Questions ...

For saving things, start a scrapbook.  A scrapbook can be as simple as a 3 ring binder with paper inside to attach the treasurables.

Does she show any signs of being ready, ie. wanting to sit on the toilet, taking off soiled pants or diapers? fascination with the bathroom, is she dry in the morning?  If she is dry in the morning I wold take her to bathroom first thing and sit her on the pot.  Praise her if she goes.  Don't let her run wild after supper, she needs to be winding down and exercise after supper can cause sleep issues.

 i'm of no help for the early morning wake up calls..my daughter was a good sleeper from day 1.

for potty training, i waited til it got warm outside, and i let her run around in just her panties on, taking her to the bathroom every 20 minutes..if she peed she got 1 m&m if she pooped, she got 2.   she was trained in 3 days. 

and yes, i saved the hospital bands, i have all her newborn clothes still, they are just sitting in a tote, in my house, under the stairs in storage.  i have kept ALL the cards she has ever gotten, for that matter i've kept all the cards I have ever gotten too..i feel kinda bad throwing them out....especially the ones from my grandma and grandpa (who are no longer with us) i like to look at them, look at their handwriting etc...so i keep my daughters, i figure she might like to look back on them one day too..

Thank you ladies... It's nice to hear what other moms are doing... I like the scrapbook idea, would be good for the small stuff.   I save all the cards too (nice to know i'm not the only one lol) 

We tried potty training.. she was showing signs and was interested she kept asking to go on the big potty... so I set aside a week so we didn't have to leave the house, she was so excited to be using the 'big potty'  I had a buch of stickers as rewards we did awesome for 2days and by day 3 she didn't want to go on the 'big potty' .. I didn't want to push or force her - I didn't want to make it an ordeal or freak her out.. since then she'll ask to go potty and she will go..  We'll try it again and see what happens.

 And this sleeping thing.. I just don't know.  she's always been a morning baby but 4am is nuts.. Her running wild is normally earlier in the day.  After dinner we are pretty mellow.. she gets a little excited cause dad is home and she wants to play but they don't get riled up.   

Again - thank you ladies

 How does she nap?  That can effect night sleep.  How long is her nap and when does she take it?  Maybe try a shorter nap or change the time that she naps and see if that changes her nighttime sleep habits.

Yeah, the naps have been tricky ever since I stopped nursing her at 14 mo.... She needs at least an hour or she's not a happy camper but usually no more then two hours.   I have started getting her down earlier the last two days, no change yet but we'll see.  At this point I'll try anything.  :)  Thank you... 

A two and a half year old needs 14 - 15 hours of sleep a day.  Many times a child refusing to sleep is over-tired, which is the great paradox of early childhood.  Figure out her schedule so that she is in bed the recommended hours every day.  What time is bedtime - stick to it always. What time is getting up time - never vary it. What time is nap time? NEver skip naps.  Their little bodies work best on a strict schedule.  Once she adjusts to a strict schedule, her body is far more likely to be ready for sleep when it is bedtime.

The other part of the equation is discipline.  If she gets up at 4 am, put her back to bed.  You can't make her go to sleep, but you can insist that she stay in bed until the morning alarm goes off.  It may take you a month of persistence, but do it like this: Tomorrow morning, she gets up at 4.  Put her back to bed.  She gets up, put her back to bed.  She gets up, put her back to bed.  Even if you have to do it 71 times the first day, keep doing it.  You do NOT need to speak to her, give her a drink, or remind her of the rules.  You can tell her the rule ONCE.  Then silently, firmly, patiently, put her back to bed!  The second day, you may have to put her back to bed only 30 times... you are stronger than she is.  DO not get angry.  Be strong and patient and firm.  You love this child! And she will learn that you are not a person she can push around. This is the beginning of teaching her to respect you. 

POTTY TRAINING:

Is she ready?  Does she wake up in the morning with a dry diaper most of the time?  Can she pull up and down her own pants?  Can she manage the zippers, buttons, snaps, or whatever are on her clothes?  Can she communicate her needs to you - can she say "I have to go potty"  "I have to go pee" or whatever words you want her to use in your home?

If you answered yes, to all of these, then she is ready to potty train.  Any good book will tell you how to do it - it's really quite simple.  You need a three day weekend.  You need NO OTHER DISTRACTIONS!  Chose a weekend when you aren't having company, running errands or doing anything else.  You will give your child a lot of little sips of juice and water all during the day, so that she has to make many trips to the potty chair - you want her to learn fast, and not have to be doing this for weeks on end.  You take her potty every half hour.  If she tinkles in the chair, get excited, and give her a small treat - a single M&M or chocolate chip.  If she doesn't tinkle, have her sit there anyway, and reward her for sitting nicely, calmly and being a "big girl".  If she has accidents, don't get upset.  Talk to her about making it to the potty chair next time, that big girls keep their panties dry. 

If after three days she is not at least 90% potty trained, then put it away and wait three to six months and try again. 

SAVING STUFF:

Decide what is important and what is not.  Clothes don't keep well.  My mom saved a few precious dresses of mine for my girls to wear, but they were so old and faded and thin, that they became doll clothes.  Take a precious photograph of your little one in the beloved outfit.  Save the picture - donate the outfit to your favorite charity.  You'll even get a receipt for your taxes. 

You can make a darling shadow box for all those newborn treasures.  You know what I mean - the photo and memorabilia display cases that hang on your wall?  They often have a narrow shelf, like an inch or two wide, and sometimes have glass over the front.  You can place their hospital ID braclet in on cubby hole, their hospital picture in another, a lock of baby hair, a tiny pair of booties, etc.  Even a silver baby spoon, or a copy of their birth or baptism record.

Don't save everything.  I've been to friends' homes that are so crowded with STUFF that they don't have room to move!  Less stuff is easier to clean.  If you need help decluttering - you really can't beat the flylady's ideas.  Find her at www.flylady.com .  She'll teach you the 27 fling boogie to get your house clean and clutter free.

I personally love scrapbooking. Saving all those precious memories in photographs, combined with journaling to capture the meaning behind the images. 

my 18 mos old is like that she s in bed by 8 pm and up by 7 am my 5 year old is not up til u wake him i think its just how a child is made

let them get use dto the potty;lots of liquids and reinforcement if u are comfortable let the baby go without there diaper with just underwear or just a shiert and nothing below and take them to bathroom every 1-2 hours

scrapbooks and memory boxes

1. No idea, I just pretended I was still asleep, kept everything quiet and dark (blackout curtains would help) and the kids learned to go along with it.

2. Leave it. She'll figure it out as soon as she is capable, and considering how much of that is internal and completely outside your awareness (you are supposed to be able to tell what it feels like in her body to need to pee?) Trust that she wants to master her body and her world, and she WILL grow up without being pushed from the back.

3. No.