Breanna, meet the potty!

Yesterday was a momentous occasion in our household!  For maybe a month now, whenever I caught Breanna "working on something" I would ask if she wanted to go in the potty, but she always said no.  Two days ago, she said yes, so we ran to the potty, where nothing happened.  We did it three times that day with no result, but hey, she was enjoying it.

Then yesterday, Daddy took her one time with no result, and then about 6:30 in the evening, I heard the grunt.  We ran to the potty and just when she sat down, she did business of both varieties.  We had an ice cream party afterwards to celebrate.  The results have not been repeated yet, but we're enjoying singing on the potty and we're really enjoying washing hands afterwards, to the point of almost having a tantrum when I turn off the water.  Oh well, you can't win them all.

The funniest part of all this is that Tuesday, as we sat for oh, so very long on the potty, she asked me to say prayers to God.  I couldn't think of anything at that moment except, "Dear God, please help Breanna to go poop in the potty."  So then later on the potty, she said, "Say prayers a God.  Poop on potty. Amen," followed by, "Say prayers a God. Dwammy (Grammy) safe. Amen," followed by the same thing for me and Daddy, and then for each Papa, "Say prayers a God.  Papa safe. He sick."  Now I can't remember any time in recent history that either of our dads was sick and we prayed for them, so I think she has them mixed up with someone else, but hey, it's the thought that counts.

Now today, she decided that she wanted to get on the potty herself.  The only way we could figure out how she could do this without my hands assisting in any way was to let her step up on my lap and then turn around and back onto the potty.  So I'm petrified sitting there with an adorable little NAKED tushie in my face hoping she waits just a few more seconds before producing any results!  Hopefully the little stool Dwammy is going to bring will help Breanna up onto the potty "a-self."

Aah, the new world of the potty.  Gotta love it!

To flip or not to flip...

Breanna has discovered that there is one light switch in the house that she can reach.  She can reach the one by the fireplace by climbing up on the arm of the big brown chair.  So she gets up there and says, "Turn yight on."  Then she'll look at me, wherever I am at the moment, and say, "Go head," over and over until I tell her that she can indeed, "Go ahead."  Then she flips the switch and says, "Turn yight on faygers," to let me know that she did turn the light on with her fingers.

The funny part is that she never asks permission to do anything else!!

Step Aside, Miss Manners!

I feel I must brag just a bit about the politeness of my child.  Yes, on occasion, she does have her moments of tantrums and rebellion and the like.  But yesterday I realized there is something we have really taught her by example, and more her daddy than me.  Whenever I burp, I usually say, "Excuse Mommy."  But Shane says, "Pardon me."  Now every time Breanna burps, coughs, or even hiccups, she says "Pahn me."  She used to say, "Syoo Me," but then she switched to Daddy's version, maybe because she hears it more often.  :-)

I wonder, though, if Miss Manners would require that anyone say, "Pahn me, pahn me, pahn me," over and over until she is acknowledged by the rest of the room.  Probably not.

Not so Frosted Mini-Wheats

On our trip to Steven & Angela's, I learned that Frosted Mini-Wheats make a good kid's snack, although they are extremely messy.   So yesterday I got some at the store, and that's what Breanna had for breakfast today (dry).  Then I let her keep the bowl while she watched Blue's Clues and I got dressed.  I just looked in the bowl, hours later, and discovered that it's full of a whole bunch of mini-wheats with the frosting all chewed off.  

Now who's going to eat a bowl full of just wheat?  No offense to the little guy in the commercials, but nobody really likes the plain side!!

Things You Don't Think You'll Ever Say Part 5...

I'm beginning to see that this will probably get up to part 987 someday!

Last night, while playing with Daddy and bouncing on his tummy, Breanna would bounce her way up, until she was over his face. At first I thought she was just getting off him that way, but then she did sit right on his face and he caught her just before she bounced. So...

"No, no, sweetie. We don't bounce on people's faces!"

You are my what???

Recently, Breanna has been filling in the blanks a lot - in books and songs. For instance, in the Curious George book from Grammy, we'll read a bit and pause for her to fill in a word that's pretty important on that page. She loves this and it shows she really knows those stories!!

Anyway, on our last visit to Grammy's, Grammy started Larry's "Hairbrush Song." She would sing, "Oh where is my..." and Breanna would fill in hairbrush. The best part is on the third line when it goes up high - Breanna actually does this and it's so cute!!!! She won't comply every time - I guess she doesn't want to overdo it or doesn't feel she should always have to perform on command.

But anyway, I've started doing this with other songs, too, like "You Are My Sunshine," some Signing Time songs, etc. Yesterday, I sang, "You Are My..." with the Sunshine tune and everything, and she said, "Hairbrush."

I about fell off my chair laughing.

Where is that milk?

