The Princess

to make up for today's very wordy post, I am going to post a few pictures of Ada, the princess.

When I asked her if I could take her picture, she said, "sure..." like, yeah, I get asked that all the time, and I am happy to oblige.  It's a demanding life when you're a princess.

And then the princess poses--created by Ada herself--morphed into a princess dance...

(our rug is rolled up in the corner because Scott is in the process of pressure washing our front porch)

Birthday Interview with Ada

I saw this idea on pinterest, and I love it.  I plan to do this on every birthday from now on.

I followed the pinterest questions exactly because I was curious to see how she would respond, hence a few random questions.

1.  Ada, what is your favorite food:  cake, banana, gummy bears [she never eats gummy bears, ever]

2. what is your favorite sport to play:  princesses

3.  What is your favorite thing to watch on tv:  princesses [here is where I pointed out that she doesn't watch princesses on tv]  okay, Caillou

4.  Who is the coolest person on earth:  space man

5.  What is your favorite thing to learn about in school:  princesses [I ask, do you learn about princesses in school?  Is there anything else that you learn about?] okay, letters and numbers

6.  If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?  Outer space, because that's my favorite place to go.  And the park.  [until this interview, I have never heard Ada talk about spacemen or outer space.  She does love the park]

7.  What is your favorite color?  pink, red, and purple

8.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  princess

9.  What is your favorite song?  Jesus Makes a Difference [from VBS] and princesses.  Those are both my favorite songs. [we don't have any princess songs that we listen to.  none.]

10.  Book I'm Loving Right Now:  princess and dora books.  Maisy and Olivia [really, she loves any lift-the-flap books, Maisy, Bernstein Bears, Olivia, and yes, princess books--we have Tangled and Cinderella]

11.  Three words to describe me:  I'm like a kid.  I'm like a princess when I dress up.  Happy that Near is coming.  [my parents are coming today for Ada's birthday party tomorrow]

12.  When I was little I used to: wear diapers

13.  Favorite season:  Winter

14. Absolute best thing about camping:  [just curious to see what she would say, we have never been camping] marshmallows

15.  favorite snack:  goldfish, cheese, carrots, grapes

16.  food I really don't like:  ostrich [?!!!!], laughs, I mean tomatoes

17.  My best friend is:  Hannah, Grant, and Baby Kate [Harman kids]

18.  One wish:  I could be a fairy flying up the whole wide world

19. My best memory: Doing a pacie.  Because I love pacies.  I just wish I still had one.  [she means pacifiers; it's been a year since she gave them up, but she hasn't forgotten]

20. Is there anything else you want to say?  Happy Birthday to everyone.

And that just about sums up our Ada. She does, indeed, love princesses.  She is your stereotypical girl in that she adores pink and princesses and dress up and glitter and make up and all of those things.  She is very inquisitive, and I often find myself impatient with her endless questions (I wish that wasn't true--my impatience)  She is going through an extremely shy phase, and she is super attached to me.  I am hoping she will outgrow this and that Classical Conversations will help a bit.  She struggles with disobedience (obviously), and I feel like I am not consistent enough with discipline.  She also has a tender heart and is quick to "break" after a spanking and prayer.  She continues to be very small, but healthy--in the lowest percentile.  She loves ballet and is excited to get back to it in the fall--she asks about it a lot.  As I have mentioned, she is beginning to read, and can sound out most three letter words.  She loves John so much, though they are starting to have some sibling conflict.  Mostly, though, they adore each other.  They are both so full of energy, and they just feed off of each other--John copying almost everything she does.

It's been a doozie of a year for all of us, and I believe that much of it will be used to shape her little heart.  We are beyond thankful for our precious girl--there really aren't words, right?  She is our treasure.  A gift.  And we are heavy with the responsibility.

