"Mommy, Come!"

Above: Calla is such a cuddler!! Today she fell asleep giving Mama Bear a bear hug.

TODAY was another day centered around the potty. I know, sounds wild and crazy but somehow we kept it low-key. Calla continues to confuse me in her potty habits. This morning, while we were dusting, I caught her doubled over her rocker with her poo face. I screamed in horror (for some reason, I always think a shriek will stop her mid-boo but it doesn't), but the harm was already done.

But then later, Jonathan and I were talking and Calla was sitting on my lap - bare-bottomed. Suddenly, she sat up and said "pee pee." I said, "Do you want to use the potty?" (don't know why I ask) and she said "yes" and walked over to the potty, squealed when she saw the stickers she put on it and always forgets about until she opens it, sat down on it, and peed like she does it like that all the time!!

Tonight Calla hung out in her crib for it least 45 minutes before calling my name. Once she starts calling my name, things are pretty much over as far as her going to sleep on her own. Sometimes I pretend I'm asleep, but after a while I said, "Yes?" Tonight she thrust her little arm out between the crib rails and motioned towards the crib, "Come!" She said it so nicely I couldn't resist. :)

After rocking her a bit, she fell asleep and I did what I do every time I end up rocking her to sleep...I sort of "dump" her back into the crib. I used to place her carefully, but with the huge belly in the way it has turned into a heave. Tonight, she woke right up and started crying. So I sighed in frustration and carried her to my bed (the rocker is soo uncomfortable right now). I thought Calla had fallen right back to sleep once I picked her up, which typically happens. So when I got into bed, I hissed to Jonathan, "With this huge belly, I have to just throw her over the side and she woke up!" and Calla piped up, "Yeah!!" Jonathan and I started laughing hysterically. (For some reason, whenever you have to laugh quietly things seem so much funnier.)

Sentence of the day: "Teddy fall down" (she threw him off the table)

Other phrases Calla knows: "that too," "no more," "Cal-Cal's doing that, Mommy's doing that, Daddy's doing that, KC's doing that, etc.," "Abby boom boom," "Go Cubs/Bulls" (thanks to her father...accompanied by enthusiastic fist pumps)

Below: Calla showing off her impressive hair growth!

Below: and this angle...

Below: Calla washes Minnie Mouse.

Below: Since we never ended up deciding on a stroller at Babies R'Us, I got Calla one there! I've been looking for a cheap little stroller for her ever since she started crying her head off when we left someone's house back in January and she had to let go of their little stroller. This provided hours of entertainment today....Baby is her favorite person to push:

Below: Calla gives a couple balls a ride.

Below: bathtime


Below: getting baby's clothes out...



Below: bedtime

Calla tests strollers

Below: Exhibit A: Peg Perego Twin Stroller OR
Below: Exhibit B: Graco Quattro Duo Stroller

TODAY Calla and I thought through what type of double stroller we want. We even went this evening to Babies R'Us to test them out. She tested both seats of both strollers. I asked her what she thought, and she said it was a toss-up...now let's go try out the swings (she wanted to swing in the baby swings on display).

The advantage of Exhibit A is that it's very compact in terms of the length, it's very light which is good for getting out of the trunk of the car, and it folds easily. The disadvantage is the bottom tray isn't very big (wouldn't work with my diaper bag packed up for the airport) and it's wide enough that although it fits through standard doorways it would probably give me trouble while out shopping. The other disadvantage is that it is more expensive...by $100 (not like $5).

The advantage of Exhibit B is it's as skinny as a regular stroller. It also actually turns very easily - I manuevered it all through the clothing section of Babies R'Us with no problem. The disadvantage is that I feel like I'm driving a stretch limo...as one review put it, "it feels like you need an intercom system to communicate with the child in the front seat..." and that is true. The only part of Calla I can see is the very top of her head. Someone could probably kidnap her while in transit and I not notice until it's time to fold it up. The other disadvantage is that it is heavy and takes up a lot of room in the trunk...which would work well on a normal day since my car has a big trunk but on trips to the airport it might be a problem.

Anyway, any opinions from you all???? JON MOUNTZ IF YOU ARE READING THIS BLOG ENTRY, I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR OPINION. (I'm not yelling at you, just getting your attention. Also, if you are giving your opinion, let me know if you like the Quattro Duo over the DuoGlider.)

