Golf Club Shoes

Before Max could walk, before Max even wore shoes, Angela found some barely worn, very clean white shoes at a garage sale.  She dropped them off for one day when Max would need shoes, and I put them in his shoe organizer, at the bottom, which is where his "shoes to grow into" are kept and didn't think another thing about it. Literally, they have been there for a year.

But the other day, while I was putting some clothes in the boys' closet, Max came in to help and walked up to his shoe organizer, grabbed these pristine white tennis shoes and screamed "My golf club shoes!"

He then walked over to his dresser and got out a pair of socks and sat in the middle of the floor beckoning me to put them on his feet.  (I'd like to point out that he never sits still when I want him to put shoes on!) As soon as they were tied, he was ready to be released into the backyard (his golf course) so he could play golf. And ever since then, he goes and gets his golf club shoes out of his closet every time he wants to play golf, which is about 42834774 times a day. I also got in major trouble yesterday for putting his blue shoes on his feet when we were headed out for errands because he needed his golf club shoes.

Now I don't even know where Max would've seen real golf shoes besides tv, because when Chad goes to play, he keeps his shoes in his bag until he gets to the course and my Dad's shoes are black. But the instant Max saw these shoes, they reminded him of golf shoes and it was very apparent to him that these were his golf shoes and that was the only reason they existed. These shoes are now his favorite shoes in the whole world- even better then the shoes Pop got him- and he's a better golfer because of them- just ask him!

I love that boy, his brain, and his obsession with golf. I love how he misses NOTHING and knew that he should have golf shoes and these shoes looked like some golf shoes that he has seen somewhere.  That little boys is ah-mazing. I love him.

(NOTE: These pictures were taken during potty training which is why the child is not wearing pants!)

Say What?! What??

Several mornings ago, I was in the kitchen working on breakfast with a toddler underfoot and a baby in my arms, overwhelmed by the piles and things to do that were surrounding me.  Chad walked in and I put him to work by asking him to put the water bottles I had just bought into the fridge. He must've seen the harried look on my face, because he didn't say a word.  He just got to work.

And then I turned around to see this:

And I just stood there gawking. (Luckily the camera was STILL on the counter from vacation so I could capture this moment)

And Chad looked at me and said, "what?"

Really Chad?  This situation deserves a "what?"  Do I really need to explain?

At the time, it was purely his means of getting the job done that caught me off guard, not his black shorts, blue LONG SLEEVE shirt (in August), brown stripped slipper socks that were his mom's (truth!) or his river shoes. But thank goodness that I got this pictures to take it ALL in.

Yep, that's how my man rolls!

Literally!

Potty Training: Part 2

If you missed our experience, you need to check it out here:

But now, I wanted to give you the scoop in the method we chose. First off, after much research, I decided to download Lora's 3 Day Potty Training ebook available here:  http://www.3daypottytraining.com/

I read it cover to cover and then asked Chad to read it cover to cover and he did. We both felt really good about it, loved how positive it was and felt like this was a method that would really be great for Max- a child who loves positive reinforcement and flourished under it. When then picked out a time to do it, after our vacation because who wants to ride in the car on a long car trip with a pottier in training, and that was that.

The method is for any early age if your child shows certain signs laid out in the book, and then anyone, signs or not, at 22 months of age or later.  This is even for kids that sleep in a crib. She also offers personal one on one mentoring, great words of encouragement and suggestions, and a step by step for the 3 days.  She does not believe in the use of any diapers for any reason once you've started the method (even if your child sleeps in a crib) and you never use the words "no" or "don't" during training-- it's only encouraging and loving. It's all about keeping your cool, regardless of how many accidents there are, which was what led to my exhaustion, ha!  You also don't take your child to the bathroom every few minutes or make them try- you actually never even ask if they have to go- you only teach them to figure out for themselves when they have to go and then get them to communicate that with you. This is even the case of they can't talk- they can just learn to communicate through other means with you. Believe me when I say that any excuse you come up with on why this won't work for you, she argues otherwise and it makes SO much sense.

It kind of sounds crazy, but it worked! And I'm a better mom for it, I can tell you that.  I don't know Lora, I've never spoken to her or anyone who knows her, and no one asked me to endorse her, but nonetheless, I HIGHLY STRONGLY recommend at least buying the ebook and reading through it. There are so many nuggets of wisdom there, even if you want to go about it through a different method.

Also, we did start with the baseball potty and I just couldn't handle it- by Monday, I had to buy a toilet seat because the emptying of the potty grossed me out and just made another step in the already tiresome process.  And really, I just couldn't take one more thing the needed sanitized 40 million times a day!