A Special Day with Ada

Thanks again, friends, for your encouraging words about Ada's bedtime and my mothering.  Let me tell you, I feel mostly inadequate and like I am just stumbling along in the dark when it comes to mothering, so I do pray about it a lot, out of necessity;)  And Ada and I both fell asleep tonight while Scott was praying at bedtime, but I woke up and Ada settled back down, so that is two nights in a row when I did not have to lie down with her.  Thank you for answered prayer, Lord!!!

Well...I am quite the weekend blogger, aren't I?  Our car is still in the shop with questions marks all around about what the problem might be.  They have ordered a part in hopes that it will fix things, but there are no guarantees.  However, our kind pastor is allowing me to use his car for a couple of days, so that I am not stuck at home.  Thank you, Means family!!  I am so appreciative.  My heart sunk a bit when I realized I was facing yet another week with no transportation.  March was a bit rough on our family, as we ushered it in with Ada's seizures and hospital stay, and it ended with multiple car issues, which is never easy on the budget.  However, I have felt love and cared for by friends and family in a huge way this month, and what a gigantic blessing that is.  Scott and I are being taken care of, indeed, in a very tangible way.  Again, thank you, Lord for these relationships you have given us.

But, what I really wanted to blog about is the special day that Ada had.  Her ballet teacher was performing in Cinderella, which was obviously a must-see for us.  So right after church and lunch, we got in the car with a couple of friends from church who are in ballet with Ada, and we headed to the "theater" for the afternoon.

The ballet was beautiful, and Ada loved it, though she did begin to tire out at the end.  I was very impressed with the performance, and afterwards the little girls were invited on stage to chat with the cast.  Because it was the matinee, there was a special price for children, so it was a young audience.  There were many eager young girls wanting to meet these dancers face to face.

First we excitedly said hello to Ada's dance teacher--a teenager that goes to church with us.

And then the girls got to meet Cinderella herself.  There was actually quite the line waiting for a picture with the star of the show, and Ada kept trying to jump ahead.  She couldn't seem to understand why she wasn't allowed to just walk right up to her.  Here is Ada and her sweet friend Lucy with Cinderella.

It was a special day, and I am so glad Ada was able to experience it. 

We left the boys at home, as Scott is not a fan of ballet.  In fact, for our first married Valentine's, Scott gave me tickets to see The Great Gatsby performed as a ballet at the Fox Theatre.  After the opening number, Scott leaned over and asked when they were going to talk.  I had to inform him that they weren't going to talk because it was, you know, a ballet!!!!  So tonight, as we were getting Ada to bed, and she was still talking about the day, Scott asked again, "did they talk at all?"  He can't understand the purpose if they don't talk;)

And the bed time issue

First of all, thank you, friends, for all of the advice.  I love blogging for this very reason, conversation among moms, via the Internet.

I am such a verbal processor (with those that I know well), and it helps me so much to be able to get it all out, thinking it through as I say it (and/or type it), and then continuing to think it through as I get feedback.  I am loving the smoothie idea and the putting fruit in his sandwich idea.  If he sees bread, he wants it, no matter what it is, so I think if I hide the fruit in the bread, he will be good to go.  And, by the way, add cheese pizza to his list of favorite foods.  As you know, our family is on a tight budget--have I mentioned that, ha:)--but I like to take one weekend night off from cooking.  Pizza tends to be our cheapest "eat-out" option as a family.  Well tonight we decided to try a local pizza place that we had never tried before, where we could order by the slice.  It was near Publix, where we were headed, and we just spur of the moment decided to give it a go.  And that is where John ate almost an entire piece of cheese pizza.  A large piece.  I had a piece of pizza, mine with toppings, but I didn't even eat my entire piece because the slices were very large.  It was crazy the amount that John was able to eat.  Ada opted for the "side" of spaghetti instead of pizza.  She also enjoyed her meal.  So, the restaurant was a hit. 

 Yes, Ada did feel the need to use both a fork and a spoon.  Who knows why.  That was the side of spaghetti by the way, and it was a very large portion.  I can only imagine the size of the actual meal.

And the best picture I could get of John-John and his pizza. 

