Things I Didn't Appreciate as a Kid

I'm just a little over 6 months away from being 30 years old. THIRTY. I have a husband, I have a puggle and I gave birth to and have spent a year and a half raising a baby {like an actual legit human that I brought in to the world}. I hate to say it, but you guys, I think I'm an adult. Now that I've had the opportunity to experience adult life {ie. parenting, bills, relationships, responsibilities} I am finding that there are a lot of things from my younger years that I really didn't appreciate until now.

Just a couple of them being....

A clean house. My mom is borderline OCD when it comes to the cleanliness of her home. I complain so often about what a mess our house is then realize that she was a single mom, with a full time job and TWO active kids that she drove around everywhere and our laundry was always done and our house was always spotless. I seriously do not know how she did it.


Vacations. It was always just a given that we'd go somewhere warm for spring break, usually somewhere fun for MEA weekend and always to Colorado to visit our grandparents and cousins in the summer. Now that I have my own family and pay for my own plane tickets, I am truly so grateful that we had the opportunity to take fun family vacations as kids. Some of my all time favorite memories are from the trips I've taken with my family and I hope I have the opportunity to build those memories with my kiddos as well.

New York City - October 1999 {I was 15!}

Toilet paper. We always had toilet paper. At both my mom's and my dad's, we were never out of toilet paper. If I had a dollar for every time Jason and I had to use paper towels until I could get to the store I would have enough money to buy all those vacations I want to go on.


School. I never really hated school but I definitely didn't appreciate how great I had it. I mean, I'd roll out of bed like 5 minutes before I ran out the door, a bus {which didn't take gas which costs money} drove me there, then I spent like 8 hours with my friends reading books, learning, and gossiping, then I went home to absolutely no responsibilities other than maybe helping my mom dust our spotless house. Talk about having it made.


I think when you become an adult and especially when you become a parent you start to either really appreciate your parents and your childhood or you start to realize you want something different for your family. I am so proud and grateful to say that I would do anything to give Kenley and future baby(ies) the same childhood that I had.

Love you mom & dad! And thank you!






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Noah's Birth Story {04.17.13}

It's Tuesday and it's time for....

Here's what you do:
1. Write a post about ANYTHING baby {or pregnancy} related.
2. Add my button to your post.
3. Link your post with the link-up tool found at the end of all of my posts.
EASY PEASY! 

Hello everyone! I'm Leanne and I blog over at Refrigerator Memories. I was born and raised in Ohio and am currently living in Arizona (hoping to move home soon!). We welcomed our third little miracle after three years of infertility in April 2013. After 42 weeks and several false alarms, it was a crazy birth that not even the most creative could come up with but in the end, I still birthed an amazing little boy in the comfort of our own home!

I have to say... any dream or vision I had of having a quiet, easy birth in which I looked absolutely gorgeous went out the window and didn't even cross my mind until after the fact and I could look back and think "Crap! My hair's a mess and I was not supposed to be screaming like that!".

On Tuesday April 16, at 41weeks and 6days, my midwife came to the house to try and get labored started. She had already stripped my membranes and I was sitting at 6, yes 6cm but still not in labor! But after trying three shots of Pitocin shots and "laboring" all day, I was exhausted. I was also feeling a little upset that I used Pitocin, defeated that it didn't work, angry that it had come to this point, and pressured to have this baby because my mother in law was here and leaving the next morning. Not to mention that my stomach was now feeling upset and nauseous.

I went to bed that night feeling a slight sense of relief that I would get a full night's rest and could wake up in the morning feeling a little less pressure to "make" the baby come. HAH! Little did I know what I was in store for!

Shortly after falling asleep (maybe 11pm?), I started having contractions again. I figured they would end up like every other time. Just be annoying enough to not get great sleep and then taper off by morning. But these were persistent and getting stronger. By about 2am I just couldn't take it any longer. I had to focus and laying in bed trying to be quiet was just not an option anymore. I knew Gabe had to be up around 4 to take his mother to the airport so I wanted to let him sleep.

I went out into the living room where I started timing and laboring/moaning through each contraction. I was most comfortable standing bent over the arm of the couch and swaying back and forth during contractions. But I was so exhausted and tired after not having slept in over 36 hours at this point that I just couldn't keep standing. I sat on the couch and tried to sleep between contractions which were 5-7 minutes apart. I so badly wanted to wake Gabe up but he had about a 3 hour round trip drive coming up and I knew he needed the sleep. I was still in denial that this was actual labor!

