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Today is Thursday, so please don't forget to check out my weekly entry over at Parenting.com! This is actually my last post for The Parenting Post, so I took the opportunity to do something a little different and fun.
Thanks to those of you who checked in every Thurday. I can't believe it's been 11 months since I started writing for them, and it's now time to pass the baton.
Lucas and Husband were playing in bed when Lucas popped Husband on the head with his wooden toy snake.
Husband: You just hit me in the head with the snake. If you do that again I will take the snake away.
Lucas: Do you want the snake to say he's sorry?
Husband: Yes.
Lucas: Ask him.
Husband: Snake, will you say you're sorry?
Lucas: Daddy, he can't hear. He doesn't have any ears.
Sucker!
Well, it's Monday night and after 3 days, I have finally emerged from my powder room. Only partially victorious. For those of you with 2 or 3 years old who have yet to potty train, you might want to navigate away from the page. I will spare you all the gory details, and believe me, there are plenty of gory details, and instead try to stick to the high notes. Or low points, depending on which side of the coin you are on.
Saturday morning started well enough. Lucas was thrilled to forgo his diapies to put on his new ultracool Power Ranger undies. We had breakfast and then we spent the majority of the rest of the day in the bathroom -- Lucas on the toilet crying and me on the bathroom floor crying, or more aptly, begging, pleading, and praying to the porceline Gods, for him to "just pee."
Potty training is much harder than I anticipated.
But I am pleased to report that on Lucas' first day of potty training, he made 4 pees in the potty and had only 2 accidents. Poop? That's another story. He absolutely, adamantly, unequivocally refused to poop in the potty, even when he apparently had the pee-thing down pat. So at the end of the day, after holding his poop for hours, Husband and I told him he could go in his undies (accident #2) thinking that the experience would be yucky enough he would be running to the potty for the next poop. Wrong.
Day 2 (Sunday) started off better than day 1. Lucas woke up with a dry "special Buzz Light Years undies," aka Pull-Ups, and immediately went to the potty and peed. There was some protesting with subsequent pees, but after all was said and done he peed the entire day on the potty with no accidents. But no poop. We told him he couldn't poop in his undies again, unprepared for the curve ball he would throw us. He held his poop. And held it. And held it. And went to bed without pooping, while Husband and I fought between the 2 of us about whether we had done the right thing.
Day 3 (Monday) again started off well. Lucas woke up with a dry a Pull-Up (Lucas figured out that they weren't special Buzz Light Year undies sooner than we anticipated....) and peep on the potty after much protest. He was clearly uncomfortable from holding his poop for over 24 hours, but really seemed to have the peeing down. I on the other hand, had fears that his bowels would become so sore I envisioned him in the emergency room getting his impacted poop pulled out resulting in his wearing diapers for the next 10 years. So Husband and I made a deal with the devil.....we told Lucas he had to make all pees in the potty but when he had to poop, we would let Buzz Light Years catch them. Lucas was happy and pooped shortly thereafter, requesting a Pull-Up before he did the deed. I took his poops to the potty and showed him what would happen if he had made them there himself, to which Lucas happily waved good-bye to them and said, "Maybe next time I'll try."
He's good, he's really good. Next time came and went and Buzz Light Years was there again to catch the poops.
So while I am stressing over how to break the deal with the devil and get this kid to poop on the potty, I am totally proud of him that he learned to pee on the potty and in 3 days. We're still working on the placement on the doodle (I got sprayed a couple times), and Husband and I were totally stressed and frazzled the entire week-end, but progress is still progress. And a mother can be proud!
Lisa tagged me so long ago, I think she may have even forgotten! But I've never been one to break the chain, so here it goes:
A- Attached or Single? Attached
B- Best Friend: Husband
C- Cake or Pie: I really, really like them both -- I don't think I can choose!
D- Drink of Choice: Water (I'm still nursing.....)
E- Essential Item: My cell phone
F- Favorite Color: Blue
G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Gummi Bears
H- Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
I- Indulgence: Handbags and shoes
J- January or February: January, though I'm not sure why!
