Sickening

I've been going back and forth with myself on whether or not I wanted to do a post about the oil spill.  I think the reason I haven't is because I have such strong feelings about it that I can't really put it into words.  I feel sick every time I think about it.  I am angry, furious really.  It is sickening and heartbreaking and I have really been trying not to read to much about it or think on it too much.  But just a little while ago I went to msnbc.com and I could not longer avoid it.  This picture was staring me right in the face.

I cried.  I couldn't help it anymore.  It is completely and utterly ridiculous that no one can stop this.  I am furious with the whole situation and with BP for being so irresponsible as to have let this happen in the first place and then being horrible enough to be down playing this for so long and for not knowing how the hell to fix it.  They have ruined our Gulf for years to come.  They have ruined peoples lives because they can no longer work.  We won't know for a long time how many animals will die because of this.  And 11 people lost their lives in the explosion. 

Sickening.

Potty Training-Day 2 and Questions for Potty Training Mommas

Yesterday was day two of potty training and Belli is still doing really well with it.  She only had one accident early in the morning.  I told her when she woke up that I wasn't going to ask her if she needed to go potty so she needed to tell me on her own.  The majority of the time she did tell me.  She even pooped twice and told me that she needed to go.  I did catch myself asking her a few times if she needed to go but for the most part I let her tell me.

I wish you could see the excitement on her face when she gets her next letter.  I am so glad I had that idea.  I am also so glad that the box of letters I bought also have the lower case letters because Belli is already on letter V.

Once she gets through the upper case letters we will start on the lower case letters.

I do have a couple of questions for any of you who have been through potty training:

1.  After how many days were you brave enough to venture out without diapers on.  When we went to dinner Sunday night I put a pull-up on her just in case.  she stayed dry but I'm still not sure I'm ready to go out with just panties on.

2.  If you used prizes during potty training what happened when you quit giving the prizes?  Is there a process to slowly stop giving the prizes or did you just quit one day?  Right now Belli's sole purpose of going potty is to get a letter so I'm afraid that once the letters run out she might decide she doesn't want to go potty anymore. 

I would appreciate any thoughts or advice.  Thanks!

Potty Training-Day 1 and a Duh Moment!

I have finally bit the bullet and decided I MUST potty train Belli now.  She will be 3 in August and just don't have any more excuses.  So this morning after she woke up and used the potty I put panties on her and didn't look back.

And so far it has actually gone pretty well!  She only had one accident all day. 

Belli LOVES letters so I bought her some letter magnets and I told her that each time she used the potty she would get her next letter.  This didn't work out well at first because she would tell me every 5 seconds that she needed to go potty so she could get a letter.  But, once she realized that she had to actually poo poo or tee tee before she would get a letter she stopped.  Now, instead of telling me she needs to go potty she just says, "I'm ready to get my (insert next letter here)."

Tomorrow may be a different story though.  Today I did a lot of prompting, asking her every few minutes if she needed to go.  Tomorrow I think I am going to quit asking her and see if she will start telling me she needs to go.  Wish us luck!

On a funny note, Belli knows the alphabet better than I do.  We went out to dinner tonight with some family and before we left Belli was on letter F.  So before we left I got the G and the I to bring with me in case she needed to go while we were at the restaurant (I put a pull up on her while we were out).  Well she went once and got her G then a little bit later she told me she was ready to get her H.  So we went to the potty and got back to the table and she was all excited about getting her H.  It was then that I realized that I had actually skipped H and went straight to I.  She was not happy that I had forgotten her H.  Obviously I need to go back to kindergarten.

Five Question Friday

Time for Mama M's Five Question Friday.  This is my first time in three weeks to do one.  Shame on me!  I was wanting to start having Belli answer the questions on video like I did once before but I work on Fridays and by the time I get home and get stuff done I just don't have time.  So, until I am done working on Fridays which I think is some time in June I'll just do regular answers for her like I was.  So here goes!

1.  Do you have an iPhone, and if so how do you get apps and what are you favorite?
No, I do not have an iPhone and neither does mommy.  I do have a thermometer though that I like to talk on!

