FPOD_2012JAN14

What's the Favorite Part of your Day?

JANUARY 14, 2012

YAY! Sydney decided to play along tonight and did NOT tell us that installing the babygate was the favorite part of his day!

DADDY: Watching Sydney give Silas a zerbert while Mommy was changing Silas' diaper; then, listening to Silas giggle.

MOMMY: Playing outside in the snow with Sydney; I haven't had a snowball fight or gone sledding in a long, long time and it was really fun!

SYDNEY: Rolling down the hill (like a log). "That was CRAZY!"

Wan go downstairs, wan tep-tool, make coffee for daddy

"Mommy!"

(pause)

Hear little cough.

"Mommy!"

Poke Mike. "You get him; he likes to snuggle in our bed in the morning." Daddy rolls out of bed and ventures into the hallway.

Hear the babygate open.

Hear little footsteps.

Waiting, with eyes closed, for my little man to announce his arrival.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Hear rustling sound.

Hear loud footsteps coming closer.

"Where is he?" Mike asks.

I point down.

"Downstairs?"

"Under the bed." I whisper.

Daddy climbs back into bed.

Mommy hears Silas talking.

"Aren't you going to get him?" I ask.

"Get who?"

"Silas."

"No, that's Sydney talking." Pause. "Isn't it?"

Silas announces his wakening again.

Daddy gets up from bed and retrieves one incredibly happy baby boy.

"Silas, it sure is nice of YOU to snuggle in bed with us!" I announce loud enough for it to be heard under the bed.

Sydney shoots out like a rocket.

"You want to snuggle in bed with all of us?" Daddy asks.

"No. Wan(t) to go downstairs and make coffee for Daddy." Sydney states. "Wan(t) go downstairs? Wan(t) go downstairs now, daddy?"

Daddy starts getting dressed.

"Wan(t) my (s)tep-(s)tool to make coffee for Daddy. Yeah, dat'd be (a) good idea."

Daddy clarifies "You want to go downstairs and you want your step-stool to go make coffee for Daddy?"

"Yeah, dat'd be good idea."

"That WOULD be a good idea!" Daddy proclaims.

Mommy smiles. Warm fuzzy feeling takes over entire body. Heart melts into a puddle.

Play by Mommy's Rules

I have been at wit's end the past week or two... with potty accidents! Just about the time we finally get the recliner or couch cushion dried out, Sydney pees on it again! Grrrr!

He had been potty-trained near-perfectly from September 6th through early December and then, all of a sudden... ACCIDENTS GALORE! And some, I would say, don't seem to be overly accidental at all!

Potty in the booster seat during meals.

Potty during time-outs.

Potty while watching tv in the recliner.

Potty while crawling under mommy & daddy's bed in an attempt to avoid bedtime.

Immediate announcements of "Time to get carpet cleaner out!" and "Uh-oh, daddy will be angry! Better give him hug and kiss. Then, be ALL BETTER!" feel suspiciously non-accidental.

Went back to charting happy faces on the fridge and saw immediate improvement. Started using markers ONLY for poop incentive. Tried to remain as positive as possible while growing more and more frustrated.

Started drawing little-to-no-attention to accidents on furniture. That helped for a day. Then, right back at it again!

Finally, talked to a mom from Mommies Night Out... who has 2 boys (and a girl)... who are all potty-trained. Needed insight.

Turns out, I am too nice. Turns out, it was a case of deja vu... as if the naughty puppy was taking advantage of me all over again! MNO-mom said that he IS capable of not having accidents, which he demonstrated for MONTHS! She said "it is a control-thing!" and suggests to people to potty-train early or WAIT until they turn three because this age (that Sydney is at) is TERRIBLE! They play tricks and games, they want to be in control and they make you jump through hoops. They are SO CRAFTY!

She suggests plastic pants; assured me that he will HATE to sit in them when they are wet, but that I will not have nearly the mess to clean up! Also, suggested that if he goes potty in his pants, he has to be punished - with time-out while mommy cleans the mess and start taking things away (like letting him sit in daddy's recliner if he keeps peeing in it), television-watching privileges or favorite toy(s). Continue to encourage good behavior and offer praise. Continue to force him to try to go - despite his protest that he does not want to; set a timer to re-train us to do it regularly, trying to avoid accidents.

