Big vs. Cute

So as many of you visitors to our blog probably already know, Chris and I are expecting our second child, due in the beginning of October. This pregnancy is a new animal for me because I am pregnant during the opposite time of the year that I was pregnant with Maeve. This presents some new challenges for me, the least of which would be dealing with the heat and humidity. My wardrobe was certainly lacking in the summer maternity clothes department but I've had many family members and friends step up to make their donations to the cause. We hosted Jen and Katie and Katie's boyfriend, Jon for dinner last night and Jen brought with her a belated birthday gift for me. Probably, the cutest maternity dress I have ever seen. It's the "little black dress" for all the prego women out there. Anyway, I tried it on before Jen left to be sure everything fit correctly and that nothing obscene was falling out. It fit pretty close to perfect and I instantly felt cute, semi-attractive again and somewhat hip if I do say so. I strutted my stuff into Maeve's room where I found Jen and Maeve in the rocking chair reading a few bed time stories. I stood in front of my discriminating audience and asked "isn't this dress super cute?" Jen immediately responded with great satisfaction and poured on the compliments. And when Jen was through I turned to Maeve, seeking her approval which I was pretty convinced I'd get considering how much she loves to dress up herself. Her response? "I don't know about cute Momma, but it's big."

Potty Progress

These last few weeks have been nothing short of intense as Chris and I (and our fearless day care provider, Pat) forge ahead in the great big (scary) world of potty training. I have felt so bad for Maeve who seems like much an innocent victim in all of this but at the same time, the star of the show (if she wants it bad enough). I remember a few weeks ago telling Pat when I dropped Maeve off at Rocky Hill Day Care that Chris and I had started the potty training process. Pat just looked at me, smiled and asked, "how often are you putting her on the potty, Bridget?" I inhaled, pushed my chest out a little and said proudly, "oh at least 3-4 times a day." Pat smiled gently, nodded her head and and said, quite simply, "oh no, Bridget, once you officially begin potty training, it's all or nothing." Meaning, every 30-45 minutes, put Maeve on there, whether she wants to or not and see if she'll go. I felt, slightly deflated, knowing we were off to somewhat of a start, but that Chris and I had our work cut out for us. Three weeks ago, I bought Maeve some "big girl underwear" and some pull-ups and it's been potty boot camp ever since. Actually, there were a handful of random (lucky) times, that Maeve produced both #1 and #2 on her potty for us, but over the last couple of weeks she has preferred to reserve the #2 experience for her underwear instead. I've tried desperately to read her cues (the strained, reddish face when she's ready to do #2) and have tried to get her on the potty before anything actually comes out, but she simply changes her mind, waits until I've taken her off and then slips away into a more private area of the house to take care of business. This morning, however, I'm feeling as though we have made significant headway. The pull up which we put her in at 7 PM last night remains completely dry as I type this entry. And several times over the course of this morning Maeve has said to me, "Momma, I have to do tinkles and poops." Since 7:30 AM this morning we "tinkled up a storm" on the potty and then, around 11:30 AM, she looked at me, very upset and said, "Momma, I have to do poops. Can you carry me to the potty?" I grabbed her and whisked her away to her throne and within 10 seconds, heard the resounding thump. The eagle had landed. She recognized the need to do it and got the job done. So those pull ups we put on last night? They're as dry as ever and Maeve is two stickers richer on her potty "wall of fame."