I’m a little addicted to the wordle.net phenomenon!  Ii know I already posted one and I told myself I wouldn’t post another one for 3 months or so, but I really liked this one, so I had to do it!

DING DING DING!!!

Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet’s get ready to ruuuuuuuuuuuuumblllllllllllllllllllllleeee!!!

In this corner we have one soiled pull up donned toddler!

And in this corner we have a daddy experiencing pull ups for the very first time!

Place your bets now folks, this will be a good one!!!

(I missed this in real time but was briefed immediately upon arriving home last night! So I give you the conversation that took place!)

Hubbie: Pull ups suck!

Me: Why?

HUbbie: They cause a mess!

Me: ?

Hubbie: She had poop in her diaper!

Me: So?

Hubbie: It made a huge mess!

Me: Well how’d you take it off?

Hubbie: I pulled it down and the poop streaked down her leg as I pulled it!

Me: (Hysterical laughter ensues for minutes on end!)

Me: (Finally able to compose myself!) Hubs, you’re supposed to rip the sides of the pull up.

Hubbie: (mumbles incoherently under his breathe)

Me: Also, it’s called a “pull-up”, not a “pull-down”!!!

Hubbie: (continues to mumble incoherently under his breathe!)

Kim at Just My Type had this on her blog and I thought it was really cool, so I did one too (read: I pilfered it from her…hehe!!)!  If you’d like to create one of your own go to Wordle and it will pull random smattering of words from your blog into a fluffy word cloud!  Have fun…and don’t ask how I managed to get this image in my blog…it took some doing!!!

Dear Li’l Foot,

This month is monumental.  I can’t believe I’ve kept myself from blogging this, but perhaps it’s a biter sweet type topic.  This month you are weened.  It happened just on a total fluke I guess.  You had been only nursing in the morning and that was only because I was really just too lazy to go downstairs and get you a cup of ilk or something.  Plus, it was also in part that if I walked down the stairs, you would hear me and get really really mad that I forgot you.  I know that’s crazy sounding, but it makes my heart break if you think I’ve forgotten to get you in the morning just because I walk down the stairs.  A couple of mornings a couple weeks ago, you were doing your own thing those mornings and didn’t pay attention to nursing or not.  So I think in some way we both decided it was time.  You looked for it (read: tried to lift my shirt to try and nurse) a couple days later but at that point we were too far into it to turn back.

I have to say the way you weened was perfect.  We’ll call it an even 18 months even though it was just shy of that mark.  I’m proud of you.  I’m proud of myself.  I’m proud of us and the bond we shared and cultivated!!!  I am proud of the gradual weening process we established.  It was just right for us!  I thought it would be harder and more emotionally challenging to finish this last leg, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  Don’t get me wrong, I had my emotional attachments along the way and as sessions were eliminated I knew the end was coming, but gradual was definitely the way to go for us.  The gradual method alleviated any weening engorgement which was so nice not to have to deal with.  I am so happy I was able to give you this, and that you were able to benefit from it and we were able to form that special bond.  And so ends another awesome chapter in your life.  Only to begin something new…what lies in store next?

Let’s see what else can I share from this month?

On July 8th you went to the aquarium for the first time since you were in my belly.  You were so excited by all the fishies!!!  I don’t think you could’ve been more in heaven with all the fishies you saw.  That day, daddy and I took you to the aquarium and grandma and your auntie Cass (and yet to be born baby Lexi) joined us.  We had a fantastic day!!!  The iMax theater is always one of my favorite activities there.  It held your attention for most of it, up until maybe 10 minutes from the end.  Daddy had to run out to the stroller to grab your cup at that point, and even then that’s not really what you wanted.  Each room of the aquarium was a new exploration…yet you were always wanting to go to the last room we were in because something in the last room was so interesting.  It took some coaxing and showing you that what was in the next room was also interesting to convince you to leave the last room behind, but you always found something interesting.  You really were in love with the otters though…I think they might’ve been your favorite!!!  It really tuckered you out too, because we weren’t too far away from the aquarium before you passed out in your car seat.

