Things to do during hibernation, Part 1

January has been a challenging month for me as "Event Coordinator" (one of the fifty hats I wear as a mother) for 2 reasons: 1)The weather has been bad. So outdoor activities and any activity that requires car loading & unloading have been limited. 2)Allie is in that stage between crawling & walking. So, she won't sit in a stroller, but I can't let her crawl all over public places (eck!).

Every morning I wake up & frantically try to come up with a creative & educational experience for all 3 of us to do together. Last week, we spent a lot of time lining things up (Zachary's job) & knocking them down (Allie's job).

And yes, as pictured below, we are now in the stage where Zachary won't keep his clothes on. He tells me, "Mommy, Zachy is a naked boy!"

Life's Little Ironies

I teach a Psychology class at a nearby Technical College 2 days a week. This week, I was teaching on Behavior Modification and Learning. A small segment of that lecture included some parenting theories and the debate about punishments vs. rewards for disciplining children. Being a proud mother of a fairly well-behaved almost-3-year old, I gave some specific examples of successful systems we have tried with Zachary. My students were very interested, the class discussion went well and I even had some after-class questions from several students seeking more information & suggestions. Obviously, I left that day feeling pretty good (I am human, after all...).

Pride comes before a fall.

Same day, 30 minutes later:
I walked in the door and Todd handed me a note from Zachary's teacher. It was a "Daily Report" for his behavior in class that day. Little "fill-in-the-blanks" that the teacher completed...
My mood was: Happy & playful
Today I played with: Max & Chelsea
Today I ate: Apples
I went to time out for: Running in the classroom
Additional Comments: "Rebecca, Zachary is in time out every day for running, so just know that I'm not going to write that out on this form each day..."

My immediate (racing) thoughts - ...every day? I wonder how long this has been going on? Why didn't she tell me sooner? I wonder if he's the only one who sits in time out? Oh my goodness, what if my kid is THAT kid?

In the end, this served as a good reminder that your children will always keep you humble.

To the park!

Saturday afternoon, it was finally warm enough to be outside, so we took the kids to the park. It was a fun afternoon.

Allie pushed her cart across the parking lot. See her little scrunched-up face? Workin' hard!!

Loved the swing!

Zachary is really growing tall lately, and becoming much more physical. He is usually very cautious on slides, but not anymore!

"My full is tummy"

As with most children his age, Zachary comes up with every imaginable reason to postpone bedtime. This one is my new favorite...and it's because he's misusing a phrase in the cutest way.

He'll rub his tummy like he's hungry and he'll say, "Mommy, my full is tummy, I need to eat some food. I'm hungry...My full is tummy..."

How should I know?

I ran an errand at the mall one evening. It was just me & both kids. I had pushed them around in a double stroller we're temporarily borrowing. I got to the car and started the ridiculous process of unbuckling, loading & buckling. Since I had a good parking spot, there was a car full of people waiting for my spot (blinker...blinker...) and a line of cars waiting on that guy to pull into my spot. I began what some may call "robot-mom" mode - this strange superpower that allows me to multitask with lightning speed.
Deep breath...

...Unlock car doors, pop trunk, lock stroller wheels, unbuckle Zachary, open door, dump diaper bag, dump shopping bag, dump purse, dump Zachary into carseat, buckle his carseat (all 5 points!), shut his door, unbuckle Allie, sling her onto my left hip, attempt to fold down new-foreign-to-me-double stroller, failed attempt...people waiting....watching...blinker...blinker... hurry, UGH!...Drop messed-up-still-half-open-double stroller to the ground, drag Allie to her side of the car, open car door, throw her into carseat, buckle her into carseat, shut her door, run back to the rear of the car to put stroller in trunk, PLEASE fold up, PLEASE FOLD UP!!!!...Oh my gosh! ...can I get it to fit in the trunk not unfolded?...OK...please let the trunk close...OK, run to driver's side, open door, jump into seat.... sat on my purse...where'd I put the keys? Oh my goodness, they're in my jeans pockets...I can't get them out while I'm sitting...get out of the car again, stretch myself out to get the keys out of my too-tight pockets...people waiting, blinker...blinker... start the car, shift to Reverse...

"Mommy, I have to go peepee on the potty..."

...pretend I don't hear him...maybe he'll forget...pulling out of parking lot...people waiting...

"Mommy, I have to go peepee on the potty..."

Deep breath...

"Zachary, we just went to the potty. Now we have to go home. There's no potty here in the car. You'll have to wait."

"Mommy, I have to go peepee!" Kicking his legs now. Arching his back.

Deep breath... Deep breath...

At this point, I'm just not sure what to do. The mall is huge, the parking lot huge, and I just can't park & gather everything to go back into the mall to find a bathroom. Even if I did decide to do that, would Zachary be able to "hold it" that long?

Please don't judge me.
I pulled the car parallel to a row of bushes.

"Zachary, we don't have a potty, so here's what you're gonna do..."

