Tour of the Big Girl Room

Here's some video I took tonight before bath time in Reese's big girl room. We've got a few small projects left in it, but it's pretty much done.

First Musical

This weekend we took Reese to her first musical. It was a special occasion and bedtime went by the wayside so we could take her to the Zilker hillside production of "Annie."

A little back story: Kevin and I have been attending the summer musicals in the park for almost ten years now--it amazes us to look through the programs each summer and realize how many productions we've seen. When we first went, we had no idea what to expect, we just packed a picnic and figured it was an evening of free entertainment. We were blown away by the quality of the production--everything from the stage, to lighting and sound, costumes, dancers, and acting were top notch. Since then, our picnics have gotten slightly more extravagant (we swing by Central Market on the way, and make it a "gourmet" experience) and we know the tricks on parking, arriving early, and getting a good seat. It's also been fun to see friends and colleagues of ours participate in the productions--this was actually the first year we didn't know someone in the cast or orchestra.

Knowing we'd be braving the evening heat with a toddler and a pregnant lady, we took our time getting a picnic secured at Central Market and making our way south to the park. We tried to explain to Reese what we were going to do, but it quickly became clear that "going to the park" was the only part that made sense to her.

The shows start around sundown (~8:30PM aka WAY past bedtime), and generally last until 11pm. We had NO intentions of staying after intermission. We ate our picnic, tried to hide in the shade, and successfully kept Reese entertained until the show started. The first few scenes of "Annie" captured her attention immediately (probably because they involved children, but who doesn't love singing and dancing?). She was remarkably well behaved during the entire first half of the performance. She tuned out during most of the speaking parts, but as soon as there was singing and dancing, she was standing on our blanket, dancing, and jumping around. As part of the production, the cast worked with a dog rescue group and trained a rescue dog to play the part of Sandy. Reese was in love--she squealed with delight every time the dog came on stage. "It's a DOGGIE!" she'd yell. Luckily the people around us thought her enthusiasm and commentary were adorable.

We hit the road at intermission like planned and made it home by 10:20PM. Sweaty, covered in bug spray, and tired, Reese went straight to bed. Since the experience, she's talked a lot about how it was dark outside during the show, how the kids in the show jumped on their beds (during "It's a Hard Knock Life"), and lots about the doggie. Despite a mild case of heat exhaustion for Mommy, we're calling the whole experience a success. We may look for some more indoor venues for our theater experiences in the near future, but I'm sure we'll be back at the hillside next summer (anyone want to babysit a 9 month old sometime next July?).

Waiting and Trying

On the subject of waiting: I got a phone call today from one of the preschools we were on a waiting list for and they've got a spot for Reese in the fall! She'll be attending Bethany Methodist's 2 year old class on Mondays and Fridays from 9-1. I toured the school back in February, met some of the staff, and was very happy and impressed. My only hesitation is the schedule--Mondays and Fridays bookend the weekend, which may be strange, and will still give us three consecutive days at home each week. On the other hand, it may be good to have some additional days at home to ease the transition into "school."

Trying: We gave potty training a go yesterday using cotton training pants. It was nearly a complete disaster. Reese was excited about the panties, and was upset when she wet them, which was good. However, she doesn't yet understand the urge to go, or the fact that we sit on the potty before we wet our panties not afterward. After wetting herself, she would want to take off the wet panties, sit on the potty, and then demand a reward for sitting on the potty...a little bit of a disconnect going on. By lunch time she was pretty frustrated by the process, and today when I asked her if she wanted panties or to try and use the potty, she was adamantly opposed. I have to admit I was a little disappointed since she's showing most of the signs of readiness (wants her diaper changed when it's wet/dirty, can follow directions, curious about potties etc etc), but I guess it's just a little early. I have to remind myself, she's technically not even two yet--we've got time.

On a side note, other "big girl" activities she's now having success with: putting on (including buckling) shoes, using a "big girl" fork (metal salad fork, she wants NOTHING to do with toddler silverware since it's not what Mommy and Daddy use), and drinking out a cup without a sippy lid (we're pretty much reserving sippy cups for on the go moments now).

