Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Potty Commercial
This commercial makes me smile. And we had a very similar thing happen this week, minus the splashing and mess. Jack managed to make it all of the way up the steps by himself without dropping a bit. Way to go, buddy!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Potty Training 101
We've entered the world of big boy underwear and potty seats. Last Sunday we didn't have church, due to the Flying Pig Marathon. So I decided that since we'd have two adults in the house to help out, we were going to go for it. I purchased the book Toilet Training in Less Than a Day which came highly recommended by my sister. And anyone who has potty trained 4 kids can offer me advice any day.
I won't go through all of the details, but I'll tell you that by the end of day one I was a bit nervous that we started training too soon. But every day since then we've seen really positive results and I think Jack's got the hang of it.
We've gotten out a lot this week, and he's even stayed dry on those errands. Yesterday he told me twice that he had to go to the potty. This was a huge breakthrough.
And as I said in my Mother's Day post, Jack has stayed dry even through his naps for at least 5 days in a row. Wow! I didn't expect that to happen for awhile.
We have two more big milestones to reach: staying dry overnight and pooping. The biggest issue right now is that he doesn't want to go #2 on the potty, but he also knows that he's supposed to stay dry and therefore doesn't want to go in his underwear. This is causing belly aches and tears. He was up twice in the middle of the night last night, which is amazingly rare for Jack.
So right now I am pumping him full of apple juice in hopes that it gets things going. He's sitting on the potty, watching a show while I'm typing this. I may be way off on this one. But for months he's left the room to go #2. So I'm wondering if it would be easier for him to go if he was all by himself. We'll see. For now, a little TV while I catch up on this blog post isn't the end of the world.
I'm so very proud of Jack for doing so well this week. I am amazed by his progress and feel like being 100% trained is right around the corner. Way to go, Jack!
Here's a picture of Jack picking out his underwear on a special trip to Target. He chose Mickey Mouse.
I won't go through all of the details, but I'll tell you that by the end of day one I was a bit nervous that we started training too soon. But every day since then we've seen really positive results and I think Jack's got the hang of it.
We've gotten out a lot this week, and he's even stayed dry on those errands. Yesterday he told me twice that he had to go to the potty. This was a huge breakthrough.
And as I said in my Mother's Day post, Jack has stayed dry even through his naps for at least 5 days in a row. Wow! I didn't expect that to happen for awhile.
We have two more big milestones to reach: staying dry overnight and pooping. The biggest issue right now is that he doesn't want to go #2 on the potty, but he also knows that he's supposed to stay dry and therefore doesn't want to go in his underwear. This is causing belly aches and tears. He was up twice in the middle of the night last night, which is amazingly rare for Jack.
So right now I am pumping him full of apple juice in hopes that it gets things going. He's sitting on the potty, watching a show while I'm typing this. I may be way off on this one. But for months he's left the room to go #2. So I'm wondering if it would be easier for him to go if he was all by himself. We'll see. For now, a little TV while I catch up on this blog post isn't the end of the world.
I'm so very proud of Jack for doing so well this week. I am amazed by his progress and feel like being 100% trained is right around the corner. Way to go, Jack!
Here's a picture of Jack picking out his underwear on a special trip to Target. He chose Mickey Mouse.
And here's a 'just because' picture:
Mother's Day 2013
I'm not going to lie: Mother's Day got a bit ugly around here. More accurately perhaps, I got a bit ugly. Or at least my attitude did.
The day started off well at church and lunch and the kids even took really good naps. Jack stayed dry all of the way through his nap (I've lost count, but I think it's been 5 days in a row)! Jacob worked so hard to give me my requested Mother's Day gift: a simple Sunday night dinner, where we would all sit down together and that everyone could eat the same thing. No extra grilled cheese, hot dogs, or special meals. Just a simple dinner.
That's where things started to go down hill. Jacob made a great dinner, but Audrey's internal clock was stating that dinner time was not going to wait until the 5:30 time we set aside. She wanted to eat now. And during our family meal, Jack refused to eat dinner and continued to ask to get down.
