Day of Thanks :)

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving was already a week ago. The time since then has flown by--I wanted to blog about our fun Holiday before it got too late.

My sister and brother-in-law invited us to their house for Thanksgiving. They sort of have a tradition of hosting Thanksgiving in their home and I was excited to join them this year.

I've never participated so much in cooking a Thanksgiving dinner, it was super fun and everybody had a great time. Not everyone knew one another, but that didn't stop anyone from enjoying themselves and all of us pulling together to create a wonderful meal and experience together. I loved the sense of community to make sure everything got prepped and cooked, everyone had a hand in creating the meal and everyone fit right in--it was relaxing and super fun. And Vienna had an absolute blast playing with her only two girl cousins.

And the food. The food deserves it's own paragraph. I mean, it was delicious divine. I have never tasted food so good. Of course there was Turkey, but so tender and tasty. The green bean casserole made from scratch was addicting. Awesome mashed potatoes. I don't even like corn but the creamed corn was heaven. The stuffing was my contribution, gluten-free even, and for my first attempt it turned out pretty darn good. The sweet potato pie though, oh. my. goodness. I wanted to hide myself in a closet and hog the whole dish it was so good. Even the dang crescent rolls and cranberry sauce were awesome.

And don't forget dessert. Who would, right? I mean, it's dessert we're talking about here. My sister outdid herself in the mouth water apple-pie, and I don't even like fruit pie much! Pecan pie. Pumpkin pie. Can I say Mmmmm! I made a Baileys salted carmel chocolate pie (thanks to my sister and pintrest) and it was insanely good. I'm all about the chocolate dessert though so of course that was my top pick.

Am I making you hungry yet? Because I sure am. I could eat everything all over again.

Oh wait, I did. For leftovers. Twice. It was like having Thanksgiving three days in a row. Awesome.

It was a memorable time. One of the, if not the best, Thanksgivings I've ever had. Thanks Heidi and Steve!

:)

Cooking! This is my sister, Heidi. Isn't she pretty?

The ladies checking recipe ingredients

Watching football and discussing quantum physics--or something as equally hard to follow.

(Let me make note that the guys spent plenty of time in the kitchen helping cook and clean, despite the implication of this picture)

Deliciousness.

Enjoying the food and conversation

Thanksgiving dinner.

Gone.

Just a few little things

The biggest reason why I blog is to document things about my kid(s) that I want to remember. Someday, when she's older, I hope to print off all my little stories and give them to her--or even just to keep for myself...it's amazing how quickly we forget all the little moments in life. So yes, I write a lot about Vienna. And I'm writing about her again. :)

It's been super fun lately to see how Vienna's imagination is blossoming. I don't doubt her imagination was in the works long ago, but as of recently it's been so evident to see her little mind creating a story in her head as she goes about her playing. I started noticing her imagination when she would roam around the house loading up her "purse" (paper bag, bucket, whatever she can find with handles) with random objects and then, after making it a point to wave goodbye to me, dump her belongings in a pile and begin playing with them.

But lately it's gone to a whole new level and it's fun to watch. Probably my favorite thing to witness her imagination at work is when she plays with her dolls or stuffed animals. The other day I found her sitting on the couch, her doll propped next to her, and she was pretending to feed it food with a gigantic play spoon and giving it drinks from her sippy cup.

It's also incredibly cute to watch her surrounded herself with her stuffed animals, lay in her bed and pull the covers up around her and look at the room. I wish I knew what she was thinking. She was pretty fascinated doing this in my bed today, and brought all of her animals and made me lay down next to her--the best part is that she's extremely chatty when she does this and I only wish I knew what she was saying because she's so serious....I sort of feel like we're having a deep conversation, only, I have no idea what we're talking about.

When I think of Vienna the thing that sticks out most to me is simply that she just really enjoys life. When she's happy, she's really happy. And she's happy a lot. She really is happy doing whatever she is doing in the moment. Don't get me wrong, she has her moments, and tantrums, but most of the time she is simply content to be where she is, doing what she's doing. She is getting so big, sometimes I can hardly believe that my little girl is saying words, getting so tall, running, eating and drinking like a little kid, making us laugh on purpose, using the potty, pretending to do things that her minds thinks up ...she's even begun to attempt putting clothes on by herself--like today when I found her trying to put a pair of underwear on over her pants.

And the best part, I know all of this is just the beginning. :)

Mango Chicken Salad with Chipotle Mayo

I should be sleeping. But I'm not.

Instead, I'm sharing another recipe. (Go me!) I've been wanting to share this for awhile, it's one of our favorites. It is simply so so good, you must try it.

Promise me you'll try it.

I discovered it on Sarah Fragoso website (the author of "Everday Paleo") and since then Andy and I have been eating it probably once a week for lunch! (Though it works just as well for dinner too!)

Mango Chicken Salad with Chipotle Mayo

4-5 bacon strips, diced

½ cup red bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, seeds removed and finely diced

3 cups already cooked chicken, diced (I used leftover grilled chicken breasts)

1 cup mango, diced

1/2 cup homemade paleo mayo - mix in chipotle powder to taste (this stuff is spicy so start with a small amount and work your way up from there)

Sliced almonds as a garnish

Shredded romaine lettuce leaves

1) In a medium sized skillet cook the bacon until almost crisp.

2) Add the diced red pepper and diced jalapeno and cook until the peppers are soft and the bacon is completely crisped.

3) Add the chicken and cook until warmed through (if you are using raw chicken, cook until the chicken is not longer pink in the middle)

4) Add the diced mango and cook until warmed through, about another 2 minutes.

5) Serve each plate with a pile of romaine, a scoop of the chicken mixture, and a drizzle of the chipotle mayo. Top with sliced almonds if desired.

A variation to the recipe could be not to cook the red pepper and mango and just add it to the salad raw. But I must stress that the mayo is a must. Don't be afraid to try it (click on the link for the recipe!) I promise it is so easy, and it makes the salad complete. (I cut the mayo recipe in half and had quite a bit leftover...but good news is that it stays good in the fridge for quite awhile!)

You should try it.

Really. You should.

