Family, Hormones, and the Potty

July was filled with family. A trip to LA to see Brandon’s cousin and her cute family, a visit from some Canadian family, then Maggie and I took a trip to Utah and Idaho to see my family. A week after we got home was a birthday extravaganza (yup, 50ish people in our tiny backyard) for Maggie turning 3 and Brandon turning…older. ;) He’s a young 27 now.

And Maggie’s 3 years old!!!  I can’t believe it!  She’s officially a big girl now. As the realization comes that she is getting older, if not bigger, we’re instituting some changes around the house.  Maggie is adjusting surprisingly well, which gives me hope for the upcoming school year. 

We are no longer using the tray of her high chair.  It’s the kind of booster seat that just hooks to a normal chair and the tray attaches to that.  Her legs are long enough though, that she was starting to make the whole thing tip, which resulted in milk everywhere on multiple occasions.  She is still sitting in the booster seat part of the chair, but she now eats at the table like a big girl!

Maggie has been on growth hormone for almost 2 months now.  She is amazing!  She reminds us at night that, “It’s time to do my hormones.”  When we first started we wanted her to be happy not traumatized, so we offered her ice cream after she got her shot for the first few times.  It’s now expected.  So she reminds us to do her shots, just so she can get some ice cream.  A small miscalculation on my part…at least she’s getting calories?  No, she does not get ice cream every night, but she definitely asks.  She doesn’t cry at all, unless ridiculously tired, and then the tears are a result of that, not necessarily the shot.  She will not let me put it anywhere but her legs.  It must hurt less there, because every time I’ve tried to put it in her arm or back or belly after the first week or so she screams.  When administering the shot, you count to 6 to make sure all the medicine has come out.  This helps Maggie a lot, because she can count, and she knows that after 6 its all over.  I’m really so proud of her.  She’s a trooper.

Our biggest change lately has been potty training!!! She’s done amazing!  As always.  Have I mentioned my daughter is incredible? Because she is.  We’re starting the third week and the past few days she’s been without an accident!!  She does NOT like having wet panties, so that’s a big motivator for her.  And an M&M after she goes in the potty doesn’t hurt either.  The first week I though I was going to die though.  17 accidents the first day. Only 4 the next, but that’s because I had her sitting on the potty most of the day out of my lack of desire to do another load of laundry (which I had to do anyway).  It took until the end of day 5 for her to preemptively be able to tell me she had to pee.  She would tell me she had to got potty as she was peeing. Sigh.  But she finally got it!!!! I was so SO happy.  I mean, it was day 5….I thought maybe she was just too young to understand the feeling of, I have to pee, and then being able to hold it until she got to a potty.  But she’s not. I just had to wait it out.  I know that I’ll be doing lots more laundry, but I accept it because I do not want 2 kids in diapers.

Which brings us to…I’M PREGNANT!!!  Due December 23rd with a little man.  We are SO thrilled!!!  Brandon found Maggie a couple books at the thrift store about babies, and Maggie absolutely loves them.  Grover Takes Care of Baby, and I’m a Big Sister.  She talks all the time about baby brother.  “Mommy has a baby in her tummy!” is one of her favorite mantras to chant while spinning in circles or rhythmically flinging her slinky.  And whenever she’s sitting on my lap (which is quickly disappearing) she pats my belly and says, “Hi baby. I love you!”  It’s so precious!!

So recap: Family is great. Hormones are going very well (hopefully we’ll see some results soon). My little 3 year old is sitting at the table now, and going in the potty, and will have a new baby brother in December. 

We’re moving her crib into a toddler bed soon too. Which will then lead to no diapers at night, I hope.  Life is busy and wonderful, and we are so very happy. Except to be dealing with Thursday’s MRI.  That pretty much promises to be awful. Sigh. But Brandon’s family will be here that night for the weekend, which is awesome.  So hopefully that all equals out to pretty good. That’s sound math right? Awful + Awesome = Pretty Good? I’m saying yes.