Life as we know it

There is such a huge difference between 2 and almost 2 ½. Her life so far has just seemed to fly by and she’s just becoming such a big girl. Her language skills are impressive. In fact, she’s using full sentences most of the time now that are structurally complete. Like “Can I have more milk please?” It seems like it happened overnight! She is jumping all over the place, skipping and can ride her tricycle- something she had a hard time with this past summer. Her moods are mercurial- she is a typical toddler! She is often sweet and cuddly with one of us, then tells the other parent “Go away! Leave me alone!” or she’ll go into meltdown mode. Usually, she is sweet and cheerful, although we hear “NO!” a lot. She is letting me take more pictures of her though and knows what “Smile!” means. She loves to help me cook too. She stands on a chair next to the counter and makes a huge mess, which is really fun if you ask her! She is totally into princess and dressing up and loves these little Disney Princess dolls that have plastic clothes that she always wants us to take on and off. Her costume collection is growing and she is equally happy being Buzz Lightyear or Cinderella. She is enjoying our Halloween decorations and is getting a kick out of Spooky Town that Michael set up in our dining room. She’ll stand on the table and just watch, occasionally adding her Cinderella doll to the mix! We have gotten out quite a bit during the fall season, going apple picking, pumpkin picking, through a corn maze and Boo at the Zoo. This is my favorite time of year and I hope it will be hers too. Here are some pictures from our latest adventures!

Wow, have we been busy!

The title says it all! With school starting, my masters degree and daily chores, we've been so busy I haven't had a chance to post much. Hopefully, I'll get into a better balance soon! We went apple picking last weekend and I thought I'd share some pictures. We had a great time picking apples. Meg got a lollipop in the store where we bought our apples and refused to let it go. At one time, she had an apple in one hand and a lollipop in another. It was really great to spend some time together as a family.

100 posts

This is my 100th post on Meg's blog. I can hardly believe it. But I love blogging about my girl & I hope you enjoy it too. In order to celebrate, here's my list of 100 things I love about my girl. (In no particular order)

