Ever since Nicholas showed me he was ready to use the potty in oblivious and jackpot, we've been trying to be better about supporting him in using the potty. Now, I'm sure many of you are not very interested in hearing about our potty training adventures. It is a dirty business to say the least. But I will relay one story which may help another new, soon-to-be, or future mommy and provide some laughs to the experienced mothers.
In trying to support Nicholas in his use of the potty we have decided to offer a reward of candy. While it is incentive for my sweet toothed son to sit down on the potty, we've had limited success with him actually using it.
In the weeks around Christmas and January I had noticed him hiding behind chairs at times and come out with a smelly diaper. That in combination that he had yet to actually poop or pee in front of me realized he probably needed some privacy but when he was physically on the potty he would request that I sit down next to him to keep him company. My strategies to give him privacy were not succeeding. Until last night when I had my a-ha moment.
Nicholas loves to play hide and seek. He'll annouce to us, even if we're in the same room and just saw him pull a blanket over himself, that he's hiding. We are to pretend that we cannot see him and go look for him. One of Nicholas's favorite places to hide is behind the shower curtain in our bathroom while I am giving Alexa her bath. (do you see the ridiculous in this when he's standing right beside me?)
Last night I finally put the two together. Nicholas is sitting on the potty and I decide to try and give him his privacy by throwing the shower curtain over him to hide him. Abracadabra.... Nicholas peed and pooped in no time. It truly seemed like magic. Let's see if we can get a repeat performance. I so want a picture of this.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
It's a start and other tidbits
This past Monday night had the possibility of being my last night of Adult Team Racing at Nashoba, so Jim and I decided it was time (and luckily warm enough) to take the kids out for some skiing and burgers.
Here I am taking Nicholas down the kiddie hill. His first time. Unfortunately the batteries died right after this was taken (the story of our lives). Nicholas was not smitten at first. The skis were too "slippery" and he kept falling which is never enjoyable. Of course, once we were finished skiing and in the lodge eating he couldn't wait to go again. Hopefully we can get in a few more outings (and some better photos) before the snow melts. Turns out my teammates and I qualified for Championships so there's at least one night. Woohoo!
Here we are playing around on the kiddie hill.
I was going through some other recent photos taken and found this one of Nicholas. This is a perfect representation of us at home after work. The house is a mess, Nicholas asks for something to drink, to sit on his chair, and play with my phone.
Nicholas is a fan of the phone. He loves to talk on the phone and asks to call Grandma frequently. Probably too frequently for our plan minutes.
As any doting parent, we love listening to our children laugh. One morning we got Alexa into such a laughing fit while reading Nicholas one of his stories we, of course, had to record it. After watching this I bet you'll be laughing at us as well.
Here I am taking Nicholas down the kiddie hill. His first time. Unfortunately the batteries died right after this was taken (the story of our lives). Nicholas was not smitten at first. The skis were too "slippery" and he kept falling which is never enjoyable. Of course, once we were finished skiing and in the lodge eating he couldn't wait to go again. Hopefully we can get in a few more outings (and some better photos) before the snow melts. Turns out my teammates and I qualified for Championships so there's at least one night. Woohoo!Here we are playing around on the kiddie hill. I was going through some other recent photos taken and found this one of Nicholas. This is a perfect representation of us at home after work. The house is a mess, Nicholas asks for something to drink, to sit on his chair, and play with my phone.
Nicholas is a fan of the phone. He loves to talk on the phone and asks to call Grandma frequently. Probably too frequently for our plan minutes. As any doting parent, we love listening to our children laugh. One morning we got Alexa into such a laughing fit while reading Nicholas one of his stories we, of course, had to record it. After watching this I bet you'll be laughing at us as well.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Eight for 8
Technically her 8 month "birthday" was on Valentine's Day but somehow I never had a free moment to blog so I'm a little late. Anyhow...
Eight months already? What is it about having kids that seems to speed up time? Here are eight things about my baby girl.
- Alexa got her second tooth in yesterday. It's her bottom left front tooth.