So, anyway, our bedtime situation...

every single night Ada comes up with a reason why I need to lie down with her until she falls asleep.  Every. single. night.  Her eyes itch; her nose is running; she heard a noise; there was a light outside; etc. etc. etc.  When I tell her no, it turns into an all out, kicking, screaming, pitching a fit, battle.  And that's from both of us.  If you want to see me at my absolute worst as a mother, find me at bedtime.  By 8:00 at night, I am done, ready to clock out, and if Ada decides that she is not done with the day, my flesh flares up and begins to demand my "right" of time to myself at night.  It's not pretty.  In fact, I have done away with spanking at bed time because I don't believe in spanking in a fit of anger, and when Ada won't go to bed, I am always in a fit of anger.  So, last night, I was over it.  I went downstairs, Ada screaming, Scott trying to deal with the situation, and my not trusting my response if I didn't remove myself from the room.  So, there I sat on the couch, hearing Ada crying for me, and I just began to pray.  I am out of ideas.  We have tried every punishment under the sun, and none of it helps.  As I was praying, I was reminded of the potty training situation, and how much I was at the end of myself with that.  God absolutely showed up in the potty training and got it done.  I really felt like God was telling me that I had to give up the fight.  Continue with the consequences of disobeying at bedtime but give up the fight.  So...I went back upstairs, got in the bed with Ada, who was hysterically crying at that point, and I just began to talk to her.  I told her that we had a problem, that we were both dealing with yucky hearts, and that I didn't know what to do other than pray.  I reminded her of the potty training situation, and she absolutely can tell you who took her fear away.  She knows it was God.  I told her we will pray every morning and night until God helps us with the bed time situation (though she will continue to deal with consequences if I have to lie down with her).  So, finally she fell asleep with me beside her in the bed. 

Tonight, before baths, before we were in the midst of the situation, Ada and I sat on the couch and prayed.  She didn't want to, but I made her repeat after me, and then I prayed, and we proceeded with our normal routine.  So...tonight she fell asleep while Scott and I were doing our nightly prayer.  Answered prayer that I didn't have to lie down with her, yes, but it doesn't solve our problem of her being willing to go to bed without me in there with her.  So...that is our bed time situation.  I am out of ideas, so I am simply praying about it and praying that God is going to use this to sanctify me and perhaps draw Ada to himself.

Ada is so full of fears.  Two nights ago, as we were tucking her in and getting ready to pray, I asked her if there was anything she wanted me to pray for.  She said yes, "that I won't fall off the bed (she fell off a few weeks ago) and for the tigers."  I said, "Okay, like that God will keep you safe from the tigers?"  "Yes," she said very matter-of-factly.  I replied," well, I really don't think you will be near any tigers, ever, so you really, really don't have to be scared of that."  She was not convinced, and in fact, she went on to ask me to "pray about the dragons and the giants," and there was no convincing her that she need not be afraid of these things.  Which, in the conversation it dawned on me that what we need to teach her is that God is bigger than her fears not just the things she is afraid of, and that is how we approached the tigers, dragons, and giants prayer--that God would free her from those fears and help her to feel safe.  I am hoping that maybe this whole bed time situation, like the potty training, will teach her much about God and how in control he is of all of her fears.  He is so much bigger than all of those things.  And, in reality, much of what I am afraid of is just as ridiculous as tigers and dragons and giants.  I mean, "we can confidently say, 'the Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:6)


So that is where we are...very, very, very dependent on God to work this thing out.  And, of course, open to suggestions.  I feel like I have tried everything, but maybe not.  Maybe you have something I haven't tried yet that will be just the thing to snap us out of this "situation."

Still Shouting

We are still thrilled to the core over here.  I woke up this morning, and Scott was still in the room getting ready for work.  The first thing I said to him was, "Can you believe that Ada is using the potty?"  And he agreed that it is still hard to believe.  It has been such an issue that has filled every second of our days, so we are feeling light, indeed.  Scott and I are so romantic--the main thing we talk about these days is Ada's bodily functions;)  But, really, this is marriage right--being in the daily grind of life together.  I am so thankful to have someone in it with me.  So very thankful.

