No matter how hard I try to keep Rose away from the sickness it finds her. Today she got bamboozled.

Both girls went swimming this morning anyway. But tonight they’re both wiped out & just…sick. My lap has been a rotating snuggle fest between the two of them. Maybe I need a bigger lap.

Artsy view:

The biggest thing we’ve been up to the past few weeks is potty training! It was a rocky start, beginning with using the little potty chair. She did great starting out with that. Then she used the regular commode one night and she never wanted to use the potty chair after that. I got her one of the little seat inserts for the toilet and she used that for a few days, but then decided she didn’t want to use that anymore. Then there were a few set backs, frustrations and even flat out refusal to use the potty.

But the past few days there’s been an amazing transformation with her. She’s finally “getting it”. Today was the first day she spent totally out of diapers. I took her to Target to pick out her own underwear (she chose Paul Frank monkey panties and Disney fairies, cuz she’s all into fairies these days). She successfully used the restroom while we were there and I was astounded. Yes, this is what my life has been reduced to…

We’ve also hit DRESS UP stage (my favorite)! She frequently leave the house wearing strange little outfits. After Easter she refused to leave the house without wearing her bunny ears. One day it was one of daddy’s t-shirts. Some days it’s the devil hat. And the other day she was in full on fairy mode. It’s really fun to see what she comes up with and in Salem, no one cares!

Her communication and speech patterns have changed dramatically. For the most part she has learned how to properly use her pronouns, especially when talking about herself. She’s very polite (although still learning). I love when one of us says thank you to her she says “YouAre Welcome.” It never fails to pull a giggle out of Forrest and me.

It’s crazy to think that she’ll be 3 years old in a few weeks. People weren’t kidding when they told us that the time would go by fast. It has but it’s been amazing to watch her transform from infant to toddler to an incredibly beautiful, smart, sometimes stubborn but mostly silly little girl.

I was upstairs (of course) so when I came down we made a HUGE happy deal about it. I made her show me the potty and we did a happy dance, praising her the entire time. She was very proud of herself.

Today she’s going without pants again and sure enough she told me when she had to go. We ran to the bathroom and she used the potty. More happy dancing, more praise and hugs. She asked to wear underwear so I just put some on her. We’ll see how she does while wearing them.

However, she’s not so keen on using the potty. She’s so used to sitting on it with her clothes on (it’s been in the bathroom since last summer) that to sit on it with her bare bum freaks her out. Patience, patience, patience…

The score so far:

Panties: 5 pairs
Potty: 0 (**sad trombone**)

“Rest your head it’s time for bed
Rest your head it’s time for bed

Dream of cotton sheets
Dream of gazing stars
Dream about your birthday
Dream of planet mars

Just rest your head
Rest your head it’s time for bed
Rest your head it’s time for bed

Dream of autumn leaves
Circle as they dance
Dream of golden gate
Dream of Paris, France

Just rest your head it’s time for bed
Rest your head it’s time for bed”

Rosie did about as I expected. She was a sticky mess with fuzz and cat fur all over her hands, the stick, some of the candy and her face. But she was having a blast. I didn’t care as long as she didn’t jam the thing down her throat or in her eye. She didn’t do either but she was such a mess that I had to sneak it away from her after a certain point because the stick was all bent and destroyed. This kid’s not known for her gentle touch.

She wore this hat all day

not happy.

Rosie’s nose is just as snotty, but she’s taking everything in stride. I noticed that she’s got two more teeth coming in (her fangs!) so that could be the culprit. She’s been sleeping her little head off all week long. Except last night. Last night was a battle. Could be her teeth bothering her. I noticed she was digging at her ear (hope it’s not an ear infection). Around one in the morning when the Tylenol finally kicked in, I was falling asleep and she was having a grand time chatting with herself.

In between all the snot and sickness, we’ve been doing our usual things. Lots of coloring, playing with stickers, dolls, building castles and dressing up. I got Lulu some new butterfly wings, a purple tutu, crown and wand. She loves them! She walks around saying she’s a “pretty fairy” and has a “magic star”. She is turning into such a little girl.

I attempted to sit with Rosie so she could color with crayons, too. She scribbled a few times, tried to eat one and then just started to throw them around. I have a feeling she’s not going to be the type to sit quietly and learn things like her sister. She’s an action packed kind of girl, happiest when being hung upside down by her ankles.

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve been taking the girls to music classes since the beginning of the year. I signed us up after Christmas because I figured they like music and it would get us out of the house at least one day a week in the middle of the winter.

Well, the first couple of weeks were a complete nightmare. Luckily the toy store the classes are held at are literally steps from our front door so schlepping them both there wasn’t too difficult. But Lulu was less than thrilled with being there. The first couple of weeks she just clung to me with a big sourpuss on her face and would use any excuse to go home (hungry, tired, poopie-pants…). And she would try to escape the class any chance that she got.

But last week (5th week in) there was a definitely change in her attitude. Every now and then she’d have a scowl on her face, but this time she was actually smiling, talking in class and dancing around without clinging to my leg. And yesterday in class she was singing along with the songs. Rose always had a great time in class. She’s not afraid to venture around the room, go up close to the teacher, grab instruments, bounce with the music and clap in the appropriate places.

I think it was a good experiment signing them up for the class, but I honestly don’t think I’d do it again. It’s pretty expensive and for what we actually do, not worth it. It’s getting us through this horrendous winter, but next year Lulu will be in preschool and the days that she isn’t, both girls will be older and we can actually find things to do outside of the house.

I’m beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel now that February is almost over. Until spring gets here, Lulu will continue to care for her quadruplets, hug the kitty, scream in his face and then yell “come back here, kitty!” when he runs away. I will continue to try to get Rosie walking (she still refuses sometimes, but is getting more receptive to the idea) and try to keep her hands out of the cat’s water dish…C’mon Spring!