And so... TODAY, I spelled out the rules. I informed Sydney that he is a BIG BOY and that we are ALL DONE going potty in our pants! Told him that if he goes potty in his big boy pants, I will start by taking his school bus and passengers away; next to go is his tractor and all farm animals. (Hmm, that caught his attention!) Told him that if he had ALL HAPPY FACES today, that we can watch Ratatouille. (He liked that idea!)

During the day, most of our happy faces were because mommy pressed the issue. However, he went poop/potty on command when he decided that he wanted to play with PlayDoh now.

I am hoping that we're done with accidents! If not, we really WILL be buying plastic pants!

fpod_2012JAN13

What's the Favorite Part of your Day?

JANUARY 13, 2012

Sydney did not want to play Favorite Part of Your Day today.

DADDY: Eating popcorn together.

MOMMY: Snuggling together on the couch to watch Ratatouille.

FPOD_2012JAN12

What's the Favorite Part of your Day?

JANUARY 12, 2012

Sydney informed us AGAIN TONIGHT that building that babygate with Daddy was the favorite part of his day.

DADDY: Our supper tonight. (Daddy cooked delicious, juicy pork chops tonight!)

MOMMY: Prior to bedtime, my FPOD was taking a picture of the little boys watching out the stairway window as Daddy used the new snow thrower to blow snow. HOWEVER, at bedtime, my FPOD changed to bedtime itself – when Silas and Sydney were busy smiling/giggling at each other and hugging while Silas took turns pulling Sydney's hair for fun, and where Sydney giggled and encouraged him to do it again. (I know that THIS will NOT last forever; enjoy it while it lasts!)

SYDNEY: Watching Disney's Ratatouille (from the library) and later reading some of the Ratatouille books that we got for Christmas gifts from Nana & Papa Olson. (NOTE: We have not finished the movie; we had to turn it off after going potty in Daddy's recliner.)

FPOD_2012JAN11

What's the Favorite Part of your Day?

JANUARY 11, 2012

Sydney informed me AGAIN TONIGHT that building that babygate with Daddy (from long, long ago) was the favorite part of his day. Perhaps, being 2.5 years old, he doesn't understand that we meant "your day- TODAY!" He does tend to have a "who's on first" routine about him... especially when we say "Tell Papa what movie we watched today" and he announces "Papa, what movie we watched today." (Ha, Ha, Ha; HILARIOUS. Yeah, not-so-much.)

DADDY: When I was outside grilling our steaks and Sydney came out to watch me grill.

MOMMY: Drawing on the driveway with chalk while wearing NO JACKETS, HATS OR GLOVES. No wind. Sunshine. 53°F. 'Twas lovely! (Also, having NO ACCIDENTS TODAY!)

SYDNEY: Reading a new library book (multiple times with each parent) "Minnie's Diner: A Multiplying Menu" by Dayle Ann Dodds. (It was SUPER-DOOPER CUTE!)

HIGHLIGHTS: We got to watch the garbage truck. Teacher Patty came today. She left her toy dog (which we named BINGO) at our house for Sydney to take care of until her next visit. Teacher Patty showed Silas how to pull the string (with a toy attached) as well as encouraged him to cruise along the furniture to get a desired object. Sydney and Teacher Patty made us snacks - with goldfish crackers, animal crackers, cheerios, craisins, fruit loops and pretzels. (Sydney counted and sorted by color; also, learned MORE or LESS.) Teacher Patty read "Curious George goes to the Movies". Sydney and Mommy got the garbage cans in and then, cooked lunch together - making homemade Salsa Pasta 'n' Beans. After lunch, we ventured outside (with Silas) to take Bingo for a walk. (We got to see the salt-sprayer truck drive by, spraying the roads for our upcoming snow.) Then, we played with sidewalk chalk in the driveway while waiting for Daddy to get home from work. Daddy and Sydney napped together in the nursery recliner. Mommy and Silas ran to the library. After naps, we read LOTS of books. Daddy fixed the plastic on the stairway window, while Sydney watched from inside. Daddy prepped the new snowblower for our forecasted snowfall. Daddy grilled steaks and made a great dinner. We read more books. TODAY, we had NO ACCIDENTS!!!

