Friday, January 28, 2011

Potty Training

It was finally time to take on potty training. Life had been so hectic that, although Libby had shown interest in potty training, the "right time" had not come along. First came the arrival of Jade and I just couldn't put in the time and attention that was needed for potty training with a new baby. Then came our move back to Nebraska, which could have been too stressful for her to handle along with potty training, and last came the holidays, which truthfully, I just didn't want to start until afterwards. So, for about a month prior to Christmas we started telling Libby that after Christmas she was going to be too big for diapers and we wouldn't have any that fit her. Our thinking was the more we talked about her wearing big girl panties, the easier the transition would be. So Christmas came and passed and when we got back home from "out West", we went straight to potty training just like we had talked about.
The first day didn't go well, but I really didn't have high expectations. I was pretty worried though because she would go potty in her underwear and it didn't even seem to bother her. Day two came and it was the same story...what was I going to do?!?! So day three came and I decided that she would go around naked.....it worked. She didn't like that. By day four she had come leaps and bounds and we were on the right track.
Overall, the experience has been pretty smooth, but no one ever told me that potty training and poop training were two different tasks. Although she still has accidents with potty training, overall she is doing great. Now we just need to figure out poop. Not sure if it is scary or what the deal is, but she just doesn't want to go poop in the toilet and I'm tired of cleaning up poopy underwear....YUCK!

Change

Wow...the last time I checked in we were in Kansas City enjoying a weekend with family and things were normal....boy did things change since then. I was still working at the attorney's office Monday-Thursday 9:00-2:30, while my kids were spending time at Melissa's, my daycare miracle. I call her that because I was so blessed to have found her to watch my kids. She is an amazing woman with 4 girls of her own and a husband that is a police officer...and he helped watch kids as well. Libby loved going to Melissa's house and Jade was just starting to show her personality. Brett was still working at J.E. Dunn and the girls were growing so fast. By September-October all that had changed.

Brett decided that working at J.E. Dunn was just not where he saw himself for the long-haul. Although a great company to work for, there was something missing. We knew someday we wanted to move back to Nebraska to raise our family, but truly didn't think it would happen so suddenly. We decided to put our house up for sale, move back to Nebraska and start a whole new life. So, we packed everything up and moved in with my dad and my brother John. We were so thankful to have a place to stay until we sold our house in Kansas City as there was no way were going to be able to pay our mortgage as well as the rent for another place. Moving back home was both exciting and nerve racking. I enjoyed my time there; however, I was anxious to get into my own place again so we could establish some sort of routine with the girls.

Brett started working for a trucking company. He was home everyday (no over-the-road) and always home on the weekend. He was in the process of discovering whether he wanted to be a "truck driver". This wasn't the first time he had talked about being a truck driver to me. I can recall a time or two when he mentioned it before we were even married, so I just told him I would support him in whatever he decided. Two weeks after starting the job they informed him they were shutting down numerous routes, his being one of them, and by the end of January his job would no longer exist. Truthfully, I was pissed...and scared. He left a great paying job (and company) with J.E. Dunn, we put our house up for sale, we moved all of our stuff and two kids back to Nebraska, and we were living at my parents' house....Really?....Are you kidding me? Needless to say, the job search was on, and as most people know, job searching is time consuming and no way you would like to spend your free time...or lack there of, as both girls seem to think they need his full attention. Brett found another job with Thompson Company as a truck driver. With the economy like it is, we knew he had to grab on to pretty much whatever job he could find, so when Thompson Company offered him a job working Monday-Friday he took it...not because he saw himself there forever, but because I wasn't working and he was now the sole provider. He had also discovered that "trucking" was just not the life he wanted to live. That was ok by me....I would just support him as he sole searched. It has been difficult at times, but I try to bite my tongue and just let him figure things out.

We sold our house after about six weeks and everything went smooth, thankfully. Although we lost money on it, it was a HUGE relief to not have to worry about it during the winter. As Brett and I headed to Kansas City to pack up the rest of our belongings, we reminisced about all we had accomplished during the time we lived in KC. We moved all of our stuff back to Nebraska the end of October and luckily we had come to an agreement with one of my brother's friends who owned a house in Aurora, NE. We would be renting his house and things seemed to be falling into place...better than I had imagined.

Poor Brett hated his job with Thompson Company, so after the holidays he decided to job search once again. Still not sure exactly what he wanted to do the rest of his life, he decided to apply with BNSF Railroad in Alliance, NE and at the new Ethanol Plant in Aurora, NE. Both jobs offered him a job and now we had a decision to make. The Railroad offered outstanding benefits and pay, while th Ehtanol Plant offered great benefits as well, but considerably less pay. After much debate, Brett ultimately decided that being able to spend time with his family was more important than money (I agreed), so he took the job at the Ethanol Plant. He is scheduled to start that job about mid-March so until then, he will be working at Thompson Company.