Potty Party

So you’ve never heard of a potty party?!?  I can’t imagine why…

Brody’s daycare teachers throw a “potty party” for each kid that is deemed “potty-trained.”  Ever since we started the potty training journey, Brody has been talking about his potty-party.  The great thing is, when the other kids at daycare have one, it’s incentive for the others to have one. 

Finally, we seemed to accomplish small success in going both pee and poop in the toilet.  #2 took a little (lot) bit longer, but we eventually got to the point where he did it, voluntarily, on his own.  Once at “home” (we were actually out to dinner @ BW3s…who knew that’s where he would decide to go!) and then again at daycare the next day.  So, his teachers promised him that if he keeps his underwear clean for one more week, then he gets his party.

One week and a few days later, he had his potty party.  So what do you do at a potty party?  Well…

First, you put underwear on your head:

Second, Brody gets to pick the snack (Oranges) and flavor of milk (Strawberry).  And his teacher got him a balloon.



Then, your parents come, and you get to make them wear underwear on their heads.   

Brody has been talking for months about how he wants his brother to come to his potty party.  At first we were unsure if Aedan was coming in utero or in person.  But at 8 days old, Aedan showed up to the potty party.  He did not, however, wear underwear on his head.

 

 As silly as it seems, it was important for Brody to be recognized as much as possible for being potty trained.  We’ve already had one minor set-back, but he’s come a long way in the last few months.  We’re very proud of him.

First week down

Aedan’s first week was eventful (you know – being born and everything), yet uneventful (sleep, eat, repeat) at the same time.  All in all though, it’s going great.

Aedan:
We left the hospital at 27 hours old and he’s been doing great ever since. He’s a sleeper like his brother, forcing me to wake him at night to eat instead of waking on his own. A couple times he’s woken to eat, around 3 1/2 hours after his last feeding. It’s a pretty good span of time allowing me to get 2-3 hours of straight sleep at a time.

He dropped to 9lbs by the time we left the hospital (from 9.5) and then was down to 8lbs 13.5oz by 4 days old.  I’m constantly worried about the weight loss, since Brody was a slow gainer.  But the pediatrician didn’t seem nearly as worried this time, since Aedan only lost about 7% of his weight, where as Brody lost more like 11% of his birth weight.  So, if doctor isn’t worried, I’m trying not to worry.

So far, his interests include: eating, sleeping, peeing on his parents, and pooping on the changing table.  It’s a very exciting life around here.

Brody:

Brody is very very excited to be a big brother.  He loves Aedan, which means he loves touching him, getting in his face and wants to hold him constantly.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t understand how fragile babies are, so we have to keep close eye on him.  We already had a baseball incident in the house and luckily Aedan was okay. 

He is definitely a little more difficult these days, looking for attention (good and bad), so we’re needing to pull out a little more patience than normal.  But it’s completely understandable since he’s used to having 100% of our attention and now has to share it.

Me:
I can honestly say, I don’t feel like I gave birth 7 days ago.  I actually feel pretty good.  Sleep-deprived, but good.  My post-birth experience with Brody was less than stellar.  I had a lot more pain and had a few days I could do nothing but feed Brody.  I feel very very lucky that things are going better this time.  I had no idea how I would handle a two-year old and a baby when I could barely take care of myself.  Thank god I don’t need to figure that out.  Jason has been super helpful in allowing me to still take it easy (I’m not up and running quite yet…), but hasn’t had to take on all of the burden.  He only got a week off of work this time instead of 2 1/2, so I’m officially on my own anyway.

I also knew that I would need to ease into the transition of two kids, so we’ve taken it slow.  My first week home, Jason was also home and Brody was in daycare during the day.  For the next 3-4 weeks Brody will continue going to daycare, allowing bonding time with Aedan and Brody to still get his energy out.  I’m hoping by 4-5 weeks old, Aedan will be a little more predictable, allowing the three of us to get out and do more during the day.  I know Brody will miss going to daycare every day, but it will save us money, while hopefully I can keep him entertained at home as well.  (Anyone with suggestions of things to do during the day with little ones – send them my way!)  Luckily we have a good Children’s museum and at least for awhile the weather nice enough to go to the zoo.  Keep your fingers crossed that Aedan starts sleeping through the night as early as Brody did!  (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself…)

My Favorite 2 1/2 year old

Rockin’ Mommy’s sunglasses

Let’s face it.  This blog has been quiet for a few months and when I do post, it’s very much baby related.  Unfortunately, that’s probably a little representative of how things are going at home.  I’m trying to be very conscious of not talking about Aedan too much and reassuring Brody that he’s still my favorite “big-boy.”  As the end grows nearer, I think he’s getting more and more worried about his attention from his parents.