Unbuckle his carseat. Carrying him, I walk around the car and opened the door. Look around. There's no possible way any person could see him (I have to protect his innocence - right?!). I explained (again) what he needed to do. I assumed he'd understand the "logistics," since he is a male. Aren't they born with this knowledge?

No. Apparently they are not.

Clothes at his ankles, he looked up at me. It was as if I asked him to stand on his head.

Lip quivering. "Mommy, I can't!"

"Sure you can. Just go." I started wondering if there's a certain angle that he should stand...or maybe a certain direction...? It was at this moment that I realized I have no idea how "this" is supposed to work. Why would I know? I don't have any brothers. This isn't something a female would just know. We potty-trained him sitting down because he's not tall enough to stand & "reach" the potty. I just assumed when he's tall enough, Todd will have "that" lesson ready for him.

In the end, squatting worked better for him. His little lip quivering broke my heart. And Todd gave me a lesson on the "logistics" I had wrongly assumed Zachary would naturally know. Hopefully I won't be so inept with Allie.

Little Friends

Our friends Kenny & Kelly brought their cute kids Emma & Benjamin over to play with Zachary & Allie. All four of them had a great time. It was fun to watch them play together!

Their little boy Benjamin is 8 months old, so he & Allie were so cute together!

I love how they reach for each other. Baby Love!!

Although Emma is Zachary's best bud, she & Allie had that little girl bond while they played with the baby carriage & baby dolls...

And, of course, since there was only 1 blanket for the baby, there were a few little "mama" power struggles...!

Uh oh.

Our sweet beautiful baby Allie! She cut 4 top teeth over the past two weeks, and two of them are NOT the two middle front teeth. Bless her heart! The good news is that it does look like the middle two are close behind...so her little vampire smile will only last a short time.

"...mama said!"

I was helping in Zachary's preschool class on Sunday evening. I left there with a feeling of nausea after seeing the following exchange between 2 girls, ages 3 & 4 years old:

(Names have been changed to protect the innocent...and I use the word "innocent" very loosely).

Bella walks directly over to Samantha, grabs her left hand and bites it. Samantha starts screaming, and grabs Bella's head.

I walk over and separate the two girls, but Samantha starts yelling at me, "Mama told me to knock her upside the head when she bites me! Mama told me to knock her upside the head when she bites me!" Over & over. (Oh my goodness!)

I said to Samantha, "Well, you're not knocking anybody upside the head in this class. I'll take care of Bella and she won't bite you again."

Samantha says, "But mama said...!!!" and she starts running towards Bella again.

I actually had to use my body to stop the two of them from having an all-out brawl. These girls are in my sweet little boy's class. Oh my goodness. Lord have mercy...

Recent Pictures

Here are some cute pictures from this week -

I love this picture of Zachary. I caught him feeding the baby (Allie's baby, of course!). He is so sweet!!

Monkey Love

Allie loves this Jack-in-the-box Monkey, even though it scares her every time.

Little Patriot

Zachary's rendition of "Oh Beautiful"

Chronicles of potty-training

Well, I can officially say Zachary is potty-trained.
Throughout this process, we've noticed that not all parents-of-preschoolers agree on the definition of "potty-trained." In fact, of all the parenting stuff we've experienced, "potty-trained" has been the least agree-upon & most subjectively used term among preschool parents.
I know, blah blah blah. Don't worry. I will not get on my soap box.

Anyway...
Let me define what we've decided qualifies Zachary as potty-trained.
1. Zachary wears big-boy undies every day, all day, with no accidents.
2. We do not have nor do we buy diapers in his size anymore.
3. Zachary decides when he needs to go potty, walks to the bathroom, pulls his undies off and successfully accomplishes the task.
4. Zachary is able to go out in public, to school, or someone else's house wearing big boy undies.

Because people always ask, here's what worked for us:

1. The regular potty.
At first, we had a little potty for toddlers. This did not work...and it was just as messy as diapers. ECK!! We put the little potty away and used the regular potty in the bathroom.

2. The soft, thick undies with the extra padding at the crotch.
These were fabulous. The thin undies are fine when he's done with accidents. Until that point, the thick ones absorbed the pee, which was easy clean up.
We did not use pull-ups during the day. The thick undies are better than pull-ups because he could feel it when he peed. The pull-ups did not work during the day because they are just like diapers, only twice as expensive. We also did not use plastic underpants. Those freaked him out.

3. The completed "readiness signs" & criteria.
It took him a long time to meet ALL the criteria we read about. The last 2 developmental signs took him FOREVER to accomplish: The ability to undress himself. Having several dry periods during the day.

4. The bucket.
We had to think of a creative way to get him to sit on the potty without any resistance. We went to the dollar store and purchased a bunch of little trinkets (stickers, balloons, plastic lizards, lollipops, little cars, etc) and filled a bucket. Each time he sat on the potty, he got to look through the bucket for a little prize. The bucket was a huge motivator for him just to sit on the potty. Once he realized that sitting on the potty was not traumatic, we changed the bucket rule - he would only get a prize if he went pee or poo.

