Pee Pee in the Potty!

Moriah has been pulling off her clothes lately and telling me she needs to go potty.  I must admit I was a bit hesitant about starting to potty train her, even though she was clearly telling me she was ready and got the association between going pee and sitting on the potty.  With Levi coming and a possible move overseas this year, I was happy to wait and save potty training for a later date.  And I will confess, I am a bit scared of the whole process...I do hate germs and grossness.  Potty training requires that she be touching things in the bathroom...YUCK!

But alas, she has continued to insist that she needs to go potty.  So we got her a seat and I have been waiting to let her try it out.  Today after her nap she took off her pants and said potty.  Off we went upstairs to let her try and go.  I brought books thinking she would need some time to get used to the idea.  I put her on the potty, she looked at me and I told her to go pee.  And she did.  Just like that.  I cheered WILDLY for her and I think she got the idea.  She clapped.  Then she looked at me and said "All done." and proceeded to try and get off.  Not 10 minutes later she was telling me again.  So we went upstairs again and she had a dry diaper but peed immediately after I put her on the potty.  Yay!

So, I am curious as to where this is heading.  Many scenes are playing through my head.  

I think I will be making tons of trips up and down the stairs (our only bathroom is upstairs).

I am wondering if this is going to turn into a game or if she really wants to go pee in the potty.

If she does get potty trained will she stop when Levi gets here because of the change?

Hum...I guess time will tell.  I know that for today my little 16 month old just told me twice she needed to go potty and she actually went!  I guess for now I will just celebrate!

Snow Day!

Moriah and I had the best time playing in the snow with our friends today. When we first saw the snow this morning I asked Moriah what it was. She got all excited and told me it was "bubbas" (bubbles) but learned to say snow very quickly when I corrected her. Other than tripping and face planting when we first got outside, Moriah loved it. She would ask to go down the hill over and over again and cried to go back out when we came in (her exact words: "friends, wee, please!"). It was SO fun!

PJs and Good Times

So today I had the best day. We spent the day hanging out as a family in our PJs. We just played with Moriah, laughed, and caught up on some shows. It was wonderful, especailly since we all woke up and felt blah. Not really sick but just headaches and feeling tired. So we rested. I just wanted to share with you my favorite part of the day. It still makes me smile everytime I picture it. Sorry I don't have a picture of it, but it took me by surprise.
Zack and I were sitting on the couch and Moriah was running around being crazy (she is feeling a little more like herself today). She got really quiet and I thought she was in the kitchen. Here in this house, quiet is bad. Quiet means she is doing something she isn't supposed to do. So I leaned my head out and looked down our hallway, calling her name. Out of nowhere a little head pops out of our hall closet, eyes full of excitement, mouth open, tounge out, yelling, "Ahhh!" It was hillarious! She had hid in the closet and was beeing silent till we called her and she could scare us. Oh, my heart just is so happy thinking of what a blessing we have in our daughter and how days like today are so wonderful. All we did was relax and enjoy eachother. SO GREAT! I can't wait to see what fun things Moriah comes up with to play with Levi. They are going to be such great friends.

Sunshine!!

It is gorgeous here today! I decided to take advantage of the 50 degree weather and clear skies by going for a walk and taking Moriah to the park. Two rare treats for us this time of year. As always, she loved the "wee" (swings) and had fun getting some non-freezing fresh air. Thank you Lord for this break in winter!

Snuggies

Since getting her shots on Tuesday Moriah has been a mess. She has been running a fever and so grouchy. The only redeeming part is that she has recently started asking for snuggles. She calls them "snuggies" and just wants to cuddle a lot of the day. I am praying she gets feeling better but at the same time I am totally savoring all her "snuggie" requests. Don't we look comfy together??

My Daughter's a Duck

Isn't she a cute duck? She had to get some shots, so I dressed her in something comfy and fun. This was a Halloween outfit my mom got her but it was too big until now. I took her for her 15 month check up and she is way underweight. They want us to come back in 6 weeks to see if she has gained any weight. If she hasn't we have to get blood work done to make sure there is nothing wrong with her little body and how it absorbs nutrients. I think she is just a tiny girl. She is eating well (as well as any toddler does) and is happy and healthy. We are praying she gains weight so we can save her from tests but if not we are praying that the tests reveal that she is fine. For now I will just continue to enjoy every minute with my little sweet girl! She is so fun.

Desparate Need of Prayer

Please join me in praying for my brother and his family. They are really in need of some direction, comfort, and clarity right now. Pray that God would reveal Himself to them and their children, and that they would ALL be at peace with what the outcome is. Sorry that is all I can say but they really need to be taken to the Father, today especially. I'll update as I am able. Thank you all you prayer warriors!

Weekend in Review

We had the best weekend with our friends from college, Brent and Kaylyn. We drove down to see them on Friday and got to hang out with them and their adorable daughter till Monday. It was so sweet how well Avenell and Moriah got along. They would share everything with each other and just want to hold hands all the time. On car rides they would reach across to each other and pass snack back and forth, totally unprompted by us. They also colored together and took turns pushing eachother on a little car. I loved having girl/mom time with Kay (great for getting mom advice and ideas) and Zack loved playing guitar and talking with Brent. Highlights of the trip were:
*Lunch at Cook Out (SO YUM!)
*Chatting with Kaylyn durning the girls' naps
*Playing Peek-a-Boo with the girls and just seeing them interact all weekend
*Seeing their church (their pastor was great and the worship was really good too)
*Going to the Children's Museum near them (what a neat place! I would have liked it more if I wasn't so pregnant and Moriah had a better nap before we went)
*Eating yummy brownies all weekend! Thanks for baking for us Kaylyn!