Yesterday, I dropped him off at daycare and along with begging me to stay longer to play with him, he actually whimpered (not quite crying) when I left.  He hasn’t acted that way in well over a year.  It nearly broke my heart. 

So, the last few weeks, we’ve tried to do some extra-fun activities and have been doing as much “family of three” stuff before that changes.  Our regular babysitters haven’t been happy about this arrangement, but Brody is getting lots of mommy & daddy time! 

Zoo Train

“Driving” a tractor

Snack-time in front of the Badger Game

So here’s a few updates on what Brody is into these days:

-Despite the start of the football season, he’s still obsessed with playing baseball.  Which also means I often have baseballs thrown at me when I’m not looking.  (we’re working on that!)

-He still loves reading books – his favorite lately seems to be “The Big Hungry Bear,” which is funny because we’ve had the book for a long time but he loves it more after reading it with Aubrie on our vacation with them.

-We don’t let him watch that many TV shows, so the few we approve of generally rotate.  The last few weeks though, he’s loving Dora & Diego.  Lately he’s been a bit of a TV addict (asking to watch it all the time), so we’re saying no a lot more often and trying to control that for now. 

-Still as active as ever.  The best days we have with him are when he gets time to run around outside.  It’s better when we go somewhere (like the zoo).  I’m dreading winter-time!

I LOVE the funny things this kid says & does…so here’s a few:

-“I don’t want one brother, I want TWO”

-Randomly singing a Tim McGraw/Kenney Chesney song in the car…when it wasn’t even playing on the radio!

-“Mom you can’t wear boots, it’s not snowing outside!”  (Clearly I’ve stopped taking fashion advice from him)

-“I don’t want to be a big brother, I’m going to be a big sister”

 

Tough Twos?

All the posts about the new baby, there hasn’t been a lot of posts on how Brody is doing these days.  I hate to call them the terrible twos, but he’s definitely full of challenges as he’s making his way to three.  So, I’ll call it the good, the bad and the ugly of the twos.

The Good

 
There are so so many good things about this stage, that I am sure I won’t do it justice when I get to the “bad” and the “ugly.”  For starters, the independence of a two year old is great.  He’s great at playing by himself, listens to directions and can even climb into his booster seat on his own.  This allows us to do a whole lot more as parents, which is great, but it’s also amazing to watch your baby’s personality develop even more by watching what he does when you’re not right there next to him.  I LOVE sneaking up on him when he’s playing and watch what he does / what he’s playing with.  Some of his favorites these days are: his Little People Zoo toy (listening to animal sounds), legos, playing baseball (his absolute favorite) and singing with Elmo.

Communication is also great.  He can tell us what he wants, how he feels and remembers things he’s done.  This is absolutely the best thing about this age.  The phrase “kids say the darndest things!” is so true.  Especially at 2.  He sees the world so differently that it often opens my eyes to how innocent and impressionable he is.  I often have to remind myself that he’s absorbing everything I do and to be careful about what I say.  My favorite though? “I love you mama”  Best words ever spoken by a sweet little boy.

Leading me to my little boy’s developing personality.  He may be rough and very much a boy, but he also has the biggest heart.  And he definitely loves his mama.  Last weekend he was being a little crazy and jumping on me.  When I said “ow! you need to be more careful, you’re hurting mommy.”  He said, “I’m sorry! I’ll get you some ice!”  With purpose in mind, he went straight for his stool, opened the freezer and then realized he couldn’t reach the ice.  So then of course he asked for help and held the ice up to my arm.  So sweet.

The Bad

Remember how great I said it was that he can communicate?  It’s also the “bad” of two year olds.  He can be stubborn, defiant and downright sassy.  He’ll argue with us over the silliest things (the difference between fog and smoke, whether or not his food is hot, etc), but it’s just how he is discovering and interpreting his world.  He’s also learning to push our buttons and is real good at it.  No one should be surprised by any of this though, he comes from two very stubborn parents and his Mom definitely has a sassy streak to her.

In typical boy fashion, he’s messy, high-energy and can get a little crazy at times.  But these are all things we’ve learned to love about him.

The Ugly

Here is where I would insert a super-cute picture of Brody posing in his big-boy underwear…but since it’s not something I think should be posted on the internet, you’ll just have to picture him in super-cute Nemo underwear.

So, the ugly?  Potty-training!!

**If you don’t want to read about a toddler’s toilet habits…you can stop here** 

He’s been amazing at peeing in the “potty” and has been wearing underwear for over a week with only 1 accident where he didn’t make it to the bathroom in time to pee.  He’s doing great and even started to tell us when he needs to go (as opposed to us reminding him to go).  The 1 M&M reward system worked great at home and daycare uses a sticker reward system that has been awesome.  Truly a peeing super-star.