5. The 30-minute rule.
Over the holiday break, when I knew we'd be at home every day and we had nothing going on, we put Zach on the potty every 30 minutes. Seriously. This built up consistency, established a habitual routine (Zach's favorite), and prevented all accidents.

6. The encouraged & necessary autonomy.
Once he learned the complete routine and recognized the feeling of having to go potty, we stopped all our controlled involvement. He realized his ability to be responsible for himself. He now goes on the potty when he decides and he handles it very well. (He does, however, still have some trouble putting his undies back on. We've had many laughs as he walks out of the bathroom with both legs in one leg-hole, or the undies upside down, or just a tangled mess. Love it!!)


I will admit I am SUPER excited that Zachary has finished this particular baby stage. I'm not sad about this change. And, I'm still brainstorming about what I'll do with that extra $100 each month that we spent on his diapers...!!

Reality Check?

If you're looking for a unique & creative, shabby white frog t-shirt for your growing boy, Cookie Magazine is featuring a great buy on their cover this month. Hurry, I'm sure they'll be sold out next week in this thriving economy!!

Effective Communication

This is Allie, yelling at me to keep feeding her. Notice the 2 empty baby food containers next to the baby bowl on the table? Yes, this was her 4th serving of food and she was still yelling at me.

Big Changes, Part II

Allie is also drinking out of a sippy cup now...
Although, I'm not convinced she's grasped the full concept...

Big Changes, Part I

Both kids are going through some big changes in their development. For Allie, she has finally agreed to eat some big girl food...but only certain VERY SPECIFIC textures. And, of course, Mommy is really loving the fickle, vague, mysterious & totally random guessing game that IS her preference. Thankfully, she loves pasta!!

More funnies from Zachary

These are just random statements that Zachary has recently made without any relevance to the context of the situation. But very funny.

"Wow, I haven't seen this shirt! Mommy, I have a lot of shirts in my life."


"Mommy, what's ghetto?"


"Mom, these pants are not acceptable. I need different ones."


"Ok, mommy, here's the deal..."


"Baby Allie, why don't you talk to me?"

Creative Censorship

I recognize & appreciate the difficult challenge of illustrating a children's book, especially when it tells the story of Adam & Eve. Typically you see the two of them hiding behind bushes. This little picture Bible gave a valiant, unique & hilarious effort to depict Adam & Eve - certainly honest & age-appropriate. But seriously...

Sea World

Part of our Christmas fun in Florida included a trip to Sea World. It was a great day. The weather was warm & overcast, so we felt comfortable...and the park wasn't too busy.

We kinda assumed Allie would just be along for the ride, but she actually enjoyed the shows and was really watching the action on the stages. She even clapped and pointed. So cute!:

Zachary had the same face the whole time at every show. He really enjoyed the shows, but his expression did not change:

At the end of the day, both kids were SO tired!:

Christmas 2008

We were at Grammy & Grandpa's house in warm Florida for Christmas this year. We spent lots of time outside in the pool, at the beach, fishing, playing games with extended family - including the annual football game at the beach. And we went to Sea World (pictures soon).

In Zacharese, the word jacuzzi is pronounced "JOCK-koozzee." Zachary learned to jump from the jacuzzi waterfall into the pool:

Allie floated around like a little Lilly pad:

Zachary learned of his love for reptiles. Yes, there's a real-live lizard in his hand, and a fake snake wrapped around his neck:

Allie decided to get in the dishwasher:

And she loved the ornaments on the tree:

Christmas gifts included a dinosaur ("dy-wa-sorn") belly bank. You put the coins in his mouth, and it slides down a curvy little path to his belly:

And a doctor kit. This is so funny because we watched him act out what he sees at the doctor (and if you know his history, he is at the doctor a lot with asthma-related problems...poor little guy). So, he immediately grabs the stethoscope and starts checking everyone's breathing, EXACTLY as the doctor would...starting in the front (4 sections, 4 deep breaths) and then to the back (repeat the same):

Aunt Jen & Unkie Dan got to participate in some more birth-control-promoting activities, like bathing 2 little ones.

Unkie Eric (my first cousin) enjoyed feeding baby Allie her bedtime bottle.

We took some family pics. Here's my immediate family:

Grammy & baby Allie in their Christmas red:

Elated Grandparents in their element:

...on the bandwagon

Not the alcohol one...ha! Thanks to a lot of hassling from many of YOU (my dear friends & family), I've joined Facebook. Like I really have time for another addiction. Do not worry, my loyal Blog fans, I will continue the frequent and scintillating updates on this blog. Love to you all!

Happy New Year

Hopefully everyone has had a great holiday!! I'm ready for the new year and I'm excited to see what blessings we'll find this year. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our Christmas break. I'm still trying to sort through them to create an actual blog post from Christmas Eve & Day.

The next two pictures are so funny. This first one looks SO sweet, right?

...Well, check out what the camera caught from Allie's nose at that very same moment!

I love this picture of Zachary & Todd jumping in the pool. Zach LOVES to jump in with Daddy:

This is such a classic beach picture. The toys, the sun & sand, the squinty eyes...

I love Allie's sweet little face and our hands in this picture: