Self Entertaining

Hey...what's that?

I think I know you!!Oh you are so funny and cute! You could make me laugh all day long!!Yeah. I like you. Let's be friends.

Drive By

This is what cracks me up about Adam's mom.... She is not a planner. She just does not enjoy planning unless it is absolutely necessary. And she's been wanting to come see us, but wasn't sure when. So last week we got a call saying, "I decided I am going to go see Aaron between his winter semester and spring term, so I thought I'd drive by and stay a few days while I am out there." Let's get some facts straight here: 1) When I said "last week" I should clarify that we're talking Friday, as in five days ago. 2) Aaron (Adam's brother) goes to Weber State, in Ogden, Utah. 3) It is a nine-and-a-half hour drive from Ogden to Colorado Springs. 4) I don't think there are many people out there who think that drive is an easy "drive by" any way you look at it. 5) Weber State's break was THIS WEEK. Oh! She makes me laugh, it's just one of the many things I love about my mother-in-law! And don't think this is the first time something like this has happened! It's her M.O. and I love it.

So Monday late-afternoon Nicolle and Aaron pulled into our driveway for a little visit. It was so great to see them both. I always love spending time with Nicolle. She is so fun to talk with, has great stories that make me laugh, and priceless advice for raising a large family. We haven't seen Aaron since August of 2007 when he left to serve a mission for our church in Macon, GA. He's grown up a lot. The boys were crazy about him. It was so wonderful to see him again.

We spent Monday evening and (a very busy) Tuesday together. We all met up with Adam for Pei Wei and Cold Stone, Nicolle watched the kids for me so I could go to a singing practice and the orthodontist without my retinue, and hit up the fabric store with me so I could send her home with some flannel to make me some BIG blankets to wrap up my BIG babe! Aaron played with the boys (who wouldn't leave him alone), he assisted Zach with his homework (lamenting the entire time the difference between his homework and Zach's) and helped Adam pull all the heavy stuff up the stairs out of the basement (without complaint).

But hearing the news of some snow in the forecast between here and Salt Lake, they had to cut their visit short. Aaron had to be back by Saturday to prepare for the start of his new term, and Nicolle was a little nervous about driving in sketchy road conditions. She may love a road trip, but not if it's going to be dangerous to drive! So they pulled out of our driveway once again Wednesday early-morning. We were all pretty sad to say goodbye, but know we will see them again in just a couple of months when we are out there for the month of July. Plus, Nicolle left us with a big pan of her signature secret-recipe sticky buns that are sooooo delicious and are now resting nicely in the outer regions of my love handles. Even though it was short, the visit was very sweet!

Mommy

My mom...
Kind.
Generous.
Giving.
Open.
Loving.
Mother.
Talkative.
Heart.
Intelligent.
Thoughtful.
Funny.
Devoted.
Insightful.
Reflective.
Beautiful.
Faithful.
Friend.
Musical.
Nana.
Helpful.
Take all those words and multiply their meanings times 1000.

...That's my mom.As my sister said today in a little facebook string, we hit the mom jackpot.

When people tell me I am just like my mom, I consider it the greatest compliment I could receive.

Happy Birthday Mommy! You are the greatest mom a girl could ask for! Love, love, love you!

My Brilliant Boys

Sometimes, as a mother, you have the right unabashedly brag about your children. Yes, we all do it, sometimes we can do it cleverly, so it doesn't seem like a brag even though it is, but sometimes you just have to put it out there as is. It's just gotta happen from time to time. You know it and I know it. And don't we deserve it? Really, with all the poop, literally and figuratively, we put up with as mothers (sorry, still in potty training mode) celebrating the successes and accomplishments, large and small, is necessary, even if it is by blatant bragging. So go ahead and roll your eyes at me now and chock this post up to motherly pride.

