I Was Ready w My Camera This TIme

My Girls Are Starting to Get It- Well Kinda

Gia--- Absolutely no bottles since Sunday-- Whoppeeee. Gia now screams for at least 5 minutes before falling asleep-- as annoying as it is- I am okay with that! I'd rather her scream in her crib than at Walmart in the candy or toy aisle. During the day- she will still scream 'Bottle Bottle'- but I will quickly correct her and say 'Sippy Sippy' and she will repeat me and take the Sippy Cup. I am so happy that she has accepted giving up the bottle so easily-- Now she likes to eat food-- thank goodness.

Off topic- sorta--- Gia loves to eat food now that she has given up her bottle that she will let Lexi feed her! The other day Lexi had yogurt and Gia yelled 'Bite' and Lexi spooned yogurt in her mouth! Much neater than having Gia spoon yogurt in her own mouth.

Gia has started to tell me when she has pottied in her diaper and sometimes when she needs to poop! Code "Princess Potty-Poop"------Love it!

Lexi--- Lexi has begun to wear panties at home during non sleeping times. She is accepting this more and more everyday. She still asks for a 'white diaper'- she is testing me! For the most part we go through about 6 pair of undies a day. This is mainly due to 'skids' and minor accidents.

Last weekend Lexi & I went to Walmart to pick out some undies-- we bought a 3 pk of Little Mermaid and a 3 pk of My Little Pony undies.

Oh Geez Louise why did I not buy eight 3 packs of My Little Pony panties? She gets so upset when her My Little Pony panties are dirty!

Lexi normally has codes to tell me that she is needing to go or is in the process of going. These codes include 'Mommy I don't want to be a big girl!' (this means she is going)---- 'Mommy-- no-- not yet!' (this is her answer when I say 'let's go potty' and she is in the process of needing to poop). She was adorable the other day--- She was in the family room and she looked at me and said so sweetly 'Mommy I had an accident'--When we went to the potty she said 'See mommy?'

I am confident that my Lexi will get the Poopy on the Potty process down! Especially if you guys send some prayers my way.

First Day of Lexi's New School

Lexi seemed to have a great day at her new school. She woke up at the normal time and was very excited to be able to play w her friend Reese before she had to leave.

Daddy took Lexi to school and the kids at school were sitting in a circle listening to a man playing his guitar. Lexi joined in.

After school- Lexi rode home on the bus. She got home really really fast because she was the only student. She said the bus assistant was nice to her. (I wonder if Lexi talks on the bus or just sits there and looks out the window).

When Lexi got home I tried to ask her questions but she was toooooooooooo tired and only wanted to lay down. After 20 minutes she was passed out.

After Lexi woke up - she was nice enough to share her day with me. She said that the 'man teacher' sang and played music and that she ate rice, chicken and drank milk for lunch. She could not tell me her teacher's name and they did something about a fireman. She said that she was coming back tomorrow---SO that was a good sign.

Sounds like she had fun and I am so happy. I do wish that she was not the only kid on the bus, but in time- she may not have to be.

My My How Things Have Changed

Back in the mid 90's things were just a little different than they are now. I am referring to Birthday Party planning.

Back in the mid 90's:
*You could call the party place at least two weeks before the party and a spot would be available
*It cost $10 a head minimum 10 kids (siblings not included in the 10)
*Sometimes they would even throw in the cake

Nowadays:
*You have to call & schedule- it seems- more than a month ahead of time
*The cost normally ranges to around OVER $200 and a bit under $300
*Minimum 20 kids-- who in the heck on this Earth knows 20 kids---So if 10 kids show up- it is still the same cost

My baby will turn '2'- she does not care or will even remember if she has a party, but I feel like I should give her a birthday FUN day-- maybe even two or three because she is my baby. It is fun to see the same kids/parents come to each party and watch them interact.

After a small stressful day of planning yesterday- I found the perfect party place at My Gymn. I did have to bump it up to about 3 weeks before her birthday, but I don't think she will care.

Now- in order to feel like I am getting my money's worth-- I must find 20 kids to invite and convince them that this will be the ultimate party & they won't want to miss it.

The Debate is On!

So --- I went and had a mini tour of Lexi's new school/ daycare. I have to say it scared the heck out me!