Some time around 4am I went back to the bedroom to wake up Gabe. As I stood hunched over the edge of the bed during another contraction, I was secretly hating him for being able to sleep peacefully and pain-free. I woke him up and told him what was going on. His first suggestion was to call the midwife. I wanted to wait some more but I was in so much pain that I couldn't even put up a fight. Diane, the midwife, let us know that she would stay up now and to call if the contractions got any closer together. Gabe didn't want to leave me but it was too late to call a shuttle service so reluctantly, he left me to keep laboring and we prayed the baby would stay in long enough for him to make it back home.

The next 2 1/2 hours were a big blur of pain and contractions. I was still not sure if I was really in labor (if it was during the daytime, I think I would have said it was labor) because we had already had 3 false alarms during the night. I had to moan through each contraction and the closer together and more painful they got, the louder I was moaning. I prayed each time to just get through this one and make it to the next one.

I kept timing the contractions and labored some more in the living room hoping my moaning wouldn't wake up the kids. While out there, I texted just two words to our birth photographer hoping she would get the message and come. "In labor" was all it said. I got in the shower hoping that would help but after some time, my body was shaking so bad I had to get out. I didn't even get dressed and just threw on my robe. Gabe called and I was desperate to have him home. He still had an hour's drive left.

While on the phone, I got nauseous and threw up. That was the point where I knew it was serious and I had to call the midwife (my denial ended here!). The only thing I said was "My contractions are 3-5 minutes apart and I just threw up." And all she said was "I'm on my way." and hung up. This was where I started to panic; praying someone would get here on time. Labor is no joke. But laboring on my own is something I wouldn't ever want to do again.

The pain was so intense it was hard to stay calm and breathe. I called Gabe again desperately hoping he was almost home. I didn't even want to talk to him, I just needed to not feel alone. I was in the bedroom not knowing what to do anymore when Gabe walked in. The poor guy also had no clue what to do. Thankfully, the midwife showed up right behind him. She checked me and let us know that I was a loose nine. "What?!" was all I could say. I was both relieved and shocked. I couldn't believe I was finally going to have the baby!

Diane, her assistant, and Gabe all went to work setting up the birth pool and getting supplies ready while I laid on the bed laboring and trying to rest in between contractions. The kids woke up at this point, increasing the chaos that was happening. They were excited to hear the baby was coming and they would get to stay home from school.

I got in the birth pool and my contractions started spacing out a bit. Diane let me know that's normal for a fully dilated woman. She asked me to try pushing a little. I did and let me tell you... it was even more painful and definitely not a relief like some women describe it! I was trying to get through the contractions and let them bring the baby down for a while. But I was getting impatient so I started pushing. And pushing and pushing! I couldn't believe how much pushing I was doing and still no baby. I remember asking screaming "Where is this baby?! I want it out!" Yeah, I was such a peach to be around...

With each push, the midwife, her assistant, and Gabe were offering words of support and encouragement about how good I was doing, how the baby was moving down, and I was almost done. The poor dears... I yelled back "No I'm not! Stop saying that!" Yes, I really did. Just keeping it real here.

During all my pushing, Diane occasionally checked me. Twice, she found a small cervical lip that she helped to move out of the way. We thought my water had broken because she couldn't feel a bulging of my water bag but it turned out that it still had not broken.

I was getting increasingly upset and feeling more and more like a failure. I needed a break. So I stopped pushing and moaned through the contractions and actually managed to fall asleep between them. After about 30 minutes, I got a burst of energy/desperation and started pushing with all my might. It hurt like hell and I just wanted it all to be over. I'm pretty sure I also yelled at the baby "Where are you? Get out!"

Diane checked me and we found out at that point that my water still had not broken. She was surprised because she had never felt it before and thought it had broken by itself some time before that. We thought that was holding the baby back so the next time I pushed, she broke my water. She was also trying to help stretch my perineum to help me out but it felt weird and was more pain on top of what I was already feeling so I yelled at her to stop. Looking back, I'm embarrassed for yelling at them so much. They were cool about it though and I'm sure I'm not the only woman in labor who's yelled at them.

I pushed some more and again lost my energy so I said I was taking another break. A contraction came and I rolled to my left side and started moaning through it. That's when almost instantly I felt what is known as the "ring of fire" and a head between my legs. I reached both hands out and grabbed with all my might the closest things to me which happened to be the assistant's and Gabe's hands. My moan turned into a full out roar. I remember thinking/saying "Oh my God! It burns! It hurts!" Followed by more roaring. I'm talking about a roar so loud I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the cops.