Zach came home yesterday with a Math Excellence Award for the 3rd grade. It said he had placed 4th in the enrichment math program he's been working in this year, the Elementary Continental Math League. I thought it was for his school, which was impressive enough for me, but upon closer inspection I realized...wait for it...it was for the entire school district! Fourth! I was actually pretty surprised. Is that bad? Not that I didn't know he had it in him, but he's prone to speeding through his work without thinking critically just to get it done, and thereby getting answers wrong that he actually does know how to figure out. It's a bad habit we've struggled with a lot, and have used many different methods in an attempt to overcome it. Well, it looks like something he's doing is finally chipping away at that problem. He even earned himself a $5 gift card for Barnes and Noble from the school district as a prize for his 4th place finish and had his accomplishment announced over the intercom at school. (Side note: the second place finisher for the 3rd grade was also a kid from the boys' school. Have I said how much I love their school? I am sure I have.) I told him that he was in trouble now because I would always expect him to be a math whiz, and he said, "OK, then next year I'm going to get 99th." Ha ha, kid. Nice work, my clever boy!Don't worry, there's more. Last week during testing days Ben was tested on the "First 1000." These are the Fry Instant High-Frequency words (there are 1000) used as a benchmark at our school. Every year the kids are supposed to learn to spell another hundred words from this list (for example, Zach's 3rd grade class is on the the third hundred). These range from "the" and "him" in the first hundred to "substances" and "function" in the tenth hundred. Many kids will exceed the 100 set for their grade, but the goal is to have all the kids in the grade at least able to spell up to their grade's hundred. In the first through third grades the kids are learning to read these words too, not just spell them, and they are tested on their ability to read the words at the beginning and end of the school year. Last week, Ben read all 1000 as a first grader and was awarded a dictionary of his very own by the PTO for his success. He's decided he wants to read half a page of his dictionary every day before bed so he can know all the words found inside. And that, folks, is exactly why he's so intelligent. He just loves to push himself to learn more and more. Way to go Benny!
OK, brag done :).

The Cutest Brace Face You Ever Did See

Today was the day Zach got his braces on. He's a little sore, a little achy, but he just looks so dang cute! On our last visit into the ortho Zach was shown his rubber band options. And in the three weeks since that visit he has had to make the difficult, no, make that gut-wrenching and brain-busting, decision of which colors he wanted for his first round. The final verdict: electric green and black. So for his soft, mushy, no-chew, braces-friendly dinner tonight he had vanilla yogurt...with green and black sprinkles.

Once the braces were on they showed Zach videos on how to take care of them, how to brush them and keep them nice and clean. And then they showed him what his teeth would look like if he did not follow these cleaning instructions precicely. Tonight it took a team effort a full 10 minutes to get those babies sparkly and shiny to Zach's specifications. As Adam's brother Aaron, who had a couple of long terms with braces himself, called after us while we ascended the stairs tonight with the braces cleaning kit in hand, "Day One."

Weekend Joys

This snowy April weekend brought many simple joys:

• Beautiful scenery. Before Friday's snowstorm rolled in, I got this picture of the snow-capped mountains peeking through "windows" in the clouds. It's not the best photo, since I took it while I was stopped at a stop sign by our street with my little point and shoot camera that I always keep in the diaper bag, but it was such a stunning scene I had to share!

• Snow fun! In the afternoon on Friday, after the snow stopped falling in big fat, wet flakes, while Zach and Josh were sledding down the neighbor's sloped lawn, Ben diligently worked on a small snow fort.
• More snow fun! He wasn't willing to lend a hand, but Luke put on his shades, and cheered on Ben's efforts.
• Girls' Night! My friend Shaina always throws such great girls' nights. Friday night I escaped for a few hours (until Tommy woke up at 10:45pm and wondered where I was and then decided to spend time with me until 1:30am) to enjoy time with sweet friends and some great food. How can you go wrong with an equation like that?!
  
• Swimming. Because the fields had been swamped by the volumes of snow, Saturday's soccer games had all been canceled, so we were given the gift of rare springtime weekend freedom. Adam took Zach and Luke to the Cottonwood Pool. Ben had been invited to our neighbor, Micah's, birthday party there and Micah's mom invited the rest of us to go when she found out our games had been canceled. They came home three hours later, happy and exhausted.
  
