World's slowest bike ride

G says he can't pull up his undies.  He cries and demands help and refuses to try to do it himself.  Then he wants a toy that is downstairs so he pulls up his undies and goes.  Can anyone say, stubborn?!  Also his teachers at school say he performs the task at school without issue, so clearly he "can".

3/31 starts the three days of torture. Tantrums, zipping across the room and up the walls.  Non stop and so contrary.  In fact when we took a family bike ride, he rode slower than I thought was possible.  I thought I was going to tip over!  We kept asking him to speed up a little, but I think that only encouraged him to ride slower.  

Adam seems to like the baby seat, but he spent most of the time chewing the straps.  Ethan likes to stand up and pedal like Dad and take both feet off the pedals to do tricks.  Nice.  He even rides on Ian's ramp with his training wheels which have a total of 1" of clearance.  I can see wheelies are in his future....but first the training wheels must come off.

Adam is now talking with us.  He makes some noises, we mimic back and he continues on with this conversation .  He loves it and giggles.  He's just so chill I can't believe it sometimes.  His naps are so bad lately because he's been sick with a stuffy nose.  He can't sleep well because he sucks his thumb to sleep and can't do that when his nose is plugged.  It's been a hard couple of days.  Thursday he seemed better, but I can't believe a little runny nose was so agonizing for him.  He took one nap and only one nap on Wednesday.  

I forgot what pears do to a baby.  Boy oh boy luckily we were at home when the explosion happened.  He loves the pears though. G even asked to have some pears and ate them.  I was hoping he would want to try some green beans or peas too.  Yeah right.

Thursday night Adam rolled over at 2am and cried to be put back on his back.  I hope this is not going to be a habit.  But I guess I should encourage the movement since he's kind of a lump right now.

He sits, he drools

Today G cracked me up...he counted the dog for barking.  We have been counting him for a few weeks and I really think it has helped stop his bad behavior more effectively than just putting him in timeout after timeout.  I also feel empowered when I am at home or near the car to stop his behaviors and follow through with a timeout in his room or in the car.  I think we were being inconsistent by "picking our battles".  I think having consistency is really helping G.

Adam is sitting up really solid now.  I'll leave him sitting up now when I have to leave the room for a few a minute (like when I go help G to the bathroom).  He is always surrounded by pillows because after a little fussing to tell me he's done, he just tips over.  Then I come back to find him tipped over and still playing on his side.

He's also started to mouth toys a lot.  He is drooling too, so teeth must be on the way.  I was looking at G's baby book and his first teeth popped out at 5 months.  At 7.5 months Adam is still toothless.  I think this is indicative of things to come.  I think Adam will be slower to do things than his big brother. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that he is just so laid back.  He's pretty happy with just sitting there and watching his big brother zoom across the room.

Adam loves Oskar.  I remember G loving Oskar too, but poor Oskar is not amused with the grabby hands.  Adam laughs and smiles when Oskar comes near him.  He reaches out to pet him on the back, but occasionally he grabs a hold of his beard and poor Oskar cries.  The scary thing is Adam is drawn to Oskar's stubby little tail and is constantly trying to get it.  Unfortunately it's located close to a danger zone, his butt, so I'm constantly scooting the dog away.

Bike hunt

Saturday we spent some time at the Watt's again.  They have a bunch of projects for their yard that Dave is helping them out with. Today it was rebuilding a brick walkway.  Ian, Tyler, and G spent the day riding bikes, wreaking havoc inside, playing in the sandbox, and eating popsicles.  He was go go go all day long and was toast by 5pm.  Adam managed to get a nap in while being carried in the Ergo.  He got a lot of attention from Tyler and because of that some attention from G.  Whenever Tyler asks to hold Adam (which is evey 10 seconds), G asks to hold him too.  Luckily Adam is really tolerant of being passed around.

Sunday we went to three bike shops shopping for a bike for me.  I am looking for something cheap, but solid to put a baby seat on so that I can take rides with the boys.  Apparently that's a tall order because I couldn't find anything under $300.  And fyi bike stores aren't that interested in helping you if you walk in asking for the cheapest thing in the store. 

We also went hunting for a new helmet for G, but came home empty handed.  Adam is going to inherit G's infant helmet and G is going to graduate to a big kid helment.  So all in all, our shopping trip was not very successful.  We'll be repeating this next weekend I'm sure.

