Lottie Lately

It's been a while since I've posted anything and it's mostly because I just don't have much to write about!
Then of course, I remember that the original point of the blog was to document even the mundane for me to look back on one day.
So the mundane is actually sort of exciting for me. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that we started potty training Charlotte. I'm somewhat proud to say that we haven't quit. The first few weeks were hit or miss, almost literally, but then this week it just totally clicked for her.
We went from excitement about the potty, to sheer horror at the thought in the matter of days. I completely stepped back and left it up to her, and she continued her interest. After asking some friends about what I should do about the tantrums, a few people suggest that I just stop altogether, and it just didn't feel right.
I would ask each day if Charlotte wanted a diaper or undies, and we'd go ahead with what she chose. Most days she'd tell me if she had to go, and I would have to undo her diaper and everything, but she would always sit and go.
Last week she wore only diapers, but kept them completely dry except during naps and nighttime. This week she chose undies and has not only had zero accidents, but she's used the bathroom while we were out to lunch twice this week! She's no longer scared of the big toilet, which apparently happened overnight, and she does better at bath time too. We had a few weeks of struggles because I think the warm water made her have to go and she sorta freaked out about it.
We've made great strides in a few short weeks and I'm really excited about it. This will save both money and time doing laundry. I imagine there may be setbacks in the future, but I'm hoping that I won't have to worry about that.

In other news, the weather has been very unpredictable here lately. We've had a few nice days, but some record setting flooding too. We've been fortunate to be dry, but we can't say the same for some of our family. It's starting to warm up, and I hope that it stays warm now!
Our neighborhood has a couple of small parks and whenever it's sunny, Charlotte demands that we visit the park. One day, the "baby park" was flooded so instead of the small slides and climbing structures Charlotte can manage easily, we headed back to the big structure right on our street.
By the time I had Lena on the bench, Charlotte was off to explore. And I had to talk myself out of a panic attack.

Deuces, mom. I'm outta here.

NBD. 

You have to pump your legs, Lena. 

The weather warmed up on Monday, so I took some laundry outside to fold, and Charlotte just lounged and enjoyed the warmth.

I'm probably not doing her any favors giving her outdated toys like the etch-a-sketch. But she played with it for almost a half hour outside.

 She's now referring to herself solely as Lottie and my husband usually calls her that now too. It might be sticking.
I do feel like I should pinch myself because boy, this little kid can be sweet. Her little sister is pretty nice too. I'll write more on her next time.