A Week & A Half Later...

I have a newfound appreciation for all parents who have ever potty-trained a child.  As if I wasn't exhausted before.  Carrying around at least two types of potty seats, one potty in the car, at least three pairs of tiny underwear, a change of clothes, and more wipes than I had in my bag when MiniM.E. was an infant have tested the limits of the bags I have and the arms to carry them.  We've added in at least another (if not two or three) load(s) of laundry per day.  AND there's the occasional clean up.  Not to mention the mental strain of constantly examining my child's facial expressions and body language to determine whether or not she might be gearing up for something I have to remind her to get to the potty for.

love that she picked Thomas the Train underwear

But honestly, it is STILL 1,000 times better than diapers.  I am more than thrilled and excited and I'm extremely proud.  We've come so far from the first couple days ("Hey! I just peed on the carpet!!") to days with just a couple "oops, we were a couple seconds too late...".  I must admit, the first few days I thought we might never be able to venture out of the house again in fear of having an accident in a public place.  But like all other parent-related tasks that seem daunting at first, after the first time we had a huge accident while we were out and I realized, "hey, that wasn't SO bad..." we went back to our normal routine.

MiniM.E. is doing great, I'm adjusting fairly well, and overall, everyone is much happier than we were two weeks ago when a diaper change resulted in a full-on high-speed chase around the house, four or five failed attempts to get the diaper off, one screaming child needing to be cleaned up, and a repeat of steps one and two to get a clean diaper ON.

And with that, here's what we've been up to now that we're back to enjoying the last weeks of summer.

Playgrounds & Our Yard:

Look at her swing!

The Peerless Pool

Quality Cat Time:

Breakfast at the Track:

Followed by A Morning at Congress Park:

Dancing at a Concert in The Park:

Lake Moreau:

The Sandbox:

An Evening at Polo:

what a cute divot stomper!

And we're off... to a last summer week in New Hampshire.  The plan?  Swimming, swimming, swimming, ice cream, the ocean and a boat on Lake Winnipesaukee. Hope you're all enjoying the last weeks of August.

A Bike Ride and Polos

Yesterday we had a fantastic day of outdoor activities.

We took MiniM.E. on her first bike ride.  Well, bike trailer ride for her.

A while back some of our friends were trying to convince us to get MiniM.E. a trailer, but we held off since they're expensive and I didn't think she was quite ready.

We were lucky to find a Burley bike trailer on Craigslist in GREAT condition for a reasonable price and decided it was time to test it out.

If you are ever in the market for a bike trailer, dish out the extra dough and get a Burley.  Of all the ones I've seen, it seems to have the nicest kid-cabin and seat (if your child wants, they can sit upright).  Most we looked at seemed kind of cheap and had "hammock-like" seats that forced the child to recline. This one also has space for helmet (which we will be purchasing if we decide to take MiniM.E. on real roads).

Are you SERIOUS?

...I guess this is alright...

At first, MiniM.E. didn't seem so sure about it.  We tested it in the neighborhood to see if she could even make it around the block without throwing a fit.  After 4 loops around, she actually seemed to be enjoying herself, so we packed her, the trailer and our bikes in (and on) the car, along with half our house (food, drinks, toys, extra clothes, sunscreen, bug spray, hats, etc.) and drove to the Zim Trail to check it out.

It was awesome.  MiniM.E. lasted about 20 minutes out.  We turned around, took a lunch break, and headed back to the park where we started.

Walking with Daddy

Swinging at the park

That evening we went to a polo game (match?).  I though MiniM.E. was most appropriately dressed in her polo shirt.  Unfortunately, it was ridiculously hot and we were sitting on the grass with no shade.  At all.  To be honest, the first four Chukkers (seriously, where they come up with these things I can't even imagine) I couldn't see the horses because the sun was in my eyes and I was trying desperately to keep my baby in the shade because she was fussy from being hot but didn't know it.  Fortunately, I brought distractions.

Distraction 1: washcloth.

Distraction 2: chip clip.

After the third Chukker all the spectators were invited to go out on the field and stomp the divots.  MiniM.E. seemed to really enjoy that part.

That's a lot of people stomping!

 AND, we got to pet a horse.  Which was awesome.  Until the horse turned its head and ran right into MiniM.E.  I hope she's not scarred for life...

By the fifth Chukker we could actually watch the play.  Turns out it was pretty cool.  And we didn't even get hit by a ball or trampled by a horse.  I'd call it a success.