You are loving grandma’s pool more and more every time we go!!!  You have the best time whether you’re just standing on the stairs splashing around, jumping off the side (or as you refer to it “twothree”) or frollicking around in my arms as we do laps around the pool.  You also love being tossed back and forth from one of us to the other.  You are not afraid to go under water, although most times have been by surprise.  You also love to grab a gulp of water and then cough it up!!! I just love spending that time with grandma too.  I love that she lives so close to us and that we can go visit her and you’ll have a really close relationship with her.  Now when we go visit her, you realize where we are as soon as we pull in the driveway.  You notice the pool and say “Wa…wa…..wa…..wa” (that’s Li’l Foot speak for water for those who are not on the toddler speak up and up!)  And one of these days we will be going to grandma’s and not be going in the pool and that day I will prep by taking a couple of Tylenol befrehand to avert the headache that will ensue (in my head) when we tell you we aren’t going to the pool.  It will not be a pretty day!!!  But I must say, you are already developing (dare I say) your own internal GPS system, just like your mommy?  Pretty soon you’ll be giving out directions!!!

I think 18 months is some sort of growth spurt!!!  You are a eating machine.  Iin the last few weeks we’ve been out and about and to this party and that and you’ve been grazing all day long!!!  It’s not jumk either.  It’s good foods, including veggies…gosh do you love your veggies!!!  You also will basically try anything, which is great!!!  You ate your first piece of sushi (ok, really it was a Caliornia roll which is kind of fake sushi, but still, SUSHI!!!)  and you loved it!!!  That’s an expensive taste bud you’ve got there kiddo!!! Heehee!!!

Since this is the month of July, I should mention the fireworks display we saw on the 4th.  It was just the small one right in our town, but you loved it.  And I loved being there with you and daddy!!!  Just us!!!  Our little family!!!  I absolutely love this picture of you and daddy watching the fireworks display!!!

This month we also celebrated daddy’s 3nd Father’s Day (we count the Father’s Day when I was pregnant)!!!  We celebrated by going out to breakfast in Ridgefield at the Early Bird Cafe with grandma and grandma Durry!  It was a very nice morning and surprisingly the wait wasn’t too long.  I still find it amusing that I didn’t pull your pantaloons back up after walking out of the bathroom from taking you to the potty and I couldn’t figure out why you were walking so funny!!!

You are learning a tough lesson in sharing.  You love animals (as evidenced by the fact that you can sit still through any animal show on Animal Planet).  You love the kitty and the doggie.  You also love to make sure the kitty does not go hungry.  Point two seconds after I walk through the door at night, you immediately know that is when I feed the cat her dry food and will help me poor one little cup full into her bowl plus a few little treats on top of the dry food.  You love to help me with this task.  During the weekends however, you don’t understand time so much and think since I’m home it must be time to feed the kitty…all weekend long.  On the other hand you love your Polly-O String Cheese.  What does this have to do with animals?  Well, there is a method to the Polly-O sting cheese consumption.  It starts with you opening the refrigerator door, like you own it or something, and yes, you open the refrigerator door all by yourself now.  The next is to incessantly repeat until our ears bleed, “cheese…cheese…cheese…cheese” until we get you a string cheese.  We then tell you to go sit on your chair, and you do.  Then we give you the string cheese and you gnaw on it, unti lit bores you and then you get up and walk around with it in your hand until the dog finds it much more intersting than you do at that particular moment when we snags it right out of your tiny paw!!!  He thinks it’s fair game!  You don’t!  Much hysterics and foot stomping ensues!!!  We are usually able to give you accolades for being such a good sharer and the situation is resolved, except those times when you really just weren’t done with your cheese yet, then we have to give you another one.  It is quite funny to watch!!!

Sadly, this month was rounded out by probably one of the last times you will be able to spend one on one time with Auntie Pocklock before she has Baby Blinkie!  Auntie was awesome enough to take you last Friday afternoon because I had to work and daddy went camping, and then Auntie insisted I go do somehting for myself so she could spend more time with you…so I went and got a manicure/pedicure and then met up with grandma for a delightful sushi dinner.  Again…spending time with grandma is so wonderful, especially one on one!!!  Auntie watching you for one of the last times one on one is both happy and sad.  Sad because I know how much you love Auntie and spending time with her, but happy because when Blinkie does arrive I can not wait for you to meet your little cousin.  When I picked you up from that afternoon with Auntie, she asked you “where your cousin was” and you walked over and poked her belly!!!  So darn cute, heart melting and giggle inducing!!!  While things with Auntie won’t be one on one so much anymore, you will have a best friend to play with.  Just wait utnil next year at this time when Blinkie is interacting with you…squeeeeeee…I can’t wait!!!  But for now…Auntie is still all yours…

And so Li’l Foot this wraps up your monthly upgrade.  I can’t believe it’s done so close to your actual 18 month mile marker!!! It’s not posted the day before next month’s is supposed to be posted.  w00t!!!

