And what could that challenge possibly be? None other than potty training, which I could swear has been the only subject of my latest posts (certainly, it's been nearly the only thing on my mind), but which- in actuality, I've only dedicated about half of my content to, in the form of a long complaint reluctantly filtered through rose-colored glasses, post that started in a whine and ended in a story about rain gutter shelving, and a song parody that has become my new anthem, of late.
Though Michael has been simultaneously as outrageously adorable and unbearably difficult as ever, most of the rest of my attention has drifted to Mia; her true, easy-going personality suddenly revealed from beneath the dark shroud of teething that has been smothering us for months. Though she's still having minor issues here and there, the bulk of the tough stuff is behind us (for now), which has allowed her to focus on things like extending the length of her naps and overnight sleep shifts, improving her crawl, mastering her sitting posture, and even attempting (though she can't do much without a great deal of help) to pull herself up to standing. Not included on that list, for whatever reason, is rolling to her tummy from her back. She seems quite content to let me work that out for her.
Through it all, I've been greatly comforted by the addition of family prayer to our bedtime routine, which gives the children great pleasure, and provides us all with a sense of togetherness and peace before we tuck ourselves in for the night.
Puffs: she hasn't quite figured out how to eat them, but she did manage to stick one to her nose. |
Always on the forefront of fashion, my little guy. |
A big fan of the telephone, as well (though he'll likely never actually use a real one that looks like that). |
Perfectly Mia-sized. |
He loves the new Children's Bible. Those gold-edged pages are pretty fancy-looking... |
Living the dream, if only for a moment. (Yes, I was the one who put her like that.) |
Ready for storytime. |
Play date fun (our first, and only, outing sans diapers). |
A tired little boy and his rosary. |
Michael's latest stolen-phone art: Self-portrait of a Foot. |
It seems that Abby likes sweater-vests. Who knew? |
Overheard this week:
Abby
To her brother, as they were cleaning up for the night: "Michael, that's very polite of you, trying to pick up the blocks."
While playing by herself after lunch: "That's what princesses do: They sit on princess potties, they go poo-poo, they get princess candy..."
Between Tom and Abby
T: "You should go pee-pee in the potty."
A: "Actually, you should put on a video."
T: "Why don't you sit down and pee and get some candy?"
A: "That's not the idea."
T: "Abby, is that your apple?"
A: "Indeed, it's mine."
Michael
"upstairs, downstairs"
Mia
{nom nom}
She's tried apple and chicken this week, and though she only nibbled, she seemed to like them both.