• Teamwork. I stayed home with Tommy, who took a nice long nap, and Josh, who was facing a consequence for drawing with a crayon on the couch. After he got over his grumpiness from being left out of a fun outing to the pool, he happily chipped in to help me haul stuff up from the basement into the living room. We are so excited! Work to finish the basement should begin this week! I love that Josh worked by my side for an hour, asking what he could do next, doing all he was asked, without complaint or pause, even though he had to work instead of playing at the pool. That's just our Josh. A great buddy, through and through.
• A long weekend can mean extended hours of bickering (and there was that), but it also includes a lot of time for cooperative play and brother-time. The boys played hide-and-seek, read books to one another, played video games together, built fishing poles from some forgotten dowels they found in the corner of the basement, and came up with all kinds of imaginative games that entertained them while the snow blanketed the ground. I love watching the boys get into good play grooves with each other, it fills my heart with joy!
• Adorable babies! On Sunday I made an effort to go to the second-hour Sunday School class, but it's in this big echoey room and so quiet except for the teacher, and Tommy was doing his favorite things: squealing really loudly and blowing raspberries, so we made a hasty exit and joined my friend Shaina and her son Kimble in the empty Relief Society room, waiting for the third-hour class to start. Kimble and Tommy are only a few weeks apart in age. Their adorable side-by-side chubbiness was almost too much to handle! It was so cute when they'd find each other's hands and hold hands, or poke at each others heads. At one point Tommy, on his tummy, was holding Kimble's arm while Kimble let Tommy chew his thumb. What scrumptious boys!
• Random food sculpture. Sunday afternoon, while doing a light cleaning of the kitchen in preparation for dinner, I discovered this "boat" built by Luke from his discarded lunch: a nibbled pancake, a toothpick (once used for eating lil' smokies) and half a cucumber stick. It was so funny sitting there, abandoned, waiting for a sea to voyage upon, I had to get a photo!

A Little Story To Take Your Mind Off The Snow

I'm not going to post about the tulip-cicles in my backyard.
I'm not going to post about the almost six inches of snow piled up on our just-starting-to-turn-green grass.
I'm not going to post about the blossoms that had just started to pop on our plum tree that are now encased in damp, heavy snow.
I'm not going to post about the boys who are hanging out on the couch in their jammies at 8:30am because school was canceled.
I'm not going to post about the golf ball sized snowflakes that are STILL falling.
I'm not going to post about my utter confusion when Adam woke me up this morning to tell me the kids didn't have school.
I'm not going to post about Luke's pointed question when he came out of his room this morning, "Why is it snowing?"
I'm not going to post about how annoying it is that you can't be confident that there will be no more snow in Colorado for the season until mid-May.
I'm not going to talk about the weather man who did not give us any kind of heads up for this snow storm.
I'm just going to ignore all that, because I am going to pretend today's weather didn't really happen.
Spring will be back tomorrow, I am sure of it.
Instead I will tell you a little story to make your stomach churn. I will call it "Poop and the Red Flash."

Ever since I posted the potty post we have had incredible success. Three days of dry underpants. Three days of pooping voluntarily and without encouragement on the potty. So nice! Until yesterday morning that is....

Yesterday morning I was getting ready for the day in the master bathroom of our house. La la la, brush my hair, la la la, apply some makeup, la la la, what shirt to choose?...and then my brainless dither was interrupted by a true potty emergency. Luke came in with a look on his face that I can only describe as "uber stressed out." "I have to go potty Mooooommmy!" He said my name with this complete tone of despair and discomfort, as if clenching his mouth muscles might help him clinch his bum muscles. I was like lightning, I grabbed him and got his pants down in seconds, the toilet was only seven feet away, "You can do it, Luke, hold it, just for one second more!" But alas, the package was already on its way and ended up being delivered on the floor while I was rocketing towards the toilet. Oh, that's gross.

Remember that game you used to play in elementary school? What's Grosser than Gross? Well, I've got one for you. While depositing Luke on the toilet I saw a red shadow flash in the corner of my eye but didn't pay too much attention to it. I had other things to focus on after all. I said, "Luke, we've got to make it to the toilet next time. This is kind of yucky." Luke said, "Everybody poops, Mom. Elephants poop. Alligators poop." I said, "True. True. But people poop on the potty, those animals don't." He said, "{laughter} OK, Mom."

Luke finished up, I cleaned him up, and then I returned to the scene of the crime with a wad of toilet paper to begin clean-up of the mess on the floor...but all I saw was a small brown smear and our dear Ruby, licking her chops. Uggggg! She ATE it!

Ruby was herded outside that very second and spent a good portion of the morning in the backyard, until the gross-out factor of just looking at her dropped from a high 10 to a low 9. And then she was given three mint-flavored Denta Treats before being allowed to enter the house again. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Dogs and their dogness are sometimes so grody. I told you your stomach would churn. Don't say I didn't warn you!

