Exciting and Frustrated Ramblings..

This one may be a looonnnggg one.

There's been a lot of stuff going on lately. I'll have to post pictures later of everything too. First, some exciting news...we found out july 1st that we are expecting again! We were VERY hesitant to tell people for a while, because of what happened back in the winter (miscarriage). We went for my first ultrasound the day before we went to the beach - and the little peanut measured 7weeks! The heart rate was like 135bpm. GOOD NEWS!!! YAY! We were so happy. Things have been going well since - Lot's of morning, day, night, middle of the night sickness, tired, etc...which, although I am miserable most of the time, I am feeling it is a blessing because that means those pregnancy hormones are there!!! I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes (which is early to be diagnosed in pregnancy) - but that has been okay too. I just have to watch what I eat, take my meds (insulin in a pill), and see a specialist. The specialist part is kinda neat, b/c every time I go there, no matter how far along I am, I will have an ultrasound (not that I couldn't do them on my self) and I'm not gonna refuse that perk! I'm hoping the sickness gets better (I thought it FINALLY was, then yesterday, as soon as my feet hit the floor from the bed - I started.... YUCK.) Anyways. I am due March 11, 2009. Abby keeps saying baby and looks under my shirt and will kiss my belly - it's sweet, although, I don't know just how much she understands yet.

More exciting news - After we came back from the beach, Ben's mom asked if I would like to try to start potty training Abby? OF COURSE! I was scared and happy. She's used the potty many times before, but only randomly... So, this is the third week (she's excited because she's wearing big girl panties) - and she is doing FABULOUS! She has gotten so much better - maybe only one accident a day now, she still won't tell you she needs to go, unless it's after an accident, but she'll sometimes say yes if you ask her if she needs to, and this weekend, she has started just taking off to the potty and we'll follow her in there and she's trying to pull her panties down to go potty! How awsome. She's doing far better than I thought, and she's getting better and better each day! Hopefully soon she'll be 100% trained! Thanks to all who've helped me out - Bobbie (she has her most days of the week), Ben (because even though he's not crazy about helping - when he's had her alone without me, he'll still take her), Mama, because she's helped so much lately also, and Matthew and Nick (the wonderful Uncles that Abby loves so much that don't mind helping out while playing with her). Thanks again.

Bed time news: A few weeks ago (when we started with potty training) - we got Abby a "big girl bed". We're using Ben's frame from childhood - it's a twin. We let Abby come with us to buy her matresses. She's very excited about this too. For right now, we've left her in her room and just moved the crib out and the big girl bed in. The first night, I was a nervous wreck - stayed up past midnight, just so I would be prepared in case of a fall (we did not buy rails - we decided to try it without first - but I did put pillows on the floors on either side of the bed). She did wonderful the first night - we did our usual routine that night - brush teeth, say prayers, give kisses, and just layed her down - she would sit up for a while and talk to her babies, then off she went to sleep! About 30 mins. past the time we finally went to bed, we heard a flop....both of us up and ran into her room. She wasn't in the bed, she wasn't on the pillows. Where was she? She was completely OFF the pillows, near the end of the bed, on the floor, balled up in a tiny ball on her belly, sound asleep! She didn't even wake up! WOW. We picked her up and went back to bed. Woohoo. She didn't fall off any more that night. The second night, (I'm still a little nervous) - we went to bed, then about 4:00 in the morning, Ben wakes me from a SOUND sleep and says really quick "Heather, we've got a visitor!" It scared me to death! I thought someone had came into the house!!! Then I saw little Abby running into our room. Oh, how sweet. Ben said he could hear her little footsteps running down the hall. She was so happy that morning. We asked her if she fell off or did she scoot-scoot (my daddy taught her how to back off of chairs and couches and he says scoot-scoot to her) and she responded "scoot-scoot". Okay! We just put her in our bed and after she played for about 10-15 mins. she was back asleep. The third night she fell off, and somehow hit her head on the rail that the mattresses sit on, (so we think she went head first) - but anyways, she cried, and cried, and cried. Finally she stopped and she slept with us the rest of the night. The next two nights went pretty much okay - no falling off, got up once...then she fell again and hit her head. The next day we decided to move her bed, so one side was up against the wall, and I rolled up a heavy quilt and put it on the other side, so at least if she felt it there when she rolled, she would remember to go the other way. She hasnt fallen off since. YAY! I haven't bought her any bedding yet for the new bed - I am going to wait until we move her out of the nursery (for the new baby), and into another bedroom so we can paint and it'll be all cute...so for now, we've been just using a quilt Ben's grandmother made for him. She doesnt' mind, but I can't wait until she's back in a girly-girl room that matches!