The other day Breanna actually asked me to "Rock quick," meaning to rock in the rocking chair for a minute. She never wants to just sit any more, so this was a special cuddly moment. I held her like I used to and she said, "Milk." I said, "Do you want a cup of milk?" and she sweetly replied, "Milk in-a Mommy's tummy." I told her, "Yes, you used to get milk from Mommy, but now I give it to you in a cup, since you're a big girl." It was so sweet and I couldn't believe she seemed to actually be having the same fond memory I was having.

A busy couple weeks

First Uncle Steven came to visit us, then Grammy at the same time. Then we all went to MI, but Shane and Jerry went up north while Breanna and I stayed with Grammy. Today the guys came and picked us up and now we're home. Breanna was soooooo excited to see Daddy that even though he sat in the front on the way home, only he was permitted to read her stories in the car, so he had to practically shout to be heard from the front seat.

While coloring with Shane tonight, she kept stopping him from coloring and she would put her hands on his face and say, "Look at me." I think it was because she was dancing on the picnic table bench and she wanted him to see, but it was just so sweet the way she would hold his face and say that.

Breanna had her first haircut Thursday, 10/18., done by her Great Aunt Dana, of course. Just a big trim of the bangs and a little trim all around and she looks even more adorable than before, if that's even possible.

Oh, and also at Aunt Dana and Uncle Wayne's house, she got flipped by Uncle Wayne. Any member of our family will know what that entails. She loved it and would run to him, arms open wide, and say, "Fip!!!"

We had a few tantrums this week, too. Breanna is getting more and more independent. She always wants to walk herself, which she tells us by saying either, "Na do it" or "walk aself." She wouldn't let me touch her while going up or down stairs at Grammy's, so I just hovered inches away. But where the battle really takes place is in parking lots or restaurants, where she'll just run off. So I tell her she can either walk and hold my hand, or I will carry her. But holding my hand isn't walking herself, so that isn't satisfactory, so I always end up carrying a kicking, screaming kid around. Hopefully she will eventually just walk holding my hand. I really want to nip these tantrums in the bud. Think I'll read on Focus on the Family to reaffirm my tantrum-stopping methods.

Well, I'm sure there was more fun in the last two weeks than that, but I'm tired, so maybe I'll think of it later.

Things you don't think you'll ever say, part 4...

In the car on the way home from Grammy's house (now called Dammy, by the way, not Boppy), with a McDonalds cheesey-burger...

Honey be careful. You're getting onions on your shoulder.

Airplane

Well, we successfully completed our first roundtrip flight together, Breanna and I. There was a little bit of tension right when she would have to sit down, or when I had to put the DVD player away, but we made it through alive.

On the first part of the trip, Southwest gave her a little certificate showing the date of her first flight, so that was pretty special.

She liked to sit in a seat all by herself (only when one was open) and go, "A-pane, myoom, myoom." Very special memories...

Na Do It!!

You know when you are trying to open a bag of M & M's or peanuts or something, and you pull really hard and finally the whole thing comes apart and whatever it is goes flying into the air everywhere? This isn't really like that, but it reminded me of it.

While sitting in my dad's church last Sunday, Breanna ate a bunch of berries. Then we moved on to O's. I pulled out the little O container and had just barely clicked it open, when we got a loud, "Na do it!!!" (Na is her name - BreanNA) And she grabbed the container jerking it up from my hand and since I had just opened it, O's went flying into the air and landing all around us in the pew. Good thing we were almost in the back row. :-)

Things You Don't Think You'll Ever Say Part 3...

While making chocolate oatmeal cookies at my dad's house two days ago...

"No, no baby. Don't put your toes in the peanut butter."

Stop the singing!!!

Okay, this happened last week some time, and I just now remembered it.

I was organizing/rearranging some of the stuff in the office and Breanna was getting into all my music books. She would open one and I'd sing her whatever song she opened to. She finally got to the Phantom of the Opera book, and I flipped to Think of Me. I sang it to her till she got bored and left.

But then it was in my head. So I kept singing through to the end where there's a crazy operatic run that goes fairly high. I belted this out with full opera gusto and it was pretty good, if I do say so myself. So I did it a few more times. Of course it got worse each time, but that's beside the point.

Anyway, after a few times I asked Breanna if she liked mommy's singing. She said, "Yeah. Pissy seeneen (not being vulgar, just spelling accurate pronunciations)." Then I asked, "Should I do it again?" to which she replied, "No. Not!"

So I guess it really did get worse each time! At least she's honest!!

Uh oh hayneen.

Just so I never forget it, I have to write that Breanna has recently started calling her pacifier Hayneen. The only explanation for this that I can come up with is that occasionally it would get caught up and hang from the rail of her crib. Maybe at some point I said, "Is it hanging?" Otherwise I have no idea where this came from.

But during this last week, several times when she woke up she would throw it overboard. I would go in there to hear, "Uh oh hayneen" over and over in her very high-pitched, very worried and upset voice. Cutest thing ever.

