Mixed Bag This Week

The last two days of been full of conflicting emotions - joy, worry, contentedness, anxiety.  Thank goodness for the good stuff because the other stuff has been a real bummer.

On the good side of things, I. has been in a more positive mood this week and we continue on with our attitude of gratitude which has been really good and I think has softened her heart towards me and is developing a better relationship between us.  That makes me happy and it also helps greatly when I do need to discipline her.  Most of the time my approach is more gentle and she accepts it better.  Today I purposely built in time to play with D. and it was great.  We played cars for awhile and then played with his kitchen table set which he loves.  I enjoyed showing him how he could put his favorite animals at the table and pretend to make food for them and serve them.  It was neat to see him "get it" and really enjoy this new imaginative play.  What is amazing is how he will play by himself happily for long periods of time.  I had heard about kids like this but never had experienced it.  I can be doing something and he'll be happily playing in the same room or the next room.  Even tonight when I went upstairs to put I. in the shower, he came upstairs and was playing but came and told me that he wanted to go downstairs and play.  So he played downstairs with his garbage truck and car for at least 20 minutes until I went down and brought him up for a bath.  Amazing!

Still so thankful for our house...we love our bunnies in the front grass in the morning and at bedtime and a little family of birds in the backyard in the afternoon.  The kiddos and I ate a strawberry a piece off of our little plants for dessert and it was so sweet in many different ways.

I don't want to dwell on the bad stuff, just want to get it out of my brain so here it is:

• Parents' dire financial situation
• Feeling the need to insert myself into a situation between my brother and my parents
• My older cat having possible seizures possibly due to his chronic kidney disease/failure (will know more when I talk to the vet on Saturday)

I know there are only three but that first one has become a real doozy.  It probably wouldn't stress me out as much if we hadn't reduced our own savings account greatly when we bought our home and I felt like I had more latitude in helping them out.  I swear their situation has got to get better and soon.

Vegas And Surprises

At Christmas, I surprised V. with a Vegas trip this past long weekend for his Christmas/birthday present.  We left on Friday, came home this afternoon.  The kiddos enjoyed their time with my parents and we enjoyed our adult time in Vegas, our first since right before I was pregnant with D. in 2010.

Of the last 3 Vegas trips which would take us back to 2007 (I think), this one was the best because V. and I were on the same page.  I won't go into details but there just weren't any Mr. Individual episodes which have got him into trouble in the past.  Again, another example of D. healing us.

I was really missing the kiddos while we were gone, especially D.  I know that sounds really bad but I thought about it and this is why.  I. is already in school all day long and I have already gone through a grieving process with not getting to spend very much time with her during the week so it's not as drastic a change as with D. who I spend most of the day with.  And since he really isn't quite the 2 year old that my intense daughter was, I really enjoy his company instead of looking forward to getting breaks from the intensity.  I also miss that time at night when we snuggle together in the rocking chair, talk about the day and sing together.  We may not be nursing but this skin to skin, together time is still our own time, to reconnect and move into sleep.

About 2 weeks ago, I got the potty seats out from the garage and set them up much to D.'s excitement.  Since he's not even 2 1/2, it was just an exercise to get comfortable with what they were especially because D. became very interested in the potty book and his best little friend is now officially using the potty which is of interest to him.  So for a couple of weeks he's been sitting on it off and on enjoying the novelty of it.  My main goal was to teach him how to sit on it properly and to position his wee wee (yes, I know it's not politically correct but I can teach him the alternative name for it when he's 5) behind the hat (as I've nicknamed the pee guard).  I mean come on, I'm a girl what the heck do I know about these things?! 

Well, in just a couple of days he mastered the "push the wee wee behind the hat" but was like a jack in a box - sit for 3 seconds, up for 3 seconds etc.  I figured he had at least learned how to sit on it so that was a step in the right direction. 

We all get home tonight and after bath he saw the potty (for the first time in 4 days) and said he wanted to go potty.  He sat himself down properly and he and I hung out there talking about how his eyes got soap in them and were burning.  He actually sat there for almost a minute because he was distracted.  Then I told him he had better go have Daddy put his PJs on if he wanted read time with Daddy so he stood up to go find him.  I glanced in the potty and lo and behold there was a bunch of pee in there!  There was a big family celebration with a ceremonial pour into the big potty and D. was so excited.  I can't believe it.  Tonight he said he is going to tell his music class that he went pee pee in the potty.  Fingers crossed that there is hope that D. is easy to potty train.  God knows I deserve it as a reward for my patience with I.'s potty training marathon.