Call of Nature

A couple of weekends ago, whilst shopping at Target (both a Mommy and Harper favorite) Harper became fascinated by the wall of kids underwear.  After a very long debate, she decided that Minnie Mouse underwear were for her, so we threw them in the cart.  I was hoping to get to potty training this summer while I was off work.  Harper had a different idea.   Last Thursday morning she saw the freshly washed underwear in her laundry basket and said "I wear underwear."  Well, there's no arguing with a two year old who gets an idea in her head, so she put on her very first pair of big girl underwear.  I sent a few extra and told the lovely ladies at daycare that there was absolutely no pressure, and if she went back into diapers, no problem.  That evening when I picked her up, I was truly shocked to see her still wearing the same outfit I sent her in.  Day 1, no accidents all day.  Well, since then it's been an awesome surprise how quickly she is picking it up.  She's had a few accidents, and of course the dreaded number two (although we had our first one in the potty yesterday).  I am so impressed at how well she's doing, although I'm also a little sad because it's another step away from being a baby.  I have picked up a few tips to share with any of you embarking on this journey

1. Pack Post-its:  They are perfect for sticking over the sensors of automatic flushers which scare the crap out of Harper.  She even requests them. "Mommy, sticker, no flushing"
2. Toilet Rings:  You know, those cute little rings you put on the big potty to make it small butt size.  We take ours everywhere.  It's so much better than having to hold her on bigger public toilets.
3. M&M's:  Not a new idea, but definitely a great one.  We give two for peeing, and four for pooping.  Daycare gives gummies I think.

So in honor of my ever growing little girl, here are some pictures of the new "Big Girl" things Harper has been up to.

Checking out the Fire Trucks at COSI

Running through the sprinkler

Mowing the "lawn"

Playing "Daddy Hockey"

Update Part 1

So yeah...It's been a month since my last post.  May is by far my busiest month at work and I seriously haven't had time for much of anything.  So I will update you on the past month in a couple segments

Harper's Birthday Party

Harper's Birthday party had a train theme.  I am trying to decide if I'm a buy it at the store kind of mom or a craft it myself kind of mom.  I decided to trial run this year and make all the decorations myself.  I used Pinterest for the first time to look up some ideas and found some great stuff.  Here are pics of what I put together.

Snack train filled with all of Harper's favorites

Railroad Crossing sign above the gift table... There was another on the front door.

Play area for the kids.  Harper's train table in the basement was also a big hit.

I also made her happy birthday banner but apparently forgot to take a picture.  Harper had a blast at her party.  We had a bounce house in the back yard which was the best thing ever.  She did a great job reading her cards and thanking all her friends for the presents.

The Terrific Twos

Last Friday Harper turned two. I cannot believe two years has gone by since I brought this little lady home from the hospital.

Having a two year old is so awesome. She is funny, smart, cute, and makes me laugh every singles day. Her second birthday has been really hard for me. When she turned 1 I was like "cool, she's not a baby anymore." Turning two means she's really not a baby anymore. I love this age so much.

For her birthday, we woke up and opened presents. We got her a Happy Birthday Thomas the train, some Thomas the Train wall clings (she's obsessed with these things), and a Dora puzzle book. She LOVED opening presents.

Then, she and I actually got to hang out because I had a personal day from work to attend a funeral. So we made brownies to take to her friends at daycare and had lunch with Auntie Em who was in town for the funeral as well. My sister picked her up from daycare and she spent the night with my parents. They had a little party for her where she got ice cream, some new toys and an adorable new outfit.

This weekend is her party. I have been crafting some things which I will share, but I think the best part is going to be the bounce house. She loves to jump so I know this will be a hit.

Here are some of my favorite picks of my lovely little pumpkin head.

{I love this picture because she is concentrating so hard}

First running injury

I put in 7 miles today which is the furthest I've ever gone. I felt pretty good. It was raining, so I did it at the gym which was totally boring, but it was a good mental game to push through. I suffered my first injury. Apparently I cut a toe with the toenail of another toe because I took my gym shoes off to find a bloody sock underneath. Made me feel like a reel runner. Only three weeks til the race!

Saturday in DC

Another great day in DC. We woke fully rested after a long day yesterday, and apparently under-nourished because Harper at three bowls of cereal and half a peanut butter sandwich before we headed out the door.

(our hotel room is like a mini apartment, so we bought supplies at the CVS)

We hopped on the subway, Harper's new favorite mode of transport, and got to the Natural History Museum when it opened at 10. We got to see fish and lots of bones. In the insect zoo, Harper held back at first, but after seeing other kids do it, she walked right up and petted the hissing cockroach.

After a couple hours in the museum, we headed out to the National Mall and found a grassy area to eat lunch and watch people fly kites. Then we just wandered around and enjoyed the beautiful weather and views.

We headed back to the hotel, where Harper napped, and keeping myself honest, I went for a run. It was a great run because I had so much to look at to keep me preoccupied. Before I knew it 3 miles had gone by.

After nap time, we wandered past the White House and just meandered around until dinner time.

The restaurant we went to served soft pretzels as their bread basket, and once her dinner arrived Harper had the brilliant idea to dunk her pretzel into her macaroni and cheese. Sometimes she amazes me with the things she thinks of.

Tomorrow we plan to spend the day at the zoo and then we head home.

Friday in DC

For Joe's birthday this weekend I planned a family trip to D.C. We started out bright and early Friday morning with a 7:30 flight. The plane only had like10 passengers, so even though Harper was technically a lap child, she got her own seat.

We landed and rode the metro to our hotel. We dropped off our luggage and headed out. We made our way to the American History museum. Being the train lover she is, Harper was fascinated by all the big "chop choo's"

After the museum, Harper was so exhausted, she passed out in her stroller while we ate lunch and walked around the mall. She woke up as we were walking around the Washington Monument, so she got to enjoy her lunch in the shadow of the "big tower."

Then we headed to the tidal basin to see what brought us here...the Cherry Blossoms. We rented a paddle boat and headed out on the water.

WE had heard that the trees blossomed early this year because of all the warm water. We were expecting to see trees that were half green and half blooms. We were wrong. All around the basin were just green trees. We saw a single tree still in bloom, so we paddled over.

The funniest part was the crowd of people around the one tree. They had come to see cherry blossoms, so by golly they were going to.

A great first day in our Capital City.

Up Hill Both Ways

At least that's how it felt last night when I logged my first five mile run. It was a beautiful night and I started out pretty well, but after the first mile I think the next two miles were at a small % uphill grade, which in small amounts you probably wouldn't notice, but over longer distances I could really start to feel in my butt. So when I hit the turn to head back home and knew I would be getting some small declines I was stoked. That's when the wind hit. Apparently I had the wind at my back the whole time. So even though I was headed down hill, the wind in my face was pushing back against me.

All in all though, I did 5.05 miles in 50 minutes. I'm very pleased with that. Now that I know I can do the 5 mile distance, I can focus on picking up the pace a little. Just a little over a month til the quarter marathon!