once upon a potty

Have you ever read the book, Once Upon A Potty? Probably not lately. It's a winner, though, in the potty-training world. Cooper had been reading and slightly obsessed with it, so I was sure he was going to be thrilled when I bought him his own little potty. Instead, after giving him his "present", he kept asking for "nother pwesent, mommy?".

The closest he would get to using the potty was to sit on it, fully clothed, in order to get his picture taken and then "see Cooper on cam-ah?".

Needless to say, we weren't too optimistic about progress in potty-training when we couldn't get him to remove his pants. We kept talking about it, though, and made repeated promises of cookies and candy for "pee pee and poopy".

Then, last week, after finally being convinced to put his bare bottom on the potty, Cooper sat on it for a long time in the middle of the living room...

...while Daddy read his favorite potty books...

 

 

...and even demonstrated how to "puuuuuuuush" the poopy out. 

At the end of the day, there was an empty potty. 

BUT, a few days later, they were at it again. And the end result?? Just the smallest little bit of both pee pee and poopy. And, based on our reaction, you would have thought he won an Olympic gold medal.

sweetness

Oh, how I love this little girl...

p.s. We have done a really poor job capturing on camera just how adorable she is, so I borrowed this picture from Curtis' mom. A little glimpse! I am planning a full-on photo shoot for this weekend, so get ready!

precious annabelle

Our baby girl, Annabelle Kate, was born 10 days ago after a fast & furious delivery. She is every bit of wonderful... adorable, sweet, calm, and content. We could not be more blessed. Truly.

Because I know that pictures are way more exciting than my words, and because I am so tired right now that I'm not sure my words would make sense anyway, here is her (short) life in pictures.

 She was born at 8:39am, weighing in at 8lb 1oz, and measuring 20 inches.

 

The new and improved Chesney family, including one of our first visitors- big brother Cooper! 

  

The rest of our first visitors. Lots of Andringas!  :)

  

 Annabelle... still a little unsure of this out-of-the-womb world.

  

Proud grandparents, Marmie and Papa.

  

 Enjoying our new, sleepy girl.

  

The drive home, 24 hours later. 

Thanks, Joy, for making her the adorable blanket!!

  

At home, Cooper is getting acquainted. "Look, Annabelle's nose!"

  

That sweet face!

  

Cuddling with daddy. Cooper was jealous...

 ... so he put his face in front of the camera and said "CHEEEEEEESE!".

  

First bathtime.

  

 Lots of time with Grandpa and Mammy.

  

 And even great-grandmother, Memaw!

 Lots and lots of sleeping. I'm jealous.

  

 Lounging on the couch today.

  

 That face is priceless. She looks like a sullen teenager already!

So, so many more to come...

my valentine

Yesterday, once I finally remembered that it was Valentine's Day, I found myself with this thought:

Do you know what is so much better than a heart-shaped box of chocolate or a dozen red roses?

Wednesday afternoon, Curtis arrived came home from the store with these:

Note that I said Wednesday. It wasn't my birthday or a holiday, it was just a day. In fact, he had completely forgotten that Valentine's Day was a few days away.

It was a beautifully simple gift meant to brighten my day. For me, it was one more reminder of how much I love my husband and how blessed I am to call him my Valentine.