The Potty Diaries: In Which You Will See Much Use of the Words "Pee" and "Poop"

The carpets in the family and living rooms need some professional cleaning desperately.
We have three diapers left from Luke's most recent Costco-size box of size fours.
Tommy is days away from needing size fours himself.
Luke will be three in one month and two weeks.
His interest level is mild to moderate. At least he's interested in his books about using the potty, if not the potty itself.
We're goin' for it.

Day One:Since 8:30am Luke has been bottomless. No diaper. No undies. Bare nek'ed.

By 12:00pm I am amazed at his ability to hold it in. He has neither peed nor pooped in either the toilet or on the floor. But he has had had many attempts at sitting on his Blue's Clues potty seat on the toilet. He has even said one time that he needed to go, although nothing came of that.

At 12:30pm I have to put Tommy down for a nap. When I come out, Luke and Josh are happily playing with cars in the living room. I ask Luke if he has to go to use the potty. He says, "I already pooped a little bit." He holds his pointer finger and thumb up to his face, squinting one eye to peek through the one-inch gap between them in the universal sign for 'little bit.' "Where?" I ask, forcing cheery nonchalance. "In the basement. On the floor." "Can you please show me?"

We tromp down the stairs happily discussing where pee and poop go and where they do not go. Phew! He's just peed, and it's on the concrete. Or was. The concrete has absorbed all but a few small drops. Even though the pee is now in the concrete where I can no longer reach it, I clean the spot with sanitizer anyway. While scrubbing, I make a mental note to clarify what constitutes as "poop" and what is considered "pee," perhaps needing to expound on the location from which each of those things emerge. {shudder} I am grateful for the digestive system...but I do not like to get up-close and personal with it.

As the afternoon progresses there is pee in the living room, then the family room, then the master bath by the tub. This is not going well. And what is worse: I have to take the oldest two boys to piano lessons and then go to the grocery store. To undie or not to undie? That is the question. I decide to undie. I've got to keep up the story that the diapers are all gone, after all. Amazingly, we make it through an hour of drop-off, grocery store shopping and pick-successfully! And then, as soon as we get home, he pees in his pants. Drat. I have to wash his Crocs with soap because they are pee filled. Ewwww. I guess it's good he had on shoes that could be washed.

Back to naked.

Adam comes home from work. "Why is Luke wandering around with no pants on?" "It's just easier that way," I say. It really is, no underwear to give a false sense of security.

Adam, Zach and Ben take turns reading books to Luke in the bathroom while I get dinner ready and while we eat. No pee. Not a drip. Not a drop. Dread begins to set in: we have to leave the house again. On go clean, dry undies and pants. Luke makes it through 3/4 of Zach's Scout pack meeting. I'm not counting my chickens, but I am definitely hopeful. And then he pees in his pants again. {sigh} At least Adam is there to change the wet pants this time.

Day one ends with not a single pee in the potty. Not one! Pull-up put on for bed. But I do notice that the accidents are starting to bother him. He's aware of what's going on, even if it is a bit too late.

Day Two:Naked from the waist down once again.

And once again, Luke proves to be the king of the strong bladder. No muscle tone issues in that region of his body! From 9am, when he gets up, until 11:15 he doesn't pee. My constant refrian: "Luke do you need to go potty?" His: "Ummm, nope!" He sits on his cushy potty ring on the big toilet a lot, and I have brought the potty chair from upstairs down to the kitchen, which he also likes to try. I keep hoping something will find it's way into that potty. Yesterday morning he had pooped before he came out of his room for the morning. This morning he hadn't. So poop on the floor is one more thing that might just be part of my day.

To add to the fun, Luke has discovered his testicles. Luke: "What's that?" Me: "Your testicles." Luke: "What does that do?" Me: "Ummm." Josh: "It's where you hold your pee until it comes out." Me: "Yeah! That's what it does!" Luke: "And my poop." Me: "Sure, your poop too."

Around 11:15am I ask him if he needs to use the potty. He makes for the potty chair and then changes his mind. "I want to go on the big toiwet." "OK, it's your choice, bud." He's gone for about three minutes and then comes out. "Me went poop!" I dash into the bathroom and check the little cup on the front of the potty seat. Lo and behold! There is a bit of yellow fluid there!!!! HALLELUJAH! We sing, we dance, we hug, he eats jelly beans.

Apparently for the time being "pee" will be known as "poop."