So here is my list of things that are a must:

At least 20 pairs of underwear- at least! I thought this was over kill-- it was NOT!
A potty seat that fits into the regular toilet so there is no washing! And the child doesn't fall in- a win/win.
The hook to hang it on the potty so others can still use the potty
Kadoo wipes- or according to Max BIG BOY Wipe-its!
Rewards: M&M's, toys, and more M&M's for the trainers
More hand sanatizer and disinfectant spray than you think you need
And a travel potty seat for on the go- both potty seats below are the ones we have and they work wonderfully!  Same is true of the wipes and the hook.
Lastly, a step stool so they can get up on the potty!


  

Jesus Loves Me

This post is twofold- one is the sweetest story I can ever tell.  And the second part is soliciting some suggestions--

First off, I've been singing two songs to my Max since he was born- the first being "You are my sunshine" which is his song, according to me.  When he was tiny, I would sing it to him, especially when he was crying and having a hard time calming down.  I remember doing it a lot in the car. And Gabe would help by leaning over his car seat, and whispering the words of the song in baby Max's ear.  Gabe will still start to sing that song if Max gets really upset :) I also sang it to him every night, along with 'Jesus Loves Me'. If I was too tired or just needing to get Max in his bed, then 'Jesus Loves Me' would be my prayer over Max.  If I had enough energy to pray over him, then I would end with Jesus Loves Me. But, within the last 6-8 months, I've mostly dropped the "You are my sunshine"- probably because that little man won't have anything to do with being rocked, and I just sing "Jesus Loves Me". We call it 'our' song and Max will show me "Mommy's spot" on his pillow and he always asks me to sing "our song" after we finish reading. Honestly, I thought it was all a ploy to put off bedtime a little longer.  He has never shown any signs of knowing the song or understanding the song or even caring about the song- but if anything, I want him to know about Jesus' love for him, so I keep singing. And singing.

On Monday, after a particularly trying day, following a particularly trying weekend, we were driving home from small group at 9pm and I was EXHAUSTED!  Chad was in his truck and I was driving both boys who were both on the verge of breaking down and losing it completely. So I plugged in my phone to the speakers and turned on Christy Nockels "Jesus Loves Me"- mainly because I needed some peace and quiet and I needed to be reminded that Jesus loved me!  I was also hoping that it would take away Max's need to whine and talk and discuss every big truck and motorcycle on our drive home- selfish, I know.

Within seconds of the song starting, the sweetest little voice I've ever heard began singing all the words- the bedtime song wasn't just a ploy, instead, he had been soaking it all in for the last 24 months. Max knew and sang every word. And I sobbed.  I'm talking big huge tears running down my face. They were the happiest tears I've cried in a long time! He has never shown any interest in singing before- none- but all of a sudden Max was singing every word. He knew it- that truth was hidden in his heart.  I'm telling you, this was my favorite parenting moment thus far! And when we got home and Chad was helping us unload, I told him what had happened and he began to quiz Max on the song, singing a word or two and pausing for Max to fill in the blank- and he knew every blank.

Needless to say, we will continue singing this song every night and I will sing it over Jack and any other kids that God blesses us with until they won't listen to my singing anymore!

And speaking of songs, I can't figure out a song that is to Jack what "You are my sunshine" is to Max. I want a song that's sweet, and full of love, for when he's upset, for when we're rocking and bouncing.  Any suggestions?  For some reason, in the moment, I always end up singing or humming "Deep and Wide"- but I don't really even like that song, and the words don't speak or apply to Jack like I want them to.  So why is that what comes to my mind? Oh my brain is such a conundrum! I've considered "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" and I've also considered "I Love you Lord" but I think that's the one Chad always sings to the boys when he's rocking them. (I only know this from overhearing them... or eavesdropping...whatev!)

I'd love to hear your suggestions for my sweet, cuddly, adorable baby boy!

SUYL: Favorite Mommy Blogs

Today on Kelly's Korner SUYL, it's a link up for favorite blogs... and I have many types of blogs I visit regularly:

- Prayer blogs
- Photog blogs
- Recipe blogs
- Blogs for my job
- Craft blogs

BUT MY FAVORITE are Mommy blogs... because they are just like me, only not, so I can learn so much or get some encouragement or laughter or ideas.... and of course, as all Mommy's like pictures of their kiddies, they include very adorable pictures of babies :)

My favorites right this very minute, although in no particular order (and this list is subject to change at any moment!):

1) Hold On To Your Hats
2) The Stanley Clan
3) E, Myself, and I
4) Baby Bangs
5) Joni's Joy
6) Good to be crazy
7) Promises and Secrets
8) The Farmer's Wife Tells All
9) Vicki Courtney

And if I'm honest, I only actually know 2 people on that list, ha! I love blog world :)

Potty Training: Part 1

Ok, I can't lie... once Thursday hit and I was making notes and praying over this potty training dealio, I got SAD!  Sad that he would be laying on his changing table anymore, sad that I wouldn't have those precious first moments of the day with him where I lay him down, with the sleepers still in his eyes and change him before turning on the light-- this was like the final thing before my baby really wasn't a baby-- which brought out the baby in me: whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :( I shared this with Anna who laughed at me and then I shared it with Chad who laughed even harder, great, I'm just a sentimental sap.

