Sad....

We took daddy (husband) to the airport today.   This is always the tough part - the next 24 hours.  It's an eighteen hour flight, then time to get to the hotel, etc.....it's usually almost exactly 24 hours after we drop him off.  It's always rough on me but this time was even more difficult as the 2 1/2 year old wanted to know why she couldn't go with daddy.   Poor kid.   She whimpered for a good 10 minutes and it breaks my heart.  That's when I really wonder when do we learn the concept of time?!?  For my 8 1/2 month old, he may notice daddy's gone, but will he comprehend how long it's been?   Probably not.  But my smart little 2 1/2 year old - does a week feel like a week to her?!?  I have NO idea! 
If you've tried to contact me today.....know these things. 1) If it weren't for my kids, I'd be sleeping away the next 24 hours so don't take it personally. 2) I'm not trying to ignore anyone, I'm just really not in a social mood - it happens everytime he leaves for China. 3) If I have responded - consider yourselves lucky....I must really like you :D  It's just how I cope with the worry of not hearing from him for 24 hours. 
At least we'll be keeping busy for most of the time.  Tomorrow, my daughter and I are having "date night" (Race track - weather permitting!) while my cousin and her husband are getting a refresher course since they are due in September and their daughter is almost 6 :)  with the baby.  Good luck to them!  We will probably be heading over there late afternoon so the girls can play, the baby gets used to them and we have some chatting time with big people :)  YAY! If the weather doesn't allow us to do the races, we'll find something else to do-just the two of us since her one on one time will really be diminished over the next week. 
Sunday, I am doing a Tupperware party for my SIL (not officially SIL, but close enough!) .   That should be fun!  Sounds like she's got a fair amount of yes RSVP's so I'm looking forward to that time too.   Hopefully the kids can stay with Grandpa or Uncles (if any of you read this.... ;-) ) and maybe even see Big Brother!   That would be a treat for the 2 1/2 year old :D
Monday, I'm HOPING to start the 3 day potty training technique.   If you've used this, can you let me knwo if it works?   She does pretty good with the peeing on the potty except she doesn't tell us when she has to go.   Pooping....forget it.   She's done it a few times and it's always a fight.   I'm hoping this works....I'd like to have a potty trained little girl before Daddy comes home!  We won't be going much of anywhere for the week from the sounds of it (I'm not locking us all in the house or anything......)

The only doubt I have...

I haven't really looked back on the decision we made about a week ago to enroll our 2 1/2 year old in "Practice Preschool". The only main concern is potty training. She has to be fully potty trained by September (She'll be three in the middle of September). She does good 80% of the time, but she does not want to concentrate on it some days (and either do I as the weather gets nicer :D)
People might think I'm crazy signing my daughter up for preschool so early, but in this day and age AND this school district (one of the top 5%) I think we need to put her in early. It's one day a week for 2 1/2 hours. I don't think it's crazy. They won't actually "teach" things but they work on the seperation issues, more of a structured setting and just getting used to listening and sharing. Will she be bored? Maybe, but it's 2 1/2 hours a week. She already knows her ABC's, can count to 13 in English and 5 in Spanish. She knows most of her shapes and colors (when she's paying attention) so I'm really not concerned about "teaching" those things.
I just have doubts on the potty training.
So for those out there that have done it....what works? I have the three day "boot camp" book I will attempt in April when Daddy's gone for a week. For some reason he doesn't think it'll work... I think it's more about training the household than just the child. I've started reading it, but I'm not in far enough to know if that's the actual idea.
Besides working on the seperation issues, it gives her little brother some one on one time with mommy, which she had the advantage of having for 22 months!

Potty training...

Has officially started in our house! I'm convinced she's ready as the last two days we have only had 1 wet/dirty diaper each day. Other than that, she's been successful on the potty!! YAY! Plus, she's started telling us that she needs to go and 3/4 times she will actually go :) THANK GOODNESS!!! Today she woke up and told me it was time to go - and she did. Good girl!!!!!!!!!!! :D
**Although I learned NOT while Sesame Street is on...she had a fit when she heard Elmo's World theme and she had to miss it. Thank goodness for rewinding live TV :)***

In other news, my baby will 6 months tomorrow. Seriously, where does the time go?!? He's learning something new everyday and growing like a weed. I remember from this point with Abby and it seems like they learn EVERYDAY!!!

Is it still normal for me to miss my dog this much after 3 weeks? I look for him everyday. It's hard to walk into the house and know he's not there. It's hard to not cry when Abby starts talking about playing with him again. I've started the closure process with cleaning up his stuff, but I can't bring myself to fully do it yet.