It's time to set the example. I hate this part, but it does seem to help the process. "Oh, Mommy has to go potty!" I walk toward the bathroom. Luke comes running. With an audience I sit to do my business. This is degrading, but Luke's full of questions that I am sure will help him along his own potty journey.

Later in the day I am changing Tommy's diaper on the changing table in his room. "UH OH!" Luke says with panic in his voice. He is trying to hold the pee in with his hand as it splatters all over his hand, his shirt, the toys scattered in front of him, and the floor (of course, in the one room in the house that up to this point probably needed the carpets cleaned the least). "That's not going to work," I think. I dash him to the bathroom and plop him on the toilet. He's stopped going but I let him flush the toilet anyway. I pick up the scattered damp toys on the floor for the laundry, go get the potty chair from downstairs and bring it upstairs, and grab cleaning supplies for the carpet in Tommy's room.

When I come back up he's sitting on the potty seat. He gets up, "I pooped!" I check. YEP!!! Pee! WAHOO! More cheering and celebrating. We flush it down, waving bye bye to Luke's pee. He wants to do it again. So he does. He pees AGAIN. Into the potty! Cheering, hugs. Flush. I go to get changed out of my exercise clothes into regular ones. Before I can pick a shirt out, he comes running from the bathroom to my closet. "Me pooped!" And yes, he has peed once more! Laughter and clapping. Flush. I go to change again. In seconds he's back, "I pooped!" There are drops there! Oh my gosh! I think he's got it! We play this game again and again. I am hysterical with elation. He's so proud, loving the game. I can't stand there and wait. He makes me go to the closet so he can come running to tell me. I begin to worry that the toilet might break from so much flushing. After the 10th flush he cannot possibly squeeze out a single drop more. WOW!

It's late in the day. Since the peeing/flushing extravaganza, Luke has had two more pees in his little potty chair, followed by cheers, joy, flushing, waving and lollipops. I am thinking tomorrow might be the day to give undies a try. He's got a cute little bum, but I'll be happy to not see it flashing me every two seconds.

But our old friend Mr. Poop has yet to come for a visit. Eeek.

Three-thirty-five arrives. The phone rings and just as I am answering I hear a little whimper. I know that whimper. It's the poop whimper. Oh no. I don't see Luke. Then the whimper again. It's coming from the bathroom. "Um. Can I call you back?" I hang up. I am terrified of what kind of mess I'm going to find when I go in there. But I go anyway. And there is Luke. Sitting on the toilet, looking a little scared and uncomfortable. BUT HE'S ON THE TOILET...POOPING!

Oh.sweet.good.mercy. I talk to him about how it's OK. It's a little uncomfortable to poop on the toilet at first, but everyone does it. I hustle to find Everyone Poops, the book sent from the potty gods that has helped all my little boys become more comfortable with number two. By the end of the process, Luke seems OK with it. And I am feeling giddy. I call Adam to tell him the news, but I don't get the screaming-jumping-up-and-down-wiping-tears-of-joy response on the other end of the line that I am feeling. "Good for him!" That's about it. Oh well. I am still giddy.

The day ends with "potty party" cupcakes...yellow cake with brown frosting per Zach's suggestion. I don't think Luke cares all that much, but I am not one to pass up the chance to make/eat cupcakes. Plus, we are trying to encourage Luke to "eat messy" as suggested by his food therapist, i.e. get him to eat without being bothered by getting dirtied by the food. Cupcakes are great for this.

Luke has one accident in his seat while eating the last couple of bites of his cupcake. But I could care less about that one. I am feeling good. Today was a success. We'll see how tomorrow goes. I'm not expecting a repeat, but oh! How great that would be?!Day Three:

Luke wakes up grumpy. This does not surprise me. He's been missing naps the past couple of days so I don't have to put a pull-up on him while he sleeps because I am afraid he will hold his poop until he has his pull-up on and then I won't be able to encourage him to poop in the potty. It takes a bit of time, but I finally convince him to get out of his pull-up. I've decided that today is the day to give underwear a try.

The morning goes well, no accidents, but after two days of home-bound potty-training, I am eager to go to playgroup, even if it's just for a short time. But Luke won't go pee so we can leave the house. The time for playgroup to start passes, but still no pee. I wait and wait. Finally, forty-five minutes after our playgroup's start time Luke pees. As soon as the last drop falls we are out the door.