Oh, and one last thing. Thanks for all the input about my last and now-history blog look! I appreciate all the comments and hope that this one is much more pleasing to the eye! Let me know if it's not. :)

Critique This

I need help. As you can tell I've updated the look of my blog. I want your input! As my readers, I want it to look appealing to you, not an eyesore. So could you be kind enough to give me a critique? Have you ever tried so many different things that when you finally settle on something you totally question it...that's what I'm doing. I looked at so many backgrounds and pictures and had several different ideas that they all sort of got jumbled into this. I like it, I'm just not totally sure I love it. And I don't know if it's just because everything else that I'd been toying with is still fresh in my mind or if something is simply off. So I need your input. What needs improvement? Colors...header...background...

Thoughts?

Little Miss Peacock

The little miss is a peacock for halloween this year. When I was trying to decide her costume, (as I realized that this would probably be the last time I'd get to decide it for her), I tried to think of something that she liked. The first thing that came to mind was a bird. Not only does Vienna love birds (Rio) but ever since she could make noise she has reminded me of a little birdie. If you've ever been around her you would know what I mean. She likes to squeal, at all different pitches, and though birds don't really squeal, she sure sounds a lot like one when she does.

So I bought some tulle and made her into a little peacock princess.

She thought it was pretty cool to put the tutu on. :) And from the look on her face it was like she was immediately transported into a different world of fairies and princesses...and peacocks...

And apparently even princesses like to play with tools...

A Cute Subject

I got a new camera. Pretty excited about that. Like, really excited. You have no idea. I'm tempted to go on to explain why I'm so excited, how long I'd been wanting a nice camera, blah blah blah...but really, it's just an excuse to share a few cute pictures I took of Vienna.

We went on a little walk down a trail near our house so I could play with my new toy and hopefully get a few good fall pictures of V. Unfortunately about 4 days before I got my camera we had 45mph winds that blew all the colorful leaves off the trees, so I had to settle for bare trees and crusty leaves...but the subject sure was cute :)

Finally...a Recipe

Okay. So several people have asked for recipes or ideas ever since I mentioned the change in our diet, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to share anything! I've cooked several meals that I've thought about sharing on my blog, but I seem to never get around to it! I should get on that.

This recipe isn't something new since starting the change in our diet, but we had them today as part of our lunch and I thought, I must share these! They're just too good not to. They have become a popular snack in our house or side to a meal.

I can take absolutely NO CREDIT for these because I am not a talented enough cook to think of something so simple yet so delish. I first heard of them from a friend, Anna, who has been an inspiration to me in several ways, including, but not limited to, the way that we eat. So thanks, Anna!

Kale Chips

1 bunch of Organic Kale

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Raw Salt

Tear Kale into 1-inch pieces, toss with olive oil and salt and roast in oven at 350-400 for aprox. 10 minutes.

Simple. Easy. And super tasty. Vienna saw these in the oven today and started going nuts when she realized what they were. She gobbled them up so fast and made a huge mess, but...I'm fine with messy eating when it's vegetables!

And I'll try to be better about sharing more recipes!

Fall. Family. And a poem.

I love fall. Really. Truly. Love it. There's something about stepping outside into the perfect temperature. Seeing all the beautiful colors. The smell in the air. The feeling of a hot drink in your hands. The comfy boots. The crisp leaves. Everything.

I'm not sure if I just love it because it's simply so wonderful. Or if I love it because its simply so short (in Minnesota anyway). The reality of winter is tapping at the door and fall is like one last chance to get out and soak up nature before the cold and snow settles in for far, far, far too long.

Either way. I'll take it.

This weekend we headed north to spend some family time together and enjoy the scenery. We hiked along Lake Superior's shore, enjoyed the rapidly changing fall colors, took Vienna to the waterfalls, threw rocks in the water, and watched her squeal in excitement at the big waves crashing against the rocks.

It was fun. Just us three. A perfect, relaxing day together.

And, I got to borrow a nice camera so I got some great pictures too. :)

As I was driving home this evening the car was quiet and I had the chance to let my mind unwind. I love moments like that. Somehow or another (and I really have no idea how...) it created this little poem. It's kind of silly--I know, it has been years since I've written poetry and I think I may have lost my touch. But, it was spontaneous and fun, and I feel like sharing :)

"Give me the land.

And color me the shades of fall.

I'll capture and hang them on my wall.

For when all the windows are closed

From the cold and its woes,

I'll be able to remember how it feels

To walk in autumn's fields."

-K.M. Ward

Learning

When Vienna was only a few weeks old, a salesman stopped at our door in attempt to sell us some educational books for children. With a fresh brand new baby in our arms, it wasn't hard to convince us. Now we just laugh about it because it was totally an unnecessary, impulsive buy, but...oh well.

But despite our spur of the moment splurge, it seems to be paying off. Vienna is especially benefiting from one of the books specifically...awhile ago she suddenly became interested in this specific book- because of the animal pictures. At first she only wanted to look at the animal page and then would be done. However, now she'll read the whole thing as we describe all the pictures, and sometimes she just likes flip through it by herself. I thought these pictures were just too cute not to share. :)

She gets really excited about animals. She's learning to say their names but already knowns several sounds that they make. My favorite is her duck "quack" and her horse "neigh." I ask her all the time what certain animals sound like just because it's so cute to hear her version of them. :)

20 months old and soaking things up like a sponge. I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again, it really is awesome to watch her learn and experience life.

Foooood

Call me crazy. You may, I get it. But Andy and I have recently made a major change in our life, something we've been considering for awhile...we've cut out gluten and processed foods from our diet!

I can hear the silence...the long pause....

I get it...

Because you're probably asking...what the heck for?

Well. Over the course of our marriage we have tried to to be health concious about what we eat, and we've had spurts of improvement and spurts of downfalls. But in the last year and a half we have really taken it several steps further and the more I explore, the more I realize I can continually improve the fuel I put into my body. I've realized that it's not normal to feel sluggish, bloated, heavy and moody all the time. I lived with feeling that way for so long that it took me awhile to get a taste of how I'm really suppose to feel, and I want more! I've been wanting to do this for awhile, but have been too scared of the question you're probably asking me right now..."What will I eat?" Andy hadn't really been fully on board until recently and so when we both finally decided it was a good idea, we dove in head first.

This last summer I'd come to the realization that I had a gluten-intolerance. Not an allergy, let me make that clear. Just an intolerance. I was noticing how downright yucky I was feeling when I ate it, which was frequently because it's in most foods. So I started to explore the subject and realized how bad it is for my body. And after realizing that, I began to realize that I didn't want to just substitute everything I was eating for a different form of it...because half of those forms still weren't any better to eat...I wanted to change what I was eating all together.

