Tales of the Potty

Where to begin? I think that the term potty "training" is an inadequate description of the process. It's more like potty "adventures." Who knew the fun and utter horror of the entire process! However, Ella is doing a remarkable job of conquering this feat. I'm very proud of her efforts and may I say that as excited as we were at the prospect of no more diapers we now are seeming to go through an entire box much quicker than before. Ironic how that happens. Anyway, Ella has mastered the "pee pee dance" and as Matt and I found out tonight, when she says, "tee tee pot pot" that is exactly what she means! It is an event if there ever was one and one deserving of great celebration. Whoever happens to be here, whether one or many, all have to accompany her to the restroom to take part in this that brings her great joy. Immediately after hearing the tinkle hit the water, Ella throws her hands up and squeals, saying, "good girl! jay bean?" Yes, she gets rewarded with jelly beans when she uses the potty. I guess this could have easily turned out ugly, but surprisingly enough she does not go to get the jelly beans, she goes when she has to. It is equally as funny when she walks in the bathroom, squeals with her hands in the air and says, "good girl momma, tee tee pot pot!" And then offers me some "jay beans." May I say that it has been quite a long time since I received such positive reinforcement for such an act.

The other night Matt was getting Ella ready to take a bath. By getting ready I mean taking off her clothes. Anyway, he took off the diaper, set Ella on her potty and she did once again make the sound that she so loves to hear. In the midst of clapping and squealing I walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to retrieve her jelly beans (and by beans I mean one, maybe two) when I hear from down the hall..."ABBY! Clean up on aisle 2!" Laughing, I headed back to the bathroom with clorox spray and towel in hand. Matt now understands that after that initial tee tee you have to do one of two things. Either immediately re-diaper her or immediately put her in the tub. There is NO lag time in potty training. Now, the dilemma...there I am with jelly beans in one hand and disinfectant spray in the other. She did tee tee in the potty, but she had most recently tee teed in the floor. I figured that she was more than intelligent enough to know that the jelly beans were for the latter. We'll leave discrepancies for another day!

This is just a random picture of our first pony tail, which by the way she LOVES! She brought me a pony-tail holder tonight and insisted that I fix it for her.

The Tiny Artist, The Harvest and The Pool Princess

The Tiny Artist: Matt is an exceptional artist. He draws and paints very well. This is one of many things that impressed as well as surprised me about him when we first met. You certainly wouldn't have guessed this about him by simply looking at him...narrow-minded, I know. Anyway, he has lately resumed this hobby. Most recently when he drew something for his mother for Mother's Day. Watching him has obviously inspired Ella to do the same. She loves to draw and color on her notepad (tables and walls much less frequently, but not excluded-sometimes she just gets excited!) I am currently most thankful for Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser! Anyway, she has such a serious disposition while she is participating in this activity. She knows exactly what she's doing. This is mostly how she occupies herself while I am cleaning or cooking. Though she loves to color with Matt as well. She tells him what to draw (usually a dog or crawfish-ever since the crawfish boil we went to last month) and then it is amazing to watch her so resolutely trying to copy what he did. I hope this is a talent that she will possess. Clearly, it is something she acquired from her father seeing as how her mother can't draw stick people.

The Harvest: Since gas prices seem to be soaring at a steady and unsettling rate we decided to try to grow our own food. Well, in all seriousness Matt has always wanted a garden of his own and now he has it. This was our first "harvest" of the year. Squash (it's apparently supposed to be round and that small), cucumbers (which if I say so myself were divine) and peppers. We also planted several types of tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, and banana peppers. None of which were ripe at this point in the venture. There is something quite liberating about growing and preparing your own food. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I sauteed the squash with butter, basil and sugar and it was quite a hit. Apparently, Matt doesn't even like squash, but he seemed to enjoy the creation!

The Pool Princess: Sunday afternoon Matt went to Wal-Mart and bought Ella a baby pool. Now she can be outside while he works in the yard or basically whenever she wants without melting in the unbearable heat. Here are some pictures from her play day in her own personal pool:

She played with the styrofoam bowl and plastic cup for almost an hour. She said she was using it to, "cooks chick chick".

Sharing her "chick chick" with mama. P.S-She has "real" pool toys...they were in the house.

Posing for the camera...She did this all by herself! Please meet the next Tyra!

Just a little more serious!