- Since she's no longer teething Alexa is back on the "sleeping through the night" track. Last night she slept from 7 pm through til 6 am. You can imagine how excited I am.
- Alexa is a restless and mobile sleeper. When I put her down at night she immediately stuffs her blanket or teddy in her mouth, rolls on her side and goes to sleep. I typically check on her after Nicholas is down and then again when I'm going to bed. Inevitably she's in a completely different postion, sometimes different end of the crib and turned around. I never hear a peep out of her either.
- Alexa loves to grab toys out of her older classmates hands which in turn makes them cry. Why do I have a feeling that she's going to be trouble?
- Alexa is doing great on her solids. We've recently started giving her Cheerios. She is doing so well picking them up and dropping them on the floor.
- Alexa's birthday is still 4 months away but I'm already planning her first birthday party and have been planning it in my head for 2 months.
- As you know I'm still ski racing. One of my teammates gave Alexa a handmade rattle that her husband Mike crafted. Mike is a graduate of the North Bennett School and is starting up his own furniture company. The rattle is hand turned, made of recycled wood, and "stained" using a ecofriendly kitchen oilfilled with popcorn kernels. Alexa loves it and I think I've found a new favorite baby gift.
- I am taking a photography class online. Using the class as impetus I finally did a photo shoot with Alexa that I've been meaning to do for months (obviously). Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the session.
Eight months already? What is it about having kids that seems to speed up time? Here are eight things about my baby girl.
- Alexa got her second tooth in yesterday. It's her bottom left front tooth.
- Since she's no longer teething Alexa is back on the "sleeping through the night" track. Last night she slept from 7 pm through til 6 am. You can imagine how excited I am.
- Alexa is a restless and mobile sleeper. When I put her down at night she immediately stuffs her blanket or teddy in her mouth, rolls on her side and goes to sleep. I typically check on her after Nicholas is down and then again when I'm going to bed. Inevitably she's in a completely different postion, sometimes different end of the crib and turned around. I never hear a peep out of her either.
- Alexa loves to grab toys out of her older classmates hands which in turn makes them cry. Why do I have a feeling that she's going to be trouble?
- Alexa is doing great on her solids. We've recently started giving her Cheerios. She is doing so well picking them up and dropping them on the floor.
- Alexa's birthday is still 4 months away but I'm already planning her first birthday party and have been planning it in my head for 2 months.
- As you know I'm still ski racing. One of my teammates gave Alexa a handmade rattle that her husband Mike crafted. Mike is a graduate of the North Bennett School and is starting up his own furniture company. The rattle is hand turned, made of recycled wood, and "stained" using a ecofriendly kitchen oilfilled with popcorn kernels. Alexa loves it and I think I've found a new favorite baby gift.
- I am taking a photography class online. Using the class as impetus I finally did a photo shoot with Alexa that I've been meaning to do for months (obviously). Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the session.
Friday, February 13, 2009
A valentine's steal
I've been bad about posting pictures of the kids recently. There's no excuse. I'm even taking a photography class to help me "find the time" to take pictures of them. Unfortunately it hasn't quite worked out the way I've hoped.
I was tipped off a couple weeks ago to a fabulous deal given by the Picture People. Twelve picture valentine's and an 8x10 for only $12. With no sitting/session fees it's a steal. Unfortunately we got a bad time for our appointment and didn't have much time so they didn't turn out quite as well as I would have hoped but... here are a few of my favorites from the session.
Enjoy.
I hope they stay enamorded with each other.
Yes, that is a tutu. Her first but I'm sure not her last.
Alexa says, "I have a goofy face because I'm laughing at mommy. She does crazy things to make me smile."
I was tipped off a couple weeks ago to a fabulous deal given by the Picture People. Twelve picture valentine's and an 8x10 for only $12. With no sitting/session fees it's a steal. Unfortunately we got a bad time for our appointment and didn't have much time so they didn't turn out quite as well as I would have hoped but... here are a few of my favorites from the session.
Enjoy.
