Cecilia update

Now that I've done a general update it is time for one specific to Cecilia. A few weeks ago we put the toddler conversion piece on her crib so she can get in and out of it by herself. I was a little worried about her staying in bed during nap time (quiet time most days) but over all thought she would do well. And she has. She stays in her bed for nap time until I come get her and no problems at night. The only problem has been in the morning. She really needs to fully wake up before she gets out of bed or she is really grouchy, and sometimes she doesn't stay in there long enough. But I think that is getting a lot better now too.

The second way Cecilia is becoming a big girl is potty training. We started the day after we converted her crib. I was thinking about potty training her right before I got sick and obviously decided to put it off. So I think she has been ready for awhile. Right before we started Shaun and I were talking and he mentioned how we had to get our carpets cleaned after the water pipe incident anyway and how I wasn't going to feel any better than I do now so it really is the best time to potty train her. He was right of course, I just needed the push to make me take the leap. Monday morning we put her in panties, talked about them, and said no looking back. It was so much easier than I thought and probably should have done it long ago. But a month or two really doesn't make that much of a difference in the long run. She had two accidents the first day, one the second, and none for the rest of the week. She has only had a few accidents here and there since then. We have been so amazed and proud of her. We've even taken a vacation with plane rides and busy days and she had two small accidents the whole week. I can only hope all of our children will be this easy to potty train, hope is the operative word.

Mexico pics

Two weeks ago we went on a family vacation. Now that I'm feeling better I've been dying to get out and go somewhere, somewhere warm. I was first thinking about Costa Rica because there was this incredible place we stayed at for one night on our honeymoon that we've dreamed about going back to. But once I looked into the flights (10-12 hours) and then driving a car to the beach from the airport (a few more hours) I decided that was too much for an almost 3 year old and pregnant woman to do. So then I looked at where we could go on a direct flight on Delta (Shaun has miles). That narrowed it down to a couple of places in Mexico and finally settled on Cancun. In just over 4 hours we could be in a tropical place with warm ocean water and tons of things to do. It was perfect. We asked my parents to come, they have done so much for us, especially with this pregnancy and we thought they would enjoy the vacation too (which they say they did). We swam in the ocean, played on the beach in the super soft white sand, snorkeled in caves and caverns and in the ocean with fish and turtles, saw some Mayan ruins, watched a Mayan fire dance, saw tons of butterflies and different kinds of birds, and were woken up by a flock of flamingos. All of which Cecilia was able to do. Not to mention the yummy Mexican food we ate. Only when we vacation to Mexico do we come home and want to make/eat more Mexican food. Shaun and I want to go back to Playa del Carmen just so we can go back to Yaxche and try more dishes. He wants to convince the owner to open a restaurant in the states :) It was that good.

Playa del Carmen was the perfect vacation and the only reason I got on the plane to come home was I wanted a good night sleep without being woken up by a ton of birds at 6 am (Cecilia needed it too, she slept almost 15 hours the first night we were home). I was also hoping my swollen ankles would go down (which thankfully they have, but probably only temporarily). In fact I felt really good the whole time we were there. I hardly had any nausea despite waking up at 6 am every morning. I don't know if it was vacation, the elevation, the warmth, the humidity or what, but I felt great. The few days after we got home I felt really crappy and wanted to hop on a plane to stay in Cancun 'til this baby is born. But my doctor told me I really didn't want my baby born in Mexico and that I should stay here. We'll just have to keep Cancun on our list to revisit someday, there was so much we didn't get to do, the zoo, Chitzen Itza, swimming with dolphins, and of course more food :)

Here are a few pics at Tulum.