potty party

It may be the mom in me, but I believe Madison is really a smart kid. I don't have anything to compare her to, of course, since she's our firstborn, but I seem to get comments from strangers a lot about how well she speaks, that she knows her letters and numbers so well, that she can sing a few songs at just 2 years, etc.

I'm sure this will have its downfall. It's got me paranoid that the next kid we have will be a little slower developmentally and I'll be worried sick about it. Miss M walked on her own at 11 months...if child #2 doesn't walk by its first birthday I'll panic. If fit doesn't use the "expected" number of words by 18 months I'll have a heart attack. I now understand why my parents always told me they didn't have gray hair until they had children. I think I understand now, and I'm not even stressed out yet!

But for such a bright little girl I'm getting a little frustrated with our potty trainng experience. It's going well for the most part...I'm putting her in underwear at home most of the time, and when she's wearing it she is really good about getting to the bathroom when she has to go.

But lately she's wanted to wear diapers, not underwear, and when she's in a diaper she doesn't make an effort at all to use the toilet. I'm contemplating playing the mean mom card and deeming diapers in the house off-limits. She could then choose to wear underwear or go nakey. I've also been tossing around the idea of getting some pull-ups for outings and naps. I don't want her to wear them all the time, as I've heard they're too much like wearing a diaper, but I'm not brave enough to chance going out in underwear. I'd love to be able to put the cloth away (although I will miss cute cloth butt) and not buy any more disposables--except overnight diapers--at all.

So...calling all experienced moms or dads who've been through this...what would you do?

Here are a couple of shots of Miss M at Grady's, a local place that has all kinds of rides plus pizza and ice cream. We went a couple of weeks ago and picked out the rides that were suited for a 2-year-old.

Taking a ride on the train:

Harley girl!

Thanks, as always, for reading & looking!

girls just wanna have fun

*UPDATED w/ PICTURES!*

This weekend we were quite the socialites! Two parties in two days used to be nothin', but when you're embarking on a series of social activities with a toddler they can become exhausting outings quickly.

Saturday we had a birthday party to attend for one of Madison's friends. It was really a party for the kids AND adults, and we had a great time. There were kids to play with and toys (someone else's toys...always much better than your own!) and food and games (a pinata and pin the tool on the toolbelt...cute) and good company. Miss M had a great time...and she didn't even seem to mind when, as I was trying to coax her into leaving for the evening, she insisted on 'one more time' climbing up the little slide in the pool (never mind we had already changed her out of her swimsuit and into her clothes) and she slipped and fell right in. I saw that one coming but you know, sometimes they have to learn for themselves. I expected tears but all she said was, "Oops!"

Sunday we went to a family sweet corn party up in Herscher. Got to explore the farm a bit, and we had great fun listening to our echoes in an empty grain bin.

Today is recovery day. We don't have any plans, except to check out Kevin's ISU faculty concert this evening, and I plan to keep it that way.

Finally, I got around to adding a few pics!

Taking a swing at the pinata:

Collecting goodies from the pinata:

Playing with the birthday boy:

The awesome cakes from the party. The theme was tool time, so these creative edible goodies fit the bill!

waterfun and all that jazz

Right now I should be working as the lil' one is snoozing, but seeing how I am researching blogs for an article, the more I read about them the more I felt the urge to update my own. So, here I am.

We took our annual trip to Iowa City this weekend. The Iowa City Jazz Festival was our motivation, as it has been the past 8 years. It's turned into quite the famiy event with both Kevin and my parents joining in on the fun. Good times were had by all!

Kevin took a lot of video of the bands but I don't think we got any pictures of the groups performing on stage. However, I have a host of images of the three of us at the pool--thanks Dad--that I think you'll enjoy. Miss M loved the water, giving me the nudge I need to make the trek to our local public pool. (It's sooo far away...like a 10 minute bike ride.) Here are some of those pictures, enjoy them! Also, if anyone is interested in reading a recap of the festival you can check out my jazzwriter blog, but please wait a few days until I have time to write & post! I'm hoping to do this Friday evening.

Riding the Daddy-fish.

Pink arm floaties!