Veggies and the Gang

Dad was home again sick so I was able to leave Adam at home asleep while I took G to preschool and picked him up.  Adam has some kind of weird nap schedule where he wants to sleep at exactly the time I need to leave the house so most of the time he gets crappy car naps.  Well Wednesday he took an hour and half nap in the morning and a couple hours in the early afternoon.

When I picked up G from preschool the plan was to go out for frozen yogurt to celebrate his potty progress.  We haven't been out that much since we started potty training.  Since Adam was alseep (again) we had to go home and pick up Dad and Adam then head out for yogurt.  However, his teacher told me he hadn't used the potty at school today so we tried to use the potty at home before leaving.  In the time it took to get home and pee, G decided he didn't want to go to frozen yogurt!  He said he wanted to skip it.  I couldn't convince my nearly three year old to go out for, well let's face it, ICE CREAM!  Unbelieveable.  I was sad, but he wanted to go plant all our veggies in the garden so that took my mind off frozen yogurt for a while.  It was really really hot though and G quit helping after a few minutes to go inside and fly the simulator with Dad on the couch.  So I was stuck outside working in the middle of the hot day finishing a project G made me start without any hope for frozen yogurt.  On the bright side, our strawberries, green beans, bell peppers, red onions, walla walla onions, garlic, tomatoes, and zucchini are now planted.  Maybe it's a bit much, but I'll reassess at the end of the season and make a new plan for next year on what worked and what did not.

Thursday Adam slept for over two hours in the morning so we were really late for playgroup, but luckily his buds Connor, Kaitlyn, and Isaac were still around when we got there.  They were all on trikes and looked like a little half asian gang patrolling the park.  I wish I had taken a picture, but I'm sure I'll have a chance in the coming weeks.  

Poop for Cars

Monday I sent G off to preschool in his undies.  A big day for sure!  I was worried about how he would react if he had an accident at school.  I thought it might set back our progress and he would refuse to wear undies.  However he came home dry and even peed at school!  Hooray!

Tuesday Dad stayed home because he was sick with some stomach flu/bug.  It was a good thing because he got to help out with getting G to poop.  It was a traumatic/difficult day since G had been avoiding pooping since Sunday night.  He's pretty darn regular, so I knew he had to be uncomfortable.  He cried a few times declaring he had to poop, but demanded Dad go with him.  We tried everything to get him to poop, but it took a bribe to get him to stop crying and try to poop on the potty.  He earned himself some Skittles AND a Lightening McQueen die cast car.  Ugh

Later that day he pooped again.  I think he wasn't really done earlier, but didn't want to try to poop anymore.  At any rate bribery continued and he got a Doc Hudson die cast car.  It was supposed to be a Mater car, but I couldn't find it at the store so he had to settle for what I could find. Now I'm on the hunt for die cast Cars characters.  Potty training is going to get expensive!

Potty break through

Sunday we made a big change.  We moved the video monitor from G's room to Adam's room.  G doesn't take naps anymore, which was when he did the most destruction. And Adam often sits up in his crib awake and quiet...for how long I have no idea. It's funny how different they are.  When G was awake he let everyone know it by screaming his head off.  Adam sits there and sucks his thumb for a while before making a peep.  

In the afternoon, G and Dave (and the potty) went over to the Watt's to help them with some yard projects.  Adam and I stayed behind for naps and grocery shopping.  Then they came home in late afternoon (dry!) with the Watts for a bbq.  Kaitlyn and family also came over to make it a foursome of kids under 5 running wild in our yard.  They ran around screaming, doing puzzles, and finally all sat down to eat for a few minutes before adjorning under the table to bark like dogs.

G had one accident before dinner while they were playing outside.  He probably just got distracted or didn't want to stop playing to pee.  He was quite upset about it and wanted to be put back in diapers.  We managed to get him back in undies and off to play some more beore dinner.  Then during dinner he asked to use the potty and was successful in his mission.  However it soon became obvious he needed to poop but was holding it.  He cried and asked for a diaper, but when we finally tried to put a diaper on the potty for him to sit on, he was so upset he didn't want to have anything to do with it.  He just ran around naked in his room throwing a fit.  Finally he got ready for a bath and cried out in desparation for Dave to take him back to the toliet.  He successfully had a bowel movement on the toliet.  It was even the regular toilet!  He felt much better afterward and I'm sure he will sleep better tonight. I know I will.  

Tomorrow is a big day.  Underwear to preschool!  Yay he's growing up so fast. 

And just to show Adam is still alive and kicking...here is his reaction to avocado. A strong negative one...

