Big Girl Potty

We guess it's a process, this whole potty-training thing. This morning, Jillian pretty much did it all herself. While Mommy was busy getting ready in the bathroom, Jillian walked in and said that she had to go potty. Then, she took off her jammie bottoms, took off her diaper, got up on the potty seat (with Mommy's help) and took care of business. We're hoping that was the next big step.

Fun with Rielee, Auna and Brock

Jillian was so happy to get to play with Rielee two days straight this week. They got along so well the whole time but as far as getting a picture together, believe me, I tried. Rielee is always ready to go along but I have to sneak up on Jillian and her together and when I do see a cute shot I don't have my camera in hand. Yesterday they got to play at Grannie's for a couple of hours and then they went up to Rielee's pool. Rielee is a fish but Jillian only got in for a couple of times with Auna's help. Aunt Dianne got her the twin's pool to play in right by the big pool.

Brock watched Jillian a lot the last couple of days when they were playing outside. Of course, one thing Brock did was try to get Jillian interested in basketball. And as you can see from the picture, Jillian is quite pumped to have Brock driving her around in the jeep.

Later she missed her nap to be able to go with us to take Mocha to the vet as Mocha is not putting any weight on her right leg. She is quite concerned over Mocha's injury and she was very interested in what the vet did during the examination. Before we went to the vet she got out her stethoscope and put it on Mocha's leg. On the way to the vet she surprised us by asking if the vet would use a stethoscope on Mocha too. She pronounced it very clearly.

Sighting No. 55

This photo was taken from the one that Grannie just took of Sweetie-Pie, but just zoomed in a bit and edited, since it was such a good picture.

Dancing Girl

Jillian was outside picking flowers and then getting in her car telling Tierney that she was going to a party and dance. Then she brought the flowers inside and I put one in her hair. She proceeded to get out her musical instruments (plastic guitar, shaker, tambourine, harmonica, etc.) and a pom-pom. She gave an instrument to everyone to play and then danced away while everyone made music and Daddy sang Wiggles songs. Jillian was so proud of her pretty hair. The music was something else but she didn't seem to care.

Undies Only

At least, during the daytime. Mommy decided it was time to forget the diapers, and just have Jillian wear her panties all day. We had been kind of on-again / off-again when it came to panties, switching between them and diapers. But, Mommy wanted Jillian to know that it was time to be a "big girl" and sit on the potty when it was time to go. And she did! Both no. 2 jobs today were on the potty (though the second time was close; Jillian said "I have to go to my room" and then took off, and Mommy chased her down, knowing exactly what that meant). So, it was a successful first day. We hope it continues.

Lots of Playmates

It's sad that school is about to start as Jillian has so many cousins to play with right now. First today, Tierney came up and we took her to run her mile then picked up Auna and Rielee to come play. It seems that Auna had to be the mediator between Jillian and Rielee half the time as they are both such strong-willed girls. What one has the other invariably wants. Auna does great with that. They played with the doll houses until it got nicer outside. Then they went to the tree house play area, then up to the "bouncer" with Brock. They played "The monkey bounced on the bed and hit his head", made up I guess from the book.

After Auna and Rielee went home, then Ty and Tierney did bubbles for Jillian to ride her jeep through and then Jillian copied Ty who was hitting the bubbles that Tierney did with the bat. That was fun for quite awhile. Sadly it wasn't quite nice enough for the pool.

After all the outdoor play, Tierney and Jillian did the Dora Play-Doh set. That was the wind down to a lot of outdoor play and then it was time for a much needed nap.

The New Baby Plan

Heather visited her OBGYN, Dr. O'Neil, on Monday, and they discussed this pregnancy and what needed to happen in the last month. After talking about how the one with Jillian went, they came up with the plan, namely: If Heather goes into spontaneous labor by September 16 (the due date), then the doctor will let it happen and watch closely how far it progresses. As long as there is steady progress, they will attempt a natural birth. But, there will be no inducing this time around. Which means that if labor doesn't begin by September 16, then a C-section will be scheduled for the following week. So, now we know that the new baby will be born at least by September 24. Just a month to go!

Spunky Girl

At 2 and one-half years old, you can now see Jillian's sparkling personality come out. She enjoys life to the fullest with an active imagination and an enthusiasm for life. She loves to run free like the wind. She gets excited about every new thing and is not the least bit shy in meeting people and letting everyone know what she needs-one spunky little gal. Jillian will say and do things that absolutely crack you up. It's apparent that she will never be afraid to tackle anything in life with a wonderful enthusiasm. She loves to tease and have a good time with everyone, but then be able to snuggle up with you and enjoy her books.
In this picture she had decided to ride her car and scooter in the pool and then decided it needed washing. She is always trying something new, especially if it has to do with water in some form.

Mommy's New Cabinets

Sweetie-Pie is sitting on some of Mommy's new kitchen cabinets. They were just installed this past week, and Mommy is very happy with them. We got them from DeWils in Vancouver, and though it was a struggle sometimes, it looks like it was worth it. We also got the same style for the master bathroom (that Granpda Peterson installed) and the utility room. Now, we just have to wait for the countertops, and after that, Mommy will have a brand-new kitchen.

New Stuff XXVII

Actually, this stuff isn't all that new, since it's been a while between posts. But, here they are:

1. "Why? Why? Why, oh why?" : The "why" questions have been almost non-stop. And our answers to Jillian are never good enough, because she just keeps asking "why?".