3 of Harts.

Madison takes a boat ride

Since we're in a Curious George phase right now (classic books...I still love them!) I figured it was appropriate to create a title ala H.A. Rey.

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous so we hopped on the bikes, strapped Miss M in her bike trailer, and headed to Miller Park. We couldn't remember if they had paddle boats for rent on the lake, so we wanted to check that out. Lucky for us they did, and Madison loved the experience.

Here's a bonus shot of Miss M modeling her evening gown/blanket. Crazy kid!

the great outdoors

We had a pretty fun weekend. It was beautiful so of course we spent most of it outside. Saturday there was a concert downtown (sponsored by our friends at WGLT), so we hopped on the bikes and trekked down the trail. Madison liked it a lot, and she made friends quickly with a little boy sitting next to us. They danced, played with sticks, and shared snacks. She's a social one, that girl! Next we hit a local carnival. Miss M took her first train ride. It was a little Amtrak and she loved it! And on Sunday we celebrated Father's Day by having the family over. My folks & sister and bro in law and Kevin's folks all came. Except for a super duper wind gust that practically lifted everything off the ground and the brief rainstorm that followed, it was a great day for a cookout. The sun came out later so we headed back outside.

Blogger's photo uploader is working now so here are the pics!

Dancing with her new friend at the GLT Summer Concert:



Mmm, ice cream with Daddy. What could be better?


She's still talking about the train ride!

green news, green thumb

We've accomplished two things so far this summer that we've been wanting to do for a long time. Here they are:













Kevin made a rain barrel last fall but he didn't hook it up until the spring. We're using the water for our garden, plus my flowers. (Thanks Mom Hart, Master Gardener extrodinaire and generous contributor to my plant stash!)

The clothesline is great. It takes stuff almost no time to dry, especially the diapers! When I lined dried my AIOs in the basement they took 2 days. Now I need only an afternoon of outdoor air.

And, well, since I just uploaded some photos to my computer, here are a few more for ya!


Getting ready to go to a wedding. Look how grown up Miss M looks!

madison visits madison (again)

A couple of weekends ago we took a trip to Wisconsin. Kevin wanted to kick off his summer break right, by taking a little trip to "get away from it all." We were hoping for some nice, warm weather but it ended up being a bit chilly. The sun peeked out for a while on Monday, though, so we enjoyed it while it made its appearance. Here's a few photos of us on the Terrace at UW. Gotta love the giant orange chair!

twinkle twinkle

Nothing's cuter than kids captured on video, right? Here's the latest from our budding musician-child (and no, we're not pushing her!):

http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i67/cahart/?action=view&current=2008-04-14_twinkle_drum_384.flv

with a spring in your step...

I know, enough with the spring comments already. But I can't help it...it feels so good to get outside! When it's not raining that's where we spend the bulk of our time. Here are a few pictures of our outdoor activities lately.

At the park:





Having a snack at her new picnic table:

Posing for our annual picture with the tulips:

We also belong to a new playgroup! Well, it's not exactly new...a group of us who attended Storytime each week at the library decided that since the program is on hiatus during the sumer, there's no reason why we had to stop meeting. So the plan is to continue to get together on Thursday mornings (when Storytime has been held) and visit a different park in town each week. The kids are around the same age (2-3) so it's nice for Madison to get some social time. Well, I get social time too...that's part of my motivation, I have to admit!

oh, go fly a kite!

Spring is in the air! And with the warm weather and fresh breezes, so are kites. I picked one up for Madison the other day (a $1 bargain kite) and she's been enjoying flying it. She's pretty good about holding onto the string spool--she only let go a couple of times.












We've been spending a lot of time outside. The backyard is starting to look like a playground with the sandbox, swing, slide, kiddie picnic table, and assortment of balls. We've been walking a lot and going for bike rides. It feels soooo good to get out again. And I think everyone's mood is improved by doing so!

the party!

The big birthday party was this Sunday. We hosted 17 people--all family--and brought the house down. This little 2 year-old sure knows how to enjoy a party!