In other news, Calla and I worked on her potty training today. She had a major breakthrough in both a good way and a bad way. In a good way, TWO times she started to pee in her panties only to stop mid-stream and have me help her get on her potty! One of those times, she actually had to hold it while I rushed her upstairs! That was very exciting!

In a bad way, I was on the phone with Grandma and began to notice that it looked like Calla had a little toy stored in her panties. Lo and behold, there was a big chocolate Easter egg in them (a poo) and she must have been waay too into her stickers to care. (I had just given her a new pack so she was busy putting them on her rocking chair.) And, she had a second accident later and peed on Mom-Mom's (Jonathan's mom-mom) oriental rug. She seemed apologetic about that one.

Here is a conversation Calla and I had in the car on the way back from Babies R'Us:

Calla: Candy! (sometimes I give her sprees if she is acting up)

I hand her candy.

Calla: Goldfish!

I give her goldfish.

Calla: Candy!

I give her candy.

Calla: No! Goldfish!

Me: Do you want goldfish or candy?

Calla: Candy!

I give her candy.

Calla: No! Goldfish!

Me: Calla, that is rude. If you want goldfish, then ask for goldfish. I will give you candy. Say please.

Calla: Please.

I give her candy.

Calla: Good girl, Mommy, good girl.

Finally, Calla would like to give a shout-out to Aunt Courtney, Aunt Kimberly and Aunt Corinne who are struggling through finals right now (or soon will be). Yay! You are almost done! We are praying they go well! Only a few more days until you are home thinking way more about suntans than exams.

Word of the day: grahams (this is her name for teddy grahams)

Oh, real quick...tonight she couldn't fall asleep in her crib (she had been laying there 45 minutes or so and I got tired of sitting on the rocker...) so after rocking her for a few minutes and trying about 1,000 different positions to get comfortable (this belly is really getting in the way), I laid her down between Jonathan and I on our bed. I closed my eyes and started breathing deeply to signify "mommy is sleeping, you should sleep too." Calla usually takes bad breath in stride, but tonight she carefully took a hold of my chin with her thumb and index finger and moved my face away from hers. I guess Calla is at the age when pretzel breath becomes a problem.

Below: Calla chatting on the phone with Grandma.

Right: Calla with baby.

right: calla loves to snuggle at naptime. Today she fell asleep snuggling with Teddy and Baby.

Above: Calla and her stickers.

Below: Calla got this idea from mowing with Pops. Tonight Jonathan took her out and they discovered the one advantage of a postage-stamp sized yard -- only takes about 15 minutes to mow! Calla was disappointed when it was over.

Calla visits the hospital

At Right: Calla blinking! haha.

TODAY I uploaded my photos on my blog weird so they are on the right for some reason.

This morning Calla was very excited to wake up to all her cuppies. She has it least 5 sippy cups. And two bottles. So that made her happy to be reunited with them. I think she drank out of all of them at some point today.

Calla and I unpacked, did some laundry, went to the grocery store and hung around the house today. After her nap, Jonathan and Calla and I went to the sports center to the indoor swimming pool with our friends, Luke and Jenny and Norah and baby Eriksen. Since Calla had just woken up, she preferred cuddling in the water to kicking.

From the pool, Jenny's family and mine went to visit our friend, Julie, in the hospital who just had a baby boy yesterday. Luke and Jonathan stayed with the kids in the cafeteria while Jenny and I went up to coo over the newborn! It was so fun to hold a newborn again! He seemed soo tiny! It made me excited for baby #2.

While Jenny and I were gone, somehow...Luke's daughter spilled her milk everywhere, she peed her pants and needed a whole change of clothes, the baby woke up and was crying and needed to be fed but didn't eat, and Calla was running all over the cafeteria and generally not behaving! So, needless to say, I'm not sure if Jonathan and I will be having any more children after baby #2. Haha.

Update on the potty: Calla had one accident in her panties. She didn't go at all on the potty (since we were gone today, it seems she timed her pees around when we were out!), although she gets an A for effort. We had just gotten home from the hospital so she was still wearing her diaper or maybe a Pull-Up. Anyway, she told me she had to boo and I asked her if she wanted to use the potty and she said yes!!! (I don't know why I ask...9 times out of 10 she says no and then I have to bribe and coax her on there.) So we rushed over but here the boo was hanging from her bottom (don't picture that) and fell into the diaper instead of into the potty!!! SOO close! So I gave her M & Ms for trying.