2.  What is your fondest memory of K-3rd grade?
If I'm anything like my mommy it will be getting in trouble for talking all the time.

3.  What makes your cringe at the though of touching?
I don't really like to have any type of mess on my hands.  If I get something on my hands I will sit with my hands stretched out and not touch anything until it gets wiped off.  I'm weird like that.

4.  If you could have any celebrity show up at your door who would it be and why?
Cinderella.  Because she's friends with Jack and Gus Gus.

5.  What would you say is your best physical feature?
My eyelashes.  They are looooong.  Mommy is jealous.

Wordless Wednesday

Graduation Pictures!

Here are some pictures from graduation today.  And I'm actually in a few of them!  I really hate putting pictures on here with me in them because I've never really been very photogenic but these aren't too bad =-)

In her white gown before graduation

Belli and Me

On the stage getting ready to sing

Belli getting her diploma

Belli admiring her diploma

After graduation

Belli and me with Betty Bell, the amazing woman who started The Bell Center

Graduation Tomorrow!

Belli's graduation from The Bell Center is tomorrow!  I have been looking forward to this for over two years now and I could not be more excited.  I'm going to try and get as many pictures as possible and post them some time tomorrow.  I'm also going to video tape it but I am not sure that I will be able to upload any of the video.  We will see though.  Wish us luck!

Belli's Birth Story

Day two of Mama M's Mothers Day Mania is about the birth stories of our children.  Obviously I only have one birth story and to be real honest with you it relatively boring.  But I will tell you anyway!  I'm actually going to cheat a little because I've answered this question before when I did a Q & A post so I'm just going to copy and paste some of it.  Enjoy!

Belli was in a breech position and she stayed that way the whole pregnancy.  I scheduled a c-section for a week before her due date.  I went in super early in the morning, maybe around 6 or so.  Waited around forever.  Then Belli was born around 9:30...I think.  When they took Belli out she was not breathing.  Her first APGAR score was 1.  She bounced back quickly though and her second APGAR score was 9.  They brought her over to me and I asked to see her feet (which I knew were clubbed before she was born).  The nurses (or whoever they were) just sort of looked at each other and then they told me about her knees too.  They called an orthopedist in the next day and that's when he told me she likely had Larsen's Syndrome.  So that's my birth story!

See, it was pretty boring.  But I wanted to be a good sport and play along anyway.  Make sure and visit Mama M's blog to join in!

Mother's Day Mania-Whoopsie Wednesday

For the next 5 days Mama M will be hosting Mother's Day Mania.  Today's theme is Whoopsie Wednesday.  This is where we tell those stories that we would rather not tell.  You know, the ones about how you accidentally wacked your kids head on the door frame or wall when you rounded a corner or how you tripped going up the stairs while holding your child.  You know...THOSE stories.

For the record I have actually done both of those things but I have another one that tops them all.

When Belli was just a wee little babe (probably around 3 or 4 months) I took her to the mall with me for a little outing.  Obviously she was still in the small car seats that pop into the base and the stroller that goes with it.  So when we got there I just took the car seat out and popped it into the stroller and off we went. 

We were there for a while and it was sort of hot in the mall.  She started getting fussy and I could tell she was uncomfortable so I unbuckled the car seat straps so I could take her jacket off and so she would have some room to move around.  Then we walked around for a little whil and I got a little bit of shopping done.

About and hour later I decide to leave.  So I walk back out to my car, pop the car seat out of the stroller and put it back in the base in the car.  I put the stroller back in my car, got in the drivers seat, cranked the car up, and we were on our way home.

I was horrified at what I saw when I went to get Belli out of her car seat when we got home.  I had forgotten to buckle her back up after I took the straps off in the mall!  I had driven all the way home with her unstrapped.  All I could think about were the what-ifs.  It scared me so bad I was shaking and I just sat in the car with her a boohooed like a little baby.  It was awful.

So there you go.  My big mommy whoopsie!  Wow, it felt nice to get that off my chest!

If you want to participate in Mother's Day Mania make sure and check out Mama M's blog!