Diane told me to open my legs because the baby was coming. I rolled over and gave a big push, looked down and there it was... the head. I was FINALLY at the end! Our oldest, Alena was excitedly squealing "There's the baby!" over and over. Another push and I could see his face. In that moment, I forgot everything and could only focus on that sweet face. One more big push and the rest of the body was out. Immediately, a million and one emotions overtook me and I didn't know whether to cry or laugh. I'm almost sure I did an odd mixture of the two. I was quite the hot mess. Christian came back into the room after having walked out bored just five minutes before that.

I distinctly remember and will never forget the feeling of pushing the baby out. The pain of getting the head out, the very odd sensation of feeling every body part after that slide out, and the joy of holding him for the first time.

I was holding him and he gave out one little cry and then just laid there on my chest quiet and alert while we let the cord stop pulsing. I never even thought to check if it was a boy or girl until Alena asked us. I looked and to my complete surprise it was a boy! Christian was happy to have a brother and Alena cried "I wanted a sister!"

With the next contraction my placenta came out (another weird feeling). We cut the cord and Gabe took him to dry off. The midwife helped me get up and climb into bed. I was still having contractions and was surprised at how painful they were! I felt lied to because everyone always said you forget the pain or it goes away as soon as the baby is out but that's not true. At this point with the older kids my epidural hadn't worn off yet so I never experienced the after pains.

Gabe brought Noah back so I could try and nurse him. He wasn't interested so the midwife weighed him. Gabe guessed 7lbs 4oz, I guessed 7lbs 2oz. He was 7lbs 3oz; right in the middle.

I was dead tired and on the verge of falling into a deep sleep. There was no happy birth high, no energy, nothing. I had been up for two days straight and wanted nothing more than to sleep and rest. Gabe brought me the baby and a sandwich of which I only managed a couple of bites. Our first nursing session was done lying down and with me falling asleep in the middle of it. Both the baby and I had been through quite an experience and we spent the rest of the day in bed asleep.

It's still a little unreal to look back on how it happened that day. I must have pictured the labor and birth a thousand different ways and nothing went how I thought it would! Still, I'm proud of myself for doing it the way we wanted. 100% natural, at home, and a perfect baby.

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If you are interested in sharing a birth story or guest post, please contact me at mamaandmou@gmail.com

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Mom Face

On Saturday night, Jason was working late and I was home with Kenley. I was giving her a bath and we were having a great little mother/daughter night at home when out of nowhere Bailey started barking out of control. Bailey has a tendency to do this at every little noise when I'm home without Jason. The barking scared Kenley so she tried to launch herself out of the tub and in to my arms, but instead, slipped and hit her chin on the tub. She immediately started to do the terrified scream cry - ya know the one where their face is bright red and their mouth is wide open but NO sound is coming out? I pulled her out of the tub and then I saw it....I saw my baby's blood. 

The poor thing bit her lip when she slipped and was bleeding everywhere. All over her face, the towel, me. It was at this moment I had to put on my mom face. Me freaking out wasn't going to do either of us any good. So I stayed calm, comforted my baby, cleaned her up, attempted to hold an ice cube to her lip, and eventually got her to stop crying and snuggle in my arms. 

Once my girl was sleeping soundly in her bed, I came downstairs, opened a bottle of wine and started sobbing. I knew she was fine. I knew the injury was minor but seeing my baby so scared, seeing her blood, that was a first for me and I hated it. I called Jason and texted my mom and they both made me feel better as I knew they would. But I realized that Saturday night was the first of MANY nights to come, nights where my baby is hurt or sick or heartbroken or scared. I want so badly to shield her from the world so no harm can come to her. I know shut-ins are a little weird...but she'd be a cute weirdo. 

But seriously, how is my heart supposed to take this? How am I supposed to let her get hurt so she learns? Or teach her to face her fears when I'm sure I'll just want to hold her tight in my arms? Or let some douchebag little boy break her heart without going to his house and kneeing him where it counts?

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ANNOUNCING....a "4 Week Fit" Challenge!

Happy Friday my friends! I've been regularly sharing posts on my weight loss {and gain} journey {read them HERE} and have been getting absolutely amazing comments from all of you! Thank you SO much for the kind words, great ideas and helpful advice. You definitely have pushed me closer to my goal and I'm so excited about the things that are happening south of my hair {my hair is a hot mess but that is a story for another day}. 

