Aviela the first month!

A one month update for Aviela!  Avi pretty much spends most of her days sleeping.  I wake her during the day when she needs to eat but otherwise let her sleep.  She has had some fun adventures already in her first month!  We took her to the movies while Zuri was taking a nap and she slept the whole movie. We took her to the zoo and she woke to eat but otherwise slept most of the time.  She has accompanied me to the gym and sat by and watched me workout at the community gym in my new neighborhood, which is nice because she can't go to my regular gym until 3 months.

She has been on her first official flight, so two legs of flights, from Denver to Wichita and back.  She was at her first tournament and was a pretty good girl, sleeping most of the time!

Sleeping wise at night it has gone pretty well so far but I know it can all change quickly so I don't want to be too excited.  She usually sleeps for 4-5 hours at night then 3 more and then is up for a bit in the morning.  Which is kind of hard because then Zuri wakes up and I have to try to manage both kids at once and I want to give Zuri her alone time too.  

Zuri has been excellent with Avi.  She loves to say "Baby Sister!!" and gives her kisses.  This morning she kicked her in the head (on purpose) when she "Baby Sister cryin'".  Then of course Avi was really crying and then so was Zuri because I told her to not kick people.  Great fun!  

Zuri wants to "hold baby sista" and have her sit next to her a lot...

Zuri sitting in Avi's chair and trying out the pacifier..

She is just starting to coo but has only smiled a few times.  She does like a pacifier and a lot of times it will help stop a crying spell.  She also seems to currently like riding in the car.

Staying at my parents house is definitely been helpful with adjusting to two kids because I can have help if she is screaming while I am trying to help Zuri with something. 

One month has flown by!!

Here are some pictures from Aviela's early days!

Here she is at her 2 week doctors visit!  She was up to 7lbs and 8oz and still the same length.

Grandma Topper holding Avi at about a month old!

Potty Training Zuri

A little delayed posting about potty training but definitely a major milestone has been met!  Last year I attempted potty training Zuri, prior to her second birthday.  I followed the 3 days stay at home and have her go around naked.  She would hold her pee and was not interested in going to the potty despite having a lot of success getting her to go on the potty.  It was definitely too early and her communication wasn't great either.

Fast forward to May of this year.  There were a lot of changes going on with moving and starting school.  At school they sit them on the potty quite frequently.  The potty is low and easy for her to get on and off.  I decided that we would go ahead and try to potty train her since she was starting to like sitting on the potty (again-she had gone through a time where she would not sit on the potty).  We had talked a lot about it and how she could wear underwear and she was starting to be very interested in wearing underwear.  I told her to wear it she had to go pee on the potty.

Monday she goes to school so I started potty training on Tuesday.  I figured it would give us three good days before she went to school again on Friday.  Day 1 I let her pick out her underwear.  She was excited.  She wore them but continued to hold it as long as she could and then pee in her underwear and didn't seem to be too bothered by doing it.  The same thing happened day 2 and day 3.  I was unsure of what to do.  Everything and everyone says do it for 3 days.  Friday she had school and I was wondering what I should do since she was obviously not potty trained.  But the school had told me to "not turn back once I start."  So I packed a lot of clothes for her and was prepared for lots of messes.  It was also a day where I was to come back a bit later for a Mother's day party.  I came back and she was still in her same pants because she was holding her pee.  While reading a book together at school she peed in her pants.   But low and behold the rest of the day she started peeing in the potty and telling me "mama pee potty!"  We would run to the potty and she would go!  Then we went out to dinner that night and she peed on the potty and then needed to poop.  UGH!  She screamed and screamed but eventually went.

From day 4 on she would always pee on the potty.  It was like a flip was switched and voila!  Pooping on the potty was a different story.  She would hold it and tell me she needed to poop but would go days without pooping.  Then she would go in her diaper (nap time or bed time) or she would go in her underwear but this upset her or she would sit and SCREAM on the potty and I would have to hold her until she went.  And after a month of this she now is fascinated by going poop in the potty.  She is still a little scared of going to the bathroom in public places, but of course she has to go every time we are out!  She has done a great job of using the potty and telling us even while she is playing that she needs to go!

Very glad we didn't stop after day 3!  I really think going to school the two half days a week helped her see other kids doing it and realize she was supposed to go too!

We used a reward system of candy the first few days and then only offered her something if she took a poop.  Now we don't have to reward her, although she still wants a cookie sometimes after pooping, but she really wants cookies all the time anyway!