Potty Training Update

Last Saturday we began potty training and haven't looked back.  We packed away our cloth diapers and pulled out the big girl underwear.  We armed ourselves with apple juice (a very rare treat for Joey), M&Ms, and the book Toilet Training in Less Than a Day.  We meant business.

We had been casually potty training for probably more than a year.  Every once in a while, Joey would show interest in the potty and want to use it.  She has known what to do on the potty, absolutely.  We were advised to give her rewards.  She had a sticker chart in the bathroom, but didn't show much interest.  We were advised to let her run around naked.  She'd figure out what to do, we were told.  She loved being naked, but also loved peeing and pooping all over the house.  I feel that by taking a casual approach we not only delayed potty training but caused ourselves a lot of unnecessary stress.

Since Saturday we have had a lot of "accidents" and done a lot of laundry, but Joey is very close to being completely potty-trained.  We are still having at least one "accident" each day, but they are becoming rarer.  Joey has only had one bed-wetting incident and has no problem pooping in the potty.  We often have to prompt her to use the potty, but she is also asking to go or going on her own.  We have not potty trained in "less than a day," but using the methods outlined in the book have been valuable.

I'm not going to go into detail about the method that we used since there are numerous resources available at the library, bookstore, or on the Internet.  I suggest that once your child exhibits signs of readiness, choose a method, research it, and stick to it.

Baby Losavio: 29 Weeks

At 29 weeks, Baby Losavio weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is just over 15 inches long.  Her lungs are maturing, her head is growing to make room for her growing brain, and she's continuing to fatten up.  Over the next 11 weeks, the baby will likely triple her weight.  She'll grow rapidly until about 36 weeks when her growth will slow down.  From here on out we will be spending a lot of time at my doctor's office.  We will have appointments every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, when we'll have appointments every week. 

http://assets.babycenter.com/i/m/stages/popups/29/index.jpg

Thanks to naturally low blood sugar, I did pass my glucose screening test last week.  I was a little concerned that I would fail since I did indulge in sweets the day before my appointment.  Failing the test was a risk I was willing to take!

A Football Party

Yesterday we hosted a party to watch the Alabama vs. LSU game.  Since Paul was born and raised in Baton Rouge, and his entire family supports LSU, he obviously rides the fence when it comes to his team allegiance.

We enjoyed having our friends over, and it gave us a good reason to clean the house.  The outcome of the game was a disappointment to us Bama fans, and probably a nice surprise to LSU fans.  We had a good time nonetheless.

Here are some pictures of our party.  I wasn't very diligent about taking photos, but next time I'll hire a professional.

Joey and Adelyn having fun on the swing

Andouille sausage, cheese, and pineapple

Homemade French bread for Gumbo

Chad and Mandy's contribution

Our "tent chairs"

Inflatable goal post

If you or someone you know has a drinking or drug problem...

Roll Tide!

Got Swag?

We all like getting something for nothing, right?

For a couple of months I've been using the search engine at Swagbucks to earn swag.  You periodically earn Swag Bucks as you search, which you can redeem for prizes.  You can also earn Swag Bucks by participating in daily polls, taking surveys, installing a Swag Bucks toolbar, and more.  Once you accumulate enough, you can redeem them for e-gift cards and other prizes.

You can click on the link here or the image below to sign up.

After many months of sporadic use, I finally saved enough Swag Bucks to get two $5 Amazon gift cards.  This is what I bought:

Pretty special, huh?

I'm not going to lie:  the search engine is horrible.  I don't recommend using it if you actually need to search for something.  But you can still use Swagbucks to "search" for sites.  Rather than typing a URL in your browser's address bar, set Swagbucks as your homepage and "search" for sites you plan to visit, such as Facebook or Yahoo or even Google.  Earn Swag Bucks.  Buy stuff.  Like a piggy kitchen timer.  We all need one of those, right?

Old Wives Tales

Earlier in my pregnancy, before we knew that we were having a girl, I was very interested in the gender-related Old Wives Tales.  It's hard to wait until 20 (or 40) weeks to find out the gender of your baby, and these just-for-fun guesses are, well, fun.

Heart rate:
If the baby's heart rate is below 140, it's a boy.  If it's above 140, it's a girl.
Both of our girls have had heart rates above 140 in utero.

The Drano Test:  
Mix a tablespoon of Drano crystals with your urine.  If it turns green, it's a girl.  Blue, it's a boy.
I don't endorse trying this, but if you do, get someone else to do it.

The Garlic Test:
Eat a clove of garlic.  If the smell seeps through your pores, it's a boy.
Um, no thanks.

The Ring Test:
Tie your wedding band to a string and hold it over your belly.  If it swings in a circle, it's a boy.  Back and forth, it's a girl.

First Words:
If your first child's first word was "Mama," it's a girl.  If it was "Dada," it's a boy.
Joey's first word was "kitty-cat."  We're not having a kitten.

Hairy Legs:
If the hair on your legs grows really fast, you're having a boy.

Salty or Sweet:
If you crave sweets, you're having a girl.  Salty and sour, it's a boy.

I Feel (Not So) Pretty:
You're having a girl if you have acne, gain weight in your face, or just feel unattractive.  They say that a girl steals her mother's beauty.
I can agree with the fuller face and feeling ugly, but I really haven't had acne. 

Morning Sickness:
If you have nausea or morning sickness, it's a girl.  Smooth sailing, it's a boy.
I haven't really had morning sickness with either of my girls.  Just a little nausea.

(His) Weight Gain:
If your husband/partner puts on weight during your pregnancy, it's a girl. 
I read somewhere that it's because he eats what you can't because of the morning sickness.

Chinese Gender Chart:
The Chinese Gender Chart uses the mother's age at conception and the month of conception to predict the baby's gender.
This was accurate for both of my pregnancies.

Mayan Gender Predictor:
This ancient method compares the mothers age at conception and the year of conception.  If both numbers are even or odd, it's a girl.  If one is odd and one is even, it's a boy.
True for both of my pregnancies, as well.

What do you think?
Mother's intuition is correct 71% of the time.
True for me.

Have these been true or false for you?  Are there any good ones that I missed?

I think this should be my next vehicle.

The Madsen bike company is having a giveaway.  Click on the picture to find out how you can win.

Baby Losavio: 28 Weeks

Welcome third trimester!

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant.  From this point forward, I'm sure to be fatigued, uncomfortable, and moody, but I will be able to indulge in the occasional glass of wine, so it's okay.

I have my 28-week prenatal appointment tomorrow, where I'll have my glucose screening test.  For those of you who don't know, it tests for gestational diabetes and every pregnant woman has to do it.  I'll have to drink an awful sugary drink, wait an hour, and then have blood drawn to determine how my body handles sugar.  If the results are abnormal, I'll have to go back for a three-hour glucose tolerance test.  I fully expect to pass the test, as long as I don't binge on Joey's Halloween candy tonight.

Baby Losavio is now about 14.8 inches long and 2 1/4 pounds.  And she has eyelashes!  How cool is that?

Baby Losavio is longer than an LP,

 and longer than the width of a newspaper,

 but not as long as George.  Yet.

And now a baby name hint:  Baby Losavio's name means "little woman."  However, she is not "Meg," "Beth," or "Amy," and we already have a "Jo."

Also, happy birthday to my dad!