Elijah has been saying some mighty cute things lately. Two of my favorites recently are: "Silly Eee-yijah!" anytime he does something funny and, "That's delicious!" when he eats something he likes.
Yesterday I went into my room. The boys were jumping from my bed into the pack-n-play and climbing out and doing it again. Not exactly behavior I would condone, but we are a little out of our normal way of life. I asked them what they were doing. Isaac put a hand on his hip and said, "Mommy, I'm playing with my best friend Ewijah." Man! How do you say no to that?
In other news, we will have our last two swimming lessons this week. The boys have done well with it. They don't know how to swim yet, but they are very comfortable in the water and are doing well. They can both float on their backs and stomaches (with help) and will try most everything the teacher suggests. Neither of them want to put their heads under water, but they don't panic if they do. At one point, we practiced dropping a ring on the ground and the kids had to reach under the water to retrieve the ring. As we got deeper and deeper, Elijah figured out a way to slide the ring up his leg and into his hand to avoid the head dippage. Way cute!
Potty training has been completed and finalized while we have been here with Isaac deciding he can now produce #1 and #2 on the potty. How wonderful that I have two little ones completely done just in time to start changing more diapers. I had heard boys were so hard, but I got really lucky with these guys. I think God knew that three in diapers was more than I was bargaining for. Isaac had been afraid of the #2 on the potty and was waiting until he had a diaper on for his nap or bedtime before going. (This got a wee bit frustrating as I knew, as soon as I put ont he diaper, he'd go and I'd have to change him.) I came up witha plan. He does not like pull-ups. (I have no idea why.) So I told him that he was a big boy and he had to either wear underwear or pull-ups to sleep in. No more diapers. He got very upset and said, "I'll go poop on the potty." He then sat down and went! Just like that. And he's basically gone ever since.
We laugh that he is making up for lost time now. He is going all the time. In fact, between the two boys and the potty, I feel like wearing diapers would be easier somedays. Between the time I met Jenny at the pool the other day at 11am and the time we left the BX at 1:30, we had visited public bathrooms NINE times. (Thank goodness Veronica was with me to break up the monotony a bit.) At one point, I had both boys going #2 in the bathroom in the BX at the same time. They were in stalls across from each other, and I stood in the middle holding their underwear and shorts (since they don't want to leave those on AT ALL while they go.) It was very crowded, and I couldn't lock their doors so I kept having to tell people, "Sorry! There's a little boy in there." At Chili's later that night, we took four separate visits. That's a lot of public restrooms. Especially considering I'm visiting them more frequently as of late as well.
Oh and speaking of public restrooms, Elijah likes me to "Move" when he is doing his business. (In contrast to Isaac who requests, but I do not acquiesce, me sitting on the floor right next to him.) But I have learned, with Elijah especially, not to step too far away in the future. He got down at the pool and locked himself into the stall. When he couldn't figure out how to open it, I got a brilliant idea. I would send Isaac under the stall to help him get out. When I told this to JB later he said, "Why wouldn't you just send Elijah out under the stall door?" Ha! I didn't even think of that! Not to mention that fact that sending Isaac under could have left me with both boys stuck in the bathroom. Thank goodness Elijah eventually figured out how to turn the latch back into an open position.
Overall, the boys have done incredibly well here in Germany. It's true that kids are more resilient than we adults. They talk about our home in Turkey. Whether they understand or not, I don't know, but they know that we'll go back after Abigail is born. In the car the other day Elijah said all-of-a-sudden, "Mommy, I miss Scrubsy." So do I! We are excited to get home in a few weeks. I'm excited for them to return to their "normal" life and for me to do the same!
***I've updated my books and movies watch in Germany page. Check out the new inclusions by clicking here. (Recently added items are in red.)And here is a fun video of the boys:
Showing posts with label potty training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potty training. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Blogger okay?
Thanks for sending this Patty. At least for now, it looks like I can blog without going "around" things. We'll see if this sticks: Lights back on for Blogger
In other news, I took a few videos of the boys yesterday. One really gave me a giggle. Elijah got a ringpop for doing #2 in the potty. You can see that Isaac has found a way to convince Elijah that this ringpop would be a great thing for little brother to share with big brother: Try Again Ewijah.
Potty training is going well. Isaac is now PERFECTLY #1 trained. However, he is having major #2 issues. We've had to start him on a mild laxative to try to help him. He doesn't want to go in a diaper or on the toilet and is totally holding it in and complaining that hi belly hurts. So we talked to Linda and she and JB thought this was a good course of action. That's the one we are on!
