Category: Cole

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Cole Family & Friends Mothering

Cole Speaks!

Cole has been saying lots of single words just in the last week.  His favorite is “no.”  The other day I asked him if he could say “big bird,” and he tried, and it kind of sort of sounded like it, but probably only to me.  He is talking so much earlier than Ryan- I don’t think we got a word out of Ryan until he was almost two.  I am sure having a constant chatterbox around him, better known as big brother Ryan, doesn’t hurt.

On Wednesday night, we were having dinner at Joe’s parents house and we were discussing the eclipse.  We wanted to take the boys out to see it, but it was too cloudy.  We started talking about the moon.  On the drive home, when Cole looked out his window, he exclaimed, “Moon Mama!”  He was so happy to see the moon, and be able to communicate to us that he too, knew what the moon was, and what we had been discussing.

I’m not sure if I am ready to start hearing Cole talk so much.  He is so sweet with the little smiles and head shakes he gives.  On the other hand, his voice is just so cute, I smile everytime I hear it.  Guess we are moving into another stage, whether I am ready or not.

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Cole Family & Friends Holidays Mothering Parenting Ryan

Happy Valentine’s Day

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I got my first Valentine’s Day card from my eldest son on Sunday actually.  While I was out shopping, Ryan and Dad made my card.  Ryan was so excited to give it to me and couldn’t wait, so I got it that evening.  It is a beautiful, big, heart, with stickers on it.  Dad wrote out the words, but Ryan traced over them.  It said, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Mom- Love Ryan and Cole.”  It is the best card I have ever received. 

Then at preschool on Tuesday, the teachers helped Ryan make another card, which he wanted to give to me right away too.  It is has been like a homemade card bonanza around here this week, which is really nice. 

After work today, we had dinner at Joe’s parent’s house.  Grandpa took Ryan out for some chocolate shopping today for Grandma and myself, and Ryan and Cole were so pleased with themselves when they pulled out the boxes of chocolate for us.  I have to say I was quite surprised!

After the boys were asleep, Joe went out the to car and brought in not one, but TWO dozen roses for me- the picture at the top of the post.  I used to be a florist and was thoroughly sick and tired of roses this time of year, so Joe just never bought them.  However, that was many years ago, and I miss them now.  Since I can usually arrange them ( I did all the flowers for my wedding) he doesn’t bother having them arranged.  I arranged them, and it was really fun.  I didn’t have my floral arranging secrets (foam or tape to keep the roses in place, or even stockier greenery), so the roses flopped around a bit, and didn’t stay quite where I wanted them too, but I still love them.  The entire kitchen smells like roses!

Tonight Ryan kissed me goodnight and told me I was his special and best Valentine.  He gave me a hug and said, “Goodnight Valentine.”  It was so sweet, I got tears in my eyes.  I know people always talk about Daddy’s little girl, but you don’t hear too much about Mommy’s little boy.  My little boy is just the apple of my eye, and such a sweetheart.  He can melt my heart in an instant.  Since Sunday, he has been showering me with hugs and kisses for Valentine’s.  I think it is a tiny glimpse into his heart, and it makes me stop and realize how much he loves me. 

As a mother, you do so much for your kids, you lose track.  You don’t remember all the nights you are up with them, all the tears you dry, all the scratches, bumps, and bruises you kiss, all the messes you clean up.  You never realize all these things are registering somewhere in their brains.  One day, if you are lucky, and I certainly am, they are old enough to express their thanks and love for you, for doing all these things.  I think that is where Ryan is right now.  It is just the best thing ever. 

This has certainly been the best Valentine’s Day I have ever had.  I am very fortunate to be surrounded by so much love- love that I don’t always think about, and take for granted.  It has been a great reminder for me, how much a simple gesture can mean, and how it can show your love.