New word of the day: baby Blake (the name of the newborn we visited)

Below: Calla eating her dinner. She likes to keep her bottle on the plate too. You never know.

Right: Calla reading books. She looks so grown up. :)

Above: I told Calla to smile and this is the cranky face she made!

Below: While Jonathan was waiting for me at the hospital, he helped Luke feed his son his bottle. So when we got home, Calla decided she wanted us to feed her a bottle like baby! And to think she always refused bottles as a baby. She must be a late bloomer.

Below: Then she wanted me to feed her the bottle.

Below: Only one video today...I left my charger at mom and dad's so I'm not sure how much I can video. Here is Calla at dinner.

Another Travel Day for Calla

Above: Calla sharing some chex mix with mimi and pop last night (sorry, not the greatest photo)...kind of blurry

TODAY we traveled back from PA. I am pretty tired so I am just going to write a little about the plane ride.

Calla did fabulous once she got over the fact that an overweight, round-faced man took her stroller to put it under the plane. I always wait until the last minute to board so we are on the plane for the least amount of time, but today I waited too long. I had to rush Calla off the stroller and onto the plane. A friendly stewardess saved the day by putting my laptop in the overhead bin, which would have been a challenge since I was holding: the diaper bag, KC, baby, Teddy, Calla's purse, Calla's hat, Calla's cup, and Calla.

Once we sat down, I offered Calla a cookie and she stopped crying instantly. She did fabulous for the rest of the flight. Strangers even stopped at our row to compliment her on her behavior (she looked grateful). She must have remembered our flight out because she acted like a pro - she had some specific toys she wanted stored in our seat, and she asked the stewardess for "ice."

Calla was very happy to see daddy again! She was also very enthusiastic about Mama Bear, her stuffed animal. Both received kisses.

New word of the day: grass

Below: Sunday night...Calla and I having snuggle time on the floor...whenever someone lays on the floor, Calla views it as an invitation to wrestle and be silly.


Below: Calla and Pops playing Little People! Calla must have taken some time out to feed Baby.


Below: 93 degrees today!!! Calla outside getting some rays.

Below: Running around

Below: Giving Teddy a ride!

Below: Saying bye to uncle 'Ca-Boo"

Below: Back in Chicago in her carseat. This time, she waited until she was home to have a big boo!! Thank you Calla!!!! (not sure if it made the blog...on the trip out to PA she had a big boo on the airplane)

Below: August weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Below: Mimi's riding toys

Below: Refusing to be intimidating by friendly black girl who hopefully wasn't a swine-epidemic carrier because she gave Calla a big kiss on the cheek at one point...Calla pushed her away.


Below: 5 second video! This is what we were doing when we should have been boarding! Don't worry...Calla thought falling at the end was part of the slide-ride.

Can Calla say 88 degrees??

Above: Vintage photo of the day...Calla swinging in the swings LAST April when the weather was more springy probably. :)

TODAY felt like August! It was awesome! This morning when I was getting ready for church, Calla watched me from the bed. She kept busy by throwing off all the toys I set up there for her..."KC" she'd say, and throw him off. Then "cuppy," etc. Finally I heard her say, "Whoa! Cal-Cal!" and she threw herself off the bed!! Fortunately, there was a pile of stuffed animals to provide a comfortable landing.

It was so warm that Calla went to church with bare legs. :) She toddled into 2-year-olds Sunday school class like she had just been there last week. She also got a warm reception from some of her old friends - Brynn Carter haha, Turner Stoltzfus, the Shyer girls, Tiffany, Jon, etc. She acted like she didn't recognize Jon but it might have been his sunburn. :)

On the way out of church, Calla was running across the parking lot towards Mimi's car and she fell on the hot, hot pavement! She got pretty scraped up, but she just stood up and walked it off. Mrs. Montgomery, Mimi and I were very impressed.

For lunch, Uncle Caleb, Mimi and I took Calla to Giovanni's for some pizza. She was a good sport even though we had to wait a while for the pizza. She sat in the high chair and Teddy sat next to her in the booster.