1. Her nickname- I mean honestly, what's not to love about "Meglet"
2. Her enthusiam for everything.
3. How she orders the dogs around.
4. How she gets hyper when she eats chocolate covered donettes
5. she needs a cuddle in the morning when she wakes up
6. How she loves to bite cherry tomatoes and suck out the insides
7. When she says "I take you, Mama"
8. She loves princess dresses
9. She calls herself Princess Meaghan when she sees herself in a picture
10. How when she was born, during her first few minutes, she looked so befuddled, like "how did I get here?"
11. When she was in the NICU, she was so fiesty she pulled out her IV multiple times
12. she was so relieved (as was I) when we finally cuddled for the first time
13. we snuggled together on the couch, sleeping chest to chest for the first few months of her life. It was the only way we got any sleep!
14. she has adored her Daddy from Day 1.
15. Her smile is open and genuine, all the time
16. Her mouth turns into a complete rectangle when she's upset and about to cry
17. She's dramatic.
18. She gives the best hugs.
19. Mommy always gets kisses upon request. Daddy sometimes get kisses upon request.
20. Her eyes are a beautiful combination of blue and greenish.
21. Her curls are too cute!
22. Her moles, one near her left ear, the other near her left eye. I watched both of them develop as she got older.
23. She's so smart
24. She sings in the car.
25. She sings the songs I sang as a kid, like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and You are my Sunshine
26. She sings songs her Daddy teaches her which are typically inappropriate, but funny!
27. She just found a tomato worm outside and brought it in to show me. I love her excitement when finding new things.
28. She loves looking at her scrapbooks that I have made her.
29. She's sweet.
30. She's ticklish on the backs of her thighs, her feet and her belly
31. She loves to be outside
32. During a friend's birthday party, she resisted the urge to open the friends presents. It was hard, but she did it and I was so proud of her!
33. She waves at other kids and yells "Hi Kid!"
34. She is so social
35. She is brave
36. She is willing to try new things, however hesitant she may be.
37. She's nosy- always asking "Where is _______" (Fill in the blank with anyone)
38. She loves animals
39. She & I rode an elephant together and she thought it was amazing!
40. She uses words like inappropriate when appropriate!
41. She makes me smile- even when I'm grumpy
42. She loves anything little- rocks, sticks, dolls, toys- as long as they are little.
43. How she takes my hand and walks with me down the stairs.
44. She's so independent.
45. Her love for her blankey
46. How she says "pul eeeze"
47. That she dips her chicken nuggets in hot mustard sauce, just like her Daddy
48. That I come home from work just to see her
49. That she'll ask "what happened" when she hears a loud noise
50. Swinging on the swings at the park. Most often, she faces out and we swing together, but sometimes, she turns around and leans her head on my shoulder.
51. She has a fiery temper
52. She loves kitties
53. She finishes sentences from the book I read to her at night.
54. The look in her eyes after I come home from work
55. She loves chocolate almost as much as Michael
56. The greedy look in her eye when she's eating chocolate
57. How much she loves swimming
58. She would rather eat ketchup than anything else right now.
59. When she eats the ketchup, she regularly uses her fingers.
60. When she's sleepy, she rubs her eyes and her blankey on her nose
61. She askes when she's going to school again
62. How I can't resist when she asks me to "Come here"
63. She's gentle
64. How she pats my back when I hug her.
65. How she'll reach up and pat my face.
66. That she loves to open a present and blow out birthday candles
67. She knows how to play all by herself, even though she'd much rather have you play with her.
68. She calls her back pack her "pack pack"
69. Her go to foods that I know she'll almost always eat- strawberries and tomatoes- are healthy. (but don't tell her!)
70. She wants to please us so much and is so proud of herself when she does.
71. She has the cutest feet- along with my toes!
72. How she repeats anything you say
73. How she always chooses the same books for me to read to her at night.
74. How she pulls the covers up to her chest before she goes to sleep.
75. How she looks in her pink, silky monkey nightgown
76. How she will say "cheese" for the camera
77. When we go for a bike ride, how she looks in her pink princess helmet
78. She loves to have fun.
79. How excited she gets to see her cousins
80. How excited she gets to see her grandparents
81. She likes preschool so much that she doesn't want to come home.
82. That she still calls her sippy cup a "ba ba"
83. That she likes "Toy Story", "Shrek", and "Monsters Inc."- not really girly movies but movies that have good lessons
84. How much she loves bubbles
85. How she will stay with me in the store if it means she doesn't have to ride in the cart.
86. Her giggle
87. How she warms up to people she knows love her
88. How she has to concentrate to throw rocks into the water
89. Her concern for others
90. How she watches her shoes light up when she walks.
91. She sings the "ah ah ah" song from "The Little Mermaid"
92. She makes me want to try harder to be a better parent
93. She's skeptical of all characters in costume, the Easter Bunny, Santa, Bert and Ernie
94. She loves to have her piggies painted
95. She loves to make us smell her stinky piggies
96. She likes jewlery- any kind
97. She gets hyper after a chocolate mini donut
98. She hates bandaids
99. She's a great combination of her dad & I
100. She's my baby girl- what's not to love!

Donuts

We don't buy donuts. I would be too tempted to shove all of them in my mouth all at once simultaneously choking and going into insulin shock. But being on a health kick lately has allowed me to resist temptation. So to Michael's delight, I bought a bag of tiny chocolate cover donuts, which to the best of my knowledge, Meg has never had. I gave her two for breakfast and at first she resisted.

She said "no want gonuts"

I said "Me neither toots! But try this. It's like a cupcake!"

And to that she said "Ok, Mama!"

Now she has a donut clenched in both hands, nibbling on it like a squirrel nibbles on an acorn. Ah, we have a happy girl!

School!