Aside from what she's doing right now, which is pulling everything out of her dresser drawers and putting it piece by piece on the floor of the closet, after walking all the way into the family room to show me each item on her head. That includes sheets and blankets pulled over her head so that she bumps right into furniture. And then she removes the item and bumps into the furniture just for fun. Sometimes I wonder about this kid!

But to add to that cuteness, when she wants to play more of this peekabo, she says, "More see you," because we always say, "Where's Breanna. Oh I see you!"

Which leads to another cute thing she says. I remember Kyra always used to say, "Mommy hold you" and I always thought it was funny that she said "you." Well, now Breanna says exactly the same thing. How sweet. Hopefully these cousins will get to know each other someday.

Hold the onions, please

We recently spent the week with Grammy (Boppy), but I still can't figure out how Breanna got this. Yes, Grammy hates onions with every fiber of her being, but the topic didn't really come up a whole lot at her house.

But nevertheless, the other day we had spaghetti, and I always add chopped onion and some other stuff to the storebought sauce. Breanna pulled out a tiny piece of onion and held it out to me ever so carefully on the tip of her finger. I said, "That's an onion. Yummy." She looked at me seriously and said, "Trash." I said, "No, that's an onion." She once again said, "Trash," and forced me to remove it from her sight.

Guess maybe some weird stuff is hereditary, but skips a generation! Fabulous!! (Can you hear the sarcasm dripping off that word?)

Definition of Boppy

Since I mentioned Boppy, I guess I should explain. We call my mom Grammy. When we started hearing some words from Breanna, we told her Grammy's name and she repeated it as "Gam" once. Then for some unknown reason it metamorphosed into Boppy. Over the months since then, we've tried to change it, but to no avail. The best instance of this was when, after several minutes of drilling the correct name into her over and over, we asked Breanna, "Can you say Grammy?" She replied, with a look of exasperation, "Yeah...Boppy."

So Grammy and I have decided to give it up. We still refer to her as Grammy, and Breanna knows who we mean, but she still calls her Boppy. Maybe she always will...which I think is just fine.

What was that fruit again?

Breanna has decided that now she likes plums. We tried them before and then she changed her mind, and I guess it's changed back again. So now she asks for tums all the time. Assuming she doesn't have an acidy stomach, I cut up a plum and give it to her. Today, I tried to emphasize, P...Lum, so she answered me, "P...tum." I thought that was pretty funny, so she kept doing it over and over to make me laugh. Aah, the simple humor of a toddler...

Things you don't think you'll ever say Part 2...

This afternoon as I caught Breanna with a puzzle piece in her mouth...

"No, no, baby, don't chew on the ostrich." No reaction. "Take the ostrich out of your mouth now!"

Who made the butterflies???

We sing songs like, "God Made the Big Round" and "Who Made the Fishies Swim?", so when what was probably the biggest butterfly I'd ever seen flew right over us in our little pool today, I asked Breanna who made that butterfly. She looked really thoughtful for a second and said, "Boppy." I laughed hysterically, since Boppy is Grammy... Guess we need to work on Creation some more! :-)

Complete Sentences

I'm not positive this was the absolute first one, but it definitely stuck in my memory. This morning at the breakfast table, Breanna looked at me and said, "Mommy's eyes bown." I knew that she knew hers were byue, mine were bown and daddy's were dween, but she'd never put it in a sentence before, or actually even volunteered the info without being asked. So I was mighty impressed...

Things you don't think you'll ever say...

This is not the first of these, but it's the first of hopefully many that I will remember to record. And even this first one I can't remember exactly, but it was something along these lines.

Last night after dinner:

"Sweetie, you may get down and watch your show after Mommy gets the ketchup out of your eyebrow."

A Good Example

Okay, I'm really trying to actually remember to type stories in here for posterity...

On July 4th, midway through Grammy's visit with us, Breanna surprised us by wanting to pray. Shane and I don't always remember to pray at every meal, but Grammy has been a good example. So we had prayed for a few meals in a row all holding hands. Then at breakfast that morning, as we all sat down for cinnamon rolls, we didn't pray. Suddenly, Breanna puts out both hands and says, "Han, han?," meaning she wants to hold our hands and pray. Now this may not be impressive enough on its own, but every time we hold hands and pray, I expect her to start jabbering or wiggling or something, but she sits still and quiet and patient every time.

Makes me proud to be her mommy. And it reminds me of the example I need to be.

Caught!!

This happened some time this week, but I don't know the exact day.

Breanna (courtesy of Grammy) had gotten Shane a little Father's Day book and I had gotten him a DVD. Both were on his nightstand, which has been fair game to our tall munchkin for quite a while now. I generally don't let her play with DVDs because she chews on the cases, but I had let her look at the book. I went looking for her this particular morning and came around the side of the bed to find her with the DVD. The split second she saw me she tossed the DVD in the air with a deer-in-the-headlights look and picked up the book and took off running while I just started laughing.

It just struck me as so funny that she knew she was caught in the act, and tried to cover it up by grabbing the book. And by the way, sure enough there were teeth marks on the DVD case.