The train cake (I spent 3 hours decorating it the night before):

Trying to show everyone how old she is using her fingers:

Riding her new trike:

And just for fun, comparison pics from last year's birthday and this year's:

birthday girl!

It's been pretty exciting around here lately. Last Friday was Madison's birthday. My big-little girl turned 2. We kicked off the big day with a visit to her pediatrician, who announced Miss M is perfectly healthy. The doctor asked the usual questions: is she eating well? YES...some days the girl is like a garbage disposal. Is she running and jumping? YES...she has more energy than *I* know what to do with. How many words does she know? I have NO IDEA...but it's A LOT. Does she speak in 3-4 word sentences? NO. She's been using LONG sentences (for a 2-year-old anyway)...like her favorite this past week: "We go to museum on the birthday. Maddi's birthday!"

Which brings us up to later in the day. She had been talking about going to the Children's Museum all week. I promised her we'd go on her birthday, and we talked about how her birthday was only three, two, and finally one day away. So when she woke up from her nap Friday afternoon and was told we'd go the museum after dinner she was so excited. My parents came with us and got the biggest kick out of seeing her run around the place. Miss M's favorite part is the food area, where there's a grocery/diner section stocked with plastic food. She loves filling up the shopping carts and looks like she's on one of those 15-minute shopping sprees. Here are some pics from the museum:

Since Easter was this weekend we won't have her party until next Sunday, so that's something else to plan and look forward to.

I've got Easter pics to post too, but will do that when I have more time. Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!

mud pies

We, in the Midwest, were treated to a dose of spring this past Sunday. The temperature hit 60-something and the rest of the snow melted. I cheered this change on wholeheartedly and urged my little family to get ready to hit the outdoors, we were gonna celebrate! So we took a nice long walk and later, after Madison's nap, I took her outside to hang out in the front yard. And I got a glimpse of what this spring and summer is going to be like: within seconds, she was grabbing fistfulls of mud from one of my side flower beds. Now I wouldn't have minded so much, but the tips of my tulip bulbs are actually beginning to break through the soil and I REALLY want to see some color in my garden areas as soon as possible so I was at a crossroads: do I freak out and pamper my plants but dissuade my child from exploring? Or do I say buh-bye to tulip town? I chose an alternative solution, to redirect Miss M towards another special mud spot. I let her dig in the raised bed at the side of the house. There's nothing growing there yet so she was free and clear to muck around in the mud to her little heart's content. She had a blast. I guess I need to make sure she's in really old clothes whenever we're outside this season!

And by the way, our dose of spring was gone the next day. Yesterday was rainy and cold, and today we're supposed to get 2-4 inches of snow. It's snowing right now. This is the longest winter EVER, I swear.

Here's a neat picture my dad took over the weekend:

screwy society

Madison hasn't breastfed in 9 months, but I remain a supporter and advocate of feeding babies the way nature intended. So when I came across this cartoon I had to laugh and roll my eyes at the same time.



This is the first in a 5-day series on the topic. To see the rest of the storyline go here:
http://news.yahoo.com/comics/uclickcomics/20080211/cx_ss_uc/ss20080211;_ylt=Aj9HJv136A7kNvLQX927sLmcocwF

everybody jump now

The end of winter can't come soon enough! We've had the most incredibly crappy weather this week, everything from snow to sleet to slush to rain & thunderstorms. Ugh.

I'm doing pretty well with my resolution to get out with Maddi on a regular basis. We've been hitting the story hour at Bloomington Library, which has been fun. There are several moms who are there most every week so I'm able to work some adult chatting time in. And Miss M is able to be around other kids her age which is cool, too. We also hit an open gym last week which she loved! They've got in-floor trampolines, a foam pit, giant balls to chase, jump ropes, and a big area to run around in. We'll definitely go back there...what a great place to visit when you can't get outside and your little one needs to burn off some energy! I got to burn off some energy as well since she didn't want to do the trampoline by herself...I had to go too. Together we bounced "Just like Tigger!" (Her words, not mine.) Eeek...now I know why my OB told me to continue doing kegals AFTER giving birth (and here we are 2 years later, sheesh)!