But once I got that out of the way, it was potty time. And on the front end when Angela (Gabe's mom) called to encourage me, and Lisa (Haven's mom) texted to encourage me, and Amber (Sam and Owen's mom) commented on my blog to encourage me, I was appreciative but thought nothing more about it. Now, on the backend, I realized that they are ALL boy moms and they went out of their way because they had been there, done that and knew what kind of weekend I was going to have.....

And boy oh boy, did I have that kind of weekend! Let me just say that after 4 days, I considered Max fully potty trained- which compared to the horror stories I've heard was a BREEZE, but it was by far the hardest thing I have done in my parenting career so far.

As I mentioned earlier, I did not know anything about potty training or even which method I wanted to do so I started reading up on it and decided on a specific 3 day method, mainly because of what I knew I did NOT want to do-- I did not want to do pull up/ diapers for night and nap, because that would require a second round of potty training later-- no thank you!  And I did not want to train for weeks and weeks on end or have a never-ending power struggle with my little man.  I also did not want to discipline/ yell at/ punish Max in anyway, because for 2 years he has just gone when and where he wanted to so to expect an 180 degree turn and punish him if he didn't do it just didn't seem fair.

And that's all I knew.  That is where I started.  Are you impressed with my awesome potty training skills yet?

I will follow up with post with the method and tools that we used, but for now, our experience:

On Friday morning, shortly after breakfast and pumping Max full of liquids, me and him worked together to throw away his diapers and put on his new big boy underwear. By 10am, he had his first accident, on my kitchen floor, and by 10:20am when he started to dribble again, he already knew to stop the flow, literally.  It took 20 minutes for my boy to understand potty training, seriously! But this post is not done, oh no.... there were several more steps in the madness! The next step was teaching him to let the flow go again, once he got to the potty. Um, there really aren't words for teaching such a thing, so I found myself saying really awesome things like "Put your pee pee in the potty, just relax and let the pee pee come out, point it down and squirt it out, etc"

By nap time, I was EXHAUSTED but Max had not had anymore accidents, just little dribbles that required new undies every 30 minutes or so.  It also required taking him to the bathroom relentlessly, every time he asked, because he didn't know how to fully empty his bladder-- so he just did it in portions every 20-30 minutes. Did I mention that I have a 3 month old who likes to eat every 3 hours? Um, long morning! So anyway, back to the nap- Max fell asleep very quickly and so did I. I even let the J-man sleep through a feeding because I needed a nap so much! After nap, I was greeted with a wet bed- awesome- and so began my laundry frenzy that would last for about 72 hours. But the rest of the afternoon was again accident free, so when Chad came home from work he brought with him a new airplane because he was so proud of Max, and they played with it all evening.

Around midnight Max woke up so I roused Chad and we rushed in to take him potty- assuming he was about to wet the bed. The caused the loudest hugest screaming fit of Max's life- BLOODY MURDER crying and he couldn't calm back down. And he wouldn't pee on the potty although I knew that that was the problem- he knew he had to go and that he shouldn't go in his bed, but he didn't want to be put on the potty in the middle of the night. Seeing as how I had just been pregnant months before, I could totally understand his disdain for middle of the night restroom visits. But it took over 30 minutes to calm him down, which only happened when I put him in my bed and turned on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (yes it was close to 1am) at which point he peed all over my side of the bed. Did I mention that he had already peed all down my side when I was holding him trying to calm him down? More awesomeness!

When he woke up on Saturday morning around 7:30, Chad was on his way out the door to work, so he stopped to take Max potty only to discover another round of wet sheets and a special special surprise in Max's underwear.... yep, a pleasant top of the morning smell, for sure. Saturday was more of the same- no full out accidents, just little dribbles before stopping the flow and finishing in the potty.  He also woke up from his nap dry, which was great.  Between my sheets and his, I really couldn't wash another set at the moment- I'd had enough! Chad worked all day, so by the end of the day, I was more exhausted then I've got words to describe- again, the pee pee factory and the 3 months old had smack worn me out.