I have to admit that the timing of my tour was really BAD. It was 'free time' and they were getting ready for a Halloween parade. Maybe I am over reacting but my first thought was 'Oh my- this is an actual daycare!'- which I knew it would be, but I guess I pictured it differently. There were around 15 kids per 1 teacher and 1 assistant that looked 14 or 15 years old. I saw no 'bubble' in the room just exhaustion by the two teachers- watching that many 3-4 yr olds would make me exhausted and a little crazy also.

Some of my fears is: Lexi will be another daycare kid, she won't be 'touched' (one on one), her teacher really won't get to know her (lex will only be there for 2 1/2 hours a day - so will they see her as important), I won't have quick access w her new teacher, not good communication and the list goes on...

I found out that I have an option of putting her back at her old school and they would work with her w continuing to advance her! That is good news for me, but it makes me want to just go ahead and put her back in the original school. I know I need to have an open mind and see how it goes for the next week. I can't just make the 'easy' and most 'comfortable' decision for me. As a mom- I should do what I think is best BUT do I really know if it is best for her to go to Primrose or stay at Bennett.

Argh!

Oh Lordy Lord

'Bottle' 'Bottle' !!!!!! These are the words of Gia and they are not nice!

I have decided- well actually I decided a LONG time ago that Gia was too old for the bottle. So last night I decided that it was time --- this decision was helped by the fact that I had no clean bottles and that the milk was in the garage fridge. I layed her down- she screamed 'Bottle, Bottle!!'- cried for 4 minutes and passed out. Yea Happy!

This morning was a different story. She woke up and requested a Bottle-- I gave her a sippy cup with milk. She was livid! Oh Geez Louise~

I am doing my best NOT to give in--- If we can get Lex off the bottle and paci-- we are determined we can get Gia off the bottle.

What makes it a little more stressful is that Lexi is BACK in panties! She is sometimes really okay w wearing them and sometimes really really upset! 'I want my white diaper with Mickey and Minnie!'- "I don't want to be a big girl!'--- Where are sometimes she says 'I'm not a baby- I'm Lexi!' & then she names off everyone that wears panties.

So up ahead are some stressful time! Wish me luck and sanity.

If I had my camera

I would have figured out how to take a picture---

This afternoon- I was showing Lexi 'My Little Ponys' on EBAY--She started to snuggle really hard in my lap so I pulled her up in total baby/ snuggle/ fetal position. She looked really tired so I said 'You can close your eyes if you want.' She closed her eyes- I thought she was kidding around, but after a second she started breathing hard--- My baby fell asleep in my arms!!!!!! For me that was such an 'AW' moment.

After a few minutes I layed her in her bed and luckily she stayed asleep.

My Baby- Big Girl Lexi is Moving to New Heights!

Lexi's teacher called me last week and told me some really good (sad) news.

Ms V (Lexi's main teacher) explained that she noticed a HUGE progression in Lexi's learning since she was enrolled last spring. She had told me that a few months earlier and at the time I thought 'Dang they are going to kick her out of the program- how can we 'dumb' this girl up!?'

Well- needless to say--- Lexi's teacher informed me that Lexi was observed by another MISD teacher-not sure how to explain who this teacher was-- and this teacher (Ms. Barton) said 'Hmmm this little girl should probably not be in this class.'

Oh DANG!!!!!

Good News!!!! Lexi is being transferred to an ADVANCED class--- Yipee- my baby girl is catching on!

Bad News!!!! Lexi is being moved out of Bennett :-(

Good News!!! Lexi is being moved to Primrose!!!!

Bad News!!!! She will no longer be in MISD-- but a daycare environment- which is not so bad, BUT I like the school atmosphere :-(

Good News!!! It is free and she will be fed lunch :-)

Bad News!!! She will no longer have her 3 teachers-- Ms. V, Wilson, and Garner :-()

Good News!!! She will have 3 new teachers-- Primrose teacher, MISD teacher -visits daily--, and a speech teacher.

Bad News!! She may have to ride the bus to and from school.

Good News!!! She loves the bus.

Bad News!!! I like mom or dad dropping her off so she can get a kiss good bye and we can see her get out of the car happy.

BEST NEWS-----MY BABY GIRL IS GETTING SMARTER AND BIGGER----------------

'Poopy! Princess Potty'

These are the words that Gia spoke to give me the sign that she needed to POOP! I checked her diaper 'CLEAR'-- I smelled something not so pleasant & headed straight for the bathroom. She sat- continued to insist on 'PAPER'. I left the room to give her some 'time' & when I came back--- we had POOP!!!! Call the newspaper- this is an exciting moment! How wonderful it would be if I could get both kids potty trained and never have to buy diapers again (unless - of course- I created another beautiful, gorgeous, smart, adorable Fauci child!