Meglet & I both started school this week- a Master's degree for me and preschool for her! As of 15 minutes ago, I finished my first class. Yay! But this blog isn't about me, it's about her, so let me tell you about her first day. We got up a little later than what will be our regular time, had breakfast, got ready and headed to school around 8:30. She had to wear her "pack pack"- her Minnie Mouse backpack and she carried her Hello Kitty lunch box. The whole way there, I kept telling her how much fun she'd have, make sure to say thank you, be good, etc. When we got there, she walked in and immediatly went over to play. I made small talk with her teacher, made sure blue blankey was in her "pack pack" and just watched. The other little girls were really interested in her, especially her pigtails, but she was interested in toys! I finally told her I had to leave and she came up, hugged my legs and said "Oh Mama" in a little voice. But she went back to play and I left to go have a few tears in the car by myself.
When I came to pick her up at 3:15, she was happy as a clam playing. In fact, she was not interested in leaving. I even told her I was leaving and actually walked out the door and she just kept playing. Her teacher said she did really well and even tried to use the potty like some of the other potty trained girls in class! I finally got her to go and she leaned over my shoulder to wave and said "Bye bye friends!" While we were pulling out of the parking lot, she said "Go play with friends, Mama?" I said "next week, Meg!"
It seems like a good thing that she was so happy to go and was not interested in leaving. I really hope she likes it there. She seems to!
And here are some pics from the big day!

10 things about Meg, this very second

1. She loves trains, disney princesses and this horrible DVD called Baby Songs, chock full of early 1990's hair and clothes. She loves it, we hate it.
2. She's soooo tall. She's wearing 3T clothes and just seems to keep getting taller. I'm afraid to buy her fall jeans and pants because I'm worried she's going to grow again.
3. She's crabby when she wakes up. She needs a cuppy and a snuggle for about 10 minutes before she's ready to start her day. (and truthfully, I love the snuggles, so it's fine with me!)
4. She eats gummy vitamins with glee, even though she knows it's Nemo.
5. She is terrified of clowns. We went to the circus and the clowns freaked her out so bad, she ran out of the tent like her butt was on fire!
6. We read her two books every night and the two that I read her regularly, she can finish the sentences if I stop while I'm reading. It won't be too long until she's reading.
7. She sings. I love it so much. We'll be in the car or she'll be playing by herself and I'll hear "Hey soul sista" or "You are my sunshine" in her little high pitched voice.
8. She has spent her first night away from home, last night and she was brave- no tears and she had a great time with Nana & Grandpa.
9. She loves the boys and the boys love her. Most of her little buddies are boys & she has a great time with them.
10. We love her so, so much!

It's all about the food

Meg must be enjoying a growth spurt. After a 6 month food strike, her interest in mealtimes has resumed. She is currently facinated with anything she can dip. Chicken nuggets in hot mustard sauce, apples and carrots in peanut butter, hot dogs in ketchup- she loves it. All I have to do is tell her to dip and she eats it up. I just need more dip recipes- any ideas?

As heard in Meglet's house

"Mom, I have nackers?"

"Nackers? Meg, what's a nacker?"

"Nackers, Mama. Want goldfish nackers"

Apparently, snack + crackers = nackers. Who new? She creates words, just like her daddy. He's created whoppers like slickery (slick + slippery) volumptuous (lumpy + voluptous) and others. Ah, more proof that this kid is 100% her Daddy.

The Princess has arrived!

The family was at Target today and they had a ton of summer formal dresses on clearance. I always buy those type of dresses on clearance, since they are always so expensive and never on sale when you actually need them. So, Michael picked out a beautiful white one and later on in the evening as I was carrying it up the staits, she decided to strip off the dress she was wearing and wanted to try on her new dress. Now granted, it's big on her right now, a 4T. But come Easter, it should fit like a glove. What makes me laugh even more is her current toy obsession. In June, I bought her this Little Mermaid doll that is about the size of your index finger that had a couple of plastic dresses that she (ahem, we) could take on and off. She loved them so much that we have since added Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Jasmine from the movie Alladin. So putting new dresses on her dolls has become the highlight of the summer. (In fact, we are bribing her with the Cinderella doll if she uses the potty!) So, back to the story. Once her dress was on, she wanted to dance. So we danced all over the upstairs until she decided she wanted her sparkle shoes on. So we put sparkle shoes on, went downstairs and found her purple magic wand which she then used to tap the dog on the nose. After that, she demanded to be called Cinderella until Cinderella grew so tired that she had to be put to bed with the promise of more dress up tomorrow. And they all lived happily ever after!

Check out her wand!