K- Kids: Lucas and Justin, the most unbelievable boys in the world
L- Life is incomplete without: My boys (Husband, Lucas and Justin)
M- Marriage Date: April 12, 2003
N - Number of Siblings: 1 sister
O- Oranges or Apples? Granny Smith apples
P- Phobias/Fears: My biggest fear is anything happening to my boys, followed by being broke (I've been there, done that and it ain't too fun.....)
Q- Favorite Quote: "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."
R- Reasons to smile: There are so many, but I'd have to say seeing my beautiful family always does it for me.
S- Season: Fall -- I love the changing of the leaves, the smell of the air and the clothes!
T- Tag Three: Anyone interested, feel free!
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I used to have body piercings.
V-Vegetarian or Not: No, though Husband and I talk a lot about becoming vegetarians (we are avid animals lovers), except I can't give up leather (see indulgences above!!!) and I don't want to be a hypocrite.
W- Worst Habit: Picking my nails (I don't bite, just pick)
X – X-rays or Ultrasounds? Ultrasounds?????
Y- Your Favorite Foods: Pizza and fast food burgers.
Z- Zodiac: Leo
This evening, Lucas and I were playing outside. When I looked up in the sky a half moon was as plain as day, even though it wasn't even yet dusk. "Lucas, look at the moon," I said pointing up.
Lucas looked up, and seeing only half of the moon he inquired, "Mommy, who broke the moon?"
Sibling rivalry is such an interesting phenomenon. The rivalry between my sister and I was so bad, my parents made us read this. Yet to this day, my sister and I still don't get along - I guess that's not a great endorsement of the book!
My mom said I was the perfect baby, so easy-going, which is why my parents decided to have a second child. The day my parents brought her home was the same day I threw my first tantrum. My parents report they stood in stunned silence while I thrashed on the floor, kicking and screaming at the fact that there was someone with whom I now had to share the spotlight.
Husband and I always knew we wanted more than one child. The fact that Lucas was the perfect baby, incredibly easy-going, only made the decision of when to have baby #2 a little easier. We spent a lot of time preparing Lucas for the birth of his baby brother, and it seemed our efforts paid off -- when my mom brought Lucas to the hospital after Justin was born, Lucas hopped on my hospital bed, asked to hold his baby brother, and then wouldn't let anyone else touch "his baby."
Justin came home and Lucas continued to dote on his little brother. Lucas often proclaims that he and Justin are best friends, and Justin simply lights up whenever he sees Lucas. I thought Husband and I had produced the perfect siblings, that is until Justin became mobile Then he started grabbing for Lucas' toys, you know, the ones Lucas was playing with at that moment. Then Justin started biting Lucas when he wouldn't let go of said toys. If that wasn't enough to create some sibling rivalry, then the significant developmental milestones Justin has hit recently were the icing on the cake.
Justin now has a vocabulary of two words ("Mama" and "Nonna") and as of Thursday, Justin is walking. It was this latter accomplishment that spurred the inspiration for this post..... Husband I were getting the boys ready for bed. Justin was in his jammies and I stood him up and faced him towards Husband, then he just took off and walked across the room. Husband and I of course immediately started cooing. Justin repeated, this time walking from Husband back to me. We called my mom to come watch -- Justin walked from me to Nonna. We then called my dad, who is visiting for a few days, so he could witness the excitement and Justin walked from Nonna to Grandpop.
By this time, Lucas was yelling, "Look at me, look at me. I can walk, too." "Yes, you can sweetie," I replied. "And when you were little like Justin, and you walked for the first time, we made a big fuss, too."
Apparently, Lucas was not moved. As Justin practiced his new skill, walking back and forth between Husband and me, Lucas came up behind him and punched him in the back. And there it was -- the green monster had officially reared its ugly head. And Husband and I stood in stunned silence, not knowing what to do or say.
Funny how history has a habit of repeating itself.
Check out the WOMAN Challenge: For National Women's Health Week, the Office on Women's Health sponsors an 8-week national physical activity challenge called the WOMAN (Women and girls Out Moving Across the Nation) Challenge.