However…he REFUSES to poop in the toilet.  We thought underwear would help motivate him to go, but so far it hasn’t.  Instead, at least one pair has ended up in the garbage and several pairs have had to be cleaned & sanitized.  Ick!  We’ve tried bribing him with absolutely everything (treats, toys, the party he gets to have at school).  I’ve tried pulling the “big-boy” card: “Only babies poop in their diaper.”  I’ve even tried making him feel guilty (not my best parenting moves) by telling him that Mickey Mouse is sad that Brody pooped on him (he was wearing Mickey underwear). 

It’s been a little stressful, but can be pretty hilarious at times too.  The new method I tried this weekend, was staying on top of him, watch for sign that he’s going to poop and then trying to get him to do it in the bathroom.  Picture 8 1/2 month pregnant woman running (well, waddling) through the house with 2 year old held at arms reach saying “no!! poop in the toilet!!”  Only to get there and have him poop, in his underwear, 2 inches from the toilet.

His teachers assure us that he’s not going to go to college in diapers, so it has to happen eventually, but it would be real nice if it happened sooner than later!

23 Weeks

Instead of a bump picture, I’m posting our preview pic from our family pictures.  Amanda took a few maternity pictures, so once she gets them edited and sent over – I’ll post more.

How far along? 23 weeks – time flies when you’re having fun!

Total weight gain/loss: Not sure – didn’t weigh myself this week. Can you tell I care a lot less about it this time around??  Honestly, I’ve barely eaten dinner twice this week and haven’t had time for snacks at work because we’re so busy – that I can’t imagine I’ve gained much non-baby weight.

Maternity clothes: Ordered a swimsuit online and I look like a blimp.  So I need to find a new one in the next couple of days before we leave for our weekend at a waterpark!

Sleep: When Brody doesn’t wake me up in the middle of the night, or when the dogs don’t bark because we have our windows open and they heard some random noise – then I actually am sleeping okay.  But that might be because I’m so exhaused for all reasons mentioned above!

Best moment this week: Family pictures.  I never did maternity pictures with Brody and even though that wasn’t the purpose of the pictures this week – it was nice to get a couple of Brody laying on my bump.  And in extra cuteness, when Mandi asked Brody to kiss my belly, he wanted to lift up my shirt or “open it” as he said.  Apparently kissing his baby brother through my shirt wasn’t good enough for him. 
Food cravings: Still eating pop-tarts a lot this week. And thinking about heading back for a doughnut soon…something about sweet breakfast treats really get me craving I guess!

Gender: Boy oh boy.

Labor Signs: Nope

What I miss: So many things.  Really could have used a nice glass of wine last night…

What I am looking forward to: Spending my birthday weekend with my favorite 2.5 boys.

Milestones: Nothing major this week – Jason felt Aedan kick again which I love.  I was sitting across his lap with my big belly against his stomach and Aedan gave him a swift kick.  Clearly Jason was invading his space.

Differences between 1&2:  I never felt overwhelmed by the thought of having Brody.  Scared of labor – yes.  But I always knew that we were ready for a baby and would be a great family.  With Aedan, I’m not scared of physically delivering him, but instead about actually being a mom of 2.  Somedays Brody is a handful by himself, I am overwhelmed by the idea of dealing with a newborn on top of it!  I know it will be perfectly fine, but you know – overly emotional pregnant women can get worked up by this stuff!

Fashion Advice from a 2 Year Old

The perks of a sweet little boy just keep coming…

Last  night, talking to Jason on the phone:
K: Did my package come in the mail today?!?!
J: Yes, I see you got two pairs of shoes.  The white ones are ugly.  (This is what I love most and least about my husband – he holds nothing back)
K: Well, maybe they are, I did pick them out online…I’ll look at them when I get home.

Get home & I think they’re cute – so I ignore Jason and proceed to wear them this morning.  I walk into Brody’s room to wake him up.  Within 30 seconds of being in the room:

B: Mama’s shoes are pretty!!
K: (Not sure I heard him right) What did you say sweetie?
B:  Mama – pretty shoes!!

After thanking him for being such a sweet little boy, I quickly yelled downstairs to tell Jason that he’s clearly wrong about the shoes.  We’ll just ignore the fact that I’m taking fashion advice from a two-year-old!

Gender Neutral

One of the best things about toddlers is that they don’t understand “boy-things” vs. “girl-things.”  Gender specific toys, colors, etc. are obviously things that society teaches us over time (which is annoyingly dumb.)

Brody does a lot of typical “boy” things.  Many of them are learned from his father and cousins, and some might just be genetic.  He loves sports, getting dirty and is fearless.  Though I know a lot of girls like that too….

