It's day 3 (or really 2.5) of potty training in the Schierding house. It's exhausting! Luckily Eleanor is very good about sitting on her potty until she goes. However, I feel like she's sitting there for too long most times. This morning it was over 2 hours before she peed after waking up. I feel so bad for her because I know the little potty chair is uncomfortable after a while. The good news is that she's recognizing that she's peeing as soon as it happens (this didn't happen at all the first day), but it doesn't seem like she's at all close to recognizing WHEN she needs to go. I know it will happen, but it really doesn't seem like it.
It's also been a lesson for me. I realized that I'm expecting her to go more often than she really needs to. Hopefully the end is nearer than it seems.
Dec 14, 2010
Dec 13, 2010
Christmas cards!
Here are the free Christmas cards we were able to get from Shutterfly. I'm so excited to see them when they arrive. Of course I'm going to have to address them all very quickly to get them out before Chrismas, but it's worth it. Come on quick processing and shipping!
Dec 9, 2010
1, 2, 3, 4, 5...soccer tots!
This fall we let Eleanor do Soccer Tots, or an expensive, 8 week, pain in the rear, headache where Eleanor listened half of the time and ran wild the other half. I could go on an on about why we didn't like it. However, I'll keep it positive.
At the end of every class the instructor and the kids would all put their hands in a circle, count to three, and yell, "soccer tots!" Of course she never once did it during class, though. We haven't been in over a month, but now all of sudden Eleanor wants to put her hands in with ours and do the soccer tots cheer. She counts to five, though, and sometimes she keeps counting and forgets about yelling, "soccer tots" altogether. It's so cute, though, and it makes her very happy. :)
At the end of every class the instructor and the kids would all put their hands in a circle, count to three, and yell, "soccer tots!" Of course she never once did it during class, though. We haven't been in over a month, but now all of sudden Eleanor wants to put her hands in with ours and do the soccer tots cheer. She counts to five, though, and sometimes she keeps counting and forgets about yelling, "soccer tots" altogether. It's so cute, though, and it makes her very happy. :)
Capturing her Christmas cuteness.
I have been debating sending Christmas cards this year. On the one hand, we'll be sending out birth announcements in a few weeks that will most likely include a picture of big sis Eleanor. On the other hand, Eleanor is so darn cute, and part of me thinks that it's unfair that she doesn't get one more Christmas card to herself. So I've decided to dress her up in either her fancy Christmas dress (which was actually labeled a Hanukkah dress on the receipt) or the casual, Christmasy outfit I bought her and try my hardest to capture her Christmas cuteness! Oh, and I'll be using Shutterfly for my Christmas cards. This year I'll need to find one that captures just who she is - a spirited, inquisitive, and oh-so adorable 2 year old.
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards
Over the past year we've ordered several photo books from Shutterfly. I can easily say that they are Eleanor's favorite books! She loves to look at pictures of herself, along with friends and family over the past year. Her play group friends like looking at her "Eleanor books," too. Everyone we show is always so impressed with the quality that Brian and I decided to order one for each of our moms this year for Christmas. I know they'll love them! And the grandkids will love looking at them, too! They have made me a big fan of Shutterfly, which is why there's no doubt in my mind that I'm getting Shutterfly holiday cards!
My sisters and I always get my mom a wall calendar, too. Usually it is a last minute thing (even though we know we're doing it) that my sister takes to Walgreens to get printed days before Christmas. This year I suggested using Shutterfly for our calendar since I love the way the one I ordered last year turned out. I truly love that you can add a picture and name for birthdays, anniversaries, and any other special occasions. It's also super easy to make if you have great pictures and a little time.
