BIG, HOT NEWS!!!!

(Disclaimer: for those of you who are not parents to toddlers or older, this may be a bit much for you. Continue reading at your own risk.)

Well, she's finally done it. The task at hand is complete. Dare I speak it, will I jinx it...hmmm, well, ok, well, here goes...I think...Ok, I'm not going to speak it for fear of jinxing it, so I'm just going to think it (and type it, but typing is not the same as speaking. What?! It's not!) OK, I think ELLIE.IS.FINALLY.POTTY.TRAINED! There it is folks. It only took 3 1/2 years, but I think she finally has got it!

I know, I know, you can hardly contain your excitement, but please try.

We've had #1 down for a while, but #2, well, not so much. However, apparently she was only saving those doozies for me! She's been going on the toilet at daycare for several weeks, little stinker! But tonight, ah, on this glorious night, I asked her to go potty before bedtime, and she went in all by herself. She took a little longer than usual, so I got up to go check on her and she came out and proudly proclaimed "Mama, I POOPED!" and went on with her business. I, on the other hand, began jumping up and down and gushing all over her and praising her. She said "Aw, thanks mama. Uh, mama, why you jumping up and down??" HA HA Ha!

I'm so excited. And yet so sad...my baby girl is growing up. She doesn't let me rock her much anymore, she only wants barrettes in her hair, she wants to comb her own hair, tucks it behind her ears...She sings and appropriately interacts with the song "Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar" (which I will record and post for you soon. It is hysterical!), jumps right in and plays with the boys, and is soon going to go to PreSchool at the big kids' school.

(Sigh) Where did the time go. Why it was just yesterday that I wore a path in the carpet around the dining room table trying to get her to stop crying, only yesterday that I carried her everywhere with me because she SCREAMED when I put her down. Only yesterday that I threw out 14 jars of opened baby food that had one bite taken out of them because she hated them all...hmmm, well, maybe I'm not so sad that she's growing up! LOL!!! JUST KIDDING!!

She was a wonderful baby (minus the aforementioned parts!) and she has been such a joy and blessing to us. The boys all adore her. She makes all of us laugh every day. Her teachers at her daycare call her their little ray of sunshine (good thing I didn't take her there when she was an infant. They might be calling her something else! LOL!)

Ok, I'm done cheezin' now. Just wanted to share my joy and excitement...the boys didn't really quite get it (cuz they didn't have to change her poopy pants every damn night)!

Oh, I do have a funny little quip from Alex...picked him up from after care, driving to go get Ellie, when out of the blue he says "Mama, why don't you drink milk?"

Me-"Hmmm, well, uh, that's a great question Alex. I guess it's because I don't really like it very much."

Alex-"but Mama, it's very good for you".

Me-"yes Alex, you are right...well, I put it on my cereal. Does that work for you?"

Alex-"well, I guess that's alright."

The end...

Peace out.

Lisa

"Oh, by the way, the tree is down..."