We had planned to start potty training Brady as soon as we got back from Hawaii. That came and went and we decided we weren't really in that much of a hurry. Plus he was still in the toddler room at daycare, so there would be no potting training help going on during the days. We would randomly ask him if he wanted to go potty on the potty and the answer was usually no. We had tried sitting him on there just to get used to it, but nothing happened.
On Monday he started in the "2s" room. Their philosophy is every time we change their diaper we will ask if they want to sit on the potty. We thought great, now we have some support during the day, he'll see other kids doing it, etc. Guess what!? He went potty on the potty Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings.
Today was a whole other story. He had a bad night sleeping, he woke up earlier than normal, and wanted nothing to do with going potty. I'm hoping it was just because of the bad night/morning. I was really getting my hopes up that this whole process might be easier than anticipated. We were going in to it thinking it was going to be a rough go since he wasn't showing a ton of interest. Fingers crossed tomorrow is better!
Any tips/suggestions for potty training would be much appreciated! There's so many different theories on potty training out there. It's impossible to know which one, if any, will work for your child. God knows, none of the sleep training tricks have worked! At this point, I think we're going to take it slow and not push it. If he's not ready, forcing him to try to do it is only going to lead to frustration for everyone.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
Two
Brady turned 2 yesterday. That also means that it's been 3 years since we've lost Claire. I can't believe it. Seriously, where did the time go.
We had a great day yesterday full of family, pizza, cake, and playing with water outside. I got a little emotional yesterday after everything was all over. Brady is my world. He means everything to me. I know I blogged about my pregnancy with Claire, but I'm not sure I was able to fully put in to words how I was feeling and what I was going through at that time. Yes, I got pregnant pretty easily with Claire and Brady, and I feel so blessed for that, but we went through so much to have a take-home baby. To have him here and healthy and turning 2...it's just so much to take in. He's so stinking smart and despite the tantrums every once in a while, he makes everyday worth getting out of bed. I'd have 10 more kids if they were all like him. Minus the sleeping issues!
Right now he loves music, playing in water, trucks, the minions from Despicable Me, and the Lion King. He has a couple best friends at daycare, Tommy and Eva, who he talks about all the time. He's awesome at puzzles and will talk your ear off. His favorite phrases right now are, "What's _______ doing?" and "What's that noise?" He still isn't sleeping through the night every night, but it's slowly getting better since he's had tubes put in. (At least I'm telling myself that.)
We had a great day yesterday full of family, pizza, cake, and playing with water outside. I got a little emotional yesterday after everything was all over. Brady is my world. He means everything to me. I know I blogged about my pregnancy with Claire, but I'm not sure I was able to fully put in to words how I was feeling and what I was going through at that time. Yes, I got pregnant pretty easily with Claire and Brady, and I feel so blessed for that, but we went through so much to have a take-home baby. To have him here and healthy and turning 2...it's just so much to take in. He's so stinking smart and despite the tantrums every once in a while, he makes everyday worth getting out of bed. I'd have 10 more kids if they were all like him. Minus the sleeping issues!
Right now he loves music, playing in water, trucks, the minions from Despicable Me, and the Lion King. He has a couple best friends at daycare, Tommy and Eva, who he talks about all the time. He's awesome at puzzles and will talk your ear off. His favorite phrases right now are, "What's _______ doing?" and "What's that noise?" He still isn't sleeping through the night every night, but it's slowly getting better since he's had tubes put in. (At least I'm telling myself that.)
Here are some pictures from our day yesterday -
He loved his #2 cake.
He was pooped after everyone left, so we let him take a cat nap on the couch!
Claire got a lot of love yesterday too!
Thursday, May 29, 2014
He Knows
I have probably said this about every stage, but I am loving this stage for Brady right now. We're able to have simple conversations with him. Sometimes I just can't handle the sweetness. Completely randomly last night Brady said, "Go see Claire Bear." I died. I love that he knows her, and points her out in pictures, and likes going to visit her. She will always be a part of our family. We will talk about her and visit her frequently. All of our children will know about their big sister, Claire.
She was probably fresh on his mind because we went to see her on Memorial Day. Here is a picture of Brady saying hi to her. I still get emotional going to the cemetery. And even more so now that Brady says bye to her and blows her kisses. This might sound cheesy to some people, but I truly believe that he and Claire have a special connection (more so than just sharing a birthday), that he knows more about her than we think. She was the angel that gave him to us.