I hope everyone has a great Valentine’s Day too, and you are surrounded with your sweethearts as well.  🙂

Categories
Cole Mothering Parenting Pregnancy & Birth Ryan

Potty Training-Second Time Around

I think we have officially moved into potty training Cole- all at his insistence.  What a difference this time around.  Here is a summary of how we prepared to potty train Ryan:

Around 18 months, we decide we should start prepping Ryan for potty training.  We buy a potty training potty, and a toilet insert so he can sit on the toilet if he wants, without falling in.  All the books, articles, and speaking to friends, tell me some kids like to have their feet on the floor, and some like to sit on the toilet.  We start “talking up” potty training.  I become almost OCD, asking Ryan if he wants to sit on the potty, every hour.  He never wants to.  I try harder.  I switch him to cloth diapers, so he will start getting used to having a wet feeling, assuming this will all move him in the direction of wanting to use the potty himself. 

At 24 months, I feel like a complete failure, because Ryan is still not potty trained.  More advice from friends and the doctor tell me usually boys aren’t fully potty trained until three or four.   I can’t see myself changing diapers for another year, especially since I had Cole on the way in four months.   I decide to keep him undressed from the waist down during the days we were at home, in his Baby Legs, assuming this will move him in the direction of wanting to use the potty himself.  Cleaned up more pee on the living room floor during this time than I ever thought possible.  Watched movies about Elmo, and Joshua (Once Upon A Potty), going to the potty so many times, I lost brain cells.  How bad is it when you can’t get the Going to the Potty song out of your head, and you know all the words?

At 35 months, I still had an “untrained” toddler.  I also had a 6 month old baby, and have been changing diapers for two.  Ryan is slowly, slowly, wanting to use the potty more, but still likes his diapers.  Nothing I have tried has been the magic key to unlock the treasure chest of the toddler going potty by himself.  Out of sheer desperation, I decide when he turns three (in one month), I am going to stop his diapers “cold turkey” and he will only wear underwear.  I also resort to the experienced potty training mom’s top secret weapon- the M&M.  (Let me just say, this was one of the things I swore, vowed, and told myself I would never, never, do, before having children, when I knew everything there was to know about raising kids.  M&M’s were for those other mom’s who couldn’t get their child potty trained.) 

At 36 months, operation Potty-Training-Because-I-Am-Going-Nuts-Changing-Two-Sets-of-Diapers-Everyday, was underway.  God bless the M&M!  I am sorry to every mother I ever judged for using them, because after a year and half of me trying, suggesting, gently reminding, using a sticker chart, toys, movies, books, and anything and everything else, the M&M finally does the trick. It is the key to the toilet for the toddler!   Ryan actually wants to go on the potty, and starts doing it himself.  God bless the M&M!

At 39 months, I have reached toilet training Nirvana!  A potty trained toddler!

After going through all of that- (and that is the short version), I am in no rush to potty train Cole. He has been interested in the potty for months, watching Ryan very intently when Ryan goes.  When Cole was about six months old, I came across a Baby Bjorn Potty at a consignment sale that I got for Cole.  It was smaller than the potty chair we had for Ryan, and if nothing else,  I thought he may like sitting on it when it comes time for him to watch Joshua (it is the same type of potty that Joshua uses in the book and movie). 

Cole took a liking to it right away, and has often sat on it, sometimes even taking his diaper off.  As of lately, he doesn’t like to sit on it without his diaper.  When Joe was watching him one afternoon before Christmas, he saw Cole’s cues, and had him sit on it.  Cole used the potty.  He has done it a few times since, but since we are not training him, it hasn’t been consistent.

During the last week, I have noticed that Cole will pull his diaper down, and he’ll be walking around the house with his pants and his diaper to his ankles.  One time I tried to pull the diaper back up, but he threw a fit.  I noticed then, that the diaper was wet.  He doesn’t like the feeling of the wet diaper!  (Can I get a Hallelujah?)  He has also started coming to get us, the moment he is done pooping.  He points to his bum and won’t do anything until we change his diaper!  (Can I get another Hallelujah?) Today, after his nap, I was folding laundry and he kept pulling at my hand.  I thought he wanted to show me a toy, and I kept telling him in a moment.  He was just as insistent and wouldn’t stop pulling on my hand.

