Clarification

For those of you who didn't catch it all in my last post, I was talking to my brother on the phone last night with my crying baby in hand, and told him to tell Naomi that if she had a spare day and was bored (Ha!), she could come hold my baby for me. I am feeling so far behind! This cold has been awful for Ashleigh, and the thing she wants the most is to be held. The last several days she has just cried and cried. So not long after telling Paul this, Naomi calls back and said she'd come help me for about an hour--her girls were down for the night, and Paul would be up a while yet anyway, so she'd come help me!
So she came and put my baby to sleep after I fed her, read Kaylie a book, helped right the living room, and cleaned up my kitchen while I did various other tasks. She was the blessing I was needing last night, to be sure.
You moms who have had sick children know the frustration of feeling like you can't keep up in the first place, after having a new baby. Then add two sick children on top of it, and you get so far behind you feel it'll take you weeks to catch up! My only reason for being on here now, is because I'm eating my lunch after I put my girls down and decided I'd do two things at once--eat and check email at the same time.

So if you need to feel you've been a blessing--reach out to a new mom, and you'll know you've been God's angel in disguise.
God Bless your week!

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My Special SIL

This post is dedicated to my special Sister-in-Law, Naomi Yates.

Dearest Naomi,
Even though you don't get online to read blogs, xanga sites, etc., much anymore, I wanted to publicly thank you for your help last night. Not just anyone would call their family, friends, whomever, at 9PM and offer to go help for an hour. Your generosity and loving kindness meant so much when you could've been home sleeping or cleaning your own house. Knowing you were putting aside your own needs to help a harried new mom who was feeling too overwhelmed with all that's been happening in life lately and a house that was going to pot, told me how deep your commitment was to your extended family and the love you feel for me.
I thank God my brother married you, and that you're now living only 15 mins. away!!!!!!!!
I Love You, Naomi!

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Guess what!

Well, friends, the potty training is going to happen before our trip this summer after all, I think.
Kaylie decided Saturday night at 10:30 that she wanted to sit on the potty after her bath. So out came her little potty again.
Nothing happened, but I decided we're going to go with this. So Sunday I asked her one time, and yes she wanted to, but nothing happened again.
This morning I asked her, and she sat there a while, eating her breakfast while I showered, and lo and behold, while I was combing my hair, she said her bottom hurt, so I thought, here we go, it's about to happen! I was right, but on the wrong #! =] So I guess we're going to be potty training this week around other catching up around here.
Thanks to those of you who gave advice.......anyone else care to add your piece?

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My Girls

Both of my girls woke up this morning with colds or allergies again. Enough said.

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Gone

The pacifiers are GONE! Kaylie is totally weaned off her pacifiers!!!!!!!!!!!
I pretty much just went cold turkey on her for the nighttime weaning. She's been having to go put it back in her bed daytime, but for any sleeping times, she's had it 99% of the time, so I knew that would be a battle.
Wednesday morning I took it from her and we started bedtimes without it, and we haven't gone back since. Yes, she's asked for it--she still does some--, yes, she's cried, yes, it's hard on Mom, but NO, I won't back down, and I've thrown them away so I can't give in, no matter what! She's doing really well!
So thanks for praying and remembering me this past week--keep praying for us! It's not totally over yet.
Whew, I didn't realize it would be this easy, even though it's been somewhat difficult...........

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Change of Plans

Thanks to those of you that gave your advice/comments on potty training. I've since decided I will wait on that until after we're back from vacation. I've decided instead to work on getting rid of the pacifier. My daughter is as attached to her pacifier as we Southerners are to sweet tea. I can get it away during the day, telling her to go put it in her bed, it's only for naptime/bedtime. Be warned though that when it's time for bed, you'd better have that paci handy or you'll have a teary battle.
So I've decided I'd rather be able to only have Ashleigh's paci to worry about while we're away. Taking a pacifier away is much harder than a bottle, though. For Kaylie, I weaned her from nursing to a bottle and then to a cup of milk. She was already drinking from a cup for quite some time till I did this, but not a milk cup as such. So she's been relatively easy to wean from other things, but this paci thing is going to be tougher.
Today is the first day of no paci in the bed. I've decided I have to stick to it, no matter how long she cries. Pray with me that it'll go easier than I'm anticipating! Today's naptime only involved a minimum of tears.....I've a fear night time might be harder though. "I am resolved no longer to linger........"
I've debated cutting the paci's nipple as others have done, but I think that would only serve to aggravate her, rather than solve the problem of taking it away completely. She wouldn't want to give it up that way.......she'd just get upset, I think. So!
For those of you who've gone this road before or are doing it now, any tips?