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars
In a few weeks we'll be placing another big order from Shutterfly for birth announcements! I've been looking at them for months just trying to narrow down the cutest ones. It's tough! I know that I definitely want a card that will showcase our new little boy as well as his amazing big sister. We still have Eleanor's birth announcement on the fridge, so a great looking announcement is important to me. I know the quality of a Shutterfly birth announcement will exceed my expectations, just as the many photo books, the canvas, and the calendar that we've ordered over the past year have done.
ttp://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/baby-cards-stationery
Nov 15, 2010
Preparing to be a big sister
Tonight Brian and I were highly entertained by Eleanor reading a book to Marley. It was so sweet. Eleanor kept getting frustrated, though, because Marley wouldn't hold still and look at the pictures. It made me realize how sweet she's going to be as a big sister. Just a few more weeks and she'll be able to read to her baby brother. :)
Nov 7, 2010
Warm fall day
As soon as I type this, we'll be waking up Eleanor from her nap...scary, I know. We're going to head to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather, play in the leaves, and hopefully get some cute pics!
Nov 2, 2010
Quick update
I'm so embarrassed that I haven't posted in months. My new goal is to do at least a post a week, if not more.
The biggest news is that Eleanor is going to be a big sister! Her baby brother will be arriving sometime by mid-January, and we all could not be more excited! She talks about baby brother, and even "hits baby brother" in her words when she lightly hits my belly. Yikes! Hopefully it isn't really foreshadowing of what is to come. Although she talks about baby brother and knows where he is, I can't imagine she has any idea what's coming.
Eleanor has become quite the talker lately. There isn't anything she can't and won't say. Luckily there isn't much that Brian and I say that shouldn't be repeated, but we still have to watch what we say sometimes.
Some of her favorite things right now are baby dolls (the littler the better), dinosaurs, Dora, Diego, Little Einsteins, the Toy Story movies, chalk, soccer, and playing with her friends.
More to come soon...I promise.
The biggest news is that Eleanor is going to be a big sister! Her baby brother will be arriving sometime by mid-January, and we all could not be more excited! She talks about baby brother, and even "hits baby brother" in her words when she lightly hits my belly. Yikes! Hopefully it isn't really foreshadowing of what is to come. Although she talks about baby brother and knows where he is, I can't imagine she has any idea what's coming.
Eleanor has become quite the talker lately. There isn't anything she can't and won't say. Luckily there isn't much that Brian and I say that shouldn't be repeated, but we still have to watch what we say sometimes.
Some of her favorite things right now are baby dolls (the littler the better), dinosaurs, Dora, Diego, Little Einsteins, the Toy Story movies, chalk, soccer, and playing with her friends.
More to come soon...I promise.
Apr 1, 2010
Where have I been?
Every single day I think about the fact that I haven't updated this blog in months. MONTHS! And everyday I hope that Brian doesn't ask about it, since it seems to make him really sad when I don't update.
I promise to do a major update soon, but for tonight I'll just run through a few things that are new in Eleanor's world.
She's a lot more willing to repeat words when asked. I say willing because I'm positive she can say anything she wants.
Eleanor really likes talking about and playing with her friends. What would we do without Jacob, Addison, and Ben?!? And Melanie and Cathy of course :). She loves to talk about Ben and Addi and the slides and tunnels. She won't even try to say Jacob, but he cracks her up all the time, and I know she thinks about him when we're reminiscing about our play dates.
She's still a great sleeper. Bedtime is 8pm. That does not mean that she's asleep by 8:15, 8:30, or even 9 most nights. I would love to see what she does in her dark room at night, other than sleep. We can usually catch a glimpse of her marching around her bed or playing with her pacifiers when we go to check on her. However, when she sees us coming she immediately drops to the mattress no matter what she's doing and fakes sleep. Where did she learn to be so sneaky?? It always makes us giggle, which makes her happy, and it seems as if sleep is even further away. When she really and truly is asleep, she's so peaceful. Brian and I often stand there to watch her as she makes her way through dreams of cookies and baby dolls, playgrounds and a land filled with easels, crayons, and papers in need of some color.
Now that I've started writing I feel like I could keep going for hours. But it's late, and our days are more fun when we're both well rested.
I have to add, though, that my heart melts when she says, "pees" and "tay-do", and most of all "happy." Beyond adorable. I do lover her so.
I promise to do a major update soon, but for tonight I'll just run through a few things that are new in Eleanor's world.