I finally put the laundry down, and asked him what he wanted.  He took my hand, and led ME to the bathroom, pointed to his potty and sat down.  He started making his little potty noises, but he wouldn’t let me take his diaper off.  He was so proud, and it was so cute. He is trying to be such a big boy, but just hasn’t made the connection that his diaper actually has to be off for the whole potty thing to work.  Here is a picture of my proud little boy:

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When he stood up, he had gone potty.  I know he’ll eventually figure it out- that he has to take his diaper off, before he sits down, 😉  and so far just leaving him alone has worked out well.  It also helps that I am not pregnant, and stressed about getting him trained before a new baby arrives.  But what a difference a second child has made.  Maybe that is the secret- leave them alone, and they will figure it out. 

Turns out I didn’t potty train Ryan- he trained me- he trained me to realize that steps and milestones will be made and reached when it is time.  Yes, the M&M’s helped, but they were a tool. What I failed to see at the time was, he just wasn’t ready.  The M&M’s only worked because Ryan was ready to use the potty on HIS timetable- not mine.  Lesson learned. 

So, this is the attitude I take in with me, as Cole starts potty training.  I can’t quite believe my “baby” is ready for potty training though.  But, I think the second time around will be much more enjoyable for all involved.  Somehow I don’t think I’ll be needing the M&M’s this time  🙂

Categories
Cole Me Shopping

My Day at the Mall

All the stars must have aligned right yesterday, because it worked out where I was able to get out of the house, and do some much needed shopping.  I had Cole with me, and he is quite the shopper.

One reason I always wanted a girl, was I just assumed you had to have a girl to go shopping with.  Ryan is not a shopper- he is just like his dad in that area-go in, get what you need, get out as quick as you can.  Cole, on the other hand, takes after me.  He loves looking around at all the people, and he loves touching clothes, and just seeing what is going on in the stores.  I have to be in the right mood to shop, or else I hate it, and fortunately, both Cole and I were in a shopping mood today.

We started out at Old Navy, where they are having a huge baby sale- all baby/kids clothes were 40% off.  I stocked up on tee shirts and shorts mostly for Ryan for the summer, since Cole will have plenty of Ryan’s hand-me-downs.  They were all on sale for $3.90 each.  I did get both boys one matching outfit- a navy and gray shirt, with matching shorts.  Then I found a nice work / dressier occasion black short sleeved blouse for me on sale for $7.  It was triple that originally, so I scored there.  I looked for a birthday present for my niece, who will be one in April, but I just didn’t see anything that I liked.  I take that back- I saw this adorable onesie, which fits my niece to a T, but they only had newborn sizes.  However, I got my friend, who is expecting her first baby, a boy in March, a gift, (not sure if she reads my blog or not, so can’t say what it is, other than it is cute!) I had a coupon for an additional 10% of everything, so I saved quite a bit.

I was getting hungry, so I stopped at a bakery and got a chicken walnut salad sandwich.  Cole had eaten before we left, and didn’t want any of my food, except for the delicious oatmeal raisin cookie that came with it.  He sat on his chair like such a big boy and smiled at everyone who walked by.  While we were eating, I saw a new mother sitting a few tables down with a baby that looked about a month old.  They looked so happy and calm.  I wondered if I ever looked that happy, or if I just always looked as frazzled, and tired as I felt.

After we were done eating, it was off to Children’s Place, where I had another coupon for 15% off.  We went shopping there right before Christmas, so I figured I had seen most the merchandise, but I have another friend who is also due in March with her first baby, but she doesn’t know the gender.  I thought I would see if there were any cute outfits that would work.  Now I know what everyone went through with me- we didn’t find out the gender either time.  I really wanted to get her some things, but everything was so gender specific, I couldn’t.  I did find one nice little gift though, that will work for a boy or a girl.  I also found two long sleeved graphic shirts for Ryan for next fall, that were originally $14, marked down to $5.99, and then they were 50% off that.  With my coupon they ended up being $2.54. Not bad for two brand new cool shirts.  One had a snowmobiler on it, and one had a helicopter scenes.  Right up Ryan’s alley.