Last night we made the promised trip to Target, where Ada picked out her "prize" for filling up her chart.  Her choice?  A barbie movie and window markers.  And this morning before it was even light outside, she was asking to use the markers. 

This afternoon Ada has ballet and AWANA.  She never has trouble going to ballet because I stay there during her class, but last week she couldn't get up the nerve to stay at AWANA without me.  I am anxious to see if there is any change in her behavior since we have conquered the toilet situation. 

I am already seeing changes in her in other areas.

Lately, she has not wanted to pray AT ALL.  It has actually been a battle, where I had to make her sit quietly and not cry while I prayed for us.  Well, this morning she asked if we could pray for the day--a first for her.  I, of course, said YES!!!  We can certainly pray for our day, and Ada proceeded to pour her little heart out to God.  Mark it down as one of my favorite motherhood moments, and a huge break through for Ada.  She prayed about everything from sleeping all night in panties to Jesus dying on the cross.  It was killing me that I didn't have a tape recorder or at least a pen and paper so I could get it all down word for word.  We have been praying every night before bed, and if Ada doesn't want to pray, I at least make her repeat after me, "God, help me to want to pray and give me a heart that loves you."  I want her to know that even the wanting to pray comes from Him, so to have her want to pray this morning is such an answer to her own prayer. 

Anyway...I am just thankful today.  So thankful for the Lord caring about this little trial in our lives.  It is so very very small compared to the things that other people are facing today, but I am reminded that God knows every sparrow that falls to the ground, and that this "potty issue" matters to Him.  He has absolutely walked me through this.  Thank you, Lord!!  And thank you, friends, for caring right along with Him:)

Shouting Hallelujah!!

Miracles are happening over here, folks.  Serious miracles.

The pink makeup is out in full force, and you know what that means

Potty Success!!!!!!

The most success we have had yet.  And, I kid you not, tears came to my eyes as I realized that success was happening. 

Okay, as I was typing this, Ada called to me from the bathroom, where she had, ON HER OWN, gone to the bathroom yet again.  And since then, it has been a non-stop potty party over here.  I think the miralax is finally working it's magic.  I am actually starting to feel sorry for her little stomach and bottom because it can't feel good to go to the bathroom that much. 

But her confidence level is flying high.  In fact, she just said to me, "When I was a baby, I went poopy in my diaper, but now that I am a big girl I go poopy in the potty," as if the former wasn't true only three days ago!!!  It really made me laugh.  She is apparently washing her hands of that terrible situation, and we are going to simply say that it was when she was a baby that she used a diaper;)

She has used the potty so much today, that her "poopy chart" is full, and as soon as Scott gets home, the family is headed to Target to pick out a treat.  We are all in major celebration mode.  Seriously. 

I called Scott at work, and he is as excited as the rest of us, and, like me, can't believe that it's real.  And the thing is, if someone asked me what worked, what clicked and made her finally use the toilet, I still would say, "I HAVE NO IDEA!!"  Except that I have been praying about this non-stop.  Last night, as I drove to my tutoring session, I prayed about poopy the entire way there, and then as I ate lunch today and listened to Ada cry because her stomach hurt, I prayed about poopy again.  I didn't glamourize anything for my prayers; I just laid it all out there. 

Thank you, Lord, for this day.  Thank you for this weight lifting off of me and the relief that overwhelms me.  I don't know if things will move backwards in the next few days or weeks, but for now, I am celebrating!!! 

And Ada has been diaper free for two nights now, and last night there was no bed-wetting.  Poopy in the toilet or not, we are not looking back.  No more diapers for my big girl, Ada!!!  I am thrilled.  As you can imagine.

By the way, I hate that pink makeup.  After a bath, where I scrubbed and scrubbed her face, her face is still tinted pink.  A terrible choice of prizes, I have to say.

One more thing...