Big Girl Room

As of Sunday night, Reese has officially moved into her "big girl room." The transition went much more smoothly than either of us imagined. I think we were ready for fist pounding at the door and a little one who wouldn't stay put in her new big girl bed, but (so far) we've experienced nothing of the sort. While the big girl room isn't completely "done" yet (her dresser is somewhere in UPS land, and her clothes are scattered everywhere), it's become Reese's new favorite place to be. She's successfully sleeping in her big girl bed at night, and has taken some great naps in there as well. Between moving her kitchen into the room, her new dollhouse from Grandma and Grandpa Bailey, and her bookshelf full of books, the room is a wonderland of fun. She loves to flop around on the bed, read stories, practice putting her blankets on, and show EVERYONE who comes to visit her "big girl room." As far as she's concerned, her previous room may as well not exist. (Let's hope the same rings true when it's inhabited by a little sister in the not-so-distant-future.)

Daddy worked especially hard painting, adding chair rail, and assembling her big girl bed--and the transformation is pretty amazing! Now it's Mommy's turn to organize and accessorize. (Since I don't have a classroom to get ready for the fall, I'm channeling all my "first day of school" excitement into the creation of Reese's room, and the reorg. of the nursery. Yes, I know it's kind of lame, but nesting in this way is my thing, pregnant or not.) We'll post more panoramic views of the room when it's closer to completion.

Fourth Fun

The Fourth of July is officially a holiday that is more fun with kids around. Since fireworks are legal in our neighborhood (and the recent rains made fire hazards virtually nil), we invited folks over to our house to enjoy some hotdogs, drinks, and pyrotechnics. Included in the fun were the Hadens who have two kids of their own--both much older than Reese, though.
Kevin (apparently) had a lot of fun at the fireworks stand and brought home four grocery bags of fireworks for the night.

Reese got to stay up late and had a blast doing sparklers, watching fireworks, and playing in the front yard with Gage and Hayley. She and Hayley spent most of the end of the evening laying on the grass together watching the fireworks.
To our immense relief, Reese thought the fireworks were very neat and she oohed and awed all night long. At one point she told us it was like the "stars go boom in the sky." Poetic, I thought.
A few friends with kids couldn't make it this year, and after the great time we had, I can't wait until next year when there are a few more kiddos around.

Snow Cones

Last week the boys who live two houses away from us decided to have a snow cone sale. Their objective was to raise money for a trip to Schlitterbahn. My objective? Entertain Reese and eat something cold. Mission accomplished.
For $.75 we enjoyed a strawberry flavored snow cone from their machine. Reese was interested at first and scooped a couple spoonfuls of flavored ice into her mouth, but I think he texture and temperature were too much for her. She soon surrendered her snow cone to Mommy (who GLADLY ate the rest) and we shared the melted "juice" that was left.

Quick Notes

A few things Reese has been doing lately:

* She loves picking things up with her toes.

* If she's caught doing something wrong (it doesn't happen very often, thankfully) she'll cover her eyes and get very quite and apologetic. She now knows how and when to say "sorry."

* She likes to run around the house and pretend she's either: going to the park, going to the beach, or chasing a squirrel. Sometimes she'll pick up a bag of toys and tell us "Bye, bye, I'm going to the beach. See you later." She then walks (or runs) around the house in circles.

* Daddy is working hard on Reese's big girl room. So far it's painted and awaiting chair rail and new base boards. Her big girl bed arrived on Monday and we're now on the hunt for a mattress.

* Reese is obsessed with the idea of wearing panties. It may be our window into potty training. I'm considering getting some training panties (extra lined ones) and giving it a try soon. Sometimes I think that her super absorbent diapers don't help the cause. We'll see. If it doesn't work, we'll just try again in a month or so. Eventually it will stick.

* Reese has been taking her clothing off at every opportunity. She doesn't work well if something has lots of buttons, but she takes her pajamas off every morning, takes her shoes and socks off in the car constantly, and attempts to take her shirt off in public regularly.

* Reese has decided she doesn't like slides--not at the park or the pool. This came on suddenly, and there's NOTHING you can say or do to get her to go down a slide. She'd rather climb on stairs, hang from her arms on monkey bars (or other bars that are low enough to reach), or swing.