Cole was starting to get a bit tired, but I wanted to go to New York & Company to see what kind of jeans they had.  I debated on stopping at Pottery Barn Kids first to let Cole  play for a while, but it is so hard to get him out of there- he never wants to leave.  So I decided to go to NY&Co. first.  They were crazy busy!  It was my lucky day to need jeans, because they were having a sale on all their pants- buy one get one for 50% off.  And, yes you guessed it, I had a coupon for $30 off, if you spent $75.  I have never bought NY&Co. jeans before, but my sister has a few pairs that are really cute.  Plus, I can wear jeans to work if they are nicer, and it seems like the jeans there are a little dressier.  Plus they have tall lengths, which I usually need.  

Because of the sale and my coupon it really did make sense to get two pairs- two pairs would cost me $10 more than one pair.  But, I was out of luck.  The jeans were so picked over, I only found one pair that were my size, and they weren’t even the long length.  I tried them on anyway, and surprisingly they were long enough.  I even asked the sales person to see if they had anymore jeans in my size. 

The store was so cramped, and the aisles were very narrow, it was NOT fun trying to maneuver a stroller through all of it.  The sales person told me I must have the only pair in my size- she couldn’t find anymore.  I was still going to get the pair I liked, and found some great sweaters for work and a blouse, all marked down from $36 to $7.99.  Then I spotted a clearance rack by another dressing room that had some more jeans on it.  I looked through every pair, and the very last pair, was my size, in a long length, with a design on the back pockets that I really liked.  After trying them on, it seemed like they were a little too long.  I guess they don’t mess around- tall means tall!  Usually tall is like half an inch longer than the regular length.  Not at NY&Co.!  But they were so cute, I decided to get them anyway, and I know Joe’s mom could hem them up for me.

While I was standing in line, I noticed EVERY fashion conscious person in the store (you know what they look like- they aren’t mom’s who have dried chicken salad from lunch on their black shirts, and pushing a toddler in a beat up stroller) had on really long jeans- most had the hems to the floor, and were standing on them.  I guess these pants were the height of fashion.  Maybe I won’t have them hemmed- now if I could do something about the dried white mayonnaise spots on my black shirt. 

I was over the $75 mark with the sweaters, but after using my coupon, I got $30 knocked off.  I am really happy I found two nice pair of jeans I can wear to work if I want to.  Here is the first pair, and here is the second, long, pair. 

Cole was really getting fussy at this point, so we went to Pottery Barn Kids, and spent the next hour there.  He was having a blast playing with the toy kitchen, stove, washing machine, ironing board, and vacuum cleaner.  It also was not crowded at all, so he had the toys to himself.  Almost everyone who walked by and saw him playing told me how sweet he looked.  He would stop what he was doing, and wave at that the person.  Finally, he was getting so tired, I had to pick him up and carry him out of there.  He cried, but he stopped as soon as we started walking in the mall again.  He fell asleep on they way home.

Hopefully we are set on clothes now for a while.  It was a really nice, fun, and laid back day, and I really enjoyed spending that one-on-one time with Cole.  Oh, and if you are wondering how I got so many coupons- the last time I was at Old Navy, the reciept selected me to take a customer satisfaction survey for the 10% off.  So I did, and I got a code when I was done.  For the other two stores, I am on their mailing list, and they send coupons quite regularly.  You can sign up on-line at their websites,  if there are any shopping trips in your future to these stores.

Categories
Activities Cole Family & Friends Parenting Ryan Shopping

Odds & Ends

  • It finally warmed up today.  Ryan received an air rocket launcher for his birthday (over a month ago), and has been dying to use it, but it has been too cold.  Today when he saw the sun was shining, he said, “Today is a nice day.   Can we go to the park and shoot off the rocket?”  After breakfast we headed out, only to discover it was way too windy to shoot the rocket off.  We took the boys to the park instead, but the wind was very strong, and was making it cold yet again.  After about 15 minutes, we had to call it quits. 

