Potty training 101.

Well, I finally bit the bullet and did it. I kind of had no choice. Sam had made our whole lives miserable with his constant asking to be changed, telling us he wanted to go on the toilet only to sit there and not go, demanding a diaper, throwing fits when he went because he had to be changed RIGHT THAT SECOND, and so on. In other words, he was beyond ready. I told him his diapers were almost gone and he would have to start wearing underwear soon. 

I was scared for the process. As a first time mom and a researcher at heart, I naturally had read a lot to prepare myself. It was a bit of a mistake (though I'd probably still do it if I went back) because HOLY information overload!! Everything contradicts and everyone is sure their way is right. Here is what I learned after my extensive research:

Wait until they're ready. 

No, just pick a time and do it. You could think they're ready but you might be wrong.

Accidents are good, but too many mean they aren't ready. Actually, accidents mean they are learning.

Put them in underwear. 

No, just leave them naked.

Pull ups are from Satan.

Take them to the toilet every 30 minutes, no ever hour, no every two hours. 

Don't pester them, just gently remind them. No, don't even remind them just let them have accidents it's how they learn, NO remind them, but only for the first few days. NO, "remind" them just by asking if they're dry. But not too often. 

Get a toddler sized potty. No, those are gross, just get them used to the big toilet right away. But those are super intimidating, maybe get a little potty. 

Do nights at the same time. No, just do diapers at night at first. 

Really, just wait until they're at least 3. No, don't wait or they'll have physical and psychological hang ups. 

It's easier to train them when they're younger. No, it's easier to train them when they're older. 

Any bumps in the road means they aren't ready so just try again in a few months. No dont give up, be consistent and persistent, they'll get it. 

And there you have it. Hours worth of research right at your fingertips. You're welcome. Is your head exploding? Mine was. 

We are a week in. He's got #1 down. #2... Not so much. I don't even really know what we did. We decided no more diapers no matter what except at night. It really only took a couple of days to get the peeing thing down. Hopefully the big duece will follow and we'll be done. 

Really though, my advice 

(Because you know, there's a real shortage of advice on this subject. Also, I'm a real expert. My kid has peed on the toilet for like 4 days in a row so you should really listen to me) 

is to just pick what makes sense to you and what you think will work for your kid and go for it. Don't over think it. They'll get it eventually.

Or they'll just be like Sam and stand in front of the toilet and poop on the floor. Forever. 

But he does look pretty cute in undies. 

I suck at blogging.

I had good intentions when I started this back up, honestly I did. But it's been like a month and the crickets are chirping over here. Sorry. 

Since I've last posted, Luke has become mobile, eats like a horse, and started sleeping through the night. Boom. Mama likes. Sam has learned how to swing a hockey stick and plays pass with Mike, consistently eats his food with a fork (I thought he'd shovel stuff in with his hands in kindergarten), and says his abc's when he feels like it. 

I've joined a few women's groups at church and am loving the feeling of being more involved in it, something I always said I would do but never actually have. Done and done. 

We attempted potty training Sam. It was a fail. I'm lazy about it. We decided to give it another go when the frigid weather goes away. I'm not really sure why warm weather will help with potty training but I'm going with it. 

I'm planning a baby shower for my sweet cousin/long time BFF from a different state. It's kind of hard and I'm feeling what I like to call "Pinterest pressure" about it. My own taste is simple and understated, but I'm just as prone to "ooo and ahhh" over all the awesome Pinterest-y type stuff as the next girl. Must everyone be so creative? You're making me look bad :/ 

Our new dairy/house plans are still delicately on hold. Mike and I had such a wonderful talk about it. It's fully in Gods hands. His hands are more capable than ours, and no one on this earth, even the most difficult people, can stand in His way. Feels good to quit biting my nails over it wondering if we'll ever get where we want to be. We are relinquishing the control that we never really had in the first place. 

That's it for now. My next post is going to be thoughtful and fun and not a "catch up" type post at all. Promise. 

Life lately

2013 has come and gone, and 2014 has taken off. Having kids really makes the time go by so much faster, I cannot believe the Christmas season escaped me so quickly. 

My Christmas was nice, except some bad news from an old friend. A girl I have been friends with since high school lost her four month old baby boy, Grant, on December 16. He died during a fairly routine surgery - it was a huge shock to everyone from the parents to the doctors to distant friends. He had a condition that caused the sutures in his skull to close prematurely, not allowing room for his brain to grow. It was caught early, which was said to be a great thing because they could correct it with a surgery at a mere four months old, which despite being so young, was the optimal time. My friend and her husband were anxious, of course, but were given every reason to believe all would work out well. The surgeon, a top neurosurgeon in southern California, had performed over 400 of these surgeries and had never seen a death from it. Everything started great. Two hours in they were told Grant was stable and the riskiest part of the surgery was done. Right as they were about to close him up, baby Grant began bleeding. Despite the surgeons best efforts, the simply couldn't stop it. He went into cardiac arrest from massive blood lost and died right there on the operating table. 

My heart is so heavy for my friend. Despite being as crushed as I can only imagine, she is fortunate to have such a strong faith in Jesus that she was able to stand at her own baby's memorial service and say, "blessed be the name of The Lord." She is clinging tightly to His promises. 

This is her with Grant just before the surgery: 

Doesn't the picture just break your heart? There is nothing like a mothers love. Being a mom myself and having a baby just a few months older, it physically hurts me to think about. Please keep Rob and Cindy in your prayers.

Hearing this news changed all my Christmas plans. In a flurry of quick decisions I decided to hop on a plane a few days earlier than expected so I could make it to the baby's memorial service. I simply couldn't miss it. I flew out early with Luke, and Mike and Sam flew out the Monday before Christmas as preciously planned. Three days is so long  to not see my Sam! I missed him so. Monday was a sweet reunion! 

The next few days were a blur of family, food, gifts, and plane rides. In some ways I dislike traveling over the holidays. It makes me wish I lived close by everyone so we wouldn't have to deal with the stress of travel. But ultimately I am so very blessed. We spent our Christmas surrounded by our families. We are healthy. And I am more certain than ever that we live where we do because God wants us to be there. So if that means we have to travel to spend holidays with our family, then so be it. I'll do it with a smile. 

I'm a New Years Resolution type of a person, so I've thought of some goals for 2014. My goals kind of center around the idea of stepping out of my comfort zone more. As a stay at home mom, it's tempting to keep ourselves in our bubble. I want to get out, help others, say yes, figure out a way. Even if I'm nervous about it. 

Annnnd there's Luke waking up. So here is a few latest pictures. Happy 2014 to you and yours!