Life Lately and Potty Training

Life has been rather quiet lately, and I have been feeling cooped up.  We are working on potty training, so we have tried not to go out and about too much in efforts to remain consistent.

Tuesday was Eliot's third birthday (ahhh!), and since we already had his party, we wanted to do some little special outings.  I took him to his soccer class in the morning where he behaved the worst he ever has (go team...).  Afterward, we had lunch at Qudoba so he could get guacamole and chips, which he thinks he gets every week after soccer.  Then we went to Target to pick up some groceries, a birthday toy, and a birthday bag of Cheetos.  After dinner, we drove out to get him a donut for dessert.  During this car ride, Jack screamed the whole time, Eliot tried to comfort Jack, and our dog yelped and whined (he has been in a lot of mysterious pain lately, so we brought him with us to avoid having him stressing out with us leaving--that plan backfired).  It was stressful to say the least, and I think we were all ready for bed when we got home, but, ya know, maybe car rides at night just aren't a good idea anymore with Jack.

Potty training has been going the best it has yet.  It is our third attempt.  Chris asked me a few times if we were the worst parents ever since our almost three-year-old refused to use the potty.  Before I had kids, I honestly figured I'd have my future children potty trained by two or two and a half.  Three seemed so late.  But, really, kids are so different.  Eliot is a smart boy.  He is independent and has to know how everything works.  When I tried to take away his diapers and put him in underwear last time, he would have nothing to do with it because he was afraid he'd have an accident.  He got really upset about it, so I decided to wait a few months.  I wanted to keep it all positive.  We didn't need crying over potty training.

This time, though, he was fine with the underwear once I got it on him.  He had a couple of accidents until I made him sit on the potty for 40 minutes after drinking.  And he used the potty!  Ever since, we've had just a few accidents (maybe one a day?), but he has used his little froggy potty and also the big potty.  He knows what to do, but I'm not sure that he understands when he has to go or quite how to hold it yet.  The more we practice, though, the more he will get it.  And we're certainly on the right path.  I'm really excited for him, and he gets so proud of himself whenever he uses the potty.

I've been taking the boys out together by myself lately a bit more.  Trips to get icecream.  A quick park visit in the cold.  Off to the grocery store.  With a new baby, I felt like I was in "survival mode" and had an excuse to do nothing by myself.  But when does having a baby cease to be an excuse?  When is it simply the new norm?  Jack isn't a hard kid, and Eliot listens fine enough most of the time.  The hardest thing about taking the two around town is getting Jack's dang carseat in and out.  I suppose two kids serves as an "excuse" for many things (like having a cluttered house or ordering pizza for dinner or having a pile of laundry in the hallway--which I currently do, by the way) depending on the day (whether or not they're being difficult), so I'll take the good days and the adventures with just mom when I can.

Dear Eliot: Two Years, Two Months

Dear Eliot,

I think I've settled into the idea of you being a two-year-old because I keep accidentally thinking you are two and a half years old since you will be that age when your brother comes this summer.  So, to take a step back to two and two months, well, that seems less crazy.  Plus, you seem to be doing everything lately, making you seem older.  I barely remember you as a baby anyway--you've been so BOY for so long.

For a few months, you have been quite interested in making things talk.  Your toys have conversations, your food talks, your feet even have something to say.  Sometimes we'll be in the car and you'll demand, "Talk, you!"  You're telling me to make your toy (or whatever) talk.

We've been working on numbers and sometimes you can get to four when counting things.  You've always wanted to have two of everything (one for each hand), so it is no surprise that you love pointing out when you have two of things.  Two crackers.  Two arms.  Two pacis (this looks funny and you knowww it).  Two cars.  Two shoes.  Two feet.  Oh yes.  Your feet....  You tell us all the time about your two "baby feet" or your "Eliot feet".  You love shoes; you hate socks.  And you sometimes put your shoes on all by yourself!

I used to count your words as you learned them.  I don't anymore (how could I?).  And then I used to understand everything you were saying.  I don't anymore because you are saying so many new words every day that I can't keep up as you learn to pronounce each word and phrase.  I understand about 90% of what you say and other people understand about 70%, I think.