So we took it a step further. And we decided not to start of slow because we'd be more tempted to give up, plus we sort of just operate well in that cold-turkey method anyway. So one night we purged our house. Gave away all of our processed food...threw things in the trash...my cupboards were bare. But it was refreshing and I was excited. And the next day we dove into a new world of food. We've been planning our meals and following a basic principle of eating good fats, carbs and protein involving whole, fresh food. Meat, vegetables and fruit, and nuts, good oils, etc. that are full of good fat. And I never would've thought that eating this way was so tasty, but it is! Vienna is loving it too, she's chowing down the food I give her without complaint.

I'm still currently and will continually educate myself on nutrition; I'm loving the information I am getting, I'm finding it very interesting the way food really affects our bodies and what our bodies should get to function healthily. The more and more I have explored healthy eating the more I come to the realization of how important it is to eat good. Food fuels us, just like sleep...we need it to survive. Food affects our mood and behavior. It affect our functionality, the way we feel, it even affects the way we think.

We are only on day 15 of our new way of eating, but I am shocked at how much I am really enjoying it. I'm not only feeling good about the things I am feeding my family, but I am loving the way that I feel. Within the first week I noticed how I wasn't feeling bloated after I ate. I have noticed how light I feel, and good. Not sluggish and heavy and irritable. I feel satisfied after eating, I have little cravings, and I have more energy and feel like my emotions are more leveled. I'm enjoying the food, trying new things to eat in ways I've never thought of before. It's kinda fun. :)

Now. I'm not going on to say that I will never eat gluten or processed food again...because, that's just not true. I do hope to make better choices when I go out to eat with friends, but in situations like that I will likely cheat. And also when we visit people. I've talked to a couple of people recently about our change and that it probably my biggest cause for writing this blog, because I really don't want people to feel like they have to worry about what they feed us when they invite us over for supper, or when we spend the weekend somewhere. Nope. I will cheat in those cases too. :) We just wanted to change the way we eat 95% of the time, at home. Our everyday routine. And probably by doing this I will make better choices when I do go out, and learn to bring more food to share!

I do have a starting off goal though that I am trying to keep. And that is to not to have any gluten for 30 days, to give my body time to adjust--just because of the sensitivity I was having to it before. I am curious to know how I will feel after eating it again.

I hope to explore more about eating and nutrition and continue to learn more and try new things and improve the things I fuel my body with. If anybody has any awesome tips or recipes to share, please do!

And please, don't let this alarm you from coming over to my house... :) I promise I'll give you tasty things to eat. :)

Exceptionally Cute

Have you ever had those moments where you are struct with the cuteness of your own child and think they are absolutely the most adorable thing on the face of this earth? Of course you have--if you're a parent.

I've had several of those moments today. Which I find kind of strange because the day started off terrible and only got worse. Vienna woke up earlier than normal, fussed all morning, spilt her orange juice all over the kitchen (and when I mean all over, I mean...on the floor, all over her chair, onto the wall, on the kitchen curtain and somehow managed to even get it on the window.) Peed her pants, fussed some more, and then some more. Nap time couldn't come soon enough today and mommy took advantage of a nap herself. But after nap things didn't improve much and I knew I was getting frustrated, which in turn, only made her more fussy. She told me she had to pee so I put her on the potty, took a deep breath and sat down on the floor facing her, waiting. She just began chatting away as I watched her little face tell me some unknown story about daddy, pat-a-cake, shoes and several other things that I didn't understand. I wish I knew what she was saying. But her face just lit up and she kept watching me for a reaction. I poured my attention into her and watched as she kept jabbering away. I couldn't get over how exceptionally cute she was.

We moved to her room and spent the better part of an hour playing together. I let go of everything I wanted to get done and gave her 100% of my attention. We chased, tickled, played with toys, read books and just had fun. She was so giddy, running around, giggling, smiling with a look of complete happiness on her face...and I thought, "Wow, she is so incredibly and exceptionally cute." Her behavior, her face, her little tip-toe running and her messy hair. So adorable. I love her. She is so much love and joy wrapped in this tiny little body and she just needed some mommy and daughter time to nourish her soul. And it soothed mine too. I think sometimes I just forget what is really important.

18-Month Update

It seems like just yesterday I was holding my fresh, new, squirmy little newborn for the first time...then I blinked and she grew out of her newborn/0-3 month clothes--I remember the packing away of those little outfits to be a bit of an emotional task for me and I wondered how on earth did she possibly grow so fast? Then I blinked again and the next thing I know is she's already 18 months old. 18 months seemed so old a year ago, it used to seem so far away...yet here we are. My baby is not a baby, she's a toddler and I'm still wondering where the time went.

18 months seems like a pretty monumental mark, just like 6 months was when she started sitting up...and when she turned 12 months-old old and got her first taste of birthday cake. So I wanted to jot down all her current stats, likes and personality traits now that she is one-and-a-half. Geeze--saying it that way makes her seem so much older...I think I'll stick with "18 months."

V's 18 months stats:

-Teeth: she has a whopping total of 15...currently working on #16, her last "eye" tooth.

-Vocabulary: I lost count of how many words she knows--she's really starting to randomly repeat words that we say. Her most common words that she uses daily (besides "Mommy" & "Daddy"): "Pa" (potty), "Ball," "'ick" (quick), "tickle," "E" (eat), "Si" (outside), "No," and "thank you." She also tries to count to 3, but it sounds more like "two...two...tee..."

-Signs: I didn't/haven't taught her as many signs as I would've liked...but the ones we've taught her she uses as much (if not more) than her words. My favorite sign that she does is "help." She also uses "please," "potty," "eat," "more," and "all done."

-Percentile stats: I don't know yet...I haven't gotten her in for her check-up yet...

