Summer 2009: Season of the Potty

Summer camp. Swimming in my back yard pool. Outdoor concerts/festivals and frosty drinks on patios.

Summer has meant different things to me at different phases of my life. This summer feels like the summer of the potty. I am counting down the days (4) until we go hardcore: no more diapers. I keep writing about this challenge, because that's what I'm finding it to be, a challenge.

I mentioned to a friend today that I may have to go on medication just to make it through this experience. I try to remain upbeat and positive, and I try not to freak out when the babe decides to do a big, stinky poop in her diaper, but it doesn't always work. I now officially hate the term "potty" and asking "do you need to go sit on the potty?" I asked my Mom about it, and she didn't remember potty training my sister or I. Perhaps it is something best forgotten once complete.

In other news, it seemed to be baby day in my facebook account: my lovely cousin just had a healthy (and huge) son, a high school friend also had a happy, healthy son, and an old friend just let me in on his wife's pregnancy. Much congratulations and love to you all. And good luck with the potty training!

Rolling

My husband has been worried as the little guy hasn't been rolling these days. He went through a phase where he would roll from his stomach to his back. Lately he has just stopped rolling when placed down for tummy time. He does a swimming kind a move where it looks like he's going to take off. I haven't been overly concerned, but I figured we'd ask at his 6 month doc appointment in a week and a half.

I am currently trying to get the little guy to take a nap. He is exhausted and needs some quality zzz's and is unfortunately up there crying (his sister is peacefully asleep in the room next door). But here's why I'm writing: it was a little quiet up there for a second so I flipped on my video monitor and the little guy was on his stomach! That means he rolled from his back to his tummy. I know this is a good thing, but now I'm freaked out about him getting stuck in the position at night when I'm asleep. I suppose he'll let me know.

Now, if only he would take his nap....I've been on the nap mission for over an hour straight and it's been quite dramatic. Perhaps we missed a sleep window and I will be waiting a long time. All I really want to do is take a cold shower and wash my hair. Although I think I may have to go another day with gross hair so I can monitor the nap meltdown which is currently underway.

So Much to Say

Where does the time go? All I can say is that neither of my kids like the computer. I'll admit I can get easily sucked into its charms. I think about blogging every day, but after briefly checking email and whatever other nonsense I deem "critical" (like online banking), there is no time left for my dear blog. As most of you are my friends and family, I know you won't hold it against me!

So, a belated Father's Day! We had a lovely Sunday which included blueberry pancakes, a trip to Rock Creek Park to visit the horse stables and Nature Center, lounging on the porch reading while both kids took a nice long nap, and some BBQ action before an early bed time for all. Thanks to my hubby and all the very awesome Daddies out there who make our world turn.

We've been tackling potty training around here, big time. We have a (free) potty training chart taped next to the toilet and we put 1 sticker up for pee pee and 2 stickers up for poop. It's going fairly well. Although some days are certainly better than others. It is an extremely trying and messy business which requires more patience than I have. But it has to be done, and I'll admit the feeling of pride I have after the babe has a nice poop on the potty is pretty hard to beat! To celebrate the Fourth of July weekend we are going all the way and will be putting the babe into real panties. No more diapers and no turning back (well, pull ups when we travel next month are acceptable). I decided on doing the big switch over the long weekend for the back-up support my husband will be able to provide as I know it's going to be intense. I will keep you posted.

In other news, the little guy is 6 months old today. I cannot believe it. I am thrilled and sad at the same time. In many ways, Christmas Eve feels like a zillion years ago and I can't imagine our life without him. In other ways I can close my eyes and easily remember when it was just the babe and I, and part of me misses that as well. Balancing between 2 kids is trickier than I imagined, but it's all worth it. The little guy continues to be scrumptious and I am so looking forward to watching him grow. Happy half year!

So Long, Farewell, Up to the Attic You Go

You'll be proud of me. I finally packed up the co-sleeper in our room. I guess I just had to be ready, which means I had to be sufficiently tired of scooting to the end of the bed to get out of it, and sick of banging my arms and legs on the side of the co-sleeper in the middle of the night.

The kids and I did a photo shoot to capture the beauty that is our co-sleeper. I then unhooked it, took off the sheets for the last time, tried to break it down and failed, and hauled it into the attic still fully assembled. It really cleared up some space and made getting out of bed way easier last night.

The funny thing is that my husband didn't even notice it was gone. We all get attached to different things, and for me it was definitely the thing that kept my new babies close to me at night.

Farewell to my beloved co-sleeper.

Broken Record

I am getting sick of the sound of my own voice. I feel like a broken record these days. If you hit play, these are some of the things you will likely hear:

• Be careful please
• Are your ears open? Are you doing good listening?
• Did you hear what I said?
• Out of your mouth
• Soft touch please
• No hitting
• No, we don't do that
• Did you hear what I said?
• Good girl!
• We don't play with our food, we eat our food.
• OK, I'm going to count to 3
• Do you want a time out?
• Can you take it down a notch? Inside voice please.
• Good listening monkey!
• Do you need to do pee pee on the potty?
• Fait nice do do (this is part of our sleep time ritual). I'll check on you soon (this is another part of our sleep time ritual). Back in your room (also part of the sleep time ritual)!
• Please don't touch your brother that way
• Please stop whining!
• Can you wait just a minute/Can you give me a second?
• I'll be right back
• Is that how you talk to me?

And my favorite:

• I love you SO MUCH!!!

A Love Story

The little guy will soon be 6 months old (June 24th), and as every parent has said at one point or another, I don't know where the time has gone. He is truly delicious and I am in awe.