Check Out Gia's New Dance Move

State Fair of Texas --Texas/ OU Game

We have created a family tradition and that tradition is venturing out on the day of the Texas/ OU game at the State Fair of Texas. Some would say that we are crazy because of the crowd and traffic, but we look at it as an adventure. Normally you can arrive to the fair before the game starts and know that the fair will be a little more crowded than normal- then once the game starts- you practically have the fair to yourself. After the game is over- that is normally about the time you should think about leaving. This year was a whole different year! When we arrived and once the game started- the fair had a nice and easy crowd. Once half time came around- we realized that someone left the gate open and a ton of OU and Longhorn fans had escaped. We were able to tolerate that crowd- they were mainly hanging around the big screen watching the game. After the game was something we had never experienced--- as we were walking we had walked into a swarm of orange and burgandy. There was no escaping! It was madness! After I found an opening- Jenna and the gang held onto my pants and we made our escape. Ryan was pushing the double stroller and he did an awesome job- he did run into a few ankles, but no one seemed to mind.


Do you see the orange and burgandy in the background? This was after halftime!

Lexi and I were waiting for Jenna and Chris to get off a scary and very expensive ride. I had some tickets left so I bought some apples with caramal and nuts. If the caramal did not slide off the apple so much it would have been good.

This was Gia's first Fair ride! She never really smiled and giggled but she seemed to like it!

Thank goodness for FREE ice cream! We would not have known about this if it was not for Ryan. The girls had been so evil for the the first hour of our trip, but the ice cream really seemed to calm them down!

The sign says it all! That is the only reason Rick was at the fair!

Lexi loves to ride rides!

After a huge meltdown--- Gia passed out. We tried laying her back in the stroller, but she would get angry!
Crazy fair riders.
Overall- we had quite an experience at the fair- from way too many crowds to crying and screaming Fauci kids! Thankfully Jenna and her boyfriend arrived and helped with the girls.

Little Tornados

Why do I even bother!?!?!?!!? Lexi and Gia emptied out their drawers so their animals could have blankets?!!?!?!? Gia likes to carry piles of clothes into the living room- for what reason- I cannot even begin to guess!?!?!? I can't 'get on to them' because they are so happy and out of my hair when they are causing these tornados! I am sure one day I will BLOW UP!

Who the Heck Knew You HAD to have a Ticket?

As we read the Sunday paper-- or should I say 'As Rick read the Sunday paper and I glanced at the ads'--- we ran across a blurb that said that Giada from Food Network's 'Everyday Italian' would be in Plano at Park and Preston from 4-6pm. I thought 'WOW - how cool is that! I can have her autograph her new book and sign it to my baby and have a picture taken of her and my baby Gia.' If you don't know- our baby Gia was named after Giada. It was one of the 'spur of the moment- for no good reason' things to do. I liked the name and Rick thought she was hot- so we did it :-)

Long story short- I loaded the kids up and we headed to Plano. When we got there the line was wrapped around the building. I thought 'Gee Wiz- I can't back out now!'. Well little did I know that you had to have a magic ticket. Makes sense- but I really wish the paper would have said that. So we headed inside to take a peak at Mrs. Giada De Laurentiis. We were able to see her from a distance. As I observed I noticed that people were only taking pictures from where I was standing and not with her. So as I thought about it- it was probably good that we did not have to stand in that big long line because I really only wanted to get a pic of the two Giada's.

Meet Gia- My Big Girl

My Gia is growing right before my eyes & FAST! She is 'one of the girls'---

At night she tears the house up (we call her our Little Tornado) & plays 'mommy'. She grabs her animal or doll, puts them on the changing pad and starts 'cleaning them up!'.

I've tried practicing w her on the potty and all she wants is 'paper' and if you don't give it to her- she gets really mad.

If you are not paying enough attention to her - she will look at you and stick both fingers in her nose and laugh! She gets this from her dad.

She looks up to her 2nd Big Sis- Anything that Lexi does- Gia is like a little parrot and copies her.

Gia is funny and cute and I wonder how she will act when she is a little older-