Ada was just running around upstairs in nothing but her pants--so no shirt on.  I told her to come to me and let me put her shirt on her, and she responded,

"I'm not Ada, I'm Jillian [as in the Biggest Loser/Thirty Day Shred]"

so I said, "Well, come here, Jillian, I need to put your shirt on you."

Ada said, "Jillian doesn't wear clothes"  (which is basically true in our exercise video.  She wears a sports bra and shorts)

I said, "Well, Jillian, in our house you do wear clothes!!"

How to grow a garden according to Ada and why Ada doesn't want to see Sleeping Beauty

Ada is very interested in garden growing lately, and she can't ever understand why I won't just take her outside and plant the garden, right then, as soon as she thinks of it.  I keep telling her that I will look into it, and this spring (is Spring capitalized?  This English teacher is terrible with captilization--and with the correct spelling of capital) we will try to plant a garden (or plant something, like maybe one vegetable--we'll start small). 

So today at lunch, we were eating blueberries, and Ada began to asking me about a spot on the blueberries, and I was explaining that it was just there from the blueberry being picked off the bush.  So, that led to more questions, and the conversation led to Ada asking if we could go outside to plant a garden after lunch.  I once again told her that I would have to look into it, and that we would try to plant a garden in the Spring, and this is what she said.

Ada:  "But mom, I know how to plant a garden,"

Me:  "You do?  How?"

Ada:  "make a hole...water it...plant...water again...then, watch it grow.  That's how you do it, mom."

So, there you go.  Fairly simple, it seems;) 

Okay, second Ada conversation. 

Yesterday, we got a postcard in the mail about the Atlanta Ballet Company's production of Sleeping Beauty.  Well, Ada's favorite princess is Sleeping Beauty (no rhyme or reason to that; she doesn't even know the story of Sleeping Beauty), and she loved watching the Christmas ballet show, so I thought that it would be really special for Ada to be able to go with me to the Fox to watch Sleeping Beauty.  I immediately called Scott to tell him about it, and he agreed that it was a good idea and that we should look into the price of tickets.  Ada overheard my conversation with Scott, and she wanted to see the postcard.  Here is what it looks like...

I don't know if  you can tell, but the male ballet dancer has no shirt on, and ummm...very form fitting pants.  Ada took one look at it, and announced that she did not want to go see Sleeping Beauty.  When I asked her why, she said because the man doesn't have any clothes on.  No matter what I said, she was not budging in her decision.

Scott said, "that's my girl."



Celebration

 I am so proud of this big, brave girl!!!  We had slight (and I do mean slight) success in the potty, and it is a celebration over here!!!  Thank you, Lord, for a break through!!!  I am going to step out in faith and predict more success later today (please, Lord, please).

 On Saturday, I took Ada to Marshall's (because she had seen this particular item there), and she picked out this makeup set as her potty training reward.  It has been sitting high on a shelf, where she could plainly see it but definitely not reach it.  We have talked about this makeup a lot, and today she got to pick two things from the set to use (when we have LOTS of success, she gets to use the whole thing).

 she specifically asked to paint her own toes, and don't you love the make up in the middle of her forehead.  She also concentrated on the chin area.  Then she asked, "do I look like a princess, or a ballerina, or a princess ballerina?"  And I answered, "all of the above!!"

 John was in on the celebration (placed quickly on my hip after he attempted to use the potty to pull up)

Keep it up, Ada!!!!

And the Potty Saga Continues

Oh the emotional drain that is going on at our house right now.  This little girl is putting up quite the fight, and not even miralax can beat her.