Elijah is doing much better in the #2 department. Not afraid of that at all. When we are home, #1 is nearly perfect, but if we are out or he is playing, he gets distracted and forgets.
Man, I promised myself I'd never get into "potty talk" on this blog. Sorry!
Oh and here's another video, a longer one. You'll hear talk of a bulldozer at the end of this video. JB plays this game with the boys (that he inherited from HIS father) where he lays down and rolls over them like a bulldozer and they have to try to leap over the bulldozer. Any talk of these trucks gets them excited for Daddy to play it. (They tried to talk me into playing it -- not going to happen with my belly right now.) As soon as JB walked in after this video, he had to get on the floor and play: Bulldozer.
In other news, I took a few videos of the boys yesterday. One really gave me a giggle. Elijah got a ringpop for doing #2 in the potty. You can see that Isaac has found a way to convince Elijah that this ringpop would be a great thing for little brother to share with big brother: Try Again Ewijah.
Potty training is going well. Isaac is now PERFECTLY #1 trained. However, he is having major #2 issues. We've had to start him on a mild laxative to try to help him. He doesn't want to go in a diaper or on the toilet and is totally holding it in and complaining that hi belly hurts. So we talked to Linda and she and JB thought this was a good course of action. That's the one we are on!
Elijah is doing much better in the #2 department. Not afraid of that at all. When we are home, #1 is nearly perfect, but if we are out or he is playing, he gets distracted and forgets.
Man, I promised myself I'd never get into "potty talk" on this blog. Sorry!
Oh and here's another video, a longer one. You'll hear talk of a bulldozer at the end of this video. JB plays this game with the boys (that he inherited from HIS father) where he lays down and rolls over them like a bulldozer and they have to try to leap over the bulldozer. Any talk of these trucks gets them excited for Daddy to play it. (They tried to talk me into playing it -- not going to happen with my belly right now.) As soon as JB walked in after this video, he had to get on the floor and play: Bulldozer.
Want even more?
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Completely Random
This post will be a moment (or a few moments) in my mind. Hang on, it could be a bumpy ride.
Rainy Day Activities: When it is raining, keeping the kids from tearing their own, their brothers, or their mother's hair out is quite the challenge. When kids are two, activities last, according to my scientific data (that I did myself) about eight minutes. Example: I took a video of the boys playing puzzles. It's long and maybe not of interest to a lot of people, but here it is anyways: Puzzle Time. In the end it lasts a grand total of four minutes. At this point it is time to clean it all up and find something new.
Because of Isaac: Friends, I continue to be amazed at the money coming in from this organization. JB and I keep thinking that "this will be the week" that things slow down. But as of today, we have over $9,000! This is in under 3 months. If we were to stay on this track, it will be under one year for the $25,000 to come in for Grant and Elizabeth. Please visit http://www.becauseofisaac.org/ for an updated total or add us on your Facebook page. We understand not everyone is in a position to give, but please remember that small donations add up and you sharing this website with your friends is our biggest form of advertisement.
Potty training: Is going, well, I don't believe in jinxes but I am still afraid of doing such ... but it is going really well. Elijah has been nearly perfect for two days in a row with potty. Isaac has been perfect with potty for many days now. The #2 continues to be a challenge. Sometimes we get it in the potty, sometimes we get it in the pants. Cleaning up poopy underwear has nearly confirmed for me that I am just not cut out for cloth diapers. I really hate poop! Just don't like it. Especially when you are trying to take off a pair of underwear filled with the stuff from a squiggly little boy who doesn't understand the idea of "go slow" or "don't kick your legs." Other issues that are a bit exhausting with potty training include:
Anxiety: I have felt a bit of my old and not-so-good friend, anxiety, creeping back in. I'll be writing more about this later, but I would appreciate your prayers regarding this. The anxiety is random. It is worry about fairly obscure things that for many months have not bothered me. For instance, I worry about Scrubs barking at people when they come into the house (he takes a few minutes to warm up to strangers.) John reminds me that he is a "watch dog" and that he isn't supposed to like all new people. I know that, but I wonder what people will think of me. What if Scrubs did something bad? (He has never come close to biting anyone.) And Scrubs is just the beginning. I will also find myself worrying whether I have upset someone. Did I hurt someone's feelings? Why did I say that? You know, that type of thing. If you are a new reader, I have written about my anxiety issues on the blog before and the counseling I did for this before we left for Turkey. But I am now, no longer medicated for this issue, and am dealing with this on my own with new hormones presenting themselves throughout my body. Your prayers for me as I work through this are much appreciated.