At 18 months Vienna is running, not walking, around everywhere. Climbing everything. Sleeping in toddler bed. Using the potty 95% of the time. Napping for usually 2 hrs in the afternoon. Goes to bed at seven...wakes up between six-seven. Really likes food (eats most of her vegetables). Loves music...and loves to dance. Is still attached to her blankie and is starting to really like a certain little stuffed bunny. She could play on the beach for hours but hates deep water. She particularly likes dirt, pine cones and flowers. She loves running to the window to watch daddy leave for work. She loves trying on shoes...regardless of whose they are. She loves helping with laundry and gets upset if I don't let her throw the clothes in the dryer and press the buttons. She runs to the bathroom if she knows mommy is putting on make-up because she likes to pretend she's putting some on too (oh boy). When she does walk she does so on her tiptoes. She loves to help mama vacuum and unload the dishwasher. She loves animals and likes to copy dogs barking and kitties meowing. She likes to give kisses and lots of hugs. And she loves to snuggle and watch Tangled.

Over the past 18months I have loved getting to know Vienna and the little person that she is, it has been amazing to see her personality blossom. If I've discovered one thing about her, it is that she is very independent. She likes things her way, in her time, and she likes to do things herself. (I wonder where she gets that from?) ;) I'm not quite sure if I would classify it as strong-willed (yet) but definitely independent. She is very transparent (she gets that from daddy) :) and absolutely loves people. She loves to laugh and make people laugh. She is smart and learns fast. She is cautious when it comes to "dangerous" things, but when she figures out how to do something herself then there's no stopping how adventurous she's going to be with it. I can already tell that she doesn't like when someone is upset with her (she gets that from mommy too) if I scold her or give her a time out, you can tell how much it hurts her feelings and it breaks my heart. Good side to that though is that she usually learns her lesson the first time. She's definitely girlie and feminine...right down to the way she walks and her little run. She loves dresses, dolls and dancing and one her favorite things to do is carry around a bag/purse in the crook of her arm and put things in it.

She is such a delightful 18-month-old :)

Big-Girl Bed

As of last week we've officially moved Vienna to a big girl bed. Taking apart her crib today made it final, and made me realize, yet again, how big she's getting.

I didn't particularly want to upgrade her bed so soon, but she was days away from climbing out of her crib so I started keeping my open on craigslist for a bed, because I just really didn't want to spend the money on a brand new one. When I found one that was too cute to pass up, and too good of a deal, I jumped on it and once it was in our house it was hard not to put it together and give it a try. I guess I don't have any patience.

I have to pause for a minute to say how much I like craigslist. I like the fact that I can buy things, like a toddler bed, for less than half of what it costs brand new. People get rid of stuff they don't want and I save money. :) Win. Win.

Anyways. Vienna helped me put the bed together, I was actually surprised at how into it she was, she never left the bed until it was finished...pretending to put screws in and helping me hold things together. She had fun and a part of me thinks she knew that the bed was for her right from the start.

She felt pretty special climbing into her new bed.

I was so nervous about putting her in a big girl bed. Not only for the possibility that she could roll out, but I was afraid she wouldn't stay in it--that she would just go nuts with her new freedom.

To my surprise the first night was uneventful. The first morning however, the minute she got up she was out of bed and by the door, pounding on it to be let out. Naptime was a little bit more of a challenge, but she only got out once. She wasn't too happy about staying in the bed but she learned her lesson after one try and eventually fell asleep. She's stayed in her big girl bed since then. It's been six days and we've had zero issues. Besides that first morning she has stayed in her bed, period--while falling asleep and when she gets up. I'm shocked. I've watched her through the crack in the door and when she gets up in the morning or from naptime she sits up in bed, plays with her stuffed animals and scoots around talking to herself/telling me she's ready to get up...and waits for me to come into the room before trying to get out of bed. Most of the time she just stands up and waits for me to pick her up. I'm honestly very surprised she responded so well and it wasn't more of a battle to get her to stay in bed. Maybe she was just so used to staying in her crib that it wasn't such a hard transition...so in that sense I'm glad I didn't wait until she figured out how to climb out of her crib!

She's such a good girl. :)

Bathtub & Rainy Days

What do you do with your kids on rainy days?

Well. Let me tell you what we did. Vienna asked to play in the bathtub this morning...so I let her, for a really long time. Just to play, that's it.

I tried to tell her she took a bath last night and that we didn't need to take another one this morning, but she kept asking so nicely. First she took all of her toys out of the bathtub and brought them to me...signing "please." Then she took my hand and brought me to the bathtub...signing "please." She tried to take off her clothes, got a little mad that she couldn't, but kept signing "please." Then tried to climb in by herself.

She was pretty irresistible so I filled up the ol' tub with bubbles and let her play. No timeline, no washing routine...just playtime, until she was ready to get out. She LOVED it and had a blast and spent nearly two hours in there.

She's like a fish.

Heck...it's raining outside, what else are we going to do?

Coloring

Have I mentioned how much I love this age? I do. In all the years I've been around children, this age (age 1) until they're about three is my absolute favorite. I love how they discover to do so many new things, hearing their little voice talk....and let's just face it, they're just so stinkin' cute.

As always, I notice Vienna changing nearly weekly. Sometimes in big things, sometimes in small things. Two weeks ago we tackled a big change in potty training (just a quick update: she's doing awesome--we've managed to go through a couple days with 0 accidents, some days are better than others but we're learning and she's doing so good!) This week, it's a small little discovery called coloring. Vienna noticed the box of crayons and coloring pages I'd left out for my nephews over the weekend and she was pretty insistent about playing with them. I was wary just because I knew she only just liked to stick the crayons in her mouth...kids menu's + crayons in restaurants have proven that, and then she'd toss them on the floor and be done. But I set her down on the chair anyway and suddenly she decided she liked to color. Not just one little scribble and we're done, nope--actually interested enough to spend a significant amount of time picking crayons out of the box and scratching them on the paper. We've colored everyday since then, and I admit, it's a nice little distraction.

Yet another discovery in this great big world.

Diapers? No thanks!!!

(DISCLOSURE: the words "pee" and "poo" are used several times in the post below. So if that bothers you...then don't read it.)

______________________________

Do I dare say it? I'm afraid to for fear of jinxing it...but I do believe our 16-month-old little girl is potty trained!!!

Yes, I said it...potty trained! Can you believe it? I hardly can.

A week ago she was in diapers...now she is diaper free (minus sleeping hours.) I am so proud of her!

I've been wanting to test the waters with the whole potty thing--just to see what would happen. I didn't particularly think Vienna was "ready" to potty train--but I wanted to try it just because she's so receptive right now and she's smart enough to do it. Even though she isn't saying sentences yet, she can say a few words and can communicate (quite insistently) what she wants with signs and actions, and she definitely understands what we tell her to do. For the last couple months I've noticed that she's been dryer throughout the day when I change her diaper and has even woken up from naps without wetting her diaper at all. That was probably the only "sign" she showed to potty train. I know she's young and I know some parents would frown on me for even trying so young and without her being "ready," but oh well. I know my kid and I just felt like it was time to try.

So I did and didn't really expect much to come of it. I bought some training underwear and put her in those for a couple days. She was interested in sitting on the potty when I told her to, but it was completely hit or miss if anything actually made it in it. After a couple of days of setting timers and changing countless pairs of pants I knew this method wasn't going to work for her--I was wasting my time. But I wasn't quite ready to drop it yet so I did some reading online and came across the 3 Day Potty Training Method. It made a lot of sense to me and I liked the whole cold turkey approach, but I was leery of its actual success, especially with a child so young.

But I figured, heck, why not? Just try it, it won't hurt anything--and if it doesn't work we'll just go back to diapers and try the whole potty thing again in a couple months. So I did, and I'm totally sold on it.

You can always google it for more details and info...but here's the rundown of the method:

You let your kids run around naked for 3 days!

Well, bottomless, at least.

Okay. So there's more to it than that, but not much. :)

-Day 1: Get up with your child the minute she wakes and let her go bare-bottomed the entire day. Feed her lots of salty snacks and water and watch her for signs that she is going pee/poop. When she starts to go whisk her to the nearest potty, don't scold her for peeing on the floor (if anything use a disappointed voice and say "Pee goes in the potty.") If she gets a hit in the potty, even if it's just a drop, celebrate with a potty dance. Put a diaper on at nap time but go to them the minute they wake up and take their diaper off.

-Day 2: Repeat day 1. Except, go out (for a walk, to the park, etc.) for 1 hr in the afternoon directly after she gets a hit in the potty. This helps them learn to pee on command. Put only a pair of loose fitting pants on her--no undies, no diapers--and bring a portable potty.

Day 3: Repeat day 1, but go out for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon--directly after she pees in the potty.

After the 10-12th hit in the potty the child starts to catch on and supposedly by the end of day 3 something just clicks and they get it. The whole bare-bottomed method is a good way to draw attention to what they're actually doing. Having them wear a pair of pullups, trainers or panties still makes them feel like they're wearing a diaper and will keep them thinking they can just pee in it.

Method sounds easy enough, right?

Ha. Ha.

It was hard. And exhausting. But when is potty training ever easy?

The whole no-pants thing made sense to me, even though it made me cringe. And I liked the cold-turkey approach of taking diapers away. I also liked that this method encourages the child to feel control over their own body, which, after all, is what we're trying to teach them. I also read that it was better to potty train a child younger rather than older as they're more sensitive to the control of holding their pee, as opposed to when they're older that sensitivity is kind of already trained to just go whenever. So...after doing some reading, and skipping the "preparation month prior to the 3-day-training-weekend" I jumped in headfirst the next day.

I closed all the doors to the rooms with carpet (to make cleanup a little easier on myself) and put a potty chair in the living room where we'd spend most of our time. I didn't want to buy multiple potty's because that's just really expensive, so I kind of scooted the one around if we switched rooms.

And then, I watched for Vienna to pee or poop.

Sounds like fun, huh? So. Much. Fun. Waiting for a kid to pee all day long is like a full time job that consists of watching paint dry. Okay--it's a little more fun than that :) after all, we got some good quality playing time in together. But it was a bit more tiring than I anticipated, but it was the first day and I was optimistic. I whisked Vienna to the potty whenever she started to go, which was a lot, and had a stack of towels and disinfectant cleaner that dwindled very rapidly. I didn't expect much, and much didn't happen. Vienna would hardly sit long enough on the potty for me to do a potty dance when she got a drop or two in...but she did like it. The only "real" potty that ever made it in was when she pooped...it's easy to tell just before she goes so I never really had to clean up that stinky mess.

The second day I woke up fairly optimistic again, and got excited when Vienna peed on the floor that morning (I had my back turned on her) and found her trying to sit on the potty...even though the pee puddle was a few feet away. But unfortunately that didn't turn into much. Day 2 was a repeat of day 1--except that I noticed Vienna had favorite spots to pee in. And I came to believe that she knew she was going to pee just before she did...she'd give me a certain look just before she'd pee.

But by the end of day 2 I was ready to give up, I was tired from basically 13 hours of wiping pee up off the floor and off my child. I thought there was no way this was going to work, she was too young...but I didn't want to give up before the 3 days were over so I talked with Andy that night about it and I read some more articles on potty training to give me a little boost to make it through the next day.

Day 3 we woke up and I immediately thought the day was hopeless...(probably because she woke up stinkin' early and I was so burnt out...) But then she took a morning nap that day and woke up with a completely dry diaper. Maybe it was the dry diaper, or maybe it was the fact that I got a nap in too, but I decided I needed to give my all into the last day--even if it turned into nothing. The rest of the day she never initiated to sit on the potty, but I did notice something interesting...she seemed to be holding her pee a bit. For instance, when she'd start to pee and I'd whisk her off to the potty...she'd hold it and then finish peeing in the potty. Day 3 was the first day that I had a substantial amount of pee in the actual potty seat over and over. And when she took a nap that afternoon, she woke up dry again.

My feelings were mixed. I wanted to be done that night, but I really felt like it deserved one more day. Why go through all this effort just to give up? I kept thinking back to when I took her pacifier away--I had kept telling myself that if I gave up now I'd have to start all the way back at the beginning. I felt like she showed potty progress everyday, even if it was minimal, and I wanted to see if anything more came of it while we had the advantage.