Does biking for 6 hours in one day, one day a week meet the challenge? That averages out to more than 30 minutes a day! And just last week-end I was counting how many miles I've ridden since training began in February and I'm proud to say the grand total is almost 500 miles to date! We have our final training ride this week-end before the big event on June 3rd, so all in all, Husband and I will log in about 750 miles of bike riding.
Thanks to Sinead and the Breastfeeding Babes for posting about the challenge!
As many of you know, Husband and I are training for a 100-mile bike ride in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We are riding in honor of a person very close to us who was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma 2 years ago. Because this person wants to remain anonymous and some people who know him read my blog, I unfortunately cannot divulge many details about his diagnosis. But because of his struggle, as well as that of so many other people affected by blood cancers, Husband and I are very much committed to this cause.
That said, Husband and I also committed ourselves to raise $9,000 for the bike ride and we are only 3/4 of the way there with only 5 days left to fundraise. I'd like to ask all of my virtual friends to help us meet our goal. Please consider donating to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (it's tax deductible) through our site, or posting about our fundraising efforts on your blog.
Your support of our efforts is very much appreciated!
Sinead at Breastfeeding Mums tagged me for this "caring for me" meme (I love that Sinead thinks of me!!!). The meme was really started in the spirit of Mother's Day, but who says we, as Mothers, shouldn't be caring for ourselves every day!
Preamble: Set aside some time during which you can relax and reflect. Sit in a comfortable spot. Try not to think too much about your answers - let them come from the core part of yourself. Once you've answered those questions you'll have a better idea of what you need to thrive. Ask yourself:
What do you miss most from your pre-baby life?
Sleep. 'Nough said.
What activity would renew, recharge, and reenergize your body?
A nice massage and body scrub.
What activity would renew, recharge, and re-energize your mind?
A vacation with Husband. To get away and not have to worry about anything would be really great right now.
What activity would renew, recharge, and re-energize your spirit?
See answer directly above!
What gift can I give to myself today?
This is a toss up between spending quality time with Husband and sleep. Since Justin was born, I have been staying up increasingly later so I can get more things done (you know, the things that have to get done but there's no time during the day to tend to them), while also trying to spend some alone time with Husband, but I'm usually too preoccupied and/or tired, which isn't fair to either one of us.
Or....I can always use a new handbag and a pair of shoes!
When you look back at this time in your life, what will you regret not doing for yourself?
I feel really good about myself and where I am now, both personally and professionally, so I can't imagine having any regrets about this time in my life. I make it a point to do as much for me as I need -- I write, I go out regularly with friends, I spend time with my kids, I travel, and I even partake in a little bit of pampering like getting my nails done. That doesn't mean that there aren't things I'd like to change, but if things were to continue down the current path, I would have no complaints. And no regrets.
What is one thing - however small - that you can do to make self-care integral to your week?
This is a huge one for me -- I need to take more time to get myself back into shape. No excuses, simply make fitness a regular part of my week.
If Amy and Lisa are so inclined, they are tagged to carry on the meme.
Since having children of my own, Mother's Day has become a double-edged sword -- I am a mother and want to partake in the glory of the day, but I am also a daughter and a sister who wants to do something special for my mom and sister, both single, strong, overworked Moms.
So today, I had my sister and her three children over for a Mother's Day barbeque. Earlier in the morning, I went to my grandmother's apartment and set up her new answering machine. I then went to the grocery store and picked up everything for the evening's festivities. Then, while all of the kids played, and my mom and sister relaxed, I prepared and cooked dinner. Oh, and between grocery shopping and cooking, I successfully replaced the broken timer for our front porch light, a feat that involved a fuse box, wires and some weird little cap thingies.
Where was Husband throughout all of this? The poor guy was on his sick-bed, suffering with a sore throat, achiness and sinus pain that no amount of nasal spray or ibuprofen would take care of. But I did get the requisite cards, flowers, chocolates, and an extra hour of sleep.
All in all, I got to spend the day with my family -- it was a great Mother's Day!
