New Year's Redux

Yes we had a very eventful family New Year's Eve, but we had a very uneventful grown-up celebration.  Lou and I have been smooching at midnight dating back to 1997, so missing a midnight together was kinda a big deal. Don't get me wrong, having midnight come and go sans fanfare while we were sleeping in a home we love with the little family we always wanted was pretty amazing in and of itself, but there was definitely something missing.

So, Lou had the idea to bring back New Year's Eve...just for us...one week later!

Mariah agreed to babysit and we were off!  Boy did we pack in the activities.

Dinner at Bakersfield with ahhh-maz-ing short rib tacos. (We tried several; trust us - those are the best!)

Then we saw Life of Pi, which was equally amazing and delicious (for obviously different reasons). Please do your soul a favor and see that movie. We are still digesting it and talking about it several days later.

Next we headed to the ultra-hip new Metropole Hotel & Museum for a big ole glass of wine (and a very dorky but passionate conversation about the pros and cons of eliminating the U.S. Postal Service).

Finally, we returned home to drink champagne and have our midnight!

Here are a couple of little snaps from my phone. 

The girls cuddled while we got gussied up

Drinks? YES!

All that was left of the amazing tacos!

See it. Period.

Happy (grainy) wine-drinking grown-ups

A recent (diaper-free) development

There's big news on the Schneider homefront. Miss Beatrice (who is not even two for anyone who is counting) has decided she is giving up diapers. Clearly, this was her New Year's Resolution, and clearly she is sticking with it.

Truth is, she's been experimenting with the potty for some time now. (An experiment transitioned into a plan thanks to quality time with a potty proficient older cousin.) The first time, several months ago, we definitely didn't do anything to encourage real potty-learning progress, because a baby in diapers has its perks!  But this time, the girl is for real.  Like, "I'm wearing panties and I just dare you to try to get a diaper on me" real.  Because she already spends a significant portion of each day naked, it's been a pretty smooth (albeit messy at times) transition.  Honestly, Bea is going to go down as one of those mythical creatures that "potty-trained" herself.  And in our traditional "follow the kid" fashion (even when it's inconvenient), we're going with it, too.

So last night when she kept us up from 1:30-5:30 AM because she had some potty issues that needed worked out (...on the potty...in the dark...with very sleepy parents), we went with it.  Not for failure in trying otherwise! She literally kicked me in the face at 4 AM as I was pleading with her to just.poop.in.your.diaper.puh-lease!

But, Alas! It was another potty success story about 5am and she was back asleep from 5:30 to nearly 9.

So yes, my friends, those are little baby buns sporting tiny little panties! And we can hardly believe it either.

Josie has been INSTRUMENTAL in Bea's potty practices! And she is SO proud of her little sister!

4:30 AM. Last night. Diaper Refusal.

Nearly 9 this morning. Exhausted. (But Potty-Successful!)