We have POOOOOOOOOP!

Alright, folks. Listen up. We're talking fecal matter today.
I know it's probably TMI to post this info on my blog, but I don't care. I need to keep record of this...
Em went poo in the loo for the first time this morning. Yayhoo!

She's been sitting on the potty a couple times a day over the last two months - we've read, sang songs, danced. And up until this morning we've only produced one small pee in the potty.

And then it happened!
After two months, Em's #2 was finally in the loo. She was such a little superstar. Knowing full well what was happening while she was doing it. She didn't freak out at all. She was so proud of herself afterward, as was I.

The stinky smell of success! It was a very exciting moment. We marched enthusiastically to the kitchen to get her a well-deserved treat, a Hersey's Kiss. Okay. Two well-deserved Hershey Kisses. I've been holding those above her head as bribes for a long time now. I'm so glad she's finally able to reap her reward!

I know we have a long road ahead of us with this potty training gig, and many accidents await. But this was an amazing step in the right direction! We're on our way for real now! Way to go, Emi!

Country Village

Took Em to Bothell's Country Village today with friends. This village has been around for decades, as the structures are pretty old. But it rules! Super friendly ducks and roosters roam about freely, there are bunches of pathways and stairs for the kids to explore, and a kid-friendly coffee shop is nestled in there, too.
(loads of toys for the kids, lots of caffeine for the sleep-deprived moms)

Here's cute vid below of Em chatting it up with the foul. She digs animals the most! She kept saying, "more doo, more doo" as in "more cock-a-doodle-doo."

You can catch her counting "1,2" ducks in this vid. As well as saying "bye, duck!"

Ice Skating Olympic Trials

Matt received complementary tickets to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships (a.k.a Olympic Trials) in Spokane this weekend. So we dropped the kiddo off at Grandma and Grandpa's house and flew east for an overnight stay in the Republican land of enchantment.

Check the digs at the Davenport Hotel! They shacked us up in the honeymoon suite because they were overbooked. Ooooooh, la la! Alert: the Davenport Hotel has THE BEST mattress and pillows I've ever rested my weary body upon. It's pretty much up there with the Four Seasons. I think you can purchase the mattress for $2,000. Oh, holy sleep. I've never slept soooo good.

Yes, that is a jet tub in the middle of the room. Matt made it there at the end of the night.
I, however, did not. Damn comfy bed. ZZzzzzzzzz. We were out until 11 p.m. Party animals!

Triple sow cow? It's more than likely not. I just wanted to say it. Sounds funny.

The moves these ladies pull on the ice are stunning. Makes me want to join a yoga class. I can't even touch my toes in a sitting position, let alone lift my foot behind my head while spinning in a circle!

The lovely Miss Sasha Cohen. Didn't do so hot. Word on the street is she's considered "old" now at the age of 25. Zoiks! Sports are so hard on one's self-esteem.

Charming little town, that Spokane is. I could handle living there, but only temporarily. They are lacking in the drive-through latte stand department. But they have a Pottery Barn! Score!

Epic Weekend!

We've had a 3-day weekend with Papa. What a treat for both of us! He works so hard keeping this family afloat, that rarely does he get an opportunity to spend quality family time with us.

After 1.5 lazy days this weekend (mostly recovering from our wine party - see below), we decided to take Em to Richmond Beach for playtime. I wanted Matt to see how much she could do now. Believe it or not, this was probably only his second time with Em at a park. And the first time, she was too young to really play on anything. Now she is a slide machine! LOVES going down the slide all by herself. It was an amazing afternoon and weekend.

WINE-A-PALOOZA 2010!
Saturday, we had our 2nd annual wine party with our friends. It was a hoot! Lots of wine, food and great company. The winner was a $17 bottle of Catena Malbec (you can find it at Costco) and the loser was a bottle of HORRIBLE blackberry wine. The owners of the wine claim it was sitting on their shelf for nearly 3 years, and it tasted like it! It was a very controversial bottle - most thought it was a home brew. Thanks for bringing it, Tim and Lisa!



The last survivors. I believe this was near 1 a.m.

Miss Congeniality

Em is a chip off the ol' block. Over the past month, she's developed quite the funny little personality. It makes me wonder what will be in store next!

Yesterday's chuckle: Em frequently gets "time outs" on a wooden step stool. It's apparent she is pretty familiar with out the process works because yesterday I witnessed her giving her baby a time out. The dialogue went something like this: "Baby. Sit down. Stay." (with hand up in air) Em left the room for a second, came back and finished with: "Okay, baby. All done. Mwwwwwwahhhh." (she said while kissing her baby on the forehead)

The day before yesterday: Em leaned down and blew a kiss to her "poopie" going down the toilet. If only we all loved our feces the way she does.

This month: Papa taught Em how to give fist or "knuckles". So now Em walks up to people and puts her fist out for a bump. It's her way of saying hello.

Em and her babies:

Em and her new fake smile.
This cheesy grin does NOT make for a pretty picture!

Em and her pup

20-month update: Em still has no teeth, so I made an appointment for the dentist next month. Just wanna see if those little buggers are even in there and when the hell they are gonna come out! Love her little gummy smile, but enough teething without teething already!

Em went pee in the loo for the first time this week. Hooray! I think she was a bit freaked out by what happened, so she has yet to do it again. But she's quite happy sitting on the potty while Mama reads to her. Not many successes yet, but we're on the right path.