I am hoping the promise that he can pee in a bush if he needs to go will entice him enough to tell me if he does have to go. Colorado Springs parks are thin on bathrooms for some odd reason and the park we are going to today does not have one. In my experience, boys love any opportunity to pee outdoors, so it's just fine with me, although perhaps not fine with the other park patrons. The fifty minutes we are at playgroup he tells me twice he has to go...we tromp out to the nearest scrubby tree, pull down the pants, expose his tiny bum to the cool wind, only to have him decide that in fact, he does not have to pee at all. But that's OK, because we make it through the entire trip with no accidents.

The day actually goes pretty well. He has only one accident, just before we leave for dinner, but makes it through our dinner out at Pizza Time for the school fundraiser with no peeing and gives us a nice big pee right before bed thanks to the endless supply of soda machine pink lemonade at the restaurant.

Luke's figured out how to make farts. "I can make a fart, Dad! Listen!" This is a good first step, but there still has been no pooping at all today. Hmmmm....

Day Four:

Luke doesn't wake up poopy, so that makes me happy. The morning goes smoothly. He's getting better at holding it, then peeing a lot at once instead of many little pees. He does a nice biggie soon after waking up. I think the pee is going pretty well. I decide to let him hang out in his jammies that he can pull up and down by himself for a good part of the day.

I get stressed out because we need to leave for the preschool carpool at 11:20am and Luke has not peed in an hour-and-a-half. I am asking him every two minutes, "Do you need to go now, sweetie?" "How about now?" "Now?" As long as I sound cheerful, he's fine with my questioning. If I start to let my exacerbation come through in my voice, he gets upset. So I really have to be careful how I ask. He never pees, but we have to go since we are already a touch late for pick-up. Fortunately the signals are with me and we are only four minutes late to drop Josh and his two friends off for school...and even better, Luke did not pee in his seat.

While Josh is at school I finally get to taking a shower for the day. I bring the little potty up into my bathroom because he likes to hover around the bathroom with me while I shower, driving his cars down the side of the tub. I am nearly done showering when I hear Luke say, "I need to go potty!" He runs to his potty seat and sits down. I turn off the water and grab my towel. It's just a pee, darn, but it's a good big one, and better yet he did it without me asking. We flush it down. While I am getting dressed I realize the lower half of my right leg is still unshaven. Oh well.

He seems to know when he has to pee most of the time now, but he doesn't always go when he tries. I think he starts to feel like he has to go, but it takes a few tries to figure out that specific muscle control and have enough volume to really make it come. So we get a lot of "I need to go potty!" and then nothing. But as long as he's making the choice to go, even if none comes out, it's good. About 3pm we have a half-accident. There is a little damp in the undies, but he stops it and runs to his potty to finish, this is also good.

It's almost 4pm and he still hasn't pooped. I think he has to, but just can't figure out how to hold it and then not hold it. He's watching Caillou streaming on Netflix just sitting on his potty. I'm hoping all the holding won't lead to the plugging. That is just not good.

Oh poop! Literally and explicatively. It's 5:45pm and it happens. In the undies. BOO! I am so bummed. (oh my, the puns keep on coming!) The success from a couple of days ago, while I was trying not to let it get my hopes up, still got my hopes up. But I try to see the bright side: it wasn't a really nasty loosey goosey poop so the undies can be saved. And at least Luke doesn't seem very happy about it. It DEFINITELY bothers him. There are tears.

Day Five:

Here we go again! Will there be a day in my life again when I am not thinking about Luke going to the bathroom all day long? I certainly does not feel like it! Just thinking about the vigilance required to do this makes me feel tired and the morning has barely started.

The first part of the morning is going well again. After his second big potty for the day, I decide I am safe to take a shower. Oh how wrong I was! As I am getting out, Luke comes running. It's a repeat of yesterday afternoon. Ew! Poo! Underwear! He's really sad, so I take it in stride, telling him he will make it next time, and I offer advice on paying attention to the feeling before he poops, using "farts" as my main reference. It strikes me as odd using the word "fart" over and over in a calm, casual discussion.

I don't really know what to do! He knows it's happening, but can't seem to figure out how it feels before it happens. Arrrrgh! Time. That's all it takes. Just time. I hate being patient when it comes to bodily fluids.

