Potty Help!

I need advice from those of you who have kids out of diapers! Grace and I (and Josh) are on our second round of trying potty training. She wasn't ready before, she did it for a couple of days but then didn't want anything to do with it and I didn't want to force her. I've heard and read that forcing potty training can do a lot of harm. This time I thought she was more ready, and things have calmed down and we're finally "home". But its pretty much the same story, sometimes she asks to go, a lot of times I put her on it at what I think are good times, before and after nap and after meals and such, but most of the time she has already gone in her diaper. I know she is only just two. I just feel like I should have three things accomplished by the time she's three, potty trained, out of a crib, and not using a binki at night. What are your thoughts? Are these timelines unneccessary? I was focusing on potty now, because I don't want to do all three changes at the same time.

Help me more experienced moms!

Pumkins!

I love fall! It was never my favorite season until Grace was born and I think it is my favorite season (besides the Christmas season of course!) now because 1. Grace was born on a beautiful fall day and 2. because I don't go to school anymore, I think that's what ruined it for me before :)

Anyways we went to this really cute pumpkin patch yesterday and it was so much fun! I would recommend it to anyone if you are looking for a place that has lots of things for kids to do. They have a hay maze, a hay slide (a giant slide made out of hay), a hay pyramid, a little bike race track, and even this little sand-like pit but made of grain that the little kids to play in. Oh! and they had the cutest little baby cow to feed and pet. And of course a hay ride! The only thing it lacked was fresh donuts! We had lots of fun, a great way to celebrate fall!

Grace turns 2!

The terrific Twos

I have been wanting to right this post since yesterday morning and am finally getting the chance. I have lots left to do, getting the house together, before Grace's 2nd Birthday party tomorrow but it will all have to wait. A year ago tomorrow we celebrated Gracie's first birthday, and I was completely shocked by how emotional I became as her birthday came near. I just kept looking at her and remembering the day she was born, how beautiful she was and how I was both completely terrified and overflowing with joy all at the same time. I was a bit surprised the past week though, as I prepared things for her birthday, how unemotional I was. I was excited to celebrate her but not sappy at all. Which was fine, I think I have just been too busy to think about anything but unpacking. But yesterday it hit me. Yesterday was the "anniversary" if you will, of my due date for Grace. And I just started to remember the waiting and anticipation of her arrival. And today two years ago is when I was induced at the hospital, lying in bed and still waiting. It wouldn't be for almost exactly 24 hours before she was born. But she came and she was perfect. I had Grace by c-section so I didn't get to hold her right away, but Josh put her tiny cheek against mine and I fell in love. (pause to go get kleenex) I was kind of in and out for an hour or so after that in the recovery room while Josh went up to give her her fiirst bath, and I didn't get to see her again until my nurse (who was an angel and stayed with me through my c-section even though her shift had ended) pulled some strings and brought me back up to the maternity floor so I could be with Gracie even though I was supposed to stay in recovry for a few hours more. Anyways it was amazing and scary and beautiful all at the same time. Flash forward to today, the day before she turns two. We spent some time, me and Grace, dancing to music this morning, it's one of her favorite pass times, and while we were dancing a strand of my hair got caught in my face, I wasn't really paying attention because we were being silly and dancing around, and she stopped what she was doing, and with her cute little fingers brushed the hair out of my face! I know, I am getting over the top sappy here, but how sweet, she truly has a beautiful little heart.

Over the past two years my biggest joy and struggle has been being a "stay at home mom".I really fought my desire to do what I'm doing now, and then once I stopped going to school and wasn't fighting it anymore, I felt like I wasn't enough and wasn't "accomplishing" enough. Now, two years later, I am confident in Josh and I's choice for me to stay home. Although I occasionally feel self conscious after certain remarks or aroud "career moms", I know that I find so so much Joy from being home with grace. For instance I love feeding Grace lunch, I know that is silly, and that there are many more important things I will do in life, but I love it. I love teaching her new things, and being there when she gets hurt, I love that I get to decide what she eats and when she naps, and just that I get to be in her presence and love on her all day. I love it. I am not writing this to make any mom feel bad who works, every single mom in my family have always worked and they are all great mothers. I'm just writing this to celebrate that I am finally ok with the fact that I love staying home and that I'm content doing what I'm doing.

If you read this Grace, someday, just know that being your mom brings me so much Joy and I love hanging out with you! You are so beautiful! Happy Birthday!

My favorite Gracie Sayings

We are getting to a point with Grace where she is learning so many new phrases and words that I can hardly keep up! I definately have mommy ears and can understand her words better than others (and so can Josh) but with new words It takes me a while of repetetivness from her to catch up and figure out what she is saying. It is really fun though, it's neat to watch her learn something that we practice all the time, and it's really cool when she picks up on things that I didn't even try to teach her!

These are some of my favorite words or sayings of hers at the moment. (and their translations!)

I wub you too too (I love you too)

bayeeg (big)

cawur me (carry me)

pee pee (means both pee pee, as well as peanut butter and pannebaker!)

she is also learning songs like row row your boat, twinkle little star and my favorite, Happy Birthday! We taught her to sing it for my birthday so she sings it to Mommy every day!

Josh and I have been going through the grueling and mostly stressful process of trying to buy a house this summer. We started the process in June and are now just finishing up! We have long dreamt of our own house, a place where we can paint the walls and settle down enough to keep the same address for more than a year. Adding to our anticipation for our "own" place is the fact that we haven't unpacked our bags since we left McMinnville in March! It will be such a dream to put clothes in a closet, sleep in our own bed, and to give Grace her own special space again! I have learned a lot from the process of buying a house.
1. Don't throw away important papers
2. If you need something from someone at a loan company, and you're on the phone trying to get it, be nice and be persistent, and call every single day until you get what you need or they'll forget you even have a loan with them :)
3. Work with people you trust
4. Focus on loving your spouse extra during the process because it's hard to be loving under so much stress!
5. Know that God knows better than you, and that having your own house is not what life is about!
About a week before we found out our loan info had been approved, I realized that although having a house would be absolutely wonderful, it would not change anything about my marriage, my relationship with my daughter, or keep me from living the life that God wants me to live.
Friends and family, thanks for all your prayers and advice; we can't wait to have you over!!
Here are some pics of our new place!

From a Veteran Two Year Old...

Today, I hijacked Leslie's blog (don't worry I got permission to help her with something)!

I can't believe Gracie is going to be two soon! Where does time go, seriously?

Maisie is about to turn three in two weeks and I'm a little sappy about it. Last year, she obviously was turning two and I thought she was SO big. I think it had to do with me being really pregnant and wanting her to act older than she actually was. But she was just a baby!

So, moral of the story, Leslie, is that even tho Grace is almost two, and she is your first, so all new age developments are exciting...PLEASE don't grow her up too fast and SAVOR every day.

We love you Pannebakers!!