Day 4 (I thought this was suppose to be a 3-day potty training?) we hit a milestone. That morning while I was in the kitchen for a minute, Vienna was in the living room and I noticed that it turned suddenly quiet. I peeked around the corner to see what she was doing and found her getting up from the potty seat--trying to pick up the potty bowel herself. She had put herself on the potty and pooped all by herself!!! I was so proud. And so was she, she carried the little bowl to the big potty and dumped it. I wasn't sure if it was a fluke or if she was actually getting it...but it gave me hope and it also gave me an idea that I never really thought of before (not sure why!) The rest of the morning, whenever she would pee (which was half on the floor/half in potty) I would let her carry the bowl to the big toilet and dump it. She thought that was pretty cool and of course she got to play in the sink afterwards to wash her hands. Our 1 hour outing was a venture to a garage sale that morning and I happened to pick up a potty seat for the toilet for $1. I wanted her to try going on the big potty, just to see her response, and so when she woke up from her nap that afternoon (dry again) I put her on the big toilet repeatedly until she finally peed in it. I think she felt pretty special, especially when I let her "wipe" herself (she throws a piece of toilet paper in the toilet between her legs-lol.) That afternoon I kept watching for her to pee and she just wasn't peeing. I kept putting her on the big potty and she wouldn't go. I never made her stay up there, I didn't want her to become scared of it or become something she didn't like to do, but because I kept putting her on it she ended up going twice. That's when I made the correlation that she was holding her pee for a lot longer than the previous days. She was going at least an hour (usually more) without going at all.

That night, after cleaning up a few messes on the floor, I re-evaluated what happened over the last four days and realized that if I stuck her in diapers I was going to ruin her progress. In my opinion, she was far from being potty trained--but it was a possibility now.

Day 5. We woke up at 5:30 am. Bleh. That's WAY too early. Her nighttime diaper was wet, of course, but that morning it took her two hours to go to the bathroom. But when she did she needed to pooped and started running for the bathroom. She passed the potty chair in the living room on the way, did a double take and couldn't decide which one to go to (as poo was coming from her rear end...sorry to be graphic) so I picked her up and whisked her to big potty--a little poo managed to get on the floor. I kept watching her all morning, thinking she was going to pee--but another two hours went by before she peed again...and only when I stuck her on the potty. She didn't have a single accident all morning, she held her pee and when I put her on the potty she would actually try to go--even if she didn't have to. I wouldn't make her sit there, if she wanted down right away, I just put her down. The whole day went by with only 2 accidents (one after lunch when she got really excited about daddy being home, and the second after supper when we simply weren't paying attention to the clock.) She even managed to stay dry during nap and in her carseat on our outing.

I was so excited. And so impressed with my baby. Was this for real? Did I really just wake up on day 5 and have a potty trained little girl? I couldn't believe it.

I didn't want to claim she was potty trained...but now we're on day 7 and I have absolutely no intentions of putting a diaper back on her...I will say that she is potty trained. This morning she managed to pull me to the bathroom twice in which I put her on the potty and she peed. We are working on the sign language for pee and toilet, and I think it's just a matter of time before she pairs the sign with the feeling and will be able to communicate in a way other than pulling me into the bathroom. As long as I'm diligent in watching the clock and putting her on the potty, I think we're pretty much golden. :)

Today was our first trip away from home since pottying, and I was nervous. I expected to change pee soaked pants every couple hours and had no idea how Vienna would respond to peeing in a public place. She was afraid of the toilet at first, which I figured, and so she had an accident. And then she had another accident in a fitting room...which was my fault because I knew it was about time for her to pee and I didn't make it a point to find a bathroom. We finally had success at a restaurant where she seemed to warm up to a strange toilet and peed, the went again after supper. Hopefully that cured her of peeing on a different toilet than the one at home. She stayed dry on the 1-hr car ride there and back and when we got home she even pooped, which she managed to hold all afternoon!

I'm positive in the days, weeks, and months to come there will be accidents, and they might be more abundant on outings, but I'm just really excited that she seems to have got it!!!

I would totally recommend the 3 Day Method (4 days for me) to anyone. It's a long three days and expect to be exhausted, but if it works the 3 days are a better sacrifice than weeks and months of potty training. If you have more than one child you pretty much need your husband/partner to help. The child has to be watched pretty much constantly, and if you have other children (especially babies that need to feed) you don't want to miss a few pees or poops that don't make it in the potty chair. It's a good idea to have someone there anyway, even if you do just have one child, just because it gets to be exhausting and it can become frustrating. It's really hard not to get frustrated, but it's key not to take your frustration out on the kid. They shouldn't be reprimanded for peeing on the floor because they don't know any better and they're trying to learn whats happening with their body. It's an emotional experience for them (as it is for you)...and they're learning how to control their body.

I would actually say that Vienna and I had a special little bonding experience during these last few days, she's such a delight and I couldn't be more thankful and more in love with her than I am now.

Good Eatin'

A common subject I've been encounter lately with people is "weight loss." I suppose it is generally a common subject and always has been, especially amongst woman--I find that most woman typically want to weigh less than they actually do. Lately, I've been running into the subject a lot more than normal...friends, family, even with strangers at the grocery store. There are people everywhere working on losing a few extra unwanted pounds.

So I wanted to share my journey over the last year, because I am one of them I was one of them.

I weighed the most I ever had just before getting pregnant. I was not overweight, but I was about 10lbs heavier than my "normal" weigh-in, and of course any extra body fat is never welcomed. And I could be wrong, but I don't think any woman will say she enjoys seeing the scale go up every month at her doctors visit...even if she is falling madly in love with the baby inside her belly. Seeing numbers on the scale that you've never seen before, regardless of the circumstance, can be depressing.

Obviously pregnancy is not the time to work on losing weigh, so after birthing a tiny little 6lb 10oz. baby (then why did I gain nearly 7x that much?) I was ready to do something about it.

I came to a realization that I didn't want to just lose extra pounds. It wasn't just an issue about the number figure of weight I wanted to lose. I wanted to lead a healthier lifestyle, to actually change the way I was living in the whole world of food and exercise. I didn't just want to work my butt off to lose weight and then go right back into my old habits... I wanted to be healthy, inside and out. I wanted to have energy. I wanted to feel good about myself.

I feel like generally I've always been a fairly healthy eater. I've always been conscious about what I consume, my vegetable intake, my fruit intake, I've always reached for the whole grains and etc. etc. But I've also always really liked my sweets. I still do, I admit it. I like chocolate. A lot.

I started realizing that eating healthy is more than just eating healthy foods. It's eating a balance of different kinds of healthy foods and watching your portions. If I feed my body mostly grainy food all day, mixed with a little protein here or there and possibly throw in a couple of fruits...all healthy, all good choices individually...I'm hungry all day and my sugar craving is constant. Or if I eat nothing but veggies all day long...I am hungry and unsatisfied. But if I eat a balance of protein, grains, good fats, vegetables and fruit from the start of the day onward I am more satisfied and have less (if any) sugar cravings, I have more energy, am more happy and have an easier time making healthy choices all day long.

