sleep training...again

somehow we have found ourselves reading stories and rocking her to sleep for the last 6-9 months. at first it was fine but recently it's been taking longer and longer to get her to sleep. sometimes up to 3 hours of zach and i taking turns reading and trying not to pull our hair out. it's resulted in tears (on my part) a number of times. most nights she is not asleep until 10 or 11 at night!! we've decided to put an end to it and get some sleep training in before baby brother comes. the first night it went fairly well. zach put her down and she whined on and off for about 45 minutes then slept soundly for the night. the second night was a bit more brutal. she didn't have a nap and was zonked out at 8pm. then she woke at 9pm and was hysterical. we went up in intervals to assure her that she was ok and that we loved her and she needed to close her eyes. this went on until about 10:30 when she finally drifted off. tonight is round 3. she is going to get 3 stories and then get into bed. we'll see how long the crying lasts. fingers crossed. 

this is hard!!!

in other news she has peed in the potty 2 more times. woo hoo!!

potty time!

she peed in the potty for the first time today!! got 4 m&m's as a reward. but doesn't understand why she can't have more. patience on all of our parts

2 years and counting

not a baby anymore.
sleeping in a big girl bed.
still a picky eater but loves yogurt (and snacks and ice cream).
started drinking milk and eating peanut butter.
knows so many words.
completely weaned a few months back (because i'm pregnant with brother).
sleeps at Oma and Papa's 2 days a week.
can be dramatic and very sensitive but is getting better.
started making faces to make us laugh.
had a rough transition with sleeping and me going back to work (in august) but seems to be growing out of it.
still needs to be rocked to sleep at night and doesn't end up going down till 9:30/10pm.
obsessed with Oma's iPad and my phone. it's creepy to see her navigate the screens.
has a really good memory.
likes to ask questions over and over again, such as "what happened?"
says "carry you!!" instead of "carry me"
i feel like so much has happened in the last 6 months that i never recorded and don't remember anymore. :(

21 months

She is just a ball of energy lately. running, climbing, jumping, rolling and dancing.
Is constantly calling for us to watch her do things, and trying to get us to laugh.
Learns more words every day - maggie, lola, kate, bus, choo choo, water, snack, nut, cheese, outside, bug, bubble, slide....
Still gets up at least once a night, usually around 3 or 4am.
Nursing at bed time and in morning.
Loves to be outside, watering the plants, digging in the dirt, blowing bubbles.
We went to Pittsburgh this month and left for with grandma and grandpa wood for 3 nights. We missed her but was a great refresher.
Loves watching sesame street, both dvds and youtube videos.
Picky eater - pork chop, chicken, rice, mac n cheese, plain pasta, peas, corn, broccoli, and kind of snacks or sweets (just like her momma)

20 months

more words - up, down, ball, daddy, lola, cookie, sit, poopie, night-night, book, shoe, slide, side (for outside), oma (willie)

loves bath time, reading books, shoes, throwing a ball, pushing her baby stroller, being outside, helping feed the dogs, stacking cups

19 months

This month proves to be harder than the last few. It's been filled with crying, teething, temper tantrums, climbing and subway rides.

Spends the night at grandparents every tuesday night. We meet on the subway to hand her off.

Climbs the stairs saying "up up up".

Mostly running rather than walking.

Very particular about eating - only grilled chicken, corn, peas, rice, cereal, yogurt, fruit, crackers.

Easily frustrated and responds with crying and falling to the floor.

4 canine teeth are coming through.

Very mommy centered and not some much into daddy when i am around. (hard for zach)

Hates to get her hands dirty.

Beginning to scribble and color.

Dances and sings.

Jabbering a lot but not quite understandable.

18 months

weight : 20lbs 13.5oz

length : 32.75"

head dia : 18.75"

becoming very independent

12 teeth with a canine coming in currently

using signs (waves hi/bye, more, please, all done)

uses more words every day (hi, bye, yes, no, mommy, daddy, maggie, lola, shoe, uh-oh, milk, doggie)

know animal noises (elephant, dog, cat, monkey, lion, snake)

loves the zoo (and pets at home)

sleeps through the night for the most part. usually gets up around 5am and i nurse her back to sleep till 7 or 8

favorite foods are chicken, corn, yogurt, peanut butter crunch, fruit, and any kind of sweet treat. still won't drink milk. starting to like shredded cheese (but only shredded)

i'm really enjoying this age. it's nice to be able to communicate with each other. and she can help with things like getting dressed, feeding herself, walking, etc.