Potty, Ponies, and More Pictures

Hi Luthien,

I am really going to try to make this short, just focus on a few recent pictures of you. You and I had a good day today. I'm sorry mommy feels sick so much and my patience wears thin. The baby seems to be taking a lot out of me lately (more than I remember with you), but you are such a trooper about it. There have been a few moments where I've cried, and you always shower me with kisses. Although, in these moments you always get really worried and say "it's okay" a lot. I feel really bad about upsetting you but I know these are good emotions to learn about.

Okay, on to pictures...

I'll start with these great potty training shots:

Around our house, I keep you naked a lot. I have been trying to get you to learn the whole going potty in the toilet vs. diaper/floor for some time now. I guess I haven't done anything super consistent, but mostly because I've been trying to feel out if you were ready or not. Conclusion: don't let the first picture fool you- you're not really ready and I don't think I should force it. Although I would love to have you trained by the time we have a new baby, I think we're going to stay in the stage we're at and not push it too much. You really have never actually let your potty out on the toilet yet, even though whenever I ask you, you excitedly run there. So, we will continue to be naked and talk about this whole potty business as much as possible. I know you will love the naked part.

P.S. Notice the super girly necklace you are wearing. This was given to you by a friend and of course with all the pink, purple, and shininess you LOVE it. I must confess that I sometimes hide it so you won't ask to wear it. I also have to mention that last week you insisted on walking around the entire neighborhood wearing only your necklace and shoes. I was able to get baby legs on you only by repeatedly explaining that you would get an owie if you didn't put something over your knees.

Next, here is a gem from the Phoenix Zoo. You loved this Komodo Dragon and we were able to get really close. You kept calling him a snake because he sticks his tongue out like one, but when we came home we practiced the difference between them (and lizards, since you confuse them too!). One of your favorite activities is to have mom draw animals, so we did this for a long time and wrote out their names and talked about them. I think I've mentioned that I am a terrible artist, but getting better since you force me to practice every day!

And here are a few pictures that show your very first "pony," as we call it. I have been unsure what to do with your hair now that the mullet is back. Dad always wants to keep it long, and this time I sort of agreed with him, although I have to trim your bangs somewhat. We have refrained from styling your hair at all, so your first pony was a big deal. We can't believe how grown up you look!

After a couple of failed ponies (single, that is, and when I say that I just mean that they fell out after about 5 minutes), we attempted two ponies, which we sometimes call piggies, depending on our particular mood. This is all kind of a big deal for mom also, because she's really not good at styling hair. Of course, you can see that the end result is nowhere near perfect, but suitable enough for a 1 year-old I think (especially since they still end up falling out- piggies have a life span of a few hours max we've discovered).

And here is one more picture with mom, 7 1/2 months pregnant. Don't let the front view trick you- this baby (and you, for that matter) only shows from the side. We tried to get another view of the double ponies/piggies but you were moving too much, so this is the best we got!

Recently we got to visit your Grandpa Ed and meet your new "Grandma" Sue. You warmed up to Sue really fast (as did we) and loved all her toys, and especially her turtle, Petey. You had so much fun that you cried when it was time to leave! You can't wait to meet her two other turtles who were still hibernating when we visited.

And lastly, two shots from our painting fun today. You were really loving getting your hands messy today, which was fun for a change. You can see your camera smile in the first picture, and in the second picture, how intent you were on your painting.

I realized I left out a lot of new words and phrases last time, but I decided they are getting too numerous to mention. So from here on out I'll just make note of major language milestones and/or some really classic things you say.

Love you,

Mom