A few exciting developments:

He has successfully begun eating carrots (7 days with no signs of any allergies). Yesterday he successfully ate green beans for the first time (6 more days to go until he is "clear"). Maybe next week he'll have some squash. The little guy is really liking his "real" food and gets all riled up at the prospect of eating. In fact he is pretty inpatient at times. All I can say is that his new style of poop is proof that we are making dietary progress!

This morning I went to give him a bath and realized he's pretty darn big and doesn't need the infant insert anymore. So he went in his tub in an upright position and even had a duckie to play with. He seemed quite pleased with the whole experience. I was too.

His little co-sleeper is still attached to my side of the bed. For some reason I can not take it down, despite the fact it has been over 5 weeks since he slept there (although I still see him twice a night to feed him!). I guess I can't face the fact that when I take it down, it will be for good. There is no turning back, and I truly am pleased that he is in his own room. It's just that I know it's the end of an era. We will not be setting up the co-sleeper again, and that's what gets me.

On another note, the little guy continues to become increasingly interactive and is quite in love with his big sister. She has an amazing ability to make him smile/laugh. And this, in turn, makes me smile/laugh.

I could go on and on but will spare you. I fall more in love with him every day and just wanted you all to know.

Om

Despite all the belly aching in my last post, I actually have it pretty good.

Today I did something I've never done before. The little guy and I went to a 'Baby and Mama' yoga class at my old studio in Dupont Circle. It was very cute and I really enjoyed it, despite the fact that babies like to interrupt the yoga practice quite frequently. I have gotten quite into yoga in the past, and have dropped the practice just as many times. The whole having 2 babies thing has definitely moved yoga down my list of priorities over the past 3 years, despite the fact I'd probably be a lot more sane if I kept it nearer to the top of the list.

A lot of the folks there were first time parents. I found myself telling one woman struggling with going back to work that I didn't regret quitting my job 2 1/2 years ago. I was actually blabbing on about how rewarding it is to be your baby's primary care giver full time. It's a good thing she wasn't hanging out with me yesterday.

I was struck by another funny thing. First time parents are really slow at diaper changing. I was amazed at the sweet way in which they dealt with the process. I am definitely at the down and dirty stage of my diaper changing career.

Anyway, I may actually do the class again. Perhaps it is equivalent to watching TV and eating bon bons. The fact that it's in my old neighborhood is also a bonus. It ends up being an expensive outing when you factor in our marvelous babysitter for the babe, but I figure it's a well deserved treat for the little guy and I. After all, it's best to start 'em young with good habits!

Stress a Good Thing?

They say a little stress is a good thing. But how much, I wonder? Over time, my definition of stress has changed dramatically. Beyond the things we all worry about, such as food, shelter, health and bills, I now worry about feeding my kids (and my husband and I), keeping my kids safe, potty training, sleep training, nap time, doing the laundry, cleaning the kitchen, ensuring our house doesn't stink like dirty diapers, etc. etc. Like most things, you can't know what it's like until you experience it for your self.

Some folks think stay-at-home moms have a pretty good deal. We get to make our own schedule and rules, do what we want, go where we want, all while clocking quality hours in front of the TV eating bon bons (of course). Others, such as a lovely construction worker man who let me load the kids and the gear into the car today before returning to his loud side walk work, think that my job is harder than his. I told him I miss the office. He replied that was cause for concern.

It really depends what time of day you catch me at, because at some moments, I am so happy to be home with my wonderful and beautiful children, at others I am barely holding it together and wishing I could just disappear. I am told this is normal. My main goal is to try and ensure there is more bliss than stress. This, however, is hard to remember when you have a toddler sitting on the potty whining at you and a baby in a bouncy chair full on crying at you. There's a reason they say patience is a virtue. But we soldier on...because that what Mamas do.

Little Towers

The little guy is now at the age where he can sit in his bumbo chair, watch his sister build Lego towers, watch the Lego towers fall down, and burst into little giggles. It is the cutest thing in the world and makes me one proud Mama. It really is cool to watch their relationship grow, despite the fact that the babe is still randomly hitting and throwing things at the little guy. She also gives him lots of kisses and hugs, and that's what counts!

Strawberries and Mochas

It's been a bit intense with the lack of sleep around here. The babe is not a fan of thunderstorms and has been up constantly for the past 2 nights. She seems to think she is allowed to sleep with us if there's thunder. We don't agree. So we take turns bringing her back to her room and signing to her. The little guy is not a fan of the hours between 2 and 3:30 am and has been left to "scream it out" in his crib. It kills me to leave him in there but it's for the best. He continues to wake at around 11:15 pm and 4:00 am to eat. Sleep training, which has been going on for a whole month now, is a work in progress, I suppose. We must be headed for some yummy pay-back sleepy time somewhere in the near future, but for now, I'm running on a broken 4.5 hours per night. My brain is swimming.

Anyway, my blog does not exist to only publish my random complaints. It exists to tell you about getting it together and dragging the kids to the farm to pick strawberries with our play group friends. This morning we threw our disheveled selves in the car and drove out to the country. It was a beautiful drive and the scenery (and real estate) was smashing. The picking was good and the babe seemed to enjoy the process of finding the "really red ones." Luckily the little guy slept in his car seat in the field (fresh air combined with exhaustion does the trick).

On the way home I did a selfish "me" thing. I pulled into a suburban strip mall to drag our dirty and tired selves into Starbucks for a venti (yes, venti) mocha with whip cream and a bagel with cream cheese. The sweet buzz I got on the ride home made up for the screaming in the back seat and the sitting on the road stuck in construction. Sometimes I wish I had a taxi cab with the window separating me from the back seat chaos. Alas. I am the referee and I must take my job seriously. And this referee was happy to have pulled off a good day. Strawberry shortcake, anyone?