I hope they stay enamorded with each other.
Yes, that is a tutu. Her first but I'm sure not her last.
Alexa says, "I have a goofy face because I'm laughing at mommy. She does crazy things to make me smile."April showers bring May flowers... and June babies?
I realized that I have yet to discuss a recent development, in the PligPen family; Andra is pregnant! (Took you long enough. ;) )
June seems to be a month of choice for many in the family. Andra's due date is June 10th which is only a week prior to what my due date was with Alexa (4 days prior to her birthday). And if you didn't know, Andra's sister-in-law had a baby girl the day before Alexa was born. (That same sister-in-law has a girl born a week before Nicholas was born. I think it's a bit freaky that she and I are so in sync.) Maybe June is so appealing due to the promise of a "summer off" for us working moms or was Andra thinking of all the in season hand-me-downs she could get if she timed it right? We may never know.
Andra recently had her "Big ultrasound" and found out she's having a girl! We're so excited and cannot wait to meet her. Nicholas is very excited to have a new cousin and disappointed she won't be living as close as his other cousin Kaylee.
Congrats again Andra!
June seems to be a month of choice for many in the family. Andra's due date is June 10th which is only a week prior to what my due date was with Alexa (4 days prior to her birthday). And if you didn't know, Andra's sister-in-law had a baby girl the day before Alexa was born. (That same sister-in-law has a girl born a week before Nicholas was born. I think it's a bit freaky that she and I are so in sync.) Maybe June is so appealing due to the promise of a "summer off" for us working moms or was Andra thinking of all the in season hand-me-downs she could get if she timed it right? We may never know.
Andra recently had her "Big ultrasound" and found out she's having a girl! We're so excited and cannot wait to meet her. Nicholas is very excited to have a new cousin and disappointed she won't be living as close as his other cousin Kaylee.
Congrats again Andra!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Jackpot
I can see it! I can see the end of diapers for Nicholas!
It's only been a couple hours since my last post but I feel that we've reached the summit on our journey towards being potty trained. He's reached the point where he can recognize the urge to go and is asking to use the potty. This time he peed on the potty. I'm not sure how long it will take us to be completely diaper free and I'm sure we'll continue to hit road bumps but I'm so excited that the end is in sight.
It's only been a couple hours since my last post but I feel that we've reached the summit on our journey towards being potty trained. He's reached the point where he can recognize the urge to go and is asking to use the potty. This time he peed on the potty. I'm not sure how long it will take us to be completely diaper free and I'm sure we'll continue to hit road bumps but I'm so excited that the end is in sight.
Oblivious
Today began just like many other weekend mornings; woken by Alexa's coos, got out of bed to Nicholas' calls of "Mommy, get up", and made waffles for breakfast wishing the caffeine would kick in at any moment. But today has been made different, made special by two momentus occaisions of which I was completely oblivious.
A couple hours ago, while Jim made a run to the dump, Alexa was napping, and Nicholas was in his crib for quiet time, I heard Nicholas say, "uh oh". Not wanting whatever it was to possibly get worse, I go into his room to assess the damage. I was conned, all he did was rip a page in a book. But now that I was in his room I provided him with the opportunity to trap me. Not wanting to release Nicholas from the confines of his room just yet I laid down with him. With our heads sharing a pillow Nicholas tells me, "I got to go poopy".
I spare the details but he pooped on the potty! His first time pooping on the potty and his first time using his potty at home for Jim or myself. I'm all of a sudden aware that maybe his recently acquired distaste of laying still on his back when he has a poopy diaper is not because he wants to be difficult but that he's uncomfortable. Now I feel like the bad mom who was not paying attention to his cues.
After a celebration and rewards of candy were had and Alexa is up and anxiously awaiting her next feeding with her mouth wide open I notice a tooth! Her very first tooth! Now, while I have been suspect that her occaisional illtempered behavior might be from teething, I've been rubbing and constantly inspecting her upper gums for weeks under the impression that all children's first teeth were an upper tooth. Whoops. Now I feel even worse as I realize that last night's hour and a half of Alexa's rare "crying for no reason" was completely justified and preventable. Poor thing.
