17 Month Candids

Time for our walks! Yay! It is finally cool in Alice!

Sloane is all ready with her blanket, and necessary entertainment.

A nice stroll Sunday stroll with PaPa...

Wait MaMa! Let me get some leaves!

She loves to sit on her PaPa's shoulders.

I Love this view...

Ummm....Sloane how did your shirt get like that?!?! Adventures of a toddler begins...

Forever I am...Sloane’s Mommy

16 Month Candids

She LOVES to put on MaMa's shoes :/

She LOVES to wear MaMa's headbands :-)

Lounging in her Doc McStuffins chair thanks to her buddy Peyton :-)

A lady ALWAYS crosses at the ankles, even while riding in her stroller.

PaPa's wallet...

There is cash in there...

Touchdown! Jackpot!

My Daughter's eyes always bring me joy...

Loving MaMa's flower headband.

Coloring time with her Papa

Playing in the rain for the first time! Fun! Fun!

That smile and giggle NEVER get old!

She loves to touch the grass!

This is what I found while making up the bed in our room. Sloane what are you doing with PaPa's phone?

Feeding and eating goldfish crackers with her Papa

Forever I am...Sloane’s Mommy

Sleep Training Update

Heading out to Easter Brunch 2014

So it has been roughly 7 months since we began sleep training Sloane at 8 months. We used the Sleep Lady Method, with our own little tweaks that worked for our family.

So from her 8th month thorough her 15th month we would hold/cuddle with Sloane until she was drowsy, but not completely asleep before putting her in her bed. We now thought it was time to transition into putting Sloane down fully awake, and she would then put herself to sleep.

We didn't change our nightly routine: bath, story, prayers, cuddles with MaMa, then cuddles with PaPa, who would then put her down to sleep in her bed. The BIG change was PaPa would only cuddle/hold Sloane for 5 minutes, place her in her bed wide awake, then leave the room.

So....Sloane did AWESOME!

The first night she fussed for only 30 minutes, and we did check-ins at 10 and 15 minute intervals. For naps it was the same thing. By the second week, we had no fussing at nap-time or bedtime.

YES! Points for MaMa and PaPa!

We did have some regression, which is to be expected at the third/fourth week mark, and also due to teething. Sloane has been teething NON-STOP since she was 4 months! She already has her first set of molars.

However, with all of that being said, Sloane has REALLY done well! We are pleased with our approach to sleep training our little Sugar Foot!

Sloane is also on a new nap schedule. She only naps once a day for two hours, typically 12-2 p.m. Her bedtime is still the same; roughly 6:45 p.m., and she is normally asleep by 7:00 p.m., with a wake time between 7-7:30 a.m.

So this method worked for Team Sharp!

My advice to ALL parents is to ALWAYS do what works best for your family! Read ALL the books and then you can tweak/alter the method to suit your child.

For us, the less Sloane cries herself to sleep the BETTER!

Every child NEEDS a structured routine, as do parents. However, the key is to follow your heart and do what is best for your family to bring and maintain peace and love to your home, along with a GOOD 10-12 hours of sleep for your precious little one.

There is NOTHING but Peace, Love and continued Blessings for Team Sharp's household.

Forever I am...Sloane’s Mommy

15 Month Candids

Happy Mardi Gras Baby!

Upgrade! New carseat!

Our gymnast in training! Lol!

Classic toys are a must!

Trying to be fashionable like my Auntie Jennifer  :-)

Practicing good oral hygiene.

Waiting on her PaPa to come home...

Yay! PaPa is Home!

Yes, Sloane can open the door! Oh goodness!

Sloane always helps PaPa with his briefcase :-)

Her first little scrape on her knee :-(

Forever I am...Sloane’s Mommy

Let the Potty Training Begin!

So it is now time to start thinking about potty training. WOW! The time has really flown by! Each new month and stage of Sloane's growth brings excitement and nostalgia all at the same time! Excitement to experience her new developments, and nostalgia in reflecting upon her growth.

Once again, all of my Mommy friends who told me the days will seem long but the months will fly by, were TRULY telling the TRUTH! Gesh! I miss that little baby girl Sloane. However, I am really enjoying and loving this little toddler Sloane as well!

So, I have purchased two potty training books for Ash and I to read: Potty Training Girls the Easy Way: A Stress-Free Guide to Helping Your Daugher Learn Quickly as well as Toilet Training in Less Than a Day.

I also purchased a book for Sloane as well Girls' Potty Time.

I know the key to potty training any child is to have patience. I pray for guidance and patience DAILY. The other key I know from my Mom, who is TRULY the "Potty Training Whisperer" is to be consistent and NEVER give up or be lazy and go back to the diapers.

I so wish she were here to aid in potty training Sloane! However, I will be having SEVERAL phone conversations with her throughout the process!

So after doing some reading and listening to my Mom who is GREAT at this, we purchased Sloane's potty when she turned 15 months. Now I take her to the bathroom with me and allow her to sit on it explaining what it is for as I would sit on the toilet as well.

Now, we have moved to putting Sloane on the potty before bath time EVERY night so she gets used to sitting on the potty with her pants off and to remove as much fear as possible. So far so good! She has used the potty several times and is AMAZED when she does! She claps for herself and says "Pee-Pee!" She also finds joy in wiping herself with the toilet paper as well! Lol!

So I would say we are doing well thus far. I think without adding any pressure to this new adventure and making it as fun as possible has definitely helped a lot!

We will begin to REALLY potty train Sloane when she turns 18 months. I know some people wait until their children are 2 years old, or when they have the language and understanding. Sloane has the language and understanding, therefore we are going to begin potty training at 18 months.

Which means moving away from our cloth diapers and into potty training underwear! Let the potty training adventures begin!

Forever I am...Sloane’s Mommy