LOW: Trying to avoid 'the crazy lady' with the dog. We managed to shut our front gate before COCO could run into our yard and jump on Sydney. (The crazy lady lets go of the leash and lets the dog run after any person that is within sight anywhere on the street. She, then, catches up and talks in 3rd person as if "MR. COCO" is a real-life human. Today, they were on the OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET - well-past the giant blue house when she let him dart after us.) We said "HI" and went inside. Wishing she would GET THE HINT that we do NOT appreciate her dog, nor do we want to visit with them. Her husband is slightly less obnoxious, but nearly as awkward and creepy... a few days ago, Sydney and I were dancing together in the living room to a song on Sesame Street and looked up to find him watching us from our front lawn. (Mental Note: keep the blinds closed.)

I love my little boys

These two little boys ARE-MY-LIFE!

Sounds totally cliché, but I love them more than words can say.

Recently, on Facebook, a lot of local moms have been seeking prayers for a little boy who was electrocuted via 220 and remained in a coma ever since. Before bed, I read that the little boy has now died. I can't imagine that horror. Hearing news like that makes you want to snuggle your own kids all-the-more and encourages you to say "I Love You"

Hoping that our kids (healthily) out-live us and grow up to be fine, outstanding individuals. So far, I am SO PROUD to be their mom!

• • •

1/11: Mike and I discussed the death of that little boy tonight. We both got teary-eyed when talking about it. Mike asked "Can you imagine losing Sydney?"

Immediately, I stammered "No! I can't! It would be SO HORRIBLE to lose a child and I hope to never find out what that feels like!" Mike reiterated "Kids his age have so much personality by now. I can't imagine..." Our hearts go out to that grieving family.

FPOD_2012JAN10

What's the Favorite Part of your Day?

JANUARY 10, 2012

DADDY: Cooking supper in the kitchen tonight with Sydney as my helper. Watching the look on Mommy's face when I taught Sydney how to crack open eggs was priceless.

MOMMY: Going for a walk today – without jackets on – to the park. (It was 53°F today and we STILL have not seen snow this winter.)

SYDNEY: (runs over to the door of the bedroom) Dis babygate! Building dis babygate right he-ya wit daddy was favorite part of my day.

Sydney's Translation: This babygate! Building this babygate right here, with Daddy was (the) favorite part of my day. (NOTE: The babygate was installed by Mike and Sydney in late November, but that memory was his favorite part of today, he said.)

I don't have all the answers WHERE ARE THE CLOUDS

Being a parent, I don't have all the answers; ESPECIALLY for the newest catchphrase in our house... the infamous WHY?

At breakfast, Sydney looked out the dining room window at the solid blue sky, gasped and with much concern in his voice, asked:

Where are the clouds?

Why (are) there no clouds?

Oh, man! How I wish I knew all the answers to his questions...

"I don't know!" I quickly replied.

Where'd they all go? he questioned.

Seeing that the pinwheel in our yard was blowing, I suggested "Maybe the wind blew them away?"

Yeah, prob'ly wind blew 'em away! he confirmed.

Seriously, is there a book (for parents) with the answers to all of the questions that children ask? If not, there SHOULD BE! Sadly, I probably learned the answer(s) to the question in elementary school, but that was SO LONG AGO that I don't recall any logical answer to explain this great toddler mystery.

FPOD_2012JAN08

What's the Favorite Part of your Day?

JANUARY 8, 2012

DADDY: Coming home from a long weekend of work and getting to see my family.

MOMMY: Eating dinner together as a family, along with Papa Lowell.

SYDNEY: Watching the Winnie-the-Pooh movie again (and again).