Potty Training Failure #2

We've decided to throw in the towel again. I just get the feeling she's not ready yet. For three full days, we rushed her to the potty the second she started peeing in her panties. Once she got there, she would finish peeing in the potty, which was good and she was excited about it. But there was never any indication from her that she had to go. She never said anything, never made any body movements that would indicate she had to go, she would just let it rip. Michael and I have no idea why. We're hoping it's just maturity on her part and that maybe in a few months we can try again and that she'll be closer to being ready. I feel like a failure, but I don't see the purpose behind beating my head against a wall when she doesn't seem physically able to make the connection yet. Am I giving up too easily?

Day 2 of Potty Training

First, I must tell you, Day 1 of potty training was sheer hell. Bad enough that I pulled out the Mike's hard lemonade (the one I drink on a very rare occasion- a six pack usually lasts me 6 months!) as soon as she went to bed. I swear, she peed on almost every horizontal surface in my house! Yesterday, I would have paid anyone any amount of money for them to potty train her for me! Today has been much better. We have bought her a Beauty and the Beast Barbie doll and a set of Cinderella mini dolls with dresses as her big reward for staying dry and I think it's helping. They are sitting up on our mantle and every time she asks for them, we tell her that she has to be dry all day. We just keep putting her on the potty and when she starts to pee, we put her on the potty so she knows where she's supposed to do it. We're carrying around the Elmo potty right now and I've never been so thankful for bleach, because this whole thing is pretty gross. So far today, she's made it to the potty twice and has had two accidents, which is far better than yesterday, when we literally got about 3 drops in the potty. So she's learning. Please keep us in your prayers!

New beginnings for Mama

I'm all signed up to start my Master's classes on August 1st. I'm going through Western Govenor's- on online school in Utah that specializes in online Master's degrees. I know that I need my Master's, but I knew that I couldn't spend in a regular classroom. I couldn't imagine going to work all day and then spending 3 or more nights a week in classroom to get my master's. I would miss Meg far, far too much. Hopefully, I'll be able to get my school work done after Meaghan goes to bed. I really hope that this will be the best of two worlds- it'll just require quite a bit of juggling on my part. My stepmom, who watches Meg 3 days per week, is insisting on starting dinner at my house on the days she's watching Meaghan. She's such a sweetheart and she's so willing to help us out. I'm going to try to get stuff frozen for the school year, like right before Meaghan was born. I'll probably make meatballs, maybe a lasagna or two. Anything that I can throw in the crock pot the night before and cook all day while we're at work.
It's funny- Meaghan has gotten so much easier over time- she's easier to reason with, to talk to and much more fun. Now, as she gotten easier, I've found a way to make life complicated again!

Blueberry picking

We've gone blueberry picking every summer since Meglet was just a tiny little thing, 2 months old. We went back to the same place we took her our first year and the memories came soaring back. I remember carrying her in the Snugli, picking blueberries and singing to her. Now, she's walking, talking and singing "You are my Sunshine", "Elmo's World" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" right along with me! She was not too interested in picking, but she was really good and stayed right in between the bushes Michael and I were picking. Here are our pics!

Happy 4th of July!

As you can see, we had a great 4th of July. We spent the day at home, relaxing and cleaning the house. Then we went to my Dad's house, right on the lake, to watch fireworks. Meg had a great time with her friend Jake, although they were holding hands and kissing. I guess it's time for that talk already! She had such a great time that she absolutely exhaused herself and tried to lay down on the driveway and fall asleep!
Hope your 4th was great too!

Holding hands with her best buddy, Jake

No... it wasn't us!

Maddie, Meg's bff and Jake's little sis

What's the 4th without sweet treats?

Watching the fireworks with Daddy

Exhausted and actually trying to fall asleep on the driveway!

Potty training failure- on the part of Mommy & Daddy

Mommy & Daddy are not good at potty training. Meglet tried her hardest, but Michael and I are no good at this! I know it's just a matter of practice and time, but we've been having a tough time. We know that she is so smart and I know that we are expecting too much too soon. So, starting Wednesday, we are going to try again and hopefully, this time, we'll do it! We have made no plans, we're not going to leave the house and hopefully, we'll get this kid potty trained! Send good wishes our way!

