Every little thing she does is magic

Two days ago, I was a pregnant mess.

I'd had a good OB appointment while Molly was at Mother's Day Out. However, being told that you are not showing any signs at all of being ready to have a baby is rather disheartening at 37+ weeks. Then, after being put down to "nap" Molly (though fully clothed) somehow managed to poop on the floor. And walk in it. After 30 minutes of cleaning 2 year old, clothes, and carpet, my afternoon was complete. My hysterical crying/yelling reaction ruled out any nap on Molly's part, so we sat in a chair and started to read some books.

It's crazy how the littlest things give you a good kick in the pants. After reading a couple of the usuals, Molly brought me a book about "lasts". (ie - the last time you rock your baby to sleep, the last time you tie their shoe...) After a couple pages, I was crying (again). That book should carry some kind of warning label on the cover.

It's so easy to forget to appreciate the little wonderful everyday things your toddler does. I sometimes forget how little she still is, even though she's able to do so many things now. The last couple days, I've been trying to take it easy and enjoy our last bit of Mommy and Molly time.

I love snuggling with her first thing in the morning. I love how she asks for "brestest". I love how she sings Jingle Bells, ABCs, and Signing Time songs constantly. I love how she can't get both feet of the floor when she tries to jump, and how she is so proud of herself every time she does a "flip" (somersault).

Things are going to change forever very very soon. She has no idea. I don't think I do either...

Jingle Bells

Molly's favorite song is "Jingle Bells". She's been singing it non-stop since she saw a Christmas Sing Along video in late November. Today she was singing it at the top of her lungs as we walked through Wal-Mart, much to the amusement of many other shoppers.

This is a video from early December, but it's super cute.

Potty Time

We began potty training in earnest a couple weeks after Molly turned 2. By the week before Christmas, she would go days without any kind of daytime accident (night/naptime doesn't count :-p). We could go in public in cloth big girls, potty while out, and arrive home dry and use the potty. I was thrilled, as I'd wanted to have her mostly trained before the new baby came.

Then came the week of Christmas... By the time everyone left, she was refusing to use the potty at all. Since then, we've been clawing our way back, flush by flush, to where we were before the Great Potty Backslide of 09. The latest positive development is Molly's newfound ability to get on and off the big potty by herself. For now, the novelty of this is helping her attitude and motivation a LOT.

When Molly potties, she may ask for a candy (I don't offer it). The candy of choice one mini m&m. She doesn't just want the candy though- she wants Minnie Mouse or Hopkins to give it to her. She got a Minnie Mouse pez dispenser for Christmas. We quickly ran out of pez (and man, is that stuff impossible to find at the store), but mini m&ms are small enough to fit. Molly will ask for "Candy from Minnie Mouse's neck". The first time she said that, I just about died. "Hopkins" is a frog picture frame that greatly resembles the beloved frog character from Signing Time. She asks for "Candy from Hopkin's tummy". This means that I must place the single m&m on the stomach part of the picture frame and hold it for her like a waiter with a platter.

I know she will hate me for this when she is 13, but I can't help myself. Here are some things Molly has said after observing the result of a successful poop in the potty:

4) "It's kinda like a finger"

3) "Is it a potato?"

2) (when two rested at a right angle) "Look! It's a letter T!"

and my favorite:

1) (seeing several stacked together...) "Aww... it's a family!"

11 months since the last post... but who's counting!

I've been using Facebook as a twitter/blog for sharing amusing stories with friends and family. However, I thought I might start this up again, since Molly's little sister is due very soon!

Yesterday, Molly and I were preregistering at the hospital. While signing in, I heard Molly say "That's Captain Sword." (This is what she calls Captain Feathersword from the Wiggles). A couple seconds later, she said "He's kinda like a pirate.". Upon turning around and surveying the room, I saw that there was a gentleman with an eyepatch. Nothing like an observant, articulate 2 year old to make life interesting.

She is very into Dora now, and also enjoys the Wiggles, Sesame Street, Thomas, and our old standby, Signing Time. A few days ago, I listened to her quote about 2 minutes of a Dora episode along with the movie. Clearly, we need to watch less Dora :-p However, I love that she will randomly say things in Spanish! Maybe I need to get her Muzzy ;-)

Molly LOVES to color. Thankfully, we are no longer dealing with her love of eating crayons (as detailed in the 11 months ago post). I got her a new set of markers yesterday, and she literally played with them for an hour and a half after her nap. It was wonderful!

Soon to come: a potty training post...