Adventures in Potty Training!

Potty training is well under way 'round these parts. Of all the stages we have been through, this was, by far, the one I absolutely dreaded, and even feared. I would have been perfectly happy to change Wee Man's diapers for years to come, but he wouldn't have it! We started Saturday and we were down to only 1-2 accidents by day 2...amazing since day 1 was filled with accidents and only 1 success right before tubby. We didn't think it was going to happen, but here we are. So far, not too bad!

We made it to our weekly "Kids Open Gym" at the Y on Tuesday, but I put him in a Pull-up for that instead of the padded undies we've been using for training. I guess they felt too much like a diaper because even with the 2 trips to the washroom we made within the hour we were there (fruitlessly), we arrived home with a wet Pull-up. I still have him in diapers for bedtime + naptime since he is always wet after both. We'll work on daytime perfection first and definitely play it by ear. That should be the motto for parenting...."play it by ear!"

Today we even went for a stroll down our favorite "trail" and made it home without an accident. On our way home in the car Wee Man says, "potty train?!", meaning: I gotta go! I asked him to hold it, knowing that I would most likely be dealing with Mr. Wet Pants when we got home. But no, he held it!! We went straight to the potty and it came with a big bursting spray, so i know he was holding it - I know, probably TMI, but I'm excited! Oh, and I designed this incentive sheet for him and we put the last sticker on before nap! So, we're off to buy a dinky car after supper....one of many, I hope.

Do you want to know the most feared part of potty training for me? PUBLIC WASHROOMS! Do you know they don't really make anything to protect those precious little bummies from the nasty-ass toilets of the world?! Well, they make a few things, but nothing that I was happy with, so I made something. I'll post pictures and a DIY when I get them off my camera later, but it works pretty good for making me feel WAY freakin' better about putting my Wee Man's sweet cheeks on a random toilet! It also protects his hands from grabbing the toilet seat and his pants/undies from resting up against the front of the toilet. Blech! Gross!

All About my Wee Man

With all the focus on our newest Little Mister around here these days, I thought it would be nice for Wee Man to take center stage for a bit. Here are some latest pictures of Wee Man doing his thing.

He loves these puzzles I printed and laminated for him, which were FREE and found at 1+1+1=1. I found tons of printables on this site, so check it out. Oh, and I love, love, love Eric Carle!!

He is going to be a painter, like his Momma.....I hope anyhow. I bought that plastic drop cloth (which is super-cute with wee cars all over it) so that he wouldn't make a huge mess while painting. However, it's funny because he hates getting messy and in all the painting sessions we've had, he doesn't even get a drop of paint on his fingers, let alone anywhere else. I use it anyhow. I have a feeling his little brother will need it more than him!

Best. Idea. Ever. Came across this idea at Sew Liberated, but basically, fill a bin with beans of some sort and let them scoop, dig and pour away. This was a life-saver this past winter when my sandbox-loving toddler was forced to remain indoors for months of -30 degree celsius Manitoba weather. I worried, at first, that it would be a disaster and envisioned beans scattered all throughout my house, but as soon as a bean hits the floor he knows that if he doesn't pick it up, the bin goes in the closet. Works great! I also colored some wagon wheel pastas all colors of the rainbow and hide them in the beans for him to find. Find out how to color pasta of your own by visiting Skip To My Lou...she has tons of wonderful projects to try!

He loves his puzzles and he catches on super fast. We have dozens of them and he remembers where all the pieces go and so slaps them together in no time!

Oh, and of course, Wee Man always, always has his "ducks in a row"!!

Welcome Little Mister

Jeez, Louise....so that's what happens when you have a newborn baby with colic and a 2 1/2 year old to run after....you don't blog for MONTHS!! Wow. Yeah. I admit that it had gotten to the point where I thought it was too late to post....ever again. But, here goes.

We had our beautiful baby boy on December 31st, 2010 at 9:40 a.m. He aspirated during the C-Section and had to be in NICU for 3 days. I blame this for a lot of the stress and problems that ensued. He was colicky and screamed A LOT and I believe that I had a bit of PPD and nursing was a true battle in every sense of the word. I nursed Wee Man until he was 14 months, so I did not anticipate any problems with nursing, but we made it through finally. After many visits to the chiropractor, cutting lactose AND gluten from my diet, a few trips to the Dr. and one to the pediatrician, we are finally not screaming as much. We still have a few issues, but at least now we can determine what the problem is from the sound/intensity, when before everything was a horrible scream cry so you never really knew. We can finally bath without screaming and be put down for awhile without screaming and ride in a car without screaming (except through the Tim Hortons drive-thru...he still won't tolerate that without a wail!) I will tell you, though, now that I have been through it....I would never, never wish colic on even my worst enemy. Horrible times. There were many, many days where I felt we weren't going to make it through, it seemed like it would never end. But, it did.

And now, I am loving getting to know my newest Little Mister, Eli. We decided on his name only a week or so before his arrival. But I love it! I am amazed at how his entire face lights up when he smiles...you see it in his eyes before the smile even crosses his wee lippies. It is so nice to finally see his personality because until the last few weeks, we didn't see anything but an unhappy or sleeping baby. His big brother absolutely adores him. More than I ever thought he would and right out of the gate, which makes me so very proud of my Wee Man. Whew. Let's forge ahead my wee fellows.