the life of baby jude

Last Saturday, Mama "took one for the team" and took me to US Diesel Truckin' Nationals at Raceway Park in Englishtown. We heard about it on the radio and when Mama and I heard monster trucks and diesel trucks in the same commercial, we both got pretty excited (although, I'm guessing Mama's excitement was more for me). Even though it was hot as can be and even more humid, we really did have a blast. I'm pretty sure Mama even had fun (you can take the girl out of the woods....).

The trucks were super cool! I got to climb and look inside and even spin the rims on some. There was one that had a super loud train horn that a man kept blowing, prompting me to shield my little ears in Mama's leg. We even went into the grandstand to watch some of the big rigs race, which was really neat. There was so much action, I couldn't believe it. It would've been cool to stay into the night because I heard talk of fireworks, but we both pooped out after a few hours. How many mullets can one really see?

I should note that I had my first official ice cream blooper while I was there. Mama bought me a cone and it was so high that I took one lick and PLOP, right on the ground. Thankfully, the lady was kind enough to get me a new (and much smaller!) one. I giggled about it all afternoon!

Why these people insist that two children over 30 pounds can fit into this tiny tub, I'll never know. This is my second bath with Stephen and even though I feel a bit bad for taking up so much room, what's a three year old to do? Poor Stephen had to sit on the edge, hardly even in the water. And in his own tub no less. I'm guessing by his face, he was a bit displeased. Maybe I should bring my own next time.

Good news, all- I'm potty trained! I won't get too graphic, but I will say that I now officially do all business on the toilet! I haven't worn a Pull-Up in days and have had no accidents so far (although Mama assures me that I may and it's okay if I do). Here's the situation- all hope seemed to be lost. I had no desire to use the potty and would just hold my wee all day long. Then, when I couldn't take it any longer, I would go and it would be so much that it would go right through my Pull-Up and usually onto my shorts. Almost everyday when Mama would pick me up at school, I would be in different shorts and my original clothing would be in a plastic bag- the embarrassing signifier that I peed on my clothes - in my cubby for all to see. But still, I just wasn't ready to go on the toilet no matter how hard Mama, Daddy, Grandma or anyone tried.

All of the sudden, I decided that I was pretty okay with peeing on the potty- at least sometimes. For reasons unknown to anyone, I would only wee when I was with Daddy. Mama marveled at Daddy's stories, because she couldn't get me to go if her life depended on it. But with Daddy, I would walk right into the bathroom and pee- standing up and all! But it was still spotty.

Two weeks ago I went to Meema's house. You may remember that she can be a bit "no nonsense" when it comes to things (hey, she forced me to kick my mimi habit) that she thinks I should or shouldn't be doing. Every morning when we got up, she would put me on the potty. No asking, just doing. I really started to like it, I have to tell you. Now I don't even really need anyone's help. I just go by myself! What a difference a few weeks make.

I know an entire post about one's bathroom habits may seem a bit gross, but you should see how proud I am of myself! Diapers are for babies, I say!

The other bonus? Really cool underwear! I'm wearing cowboy undies in the above picture, but I am also the proud owner of pirate undies, Batman undies and SpiderMan boxer briefs (which I still insist are shorts and not underwear, but whatever).

I wonder if the diaper money Mama & Daddy used to spend will now go into my college fund?

Saturday was miserable weather. It started off incredibly humid and then that turned into a downpour, thanks to Hurricane Hannah. Mama and I did nothing all day but sit in the house and play. But that's okay, I can entertain myself for hours if there is a mess to be made.

I also helped Mama bake cookies and watched "Love, Honor & Betray" on Lifetime with Aunt Arlene. Yeah, it was one of those days. Thank goodness for the markers and the coloring books!

Mama didn't have to work last Friday, so we spent the time with Chrystine and my favorite "little brother," Stephen. Chrystine had to make a few returns and wanted to buy Stephen some shoes now that's a certified walker and the cold weather is coming. We decided on Paramus Park, because it not only has the stores we wanted, but a carousel! While I sang along to the tunes they played ("London Bridge is falling down, my fair poopy!!), Mama snapped some photos of Stephen behind us. Doesn't he look cute?

I still have a few more items I need for fall, but Mama got me PJs, some shirts, a new cap and underwear. Yes, underwear. But more about that later. We went into Stride Rite and I happily tried on sneakers, but Mama and I both decided that everything I tried was just way too dorky. (This "TT Transporter" may look cute in the picture, but trust me, they looked like downright "grandpa shoes" when I put them on!)

All in all, it was a happy day at the mall. Stephen and I even got balloons and happily played with them the whole time we were there. Stephen's eventually blew away in the parking lot and popped after getting run over with a car, but I used mine as a prop that night when playing train conductor. Clever, no?

There was karaoke and then a live band, which gave me many opportunities to dance with my new friend Maeve. Isn't she cute? She's four years old and very fun (not to mention a great dancer)! It took me awhile to warm up to her (she even asked Mama if I "spoke the same language as she did), but after I did, we played hide-and-seek, threw rocks, ran around and even shared necklaces. Here's a picture of us at the end of the night, right before Maeve went back home with her M&D and her younger brother, Gavin (equally as adorable, but with lighter curly hair).

Not long after we left as well (honestly, what was the point of staying after she left?) and went to Friendly for my usual rainbow sherbet and gummy bears. When we were leaving, we saw fireworks up in the sky. What a night!

For most of last week, I was upstate staying with Meema while they got new floors at my school. As always, Meema had some really great activities planned for us. We even got to see a baseball game! We did our usual pizza making (man, it was a good batch), in addition to meeting up with Peepa, Peggy and the famous "girls" (Morgan, Courtney & Jessi) on Saturday for a lunch of.... pizza. I got the white pizza, while the girls got pepperoni and Mama, Meema & Peepa enjoyed some salads. I think Peggy might have made the best choice of all, however, when she ordered garlic bread with melted cheese. Man, that was yummy. We spent a good long while playing and eating outside and entertaining the other pizza store patrons with our antics. Peepa brought some glow-in-dark balls for us to play with I even did some tricks (like falling off the bench I was sitting on, sending my pizza flying- that sure got a good laugh)! It's so nice to have a group of people to hang out with, no matter what state I'm in!