On another note, Brad and I had a wonderful time in Hawaii. It was totally worth the plane ride. It really wasn't even that bad. Brady was so spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa that he didn't even care that we were gone! I'll try to post more about our trip later. The weather is finally nice and we plan to spend as much time outside as possible.
I'll leave you with a selfie. We're getting family pictures taken this weekend so I hope he'll smile for those like he does when we're playing around at home.
She was probably fresh on his mind because we went to see her on Memorial Day. Here is a picture of Brady saying hi to her. I still get emotional going to the cemetery. And even more so now that Brady says bye to her and blows her kisses. This might sound cheesy to some people, but I truly believe that he and Claire have a special connection (more so than just sharing a birthday), that he knows more about her than we think. She was the angel that gave him to us.
On another note, Brad and I had a wonderful time in Hawaii. It was totally worth the plane ride. It really wasn't even that bad. Brady was so spoiled by Grandma and Grandpa that he didn't even care that we were gone! I'll try to post more about our trip later. The weather is finally nice and we plan to spend as much time outside as possible.
I'll leave you with a selfie. We're getting family pictures taken this weekend so I hope he'll smile for those like he does when we're playing around at home.
Friday, April 25, 2014
5 on Friday
I haven't done one of these in a while!
1. Brady got the all clear from the ENT on Wednesday! Everything is healing and looking as it should with the tubes. He doesn't have to wear ear plugs in the bath tub anymore. Yay! They're kind of a pain to keep in an almost 2 year old's ears. He's had a cold the past week or so and his ears still look great. This is such a huge relief for us, and for him too I'm sure.
2. We leave for Hawaii in 2 weeks. Holy crap. I'm excited about it, much more so than I was when I wrote a post about it a while back. I am still really anxious about leaving Brady for that long, and for the plane ride. We can SKYPE or FaceTime with Brady as much as we want and I will just have to suck it up with the flying. You bet I will be stocking up on some Dramamine.
3. I have a confession. I broke my February and March shopping ban....badly. Although this is no excuse, we finally got some good shopping around here. A new strip mall with a DSW, Banana Republic Outlet, Gap Outlet, and Charming Charlie's opened up in March. I couldn't resist. I love to shop, even with Brady in tow (at least most of the time). Our best local options for clothes prior to this were Kohls and Target, so yeah, this was really exciting for me. I've gone a little crazy. I tell Brad that it's for our trip. He kind of believes me. After going in to Charming Charlie's for the first time, I was almost overwhelmed with the amount of jewelry to pick from. It's a great store. They also have really cute, affordable boutique-like clothes. I was never big on accessories, but I've really been in to statement necklaces lately. I just bought a bunch from Forever 21, so I'll share those with you and do a review when I get them. They really do add a lot to an outfit.
4. I think I've also gone a little crazy with the clothes and accessories lately, because I know we will be trying to have another baby soon and my shopping days will be over until after the baby is born. I have enough maternity clothes from my 2 previous pregnancies that I do not need to buy more. The only thing I could think that I may need are some skinny jeans/pants. It is starting to get real that I may be pregnant again some time in the next few months. Yikes! Am I ready? Yes and no. I think Brady is ready for a sibling. He will be a great big brother. I'm also feeling better about things now that he has tubes and is sleeping better. I'm not as worried about being pregnant, sick, and up in the middle of the night every night with him anymore.
5. You know what I can't stand? The people at work who you say hi to and get no response. I just don't get it. How hard is it to say hi to someone? Or at the very least give a little smile. I work with some really wonderful people, but as in every office there's always those few people that are just plain not friendly. What can you do, I guess. I'll still say hi to them. Maybe one day they'll change their mind!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
1. Brady got the all clear from the ENT on Wednesday! Everything is healing and looking as it should with the tubes. He doesn't have to wear ear plugs in the bath tub anymore. Yay! They're kind of a pain to keep in an almost 2 year old's ears. He's had a cold the past week or so and his ears still look great. This is such a huge relief for us, and for him too I'm sure.
2. We leave for Hawaii in 2 weeks. Holy crap. I'm excited about it, much more so than I was when I wrote a post about it a while back. I am still really anxious about leaving Brady for that long, and for the plane ride. We can SKYPE or FaceTime with Brady as much as we want and I will just have to suck it up with the flying. You bet I will be stocking up on some Dramamine.
