Tony bought Ali a little potty for Christmas. We’ve had one of the ones to put atop the regular toilet for ages and even engaged in some moderate elimination communication. But that has tapered off as of late and, well…a box from Amazon came in the mail yesterday. To be honest it was a surprise to me too.

Yesterday Ali and I go grocery shopping and when we come back the potty is out (forgotten) and the child BEELINES. It was hilarious, she carried it all around the house sitting on it every few feet. And putting her dolls, cups, Elmo inside. So we let her have it. And, somehow, we have begun (as, in started…and may not continue) potty training. Our seventeen month old.

To be fair, rumer has it that both Tony and myself were potty trained early, like 18 months. But, let’s be honest, we can’t very well verify these claims. No offense parents.

Ali totally understands the concept and tries so hard (pushing, etc.) that she gets frustrated and cries. She has yet to go. She was running around diaper-less this morning though….and peed on her baby doll! It was rather hilarious, she dropped in on the floor (the doll) and then just let it go. Now she says pee-pee bay-bee, so they’re going to be associated for quite awhile.

If you have kids, when did they potty train? How successful were your attempts?

Last week it was actually warm enough to get in the water a bit.

Ali reading about the new season of Sesame Street on the pot.

She has now discovered simulated phone usage. Which involves the phoneheld in the vicinity of her ear, and screamed baby-babble. Here she was specifically "talking" to Shayla.

Riding her bike…today! (Which means we’re up to date)

And more phone chats.

Nighttime is just as painful. She continues to wake uo every hour to hour-and-a-half with usually one three hour stretch. Isn’t that worse thanmost newborns?!?! I might call the doctor soon just to….I don’t know. Just to do something??? But that’s a whole other issue considering we’ve seen a different doctor every time (three of them) we’ve gone since moving here and we hear [hope!] there’s a permenant one coming soon but it’s hard having no established relationship.

I am working on drastically cutting down my caffeine intake because that could definitely be having an effect. Went from having two cups in the morning to mid-morning and one about 3pm to having one and half before noon and today having one about 10am. So we’ll see. No real improvements yet, but UGH. What a hard time to cut down on the stimulants. I kind of feel like a walking zombie.

Tomorrow we’re going to the Tillamook County Fair which is exciting. Next weekend we’ll be in the Portland area for the Lewis family picnic and for a wedding. Next week we are spending a few days in Off Our Rocker again. And by we I now mean Tony, as we discovered it works best if he just goes over there with his laptop and does his own work. I am working on enrolling for some classes in the fall through PCC. it has been especially difficult since I’m going to begetting financial aid (which involves tons of hoop jumping) and I’m finally transferring credits from three different colleges. I have to go next week to take a math placement test at TBCC (Tillamook Bay Community College), which I’m trying to study a bit for but it’s kind of depressing to look at stuff you know you know (or knew) how to do and realize you no longer have more than a faint inkling.

So we’re busy. And tired. And we’re had nary a sunbreak here since last Sunday! Which is so frustrating for me.

• It been grey, rainy, even windy for the past two days. I can’t handle this weather. In JUNE no less.
• Tomorrow Tillamook is having a city wide garage sale event and I really want to go. Sure hope the weather permits.
• Next week we will be spending a few days in the Portland area for TRISTA’s graduation. I can’t believe she’s graduating.
• I can’t believe it’s been FIVE years since I graduated.
• I am started to get very excited for Iowa.
• And kind of nervous. Told Tony I need to start "practice packing."
• Some photos of our big 11 month old on the potty:

• And in the bath:

• And a few days ago when we had a nice one and got to spend time outside:

I few random things I’ve been meaning to post about but kept forgetting. The first was ages ago, but Ali made her first phone call. TO CASS! She loves to play with our phones (has temporarily disabled both of them by getting them wet either by slobber or other means) and one day somehow called Cass who then answered and was quite confused. Also, a few weeks ago Ali not only let someone hold her, but initiated it! This girl about my age, Megan, was in town working with the Obama campaign. She is the oldest of, seven I think? So definite baby experience. She liked Ali a lot and Ali liked her as well. The night our returns came in, May 20th, her and Kevin (also on the campaign) spent the night at our house. The next day at the office Ali once reached out to Megan and then allowed her to hold her for, I dunno, ten(?) seconds. Not long but that’s not the point. Then, again, she crawled over to Megan and let her pick her up. May not sound like a lot but anyone who knows this girl knows it’s pretty momentous.

Two instances that deserved being both mentioned and recalled.

First of all, Happy Birthday to my brother Jordan. I can’t believe he is twenty-one years old today! He is marking the occasion this weekend by getting his own place. It will be swanky I’m sure. I’m not sure my family realizes how much they will miss have an in-house tech guy. Congrats Jordan, on a number of milestones!