Calla took a long nap so we left for evening church pretty shortly after she had woken up and eaten dinner. So she got to hang out more in the Sunday school room, and then after church Mimi and I took her to the playground. I put Calla in a swing, and KC and Teddy and Baby in a pile in the swing next to her. She seemed upset with that arrangement, and after a few minutes of her waving her arms in the air I realized that she wanted KC, Teddy and Baby to each have their OWN swings. Of course, then she wanted me to push them and push her too. I wish I would have had my camera - she was so pleased swinging next to her "friends."

While we were there talking to Aunt Carol and Taylor (the dog), Uncle Curt and Jesse wheeled up. Then Abby came on her bike and took a horrible fall that had her laying on the sidewalk for it least a half hour.

Pops looked at the injury, and while we waited for the ambulance to come, we taught Calla how to say "Abby go boom boom." I guess "boom boom" is the sound she must have made when she fell. So Calla said Abby boom, boom all night! When we got to Mimi's house later, she kept throwing Teddy and saying "Teddy boom boom!"

This evening, we enjoyed some ice cream and extra playtime before bed.

New word of the day: coming

Note for Daddy: this morning while I was getting ready for church, Calla kept asking about you! And then when you called and talked to her on our drive over to church this evening, she kept saying "bye, bye Daddy" after you hung up the phone.


Below: playing with Little People

Below: hanging out


Below: Uncle Caleb's wild ride

Calla & Henry :)

Above: Calla surrounded by Mom-Mom's old toys!!! Lots and lots of toys that have been played with by like 35+ kids. Haha.

TODAY was a busy day. Calla, Mimi and I went to Mom-Mom's for a delicious breakfast with all of the aunts, Mom-Mom, cousins Adrienne (and baby Ethan!), Holly and Missy...who brought her son Henry who is four months younger than Calla. It wwas fun to catch up with all the aunts and watch Calla and Henry interact.

After breakfast, we headed over to the Grand Opening of the new model home at Olde Bulltown Village to see it since I hadn't seen it since it was complete with furniture. We hung out there for a little while to eat the yummy food and so Calla could become reacquainted with the random 18th century objects she liked so much in the old model (an antique duck, a little sheep on wheels, a photo of two dogs...she said, "Two KCs!!"). We also got to see Pops and Uncle Keith. Calla has always had a soft spot for Uncle Keith. She even informed him when she went boo (pee).

Mimi put Calla down for her nap. They laid together on Uncle Caleb's bed. While Calla was sleeping, Kelly and Mimi and I went to see a townhome that Josh and Kelly had looked at and were possibly interested in. Uncle Josh stayed at the house to watch the Flyers game and listen to the baby monitor. Unfortunately, Calla took too short of a nap and when she woke up she was still crying! Josh went up to get her and she wasn't too happy to see him (she was happy to see him before her nap!). She started getting rashy and screaming her head off like she does when he sings "Go to sleep" when she's not ready to sleep! So Josh called us and her crying over the phone said it all. We rushed back! It took her a long time to settle down after that. Poor Uncle Josh. He said he won't hold a grudge!

So later on, Calla got a stroller ride with Pops, a bath from Mimi, play time with Uncle Caleb ("Little People") and even went with us BACK to a couple townhomes that Josh and Kelly wanted to see. The weather feels soooo good. It was so nice for us to be outside, at 9pm, in shorts and feeling comfortable! I LOVE summertime. (or summer weather)

New phrase of the day: now that she learned "KC's doing that" yesterday, she likes to use it a lot about everyone "Mommy doing that," "Caleb doing that," etc.

For Daddy: We showed her some pics of you and she was very happy to see you!!

Finally....no videos! :( I took a couple really cute ones of Uncle Caleb making Calla laugh real hard at dinner (she was feeding him grapes) and didn't realize the dumb memory stick was in my laptop! So nothing taped. :(

Below: Henry and Calla


Below: You can see in this photo that they are the same height.

Below: Playing with an old kitchen. Calla loved taking the sink in and out of the kitchen.

Below: Eating strawberries with Mimi

Below: Only Calla and I were ready for this photo (with Missy and Henry)

Below: Calla decides she wants whatever Henry has...

