The bribe

Okay, so I haven't posted about potty training in awhile, but here goes. When my mom was visiting we started working on potty training again since she would be here to help. Needless to say, Emma Catherine has been wearing "big girl underwear" ever since. She has done so well and only had a few tee-tee accidents. Unfortunately pooping in the potty has been hit and miss. Last night we got her to use the potty by telling her we would take her to get an ice cream cone. She was so excited. Today when she used the potty she thought she needed another ice cream cone. I really don't think that I'm starting a good trend but the fact that she is pooping in the potty is encouraging. I didn't have an ice cream cone at the house today but after lunch I let her have a slim-a-bear ice cream sandwich. If you don't know about them, they are "so good" as Emma Catherine says. They have no sugar added and only 2 grams of fat but all the taste. I couldn't resist taking a picture of face after her "big treat." (another phrase she likes to use)We started Bailey with vegetables on Monday and I was so pleased that she did so well. She ate them like a champ and on Tuesday she even got mad when I stopped in between bites. Hopefully she will like the rest of the vegetables as much. Also, my sister in law suggested we try the single grain oatmeal instead of the rice cereal and that maybe she would eat it better and she did! The last few days she has eaten all her oatmeal and hardly spit any out.
Well, Friday we are off to the beach and I am so excited. Can't wait to blog about our trip.

Rice Cereal

Bailey started eating rice cereal last week. I am not sure that she really likes it, but I do remember that it takes time for babies to get used to spoons and swallowing something other than milk. I'm still working on finding the right consistency. If I make it too thick she makes gagging noises and acts like she's choking, and if I make it too runny she spits it out. I have only been giving it to her once a day, but soon I'll start trying it at dinner too. In a couple of weeks, we'll move onto veggies. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm hoping she will be a good eater like her big sister, but sometimes I'm not sure. Bailey isn't as good of a nurser as Emma Catherine and will pitch a fit if I try to make her nurse longer than she wants. It makes me wonder if she'll be a picky eater. I guess only time will tell.

Painting

Today Ryan got called into work so I decided it would be fun to paint with Emma Catherine while Bailey took her morning nap. She had a great time even though we made quite a mess. Here are some pictures.

4 Months Old

Yesterday we went to the doctor for Bailey's 4 month check up and shots. We had to go late because my doctor was on vacation when she turned 4 months. We had a great check up and Bailey smiled and laughed at the doctor. The shots were obviously another story. Here are her stats: weight - 14lbs 12 oz (80th percentile) height - 25 1/2 in (90th percentile) head - 42 cm (75th percentile). As a comparison, when Emma Catherine was 4 months she weighed 16 lbs 12 oz and was 25 3/8 in tall. All-around the doctor was very pleased with how Bailey is doing. Now we can start rice cereal and then in a few weeks we will start stage 1 veggies and fruits. On a side note, I was very glad my mom was in town so she could watch Emma Catherine and I didn't have to take 2 children to the doctor myself. My mom and Emma Catherine went to the mall and they had a great time together.

The Big Playground (and our backyard)

as Emma Catherine calls it. For a year we have been working on our backyard. When we moved to Tennessee, we realized that level lots are hard to come by. We settled for a slightly sloping backyard with a basement which was something that Ryan really wanted. We thought it would not be too hard of a project to make our backyard a little more level...boy were we wrong. The wall was actually never finished until May of this year because we were waiting on another load of dirt to make the area level. Once we finally got the dirt, Ryan laid sod and then he put together the swing set that Emma Catherine got for her birthday in January. She calls it her "big playground" and I think she has played on it everyday since Ryan finished it.

Here is a picture of the backyard when we were looking at the house.

The wall with the dirt Ryan building the fence around the wall

The yard with the sodThe last 2 pictures are of the girls on the swingset

Happy 4th of July!

Swim Lessons

For the past 4 Saturdays Emma Catherine has been taking swim lessons at the YMCA. We didn't think she would learn to actually swim on her own during these lessons, but they have helped get her more comfortable with the water. Last summer she really didn't even want to go in the water, but she is now a lot more brave. The classes were inexpensive and a little disorganized but overall, we were glad she did it. Also, this was a chance for Emma Catherine and Ryan to do something special together.