Pashminas: Don't forget to check out the sale at the top of the page. We've raised $140 for Because of Isaac through Pashmina sales and would love to keep this secondary source of fundraising continuing.
Egg allergy: Isaac had to get an Epipen shot on Tuesday evening for the second time ever. His face started swelling up and didn't respond to Benadryl. So the shot came out. It is horrible to listen to him cry when he gets this shot. It's even worse because he basically knew it was coming. Man, you can feel how our Heavenly Father must feel when he has to watch us going through pain while knowing that there is ultimate good in that pain. The thing is, we don't know what caused the swelling. From what we could tell, he hadn't had any eggs or egg products. It's the first time he has had a major "issue" since JB's graduation back in the summer. Overall he had been handling egg products very well -- eating brownies and waffles and other things of the like. So we'll see how he continues to do. The Epipen definitely took care of the swelling but I didn't like how pale Isaac went (from the medicine) after we gave him the shot.
Coupons: I found out that I won the base contest with an overall savings of 17.2% on our monthly grocery bill. That's a lot!!! My "prize" was just a mug with some chocolate and I felt kind of strange accepting an award for domestic skills (of which I have none.) But it was fun nonetheless.
And lastly ... good friends:
It's wonderful when you meet people who love your kids and your kids love them in return. Here is a picture of Linda and Elijah after dinner last night. Linda was kind enough to read a book with Elijah that I had already read 12 times that day and needed a break from!
Rainy Day Activities: When it is raining, keeping the kids from tearing their own, their brothers, or their mother's hair out is quite the challenge. When kids are two, activities last, according to my scientific data (that I did myself) about eight minutes. Example: I took a video of the boys playing puzzles. It's long and maybe not of interest to a lot of people, but here it is anyways: Puzzle Time. In the end it lasts a grand total of four minutes. At this point it is time to clean it all up and find something new.
Because of Isaac: Friends, I continue to be amazed at the money coming in from this organization. JB and I keep thinking that "this will be the week" that things slow down. But as of today, we have over $9,000! This is in under 3 months. If we were to stay on this track, it will be under one year for the $25,000 to come in for Grant and Elizabeth. Please visit http://www.becauseofisaac.org/ for an updated total or add us on your Facebook page. We understand not everyone is in a position to give, but please remember that small donations add up and you sharing this website with your friends is our biggest form of advertisement.
Potty training: Is going, well, I don't believe in jinxes but I am still afraid of doing such ... but it is going really well. Elijah has been nearly perfect for two days in a row with potty. Isaac has been perfect with potty for many days now. The #2 continues to be a challenge. Sometimes we get it in the potty, sometimes we get it in the pants. Cleaning up poopy underwear has nearly confirmed for me that I am just not cut out for cloth diapers. I really hate poop! Just don't like it. Especially when you are trying to take off a pair of underwear filled with the stuff from a squiggly little boy who doesn't understand the idea of "go slow" or "don't kick your legs." Other issues that are a bit exhausting with potty training include:
- Removing underwear and pants about 42 times per day per child. This is for times when just a little pee-pee is coming and times when it is completely a false alarm. My back is sore from this!
- Little boys (especially Elijah) trying to put his finger in the stream of urine over and over again.
- Little boys (especially Elijah) desiring to empty the small potty himself. (Not good. Just not good.)
- Little boys (both of them this time) who like to unroll the entire roll of toilet paper when you walk away for a moment.
Anxiety: I have felt a bit of my old and not-so-good friend, anxiety, creeping back in. I'll be writing more about this later, but I would appreciate your prayers regarding this. The anxiety is random. It is worry about fairly obscure things that for many months have not bothered me. For instance, I worry about Scrubs barking at people when they come into the house (he takes a few minutes to warm up to strangers.) John reminds me that he is a "watch dog" and that he isn't supposed to like all new people. I know that, but I wonder what people will think of me. What if Scrubs did something bad? (He has never come close to biting anyone.) And Scrubs is just the beginning. I will also find myself worrying whether I have upset someone. Did I hurt someone's feelings? Why did I say that? You know, that type of thing. If you are a new reader, I have written about my anxiety issues on the blog before and the counseling I did for this before we left for Turkey. But I am now, no longer medicated for this issue, and am dealing with this on my own with new hormones presenting themselves throughout my body. Your prayers for me as I work through this are much appreciated.