And now…I finally got Ali pooping on video. Shewas a little offput by the phone (camera) so she was less focused than normal. Warning: There is a turd shot!

I have a ton of posts going simultaneously in my head, so forgive me if I’m slow on a couple things or posting quite a bit.

Also, today we were 3-0 for pooping in the potty! She is getting so good at it!!! We hope to catch it on video soon

Though a little cloudy today and yesterday, the weather here has been gorgeous. Tuesday I spotted flowers blooming out front and plucked one up to put behind Ali’s ear. The niceness has allowed use of Ali’s new stroller which she seems to really enjoy. Also….BIG NEWS! The least two nights Tiny has fallen asleep in her crib! Stop and take a sec to listen to celestial cheering.

The frist night, Tuesday, I spent two hours in there with her. At first, about quarter after eight, we started on the trundle but she’s been increasingly just clinging to me, which defeats the purpose. She she was sobbing anyway and I decided to just stick her in her crib. Which, she totally surprised me by being okay with. She played for a loooooong time, so joyed atbeing able to pull herself up and then trying over and over again to figure out the get down part. I sat on the stool next to her bed until I was too tired and then I sat on the floor. Even after she was too tired to keep her eyes open she kept climbing up, until she fell asleep standing. Whenever I’d lay her down she’s scream (I think more b/c she though I was picking her up) but finally she had no fight left and fell asleep. It was 10:20pm.

She woke less than an hour later and wouldn’t got back to sleep so her and I slept on her trundle (for the second night in a row). Last night she feel asleep faster, woke up again about an hour later, but this time I was able to get her back to sleep w/o picking her up. That was probably nine-thirty? She slept until 12:45am! It was amazing. Tony and I went to bed at ten we were both so tired. Ahhhhh. I can only hope this trend continues. When she woke up I just picked her up and took her down with us though. I’d promised Tony we wouldn’t abandon him again and had no clarity of mind to deal with it.

Other progress. On the potty! Again, a poop this morning. And she loves it! She’s happy to get on, begins to push right away, doesn’t want off until she’s done and then makes it very clear once she is. This can only be good. Also today we’re beginning the implmentation of baby sign language, beginning with signs for "milk," "more," "toilet," and "eat." Will update on how that goes.

Also yesterday. Tony and I gave blood. His first time ever, my first since high school. Let’s just say he struggled a bit, but we are so proud of Father Bear! He even managed to talk about a future business deal before the color returned to his face. Ali, also, was amazingly good. She sat on my lap the whole time, didn’t even grab at my arm or anything. The blood drive was at the Lions Club right across the streetso there were a lot of older people there that really enjoyed Ali’s presence. a few even came up and thanked me for bringing her. As if we had a choice!

Friday morning we drove to my parents’ house. We hadn’t been there since Christmas and needed to make a trip. We also were in dire need of a Costco stock up. And a Target visit. My grandma was moving out of the apartment she’d lived in for nearly twelve years and, temporarily, in with my parents and we wanted to help. After helping clean the house a little we ventured out to visit my Nana and Grandpa. Nana had a new stent put in a heart valve last week and is still recuperating (very well I might add) but was as happy to see us and we were to see her. Ali was on pretty good behavior and even let Nana hold her for awhile. Which she wouldn’t let my dad do! She cried the first time she saw him. Ah, the joys of spending 24/7 with your parents.  Then we went to Costco and blew a lot of our recent earnings. Is it possible to get out of there and NOT do so?

Trista was gracious enoguh to volunteer to baby-sit for us Friday night. Although I’m pretty sure my mom helped a lot and Alyssa too. Tony and I have had a gift certificate from my Uncle Bill for Olive Garden since before Ali was born and we finally got the chance to use it! The food was good, the break was great, but going out as parents is definitely a whole different thing than going out as a couple. We are so indebted to everyone who was home because Ali cried, probably mostly scream-cried, the whole hour and a half. She dropped off to sleep just as we hurriedly headed home. And then woke up an hour or so later…

By then it was past her bedtime and she was up for awhile so her new "schedule" was kind of busted. Which I knew it would be, leaving home a few days after first implementing it. But, as Tony said, there’s always a reason not to start. Eventually you just have to do it. Though the girl got to stay up pretty late for a few nights, I was impressed with how quickly she fell asleep…and I think almost always without nursing! There were even a few good by herself naps. Next time though, I’ll definitely take the baby monitor. Spending the whole nap running back to peek in the door because I’m paranoid about her crawling off the bed (she’s done it before!) makes the whole thing pretty pointless. At least for me.

