#2's a crowd

We are slowly but surely making progress on the potty training front. I had hoped Amelia would be fully trained by now. Then again, I had hoped I'd grow to 6'2". You don't always get what you want. That said, as much as I am anxiously awaiting swimming in the pools of money I'll save when I can stop buying Pull Ups, this little kid on the potty thing isn't all it's cracked up to be. Allow me to paint a picture of what my life has become...

As a father, I have an obligation to do all I can to get Amelia to use the potty. The issue here is she will only use the potty if you go in the bathroom with her and stand there. My downstairs bathroom, which she uses 90% of the time, is roughly the size of a double-wide coffin. As a matter of fact, a recent guest used the bathroom and then decided to wash their hands in the kitchen instead because it was "too claustrophobic" in there. Thus, Amelia essentially demands you stand knee to knee with her while she's on the throne. Additionally, she has a fully non-negotiable clause which stipulates the door must not only be closed, but locked. She claims she needs "privacy" (seemingly completely disregarding the fact that there is another human roughly 14cms from her). Given all this, I found myself in a bad situation today. We walked into the bathroom, she sat down as I locked the door. After grabbing the handle to ensure there was no escape, she shot me a look that clearly stated "buckle up, buttercup, we're in this together now". And with that, she proceeded to relentlessly defile that poor toilet. I kid you not, there were sounds coming from that bathroom that have not been heard since the Smoke Monster on Lost. I haven't gone through boot camp or anything, but I'm pretty sure this was similar to the gas mask drills. There were fumes everywhere. My eyes were watering. My nose began to run. I weakly reached up to turn on the fan just before my knees buckled. Unfortunately, this attempt was to be completely shot down. Apparently, to go with the tight space, the locked door, and the sound display, we were not to have a fan. There would be no circulation of air. I guess we were just to sit there and drink in this experience. By the time she was done, I'm pretty sure Sophie had attempted to dial 911 on my cell phone. I'm not sure, as I had already blacked out into a puddle of cold sweat. I figured my only hope for survival was to begin repeatedly flushing the toilet while throwing Amelia into the sink to hose off. However, as I pulled myself up from the floor, I saw Amelia sitting there beaming with pride. She had use the potty like a big girl. At that point, I decided I needed to suck it up, disinfect the area, and treat her like she just cured cancer...and to pray I'm not the only one home the next time she has to go #2.

Precious Little Baby

Look at the sweet sleeping angel in this picture...



...the only problem is she is not sleeping at all. She is actually on her way out the door to go to school. This actually is a cool, new thing she likes to call "carry me like a little baby" where she asks me to pick her up and then proceeds to pretend to sleep. I'm pretty sure the occurrence of this is in direct relation to the impending arrival of an actual baby in our house and Amelia's strong desire not to lose her baby status.

Won't Be Long

We had our final ultrasound for Everett today. Apparently, we can expect him to look roughly like a white Shaquille O'neal. With 4 weeks to go, he is already currently measuring in at nearly 7 lbs. According to my very in-depth research (typing "average baby weight" in Google and clicking "I'm feeling lucky") the average newborn only weighs 7lbs 8ozs. So, unless he is an early arrival, it appears our little Sasquatch will be in need of adult diapers very soon.

He DID Brought Me Toys!

Amelia must have been a good girl...


Bean bag or tiny pillow for her baby doll?? You be the judge...


Her favorite gift...

Strong Words

Tonight as I was carrying our wine rack from one side of the dining room to another, Amelia walked in and said "Oohh, Daddy, you're too strong". I tell you, it is great having a 2 year-old around if for nothing else than an inflated ego.

Christmas Cooks

Somebody has to do the cooking around here...It might as well be a pregnant woman 3-4 weeks from her due date and a 2 year-old chef...

Spoons ready...


All cooking sessions should start with laughter...


...and end with a kiss...

Christmas Morning

Just follow the trail of candy canes...


What Santa left behind...


What Amelia left behind...


Enjoying her new found fun...


Enjoying the spoils of a morning hard at play...

Naybe's Final Night

He didn't think Santa would mind sharing his goodies...


He decided to leave Amelia one last note...


He settled into his sleigh for his trip back to the North Pole

Getting Ready for Santa

Amelia was kind enough to make cookies and chocolate milk for Santa. She also made him a handwritten note expressing her gratitude...


