Myself

Score one for self-sufficiency. In literally the last week, Stella has:
 - started going #2 on the potty without any of us standing by. "No mommy, I'll do it." She goes, gets out the wet wipes for her bottom, actually cleans up, and comes back to us, proud as a peacock. Considering her timing is usually during dinner, this is nice to have to share dinner with poo clean up.
- unasked - goes in her room in the morning, takes off her nightime diaper, cleans up, puts on underwear, and puts everything away
- pours her own water (we put a 3 gal water container with one of those spouts within reach)
- feeds Scupper at the appropriate times with the appropriate amount of food (in fact, it's good that she is reminding me)

This is why we decided to try to have these kids at least 3 years apart. I hope to gosh this winning streak keeps up  in the next few weeks, because if so, we're golden!

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Stella also made me cry this week. In a good way. On Sunday, I made the cover recipe from this month's Bon Appetit. Steve saw it when it came in the mail and basically started drooling all over it. And considering how cranky I've been, and how many "honey-do" list items he's been doing for me (because his rule of thumb right now is "placate the pregnant woman") I figure I can at least cook/bake good things for him. So I made these caramel sticky buns -

So maybe mine didn't exactly look like this - I halved the recipe, and I also didn't use heavy cream in the caramel (bad choice) so the whole glaze thing ended up being more like a syrup, but none the less, they were damn good. Anyway - back to Stella.

We are all happily munching away Sunday morning, not really talking because we were full of caramel pecan sweet roll goodness and Stella says, "Mommy. You are such a good baker. These are so good." (beat) "I love you Mommy."

And I thought the way to a husband's heart was through his stomach. ;)

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Stella is deep into the world of pretend. Which is awesome. And exhausting. Although, I'm really digging this new pretend world she has been enjoying lately. It's called "The Beach." The beach is her 4 x6 rug on the floor of her room, which, of course, is the ocean (didn't you know that Mommy?). She puts on her bathing suit and basically rolls around on the floor, pretending to float, swim, look at turtles, whatever strikes her fancy that day. She also has a handy blanket on the "sand" (everything not the small rug) to dry off, and the best part? I get to sit in the "beach chair with the umbrella" - the rocking chair in the room. For a very pregnant momma, sitting in the beach chair is awesome, let me tell you. Today, Stella was swimming with blue fish, green turtles, swam out to the Islands and saw yellow snails and slugs. Sometimes the pelicans poop on my head, and sometimes she splashes so much in the water that she needs to come out and wipe the water off my head with her towel.

And when the beach gets boring - which mind you - takes at least 30 minutes to an hour (beach time is very important around here), we go "camping" and she makes "soup" for the campsite and we have to make sure that Scuppy doesn't step in the campfire and burn his paws. The campfire is usually in the middle of the room and Scupper, of course, steps in it every time. There is much scolding, and replacing of the "marshmallows" that Scupper squished when he stepped in the fire. 

Brilliant.