Throwing in exercise on top of that only helps. Tremendously. Exercising makes you feel happier, it makes you feel more confident and it gives you a drive to make healthy decisions. I truly believe weight loss is a result of healthy diet and exercise, they go hand-in-hand. Sure, you can lose a little weight just by walking a couple miles everyday--and you can lose some just by eating healthy for awhile, but you really see the results when you combine the two together.

And the best part: it becomes habit. It becomes normal. And you feel great.

I don't want to step on any toes, but I'm not a big believer in diets. Only because diets generally don't give your body what it actually needs, are used only for a specific amount of time to achieve a result and then when they're done you're left hanging and you go back into your old routine. I believe in just changing your eating habits--healthy foods and portion control is all you need, mixed with exercise. And WATER. Water is vital.

Not only does eating healthy make you lose weight, but you feel better. You feel so much better. If I go a day without eating a single vegetable, I feel it. If I snack all day on sugary foods my body freaks out and I feel tired, crabby and lazy all day.

I'm not saying that I have a perfect healthy lifestyle, because I don't. Far from it. I can always improve. Improve in my exercise routine and improve in my decisions. I admit there are weeks I lack in the eating department, and I have an incredible love for chocolate. I can practice more self-control when I go out and there is dessert involved, and after supper is the worst time when I get a sugar craving and I'm tempted to indulge when I'm not really hungry.

Sidenote: I'm not saying that it's bad to partake in a little of that sugary goodness every now and then, because it's not. And I don't feel guilty about it about when I do. I'm not going to pass up a nice little chat with friends over a cup of coffee and cookies, or dessert and wine at a friends house. And lets just face it...goodies can sometimes make an occasion just that much sweeter. :)

It's all in moderation.

But back to point:

It has been a little over a year since I started being more conscious of my eating habits and since I started actively exercising. I lost a total of 55 pounds since Vienna was born, I am fifteen pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight and I've officially reached the goal that I set out to reach...which was to make those healthy decisions a lifestyle.

One of my first changes was that I stopped keeping sweets in my house. If they're not there, they don't tempt me. I have a bag of dove chocolates in my cupboard for every now and then when I need a chocolate fix, and that's about it. When I have company over I'll buy things and of course make dessert every now and then, but on a normal day we don't have junk food in our house. Unless you want to classify popcorn and graham crackers as junk food, which you could I guess...they're probably the most unhealthy thing in my cupboard. We typically snack on fresh vegetables, fruit, whole-grain or rye crackers, nuts, cheese, almond butter, peanut butter, granola and yogurt. I eat a green smoothie nearly everyday in place of a meal (usually breakfast), and make sure I get a sufficient amount of protein at every meal. Lunches often times consist of leftovers, salads, or sometimes just some veggies and a plain old peanut butter sandwich because I just really, really, like pb&j. For suppers I always serve of form of protein, vegetable(s) and some sort of grain--I'm not talented in the creative cooking department so I like to follow recipes and try new things. I try to stay away from boxed, canned or frozen foods and I always try to buy fresh produce, whole foods, and natural or organic when possible and according to our budget.

I like food. A lot. I eat probably 5-6 times a day--three meals and at least two snacks. I eat when I'm hungry and try not to overindulge. I get crabby when I don't eat--just ask my husband. My body does not function well on no or little food so I really try to make it a point to give it what it needs. And I drink water all day long. All the time. I rarely, if ever, have anything but water to drink (and a cup of coffee several times a week).

It has become habit for me, which is what I wanted. I really enjoy eating healthy, I enjoy feeding my family healthy food. I want to feel good after I eat, not sick. I want the food I put into my body to help it, not destroy it.

Food is a necessity. And it's such an enjoyable thing, after all, we were blessed with taste buds. And the more healthy you eat the more you enjoy those foods and the less you want the other junk. Many might reply with something like: "But eating healthy doesn't taste good." But I'm here to tell you that it really does. Honestly. It tastes good.

And it feels good.

And it gives good results all around.

Outside

The new thing in our household is playing outside, now that the weather has finally warmed up. The first thing Vienna asks for when she gets up in the morning is to eat. After she eats the next thing she asks insistently for is to go outside.

Sorry babe, it's still a little too chilly to go out to play at eight o'clock in the morning.

So for a couple of hours she constantly brings me her shoes, points to the door, and says "'side" over and over until we eventually head out the door when it's had a chance to warm up a bit.

Her favorite thing to do is to find an object and carry it around with her, everywher. It's something different everyday- a rock, a pinecone, a stick, a different rock...and she likes to hold onto it the entire time we're outside. If she drops it, she makes it a point to pick it up, and when it's time to go inside I basically have to pry it from her little fingers.

She could be out there all day. There's so much to explore and to see, after all, she's never seen or explored it before.

Sometimes I wish I saw things through the eyes of children, just because I want to know the sense of wonderful everything is to them.

Decisions, decisions...

Sigh.

Well, there goes my half-marathon.

Okay, let me explain...after all, it is ultimately the decision I decided to make.

I was just shy of completing week 6 of 10 weeks of training...so I am super close to the "big day." I skipped week 5 long run due to illness, but jumped right back in to week 6 and was on track - then I had an eye appointment and everything changed.

I'm getting Lasik. Yippee!

How does that affect my half-marathon? Well, I'm getting it done this week! And I'm so unbelievably nervous. The doctor informed me that I couldn't run at all for a whole week after the surgery and then I could start running smaller distances after that. He told me that it was not a good idea to run 13.1 miles two weeks after having the surgery - which is what I thought he'd say. I could either decide to forgo the surgery, run my half, and then have the surgery later sometime in late May/early June. Or I could have the surgery now, recover, and run a different half sometime in May or early June.

I chose the latter, and though my explanations really aren't that interesting, here's why:

1. I really disliked the idea of wearing my glasses for the next 1+ month, everyday. Nonetheless, running in them. Silly, I know. But I'm a contact wearer- I hate my glasses, they give me headaches. And I'm suppose to keep contacts out of my eyes until surgery.

2. I had not signed up for the race yet, which was a huge deciding factor - if I'd already paid I would've for sure just run it. But seeing that I wasn't tied down to it, it was an easier decision to make.