2. "Ooooohhh-kaayyy" : It's one of those long, drawn out OKs, where Jillian almost sounds resigned to answering us.

3. "You stay right there!" : This is one of Jillian's commands, if she has to go get something and doesn't want us to leave; it's usually accompanied by the universal "stop" hand-sign.

4. "But I have to" -or- "But I need to" : If we ever say to Jillian "don't do that", she'll respond this way, using either one. Not that she ever tells us why.

5. "Baby is getting BIGGER and BIGGER!" : Jillian likes to ask Mommy how the new baby is doing. Then, she'll yell this out excitedly (while shaking and with clenched fists).

6. "Hi, my Mommy / Daddy" : No idea where this came from, but this is how Jillian likes to greet us.

7. " ... again?" : Put anything in front of "again", and this is a question that we get asked once in a while.

8. Christmas Wish List : When Jillian spent a lot of time with Cousin Adam in North Dakota, there was a lot of talk about Santa, and what they want for Christmas. If you ask Jillian what she wants, she'll respond "a baby and a bottle." She gets Christmas and her birthday a little mixed up, because she'll also say "... and a Dora cake".

9. "It'll dry" : If Jillian or anything else gets wet, this is what she likes to say to reassure us.

10. Substitute Baby : Mommy and Daddy forgot to pack a baby for Jillian on the trip to North Dakota. So, Jillian made do by instead adopting her swimsuit, which she carried around with her everywhere.

Sighting No. 54

Here's a picture of Jillian being a very good little girl in her carseat on the long drive to North Dakota. She managed to stay in good humor throughout the trip.

Driving Thrills

Maybe it was because when Rielee was here yesterday and Rielee rode everything and Jillian would ride with her sometimes, or maybe this morning she put on her "tiger" sweatshirt (really leopard) and she felt very brave, but today was her big day to ride all five of her riding vehicles and try some new things. The biggest hit was the scooter that she rode all over around the images that Rick had drawn on the driveway of Mommy and Daddy, Dora and Boots, etc., and she seemed to catch on to the steering after I showed her how the handle on top controlled the wheels on the front. Looking at this picture you would have though she may have had lots of spills but she didn't have one spill today. Also her feet must be getting tough because the shoes come off as soon as she's out the door. She will only put her shoes back on when the sun comes out and the blacktop gets very hot.

Jillian rode the quad a lot and could steer that better, just running into things a few times, possible because the handlebars are the same as the scooter. Then came the jeep which is still an adventure as she wants to shift into high gear and I want it to stay in low. Steering isn't so hot either. Also she likes to smile at you when she's driving without watching where she's going.

Back to NoDak

We all made the big trip east to North Dakota in the last couple weeks to visit the Peterson family there. Everyone got together for both a family reunion and a wedding. Jillian had a great time seeing all of her relatives again.

We found out on the way over (and back) that Jillian is a great little traveller. She did very well sitting in her carseat for the two 12-hour driving days. She only had a couple meltdowns, but for the most part, she kept herself busy or found ways to entertain us. She had plenty of stickerbooks, and her usual story books, plus she had lots of Dora the Explorer videos to watch on Daddy's iPod. And she managed to get lots of naps in.

Our first destination was Cavalier in the northeastern part of North Dakota, where Uncle Alan and Aunt Karen Crowston live (with Cousins Jay and Julie Peterson and family down the road). We stayed in Jay and Julie's big house for the weekend, and Jillian loved the fact that Cousin Adam and the Verd family were also staying there. For pretty much the entire trip, Jillian and Adam were inseparable, playing and fighting like brother and sister.

That first weekend was the family reunion, and there was lots of family. For Jillian, this was the first time that she had met some of these relatives. She got a lot of good play time in, since there were quite a few kids. We did discover that mosquitoes find her tasty, as she ended up with about 9 bites (one of them probably being a spider bite) after just the first night. After that, we made sure to put lots of repellant on her.

After the reunion, we left to head for Rugby. We stopped at the Peace Garden on the Canadian border on the way, and almost didn't get back into the US when the border guard wanted to know where our passports were. This was Jillian's first international incident. In Rugby, we stayed at the home of Cousins Greg and Deb Mack. Again, Jillian got to hang out with Adam the whole time.

While in Rugby, us and Grandpa Peterson and the Verd family visited and travelled around, going Knox, Leeds and Devil's Lake. And we spent a couple days in Fillmore with Uncle Davey and Auntie Charolette. Jillian and Adam spent nearly all of their time climbing on and riding the John Deere riding lawnmower.

At the end of the week, it was time for Cousin Ben's wedding to Bethany. Mommy and Jillian had come down with head colds, so they were laid low for a day or two, but by wedding time they were ready to go. Jillian watched the girls in dresses very carefully, liking the blue dress (worn by Cousin Nadia) the best. She managed to stay pretty quiet throughout. Then it was time for the big reception party at the Mack Farm in Orrin. This was the hottest day of the trip, and we tried to stay cool. Jillian found a big fan that she liked to stand in front of to "dry my hair". There was a live band, and as soon as the music came on, Jillian was bouncing all over the place. Throughout the night, she was on the move, dancing and running. By the time the party was over, she was exhausted.

Bright and early the next morning, we took off for home. Once again, Jillian did very well in the car. She was so excited to get back home where she could run around and play. It was another fun and relaxing trip to North Dakota; we look forward to going back soon.