Potty Training Day 2

Day 2 has looked like this (and please keep in mind that this is still gross, but I am trying to look for patterns here and figuring out what is working when; so I apologize again for the gross bathroom references over and over and over):

6:30 - Even though I set my alarm to get up before him, he beat me and I found him in his usual spot, at our doorway, dozing on the floor. I woke him to find him very wet and we went to sit on the potty. He tee-teed some more. The good news is that his bed was not wet at all! So, he must have had the accident after he woke up. We got his hands washed and put on new underwear. Then, I headed out the door for a morning walk.
7:20 - While I was walking, Vic said he asked to go tee-tee and poop. So, they sat on the potty and he tee-teed. Yay! I'm assuming hands were washed.
8:00 - Breakfast and one juice box.
8:30 - Sat on potty and tee-teed. Washed hands.
9:15 - Had an accident; put him back on potty and he tee-teed and pooped! Washed hands. Got another potty treat. Another pair of underwear down.
11:40 - I put him on the potty and he tee-teed. Hands washed.
12:15 - I could tell he was trying to poop while we played. I rushed him to the potty to find he'd had a tee-tee accident and had partially pooped. Yuck. But, I sat him on the potty and he pooped again. He was very proud! Although he did fail in the area of telling me he needed to go to the potty. Sigh. Hands washed and potty treat.
1:00 - I put him on the potty before naptime and he tee-teed. Hands washed.
1:05 - As I put him back into bed for his nap, he assured me he needed to poop. I am pretty sure he was just looking for an excuse to not nap, but I took him anyways. Nothing happened. Hands washed. Back to bed.
1:20 - Asleep.
3:40 - He woke up, so I rushed into his room to get him to the potty. He was dry, but not really awake yet and just cried and cried and cried and wouldn't sit on the potty. I was so irritated with myself because I knew I just got to him too soon. But, he eventually calmed down and was still dry, but kept telling me he didn't need to potty. So, we went outside to play and it wasn't until 5:30 that I asked him and he finally said "yes" he needed to potty. Sure enough, he did. Hands washed and potty treat.

6:00 - I had to run out for a quick errand when Vic got home. I think Atticus went to the potty twice while I was gone, but listen to this! He told Vic both time when he needed to go. Now, why won't he do that with me? Atticus had a bath and then right before he went to bed, he had an accident. But, in bed about 9 and hoping for a good night!

Things I've realized today:

1. He doesn't always remember to ask for a potty treat which is good because maybe that will not be expected forever. But, for now when he does, he gets three chocolate covered raisins and if he poops, he gets a Peeps Ghost Marshmallow. I may need to go stock up on a few of those before Halloween ends. He loves them.
2. He is still not telling me he needs to potty. I don't think he cares that he is sitting in wet underwear.
3. He is very messy when sitting to tee-tee. But, this is step one. We tried standing yesterday, but he doesn't want to stand there for long. And since I currently have him on the big potty with the little lid, then he can't go anywhere without me helping him get down. If I can just get him to first tell me he needs to go potty, then we'll attempt the cheerio trick and peeing outside trick to teach him to tee-tee standing up.
4. And, finally I think I am realizing that this 3 day attempt was good, but I'm probably going to have to extend it for a few weeks.....

Potty Training Day 1

So, I'm getting serious. Time to potty train and get this done. I've dedicated today, tomorrow and Friday to a serious potty training time and then we will have the weekend to hopefully finish it up. I'm warning you that this post is kind of gross because it gives you the details of poop and tee-tee.

Day 1 has looked like this:

By the time I changed his diaper this morning, he was already wet and had pooped. I had planned to be awake before him so as soon as I saw him stirring, I could take him straight to the potty. But, Grace woke up at 12:30 and 5:30 and I was tired.