Saturday we convinced Alyssa to come to Babies’R'Us with us. One the way there we drove by this firefighter training burn. I have such a fire phobia but, still, this was cool! Anyway, we’ve been needing to get an umbrella stroller ever since lugging the high chair around became mandatory. With a little car, those two items take up too much room. But then we got swayed by the nice strollers. After a day of thinking on it (realizing it made no sense to buy a cheapy one now and a better one later) and a coupon hook-up from BRU employee Ms. Jennifer Dower, we returned the next day and purchased Ali’s new wheels! Mother and Father are stoked and Ali is currently asleep in it.

After perusing what I mentioned felt like a baby factory, we stopped to visit Cynthia at work across the street. We so do love to surprise but not be surprised. Cynthia has a bump!!!!! It’s so cute and I am so excited to find out if it’s a boy bump or a girl bump. In the evening we went over to my aunt and uncles to have a lasagna dinner after everyone got my Grandma moved. Once again, Ali was showing off all her new tricks. Aunt Yvonne brought out some new toys which were a bit hit.

Sunday we went to chruch with my family. During the service I took Ali down to the nursery. We’re trying very hard to expose her to new people as much as possible and yet…as controlled as possible. I’m sure it’s very probably much of the problem is us I stayed down with her, she had no intention of letting me leave. There was only one other baby, two weeks older than Ali, and neither of them had been around babies much before. They were soooo cute playing together. Sarah, the other little girl, had two clips in her hair. But Ali crawled all around her until she pulled both of them out. Which basically proved my theory that the only reason she leaves clips in her own hair is because she doesn’t know they’re there.

In the afternoon Trista snuck us into her palce of employment, the North Clackamas Aquatic Park, so we could take Ali swimming again. And, again, Ali loved every minute of it. Even though it was so crowded and so noisy she just had a blast. Afterwards she was so tired but so calm. I’m not sure it even hit her until Monday when she had some mega naps.

We were going to come home Sunday but after swimming we also were exhausted and decided to just leave early Monday morning. Btw, early for us = like ten or ten-thirty. We got home about twelve-thirty, got everything unpacked (our car was absolutely STUFFED) and…back to the daily grind. Amazingly, Ali has THREE poops in the potty yesterday. She’s been on a two days w/o poops, one day with a lot schedule. But, she’s also kind of struggling. I still think with those top teeth. She’s had a mild fever since Sunday and last night had that cry, the one where you can tell that something hurts. Her and I ended up sleeping up in her room last night and she seems to be feeling better today.

Alright, now the child has woke and her andI need to hit the road to Tillamook to get groceries. The hope was to have them before lunch but she feel asleep on the walk to the post office. So, lunch may have to be a bit late. Hope everyone had a good weekend and has a great week! 

This morning Ali pooped in the toilet. She’s been peeing for months now, though we’ve slacked a lot of putting her on it. Then, as if to somehow prove it wasn’t a fluke, she did it again in the afternoon. both times almost immediately after having been put on. This whole thing is really more Tony’s deal than my own, but he is too busy to post. He is SO PROUD of his tiny pooper.

Yesterday I finally was able to pick up the crackers Kari recommended. Baby Mum-mums and Ali absolutely loves them, just as we knew she would. The way this kid has been interested in food, especially crunchy things like popcorn and even carrots, there was no question she had been just waiting to sink all four of her teeth into something. I tried a bit and they are really good too. Definitely a step up from rice cereal. Though the girl has been trying a lot of stuff lately. Tiny peices of pickle, grape, apple, pancake, pineapple. Mostly she just likes to pick them up and drop them down her front.

Today was another beautiful day at the coast so we decided to let Ali get out and get real dirty. She getting so mobile, which is such a trip but also so scary and stressful. It seems like every time I leave her for a second there’s a bump and a scream…today there has been more than I can count. Once she awoke from a nap on the trundle in her room and crawled right off the bed. *sigh* I’m not sure how to avoid that since she won’t sleep in her crib and now SCREAMS everytime she’s even close to being put in it (she used to like to play in there) since we spent a couple nights trying to get her to fall asleep in there. Last night though I did get her to fall asleep kind of "on her own." I laid in the bed in her room with her but didn’t interact with her or anything, no nursing or singing and I would close my eyes whenever she looked at me, until eventually she fell asleep. It took over an hour but other than that the hardest part was not laughing when she was being so cute and razzing on my arm or "singing" or whatever she was doing. Of course she woke up less than an hour later and I just took her down to our bed, but it was something. Anyway, she’s smacked her head so many times today I’m watching her pupils because I’m worried about a concussion of something. At least she had a very good time scrambling around in the sand.

Also, Ashley neglected to mention that we got her a training potty so she can get some serious peeing done.

And lastly, today we trekked to the Rockaway Beach Health Clinic (right across the street) for Ali’s belated four month checkup. 24 inches, 13 pounds 8.5 ounces, and she was spared shots because they have to get the Rotavirus one in. We’re going back late this week to do the dirty work.

You can’t really hear the pee as it happens, right after 1:30. But it was there. This one, also, is very cute.