3. I have a confession. I broke my February and March shopping ban....badly. Although this is no excuse, we finally got some good shopping around here. A new strip mall with a DSW, Banana Republic Outlet, Gap Outlet, and Charming Charlie's opened up in March. I couldn't resist. I love to shop, even with Brady in tow (at least most of the time). Our best local options for clothes prior to this were Kohls and Target, so yeah, this was really exciting for me. I've gone a little crazy. I tell Brad that it's for our trip. He kind of believes me. After going in to Charming Charlie's for the first time, I was almost overwhelmed with the amount of jewelry to pick from. It's a great store. They also have really cute, affordable boutique-like clothes. I was never big on accessories, but I've really been in to statement necklaces lately. I just bought a bunch from Forever 21, so I'll share those with you and do a review when I get them. They really do add a lot to an outfit.
4. I think I've also gone a little crazy with the clothes and accessories lately, because I know we will be trying to have another baby soon and my shopping days will be over until after the baby is born. I have enough maternity clothes from my 2 previous pregnancies that I do not need to buy more. The only thing I could think that I may need are some skinny jeans/pants. It is starting to get real that I may be pregnant again some time in the next few months. Yikes! Am I ready? Yes and no. I think Brady is ready for a sibling. He will be a great big brother. I'm also feeling better about things now that he has tubes and is sleeping better. I'm not as worried about being pregnant, sick, and up in the middle of the night every night with him anymore.
5. You know what I can't stand? The people at work who you say hi to and get no response. I just don't get it. How hard is it to say hi to someone? Or at the very least give a little smile. I work with some really wonderful people, but as in every office there's always those few people that are just plain not friendly. What can you do, I guess. I'll still say hi to them. Maybe one day they'll change their mind!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Monday, April 21, 2014
Happy Easter
I hope everyone had a Happy Easter! Yesterday was beautiful around here. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. The Easter bunny brought Brady some sidewalk chalk, so that's what we were doing all morning until we had to drag him inside for lunch. I knew he would like the chalk, but holy cow he LOVED the chalk. After his nap, we went over to the in-laws for dinner and an Easter egg hunt. We had a wonderful and very busy day.
I find myself loving the holidays so much more now that we have a kid. The build up and planning to get them excited about it makes me excited also. But you know what I hate about the holidays (at least more so on the holidays). The fact that our baby girl is not here with us to celebrate and that we have to go to a cemetery to be with her. Of course we went yesterday and took her some fun spring decorations. Brady was very excited to go see Claire Bear, and always says bye to her when we leave. It melts my heart and breaks it all at the same time.
Since I haven't blogged in a while I thought I would also update on the craziness that has been our life lately. After waiting about 6 weeks to get in to the ENT, Brady finally had his appointment. Brady borderline failed the hearing test on his left ear, and had fluid in there still from a previous ear infection. After telling the ENT how many ear infections he's had in the last 6 months, coupled with his genes from Brad, there was no convincing him to put tubes in Brady's ears. Brad had surgery 2 days later and we have seen a noticeable different already. He's slept through the night 4 of the last 7 nights. This is unheard of for him. We go for our 2-week follow-up on Wednesday. Fingers crossed everything looks clear.
For a while, I was very against him getting tubes. I'm all about the natural remedies, chiropractic care, etc., but his sleeping was horrible which I was scared would affect him developmentally, it pained me knowing how much pain he was in during the depths of a double ear infection, and I was tired of him being on antibiotics ALL.THE.TIME. He was already immune to Amoxicillin.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, sometimes things are medically necessary. This was genetic for Brady. Brad had the exact same issues when he was younger and had tubes. It was inevitable. I honestly feel bad that we didn't do it sooner. This will be such a wonderful change for Brady. We're looking forward to a healthy, fun summer!
I had to share these pictures. You know you watch too much Doc McStuffins when your kid comes up to you, lifts your shirt up, and says, "Time for your check-up." Brady is very in to checking our moles right now and Brad has way more than I do, so he's usually the patient.
I find myself loving the holidays so much more now that we have a kid. The build up and planning to get them excited about it makes me excited also. But you know what I hate about the holidays (at least more so on the holidays). The fact that our baby girl is not here with us to celebrate and that we have to go to a cemetery to be with her. Of course we went yesterday and took her some fun spring decorations. Brady was very excited to go see Claire Bear, and always says bye to her when we leave. It melts my heart and breaks it all at the same time.