With the people, the tears, and the pressure of the day, I lost control of my attitude and I just got grumpy. It wasn't that my Mother's Day wasn't the way I wanted it. I would have been frustrated any day of the week. I just didn't choose to handle the chaos well and didn't choose to be grateful in the moment.
I say all of this not to complain, but to acknowledge that Jacob worked very hard to make the day special. The meal, the gift, the day out on Saturday... everything was wonderful. I appreciate the hard work and extra effort that it takes to cook for 11 people and honor three mothers at the same time.
I'm extremely thankful to be a mom. It's a gift that I feel grateful to have and I don't hesitate to remind Jack and Audrey that I'm extremely thankful that God allowed me to be their mommy. I'm thankful to Jacob for providing for us so well and allowing me to stay home and watch these kids grow up. At the end of a stressful day, I'm still thrilled to be the person to nurse Audrey before bed and read books to Jack while cuddled up in his rocking chair. I'm beyond blessed. And four years ago on a sad Mother's Day when we were only dreaming of children, I wasn't really sure that this day would ever come.
So thank you to Jacob for honoring me yesterday, and thank you to my mom and mother in law for being wonderful examples for me.
The day started off well at church and lunch and the kids even took really good naps. Jack stayed dry all of the way through his nap (I've lost count, but I think it's been 5 days in a row)! Jacob worked so hard to give me my requested Mother's Day gift: a simple Sunday night dinner, where we would all sit down together and that everyone could eat the same thing. No extra grilled cheese, hot dogs, or special meals. Just a simple dinner.
That's where things started to go down hill. Jacob made a great dinner, but Audrey's internal clock was stating that dinner time was not going to wait until the 5:30 time we set aside. She wanted to eat now. And during our family meal, Jack refused to eat dinner and continued to ask to get down.
With the people, the tears, and the pressure of the day, I lost control of my attitude and I just got grumpy. It wasn't that my Mother's Day wasn't the way I wanted it. I would have been frustrated any day of the week. I just didn't choose to handle the chaos well and didn't choose to be grateful in the moment.
I say all of this not to complain, but to acknowledge that Jacob worked very hard to make the day special. The meal, the gift, the day out on Saturday... everything was wonderful. I appreciate the hard work and extra effort that it takes to cook for 11 people and honor three mothers at the same time.
I'm extremely thankful to be a mom. It's a gift that I feel grateful to have and I don't hesitate to remind Jack and Audrey that I'm extremely thankful that God allowed me to be their mommy. I'm thankful to Jacob for providing for us so well and allowing me to stay home and watch these kids grow up. At the end of a stressful day, I'm still thrilled to be the person to nurse Audrey before bed and read books to Jack while cuddled up in his rocking chair. I'm beyond blessed. And four years ago on a sad Mother's Day when we were only dreaming of children, I wasn't really sure that this day would ever come.
So thank you to Jacob for honoring me yesterday, and thank you to my mom and mother in law for being wonderful examples for me.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Peek-a-boo!
Jack went to a birthday party with Nana and Papa Carl last night, so Jacob and I had a few hours alone with Audrey. She ate it up. She loved every second of our time together and was quite the ham. This video was from the car ride home:
Sunday, April 28, 2013
A big pile of dirt
We recently had four scoops of dirt delivered for our garden. For a little boy, what is better than a big pile of dirt? Jack played in this all afternoon and talked about it every time he woke up from a nap for a whole week. "I go play in dirt? Big dirt?"
Audrey is 9 months!
Our little peanut is 9 months old! Audrey (who is mostly called Awa by Jack and Audie by Jacob and I) has a ton of new 'tricks' this month.
She loves to wave hello and goodbye, she'll give a high-five when you put up your hand, she gives sweet kisses and sometimes will even lean in to give a hug, and she plays peak-a-boo with her blankie every time we put her to bed. One of the best things about this past month is that she is learning to enjoy books. In the past she has only wanted to play with or chew on books while we read to her. I started giving her a book to play with while I read to her. Now she helps to turn the pages and lift the flaps.