I have some cute stories to share later, but now I have to head to pick up the car from getting an oil change/tire rotation. We put a ton of miles on that thing and it's getting some well-deserved maintainance in hopes of convincing it to run for another 100,000 miles.

deal or no deal?

Finally Kevin and I have equipped ourselves with boots. He has a pair of old snowmobile boots that are falling apart, and I only have a pair of low-topped sh*% kickers. Since we've had a little bit of snow and will hopefully get more before the winter is over, we ventured out to track down a couple of pairs. We hit the jackpot at Target, finding boots for $12 (for him) and $10 (for me). They were marked down from $60 and $50 respectively. Score!


Since it's warming up a little and we're supposed to get rain tomorrow, plus our restless toddler was tired of being cooped up all morning, we hit the backyard to make use of the little snow that's out there. Here are some pictures of our morning fun:

I've had a few ideas running through my head for posts on this blog, but of course when I actually have time to sit down to write I can't remember any of them. And this from the queen of list-making. Guess I forgot to make a list specifically for blog topics.



Ah well.

I am finally getting my behind in gear to put together a scrapbook of Madison's first year. I selected 9 months of pictures about 6 months ago but never got around to printing them. So I just spent the last hour uploading photos to Shutterfly so I can send them to Target and pick them up tomorrow. Usually I just take a flash drive or CD and upload them at the store, but the last several times I've made a trip there the equipment has been broken. This online process took forever, but at least I didn't have to stand in line with an antsy toddler only to discover the trip was futile. We'll see how long it takes me to actually get these photos into the album once I have them in hand!

I was reading, today, on a website that talked about development and babies/toddlers, that a 22 month old should have about 50 words in her vocabulary. I think Miss M is doing pretty darn well...I have no idea exactly how many words she's capable of saying, but she's been speaking in simple sentences for about a month now so I'd say she's doing ok. It's amazing how quickly language develoment works its magic! And it really makes you think about what you say before you say it...just because the kid doesn't repeat what she hears right away doesn't mean it won't eek out of her mouth a few days or even a week later!

My realm of child-laden friends is growing! Our good friends Erin and Andy welcomed their son Noah into the world at the tail end of January. They were happy for the timing as it means they get their tax write-off for 2007. I went to visit last Tuesday and Madison did pretty good around the baby...mostly because she didn't want to go near him. She calls him Baby No-No. :-)

I also want to give a happy birthday shout out to my friend Kim's boy, Sean, on his FIRST birthday!

And there are other b days approaching...Miss M will be 2 in March...unbelieveable. And her twice-yearly playdate buddy, Logan, has his 2nd approaching in Feburary. Where oh where has the time gone?



The feature picture in this post showcases my Play-Doh talents. Madison is always requesting that I craft dogs, cats, bunnies, teacups, snakes, and other miscellaneous items out of this malleable substance and so of course I oblige. My latest creation features a few characters from Thomas and Friends. Can you name these trains?

back to our regularly scheduled program...

Well the holiday is now officially over. Kevin goes back to all his schools this week, and Miss M and I go back to our weekly routine as a duo. So here I am, making a list of possible things to do. The weather's not so nice now, so I'm searching for indoor activities.

I think we'll be checking out the reading program for toddlers at one of the libraries as it's every Thursday and you don't need to register to take part. Libraries for kids today are so different from what I remember. We didn't have play areas...both libraries here each have two different sections for kids to read, play, and socialize. We didn't have reading programs for babies and toddlers...both libraries here have ongoing activities year-round for kids. It's really nice to see the children's departments really making an effort to reach out to children...tearing them away from the computer and video games. There's nothing like a good book, and I hope Miss M realizes that for a long, long time.

With Kevin going back to work, that also means my own working hours will shift once again to naptimes and after bed. Unless I decide to hire someone to come over for a few hours during the week to play with Madison, which isn't really practical since my workload is unpredictable. One week there's a lot to do, the next there's practically nothing. I haven't bothered to drum up clients for quite some time as I can't balance more than 2 or 3 projects at once while caring for a toddler all day. Fortunately, I've made some very good contacts who still send work my way without me having to solicit at all. Nice, and I appreciate that greatly!