Kelly's shower!

Above: Aunt Kelly is totally surprised and delighted by her surprise bridal shower!

TODAY was Aunt Kelly's bridal shower. But first things first...Calla and I went this morning to meet Adrienne's baby boy, Ethan Micah. Rachel was at preschool, so it was up to Nadia to show Calla all the baby's things and how to feed Ethan his bottle. Calla seemed pretty intrigued! She also did very well when I held the baby (sometimes she's not real thrilled when I hold babies). Unfortunately, she seemed a little too interested in the baby when she tried sucking on his pacifier and asked to sample his baby swing. Oh boy.

This afternoon, Calla enjoyed a stroller ride with Mimi and mowed the lawn with Pops. Then, after dinner, when Mimi and Aunt Kelly and I headed (unbeknownst to Aunt Kelly) to the bridal shower, she spent some quality time with Pops.

This evening, they went on a long stroller ride. They also played with the Little People for about 2 and a half hours! (We were gone until 11!) They ate ice cream. Calla was sitting at the table watching Pops eat cereal when I arrived home close to 11. I had told Pops he could lay down with Calla to put her to bed, but they never could find her pajamas and she never seemed tired! Typical Calla! Fortunately, she fell asleep really fast for me. I think the reason she never seemed tired is because the evening completely revolved around her...who would want to fall asleep when someone wants to play Little People with you? Haha.

New phrase of the day: "KC's doing that." I don't know where this one came from!!! KC was barking and Calla turned to me and said, "KC's doing that." Here I didn't even know she knew those words, so...

New words of the day: doing, that

Anyway, here are some pics of Kelly's shower for those of you who may be interested!

Below: Kelly is crying! Awww

Below: Posing with the food

Below: The awesome cake Tiffany made!

Below: What's a shower without fun games?

Below: Not sure who that obese girl is on the couch...but here are the favors displayed by HOlly in a decorative way. :)

Below: Kelly with one of her favorite gifts (frm Tiffany). The script says, "Always Kiss Me Goodnight" and there's a pillow with her name on it too. :)

Below: The MOB, Bride, and MOH#1 (matron of honor #1...Katelyn you can be matron of honor #2 haha if we are doing it chronologically)

Below: mowing the lawn with Pops...mom says he used to always mow the lawn with me when I was Calla's age...in the same exact backpack of course!


Below: watching (patiently) to go outside

Calla's Fun Day

Above: Calla's new outfit - she is all ready for spring! The temperatures for next 5 days are to be high between 85-88 degrees! YAY! We should have brought our swimsuits!

TODAY we had a fun morning...Mimi, Calla and I went with Kelly to see her wedding gown fitting! She looked beautiful! We drove from there for lunch at Chick-fil-A. Calla enjoyed some french fries and chicken nuggets.

For the rest of the day, we hung out at home near the potty. Calla didn't have any successes, but she didn't have any accidents either. 0-0. She seemed to like the potty better if we set her up in front of the Wiggles.

Tonight when I was putting her to bed we spent some time reading books and then singing. She kept saying "march" which means she wants "I may never march in the infantry..." (not sure of the exact title) but when I started singing it she said, "no more, no more" so obviously I was guessing the wrong song! Then I realized she was doing the motions to "running over" so I started singing that one and she gave me a hug and said, "Good girl!"

New phrase of the day: according to Kelly, she said "eat breakfast" this morning to Pops

Below: wearing her new pants to bed...all ready for story time. paci and botter in hand

Below: looking silly in her plastic underwear cover


Below: watching Wiggles


Below: Caleb sets up a double Wiggles feature

Wednesday at Mimi's

Above: Potty training at work

TODAY Calla got to go to "preschool" again...which is Jonathan and I called baby-sitting while I was in Precepts class. I went to Precepts with morning so Calla got a chance to learn the letter "V" and review all the Bible sunday school songs. She ran right into the classroom like she was there just last week.

At one point, I left my Precepts class to use the bathroom and overheard all the kids singing B-I-B-L-E. I watched through the window and Calla was pumping her fists. At the end of the song, Wanda King (one of the teachers) said, "Okay, we have to do it again...this is Calla's favorite song!"