She has increased her desire to feed herself this month. She eats pretty much anything you put in front of her and basically refuses to let us feed her anymore. One thing she doesn't like is avocado. Seriously? I am wondering if she's really my daughter. Or maybe I ate too many avocados while I was pregnant?
Audrey still is having a really hard time with separation anxiety. She is getting more comfortable with our family and has a few people at church that she'll actually let hold her. (Thank you Chanteal Stapler and Stephanie Dennis!) But typically, if we're in public and I leave her line of sight, she quickly melts down.
Aside from her separation anxiety, Audrey is a happy and sweet little girl. She has a beautiful smile and adores Jack. I've recently been putting them right next to each other in the car. You should hear the giggles coming from the back seat. It is a pretty sweet sound.
I love this little one. I'm thankful for these past few months and am looking forward to seeing more and more of her personality develop as she continues to grow.
Here are a few pictures of our little girl this month:
She loves to wave hello and goodbye, she'll give a high-five when you put up your hand, she gives sweet kisses and sometimes will even lean in to give a hug, and she plays peak-a-boo with her blankie every time we put her to bed. One of the best things about this past month is that she is learning to enjoy books. In the past she has only wanted to play with or chew on books while we read to her. I started giving her a book to play with while I read to her. Now she helps to turn the pages and lift the flaps.
She has increased her desire to feed herself this month. She eats pretty much anything you put in front of her and basically refuses to let us feed her anymore. One thing she doesn't like is avocado. Seriously? I am wondering if she's really my daughter. Or maybe I ate too many avocados while I was pregnant?
Audrey still is having a really hard time with separation anxiety. She is getting more comfortable with our family and has a few people at church that she'll actually let hold her. (Thank you Chanteal Stapler and Stephanie Dennis!) But typically, if we're in public and I leave her line of sight, she quickly melts down.
Aside from her separation anxiety, Audrey is a happy and sweet little girl. She has a beautiful smile and adores Jack. I've recently been putting them right next to each other in the car. You should hear the giggles coming from the back seat. It is a pretty sweet sound.
I love this little one. I'm thankful for these past few months and am looking forward to seeing more and more of her personality develop as she continues to grow.
Here are a few pictures of our little girl this month:
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| My two favorite thumb suckers |
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| Skyline Time! |
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| One of her favorites - Spinach quiche |
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| Audrey and her cousin Cohen Koesters |
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| Neither of the kids have enjoyed Cheerios at home -- but they sure do love them at church! |
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| 9 months |
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Thumb sucker #2
On March 4th we took away Audrey's pacifier. It was a fairly easy transition and nap/bedtime was a breeze. I have given it to her in public places, like church or restaurants, and I've let her use it when she's sleeping somewhere different, like at grandma's house.
Occasionally I've seen her try to suck her thumb, but it just hasn't stuck...until this week.
I've noticed that she's been sucking her thumb when I get her from her crib and she occasionally will do it when she's getting tired. But here's the reason I think it's going to stick: today she did it to soothe herself when she was upset. And it worked!
It's been sweet to see her curl up with her thumb and blankie when I put her in her crib... just like her brother. I'm sure I could find a few pictures of Jacob and I doing the same thing as kids, too.
I'm not saying that you'll never see the pacifier again, but as she grows the small pacifier isn't comforting her as much as that thumb hopefully will. I'm sure that my dentist would disapprove of thumb sucking, but what are you going to do?
Occasionally I've seen her try to suck her thumb, but it just hasn't stuck...until this week.
I've noticed that she's been sucking her thumb when I get her from her crib and she occasionally will do it when she's getting tired. But here's the reason I think it's going to stick: today she did it to soothe herself when she was upset. And it worked!
It's been sweet to see her curl up with her thumb and blankie when I put her in her crib... just like her brother. I'm sure I could find a few pictures of Jacob and I doing the same thing as kids, too.
I'm not saying that you'll never see the pacifier again, but as she grows the small pacifier isn't comforting her as much as that thumb hopefully will. I'm sure that my dentist would disapprove of thumb sucking, but what are you going to do?