...and I have a feeling Santa appreciated it.

Thankful

Looking over this pile of Christmas cards we were fortunate to recieve makes me incredibly thankful for the role each and every one of the senders plays in our lives. We are a lucky family.

Toes

Meggan took my sister for a pedicure today for Christmas. On the way out, she mentioned that she was going to get her toes painted. This set Amelia off in a bad way because she couldn't go. Soooo, she got something even better....toenails painted by Daddy...

Naybe

This is a hug of love...not meant to be as creepy as it looks...

Sad, but True

Me: Great job on the potty! You're not a baby anymore.
Amelia: No, I'm a little kid.
Me: That's right.
Amelia: I'm a little kid, Daddy's a big kid, and Mommy's a grown up.
Me: Mommy probably agrees.

Shopping Buddies

I have the day off work tomorrow and Amelia has decided to take the day off of school as well. We have a big day of Christmas shopping ahead of us. Once you add a stack of pancakes, a sprinkle of Dora, and a visit from my mom and sister to the shopping...you have a day to envy.

Naybe

I now see how he stays so chipper all the time...

Hair

Amelia: Daddy has short hair and Mommy has long hair.
Meggan: That's right.
Amelia: What kind of hair does Sophie have?
Meggan: She has fur.
Amelia: Daddy has short hair and Mommy has long hair and Sophie has fur hair.
Meggan: Uhh, yep.
Amelia: What kind of hair does Baby Brother have?
Meggan: We don't know yet. He's still in Mommy's tummy.
Amelia (lifts up Meggan's shirt and stares into her belly button): We can't see him because your belly button is closed.

Bounce Back

Amelia used the incredible power of youth to turn her health around last night. She went to bed with a fever and feeling poorly and woke up as if she had never even heard of the word 'sick'. In fact, the toughest part of the day today was keeping her settled down since she felt so good. As hard as that was, it was a much better alternative than we had expected for the day.

In Trouble

There are 4 shopping days before Christmas and I have no idea what I am going to get Meggan. This is not good. Worse yet, I'm pretty sure she already owns one of everything...ever...made...and two of most things.

Naybe

Seriously, it is getting very hard to find places for Naybe to hide where a 2 year-old can find him and yet not touch him.

Naybe

It's not exactly Santa's sleigh, but I'm sure he enjoyed the ride...

Under the Weather

When Amelia doesn't feel well, she's not the best at hiding it...And as you can see, today was not a good day...

Naybe

Just hanging around...

Building a Home

Amelia (with a little help from her mom) did serious work on a gingerbread house tonight.

Getting the instructions...


She was responsible for putting candy on the house...


However, she probably ate more than she built...


The finished product...


It may not be the best looking gingerbread house you've ever seen, but they had a great time doing it and that is really all that matters...kind of.

Naybe

When Amelia opened the pantry door this morning, she said "There's Naybe!!...He's eating my Tony the Tigers!!"

Misery Loves Company

Misery loves company is one of my all time least favorite sayings. I am normally proud to say I take no pleasure in other people's problems. I prefer to assume either we are all problem free or at a minimum that I can be of some help to the problems of others. However, when it comes to Amelia and her antics, there is little more comforting than hearing the other parents in her room complain about their children. It isn't that I want them to have issues and I don't wish any harm to anyone. But, man it is just so nice to know that you aren't the only fools being trained to waste an hour a night putting your kid to bed... And it is GREAT to hear you don't have the only kid who basically enjoys taking a dump in her pants. Yep, those are the things that feel great to me these days...and that actually makes me a little more miserable.

Naybe

I'm pretty sure he was looking for our knives

Bad Night

Amelia has cried in her bed for an hour now with no signs of slowing. While we hate her nights ending this way, she has to learn to go to bed on her own. Once Everett is here, we won't be able to devote an hour to sitting in her bed with her each night. As an added frustration, she is so tired and is still getting over her cold so she is yawning between cries and coughing between yawns.

Tornado?

During a pretty windy day last week, we nearly lost Amelia's first house. The real tragedy, of course, is her Homeowner's Insurance company denied the claim.

Naybe

Ladies love a man in uniform...

Commotions

Try and try as she might, there are still some words Amelia has not mastered...


Last night sitting around the Christmas tree...
Me: Amelia, did you get Mommy anything for Christmas yet?
Amelia: Yep
Me: You did?!?
Amelia: Mommy, I got a super-prize (SURPRISE) for you.

