Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit

This is my Irish Princess







This photos are owed by myself and are not to be copied or reproduced without permission.

Potty Time!

Well this post is a bit late. The last 2 weeks we have been in full potty mode and Amelia is doing GREAT! I was so nervous starting this journey because I had no idea what I was doing. It's the first time so far in parenting that I'd have done anything to call my mother and ask questions!

Thankfully following her lead has worked wonders. Week one I started by asking her every 1/2 hour or so if she wanted the potty. If she said yes great, if she said no that was fine too. I'd gently remind her wee goes in the potty. She'd nod lol. So week one she filled 5 stickers on her chart doing wee and got her treat.

Week 2 (first half) she did great and got 10 stickers in 3 days and earned her next treat! The remainder of the week she earned another 15 stickers! AND we had 3 successful poo on the potty moments! That lead to treat 3! She has also been asking to use the potty and has brought herself to the potty when wearing no pants. Sadly we can't go pant less because it's too cold (still!)

Over the last 2 days Amelia has earned another 11 stickers (2 for poo, 1 for wee) and is WELL on her way to treat number 4!

I cant believe how well she's doing because I really thought this would be a nightmare because she's so stubborn but here we are!

Treat number 4 is a new book but I've a feeling she will look for another icecream which has been the requested treat :) What ever works!

We'll be moving on to the mobile potty from tomorrow. I should mention we have NOT taken her out of diapers. We have swapped to pull ups. I know a lot of people will say this is the wrong way to do it but you know what? It works for my kid. I don't care about the masses.

Go Amelia!

What a room!

I went through all of Amelia's toys and toy boxes tonight. I wanted to cut down on the amount she had lying around. When we were in Paris we bought her a Mr Potato Head. Well she played and played and played with that thing, but I noticed since being home she hasn't been playing with it for more than a few minutes. Same with all her toys. I then realised she just had to many options. To much around and it stopped her actually sitting down and playing.

So tonight I cut everything down. The playroom is spaced out and she has her beloved books, puzzles and imagination toys (her dolls house, tea set ect)and the living room has a few smallers things, her Mr Potato Head, tent and dolls pram. I won't even begin to list what I threw out or put up. I must admit a lot was thrown or put for charity. She got some presents over the last few months that really are not things we'd normally let her have. Things where you press a button and watch the toy play. They've just been lying around because she's not interested in them either (thankfully)

She of course has her art box, sticker box and random bits and pieces she seems to always have near her. I must say the playroom is looking pretty fab right now :) Won't last long. She'll be down to destroy it in the morning!

Down down down

Week 2 and i'm 5lbs down. My goal was 2lbs a week so i'm happy to be a lb over. I'm planning on loosing weight slow and changing my way of thinking about food. So far so good. Though I do still crave chocolate :)

Hello Terrible TWO's!

Amelia turned two in November but her emotions have just turned two. Now I have to admit she's not doing TOO bad. She has her screaming fits, her NO NO NOs, her kicking, slapping, not wanting to get in the car, not wanting to get into her pram, wanting to go to her Grandads ALL the time....wait what was my point?

OK so she has tantrums. We were in an infant store the other day looking through cots ect (planning ahead) and she has a HUGE meltdown. So right there I put her in a time out. My husband and I spoke as normal as she screamed on the floor. A few minutes and she was being carried around having a cuddle. Before I became a mom I remember seeing women struggle with toddlers in stores during tantrums. The child would scream, the mother would be red faced and everyone around would look. I understand now that it's just a part of development. The less I react, the better the outcome.

Usually a warning to behave is all Amelia needs. Today for example when I was taking her out of the car to go into the store she decided she didnt want to go in her pram. She kicked and screamed and happened to be wearing VERY hard boots uch. Anyway, I stood her on the ground, gave her a warning to behave and happy as larry we went around the store, in pram, without a peep.

I'm SO thankful for time out. We don't use it for everything but she does often get a warning. It's enough to snap her out of a fit. Sometimes her emotions run away with her so I ask if she needs to go sit on the stairs. Sometimes she'll say yes and she'll go and scream, let it all out and come back in when she's ready.

I'm sure there is worse to come!

Welcome 2011!

So this year WILL be different! Sure it's starting off the same as any other. Promises of a healthy start, excerise, being a better me. BUT this year WILL be different because I WANT to change. I don't want/need to shed a huge amount of weight but after TTC for the last year with no new born in site we have decided to put all on hold until Summer 2011. That gives me/us till then to get back in shape. Not only in hopes of a little one, but in hopes of a better pregnancy that ends in a positive way.

I have my wonderful husband on board and he's been ordered to be strict on me and we'll push each other. He doesn't need to loose an inch but he's wants to be fit like in his good old army days.

I want to be the best example I can be for my Amelia and being healthy and confident is top of that list.


Lets GO!

The road of Motherhood

So many things have surprised me about motherhood. Most more amazing than I ever imagined. Sadly with those good points there are always the bad.

Jealously

I never once thought someone would be jealous of how I parent my child. OK I'll admit that I have decided that I will go out of my way to insure I don't miss a beat when it comes to raising Amelia through these first few years. I take her education seriously, I make sure she has a wide food palate and I try to "home school" her to a level she can understand.

We have NEVER talked down to Amelia or used "baby talk" and we always explain things to her to avoid tantrums where possible and we do not spank. Amelia is 9 times out of 10 very well behaved. I believe baby wearing has made her a very confident little woman and I am SO thankful for the ladies that introduced me to it.

I spend a lot of time planning learning activities for Amelia, planning the next step to take with her, making sure my husband and I are both on the same page so she has balance.

I strive to be a great mom. I try hand make things, I go OTT for her birthdays, cakes everything. YET others seem to think what I do is stupid and don't agree with the way we raise Amelia and YET I discover time and time again that they copy, sorry, attempt to copy every little thing I do. Instead of using it as a point of contact, a point of similarity, it is used as a weapon to put down my parenting to satisfy something THEY lack.

I find this is common between working moms and stay at home moms. My husband and I decided when if we were going to have children I would stay at home to raise them. We decided to give up things in the present in hopes that our decision will benefit our children in the future. I have no problem with women who work it's just not for us. Yet I'm tired of being pointed at for being "obsessed" with my child.

Well I will continue to be obsessed with her and our future children. That is why we want children. We are a couple who enjoyed changing everything in our lives to move on to the stage of being happy to just sit at home, together, with a sleeping child at night.