Now the question is, what else am I missing? Whatever it is I blame my oblivian on a lack of sleep.
A couple hours ago, while Jim made a run to the dump, Alexa was napping, and Nicholas was in his crib for quiet time, I heard Nicholas say, "uh oh". Not wanting whatever it was to possibly get worse, I go into his room to assess the damage. I was conned, all he did was rip a page in a book. But now that I was in his room I provided him with the opportunity to trap me. Not wanting to release Nicholas from the confines of his room just yet I laid down with him. With our heads sharing a pillow Nicholas tells me, "I got to go poopy".
I spare the details but he pooped on the potty! His first time pooping on the potty and his first time using his potty at home for Jim or myself. I'm all of a sudden aware that maybe his recently acquired distaste of laying still on his back when he has a poopy diaper is not because he wants to be difficult but that he's uncomfortable. Now I feel like the bad mom who was not paying attention to his cues.
After a celebration and rewards of candy were had and Alexa is up and anxiously awaiting her next feeding with her mouth wide open I notice a tooth! Her very first tooth! Now, while I have been suspect that her occaisional illtempered behavior might be from teething, I've been rubbing and constantly inspecting her upper gums for weeks under the impression that all children's first teeth were an upper tooth. Whoops. Now I feel even worse as I realize that last night's hour and a half of Alexa's rare "crying for no reason" was completely justified and preventable. Poor thing.
Now the question is, what else am I missing? Whatever it is I blame my oblivian on a lack of sleep.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Again
I'm sitting here at work taking a quick coffee break before my next meeting and as I look past my screen to the outside I see it's snowing...again. As a skier and lover of all seasons I am excited. There are few things as beautiful as a fresh layer of pure white snow and although temporary, it even renders the city a little peaceful. While I would enjoy the snow even more sitting on my sofa and drinking hot cocoa, the fact that I'm watching it fall from my office window provides no such comfort and only makes me anxious.
If you live and commute in the Metro Boston area you'll no doubt remember a snow storm a little over a year ago which practically stopped traffic. The snow came hard and fast and just about every commuter in the Metro area decided to take flight from their jobs at the same time. What should have been a 40 minute ride turned into a 4 hour drive home. During that tedious drive home I was thankful for two things; that Jim was home to and could pick up the kids from an early closing at daycare as I would not have made it, and for Rush Limbaugh and Howie Carr on the radio. Their entertaining banter made those 4 hrs feel like one.
The anxiety I feel from this storm has to do with the horrendous plowing in the bankrupt City of Cambridge, the seemingly endless and increasing number of potholes littering the roads, the frequently changing snowfall estimates, and our driveway is still encrusted with a couple inches of solid ice. This is a day you love to hate winter.
Focusing on the positives, the snow conditions are something out of a ski racers fantasy. The hard packed courduroy and warm air I experienced last night at Adult Racing made it one of the most enjoyable ski races I've been to in years.
If you live and commute in the Metro Boston area you'll no doubt remember a snow storm a little over a year ago which practically stopped traffic. The snow came hard and fast and just about every commuter in the Metro area decided to take flight from their jobs at the same time. What should have been a 40 minute ride turned into a 4 hour drive home. During that tedious drive home I was thankful for two things; that Jim was home to and could pick up the kids from an early closing at daycare as I would not have made it, and for Rush Limbaugh and Howie Carr on the radio. Their entertaining banter made those 4 hrs feel like one.
The anxiety I feel from this storm has to do with the horrendous plowing in the bankrupt City of Cambridge, the seemingly endless and increasing number of potholes littering the roads, the frequently changing snowfall estimates, and our driveway is still encrusted with a couple inches of solid ice. This is a day you love to hate winter.
Focusing on the positives, the snow conditions are something out of a ski racers fantasy. The hard packed courduroy and warm air I experienced last night at Adult Racing made it one of the most enjoyable ski races I've been to in years.
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