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A Parent's Rave

Noah's Big Boat
This is one of THE best children's books I have ever read! And through the years, I've read quite a few, but this one tops any I've read, for activity level. My sister sent this to Kaylie one Christmas and I put it away until she was old enough to enjoy it. A couple weeks after Ashleigh was born, I was looking in a drawer for something else, and found this book! To say Kaylie is enthralled with this book is an understatement. We read this book all the time! Kaylie was learning how to count before this book, but reading these pages has enhanced the counting, and she now knows her shapes and colors too. Oh, did I tell you she's not 2 yet? Her birthday is around the corner........My point in bragging on her knowledge at her age is to say that this book brings out the best in them at such a young age. I'm astounded at how well put together this book is, and how easy it is to teach little children these important 'skills'!

I highly recommend this book as a gift for your child or anyone else's!

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Today's Running

Today was a different day. This morning, Kaylie and I left Ashleigh at home with Daddy, so she could nap while he did homework on the computer, while we went shopping at a flea market here in town! We were gone several hours, and I had great fun! I found great bargains today--I think I covered some of my list, and may have deviated some.......but there are some things I'm always on the lookout for that I just don't put on my list--like diaper genie refills. They're always on a mental list.

Then after there, since it was raining till we left and it was lunchtime/naptime, we headed home. We had our lunch, Kaylie got put down for a nap, Ashleigh finished fed, since her bottle didn't seem to top it off, and then I swapped daughters and headed for town once again! Left Kaylie at the house for her nap, and took Ashleigh with me, who napped most of the time too. Did some Goodwill-ing, some exchanging at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and of course, the last stop of the day--Walmart. Good ole' Walmart.
Speaking of Goodwills, my main purpose for going to those places was to find a sandbox for Kaylie for her birthday. I couldn't find anything. Anyone have a sandbox for sale or know of somewhere I can find one, free shipping? Now is when I really wish I could've brought all my daycare stuff with me!!!!!! Mats, playgym (one of those Toys R Us slide/house combos--Little Tykes brand or whatever it was), turtle sandbox, basketball goal, indoor slide, etc.........but I sold all of it to various mothers and the next sitter.

So if you run across a sandbox for free or something, let me know. =]
Now since my hubby is sacked out on the couch with terrible sunburn from yesterday, my girls are bathed and in bed, let me go find some chocolate and sit down to read some more of "23 Minutes in Hell". Quite a fascinating book. It really brings out the seriousness and awfulness of hell, to me anyway. Ever read it?

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So we've heard

My thoughts are in a turmoil as I write this evening. I received my letter from MCG today, and I "have been selected to serve on the alternate list for 2008." This means that, if someone (who has been accepted at MCG) decides that they want to go to another school (where they have been accepted as well) that they will select people from the alternate list to fill the class. While this is better in many ways than getting an outright rejection letter, I do not like the idea of having to potentially wait until the very end of summer to find out what I will be doing for the next year, as it literally could go until the very beginning of August before I am invited; on the contrary, I may not hear at all, meaning that I must wait until next year. Please pray for us: Lezlie and I are both very disappointed with this outcome, but we know that God is in control and that He has a Master Plan in all this.

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Life

For those of you wondering, we haven't received word from MCG yet. Vernon finally called last Friday to find out why nothing came last week, and they said the last letters went out that day. So why we haven't received anything by today, we don't know.
Please keep praying for us. This is really testing our patience and our faith in waiting upon God and HIS timing.

On another note, I've decided to shelf the potty training for right now. Last week started out with my plans getting changed to chaos on Monday, so that had me scrambling for the next several days to catch up around the house. And yesterday Kaylie woke up with a runny yet stuffy nose again. Whether it's allergies or another cold, I'm not sure yet. Today she's coughing some. So I decided now is NOT the time to work on it.
Plus we're getting company tonight for supper.
Tomorrow a friend is coming over to help me with a dress pattern.
Thursday night Vernon and I are having a date night and leaving the children with my brother and SIL.........overnight!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not sure how I'm going to do with this, but Naomi offered, and I could use the sleep.
Friday we're going to be at the farm for at least a couple hours.
So as much as potty training is about training the mom too, this week I'm not sure how to change my plans when this is the only time available for certain activities.

So she waits.

Want to come have dinner with us tonight? Chuck roast, scalloped potatoes, green beans cooked with bacon, homemade rolls, and lemon lush for dessert.....................and of course good ole Southern tea..............

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No Letter

We still haven't heard from MCG yet..................

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