Then the more interesting ones.  Brody loves putting “pretties” in his hair.  This is what the teachers at school call pony-tail holders.  They are constantly putting his hair up.  Now that he’s older, it’s always because he asks for one, not because the teachers think it’s cute.  Also, he loves putting on my shoes.  He doesn’t care that they’re “girl” shoes, he just likes putting them on!  He plays with a dollhouse at daycare and isn’t afraid to wear pink.  I love that he doesn’t care and he is just being himself.

Now for my minor gripe…why does everything we purchase have to be gender specific??  A couple weeks ago, we went to pick out a toilet seat.  We want Brody to feel very excited about potty training (we’re still in the introduction stage), so we let him have a lot of choice.  I told him he could pick out his own seat.

Which one did he pick?  The Dora one!  Yes it was pink, no big deal.  Now for the problem…it didn’t have a splash guard.  For those of you with boys, you know what this is, but it’s a plastic piece that goes in the front of the seat to ensure that his pee actually ends up in the toilet and not all over the bathroom.  The Cars toilet seat had one, the Diego seat had one…but the Dora one?  Nope!  Because clearly only girls can have a Dora seat.  I was a little annoyed.  Luckily we convinced Brody that the blue Diego seat was just as cool.

Clothing is pretty much the same issue.  Boys apparently all like cars, dinosaurs and sports.  Of course go in the girls department and even though there is more selection, you’ll definitely notice A LOT of pink.  I’m sure that drives moms of girls a little crazy too.  Not everyone loves pink.   (Though I’ll admit if I had a girl, I’d probably go overboard on pink)

I’m just happy that Jason is secure enough not to care when Brody wants his hair done or plays with dolls.  Boys will be boys…and a little bit girly too.

Cute Things Toddlers Do

I love writing about the cute things Brody does. He’s obviously not different from every other two year old, they all have their cute moments. My theory, is that if I keep track of them, they’re great to look back on when he’s driving me crazy and remind me how sweet and innocent he is.

We tried teaching Brody to give “bear-hugs.” We got him to squeeze us tightly, but then he started “roaring.” Because clearly, to give a bear-hug, you have to roar like a bear! Then, the next time I asked him to give me a bear-hug, he said, “no!” Saddened by this, I asked why not, he said “no, cat-hug”, me, clearly confused, sat there while he wrapped his arms around me and meow-ed while giving me a hug.

What you didn’t know there was such thing as a cat-hug? Me neither, but it’s just as sweet as every other hug…and much more hilarious.

We have a 2 year old

Clearly I’m a bit behind in blogging. Things have been busy around our house this year, including two trips to Orlando over 10 days for me. We’ve also been getting over colds, ear infections and random fevers.

Birthday update will be done soon, but it has come and gone, Brody is officially two! And he’s bringing in the year in style.

Terrible Two Style.

I don’t know what happened to my sweet, endearing little boy!! Okay, he’s always been a little crazy, but not so dramatic! I’m trying to take it a day at a time and approach from the “this too will pass” mentality. But that little man sure knows how to push my buttons.

His language is great these days. He’s really doing a good job communicating and it’s nice to know what he wants most of the time. Of course, with his ability to tell us what he wants, comes with demands:

-Brody sit in chair. Mama, couch!
-Mama eat breakfast.
-Brody no nap! Toys!
-More books Mama! (After reading 5 million before bed) Then…More songs Mama! (I secretly love this one because there is a day that will come where he realizes I’m not that good of a singer)
-Watch Guppies!

Most of these “requests” I’ll happily do for him. Some I have to put my foot down (bedtime stall tactics). Others, I just cannot allow…and this is where the temper tantrums come in.
Recent examples:

1. Biggest fight ever about having cookies for dinner. Brody saw cookies on the counter and decided that is what he wanted for dinner. For starters, he very very rarely eats any desserts and definitely not cookies. So cookies for dinner?? Out of the question. The obvious compromise (if you eat your dinner you can have cookies for dessert), didn’t work.

Result: 30 minutes of temper tantrums, crying, screaming, 1 unsuccessful time-out, a few tears on my part…and he finally gave in, ate his dinner and had cookies for dessert.

2. Marshmallows with dinner. We don’t even have marshmallows in the house! Apparently he’s been getting them at school for good behavior (will post about my opinions on this another time) and came home expecting the same thing.

Result: A few whines/cries, distraction with another food he liked, eventually forgotten about. Whew, crisis averted!

3. “Red Car Mama!!” — Um, well, sure it would be great to drive the red car today, but your father already left with that car, and the brown car is the only choice we have. Oh and he said this after we were already a block away from the house! Where does he come up with this stuff?

This one is also right up there with his demands to drive. He’s asked several times if he can drive. Luckily he had a toy steering wheel we keep in the car so he can pretend. I’m sure this won’t be the last time we get this request between now and 16.