22 Days...

22 days.  That is exactly how many days Jo has been paci free!  I didn't think it would happen this soon(I know. I know.  She's almost three, but I really wasn't worried about weaning her from it at this time.), or that it would be so easy.  

She always had at least two pacis everywhere we went, and if we were going for a car ride, I always made sure to pack at least 5!  She is a HORRIBLE car rider, and if any of my friends or family members are reading this, they are probably nodding their heads right about now.  She has never liked the car!  I remember taking her to B and Mel's gymnastics lessons when she was a week old and she cried for the 18 minute drive there and the 18 minute drive home.  Not just cry, but that blood curdling scream that a newborn has.  I came home in tears (I blame the hormones) and Brad said, "She's only a week old.  Give her time.  She'll get better."  Yeah.  She never did.  So, the pacis have always made the drive a little bit easier.

Another reason   excuse she always had the paci was because she is very strong willed!  The most strong-willed out of the three.  Once again, friends and family are nodding their heads;).  So, I didn't think that the weaning process would be easy.

B was weaned by planting them in the garden.  She was 2.5 also.  We planted each one, then at nap time I dug them all up and put sunflower seeds in their place.  She was convinced that those seeds would grow a paci tree!  She soon forgot about them and the sunflowers bloomed and no pacis grew;)

We told Mel that she left her's at Grandma's and we would have to get them the next time we were there.  We didn't visit Grandma for a while.  This wasn't a total lie because she really did leave one there, but we had 5 in the cabinet;).

So, how did we wean Jo?  The three girls and went to town to run errands.  As we were pulling out of the driveway I realized I didn't grab any extra pacis.  She had one in her mouth and one in her hand.  I didn't feel like running back in the house for more, so I thought to myself 'She's just going to have to deal with it."  5 minutes in to the ride she was asking for more so I explained to her that we left them at home.  We went to the library, then drove to the county courthouse.  When we were getting in the car from the courthouse she asked for another paci.  She still had one in her mouth so I asked her where the other one was.  She said, "At church."  Which also means library.  I told her that it was lost and I wasn't going back to find it. She is notorious for leaving them places! Looooong ride home.  When we got home she took a nap, with her 5 pacis.  That night, after supper, she came to me and asked for another paci.  She opened the drawer in the kitchen where we kept them and the two in there had holes, so she didn't want those.  I reminded her that we left a paci at the library and that they were all gone.  Then B, Mel, Brad and I scrambled through the house to find the pacis that we could and hid them.  She only asked for it once at bed time and a few more times after that.  If she sees a baby with one, she will ask about her's, but is usually satisified with hearing that she left it at the library.

We have visited the library since then and she never asked for it;)  She did find one miraculously appear on the kitchen counter.  I have no idea where it came from.  She exclaimed, "My paci!  Thank you, Daddy!"  Brad was just as clueless as I was.  I told her it had bugs on it so we had to throw it away.  We are still keeping our eyes peeled for any missing ones that might be hiding in the house!

So, there you have it.  It was all because she left one at the library.

Saying Goodbye...

In November we decided it was time to say goodbye to the crib.  If I had my choice Jo would still be sleeping in the crib, but for some reason she thought she was too big for it and would scream for hours on end when it was time to go to sleep.  So, we decided she was ready for a "big girl" bed. 

 The crib has been a staple in the nursery for the past 9 years.  It hasn't moved..except for the occasional deep cleaning which rarely happens;)...it has sat in the same exact location since we brought B, our oldest, home from the hospital.

It's full of teeth marks.  In fact, we thought about using it as a full size bed because that was the intention when we purchased this one because it is a convertible crib after all, but there were so many teeth marks on it that we decided it probably wasn't the best idea.

 Probably 99% of these teeth marks are B's.;)

 We used the same bedding for all three girls as well.  Bedding is expensive and I didn't see the point in changing it for each kid!  When we found out Jo was a girl, I thought about going all out on girly decor, but then I realized I would have to paint the room and strip the border and spend an arm and a leg on new bedding..and since she was probably going to be our last kid I quickly changed my mind!  Jo would stand on the bumper pad when she woke up so it smashed it down and no longer holds its shape.  (I know bumper pads are dangerous and they now recommend no longer using them, but my girls would not sleep without one.  They always got their legs stuck in the rails and one time my very strong husband had to physically bend the rails to get Jo's legs out..so bumper pads were a must in this house)

 She was excited to have one last party in the crib!

Then it was time to take it down.  We haven't parted with it just yet.  It's in the attic where it will probably stay...teeth marks and all!

 I have to say, I wasn't as emotional as I thought I would be.  I think I was ready for this "change".  I posted the above pic on IG (which I am farmmomof3 in case you want to follow me) and a friend commented, "Some things I was sad about and other things I wanted to shout, 'freedom'!"  That's exactly how I felt...freedom!!!!  For the first time in 9 years we don't have a baby in a crib!

Now, I wish I could say that the transition to the "big girl bed" was an easy one, but it's still something we are struggling with...3 months later.  It is getting better.

At first, Jo would take forever to fall asleep only to wake up several times in the night.  We tried everything and I don't think we slept at all for about a month...maybe an hour or two, but that was it.  It was like having a newborn in the house and I was an emotional mess!  Now, it takes her a bit to wind down, but she will stay in her bed until about 2am-3am then get in bed with us.

