The proof is in the potty

After MONTHS of tears, frustration, agonizing and many, many dollars spent on Pull-Ups, it has finally happened!!!

Emma. Is. Potty. Trained.

It is a miracle.
Or at least it feels like one.

I really was beginning to doubt if this day would ever happen. We have been fighting (literally on some days) for months about this. Ever since her 3 year 'well check' when the pediatrician essentially scolded me because (GASP!) Emma wasn't yet potty trained...I have been waiting for this day.

We tried everything on the road to potty training.
We bribed her.
We yelled. (Which, for the record, DOES NOT work).
She cried.
I almost cried a few times.
We begged.
We pleaded.
We bargained ("If you pee on the potty we'll buy you a Leapster. Or a pony. Or an Annual Pass to Walt Disney World.")**

Nothing worked.

This potty time struggle went on for weeks and weeks.
I was beginning to think that Emma would forever be in Pull-Ups.

And then, this week something clicked.
The light went on.
And the proof was in the potty.

Now, Emma is refusing to wear a Pull-Up for anything (even at bedtime...but we fought her on that and won. She's not quite ready for the all-night-without-a-Pull-Up marathon.)

She is SO proud of herself and what she has accomplished!
It only took 6 1/2 months of trying...but she did it!

Every time she runs to the bathroom Kevin and I look at each other and (1) smile and (2) breath a huge sigh of relief.

She's a big girl now!


**Emma's "reward" for potty training success? A Buzz Lightyear, just like the one in Toy Story. Totally her choice. She's so happy about Buzz that she now takes him everywhere.

Whew!

See what happens when I neglect my blog?

The entire background design disappears and no one tells me.

What the heck?

Lucky for me (and the blog) I was able to fix it.

So yeah...where in the world have I been?

Busy. Very, very busy.

I started my new job on Monday and the whole week flew by in a blur of meetings and Skype calls and one road trip to Lima.

I am, in a word, exhausted. And mildly overwhelmed.

And...I think I really like this job. (I'm cautiously optimistic!)

So....that's that.

I'll blog more later...but I have a TON of laundry to do, and my house is a disaster and I really have no idea how to balance this full-time gig with the full-time mommy thing and keeping my house in order and cooking dinner and not losing my mind. But I'm sure I'll figure it out soon.

It's a lot like this

One door closes, another door opens....and I could not be happier

So, today was my last day of work at The Job.

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am.

Yesterday, I received a job offer for a new gig - and I accepted. This new job is EXACTLY what I've been looking for and it's with a local office of a national organization (no, I'm not naming them here) and I am SO FREAKIN' EXCITED about it.

Today I gave my two week notice.
My now ex-boss was not pleased with the news.
It was a very unpleasant two minute conversation.

Yeah. That's right. Two minutes. Tops.
There was no 'well, what can we do to keep you here?' (um, nothing!) or 'sorry to see you go'.
It was just "Oh. OK. That's a shame. Go tell HR."

Whatever.
I even offered to stay 'on' until next Wednesday (because it was the RIGHT thing to do!) but I was told that today was my last day.

So, at 1 p.m. this afternoon I walked out into the hot, humid sunshine a "free" woman.
And it felt so good.

There have been so many things wrong with The Job since the day I started - lack of communication, promises broken, blah blah blah. It was a bad deal from the get-go and I'm happy to be moving on.

I am very excited about this next chapter and what it will mean to me professionally.
I feel good about this job.
Really good.

I just want to be happy doing something I love.
This new gig is quite possibly what I want to be when I grow up.
:)