A first

I've finally started going to the gym on a regular basis. I am not fighting it as much as I have before. Since money is such a precious commodity these days I figure I better make every dollar count. I've seen improvement in my abs for sure. While they are not rock hard by any means, they're starting to hold in the ol' post-natal gut a bit better.

This week I started the South Beach diet. I've never dieted in my life, but I figure I need to jump-start my system. I had started to eat whatever I felt like and didn't exercise in the last year. It all seems to have coincided with Al's unemployment. While the scale hasn't shown any deduction in weight, I've noticed a tighter core. Let's hope week 2 gives me some better results.

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In other news, Alyssa is fully potty trained; she's finally in the 25th Percentile; and we've signed up her for preschool at Sacred Heart. She can't wait until she can go to school.

Samantha is a copy of her mother--she's a voracious reader. I introduced her to a series about a kindergartner named Junie B. Jones and she's already read 3 in the series. The books are about 60-70 pages and broken up by chapters. I bought Samantha her first one and she finished it in three hours. We found some more at the library so we've been checking out 2-3 every two weeks. I love that she is so hungry for the written word--finally someone in the house as insane about reading as I am.

Third time is the charm

I've been MIA: drowning in work and too tired to do much of anything. Things have finally calmed down and I'm resuming life. It's taking me a while.

For the third time, we attempted to potty train Alyssa and we were finally successful. She's been such a big girl and we couldn't be prouder. She's grown leaps and bounds in the last couple of months--she started to get embarrassed at daycare when she was getting her diaper changed in front of the other other kids. I think that and the fact that we've been talking about preschool had a lot to do with her readiness. She also sat me down (yes, she's almost three) and bargained with me: "I go potty. I want a Barbie from Target." I agreed. Heck if she can bargain that well at 2.11 years then I can surely indulge. So today we went down to Target and bought a Barbie of her choice. She was so excited and radiant with joy that everyone around her was smiling.

We also found out that Alyssa will do anything for chocolate. So for #1 she gets a few M&Ms or M.O.Ms as she calls them. :)

I can say that I'll be glad when diapers are gone. Potty training can be so stressful. This third attempt was definitely easier. I just had to let go of any emotion. Alyssa did scream and yell at me for at least 30 minutes on Saturday because she was scared of #2 in the potty. I just let her yell and be mad a me and when she was ready she cuddled with me. She had a nice sore throat afterward, but she needed to get it out of her system. When I wouldn't budge she moved on and today she was ready without any hesitation, hence the Barbie.

She wants to go see her Great-Grandma tomorrow to tell her she went potty. I wish it were that easy, but it's 9 hours away. So Grandma, Alyssa can't wait to see you and tell you about her "accomplishment."   :)

The Wrath of Alyssa

It's amazing how a two year old can make life hell. I don't know what I did to deserve the wrath of Alyssa, but it's in full fury right now. Today I decided I couldn’t take any more. Just when I thought I was going to scream until my throat hurt, I took a deep breath and walked away. I closed the door on her somber face and took Samantha to school.

You wouldn't think that is such a big deal, but this is Alyssa's favorite part of the morning. She loves to walk into class and help Sissy do her jobs. So when I got back home, Alyssa had given into daddy and was dressed and waiting for me to pick her up. Of course she assumed that I would take her to school, instead I dropped her off at daycare.

I keep trying to figure out what I did. Could it have been that she is upset now that we are back in the "routine"? She did get to spend two weeks at home with me. Or could it be that I called for the diaper fairy too soon? Well that didn't pan out anyway! Oh well. I am trying to look forward to my weekend, but that means no break from the fury.