says, "this is getting ridiculous!" So, that's it. No more pull-ups during the day and she is changing her own wet undies if she has an accident. We went out to dinner tonight and she had to pee so badly. She still has meltdowns in the public bathrooms, but today I literally forced her to sit on it, just to try. No luck, but we'll get there again. I'm more determined than ever to have her potty trained by her 3rd birthday. She's getting much better at learning when she needs to go. I'm afraid of another UTI, but she can't be in pull-ups forever (although, she'd like that). So, wish us luck as we continue our journey to being potty-trained!

I Can Do It All By Myself!

Oh, yes. Miss Katelyn has given me a run for my money this week. Whoever said 3s are worse than the 2s may be right! In just this last week, she has formed very strong opinions about what she wants to wear (check out her black boots with the cheerleading outfit) and had a fit today when I told her she could not wear her Halloween costume to school. She has also decided pull-ups work just fine for her, no need to wear undies or use the potty ever. On Sunday, she was wearing undies and when she had to pee, she would sit on the potty for 2 seconds, stand up and say, "I tried. Pull-up please." So, new plan of attack is no pull-up please, you'll have to learn please and if that means getting wet and having to sit in it a little while, then you'll have to deal with it please. "No" seems to be her favorite word and time-out has become a second home. I'm hoping this has just been a tough week! Not to say there hasn't been any good moments...my sweet Katelyn is still in there!