Potty Training & more

Yesterday, we began our foray into the wild world of potty training and yesterday was a painful failure. I am a firm believer that except for nap time, pull ups are more of a hinderance than a help. But I can see why parents use them, since we cleaned up 3 pee spots on the carpet and at least 2 more on the kitchen floor! I think we went through at least 6 pairs of panties. She wore panties all morning, until nap, then we put on a pull up for nap. When she woke up, she refused to put a pair of panties- screaming "I want my diaper!" so we put on another pull up. We won't make that mistake again today! Today, she put on her panties and actually went pee on the potty. Admittedly, she peed outside while we were playing outside, but she did go pee on the potty, so I think we're moving in the right direction!
Also, Michael and I decided to put Meg in daycare 2 days a week starting in the fall. I was on the phone for a couple of hours yesterday calling daycares during her nap and I think I found the place for her! We still have to go look at the four I narrowed it down to, but I have a favorite and I hope we can get her in. Michael and I are starting to realize how much she loves being social and that we really should get her around other kids more than we have. And honestly, I love that she's home with her grandparents, but she also needs time to play with other kids. Her grandparents have done a great job of taking her to story time at our library, but we're so busy when we get home from work and our weekends are so packed that we don't have a lot of time to arrange play dates like we probably should. Everytime she's with her cousins or we're at the park, she's just entranced by other kids and has such a great time. So... we're going to see what she thinks and if she likes it, we may do a 1/2 day per week starting in August so she can get used to it before school starts for us.
Plus, even more changes are coming for me. I'm starting my master's degree in August and thanks to my very generous grandmother, I'm going to be spending a week in the Galapagos Islands at the end of August with her. I can't wait, although I am anxious about the flight. I don't fly well- ever since I was a kid and had a really, really bad flight. But I am so excited to go!
Wow- so many changes- but it's awesome!

Meg's first movie!

We took Meaghan to see Toy Story 3 at the movie theater today to great success! We went to the earliest matinee there was, which was chock full of other moms with other little ones. We sat in the back row and she only got up once to shake out her sillies- and it was brief, maybe only 2 minutes. Other than that, she was entranced by the movie- she adores Buzz & Woody with all her little heart and was so thrilled to see them in a movie she hadn't seen yet. It was a good movie and at the end (SPOILER ALERT!) Andy gives his favorite toys away to a really nice kid and everyone ends up happy, but its a bittersweet happy that left me teary. Meg loved it and we found out that the theater shows previously run movies on Wednesday mornings at 10 am for $1.00 admission. That might be just the thing for us to get Meg used to going to the movies without spending an arm and a leg! But yay! We took a two year old to the movies and no one died, gave us dirty looks, crawled around on the sticky floor or was sucked into the folding stadium seating. Wahoo! (Yes, I know, it's the small victories of parenthood!)

Pics from our trip

We introduced Meg to slushies while at Sesame Place. I had intended to only give her a sip of the slushie I was drinking. Instead, she took one sip and refused to give it back! It will certainly be one of those "special occasion" treats, because she ran around like the Energizer Bunny after she was finished.

Daddy & Meglet getting off Elmo's Flying Fish. As you can tell from the look on her face, she liked it!

She was ok with the characters as long as they came to her. At the Breakfast with Elmo, Zoe came right up to our table. Meg very polietly told her "Nice to meet you" and "Love you Zoe!" Too cute!

She also met with the Count and again- she liked him since he came to her!

She really loved Abby too. She liked the female characters like Zoe, Abby and Rosita much more than the males, like Bert, Ernie and Big Bird. She, of course, loved Elmo.

It was a great trip and we all had a blast!

Tips for traveling with a 2 year old

When I researched this topic, I really didn't find the answers I was looking for. I mean, we all know to pack enough diapers and outfits and all that, but I was looking for some mommy secrets. You know, like how no one tells you how much childbirth hurts or how desperate you are for sleep and how afraid you are that you're losing your mind after 2 months of living with a newborn- those kinds of things. The info no one gives you until after you've suffered through a particularly unpleasant experience. Those little tidbits that you'd rather know ahead of time so you can make an informed decision to run screaming in the other direction and choose to do the opposite of what you'd planned to do in the first place. So here it is. The good, the bad and the ugly- from a mom who's done it and lived to tell about it. (cue dramatic pause)

I'm making it sound much worse than it actually is. In fact, our vacation was wonderful. There are just a few things that I wish I had known or done differently. Our vacation was a hodge podge- we visited an amusement park, a city and a museum and drove for 7 hours there and back.