After lunch, Calla fell asleep on her own in the pack 'n play which is a first (sometimes she's not real happy with the pack 'n play). Once she woke up, we started potty training in earnest. She ended up being 4-5 :(. Unfortunately, the 4 represents the times she peed OFF the potty. (The first time was on Uncle Caleb, the second time was in the loft, the third time was in Aunt Kelly's room, and the fourth on a kitchen table.)

Tonight Calla enjoyed American Idol while taking VHS tapes out of the cases. Endless entertainment.

New phrase of the day: no more (she says it CONSTANTLY)


Below: Calla enjoying Uncle Caleb's piano lesson

Calla's Plane Ride

Above: Calla back on the piano at Grandma and Grandpa's!

TODAY was Calla and my travel day to PA. We left for the airport at 6:45am (our plane left at 9:10) so it as an early morning! Calla did the best she's ever done on the plane. It helped that there was an empty seat next to us. We were actually delayed for 50 minutes before lift-off, so we ended up being on the plane for almost 3 hours.

Between 8 sticker sheets and a cup of ice, Calla was very content for most of the flight. I was really excited about how well she did. It made the flight go by very fast.

Mimi and Pop picked us up and it was a fun reunion. A little too much fun, because Calla didn't fall asleep in the car (it was naptime) until we hit magic Route 401. (Courtney, that is the long road that Poppi took to drop you off the weekend of our wedding and there was a long string of cars behind him!)

For a (very) late lunch, we visited Grandma and Grandpa. They gave Calla a new dress (see photo) which she wanted to wear right away. They also made her some of her favorite lunch foods, which she seemed to appreciate. She remembered her favorite puzzle at their house right away - even her favorite pieces! (The duck and the bunny.)

For dinner, Grandma and Grandpa came over (they are leaving in the morning on vacation so today was their day to see Calla). Calla loved being back with all of Mimi's toys...she definitely remembered them! Jonathan, she had the same reaction she had when she saw her toys after being away from them for a week when we moved.

New word of the day: actually a verb! she said, "Calla ride car." I'd never heard her use "ride" before...much less in a sentence. Very impressive!

Below: Calla with Grandma and Grandpa!

Below: Calla reunited with her toys at Mimi's!

Below: Taking a swig at the airport.


Below: Watching passersby


Below: Calla on the plane

Packing Up

Above: Uncle Stephen bought this sundress for Calla for this summer. We tried it on tonight just for fun! Doesn't she look pretty satisfied with herself in it? :)

TODAY was a busy day, preparing to visit Pennsylvania tomorrow. We started off the day like all days - on the potty - but to no avail. Calla was 0-0. 0 accidents, 0 successes. She reserved all her pees for when she was in a diaper or pull-up. Little stinker.

Calla helped me make some baked mostaccioli (sp?) for us for dinner tonight...it fills a 9 x 13 so I reserved half for a friend of mine who just had a baby last week. I thought Calla could just hang out with her toys while I cooked but she wanted to help. So I let her do little things like put the chopped green peppers in a bowl. Although randomly she would throw a couple in the sink. Not sure why (didn't pass her inspection I guess).

Then we went to drop off the meal to Leslie and her new baby, Chase. Leslie has a 15-month old son too...she has her hands full! Calla was more interested in the boys' books and toys than the boys. She was also concerned when we gave Leslie her gift...kind of like, "wait, isn't this ours??" As disinterested as she was in the boys, she made a fuss when we had to leave.

The rest of the day was spent packing and doing laundry. Jonathan gave Calla a bath and reviewed the "Calla Book" from Mimi and Pop with her. He wasn't surprised that she knew everyone, but was pretty impressed when they got to the photo of Jon Mountz and she said, "Jon!" She's even got the future in-laws down pat!

Word of the day: stickers

Below: new secret hide-out

Below: 1000 stickers!!!! I bought her these to keep her occupied on the plane. She gathered her friends around to watch.

Below: Calla just started climbing up on the rocker by herself. 'House Mouse, senate Mouse' is her favorite book right now...she's so politically inclined.

Below: book worm

Below: there hasn't been a room in the house where Calla hasn't used the potty...


Below: found a baby bunting thingie and insisted on wearing it.


Below: packing up the suitcase! she threw a pile of dirty laundry in there right before I started taking this video


Below: "How to distract Mommy from bedtime"