On Sunday morning, Max woke up dry so I took him to the Dunkin Donuts drive thru (even though we were not supposed to leave the house during training) and we celebrated with donuts in the back yard while Jack took his morning nap. (Again, Chad was working, so the donuts were as much for me as they were for Max!) Sunday's nap was another story- this time, I got the wet sheets and big surprise in the undies- wahoo! (Did I mention I was exhausted?) And shortly after that, while holding Jack, when Max told me he needed to potty, I rushed to find a suitable place for Jack and hit my elbow so hard that I thought I was going to pass out.  I literally had to sit down because the world went black. And then after fighting off the urge to throw up, my whole arm went numb. We didn't make it to the potty that time, although Max did manage to douse my leg in urine- awesome. Shortly after that but before Chad got home, while I was changing Jack, he too squirted me, leading to more laundry. And then once Chad was home, he decided to pressure wash our house (aka avoid the leaking 2 year old) but the way he did it caused bleachy water to leak in all our front windows and our back door, which caused Max to cry because "it scare me" and it caused me to lose it. With both boys screaming, I marched outside and threatened Chad within an inch of his life. I'm not quite sure why, but the sky was falling, my whole body hurt, the children were going crazy, there were too many liquids in places they shouldn't be, and it was all his fault.

I do know that I told him that I felt like he was asking me to kill him. He just looked at me. I'm telling you, the crazy bells were going off. I did get both boys in bed by 8:30pm and did 47 loads of laundry- thanks Max, Jack, and Chad for squirting me and our household towels with your liquids of choice- and I finally collapsed into bed. Monday morning, I was greeted with more wet sheets and while in my morning meeting at work, got a text that Max had climbed up in our desk chair and peed. It was all I could do not to cry.

I ended up leaving work early, stopping by the store for some new supplies, and got home before the child relapsed anymore.  In that moment I was certain that he was driving me to the crazy house and I also was thinking that Jack was going to wear diapers until he was at least 15 and could potty train himself. I was at the very very end of me.

And Max hasn't had another accident since- I'm not even kidding. He has woken up from every nap and every night time dry, made it to the bathroom withOUT any dribbles, and has even popped on the potty. There is no drama, only a potty trained 2 year old, living at our house. What a blessing!

But I'm smack wore out!

And I have decided that Mommy's need a treat after potty training- and I'm not talking M&M's.  I thinking more along the lines of manicures, pedicures, massages, spas, a nap, and/or Maui.

**Note: after writing this, Max has had two accidents- one when I wasn't paying attention to him (oops) and one this morning which led to another changing of the sheets, woot woot. Oh accidents, how I love thee.

Parenting Fail and some advice

As you know, we are in the midst of potty training (details are forthcoming... as soon as a get a half second to type it all out!). And it is because of this that Chad and I experienced a dismal parenting failure.

On Monday morning, like 6am, Max had had an accident in his bed (bummer) so I went in to his room to strip his bed and put on fresh sheets while Chad took Max to the potty and wiped him down.  They came back into Max's room as I was finishing up with the bed to get some fresh undies for Max.

Max said, "Look Mom," while pointing to his privates, "I see my bottom."

I laughed at him and said, "That's not your bottom!" And I reached and pinched his hiney and said, "that's your bottom!"  Then I too pointed at his privates and said, "that's... that's your.... that's your....." and froze, looking to Chad for the answer.  And Chad just froze and stared back at me.

Like deer in headlights, I mouthed to Chad "what is it called?" and then gave him some suggestions: "wee wee, pee pee, tee tee" so Chad said, "that's you're wee wee Max".  Max was proud and we have been talking about it (A LOT) ever since.

But it was in the moment that I decided that marriage counseling should go like this:
Counselor: Do you all plan to have children?
Couple: yes we do
Counselor: Great, so what do you plan to call the genitalia for a boy? Ok, great, and a girl?

I'm not sure how we escaped it this long- Max is two and just now proud of his "wee wee"and just now requiring a name for it-- maybe because we've been the ones changing him and just now, through potty training, he's well acquainted with all it can do- including spraying people! But this is a lot of pressure, naming 'it'! I hate the really p-word, you know, the one that's the correct name for the thing. (My friend Anna informed me that you're supposed to teach them the anatomically correct names for their privates, and I don't know the reasoning for this, but, ummm, let me be honest, I'm just not mature enough for that.) And for some reason, with Gabe, Chad called it a doodler and that's haunted me for years- I mean a doodler? That should be a special pen, for doodling on a doodle pad, come on! So when it came time for the naming, we choked, big time!

Lucky for us, Max won't remember that- and for those of you reading this, and it's not too late for you, talk about it now!  What, you're not even planning to have kids for a while? Great! Then it's perfect timing!