Hearing how many of you are in the same or similar boat really got me thinking. I've been lucky enough to have a weight loss partner in Erin since the beginning of the year. We both have similar goals and having her to text to complain or share victories has been a huge help and a huge motivation to not give up! So, together we thought, why not make a buddy system out of the blog world?

Here's the deal: Erin and I are encouraging you to come up with some sort of 4 week {that's just one measly month people} fitness, nutrition, or weight loss challenge for yourself. Maybe you want to be better at counting calories so you're going to challenge yourself to use MyFitnessPal every day for 4 weeks. Or maybe you've always wanted to try a yoga class but have been too scared to go, why not challenge yourself to go to one class a week for 4 weeks? It can be anything, big or small, but has to be something that is going to push you a bit and get you closer to whatever your goals may be...and you know we all have them! 

Erin and I will be posting our goals next Thursday, May 1st which will officially kick off the 4 weeks! Feel free to post about your goals on the 1st too and leave us comments letting us know what you hope to achieve. THEN, and this is the fun part, link up with us on Friday, May 30th and share with everyone how you did!

We even have a really fun button and hashtag you can use so that others know you're participating and can encourage you along the way! It's all about being held accountable, right?!

Get excited! And who is ready to get #4weeksFit?!?!?!

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Greek Turkey Meatloaf

Sometimes I feel like we get in a major dinner rut - eating healthy is great and all but I feel like I have a much harder time coming up with new and fun recipes that don't break the calorie bank. So when I saw this recipe for Greek Turkey Meatloaf, I knew it was one I had to try. I am Greek, so I LOVE Greek food but also had a lot of the ingredients already on hand alng with others to make the recipe my own. Here's what I did....

INGREDIENTS:

 -2 lbs Ground Turkey

-1 cup Reduced Fat Feta Cheese Crumbles

-1 White Onin {chopped}

-2 cups Fresh Baby Spinach

-1 egg {lightly beaten}

-2 cloves of Garlic {minced}

-1/4 cup Coconut Flour

 -1/2 cup Vegetable {or Chicken} Stock

-1 tbsp. Olive Oil

-2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

-1 tsp Salt

-1/2 tsp Pepper

-1 tbsp Oregano

-1 tbsp Lemon Juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 352F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper - saute until the onions are soft. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook until wilted. 

3. In a large bowl, combine onion & spinach mixture, ground turkey, coconut flour, vegetable stock, egg, oregano, lemon juice and worcestershire sauce. Mix until well combined. 

4. Place half of the turkey mixture on baking sheet and shape into a flat rectangle about 1 inch thick. Cover with feta cheese, pressing to adhere to meatloaf. Place remaining turkey mixture on top and shape the whole thing into a rough loaf looking shape. 

5. Bake for 1 hour or until inside is cooked - be mindful not to overcook because it will dry out.

6. Cut into slices and top it off with some Tzatziki Sauce. I like to make my own using this recipe, otherwise Archer Farms has a great Tzatziki Sauce if you prefer to buy it.

via

I served it with a cucumber and kalamata olive salad tossed in olive oil with dill. SO YUMMY and both Jason & Kenley approved!

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Infertility Awareness Week!

It's Tuesday and it's time for....

Here's what you do:
1. Write a post about ANYTHING baby {or pregnancy} related.
2. Add my button to your post.
3. Link your post with the link-up tool found at the end of all of my posts.
EASY PEASY! 

Today I am honored and excited to have Lauren {better known as LO to me and the MN Blogger posse}from our crazy ever after here to share her story with infertility. I know more couples than I care to count who have dealt with or are currently dealing with infertility in some capacity. I love and admire so much that LO is is not quietly fighting her battle. She is sharing it all! And while I'm sure it's difficult to do, she is using her experience to educate others and also encourage other couples dealing with infertility to speak up! It's OK to share your journey and your disappointment and your heartache because it's only then that you are able to find support from others who know exactly how you are feeling. LO has an incredible outlook and incredible attitude and shares all her trials and tribulations with a humor that always has me chuckling out loud. She really is an inspiration and I am so honored that she is sharing her story with all of you today!  