We came home, had lunch, and then the boys took a nap.  When Cole woke up I took him to the health food store, and the grocery store for groceries.  The wind had died down, and it was wonderful.  Cole and I didn’t even need our jackets.  Joe took Ryan to finally shoot off his rocket.  We all got home at the same time, and Ryan had so much fun with the rocket.  He kept saying he hopes it is warm tomorrow, so he can go again. 

  • While we were eating dinner, Cole was particularly fussy- he didn’t want to eat, but he kept pointing to my plate.  When I offered him my plate, he would just start fussing again.  We couldn’t figure out what the problem was.  I was trying to get Cole to eat something, but to no avail.  I tried bribing next- I told Cole if he ate his food he could have dessert.  Even that didn’t work.  But Ryan, not missing a beat, had to point out that he was already done with his dinner and he was going to get dessert.  I told him that was correct, but we were going to wait for dessert until Cole had eaten.  Frustrated, Ryan pulls says to Cole, in his best stern Sir Topham Hatt voice, “Coley, you are causing confusion and delay.”         

I just burst out laughing- it was so funny, and just perfect timing.  Later, as they were getting dressed after their bath, Cole was goofing around, and was not being very cooperative, when I was trying to get him to stay still, so I could put his diaper on.  Again, Ryan tells Cole, he “is causing confusion and delay.” 

  • I got my hair cut yesterday.  I realized it had been almost six months, since the last time a pair of scissors had touched my hair.  It was to my shoulders, and I got about three inches cut off, and got it thinned out.  I always forget how much lighter my neck feels when I have this done.  I like it.  I didn’t get it a new cut, but it feels great to have it trimmed up again.

  • My Alzheimer’s is behind me!  I finally, finally, found the bag of art supplies I have been looking for now, for several weeks.  Were they in some obscure place?  Nope.  They were in a Dillard’s bag, in the front closet- the closet I have checked at least 20 times before.  Don’t know why I never found them before, or how I missed them, but I was very happy when I came across them yesterday. 

I think what threw me was the Dillard’s bag.  I hardly ever shop at Dillard’s.  I can’t say when the last time I was there.  I don’t know where the bag even came from, so I think when I saw it, I figured it was something really, really, old in there- like clothes that need to be donated or something like that, and I just skipped right over it.  Now we’ll see if we get another snowy day, in which the boys could actually use the supplies before next winter.  

  • My Alzheimer’s is gone, but now it has hit Joe.  He has a bad habit of forgetting to close the garage door.  Someone could walk right in our house this way, or just help themselves to his myriads of tools on the shelves in there, and we would never know they were gone, until that day he is looking for that one tool, and can’t find it.  Joe carried in the groceries for me this afternoon around five.  We carry them in through the garage, since it leads right into the kitchen.

Tonight at 11, the doorbell rings.  We were watching a movie, and wondered who in the world would be at the door that late?  Joe answered it, and it was our wonderful neighbor across the street.  He told us he was sorry to bother us, but they were getting ready to go to sleep, and had noticed that our garage door had been open all night, and he knew we usually keep it closed, so he wanted to let us know.  Thank goodness he did.  That would have been great- leaving the door up all night.  I check it sometimes before I go to bed, but not always.  I told Joe we need an alarm or something. 

  • Tomorrow it is supposed to be warm again, and no wind.  I desperately need some new clothes.  I won’t complain, because I finally, finally lost all my baby weight for good, and then some.  I have forced myself to stop eating dessert every (only occasionally now) night, and surprisingly lost almost 10 pounds.  So once again, I don’t have any jeans that fit great.  I’m hoping to sneak off to the mall for some shopping.  I also have a friend who is due in March with her first baby, and she is having a boy.  I know they are having some great sales right now too, so I want to get her baby some goodies.  🙂  We’ll  see how that goes. 

  • I have to take my Jeep back into the shop on Monday.  We had it in last week for a tune up, and the shocks were shot.  After we got it back, it idled very rough, and the check engine light came on.  Guess they didn’t fix it right, or did something wrong.  So I hope to get all those little things done tomorrow, since we’ll be home-bound on Monday. 

 Hope you can stand all the excitement around here.  At least we aren’t sick.  J