General Tips
1. Learn to diaper your kid standing up- I know this is a pain, but it saved me so much trouble. Most bathrooms have a changing station. But you have no idea what kinds of nastiness might be lurking. On our trip (and truthfully, often at home) she was changed standing up. The only part of her body that touches the changing station is the bottom of her shoes, so the rest of her stays germ free. Plus, I could put a container of wipes and diapers in my bag and didn't have to think about a changing pad and how disgusting that would be after who knows how many diaper changes.
2. Know when enough is enough- Yes, I know those amusement park tickets are expensive, but 2 year olds have limits, as do mommies and daddies. Sometimes, you have to know when to call it a day. When everyone (or just a particular someone) reaches the edge, sometimes you pack it in and go home. Especially on hot summer days. One of our best nights was when we came home early due to cranky toddlers and had takeout in our hotel room and played on the hotel playground. Be flexible.
3. Stay at a child friendly hotel- We stayed in 2 hotels on our trip- 1 child friendly, 1 not so much. The child friendly hotel had a playground, cheerios and fruit loops for breakfast, cartoon network, thick walls and a locked down building. You couldn't get in or out without a key. The other hotel (which shall not be named) had thin walls, grapefruit and coffee for the complimentary breakfast, and only locked their doors from midnight to 5 a.m. I feel horrible for our neighbors on either side of us- Meg's 5 p.m. meltdown must have sounded horrible. As I'm sure you can guess, we enjoyed the child friendly hotel much, much more. It really makes a difference.
4. Know where you're going- Use GPS, use mapquest, whatever, but know where you're going so you're not screaming "DO I TURN LEFT HERE OR AT THE LIGHT???" while the toddler is yelling in the backseat. Not like this happened to us or anything....
5. For all that is holy, honor naptime!- My toddler needs a nap like she needs oxygen. If she doesn't get that nap, well, lets just say that you should duck and find cover under the nearest earthquake proof structure. I'm not kidding. I don't think it matters where nap takes place (Meg and I cuddled on a lawn chair under an umbrella one day) but just taking that little nap recharges little batteries- and big batteries too.

Tips for the car
1. A goodie bag- mine had some extra birthday presents that I had stashed away, new crayons and coloring books, an Ariel doll with plastic clothing (a bear to get on and off, but whatever) a magna doodle and a new puzzle, plus assorted little toys found in the dollar bins of Target
2. A travel tray- I mentioned this earlier, but I found a soft travel tray at onestepahead.com and it made all the difference. Meg could color, read her books, play with her toys, all on a space that was flat and right in front of her. Even though I'm sure they aren't made for this, I used the strap and strapped it around her car seat. It was perfect.
3. Toys from home- I let Meg pack her own little backpack with toys of her choice. We packed it right before she left, so she could choose the toys she's been playing with the most. We pulled these out in the hotel quite a bit.
4. Snacks and a cooler that opens up to the backseat- apparently, being in a car for long periods makes a toddler really hungry. Meg went through 2 containers of Gerber Graduates Cheese Puffs on the trips, but it was well worth it.
5. DVD player- with all her favorite movies. When boredom sets in, she was thrilled to see Buzz & Woody. I know people will scream about too much tv time, but for the sanity of all involved, it was a neccessary evil.
6. Shaking out the sillies- that's what we call stretching our legs. Michael and I are so used to just driving, stopping to eat and pee and getting back in the car that it was hard for us to remember that our little one needed to get her sillies out too. At rest stops, we encouraged her to run, jump, etc. before we got back in the car. She was more willing after she got her sillies out!

For the amusement park-
1. Look into perks- At Sesame Place, we rented a cabana. It was perfect. It was just a 10 x 10 space with curtains, some patio chairs, a table, a mini fridge and a locked drawer. It was heaven and well worth the 169.00. (We split it with the family friends who went with us, so it only cost $85 each) Not only was it a great place to relax, recharge and take naps, but it allowed us to bring food instead of buying it at the park and it entitled us to VIP status at Sesame Place, so we got to meet the characters before the parade and take lots of fun photos. The locked drawer was great too... some place to put the keys, cell phones, etc. If you can afford it, it's well worth it.
2. Pack your own meals- As much as possible. The first day at Sesame Place, we spent $25.00 at lunch for food that was in no way worth the $25.00 we spent on it. That evening, I went to a Super Walmart, bought salami, cheese and mustard for about $4.50 and we brought our lunch the next day. And honestly, those salami sandwiches were so much better than my $9.00 chicken fingers.
3. Buy a giant souvineer cup- Michael drank the soda, but after that, we filled our "Abby Cadabby" cup with water and Meg and I used it to keep hydrated. I liked it because it held a lot. Meg liked it because it had Abby on it!

For the city-
1. Pack light- I have a 2 year old pack rat- she carries around at least 6 of whatever it is she's into- stuffed animals, Toy Story figurines, whatever. On our trip into the actual city of Philadelphia, we picked up her kitty, her Tigger, her bug and her glow worm about 12 dozen times as she dropped them on the filthy city streets. Next time, I'll put up with the tantrum in order to leave them in the car!
2. Shop Farmer's Markets- We packed a lot of food for this trip, but about half way through the trip we needed to restock. We incoporated a trip to the Italian Market in Philadelphia in order to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies. And we found them! Gorgeous red peppers and cherries, strawberries and peaches.... it was great. Most cities have these farmers markets and they can be a great place for an easy and healthy meal.

For Mamas-
1. Pack one bag- I used an LL Bean carryall for my purse, diaper bag, map holder, juice boxes, toys, etc. It was small enough to be a shoulder bag but didn't hold enough to pull my shoulder out of joint. Everything necessary was in that bag and it was so easy just to grab the green bag out of the car and head out to wherever we were going. Necessities inside the bag were
   a. my wallet
   b. diapers and wipes
   c. small first aid kit- band aids, tylenol, neosporin, etc.
   d. maps and directions
   e. change of clothes and shoes for Meg
   f. snack sized bags of crackers
   g. 3 juice boxes in a plastic bag
   h. coloring book and crayons
   i. Mini magna doodle
   j. Empty sippy cup

2. Do laundry at least once- We have a dirty clothes bag which we toss all the dirty clothes in. I did laundry one night while we were gone and I'll tell you, it was worth the $3.00 in quarters. I brought some laundry detergent from home and it was great to get some of my laundry done before hand.
3. Pack stuff from home that you've never thought to pack before- like...
    a. dishwashing detergent to wash sippy cups, cereal bowls, etc.
    b. Ziplock bags of assorted sizes- always helpful!
    c. A sheet- good for picnic, a play area on a yucky hotel floor, to make a tent out of. I bought one that is bright pink at Toys R Us and it's great.
   

Any other ideas, anyone?

Best.Vacation.EVER!

We got home today from our whirlwind tour of the great state of Pennsylvannia, after a 6 hour car trip home. This is our first "official" family vacation and it was amazing. We had a great time and we're exhausted, so I will post our pics tomorrow, once I have slept without two darling size 6 feet digging into my back! I think this is the first of many extraordinary family vacations!

Rain

Yesterday was a beautiful day. After school, Michael, Meg, the dogs and I all went for a walk. It was really hot & muggy- you could tell rain was coming. Once we got home, Meg and I were blowing bubbles on the back porch when the rain started. My first instinct was to rush inside, but then I remembered how fun I thought it was to play in the rain when I was a kid. Plus, the weather (and the rain!) were warm, so she and I stood under the shelter of the back porch and put our hands out to feel it. She dragged me inside to get her hat (actually one of mine that shrunk in the dryer) then back outside to use her shovel to catch the rain. The whole time, she was laughing and crowing "Feel it! Feel wrain, Mama!" It's so amazing to witness the joy that something so simple can create. For her, it was the rain. For me, it was her.

.

Soooo Excited!

We're counting the days until vacation starts. Michael is done with school tomorrow, but my freshman have finals, so we're in until Wednesday. I'm so excited for vacation though and can't wait for Meaghan to meet her beloved Elmo in person. I think the best part is that we're vacationing with our friends. Their little boy is almost 3 and their little girl will be one next week, so Meg will have other little ones to play with- which I know she will love!

