My Heart Sweetie

I was talking to Stephanie the other day and she was being onery so I told her she was being a "little booger."

She said, "I am not a booger."

I said, "That's right - you're the googoo."

"No, I'm not. I'm your heart sweetie."

"Heart sweetie?"

"Yes, heart sweetie."

"You mean Sweetheart?"

"Yes, I am your sweetheart."

"Yes, baby, you are."

Yippee! Yay! Hoorah!

Steffi is housebroken!

Finally, I manage to get a kid trained before they turn 3. The pull-ups actually worked this time. With the first 2, they just thought it was another diaper or something and couldn't be bothered to go to the actual bathROOM. I say I trained her but it really was HER idea. She had been bugging me for a few weeks before I got around to getting her the pull-ups and Grandma really worked with her. Then she started daycare and before that week was out, she was totally trained. Then she got a stomach virus over the weekend and I had to put her back in the diapers for a day so I was afraid I messed the whole thing up but - really, I HAD to. But she has been wearing her big girl underwear since Monday and all is well. One accident at night but that was my fault as well - forgot that just because she kept asking for drinks didn't mean I had to give them all to her. She really is a smart little girl!

Daycare Diva

Stephanie and Philip started at a new daycare this week. Philip just switched from a different daycare but this is Steffi's first time going since she was 2 months old. She is actually dealing with it pretty well - when she is there. In the mornings before we leave, you would think I was taking her to be a virgin sacrifice to the volcano gods. The first night after I picked her up, she tried to get me to send Meredith in her place the next day. Mommy really likes this lady and I know Steffi will too once the "transistioning phase" is over.

On the plus side, we have been housebreaking Steffi for a couple of weeks now and yesterday she came home with "big girl underwear" on. She is doing very well now and we are all so happy! Soon I'll only have 1 kid in diapers and next month I'll have none on formula. Hooray!

Too bad that also means that soon I'll have no more snugglebabies. Sigh!

Chatty

You know, when Hayden was smaller people always commented on how much he talked. He still talks quite a lot but now I would have to say that Stephanie has him beat. She talks constantly and there is no amount of bribing, begging, pleading, or threatening that can get her to stop. She will not stop even when she is in bed - she will talk to herself, to Hayden, to Meredith, to me for an hour or more while she is supposed to be in bed sleeping.

Yesterday, I was trying to make dinner and I finally had to tell her to "Not talk anymore." So she walks a little ways away and starts saying, "I'm not talking anymore. I'm not talking anymore. Mommy, I said 'I'm not talking anymore. I'm not talking anymore. I'm not talking anymore..." You get the idea. I finally told her again to stop talking to which she replied, "I'm not talking to you. I'm not talking anymore...."

Sigh

Stephanie

What Stephanie Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people. Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

I like the part about "You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak."

The Funny Girl

Stephanie has a new talant. Imitating her sister. Yesterday morning, she grabbed Meredith's Baby Bear from her and said "I Meredith", then she proceeded to hold him by the arm up to her nose and put her other thumb in her mouth in a perfect imitation of Meredith. Meredith was NOT amused. Mommy, however, thought it was hilarious.

I believe Stephanie has my Grandpa Koehler's sense of humor - which means she is onery as heck. I was scolding her the other day for something and I was right in front of her talking and looking as stern as I could. She was just looking at me, obviously unimpressed with the spectacle I was making of myself. And then....she smiled at me. (She looked just like Grandpa when we were playing Pitch and he 'shot the moon' without the 2!) I knew it was coming and in my mind, I just said 'oh, crap!' I tried to hold it together, I really did, but I couldn't help it and...I smiled back. Darn her. Then I had to look around really quick to make sure Meredith didn't see how she did it.

It's also funny to just watch her sometimes. She was sitting by something the other day. I can't remember what it was but she wasn't supposed to touch it. And you could just see by the way she was moving that she was thinking "I'm not supposed to touch it. I want to touch it. I'm not supposed to touch it. I need to touch it. I'm not supposed to touch it. I MUST TOUCH IT." Luckily, Mommy came to the rescue and moved it away before her little head exploded.

Swimming Lessons

I love swimming lessons! Mommy goes to my class with me and I get to do back floats and kick my feet and make circles with my arms. I throw a little toy crab as far as I can and then I swim to it. I can make bubbles in the water and even put my whole face in. We do "Ring Around the Rosy" and fall under the water. Then I get to jump into the water and Mommy catches me. I LOVE Simming Lessons!