She's a lot more willing to repeat words when asked. I say willing because I'm positive she can say anything she wants.
Eleanor really likes talking about and playing with her friends. What would we do without Jacob, Addison, and Ben?!? And Melanie and Cathy of course :). She loves to talk about Ben and Addi and the slides and tunnels. She won't even try to say Jacob, but he cracks her up all the time, and I know she thinks about him when we're reminiscing about our play dates.
She's still a great sleeper. Bedtime is 8pm. That does not mean that she's asleep by 8:15, 8:30, or even 9 most nights. I would love to see what she does in her dark room at night, other than sleep. We can usually catch a glimpse of her marching around her bed or playing with her pacifiers when we go to check on her. However, when she sees us coming she immediately drops to the mattress no matter what she's doing and fakes sleep. Where did she learn to be so sneaky?? It always makes us giggle, which makes her happy, and it seems as if sleep is even further away. When she really and truly is asleep, she's so peaceful. Brian and I often stand there to watch her as she makes her way through dreams of cookies and baby dolls, playgrounds and a land filled with easels, crayons, and papers in need of some color.
Now that I've started writing I feel like I could keep going for hours. But it's late, and our days are more fun when we're both well rested.
I have to add, though, that my heart melts when she says, "pees" and "tay-do", and most of all "happy." Beyond adorable. I do lover her so.
Jan 4, 2010
Florida bound!
I need a vacation. Good thing we're heading to FL in two days! It's 11:30 and Brian and I are just finishing all the packing. It may seem like procrastination, but in our eyes we're right on schedule. We'll be dropping Eleanor off at my mom's tomorrow morning so we can head out and do some STL errands (I'll be getting my new locket!) and have a date-lunch. We will spend the night at my mom's, and then Wednesday morning we'll be heading to the airport. Of course it's not going to be hot while we're down there. But I suppose it will be better than the 3˚ that they're predicting for Columbia in a few days ;).
We will be gone for one week. It seems like it's going to be a short trip, but I'm sure it will be the right amount of time for a toddler. Even though we always said we would wait until Eleanor was 4 or 5 to make it special, we've decided to drive up to Orlando and go to Disney World!! We got a great deal to stay at one of the Disney hotels, and we'll be going to parks for two days. On the first day when we drive up (in our rented minivan) we are planning on going to Downtown Disney to walk around, shop, and eat dinner. We're so excited! Of course if you ask Eleanor if she wants to go to Disney World she shouts, "NO!" Little stinker. She has no idea what she's saying. If she only knew...
We will be gone for one week. It seems like it's going to be a short trip, but I'm sure it will be the right amount of time for a toddler. Even though we always said we would wait until Eleanor was 4 or 5 to make it special, we've decided to drive up to Orlando and go to Disney World!! We got a great deal to stay at one of the Disney hotels, and we'll be going to parks for two days. On the first day when we drive up (in our rented minivan) we are planning on going to Downtown Disney to walk around, shop, and eat dinner. We're so excited! Of course if you ask Eleanor if she wants to go to Disney World she shouts, "NO!" Little stinker. She has no idea what she's saying. If she only knew...
Jan 2, 2010
Our Little Spelling Bee
Eleanor does not like to have her diapers changed or get dressed. It's a struggle just to get her to hold still on the changing table. We're constantly having to think up ways to entertain her or keep her occupied so she'll hold still long enough for a new diaper. One thing that keeps her happy is spelling her name and pointing to the letters (which of course spell Eleanor) on the wall just above her changing table. Eleanor loves hearing the letters spelled out so much that she's started doing it herself. No, I'm not trying to pass my child off as a genius who can spell her own name at 18 months old. She likes to point to the letters and make her own vowel sounds. It's so funny! She's also started "spelling" other words and letters she sees around the house. One example is the big, magnetic letters E and S that are one the fridge. Eleanor will walk up to them and start "spelling" using her vowel sounds. Of course she knows we love it, so she always looks at us when she's done and waits for our excited praises. Maybe this is a sign that she'll be better at spelling than her mom :-/.
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