 

I know, I know, I know that we will face much, much, harder things before the parenting experience is over, but in our short three year history, this is the hardest yet.  I do feel like God has answered my prayers with some new direction in the situation.  Tonight, I desperately began to google our "situation," and I found a wealth of information, with this article providing some particularly practical help.  Plus, I can't tell you how much it helps to find out that so many other moms have dealt with this (which I already knew based on the response to my last post.  Several people e-mailed me about their experience, which was EXTREMELY encouraging!!)  Anyway I feel discouraged tonight simply because it was an exhausting day due to the "potty battle," but I also feel very encouraged because I have a specific place to start using the advice from the above article.  And I am praying A LOT with Ada.  I am praying specfically that the Lord uses this "trial" to shape Ada's little heart.  I pray that he would use this to show her that he will never leave her or forsake her and that she does not have to fear for he is with her.  And I am constantly reminded that the Lord is her creator.  He understands everything from her intestines to her three year old fears in a way that I can't even begin to fathom.  It is such a small thing, but it is an opportunity for me to put all the control in his hands.  As much as I want to take this from her, I can't, and I know that He is in control, even of this situation that most likely seems insignificant from a distance. 

Another thing that I feel a bit sad and overwhelmed about tonight, is that I am beginning to see many fears in Ada.  Not very long ago she seemed so fearless, and I guess she still is fearless when it comes to physical things, but I am seeing so many irrational fears begin to play out in our daily lives.  And to be honest, it reminds me of so many of my own struggles.  Scott lauged at me today, because I was explaining this observation to him, and I said, "I think she is going to be fearful and a worrier, like me, and it worries me." See?!!!  I don't want to pass on my sin to her!!  I want her to live in light of the truth that God is in control and that she DOES NOT HAVE TO BE AFRAID.  Even today she wouldn't play on the playground at Chick-fil-a because she said it was "too loud."  I knew that she really, really wanted to play, but her fear held her back.  I know that much of this goes with her age, and she will outgrow it, but I also believe that much of it points to struggles that she will deal with her entire life.  And now, I must resist the temptation to worry, and instead cling to the truth that Ada can find victory from her sins because of the life and death of Jesus Christ.  Oh that I would also live in victory because of His work on the cross.  And so I pray for Ada and for me--

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)

I am sorry to ramble on and on and on about potty issues of all things, but my mind is heavy with how to conquer this thing. 

Mess of a Girl

Here is just a hint of why my house is never straight.  never.  That, and John has decided that he LOVES to throw toys.  Out of the bath tub, across the room, at Ada, off of his high chair onto the floor.  He thinks it's hilarious.  So does Ada. 

When I asked Ada what all of this was, she said impatiently, "It's called a game!!"  (obviously, how could I even question it?)

And what we have here are books as skates.  Of course.

And there is the ever popular, "take baby John (who is a girl) to the grocery store."

And here is my long, long list of what I hope to accomplish between now and Christmas Eve.

By the way, as I type this, Ada is walking circles around the living room, "Baby John" on her shoulder, as she bounces her and says, "shh, shh, shh...shh, shh, shh" in the same rhythm that I repeated over and over both when she was a baby and when John was a baby.  I confess that I love that Ada is already learning to be a mom.  That's what I hope for her.  That she will be a mom one day, walking circles around a living room, getting that precious baby to sleep, passing it all on to the next generation.  (I also hope for her sake, that I live close enough to her that I can come to the rescue if needed).

Girl's Night Out

Last night, Ada and I left the boys at home and headed out for a night on the town.

The teenager who is teaching Ada's little ballet class, was performing in her company's Christmas ballet, and I really wanted to take Ada to see her dance.  I suspected that Ada would love it, and I was 100% correct.  She was on the edge of her seat the whole time, and she did not want to leave when it was over.  I had to convince her that the ballerinas were not coming back out. 

After the performance was over, I needed to pick up a couple of things at Kroger, so our night continued there.  Ada was thrilled to be able to walk beside me instead of ride in the grocery cart, and we even ended the evening at the Chick-fil-a in Kroger, Ada drinking a Sprite and I, you guessed it, a diet coke.

It was a fun evening, and I enjoyed the alone time with Ada.  That is a rare treat since John came into our lives.  Maybe next Christmas we will upgrade to a mother-daughter trip to the Fox to see The Nutcracker. 

Anyway...

It was a fun night with my mess of a girl.  She never fails to make me laugh out loud, and I am so thankful for her, and the fun it has been to see Christmas through her eyes.