Sesame Place, here we come!

On a side note....

While we were getting ready for Meg's party, I hurt myself....on duct tape. Mom was putting table cloths down and I was ripping off pieces of duct tape to hold them down. While I was ripping a piece off, I failed to notice that my pinkie was attached to the duct tape. I ripped the tape, hard, of course, and my hand went one way and the pinkie that was attached to the duct tape went another. It hurt so much that I had to put my head between my knees to keep from throwing up. But I'm a good Mama, so I taped my pinkie to my other fingers (with the offending duct tape) and we celebrated Meg's party and had a great time.
But as soon as we got home and unloaded, it hurt like crazy again and I gave in and decided to go to the emergency room. When I explained how I injured myself, the nurse actually said "I've never heard of anyone hurting themselves on duct tape before!" Well, at least I'm the first at something! Thankfully, it's not broken, but I tore my ligaments in my finger pretty badly. I'm in a splint & will be for 2-3 weeks with total healing time being around 6 weeks. Look at how pretty!

I think the funniest thing about it was when I got home from the ER, I needed to chill out a little, so I turned on TV to the Discovery Channel (one of my all time favorites) and Myth Busters was on. And wouldn't you know it, the duct tape episode was on!

A great party

Meaghan's 2nd birthday party was amazing. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the food was great (thanks to Mitch for grilling, Becky for Strawberry Jello pretzel salad, Janine for baked beans & my mom for brownies & strawberries and dip) and everyone had a great time. The bounce house rental was clearly the best investment to the party. The kids spent the entire party bouncing- we had to drag them out just to eat! Even cake and goodie bags held no allure compared to the bounce house. Meg had such a blast!  (And I'll be honest, I tried the bounce house and I get why the kids liked it- it was so much fun!)

Happy girl, bouncing away in her birthday bounce house

Hanging with her cousins

Daddy, Meg & Mama, posing with Mike & Sully

Meg loving on Grandpa

                                     
                              Meg's Monsters Inc. cake- thanks to ShariCakes- she does such amazing things!

Meg's Nana & Grandpa

Meg & Auntie Dana

Peekin' out of the bounce house

She loved everyone singing to her!

Grandpa, Uncle Kev, Steph & Grammy

Having a great time!

Daddy & the birthday girl

Opening presents- she liked it, but was confused as to why they were taken away from her as she opened them. She finally refused to let go of a tube of Little People that Aunt Becky & her family gave her until we opened them. She carried them with her the rest of the party. Everyone was so amazingly generous. When we got home and were unloading, Michael said it looked like Meg robbed Toys R Us!

Thanks for all the AWESOME presents! She was good & told everyone thank you!

                                      Grammy got Meg the cutest Babbling Boo doll- it even sings!

Many, many thanks to all the people who helped us throw Meg such a great party, helped set up or clean up and for being so generous and loving to our girl. We love you and couldn't have done it without you!

Latest Stats

As of her Friday morning Doctor's appointment....

Height: 35 inches tall- (btwn the 75th and 90th percentile for kids her age)

Weight: 28 pounds, 7 ounces (50th percentile)

Developmental Milestones: Talks, walks up stairs, hops off a step

Concerns: Potty training, move to 2% milk

SHE USED THE POTTY!

Sunday morning, party morning, Meg peed on the potty for the very first time! Yay! She & I woke up together and I took her into her room to change her. Unlike usual, her diaper was dry, so I casually asked her,
"Meg, do you want to go potty on your Elmo potty?"

And she said
"Okay, go potty"

So she sat on her Elmo potty and I sat on the floor with her. Daddy brought her a story and we got to page 3 and she started to pee. I honestly couldn't  believe it and once she finished, we danced and sang. She loved it! I need to make her a potty treat jar b/c her peditrician said that little treats are a reward that seems to work for kids. Meg loves m&m's, so I'm going to make her a jar with Elmo and potties on it to use as her treat jar.

I'm so proud of that kid!

A Great Day for a Birthday

Meg's birthday started out with presents in the morning- She got a Little People House, backyard and tractor.  And......

A new bike!

She let me take a cute pic before we went to dinner at Red Robin and then we had cake!

And it was good!