By the end of the day I think he seems to have the pee thing down 95%. He gets to the toilet every time. He can hold it really well. He's had a few "almost" accidents, but he catches himself and rushes to the toilet to finish up, so no major clean up is required. We go to a baby shower for a couple of hours and he neither uses the toilet nor pees his pants, but hits the potty as soon as we get home. He is now telling me when he has to go, not just trying when I ask him to.

Day Six:
Today we have church. This is a big test. I am pretty nervous, especially because good ol' number two often hits before noon. Luke pees before we leave for church, that's a good start. During our three hour block Adam and I go into the nursery multiple times to ask him if he needs to go. But the answer is always "No!" said in a voice of complete exasperation like, "Come on Mom and Dad! This is my time, my class, you are not welcome here, go away!" He actually holds it through three hours of classes. And better yet, there is no pooping.

In fact, there is no pooping all day. But there are a number of times he runs to the toilet all on his own to go pee, saying, "I need to go potty!" Just one accident all day, just a trickle before he stops it. I notice that the only times he has had pee accidents over the past couple of days is when he is super absorbed into his play and he just isn't paying attention or can't be bothered with stopping to go to the bathroom. That's a minor hurdle. I think we are there on the pee.

Day Seven:I am dreading today. I know the poop is coming. I must be vigilant. I must not let my guard down. I must watch like a hawk.

But then I have to put Tommy down for a nap. Fortunately, Luke has just peed, so I think it's a good time to do it. Buah-ha-ha-ha!!!! I am such a fool!

I am rocking Tommy to sleep when Luke peeks his head in the door. In a loud stage whisper he says, "MOMMY I WENT POTTY." I say, "Pee pee?" in a less loud whisper. "YES! A LITTLE BIT. IN MY POTTY." Whew! I give him the thumbs up, "Good job Lukey! I'll be out in a minute. Close the door again please."

When I put Tommy in his crib and head out the door I notice the smell. Oh dear. I descend the stairs, "Luke? Where are you buddy?" It's like a horror film. I don't know what I am going to find. I can hear the creepy suspense music playing in my mind.... But no.... It's choirs of angels! I can see it...there, in the little potty cup! Poop! Luke has pooped in the potty! All by himself! I still have to change his undies, since there was no attempt at wiping whatsoever. But really? Who cares?! The eagle has landed.

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I claim day seven as the turning point. We have arrived. Accidents will still plague us, of both the yellow and brown variety, I am sure. There will be more undies to change, and some that will probably just need to be thrown out. But I really think Luke's got the gist. For all intensive purposes Luke is potty trained. Huzzah!

And now I have to keep track of four sizes of boys underwear in the laundry. That's going to be difficult. But it's certainly worth it!!

Notes on the Weekend

I have always purchased my kids' baby food--I like the Earth's Best brand--but I've wanted to give making my own a try with Tommy. Fresher, healthier, and kind of fun! So {Tommy} got a Cuisinart for Christmas, I'm pretty sure it's an appliance {he's} always wanted.

He's been not-so-much loving the cereals over the past week. I tried to change it up and gave him some oatmeal instead of rice, but he still didn't seem very into eating...meaning his mouth was pretty much clamped closed. So I went to the store the other day and picked out two very ugly looking organic sweet potatoes, roasted them in the oven and pulled out the Cuisinart. I mixed in a couple of ounces of pumped milk to give it a little smoother consistency, and voila! Tommy ate it up! I now have two ice-cube trays full of frozen sweet potato puree in my freezer for tomorrow's meal, and the next day, and the next day, and the next....Isn't it pretty?!

April showers have descended upon The Springs! They are bringing spring flowers (our crocus are up and open, and the tulips too, they just have yet to open...I can't wait!), greener grass (in our neighbors' yards, not our blighted, wreck of a yard), budding trees, a few baby green leaves poking from their casings, a sprinkling of cherry blossoms bursting out, and swimsuits. Swimsuits? Yep! My Washington-blooded boys refused to let a little rain dampen their desire for some trampoline time, so the put on their suits (because their mommy said they couldn't go out and get their clothes all wet) and went for a jump. Crazy boys! They weren't out for long before coming in to warm up...only to go out for more!

The bottom number is the temperature outside. Brrr! I took this picture standing under my umbrella, wrapped in my winter jacket!Napping isn't always successful these days, but Luke does still enjoy some quiet time on his own so he often stays in his room, playing quietly. On Saturday Luke was supposed to be in his room napping. Do you think he napped at all?

