Good vibrations

We have had our fair share of near misses and heart-stopping moments lately which I won't go into here, but I'm feeling pretty good today, and I thought I'd share the good vibes.

Emilia  This chubby-cheeked, bright-eyed, wonderful little sleeper has also turned out to be a fantastic eater.  She is loving the mixed fruit and veggie purees that I'm whipping up in my new Baby Brezza (thanks to Carl's sister and mom).  She has happily eaten rice cereal, bananas, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, butternut squash, green beans, and peas.  When we took her to her 6-month check-up, her pediatrician commented that I was making the check-up too easy for him.  That is exactly the way I feel about Emilia all the time.  She is such a laid-back, pleasant little baby and seems to be hitting all her milestones right on time.  Way to rock it out, Emilia!

William  I think it is fair to say that William has successfully potty-trained.  It has been two weeks since we started.  He does not have accidents at home at all, and it has been a while since he had one while we were out.  We went to the Magic House, Transportation Museum and an open play time at a nearby preschool this week (all of which hold great appeal/distraction for William), and each time, he told me when he needed to go, and he went (on the toilet)!  When we went to the park earlier this week, we did have to visit the bathroom about 13 times in a row (no exaggeration) before he went, but it turns out that he needed to poo which I think is a bit more confusing for them.  No complaints here, though, because he eventually did go; it just took a bit of patience and understanding.  Overall, I couldn't be happier with his progress, and he really made the whole process extremely easy on me.  Truthfully I think that it was so easy because he really was ready.  As a side note, we still use a diaper for naptime and bedtime.  I have a feeling that it won't be much longer before the naptime diaper is done as it is often dry when he wakes up, but the nighttime diaper will definitely be around for quite a bit longer as it is thoroughly soaked in the morning.

Lily  How could I not be proud of this girl?  I love that she is so caring to people, animals, and even trees!  Just this morning she told me that she is glad that we use an artificial tree for Christmas because chipmunks and birds need those trees to live in, and it takes away trees that we could be using to make paper.  :)  I could not be more proud of her accomplishments in school this year as well.  In fact, just a couple days ago, she went up another reading level!  She has a very analytic mind and will readily refute weak arguments.  She has a sense of justice and fairness and seems to understand right and wrong.  She will often choose "right" even when it does not benefit her (something far too many adults lack).  I'm excited that the school year is almost over, and we will have the whole summer to hang out.  She'll probably do a few camps to keep her entertained, but those will only be part-day, and we will get to have some one-on-one time in the afternoon while the little ones nap.

Carl  You probably know the song, "This is the song that never ends.  Yes, it goes on and on my friends....".  That is exactly how I feel about medical training.  It just goes on and on with no end in sight.  However, we may just be getting a glimmer of hope that this is in fact a finite process.  Carl is entering the final two months of residency with a culminating exam in June (which we have the privilege of paying $2000+ to take).  After that, he will enter a one-year fellowship.  Carl will be switching hospitals for his fellowship, so we are not exactly sure what this next year is going to look like yet.  Fingers crossed that it is good!  And then we've heard that there is such a thing as an "Attending", and one day, he will in fact have this title.  But we won't cast our line out that far yet.

I don't have any exciting news really (which is why I like to live vicariously through my family).  My greatest accomplishment recently was a complete overhaul of our laundry room.  I'm not sure if you can count home decorating as a hobby, but if you could, I would.  I like feeling comfortable in my space, and I love walking into a room that makes me smile.  Our laundry room, which for all practical purposes was treated like a big closet, now makes me smile.  It makes me smile... just like when I see Lily sharing her special treat with William, or when William wants to "nuggle" with me, or when Emilia reaches out to touch my face and looks at me with those big brown eyes, or when Carl calls to tell me that I'm not cooking tonight because he understands my week.  Smile.