Pashminas: Don't forget to check out the sale at the top of the page. We've raised $140 for Because of Isaac through Pashmina sales and would love to keep this secondary source of fundraising continuing.
Egg allergy: Isaac had to get an Epipen shot on Tuesday evening for the second time ever. His face started swelling up and didn't respond to Benadryl. So the shot came out. It is horrible to listen to him cry when he gets this shot. It's even worse because he basically knew it was coming. Man, you can feel how our Heavenly Father must feel when he has to watch us going through pain while knowing that there is ultimate good in that pain. The thing is, we don't know what caused the swelling. From what we could tell, he hadn't had any eggs or egg products. It's the first time he has had a major "issue" since JB's graduation back in the summer. Overall he had been handling egg products very well -- eating brownies and waffles and other things of the like. So we'll see how he continues to do. The Epipen definitely took care of the swelling but I didn't like how pale Isaac went (from the medicine) after we gave him the shot.
Coupons: I found out that I won the base contest with an overall savings of 17.2% on our monthly grocery bill. That's a lot!!! My "prize" was just a mug with some chocolate and I felt kind of strange accepting an award for domestic skills (of which I have none.) But it was fun nonetheless.
And lastly ... good friends:
It's wonderful when you meet people who love your kids and your kids love them in return. Here is a picture of Linda and Elijah after dinner last night. Linda was kind enough to read a book with Elijah that I had already read 12 times that day and needed a break from!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Potty Training
We aren't training exactly. We are just offering the option in exchange for M&M's whenever either boys wants. (We are actually going to change the ante to Dibs -- those little ice cream pieces per Isaac's request.)
I have one boy who thinks potty training is great fun. He's doing both in the potty on a regular basis. A few times a day usually.
Funny that that boy is Elijah?
Isaac on the other hand will just say, in response to me asking if he wants to go, "Ummm ... maybe not Mommy." And then he goes on about his day.
I think it just fits Isaac's personality. He likes to do things his way at his time. He is laid back and casual about most of life.
And I think it fits Elijah's personality as well. He's a free spirit. He's passionate but only for brief moments. For the most part, he just thinks all of life is about food and being silly.
I was pretty sure that if we could get Isaac trained, Elijah would do it simply because he likes to do everything Isaac does. Well that's what happened. Except Isaac thinks this is all way "beneath him" and Elijah thinks, "Hey -- I do this and I get food -- why not?"
So it looks like we are getting one trained. Go figure that it's the younger brother first!
I have one boy who thinks potty training is great fun. He's doing both in the potty on a regular basis. A few times a day usually.
Funny that that boy is Elijah?
Isaac on the other hand will just say, in response to me asking if he wants to go, "Ummm ... maybe not Mommy." And then he goes on about his day.
I think it just fits Isaac's personality. He likes to do things his way at his time. He is laid back and casual about most of life.
And I think it fits Elijah's personality as well. He's a free spirit. He's passionate but only for brief moments. For the most part, he just thinks all of life is about food and being silly.
I was pretty sure that if we could get Isaac trained, Elijah would do it simply because he likes to do everything Isaac does. Well that's what happened. Except Isaac thinks this is all way "beneath him" and Elijah thinks, "Hey -- I do this and I get food -- why not?"
So it looks like we are getting one trained. Go figure that it's the younger brother first!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
"Twin" boys
I was hoping potty time in our house might be done as if the boys were twins. So far, that's what it looks like! Exciting times folks!Following his brother
My hope was that as Eiljah saw Isaac get num-n-nums (M&Ms) for going potty, he'd want to do it too. They have both now got the concept that anytime they sit on the potty and go in it, they get some of these delectable goodies. Not sure how long this will take to come to complete reality, but we are excited nonetheless by moving forward. Here's the success video for ELijah: YAY ELIJAH!
Friday, January 14, 2011
M&Ms
Big news in our house last night. Randomly, Isaac asked to use the potty! And here was the result. With stork-nesting in Germany for two months, when and how to potty train is a concern for us. We've decided to let God work it out and lead us day by day. We are currently spending $4 a day on diapers. (That's $120 a month.) A new baby would add two more dollars ($180 a month.) Yes, I'm considering cloth but JB is "not a fan of stool." ;) We've love to be doing less diapers by July but also trusting God to make it clear. Maybe this was step 1?
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