Tonight while watching TV with me...
Me: Let me fast forward for a second
Amelia: We don't like commotions!
Me: Commotions? I think you mean COMMERCIALS.
Amelia: Yeah, commotions.
Me: Okay, baby.

There is, however, one saying she has down...

Me: Hey, you need to stop jumping on the couch!
Amelia: You need to chill out.

...and there you have it.

Naybe

I warned Naybe...if he scratches my Entourage DVDs, I'm not above beating on an Elf.

Living the Life

If you don't get to jump in the bounce house in your living room and take baths while wearing a fireman's hat...you just aren't living right...

Naybe

I think he was looking for the liquor cabinet...

Interior Decorator

I suppose when the dog won't let you put a hat on its head...


or its butt...


and the stocking just won't stay on...


you eventually just give up and put the entire tree skirt on it...

Naybe

Naybe



Sophie Claus

Naybe

I originally had Naybe "planking" on top of this painting this morning. However, after kept saying he was sleeping, I decided he needed to wake up.

Christmas Concert

Amelia had her Christmas Concert tonight. It is always fun to get to see her interact with her friends.





I'm not feeling so bad about skipping the ballet recital after tonight...

Naybe

Since I started posting pictures of Naybe, I have received several emails and messages with links to all the cool and funny things people are doing with their elves. I've checked out a few of the links and am pretty impressed by how creative people can be. That said, we are probably still a year or so out from doing most of the ideas. At this point, Amelia isn't old enough to understand the wit behind putting a tiny coat and scarf on Naybe and hiding him in the freezer. She is just ecstatic when she finds him each morning. In order for that to happen, he has to be fairly out in the open or else she just says "he's still with Santa". Also, if Naybe isn't hidden up high, the next photo on the blog would be a vicious crime scene with arms, legs, and missing heads strewn about at the hands of a murderous Sophie. So, please keep sending me any ideas you come across for Elves, Tooth Fairies, Easter Bunnies, etc. You may not see them in the next week or so, but I am stockpiling them so I can blow .... Amelia's .... mind ... when she is old enough to appreciate the effort.

Naybe

Who doesn't want to wake up to find a freaky little elf has been hanging from their curtain and watching them sleep?!?

Who is Pregnant?

Somehow, I'm 99% sure I have gained more weight than Meggan during this pregnancy. Now, I have already given her praise on here for being very healthy during her pregnancy. That said, I have more than picked up the slack on devouring all unhealthy food items. Now, for those of you who have seen me recently, you may say I'm exaggerating my situation a bit. Well, I'll admit it is all relative. However, I was greeted at work last week by someone saying "you're looking round these days". This morning, I tried to put on a pair of old work pants and the button and buttonhole were so far apart you'd have thought they were allergic to each other. I'm guessing I have had to loosen my belt by at least one notch...If I were able to actually see my belt, I'd be able to know for sure. Seriously, I look like I was kidnapped by the Keebler Elves and was forced to eat my way out of their cookie dungeon. Clearly, this isn't going to work. I don't see any reason to wait for a New Year's resolution at this point. So, I will go ahead and put it on here for public accountability. My goal is to be back to my pre-Meggan-pregnancy weight by the time Everett comes home. I don't have much time so I plan on getting started immediately....well, right after I finish this Drumstick ice cream cone.

Naybe

Naybe

Probably just checking to see how much coal he'll be able to fit in there.

Sometimes the Show Doesn't Go On

Amelia and I are both currently under the weather...so much so that we did not make it to her ballet recital. Meggan and I were very disappointed in our decision to be responsible adults tonight. We really wanted to see Amelia having fun on stage. That said, we didn't think the fun we would have watching her do a 5 minute dance was worth risking her health. It may seem a bit extreme, but given her past history and our numerous trips to Urgent Care, we didn't feel surrounding her with 30 other germy kids backstage for an hour while she nervously wondered where mommy and daddy were was the best idea. Luckily, we just wrote the check for the Spring semester of ballet...if at first you don't succeed, try try again.

Naybe

Naybe knows the reason for the season...

The More Things Change...

There have been countless changes over the last year or so...and yet, some habits die hard...

Amelia hanging around in Lowe's last year...


Amelia hanging from the cart in Lowe's last night...