Since I haven't blogged in a while I thought I would also update on the craziness that has been our life lately. After waiting about 6 weeks to get in to the ENT, Brady finally had his appointment. Brady borderline failed the hearing test on his left ear, and had fluid in there still from a previous ear infection. After telling the ENT how many ear infections he's had in the last 6 months, coupled with his genes from Brad, there was no convincing him to put tubes in Brady's ears. Brad had surgery 2 days later and we have seen a noticeable different already. He's slept through the night 4 of the last 7 nights. This is unheard of for him. We go for our 2-week follow-up on Wednesday. Fingers crossed everything looks clear.
For a while, I was very against him getting tubes. I'm all about the natural remedies, chiropractic care, etc., but his sleeping was horrible which I was scared would affect him developmentally, it pained me knowing how much pain he was in during the depths of a double ear infection, and I was tired of him being on antibiotics ALL.THE.TIME. He was already immune to Amoxicillin.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, sometimes things are medically necessary. This was genetic for Brady. Brad had the exact same issues when he was younger and had tubes. It was inevitable. I honestly feel bad that we didn't do it sooner. This will be such a wonderful change for Brady. We're looking forward to a healthy, fun summer!
I had to share these pictures. You know you watch too much Doc McStuffins when your kid comes up to you, lifts your shirt up, and says, "Time for your check-up." Brady is very in to checking our moles right now and Brad has way more than I do, so he's usually the patient.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Grab some kleenex...
You guys I just had to share this video. It's a tear jerker. I see and hear some sad things from working at a non-profit that focuses on people with mental illness. Sadly, this girl's situation is not uncommon. It makes me strongly think about adoption as a possibility. Every child deserves to be loved.
Sorry you have to click on the link. I couldn't get the video to post directly on blogger. I'm sure there's a way, I just couldn't figure it out. Please watch it.
http://www.faithit.com/?s=Removed
Sorry you have to click on the link. I couldn't get the video to post directly on blogger. I'm sure there's a way, I just couldn't figure it out. Please watch it.
http://www.faithit.com/?s=Removed
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Overwhelmed
I apologize for the lack of posts lately. That is not my intention. I would love to do a post a day, but that's just not going to happen. Honestly, I've been a little overwhelmed lately. I'm struggling with juggling work and family. I thought work was starting to slow down a little bit, but turns out it's not. I've hardly even taken a lunch break the last week and a half. I don't see any signs of things slowing down any time in the near future either. Until they do, I will probably be slacking in the blogging department.
Home has been crazy lately too. March madness has taken over, especially since the Cyclones are still in it. I'm currently winning my work bracket. Woot Woot! I have had a few doctor appointments of my own, and Brady has ANOTHER ear infection. Unbelievable. We have an appointment with the ENT on April 8th. We will be pushing for tubes. Something has to be done. Brady cannot live his life with ear pain everyday. It's unhealthy.
I had a 2 hour glucose tolerance test on Friday and an appointment yesterday to review the results. After they blew my veins - I am still bruised from the blood draws - I passed the test! No high numbers! That was such a huge relief. I will continue to watch what I eat, but I believe I have narrowed down the foods that give me high blood sugar and will avoid them from here on out. I don't have to see my endocrinologist for 3 years, unless I fail the pregnancy glucose tolerance test. I'll have to find something other than Cheerios and crackers to help with the horrible nausea next time around.
GO CYCLONES!
Home has been crazy lately too. March madness has taken over, especially since the Cyclones are still in it. I'm currently winning my work bracket. Woot Woot! I have had a few doctor appointments of my own, and Brady has ANOTHER ear infection. Unbelievable. We have an appointment with the ENT on April 8th. We will be pushing for tubes. Something has to be done. Brady cannot live his life with ear pain everyday. It's unhealthy.
I had a 2 hour glucose tolerance test on Friday and an appointment yesterday to review the results. After they blew my veins - I am still bruised from the blood draws - I passed the test! No high numbers! That was such a huge relief. I will continue to watch what I eat, but I believe I have narrowed down the foods that give me high blood sugar and will avoid them from here on out. I don't have to see my endocrinologist for 3 years, unless I fail the pregnancy glucose tolerance test. I'll have to find something other than Cheerios and crackers to help with the horrible nausea next time around.
GO CYCLONES!
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