Our Little Pumpkin

I took Jocelyn to Target this morning for pictures. Why you may ask, would I take her back there again, when almost every experience I have had there has been bad? Well, I still had 6 free portrait sheets left over from the horrible Holiday session and they were about to expire, so I decided to get some done in her Halloween costume. What the heck...they would be free anyway!

We were there early so as not to be rushed. The photographer didn't show up until about 5 minutes after our appointment time, then she had to set up. I thought to myself that just because she was late didn't mean we would have another horrible experience. So we started taking pictures.

Taking pictures of Jocelyn is not an easy task. She knows what you are doing and tries to avoid getting her picture taken at all costs. She will stand with her back to the camera and pretend she doesn't hear me or the photographer calling her. She will stick her tongue out. She will run away.

The beginning of the session went well. Then the photographer realized the pictures weren't uploading to the computer. None of the pictures were going to be available. She had to call for tech support and about 10 minutes later was ready to start over. Jocelyn thought she was done and wanted absolutely nothing to do with getting her picture taken again. She literally screamed at the top of her lungs. She cried. She would not stand where she was supposed to. Her nose ran. I was about to give up when the photographer got a couple of half decent shots. All I had to do was pretend I was sneezing and let my hair cover my face. I guess Jocelyn finds that pretty funny.

Anyway, I got about 7 free sheets and the photographer already sent me the images online. I don't get to pick them up until the 27th, so those of you who usually get pictures from me will have to wait a little while. Hopefully you will get them for Halloween.

So Target session #4: Still horrible, but this time it was mostly Jocelyn's fault. ;) I should add that the photographer was very nice and really tried her hardest with Jocelyn. We are going to the The Picture People for Jocelyn's 2-year photos. They are expensive and I won't be able to buy pictures for everyone, but maybe we will have a better experience. Maybe.

Here are the pictures:

This is the good one:

Second best

This is when she started sticking her tongue out:

It's the 8th...

...and Jocelyn is

21 months old!

Only three short months until she is the big 2!

Go Go Go!

Reunion: A Pictoral Essay

This year we left something important at at the beach. We thought this item was gone for ever, but luckily it was returned safe and sound.

"Something is missing from my crib."

PALS

Jocelyn and I joined a local playgroup called PALS (Preschool Activities Learning Shop). It's a crazy group with lots of kids that gets together every Wednesday in the Civic center. Jocelyn loves it! Today she made her very first craft project: An apple. She was too cute while she was placing all the pieces on the glue, and she was so proud once she was done. She carried it around and showed it to everyone. When we got home I took some pictures...

09-11-01 Never Forgotten

I will never be able to forget the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. It is sad that 8 years later, it seems that many have.

Especially today, but also many other days, I think not only about those who lost their lives that day, but also about all who were affected. The victims of 9/11 were many more than those who died.

September 11 is a day that will forever cause a heavy heart for me.

I once again find myself pulling out the picture below and thanking God that I (and especially Todd) was not (but absolutely could have been) directly affected by the evil that occurred that day.

To find a safe journey through grief to growth does not mean one should forget the past. It means that on the journey we will need safe pathways so that remembrance, which may be painful, is possible.
-Donna O'Toole

Here We Go!

Tonight marks the start of another Steelers Football season!!!! This year Jocelyn got her very own jersey!

I am definitely biased, but Jocelyn has to be the cutest Steelers Fan ever!

Oh, and even Elmo is a Steelers fan!

G O S T E E L E R S!!!!!!!

A No-Go on the Potty

Ok, so the potty (both child-sized and adult-sized) is terrifying to Jocelyn now. She will still go into the bathroom and point at them and say "poop", but if you try to sit her on one she freaks. So for now, the potty sits unused, which is OK. Jocelyn can try again in her own time, but for now I'm still very proud of her!

Potty Time!

Last night Todd and I bought Jocelyn her first potty. We bought it thinking that we could just set it up in the bathroom, and if she was interested, we could sit her on it when we go or when she wanted to. Last night when we got it out of the box she was super excited! She wanted her diaper off and wanted to sit on it right away. Nothing came of her "attempts". She mostly just excitedly sat on it, got up and ran around without a diaper, sat on it, got up...you get the picture.

Today, much to my surprise, was a different story. When I got her up from bed, I changed her diaper and took her into the bathroom with me. She sat on her little potty. She peed! Her little potty plays a little song when it senses anything in the potty, so the music started and I freaked! I was super excited that after only one other try, she actually produced something on the potty! She got up and looked into the potty and seemed a bit horrified. I barely noticed because I was so excited that I scooped her up, ran downstairs and called Todd. His enthusiasm was somewhat mellow--all his coworkers can hear his conversations. So, I hung up and took her back upstairs before her bare bottom turned into an accident on the floor! She caught a glimpse of the potty while we were up there, and she didn't seem very happy to see it. I was a little worried that I may have been a little too excited and scared her. It really seemed that this was the case because she didn't want to sit on the potty anymore throughout the day. Good thing the little potty seat can also be placed on top of the big potty. Jocelyn is OK with it this way, and I must say she looks super cute sitting on the potty!

After dinner Jocelyn grabbed her diaper and said "poop". I took her upstairs, put her on the big potty, read the Elmo potty book and she peed again!! Pee #2!!! A couple of minutes later she leaned forward, grunted, and pooped! She actually pooped on the potty!!! I didn't overreact this time. I didn't want to scare her again, but OMG was I excited! I never thought I could be so excited about poop!

I made a trip out to Walmart today and I purchased some training underwear, some plastic covers, and also some pull-ups. I'm not a big fan of pull-ups, but I'm going to use them until she gets more used to this potty thing. Don't get me wrong--I'm not expecting a miracle here. I'm sure tomorrow could be totally different. I know that she is young and this may be beginner's luck, but wouldn't it be great if she just potty trained really quickly and easily? I'm not going to stop buying diapers just yet, she's only 19 months old!

We will see what tomorrow holds!

A Cutie Riding the Boats

Here's a video of Jocelyn riding the boat ride at the boardwalk in Dewey Beach. We just love how she is waving and blowing kisses!