Me neither.

Some Things You Should Know About Tommy: Six Months...Yeah, You Read That Right...SIX!

1. Tommy has mastered taking his binky out of his mouth, and is able to get it back in again as long as he doesn't drop it, but then he just pulls it out again anyway.2. Tommy is not sitting yet, whenever I try to get him to work on this particular skill he just ends up spitting up whatever curdled nastiness is still in his tummy and then I have to clean it all up so he just goes back on his back or tummy.
3. The look I get from Tommy when I enter his line of sight is my favorite look in the world. His face lights up, I get a huge smile, often accompanied by a squeal, it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy. On that same note, when I leave his line of sight I usually get wails of dismay and general grumpiness. I do not feel the slightest bit unhappy about needing to be near to him all the time in order to keep the smile on his face.4. The thumb sucking has been abandoned completely. {sigh} Oh well, it would be much easier for now, but more difficult for the future, so I guess it's a wash.5. I love the color of his eyes, the are a hot-cocoa-made-with-milk color in the center and a gray-cornflower-blue around the edges.6. 75% of his waking hours are spent blowing raspberries. He is constantly soaked in spitty drool. I don't mind because it's so cute and he's so proud of himself for doing it!!! Except when he does it when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Then that sound just tells me he's wide awake. It's not so cute then. Other new sounds include the high-pitched squeal and deep throat growl.7. Tommy's chubby wrist rolls, non-existent neck, grape-like toes and four leg rolls are the sweetest, squishiest, best places to nibble, and when you do he will usually award you with a little Tommy-style giggle. Tommy's giggle is kind of like a wheezy old man, silent, with air behind it, and a gentle chuckle at the end.8. Tommy smells so yummy! What is that smell that babies have that is so delicious? Sour milk mingled with mommy's perfume mixed with vanilla lotion added to that inexplicable baby fragrance that just seems to be a part of their DNA. I love it!9. Tommy is still up at least 3 times a night to eat, but his naps are going really well. If he's sleepy, I can just lay him down, even if he's still awake, and he will just nod off. I just wish he'd transfer that day sleep goodness to nighttime a little bit. The first part of the night is best. He usually sleeps from about 7:30pm to 2am without waking up, but then he's up every 1.5 to 2 hours. {yawn!}10. Tommy's arms may only look like they are 10 inches long, but I swear he can reach up to 2 feet away! And everything he grabs goes directly into his mouth.11. Tommy is super wiggly on the floor and I love how he looks up and over the back of his shoulder when he's on his back, his body is just so adorable. Well, that is, it's cute unless I am trying to change his diaper. He's so interested in the new things around him, especially in how they taste! Once he gets moving I think he's going to keep me on my toes!12. On his tummy, Tommy can slowly spin himself to the left or right about 90 to 110 degrees over the course of several minutes. He also likes to try and eat the floor.13. While his "opinions" on things are getting more vociferous, Tommy's still a contented, happy little guy who likes to share a smile with just about anyone he meets!

Boys...Sheesh!

This is why I only buy shoes at Payless when they have their buy-one-get-one deal going on. I guess we're off to the shoe store...again!

And Just Like That

I know I posted about Josh reading his first book recently, Inside, Outside, Upside Down. It's a pretty simple book, using the words from the title and a few additional simple words to round out the story. Since then I'd like to say Josh and I have spent a lot of time practicing reading, but we haven't. I read to him a lot, every day, but it's only maybe once a week that he reads to me.

And that is why I was beyond surprised to overhear the lilting cadence of Green Eggs And Ham floating to my ears yesterday from the bedroom he shares with Luke. Could it be? It was! There he and Luke were, sitting on the floor, absorbed in the crazy world of Doctor Seuss. And he was reading every word correctly, except for "would," which, when he looked up and saw me watching, he asked what word it was. After that he proceeded to read four more books...with a little more help from me, but still! Wow! It's just so amazing to me. That book isn't easy and it's long!

My experience with my boys has been when they get it, they just get it. I assume that is true for most kids. That one day they just start to understand the process of figuring out words, be it when they are three or when they are seven. It has been at different ages for the three of my boys who read, but once it clicks in...wow. It's just one of those things that absolutely fascinates me about the child mind!