Potty training in full gear

G has been bugging me the last few days to wear underwear.  He's been doing pretty well on the potty with diapers, but I wanted to wait until Dave had a long weekend to start potty training.  However I didn't want to wait too long that stopped asking to wear undies, so we went for it.  Friday afternoon after his quiet time he went into Lightning McQueen undies!

He was really excited to be wearing them and wanted to keep them clean so he was sitting on his little potty frequently.  He had an accident free afternoon and peed on the potty before bed and when he woke up. He was happy to get into a pair of Mater undies the next morning.

We started off big Saturday morning with a bike ride to the store.  That's about 2 miles round trip!  G and Dave rode there, tried to use the potty at the store and came home.  Then we made funnel cakes which in hind sight wasn't a smart move at 11:30.  Because who would want to eat lunch after loading up on funnel cakes?

To celebrate G's success so far, we went out for yogurt in the afternoon.  Also it gave us a chance to have a day full of snacks instead of actual meals!  Actual food is highly overrated.  After yogurt we ran a quick errand and went home for an accident free day.  

However G's bowel movements are pretty regular so I was worried all day about having a poop accident.  I think he was holding it and waiting for the diaper at night instead of using the toilet. And I was right because the next morning I found him with a dirty diaper.  I was a little worried this was going to be a habit.

Potty meet G, G meet potty.

G has been using the potty everday this week.  A couple of days this week he used it at least three times in one day!  He hasn't pooped again since that first day, but is eager to wear underwear.  I've been steering him away from underwear because when we start that I'm not going back to diapers again.  We'll be homebound for a week (except preschool).  He still doesn't tell me he needs to pee when he's wearing diapers.  However if they are off, he will sit on the potty every now and then declaring he feels like he needs to go potty.

We are still having trouble getting him to agree to try to use the potty.  I've been trying to get a routine going to use it in the morning and before bed as well as during the day.  He's always been resistant to change from his PJs to his clothes, so it's no surprise he doesn't want to use it in the morning.  

First outing with the boys

I wasn't feeling all that great so Dave took the boys to the hobby store all alone. It was his first outing with both boys. By the time he got there both had fallen asleep and he sat in the car for 30 minutes waiting for them to wake up. Then he took the cranky baby and wild child to the hobby store filled with breakables.  They came back empty handed - a miracle!

Crazy preschool registration

So two schools I really want to get Ethan in have wacky registration processes.  One is a lottery and the other goes off of a waitlist calling people and waiting to hear back from them.  Since I wasn't sure I'd get into either, I went to register at another school this morning.  Allison went at 5:30 and I arrived just after 6am, she was #5 and I was #11 for registration that didn't start until 8:30!  

I was really conflicted...I didn't want to pay a registration fee for a program I wasn't going to attend (especially after shelling out all that dough for Oskar's surgery....goodbye patio furniture!), so I called the waitlist school.  She told me I would get a spot for Ethan, but that it would probably be an afternoon slot.  I was good with that since I was probably going to get an afternoon spot at the place I was currently in line for.  So before the registration began I left knowing I had secured a spot for him at the waitlist school.  Now I just have to decide if I want to try for the lottery or not.  I'm not sure what that school is like, but we tour on Tuesday. All I can say is this boy better potty train soon or he won't be able to go to ANY preschool in the fall!

In other news Dave and I read 1-2-3 Magic and are now implementing that for Ethan.  We have been having lots of difficultly with tantrums, whining, disobeying, refusing to listen, etc.  He is willing (and almost seems eager) to making everything a battle....changing diapers, getting dressed, eating, sleeping, getting the car, getting out of the car, you name it! I feel empowered having a plan of attack and so far so good.  Today is day 2 and I there were a couple of times I didn't have to get to 3.  However like most things with G, it works for a while then he figures out what's going on and it stops working.  I hope that this won't be the case. 

In other news Oskar is seriously depressed when he wears his cone.  He's like a little statue.  He doesn't move once it's on. I have to carry him everywhere I want him to go....very annoying!  However he won't stop attacking his leg where the I.V. was.  He's still enjoying his bland diet and seems to be recovering well.  He gets his staples removed next Thursday.

Adam has started to blow raspberries all the time now.  Sadly he started this when G was eating dinner and of course G had to show that he could do it too, even though he had a mouth full of food. Yuck!  Adam is very into his toys and loves grabbing for the keyboard, my cell phone, and any other object that could get him in trouble. He also loves Sophie his squeaky toy.  He loves to torment Oskar with it because the squeaking drives him crazy. He wants to take it from Adam but he knows he can't.  Best of all, he loves watching his brother. G likes to show Adam how all his toys work like the ring stacker, shape sorter, etc.  He also likes to take Adam's hand and help him stack the rings, etc.

