notables

C, Charlotte, Maggie and I went out to dinner in a reasonably nice restaurant on Sunday evening.  We went a little early, 5:30, so Charlotte could eat at her usual time and so we'd be back only slightly later than her 7:30 bedtime.  I brought a jar of sweet potatoes for Maggie, along with her new sippy cup (which she LOVES), and nothing special for Charlotte, which was poor planning on my part.  The girls were absolute ANGELS!  I'm used to them being un-ornery, low-fuss kids, but even I was blown away by how wonderful they were for two straight hours in public where they had to "behave."

Charlotte sat sweetly in her high chair, with her napkin in her lap.  She reviewed the menu with me and picked her meal all by herself, then ordered it herself from the waiter (who was wonderfully patient in not rushing her, and in speaking to her like a real little person... Charlotte doesn't seem to know how to react when someone speaks to her in baby talk).  Maggie smiled after every spoonful of sweet potatoes while we were waiting for our food to arrive, and then played happily with her toes, a blanket, and the sippy cup while the rest of us ate dinner.  Twice, Charlotte told me she needed to go potty, so we did.  And her diaper stayed dry all evening as a result.  We're still not "pushing" potty training- we just encourage her to take a potty break every so often.  More and more, she's telling us when she needs to go.  Several other patrons even stopped by to comment on the girls.  We were apparently quite obviously all enjoying each others' company.

Then we went home and Charlotte had a meltdown because she was overtired and did not want to go to bed.  Many hugs and a few stories later, she was asleep before 9 and woke up as her usual happy and entertaining self on Monday morning. No harm done.

*****

Charlotte needed only 3 diapers all day today.  We just kept putting the dry ones back on after each potty break (all but one initiated by Charlotte today).  She apologized for waking up with a soiled diaper, and her first words to me this morning were, "I'd like to go potty now, please."  She finished what she'd started in her diaper and made history the rest of the day.

*****

Maggie sat up for more than 5 minutes straight today without falling over in any direction.  Completely unsupported, that is.  I couldn't focus on Charlotte's music class while Maggie performed this feat, so impressed was I.

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Maggie drank about 4 ounces of water from her sippy cup entirely by herself today without dribbling half of it down her chin. Her shirt and face were dry when she finally dropped the cup.  I had simply handed it to her.  She got the spout into her mouth all by herself, tipped the cup, and drank.  Like a thirsty kid.  Like a pro.

****

Charlotte is now drinking from a "big girl cup" at home whenever her drinking can be done in the kitchen or dining room.  We bought a couple of "unbreakable" cups for this purpose, and she's used them periodically since she was about a year old.  But we're gradually dropping the straw cup habit at meal and snack times, saving the straws for in the car and on the couch.

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We're only one week away from Maggie turning 6 months old.  Huh??