October is ALWAYS a very busy month for us...here at home with the girls and also at work. It is right in the middle of our fall travel season at work and while I do not travel as much as I used to anymore, I do usually pick up a few things that either no one else can cover or that I really want to go to- definitely a perk of being the boss :)

So, this weekend I am traveling to CT for a chiropractic convention (because the person we asked backed out) and then the weekend after I am in Washington Dc (mostly because my boss wanted me to go), and while I am looking forward to both trips, I am sad to leave my girls. They will be in their Daddy's very capable hands...hope they don't drive him batty!

Riley also has a bunch of things going on both at school and after school and they both have a few days off this month because of teacher conferences and mandatory furloughs, so we had to arrange for other care....Todd's birthday is at the end of the month, Halloween and our Halloween party (just decided to do that one) and miscellaneous other things and that makes me a bit of a controlled- schedule freak....think I have it all under control- at least at this minute!

Showers

Riley has decided that she is too old for baths so for a few months we have been taking showers. I say we because at first I had to get in there with her. She does not do well at all with water in her eyes, so I had to do everything for her while she stood there with a towel over her eyes. A few weeks ago I decided she was old enough to start to do some of the showering on her own, so for a while, I stood outside the shower and did everuthing while she stood there with a towel over her eyes but I ended up getting just as wet!

So, I told her that was it- she was learning to do this herself and after some nashing of teeth and a bit of histerics, she is doing pretty well. I still have to tell her what to do, but she pretty much does most of it herself.

Well, last week, Annie happened to notice that Riley was taking a shower. Before, with me in there with her, I guess she just wasn't aware of what was happening. But this time, she noticed and she wanted to get in there with her!

So, I put her in and she played a bit and just got wet....but tonight she decided to take a shower with Riley again and this time I did wash her hair and her body and got them both clean in one shot. I have to say, while very cute, it was also quite convienient and I hope that Annie will continue to want to do this....even though she does love her baths, too....we will see what happens....

The potty training chronicles

As I write this, Annie is walking around, sans diaper and pants as we continue to work on the potty training! Not sure if my memory is fuzzy from time or if I have just blocked it out (probably a little of both), but I just don't remember doing this with Riley. I know that we had issues with her early on, and then we backed off and she essentially trained herself.

Annie is actually doing pretty good, for all of the complaining I do! We bought her a little potty seat for the toilet downstairs since it is too far to run all of the way upstairs when she needs to go. She picked it out at Walmart last weekend- a Thomas the Train seat since she likes trains so much.

Today, Todd took Riley to the church where she does her Upward Cheerleading for a celebration service and I stayed home with Annie (we joined them later for lunch). Annie was watching some Wiggles while I emptied the dishwasher and she was singing and dancing for a while, and then I realized she was quiet. I looked and she wasn't there anymore, but I found her in the bathroom...she had pulled down her pants, taken off her diaper and climbed up on the potty seat ALL BY HERSELF! Now- her pants were wet, so I am not sure if she had an accident or just missed, but either way, this is an excellent development!!!!

You can probably look forward to many more stories since I have a feeling this will be a long process, but regardless, she is progressing so I guess that is all that matters!

Pottys and alarms

So, the potty training continues. It is a slow process :) Annie is doing pretty well at night- when she doesn't have a diaper on....as soon as I put a pull-up or her big girl underpants on her, she goes in them. If she is nakey- she does fine! But, she is learning and that is all that matters- I can deal with the diaper thing for a while longer (not that I really have any choice in the matter anyway!).

Riley is doing well- she got her interim report card last week and got ALL A's on it...of course! She has quite the busy schedule lately- and that means so do I!

This morning Todd woke up at his regular time- around 6 am- and Riley was sitting up in her bed, with the light on, completely dressed. Her alarm doesn't go off until 6:35...when Todd asked her what she was doing, he learned that she had woken in the middle of the night- she claims around 2:30 when she supposedly heard her alarm go off. She got up, got dressed and then realized what time it was! Poor thing must have gone back to sleep with her light on and never woke us! She has done this once or twice before- claiming to hear the alarm go off- but never that early and she has never gotten dressed before....I feel so bad- she is going to be tired tonight!!!

Oh, well...that is about it for now :)

Let the training begin....

You might have noticed on my Twitter feed that Annie used the potty intentionally the other night. Most nights I strip her down before putting her in her pj's and she sits on the potty in front of the TV until she goes. Doesn't really count because she is sitting there anyway! But this night, she was naked and just walking around...playing...and all of sudden she yelled- PEE-PEE and sat on the potty and went!! Of course, we have a big celebration and she gets a few M&Ms! But it got me thinking about spending some more time and energy to really get her moving ahead towards potty training. I know a little girl who is just a few weeks older than her who is trained already, so I know it is possible.

So, when we were at Walmart, we bought some big girl underpants- she chose Tinkerbelle over Dora- and some rubber pants that go over them (the rules at her daycare- no pull-ups because they are too much like diapers). I have some Pull-ups from some friends, so we can still use them at home and when we go out maybe- but we will start trying....and we will see how it goes!

Weekend

So, we had a rough week and I think it pretty much passed in a blur. Riley is immersed in school and has quite a bit of homework each night, coupled with cheerleading practice and piano lessons and spirit nights and football games....plus all of the emotional heartache with Angel....and some well-thrown tantrums by the little one....well, I am glad to see that week go. Hoping that this week will be better, but she also starts her religious education classes this week so she can make her first communion in 2nd grade and I have a few things going on with work in the next few weeks- well, such is our life :)

We have had a nice weekend- Saturday was the football game and Riley had to be there early for her team pictures. It rained a little bit in the beginning, but then it turned into a pretty nice day. Todd went golfing in the afternoon, so the girls and I headed to Earthfare and stocked up on some healthy food and snacks and did our regular shopping this morning. We tried to get Annie's 2 year pictures taken- a bit late, I know- but they stopped using the wooden numbers that we usually use and we really want to stay consistent if we can, so that means dressing her up again next weekend to try another place...just one more headache to deal with.

I have been working hard trying to get this house clean- and most of all- decluttered....I have thrown away bags and bags of stuff and we are planning a yard sale in a few weeks....lots of kid stuff that Riley is too big for and Annie seems uninterested in....and lots!! of clothes!

Oh, well, that is about it....Annie should be awake soon from her nap and we are thinking about heading to the pool while we still can.....later!

R.I.P. Angel

You might remember, or not, that we have had some ongoing health issues with Angel for a long time. A few years ago, she had a few bouts with bladder stones and on and off since then and then this winter we almost lost her when she stopped eating and lost a lot of weight.

Well, for a while now Todd and I have assumed that the stones are back. She was urinating everywhere...she would do it for a while and then be ok for a while and then do it again. She also started eating an unusually amount of food.

Anyway, it was getting worse and worse and we finally had to make a decision about her. A decision neither of us really wanted to make, but it was time. She had become really lethargic and sometimes would lie down on the table just to eat.

We took her in today to the vet and they put her down. She was 13 years old and lived many, many more than her requsite 9 lives. She wasn't supposed to live at all....we saved her from certain death when she first came into our lives and she had a pampered, great life.
We will miss her. She was a sweet little thing who loved attention from everyone, who liked to sleep on my head and put up with Roxie chasing her around the house. She loved chasing bugs, sleeping in the warm sunshine and hated when our babies (or any baby for that matter) cried.

RIP Angel....I am sure you and Sonny will have a fun time playing in heaven!