2 down! (Potty training)

I never thought I would get to write this post!!!  I truly feel like I deserve an award for this one :)

  My Elle Belle is potty trained!!

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, my sweet little peanut is a strong willed child.  She is tough as nails.  I have no doubt God is going to do great things through her and with her life with all of her spunk, but attempting to "train" her in anything has been a challenge.

 

We tried two different times and both times resulted in Elle yelling "I like diapers, I will not go on the potty!" while slamming her little potty.  We set the timer, we made a sticker chart, we loaded her up with juice.  She didn't have accidents, she just refused to go and would wait FIVE, yes, FIVE hours until I put a diaper on her at rest time and go then.  Sigh...what to do.  She was choosing to win the battle and I was at a loss.

 

 

I read in a book, (one that I did not like and didn't agree with half of what was written) to just show them the potty, put them in underwear, let them have accidents, don't offer a ton of praise, just let them figure it out. I thought: Worst. Idea. Ever.  But, since I was at a loss I figured I'd give it a try.  We have hardwood floors so the mess wouldn't be that bad.

 

I put her little potty out in the open, put her in underwear and rubber pants and we carried on.  After two accidents she decided she didn't like it and started going on her own.  End of story.  No more accidents, not one fit, and she is proud of herself without needing a reward.  Just accomplishing the goal was good enough satisfaction.

 

 

Lesson learned - all kids learn differently and my children will not learn in the way that I learn.  Elle needs some freedom and with her freedom she was able to conquer a big step.  We are all so proud of her (especially daddy who is only buying diapers for one baby now!)

Half a year, little one!

I have never been super sentimental.  I don't cry at mushy movies.  I don't keep many keepsakes. At times I wish I had more of a coddling instinct with my children.  I love them very passionately, just not the rock in chair all night so I can smell your hair and feel your skin kinds of demonstration. 

Enter my little Cole-man.

I think it is a mixture of being a son, my son and also of being my last baby.  I truly cannot believe how fast the first half of his first year went.  It makes me weepy just thinking about it.  I feel like we missed so much, yet I know we treasured so many special moments because LD and I talked about it all the time.  How he was most likely our last newborn, the last baby to sleep in our room, the last baby we would feed with a spoon for the first time, the last baby I would nurse (that one was really hard for me and I don't even like nursing!), all of these last milestones has made me very reflective.

BUT, this blog post  is a celebration of Cole's first six months, not a sob story about how this mama cannot handle her babies growing up (suck it up, right?)

Cole is the worlds EASIEST child, um, ever.  He goes to anyone, smiles at anyone, flirts with everyone batting those big baby blues.  He is the worlds best sleeper, going for a record 14 hrs the other night.  He is much more mobile than the girls were at this age, or though it seems, but at times I feel like he was born yesterday.  He is rolling all over the house, cruising around in his walker, and jumping non-stop in his jumper!

His very favorite thing is attention from his sisters.  When they just give him a second of eye contact, he belly laughs. (Side note: When we took Cole to get his six month shots both girls cried, I mean real tears kinda cries when Cole got poked.  It was so sweet and complete chaos). Every morning after breakfast they ask for him to be put in his walker and pull him into the play room and shut the door.  Truly, they stay like that for an hour.  It's bliss for all!!

We dropped Cole's evening cat nap pretty early on so he would go down at night the same time as the girls, so from 3:30 til 7 he is awake and it is a difficult time for sure.  He is a screamer, squealer, high-pitched ringer, and it kills brain cells.  He eats at 3:30, has table food at 5:30 and from then til 7 there is a full blown concert.  During that awful time, when its also dinner, baths and bedtime prep for everyone else, and LD is usually not home, we resort to ANYTHING to keep everyone happy.  He has started gnawing on apples and watermelon in his teether food toy, and drinking out of a sippy cup (he's pretty awesome at it) to get us through the afternoon.

He really is SUCH a joyful little boy.  He has the cutest dimples, the biggest blue eyes and longest eye lashes.  No doubt he will be a heart breaker.  We cannot imagine life without this little man.

Happy six months Cole- man!