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Hello to all you hot mamas out there. Or hot mamas in the making. I'm Lauren, and I'd like to consider myself one of the latter. I've been trying ever so hard to become a mom for over two years now. And it's just not working. There have been countless doctor appointments. Shots. Sterile cups of sperm. Inseminations. Empty bank accounts. My period arriving like clockwork. More shots (maybe tequila, maybe not). Tears. Screaming. Sadness. Anger. Oh yeah, and hope. I still have that. I honestly don't think I'd be able to share my story if I didn't have hope.

That's Jesse and I the first time we saw each other on our wedding day. I love that man so much. Little did I know exactly a year after this picture was taken, on our one year anniversary, that Jesse and I would be sitting in the office of a reproductive endocrinologist. It would be confirmed that our dreams of having babies wouldn't be realized as easily as we'd desired. Don't worry, we still celebrated our one year anniversary with greasy, delicious burgers at the 5-8 Club after the appointment. I went through a flood of emotions throughout our second year of marriage. I was angry a lot. My friendships changed. People I loved so dearly began to go on to do life in a way I wanted to do life. I was jealous. Being around friends with easily conceived babies was virtually impossible. I felt misunderstood, almost like people thought I was overreacting. I heard every cliche statement imaginable. Maybe it's stress!? You could adopt! Go on a vacation and then you'll get pregnant! Of course I wanted to be gracious, and field their well meant advice with a smile. It got hard, and so I just avoided people like a plague.

The first year after we were diagnosed we did seven medicated cycles, with five of those being IUIs. I like to refer to this year as the time we went buck wild for our baby. What's an IUI, you ask? It's this super romantic procedure where you basically have a threesome with your nurse. Wait, what? The nurse is in the room so she can shoot Jesse's sperm through my cervix with this long catheter thingy. It's definitely NOT romantic, and definitely NOT how one plans to create life. After each failed cycle, I was losing more and more hope. Our doctors wanted us to stop with the IUIs and jump to IVF, something we didn't, and still don't have the money for. IVF can cost anywhere from $13,000-$30,000, but the success rates for a couple with our diagnosis is more than 60%. We ain't poor, but we definitely don't have the dollar bills for that right now. And yes, it sucks that money is basically the one thing getting in the way of me becoming a mom and Jesse a dad.

Finally by November of this last year, we'd had enough, and decided to take a break from treatments. I was weighing in a whopping 20 pounds heavier (can we call that baby weight?) and the hormones I shot myself up with made me super crazy. So crazy that I am convinced Jesse was searching for a one way plane ticket to Canada, and his coo coo loco wife was not invited. I honestly felt robbed of those first precious years of marriage with my husband, and that's why for the last several months we've been trying our best to reclaim our marriage. To remove the infertility blinders, and embrace and cherish what we have until we can more aggressively pursue treatments. We're choosing joy right now. I strive to live my life everyday so that when I do have children, they would be proud of how cool their mom and dad were before they were born. Look at those cool future parents down there, just hanging out in the liquor store. Holla!

I never thought I could be so passionate about something I hate so much. I never realized I could feel a deep connection with women who were experiencing the same thing I was. I discovered an entire blogging community with the same dreams and desires. We support one another. We vent on the tough days. We cry when a cycle fails, and we rejoice when one of us finally sees those two precious, pink lines. The women I have met through this journey have been my silver lining. They make infertility suck just a little less.

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week. I am so honored that Kristin, a fellow Minnesota blogger, is opening up her blog to me today. She's letting me share my version of Baby Talk. This year's theme is resolve to know more. Kristin is doing that by allowing the voice of an infertile to be heard on her blog. Thank you so, so much for listening. If you or someone you know is struggling, please don't hesitate to reach out. You are not alone. You are loved. And you matter.

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I want to be sure to mention that while LO and Jesse are enjoying their marriage and "choosing joy" they have also created a fantastic business to help them become the wonderful parents I know they are destined to be. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check out Jbaby Rags on Etsy to shop for adorbale burp cloths and bibs handmade by LO & Jesse! All of the profits go to help them get their miracle! 

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Easter 2014

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had wonderful weekends! We sure did! It was an absolutely gorgeous day yesterday and we soaked up every second celebrating with family. Our day started with Peeps and Easter baskets, then we went to church, and then spent the day up at the ranch with Jason's parents - there was an Easter egg hunt, bubble blowing, lots of good food and general running and playing. 

What a special day! And, if you follow me on Instagram, you saw this little comparison:

It's crazy how much she's grown, but she's still the happiest little kid.

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Buh Bye Baby Weight!