I've never been a fan of co-sleeping.  I don't disagree with it.  We have friends who co-sleep and if that works for you then great, it's just not something I wanted to start!  Well, guess what!  After several weeks of little or no sleep, we finally caved and she gets in bed with us when she wakes in the middle of the night.  If we try to put her back in her bed, it is a 3 hour long process.  I can hear Super Nanny in my ear saying (in her British accent), "Just tough it our for three nights and it will make a difference!"  Well, when she wakes at 3 am and is up for 3+ hours and I have to be up at 6:30 to get the other two on the bus, it just doesn't work.  And I need my sleep...just ask my husband!  We've tried just about everything...white noise, night light, oils...you name it, we've tried it!

But for now this is what is working for us...and at least we are getting a little bit of sleep.  This phase shall pass!...I hope!

Wordless Wednesdays...

I love my days spent at home with just her.

 Even on days when she refuses to wear pants.

 And insists on having candy corn and a hot dog for breakfast.

Happy 2nd Birthday Jo...

Today Jo is 2!  What a crazy two years it has been!  I've said this on the blog before, but everyone always told me that once you have two kids, adding another is easy.  Well, going from two to three was a huge adjustment for me.  We were outnumbered, but we have learned to manage the chaos that comes with three kids....and three girls on top of that!  Couples who have more than three kids...I don't know how you do it!!

 Jo was such a good newborn (except car rides and she still hates riding in the car).  I always rolled my eyes at the parents who would tell me how their baby slept through the night as soon as they brought them home from the hospital...we were up every hour with our older two it seemed.  Jo came home from the hospital and only woke once in the night, so I guess it was my turn to be "one of those moms."  ;)  Although, I wouldn't tell any mom of a newborn this because I've been there too!

 Her Baptism...

 6 months...

The obligatory bath shot;)

 8 months!  This is the time that most babies are sleeping through the night.  Jo was the complete opposite.  She slept like a champ until now...She decided now would be a good time to start sleeping like a newborn.  Paybacks I guess!  She still isn't the best sleeper.

Yay!  We made it to one year!!! A huge accomplishment for Mom and Dad!!

 Happy 2nd Birthday Jo!  You certainly make life interesting, especially at the grocery store.  You have to do whatever your sisters are doing and you love being on the farm.  Maybe this will be the year that you decide sleep is a good thing!

That Moment When My Daughter Licked the Floor of the Grocery Store...

Yep!  You read that right!  My daughter licked the grocery store floor!  I bet you can probably guess which one, but it was Jo.

Okay.  So maybe she didn't exactly lick the floor, but she was pretty darn close!  We almost always shop at our local Kroger...and occasionally Super Wal-Mart, but that store gives me a headache!  On this particular day I decided to go to my favorite grocery store in a town about 11 miles south of us.  I like this store because, while it is a little more expensive, it's small and since grocery always seems to overstimulate Jo...and me too, sometimes a smaller store is just what we need.  Jo refuses to ride in the shopping cart.  She insists on walking all throughout the store, which takes forever.  If I make her ride in the cart, she usually tries to climb out while I am looking at something so I figure it's safer to just let her walk.

 I only needed a few items for Mel's birthday party so it was to be an in and out kind of trip.  Who am I kidding?  In and out with an almost 2 year old?  And my idea of a few things is actually a cart full and no less than $100.00...just ask my husband! As we were browsing the fruit, Jo spotted some grapes and demanded that she have one RIGHT.NOW!  Like any good mom would do, I gave her two unwashed grapes to snack on while we were shopping.;)  Don't judge.  I know you've been there at some point in your life!

So, back to the floor licking.  We were doing so well and Jo had only thrown about 2 tantrums.  I decided spur-of-the moment to get Mel some fancy donuts for her birthday breakfast.  You know, the kind with icing and sprinkles!  As I am deciding which fancy donuts I want, I hear a lady behind me gasp.  I thought to myself, "What now?!"  When I turned around Jo is on all fours trying to pick up a grape that she had dropped....wait for it.......with her mouth!!!  The only thing I can say, was this happened two weeks ago and she hasn't gotten sick yet so I'm telling myself that it increased her immunity.?


It's a good thing she's cute;)  I'm just kidding!  It's just a phase that she is going through and honestly, if B would have been on all fours picking up a grape with her mouth at the age of 2, I probably would have freaked out a little...okay a lot.  Mel, I would have freaked out, but not as much as with B.  With Jo, I've finally learned that somethings happen...and if those things involve licking the store floor or the shopping cart handle, so be it.  I sternly told her "no, yucky" and we threw the grape away in a nearby trashcan.

Another phase she is going through that is fun is that she likes to pick out her own clothes.  On days when we stay home, it's more than OK, but on the days when we do have to be seen in public, it can be a little stressful and usually leads to a meltdown, or 10.  On Instagram I've started using #JoTheFashionista to showcase all of her outfit choices.  Last Sunday was my favorite outfit choice thus far.  She found the basket of Build-a-Bear and American Girl Doll clothes and had to have them on even though I tried to explain to her that they wouldn't fit.  The Build-a-Bear Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles boxer shorts actually did fit fairly well, but the American Girl pants didn't fit at all, as you can see in the photo on the right.  Then she found a Hello Kitty bathrobe from Build-a-Bear that she wanted to wear and she refused to take it off, so she wore it to Rural King.  Pick your battles!  (She did ditch the boxer shorts and pants and traded them in for some denim capris before the trip.  I call that compromise!)

Happy Wednesday everyone!