3. Also, just last week I was wondering what I was going to do after my half-marathon was over...I want to keep training, but for what? I think I'm addicted to the training part...it keeps me going, the expectation and a schedule to follow keeps me accountable and I was actually kind of getting sad that it was coming to a close.

So, considering I've already run a half I wasn't as disappointed not running the one planned on April 30th. But regardless, I'm still bummed.

But again, I have no one to blame but myself, because I decided to do it this way.

So I think in the meantime, until I've had a sufficient amount of eye-healing-time to be able to push myself running, I'm going to work a little on speed by doing (hopefully) faster shorter runs, and focus more on some strength training - core and arms. That's my goal at least.

And that's my story.

Halfway Goal

I'm halfway through the training for the half-marathon at the end of April. Week 5 of 10 is complete, check.

I'm training 3 weeks longer than I did last year for my first Half, and yet this time around feels like it's going by much quicker - and feels much easier.

Last time I was so nervous about not being able to finish, I took my runs slowly and paced myself easily, I didn't care about time I just wanted to finish. It was a huge challenge for me, I'd never done anything remotely athletic and I was basically building up my body from the bottom - I had little muscle from years of being non-athletic, and having a baby turned whatever sort of muscle I had in my body to mush.

I feel much different this time. I was apprehensive about training again, just because it's such a huge time commitment- well, really its a huge commitment all around. But I jumped in and have been feeling really good. As always, some runs are better than others, and some just downright suck...but the feeling of running is addicting and though I may not look forward to every single run, I look forward to the way I feel after.

I feel different in the fact that my body is stronger, and as a result I'm not as tired after my runs, I feel better during the runs, and I'm able to go faster. I'm still not fast. I'm not sure if I'll ever been one of those 7-minute mile people, but I'm considerably faster than last time. For some reason I'm slower on the treadmill, I think it's the lack of oxygen and air circulation and boredom. But on all my runs outside I've been averaging 9:30-minute miles, which took me by surprise the first couple times. Again, not track-star time, but really good for me and I've been able to push myself harder this time around.

So my ultimate reason for this post is to make my goal for this half-marathon official. The last Half my goal was to finish without walking and I completed in a quicker time than I anticipated. This time around my goal is to complete it in under 2 hrs, without walking. That would be shaving 18mins off my previous time. Think I can do it? Let's hope!

Words

In the last 24-hours Vienna has learned three new words and has been repeating them constantly. Okay, so maybe this isn't an amazing feat, but I'm a proud parent and I think my kid is a genius.

I always thought some of Vienna's first words would be things like "Drink," "Cup" or "Ball" -something along those lines.

Nope. She likes to say words like "Tickle" which she learned several weeks ago and still says all the time. She likes to walk up behind you and pat her hands on your back and say "Tickle, tickle, tickle."

But one of her new words is "Kick it."She started saying it last night when she was playing with her big pink ball. I got a little clipping today of her saying it over and over.

She helped me upload this and kept wanting to watch it again and again, and the whole time she kept repeating "kick it" over and over throughout the whole video...like she was cheering herself on.

Yesterday she also learned how to say "Dance." She keeps pulling the toy on her old baby bouncer that plays music and stomps her feet up and down saying "Dance, dance, dance!" Which in actuality sounds more like "Dats, dats, dats!"

And this morning she started saying "Shake," which sounds more like "thate."

It's so adorable, I can't hear her say them enough.

Sweets update

I can't believe how much time has passed since my last blog post- I feel like it's only been a few days, but in actuality it's been over a month. Sorry about that for those of you that are avid blog readers of mine. If there are any of you. ;)

What's kept me? To be honest, I have no idea. I guess things like busy weekends, being sick, running and small projects at home...just to name a few. Nothing extremely exciting, unfortunately.

I had a few reasons for starting this blog, one of them being a way to document and express things about my kid(s) that I wanted to remember in years to come. And as always there are new things to update about my little sweet girl, she grows like a weed and changes constantly, I can hardly keep up.

1. She's gotten very good about communicating. She's really using the signs she knows, which are: "please," "more," "eat," and she just learned "thank you." She also knows "baby" but that's not a common thing she has the need to communicate. When she wants to eat she tells me so by signing, not screaming, which is awesome. When she wants something she really does a good job communicating it by hand motions and little noises, instead of screaming, which is awesome. Not to say she never screams, because she does, sometimes.

She has started doing this thing that when she wants to go somewhere that she's not allowed to go by herself - like down the stairs - she comes and finds you and takes your hand and brings you there herself. It's so cute that it's nearly impossible to stay no.

2. At fourteen-months she can say: "Mom," "Dad," "Hi," "Tickle," "Bye," "Yay," "Night," & "Hot." She has also started eating with utensils.

3. She has begun trying to climb everything. Onto toys, into baskets...everything. One thing about Vienna that we've noticed as she's growing is that she likes to be sure of herself before really trying to do something that is daring. Like walking; I think she could've walked sooner than she did, she was sturdy and would walk like a pro with the help of a hand, but she wasn't sure of herself to try to take a step on her own - until one day she decided she was ready and then just started walking and never really crawled again. Same with climbing, she's had the ability to do it for awhile but she didn't really start climbing until she was certain that she could do it confidently. And when she gets it, she has no fear. She loves to climb up and down off our bed and up and down the stairs.

4. She is constantly on the go. All the time. She never stops.

5. She has become quite the personality. I love to see her little personality coming to life more and more and it's fun to see the different things that interest her and how she works. She lovesmusic. Loves it. And loves to dance. Nearly every time she hears some sort of beat she starts dancing - which her dance moves seem to change from stomping her feet up and down rapidly to turning in circles or bounces her body up and down. She also loves the piano...we walk into my parents' house and the first thing she goes for is the piano - she loves to play with her uncle.

5. She has also started this new laughing thing where she just walks around and laughs, for no reason. Not like a baby giggle but a downright belly-adult-like-laugh. It's so funny.

6. One thing I've discovered is that she's very transparent. When she's happy, she's happy. When she's mad, she's mad. Etc. And there's not much of an in-between. And there's also not much that can be done to change it. I do have to say that she's a happy little girl most of the time though...and likes to be very expressive about things that entertain her.

7. Vienna, a.k.a. Bina, Beanie-baby, V, Goose, & Sweets.