I think we can say that you are left-handed now for sure.  You do everything with your left hand.  I think that means that you are supposed to be more emotionally and creatively inclined.  It shows!  You are always drawing, coloring, painting, taking pictures (which you are amazing at), making music with a harmonica or piano, singing some song...  You love doing everything that involves creativity.  When getting ready for bed, sometimes you sing the lullaby that I have sung to you since you were born.  You are crazy about taking photos with our phones (and the regular camera too) to the point that we are considering making you your own Instagram account.  Also, when you draw, you often draw this weird spiral symbol.  What is that?  You won't tell me!  You also draw sting ray families and sharks the most.

Your winter clothes are really getting snug on you, but I don't want to go buy you a new winter wardrobe with spring (hopefully) around the corner.  These clothes are mostly 18-24 months, so it will soon be time to pick out some 2T clothes for the spring and summer.  Clothes are confusing since you are taller than most boys your age, but you are also slimmer.  I will miss some of your winter outfits, but you have been wearing some of them since the fall (that's six months or more), so we're getting more use out of your clothes now that you are a toddler.

You are such a big kid and help yourself to whatever you want or think you need.  If I'm cooking, you pull a chair up next to me and "help".  If you want something in the pantry, you push a chair to the door and get yourself a snack.  You think hitting light switches is very awesome too, and we often find you standing on a chair while turning the lights off and on.

This month, you had your third professional haircut.  Each time you get more and more relaxed.  They just have to give you a lollipop and you sit still.  It's awesome.  After the lady brushed away all of the stray hairs, I realized that you truly are a dirty blond boy.  All of your light, light blond hairs that had been bleached from the sun were clipped away and your natural, sandy hair was all that remained.  This is the first time I've seen you with just darker hair because you didn't have hardly any hair at all last winter.  You look adorable both ways, but it sure is funny how much your hair changes in the summer.

Your dad picked out this fox hat from Target for you this winter.  He said he wanted something to really keep your head warm instead of the knit hats (with holes) that I often put on you.  That makes sense, and you seem to appreciate it.  You love your fox hat.  When we leave the house (especially if it is windy), you remind us to put your fox hat on.  One time when we were drawing together, you asked me to draw you.  I did and you pointed to your head and asked, "Fox hat?"  Yes, I had to draw the fox hat on your head for you.

We've tried to spend some time at the beach when it is at least a little warm.  I wasn't sure how you'd react because last summer you were scared at first.  When we went on Christmas day, you seemed afraid too, but it was really cold and windy.  This time, though, you loved it.  You played in the sand, chased the seagulls, and flirted with the waves.  You begged us to let you "TOUCH IT," so we'd hold you up and over the water.  Eventually, I got caught by a wave.  And it was colddd.  But you loved it, so it was worth it.  This spring, we'll go back more, even if it is too cold to play in the water.

It is growing more difficult to read to you because you want to read yourself!  You love to bring us book and will tolerate being read to for a while, but then you take the book and finish it up for us.

You're showing some signs of being interested in potty training, but we aren't taking the plunge quite yet.  Sometimes you tell us when you have a diaper and try to take off your pants.  And here's an embarrassing one for you in the future.  One time in the tub, you looked at me very concerned.  "Ew," you said.  "I pee pee in the water."  Nice sentence, buddy!

This month, you had your first metro ride into DC.  It didn't quite go as planned since the metro was being worked on, it was freezing to the point that it snowed some flurries, and we took you out way past nap time.  However, we had fun in the end and you loved looking at the dinosaur bones at the museum and taking pictures of everything.  On the metro, you kept saying, "All aboard!" and I had no idea that you even knew that phrase.

Your favorite movies are Cars and Cars 2 still.  Boy, it has been a year since you fell in love with these movies.  You really love the characters from Finding Nemo still and ask to watch Nemo Cars in bed, but if I put on Nemo instead of Cars, you protest.  "No!  Cars!  Mater!" and get the remote to change it.  Goodness, boy!  It has been a year of Cars!