I love you Li’l Foot!!!

Momma

P.S. Please stop growing, it’s not funny!

Last night I wanted to try a new routine with Li’l Foot and the whole dinner/bath/bedtime routine.  I decided instead of waiting until just before bed to give her a bath, I’d bath her right after dinner so that we could just hang out and have some down time before bed and not rush through bath time.  Things were going splendidly, but then things took a turn, and then another turn and then what else could possibly happen kind of turn.

Li’l Foot was in her bath, soaking it all up…playing with her foam letters and numbers (the ones that stick to the bath tub sides when they get wet).  There were a couple other toys too.  I decided while I was sitting there watching her I would clean the toilet.  The bath tub is literally right next to the toilet so it was just a matter of turning the top half of my body 45 degrees to multitask bath time with toilet cleaning.

I used the toilet scrubber and got it clean best I could without cleaner but then put some of that Kaboom stuff in to sit and hang out and work it’s magic so I wouldn’t have to put so much elbow grease into it.  Fine!  I sat there, let the toilet cleaner do it’s thing and turned my attention back to Li’l Foot.  She was sitting there playing with her toys when she looked up at me got this look on her face and tooted like she had just set off an H-bomb under water.  The gas bubbles that surfaced could’ve been used to take out a small island in the South Pacific.  I asked her if she needed to go poo-poo on the potty but she just shook her head vigorously and said, “No!”  I took her for hre word, because she usually jumps at the chance to sit on the potty.

We went along our business, she played, I watched and splashed her and we were having a great time.  Then she did something I did not expect.  In one fell swoop she stood straight up and no sooner started pooping…plop….plop-plop…….plop!  GAAAAAHHHH!!!  I quickly without thinking about it plucked her from the bath tub, placed her onthe potty to finish her business and while holding onto her, I turned back to the bath tub to pull the knob that lets the water go down.  Quick thinking, right?  Well we waited, and we waited for the water to go down…and then we waited some more.  And Li’l Foot was sitting there on the potty giving me a look like what the heck just happened?

When I told her the last time that she shouldn’t poop in the tub, she should tell me if she needs to go potty when she’s in the tub, I DID NOT mean she should stand up from the sitting position BEFORE she poops in the tub.  I actually meant, she should GO POTTY, NOT GO BATH TUB POOPING at all!!!  Poop and bath tub, not two things that go together AT ALL!!!

So here we are, she’s still soaking wet, water is dripping off her and down the curves of the base of the potty and me sitting there wishing to God we had a faster drain in the bath tub.  And all of a sudden Li’l Foot started to squirm and when a little wet body meets a slippery when wet potty nothing good can come of it.  Even though I was still holding her up, her tushy slipped off the seat and took a swan dive INTO the potty…THAT WAS STILL IN FULL ON FOAMING ACTION from the KABOOM!!!  I immediately plucked her from the foamy potty and whisked her around to the bath tub that was still emptying and turned the water faucet on to wash the Kaboom foam off her foam covered tushy!  She freaked out and at the time I wasn’t sure whether it was burning her skin.

Once I got her washed off, I took her into my arms and she settled down right away though.  So my thought is that she was just startled by the turn of events…one minute she was sitting on the potty, the next she had fallen in and a split second after that she was soaring through the air (via my arms) back over to the tub and then water was rushing over her lower half of her body (which was cold water at first because it hadn’t been running and I just turned it on as fast as I could to get her cleaned off as fast as possible).

I read the label on the KABOOM stuff.  It only mentions what to do if it is ingested or inhaled.  I was concerned, but once she settled down right away when I held her, I knew her skin wasn’t irritated.  I watched her the rest of the night too.  Her skin remained marshmallowy (thank goodness for the marshmallow thighs) and a good color.  Her skin tone never turned pink (from irritation) or anything.  Honestly I had forgotten in all the commotion that the Kaboom stuff was even in the toilet.  I was busy planning my attack on how I was going to juggle her and clean the bath tub so I could redo the bath routine.

So what’s the message here?  Never mix bath time with household cleaning responsibilities…EVER!