Potty progress...for one day

Lately we have been spending A LOT of time weeding and pruning in the yard. G seems entertained by it so that's good since it needs to get done. The other day I found a huge weed and I said, "Wow this is the biggest weed I've ever seen." Ever since then, when he spots a weed he says, "Wow that's the biggest weed I've ever seen".

The best thing that happened was he agreed to go outside naked to pee in the grass like the dog. However while I was weeding he would make trips to sit on his little potty. Eventually he peed and pooped on his little potty in just over an hour! I felt so victorious and hopeful his diaper days were numbered! Sadly the next day he was not so willing to sit on the little potty so we didn't make any more progress.

Here is the world's most boring video, unless of course you are G's Grandparents. They are the only ones that would love to see him mastering the use of a track pad and using the computer all by himself!



Here is a video of Adam playing with Sophie. Oskar is right there watching and waiting to get his paws on Sophie. I'm not sure if Adam is laughing because Oskar is giving him such a reaction, or if it's just the squeaking. Nevertheless, it's pretty entertaining.

Migraine and food

I had a horrible migraine this afternoon and was ready to just curl up in a ball and let G take over the house and go bonkers.  Instead he closed the shutters for me and brought me a pillow and blanket.  Then he went and got his pillow and blankie to lay down next to Adam and I.  

He was very concerned and patient with me, but when I tried to get up and get him milk from the fridge I thought my head was going to explode.  I assumed the fetal position and blindly reached for my phone.  I called Dave and told him he had to come home. I couldn't even get downstairs to turn on the t.v. for G.

Adam is still a huge fan of food.  He has had rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and banana.  I think sweet potatoes are his favorite so far.  I have butternut squash and avocado waiting in the queue. He's not really into water though.  Sadly I don't have any new pictures of him eating because I haven't figured out how to feed him and snap a picture at the same time.  Perhaps this weekend I'll get Dave to help with that.  

Adam is Mr. Grabbypants.  He grabs everything in site.  He slaps his hands into my food, so it's probably time I don't eat with him in my lap anymore. I can just see him catapolting my plate through the air or slapping his hand in some hot food.  He's already slapped a plate full of spaghetti.  Then after loading his hand up with sauce he whips it around in the air like he's conducting an orchesta to really make a mess.

Rough Times for Poor Oskar

We still haven't figured out why Oskar didn't want to eat his food. After a new bag of food, trips to the vet for bloodwork and an exam, we are out over $200 with no answers. Unfortunately things only got worse for poor Oskar as the week goes on. Thursday G had a particularly bad morning and threw MY bowl of oatmeal off the table. The bowl fell and broke. Before I could get all the kids and dog away to clean it up, Oskar gobbled down some of the oatmeal and bowl pieces. I didn't know this, until later that evening when he threw up blood and a quarter sized piece of bowl came out. 

I rushed him to the Emergency Vet and they checked his vitals and got an xray. There were questionable items on the xray, but nothing definite. The doc recommended exploratory surgery because if something is lodged in his intestine then he could have a tear and leak fluid which can be deadly. He said we could wait but there is no way to know if something does tear so we really had no choice but to do the surgery. Oskar showed no signs of discomfort after eating the bowl. He barked, chased, and played like he normally does everyday. I probably would have never known if it weren't for him vomiting blood.I was so sad because I felt like it was my fault for not taking care of things fast enough or in the right order. Most likely the kids would have stayed away and I should have removed Oskar first. Anyway $2410 later they removed 4 fragments of the bowl in his colon and stapled him up. He came back home with an uncontrollable bowel movements (that was a fun 24 hours!) and more vomiting! He's on five medications: antibiotics, pain, anti-vomiting, more pain, and acid control.
The first day he had to be constantly let out and then confined or he would just stand there looking pitiful. Of course there was butt wiping throughout the day as well. He's a stinky little dog right now, but can't have a bath until his staples are out in two weeks. I might have to douse him with perfume or something.

Saturday and Sunday I stayed home with him pretty much all day and by Monday he seems to be back to his old self minus the ability to leap retaining walls in a single bound and hike a leg to the sky to pee. He's barking at the construction workers, the door bell, and small furry intruders in the backyard. I'm just waiting for him to play with his squeaky toys before I call him recovered.