The FRUSTRATIONS - the PACCI! Back in the spring one morning, I asked her about breakfast and after she told me what she wanted, I told her okay, put your pacci in the trash, and she did it! Nap time that day was a little rough, but she went without it for about 3-4 days. Then she got a TERRIBLE Ear infection, and she was so pittiful, we gave it back. (Sanity for us at the time - now BIG mistake.) She's now more attached than ever! We don't let her have a pacci during the day, only at night, so in the crib, the multiple pacci's would stay. Well, now that she's got a big girl bed, she knows they are there, and she would tell me "night-night" in the middle of the day, or afternoon, just so she thinks she could have her pacci. Well of course, I wouldn't give in. Well she decided she would find a way to get them - first it was pulling the sheets to the side just so she could reach, and now, (just since Friday) she has learnt ?? how to climb up on the bed and get them herself. So now, we have to make sure we leave them on the dresser out of reach and out of sight. I am more of a pushover than Ben - I can't stand to hear my baby sobbing, so occassionally, I have given in just to make her stop crying (maybe it's the pregnancy, that I feel like I don't have as much patience)..but Ben will NOT give in, and the past few days, she's gotten a little better about the paccis. (she doesn't break down when we take them from her, but only if for a second and she doesn't ask for them constantly.). Last night she was in a really good mood, and after her bath and playing for a while longer, Ben asked her " do you want to try to sleep without your pacci tonight?" She says "uh huh" and shakes her head yes. I am sure all she heard was "do you want your pacci tonight"... Anyways after the usual routine, he lays her down, and she says "want pass" (pacci) - and Ben says "I thought we were going to try without it tonight." She said "want baby" - so ben gave her a baby doll, then she says "nother" (another)- and he gives her another baby, ... and her duck, and her rabbit, then says night night and walks out and shuts the door. We turn down the tv, and can hear her playing and talking to her babies and animals! She's not crying! We laugh for a while, then ben starts feeling bad. She's now saying "Daddy,....Daddddyyyyy, .... Daaaaaddddddddeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" We laugh, he frowns at me and i tell him - she's not crying, lets give it some time. I figured it may take her longer to fall asleep but so what? Well, he wants to go check on her - but instead of being quiet and opening the door discretely, she hears him and starts whining. "Want Passssss!" - Ben tries to lay down with her and the millions of babies and animals on the bed. She DID NOT want that...."Daddy, Up. Daddy, UP." So ben gets up and asks do you want me to lay in the floor beside the bed? She says yes. He lays down (the multiple pillows are still on the floor incase she falls off). Then she WONT lay down, b/c she wants to see him. He leaves the room, she cries, and we eventually give in. We tried rocking her (which we havent' done in prob. a year!, we tried everything...he tells me to give her a pacci - so I do - she laughs excitedly, lays her head down on Ben's shoulder, and is gone. Completely asleep. From the time ben walks two feet from the kitchen to her room. She's still my baby, even though she's growing up, but I am so ready for the pacci's to be gone! We'll try again in a couple of nights...

Either way, we are so proud of her and excited. She is doing SO good with all the transitions and "big girl" stuff. Other than her getting in the terrible or trying twos- she's doing good...that would be a totally different post. Until then - Later! (I'll post pics eventually).

I told you this one would be a long one, but I dont' want to forget all of what's going.