January Recap

Since I am so behind in my posts, here is a general recap of January. 

A) Hallie and Claire participated in indoor soccer this year.  They were in the same age bracket--preschool and kindergarten--so they were on the same team.  Their team was called the Cheetahs, and they didn't win a single game (but don't tell them that!).  They had a couple of three-year-olds on their team, which I think was a bit of a disadvantage since all the other players are 4 and above. Regardless, watching their games is highly entertaining! It's way better than watching TV.  We call it the "Bumblebee Parade" because all the kids sort of swarm after the ball and follow it around, with occasional regard to what direction they are kicking it.  Daddy was the "soccer mom" for most of the games, since I have Zumba in the evenings and couldn't always see the beginning of their games. 

Hallie learned a lot from being in soccer, most importantly how to anticipate where the ball is going to go.  She was mostly on defense because of that skill.  Claire was more interested in giving Mom and Dad a thumbs-up and an exaggerated wink every time she touched the ball, then promptly forgetting what she was doing and allowing the ball to sail past her.  She did pretty well as goalie, though.  And she definitely improved as the games went on.  They were both just so cute! The girls loved being in soccer and they keep asking when it will start again! Too cute!

B) Also in January I potty-trained Evie.  She has been ready to potty-train for several months, I just didn't want to potty-train her during the holidays, so I put her off until now.  And it's a good thing I did, because I was exhausted during the holidays this year and I don't think I could have added one more thing on top.  I love the holiday season, but for once, I was very glad it was over when it was.  All that aside, she was very ready to potty-train.  She is a very bright girl and already knew what the potty was for, even asking if she could go in the potty.  She was already halfway there before I even started.  I didn't even do as intense of a training process with her as I did with my older two, and she still caught on faster.  She loved the fact that she got candy when she went in the toilet, and after only a few accidents, she had the concept down.  She was virtually potty-trained in about a week.  Not that she's perfect, but I trust her enough that she wears panties all the time except overnight.  She is a very good communicator and she is really good about telling us when she needs to go potty (half the battle).  I'm so proud of my big girl! And I tell you what, it's nice to have a break from diapers, however brief. 

Since she's been potty-training, she would often walk around in just panties, which is why that's all she was wearing when she chose to accessorize with a coat and Hallie's boots. Quite the ensemble! 

C) Pregnancy update: Not much. I had to do the glucose test this month, which is where they make you fast for a few hours, then drink this horribly sweet drink in under 5 minutes (it's so nasty), then you can't eat or drink anything else for an hour.  Then they take a blood sample to test your glucose levels to see if you have gestational diabetes.  Ugh. I didn't have it, and everything is looking good with our little girl!

As of right now, our favorite girl name is Shaelyn.  I love the name and also the nickname Shae, and it's once again the only name we both agree on! So more than likely, that will be our baby's name. Here's a picture of the baby bump in January:

Wow, it's a lot bigger now than it was in this picture!

I am still feeling good through this pregnancy, my biggest issue continues to be tiredness.  If I can get a nap during the day, I do great.  Unfortunately, I don't get to take a nap every day, so a lot of days I am dragging by evening.  But overall it's been a very easy pregnancy, and I feel so blessed for that! Shaelyn agrees, as she is kicking me right now!

D) Evie recently discovered the scissors and their ability to cut hair.  She cut her own hair in two different places, and later in the same week she also cut Hallie's hair.  The scissors have become a guarded commodity around our house, and they now reside in much higher places than they used to. 

A not-so-great picture of the damage. 

Luckily, although she cut her own hair very short right in the front, it is on the side where it lays down flat along with the rest of her hair, so it's not too noticeable unless you are looking for it.  And she didn't cut Hallie's really short, she cut a small chunk to about the bottom of Hallie's ears.  It is right in the front, but also easily disguised, so the damage could have been much worse.  Ah, the joys of motherhood!

E) Random:

So although Evie thoroughly fulfills her duties as the household mess-maker and general chaos-causer, she is also a very sweet and happy girl.  She is by far my messiest eater (my messiest child in general), but she does like to be clean again when she's done.  She's very vocal, and we love listening to her cute, sweet voice.  She talks all the time, and is usually quite easily understood for her age.  I still call her "Baby Girl" sometimes, which is a habit I'll need to break soon, since she won't be the baby girl for much longer. 

Such an angel when she's sleeping!

Truthfully, she's not a baby at all anymore, she's a very big girl what with her being potty-trained and all.  Several times in the last few weeks, I have been in a room with all three of my girls and I have gotten the feeling, "Where's the other one?  Where's the little one?" so I guess it's time for another baby!

Claire and I have a couple hours together every day when Evie takes her afternoon nap and Hallie is still at school.  One day we played with playdough, and Claire made our whole family.  Can you guess who is who?

During our quiet time, Claire often says, "It's so quiet and peaceful.  I like when it's quiet."  Amazing that she can feel that peace!