Can I get a WAH-FRICKIN-WHOOOOOOOOOOOO?

IT-IS-GONE! The baby weight is GONE! Sure after almost a year and a half I couldn't really call it baby weight anymore but whatever it's called it's GONE and I am now 3 pounds UNDER my pre-pregnancy weight!!!

my due date vs last night! -36.5 pounds!

Yeaaaahhhhh buddy!
{please don't judge the fact that it still says "40 weeks! Waiting..." on my daughter's door #momfail}

Like I mentioned in my post last week, there is a number in my head that I am striving for BUT my overall health and confidence is my ultimate goal and I can see and feel all of that coming in to place - FINALLY!

Over the weekend I ran in Goldy's 5k and while I've ran several 5k's in the past, this time I crossed the finish line and felt GOOD! My lungs felt good, my legs felt good AND I got my best time EVER. While I was running I just felt lighter and stronger and BETTER. And that feeling is more important and more exciting than any number on the scale!

why yes I am soaking wet from rain...it's was lovely.


I have to thank all of you so much for your kind words, great tips and motivation on last week's post. I read every single word and it was definitely your comments that FINALLY pushed me past that dang number I just couldn't get past! It was so reassuring to hear that so many of you are in the same boat and to get ideas on how to continue to push myself to be the best version I can be. You rock my socks off! Also, blogging about this has really helped hold me accountable - so I hope you like these posts because there will probably be more coming. I don't want this to turn in to a fitness blog but I definitely think fitness and healthy living is a MAJOR part of being a mom.

Another big victory this week....I wore a pair of jeans I haven't worn for almost 3 years to the date, I know this because the last time I fit in them was during our engagement pictures in April 2011.

yup, those jeans!

Enough rambling for this girl...I'm off to the gym or to drink a protein shake or a bunch of raw eggs or whatever it is that in shape {or close to in shape} people do. ;)

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Genius Mom Ideas

I've said it before and I'll say it again....what in the heck did we do without Pinterest? I have a board dedicated to "Mama tips, tricks & ideas" and another to "Little Products" and I love looking at them and getting fun ideas for the future. 

Here are some of my favorites:

 

The "Stay in bed until you see the sun" clock. Perfect when Kenley moves into her big girl bed. 

Bathtub Divider, so you don't waste as much water - why didn't I think of this?

 

A Tooth Receipt from the Tooth Fairy so you can remember when your kiddo lost which tooth!

 

"Work for Hire"...such a great idea for chores. Clip the chore and the allowance to a board for the kiddos to choose. 

 

Such a simple way to teach kiddos which foot their shoes go on!

 

"House Store", your kiddo gets "money" for good behavior and helping out and can use the "money" to buy something from the home store. It teaches responsibility AND money. I will be doing this one for sure!

And my personal favorite...

 

A Zoo Passport to mark off things you see at the zoo! I am a spaz about the zoo so I'd probably have to make one of these for myself as well! :) 

What are some genius mom ideas you've seen?

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Potty Training

It's Tuesday and it's time for...

Here's what you do:

1. Write a post about ANYTHING baby {or pregnancy} related.

2. Add my button to your post.

3. Link your post with the link-up tool found at the end of all of my posts.

EASY PEASY! 

As of today we will officially be potty training. 

Lord help me. 

The past few weeks Kenley has become very interested in her private parts, has been going WAY longer in between wet diapers and will go either into the bathroom or to her changing table if you ask her if she's gone potty - so it just seems like the right time. 

I've heard all kinds of different methods of potty training but it seems as though the most popular is the 3-day no pants method. I know this has worked for some of our friends and I totally get how it could be effective {and fast} but I don't know if I have the patience to sit at home for three straight days with a crazy toddler in no pants. That's just me. 

So our plan of attack is to take this nice and slow and stress free. We're in no rush but want to get the ball moving {the thought of no more diapers makes me giddy!} so we're going to get a potty chair and let Kenley explore it, practice sitting on it and somehow start equating it with her dirty diapers. 

Kenley and I are going to go buy her chair today and I'm leaning towards this one...

 

But of course I can't possibly start this major process without asking my beloved blog friends who have already been in my shoes for ideas, tips & advice! My buddy Andrea sent me an AWESOME email with what worked for her and her daughter Avrie...but now I want to know...WHAT DID YOU DO? How did you potty train your little? What potty did you use? How long did it take? How much wine did you drink?

Let's have it....

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