You can click here for more pictures of our trip. Thanks for having us Brent, Kaylyn and Aven. We loved seeing you!

Filled with Disappointment

So we just got a letter in the mail that states when they are remodeling the homes in our neighborhood. We are one of the last couple streets left and we were told we would be moved this year into a better home. If you keep up with my blog, you know why this potentially could make my day when I find out we are moving. We have had nothing but trouble with our home. But, our street is not even mentioned in the letter. We are not getting a new home this year. I shed a tear, I was so disappointed. Ah, another lesson in patience, trust and submission. I really don't want to move back to Korea but is it wrong that I am praying we are getting moved, just so I can get out of this house? I guess we will see what God has in store for us as the year progresses.

32 Weeks and Feeling It

I am loving feeling Levi's movements. He is a much more aggressive mover than Moriah was. Moriah seems to be really grasping that she is getting a baby "bubby." She calls him "i-bye" and loves to give my belly kisses, especially in the mornings. I can't wait to see how she acts when he is out of my belly.
I am excited to meet Levi but I have to admit that I am not ready for him to arrive yet. My to-do-before-the-baby-comes list is not getting any shorter. We will be working on our house next weekend to try and get things in order. I also need to make my emegency plan for Moriah. If Levi comes before my mom gets here I need to make arrangements for my little girl while I am in labor.
As far as how I am feeling, I will confess I have entered the uncomfortable stage. I am usually in pain by the end of the day from chasing a toddler, doing too much lifting or just body changes from preparing for labor. I am also EXHAUSTED! I have not been sleeping as well and thus makes for a tired Mommy. It will all be worth it when I see Levi's sweet face. Officially only 8 weeks to go...if he comes on time.

Levi's Shower

Me and Jen, the hostess.

Really cute diaper cake made with tiny newborn diapers. Crazy he will fit in them!

Shower Game: Make a baby out of play dough in five minutes. I tied for first place!

This morning I had the BEST baby shower. It was just me and a few of my closest friends getting together for breakfast and to celebrate the precious life of my baby boy. We just spent time chatting, hanging out, eating and playing some baby games. I feel so blessed to have such a great group of support and friends I can count on for anything. The sweetest part about the shower was that at the end we all gathered together and prayed over my sweet little guy. My friend Jamie made cards for everyone to pray for specific things and we just prayed over his whole life. What a blessing!

30+ Weeks

Only a little less than 10 weeks left in the Levi count down. I am getting more and more excited! I have to be honest, though, and say that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with my list of things I want to get done before he makes his grand arrival. Zack has been so helpful in helping me "nest." The thing about the nesting stage is that I get all these ideas and things that NEED to be done but I can't do it all. I can't climb to clean, I can't lift heavy things or move the furniture where I want it. So I end up giving Zack a major to-do list. Thankfully he understands and loves me enough to carry out my wishes. I am so blessed with such a wonderful hubby and father to my children. I just can't wait to meet little Levi and I want to be ready for him. For the most part I am feeling very good but there have been some moments where I feel every bit as pregnant as I am. I tend to over do it and then regret it. But, other than that I feel great. Zack has been sure to force me to sit down and rest when he thinks I am doing too much. He has even ordered me to nap before. Surprisingly, except for the occasional trip to the bathroom or to soothe Moriah, I have been sleeping very well. I think that totally helps in the feeling good department. I have noticed on the nights where I don't get enough sleep, I have a pretty rough next day, as far as feeling good. I have my next appointment at the birthing center on Wednesday and then I will go to an appointment every two weeks. Wow, crazy to think that I am that close to giving birth that they want to see me so often!

Photo Shoot

While we were in FL we had the opportunity to have some photos taken on the beach. I have to say that I love the way they came out. We had a blast taking them. My Aunt Dawn took all our family pictures and then Zack took the rest (except the ones of Zack and Moriah, I took those). Here are my favorites, but if you click here you can see all of them.

Christmas Road Trip

Well, we had a blast visiting family in TN and FL.  Christmas was wonderful, the Eckhoff Family Reunion went really well and all the time in the car ended up going MUCH better than I expected.  Yesterday we spent 15 hours in the car getting home and I couldn't have been more pleased with how Moriah behaved.  She only took three 45 minute naps the whole trip but was still so happy.  She was laughing even as we were driving into our neighborhood.  I am so thankful!!  I would love to post about all our adventures but unfortunately I am just too tired today and busy getting the house back together.  So, you can check out our pictures and see what we were up to while we were gone.  Click for pictures from the trip to TN here, Christmas here, the end of December here, our family reunion here, and the beginning of January here.  It was a full, fun trip but we are glad to be home and get things ready for Levi's arrival in just over 2 months (I can't believe it!).  I hope your Christmas and New Year was as wonderful as mine was!