Eliot, you are so smart and intuitive.  I can't believe all the things you do, say, and figure out.  When you were a newborn, I was afraid that I wouldn't be good enough for you.  I was afraid I would hold you back.  I hung on to each milestone as a sign that I was doing OK at being a mom.  But you have made it so easy.  We love you, boy, and I can't believe how quickly the time has gone.

Lately

I've been writing on random topics lately, but not so much about our days.  Honestly, our day-to-day probably looks quite boring since we work from home and then Eliot naps in the afternoon.  Sometimes it feels like we can't get out for an adventure until after 4:00 pm, and then I need to be figuring out dinner, so we just don't leave the house all day.  (Not complaining, just saying).

We've made more of an effort, though, to get out the door in the mornings for some fun or to shift things around (like letting Eliot nap in the car instead on warmer days knowing his grumpiness to follow will be worth the fun.  Right?  Right?).  I've lost a little bit of pride and am OK with getting myself to look presentable in the mornings without a shower in the interest of getting out.

We tried taking Eliot to the library on colder days, which worked for a while.  He enjoyed doing allll of the puzzles a few times.  He played with some toys.  He is of course interested in the books, but he grabs too many, opens each one, and runs back for more.  Good thing Chris used to work in a library and is great at returning books to the proper shelf quickly.

I think we're doing all right with the whole "big boy bed" transition away from co-sleeping.  I've been consistent and encouraging independence yet not letting it stress us all out.  It's been a month, I think, and Eliot generally starts out in his bed and then crawls in our bed in the morning.  Some nights are easier than others.  Sometimes I see progress; sometimes we take a step back.  I'm just going to keep on with the consistency.

However, Eliot did get sick and wiggle his way back into our bed for a few nights.  He just had a runny nose and then all of the sudden at night he started up with that croup-sounding cough!  Nooo!  He had croup when he was about 10 months old and it was horrible.  I don't know for sure if this was croup, but it sounded like it....  Fortunately, he is older and bigger and has larger vocal cords, so it wasn't as bad and mostly lasted just that night.  However, for that night, he stayed up until 4:00 am and then was awake for the day around 8:00 am (and I got up at 6:00 am), which was not fun.  Ever since that night, he just has a runny nose, seems fine, and coughed maybe twice.  I'm so thankful he feels better!

On the decently warm days (like 55 degrees and sunny), we have gone to the beach twice after Eliot's nap.  We play in the sand, chase seagulls, flirt with the waves, collect shells, play on the playground, and so on.  No one has gotten too wet--yet.  Yesterday evening, we saw a couple of dolphins, which really got Eliot stoked.  He loves sea creatures, especially dolphins, sharks, seals, and rays.  We usually stay about an hour and a half before it is just too windy and the sun is setting.  Eliot is never ready to leave, and I'm really looking forward to it warming up when we can spend hours there, have a picnic, and play.  Not to mention in the summer when we can actually get in the water.

Eliot has been showing a BIG interest in potty training.  I'll probably write more on that later....  I wasn't planning to push it at all and figured we might wait until two and a half or even closer to three.  That might seem rather late to some, but I will have a newborn when he is two and a half, so I thought throwing potty training in the mix might be impossible.  However, he is asking to use the potty and trying to take his pants off....  I'm not sure that he understands how to control it yet, but this could be a good time to start talking about the potty and maybe try in a couple of months (or earlier?).  I'll see how it goes.  The thing is that when I saw that he was getting ready, I was really excited.  But now that I am facing it, I'm nervous and not looking forward to it because I just don't know how it is going to go.  One day at a time!  That's how these things always are.

Life isn't all play, though.  I just choose not to write about work (who wants to read about work?).  These little adventures don't come daily and are placed between early mornings, typing with one hand while Eliot holds my other, working while Eliot builds train tracks, and late nights.  I really love my job and can't believe that I have the chance to work from home while watching my little boy (soon to be boys!) grow up.  So few moms get to both have a career and be at home with their babies at the same time.  I love it.

This weekend, we're heading to northern Virginia to visit Chris's parents.  I think Eliot's first metro ride and trip to DC are in store if it isn't too cold on Saturday.  Natural History Museum, here we come!