9:40 - I put him on the potty and he tee-teed. Put on underwear. Washed hands. Got potty treat. Already had a juice box at breakfast.
10:00 - Had an accident; put him back on potty and he tee-teed. Washed hands. Got another potty treat. But, one pair of underwear is down. Gave him a juice box.
10:16 - I put him on the potty for 15 minutes, read books, and he tee-teed. Washed hands. Got another potty treat.
11:05  - I put him on the potty and he tee-teed. More hand washing. And yes - another potty treat.
11:35 - I put him on the potty. Nothing happened. Washed hands.
12:10 - He started talking about pooping. I asked him if he needed to potty and he said yes! Got to the potty to find he had a tee-tee accident. We sat on potty for 20 minutes. No tee-tee. No poop. Another pair of underwear down. Washed hands. Had a slight meltdown when he didn't get a potty treat.
12:45 - Ate lunch. Gave him another juice box.
1:30 - Put him on the potty and he tee-teed. Took us 15 minutes while we read books. Washed hands.
2:05 - Put him in his room for a nap.
2:10 - He came out of his room and said he needed to potty. Realized he'd had a tee-tee accident. Sat on potty for 5 minutes but no more tee-tee. Washed hands. Back to room and he showed me the puddle soaked into the carpet where he had his accident. Soaked it up. Put him back to bed.
2:20 - He was asleep.
4:45 - He woke up dry! As soon as I saw him awake on the monitor, I took him straight to the potty. He tee-teed. Washed his hands. Got a potty treat.
5:35 - I thought he was trying to poop so I put him on the potty. We sat for 15 minutes. No poop or tee-tee. Washed hands.
6:45 - Had a tee-tee accident. Sat on potty and tee-teed again. Washed hands. Got potty treat. Put on new underwear.
7:40 - Had a tee-tee accident. Sat on potty and tee-teed again. Washed hands. Got potty treat. Put on new underwear.
8:10 - Bath. I'm sure he tee-teed in the tub.
8:50 - Had an accident. Sat on potty, tee-teed. Washed hands. Potty treat. New pair of underwear and pajamas.
9:10 - asleep in his underwear - NO diaper. We'll see how the night goes!

Things I've realized today:

1. We are going to need more soap.
2. He is not telling me he needs to tee-tee which was what I wanted to see after his nap. Therefore, I didn't put him on the potty, but instead waited for him to tell me he needed to go. Clearly, with three accidents this evening, he is not telling me. Something to work on for day 2.
3. Except the one small meltdown over no potty treat when he didn't use the restroom, he was SO good today and even took a good nap! So, focusing on going to the potty kept him from misbehaving.
4. At least 100 times today, I said the following "Atticus do you need to tee-tee? Do you need to poop?" And his usual response was "Attis don't have any poop" or "Attis don't have any tee-tee" or "Yay!" throwing his fists into the air when he would tee-tee on the potty.

All in all not a terrible day, but also not terribly successful. Read to start day 2!

Fall Fest & Aggie Tailgating

Now that we have our precious kids, Aggie football games are not something we will plan to go to very often. Occasionally, we hope to make a game, but we have just as much fun watching it at home with the kids. However, it is always fun to make it up to campus on game day to tailgate and see the Aggie football excitement! This past weekend, we went up to tailgate for the Auburn game. We stopped at our friends, Seth and Courtney's, tailgate to visit and see how big Mitchell, their one year old, has gotten! Then, we headed to the College of Ag Tailgate by the AgriLife Center for Fuddruckers burgers, and then headed over to the "Cuz We Can" tailgate. This tailgate includes a yellow schoolbus that has been converted to a tailgating bus complete with 4 TV's, barstools & a bar, popcorn machine, a grill, can crusher, and more for a super cool bus! I'll try to add a picture later. This bus was built by some guys in Orange Grove and it really is a sight to see! So, we visited with a few OG people, and then headed back home. We had a great time. The weather was cool, but beautiful and while Grace got a good nap during the stroller ride, Atticus had a great time eating and dancing to music at the tailgates. He was so well behaved and I was so proud of him.

 

 

When we got home, Vic took the kids down for a nap and I headed up to the church to help start decorating for our Fall Festival. It was actually held Sunday afternoon. It has gotten bigger and better the past couple of years and I really like being on the committee to help plan and carry it out. We have some great committee members including one friend, Kristi, who is so creative and great at decorating! There were about 150 people in attendance and we had committee game booths (pumpkin decorating, crafts, obstacle course, cookie decorating, bounce house, etc.), about 15 trunk or treat vehicles, a live band, popcorn/sausage on a stick/cotton candy/corndogs/desserts, a hayride, convertible rides with our pastor, and a photo backdrop for family pictures! Kids can dress up, walk around to play games, get candy and treats, visit, and best of all---it's free to the public! I was just so excited about it and proud of our congregation for coming out to put on such a great festival!

In addition to having a great festival, we had so much fun with our kids! I worked the craft booth for the first hour or so, but then walked around with Vic and the kids to watch Atticus play games. He was so much fun and loved playing the games and getting "tandy" and "treats". He was so cute walking around with his pumpkin bucket. Again - he was so well behaved. We rode the hayride around the neighborhood with our friends, the Gerlands (Devin, Makala, Julianne, and Houston) and realized we have ridden it with them the last two years as well! They have moved so we don't get to see them very often, so it was nice to visit for a little bit.

Grace, while not able to play games yet, was adorable and just as well behaved. Oh, I love our little family so much! A couple of funny things: when we left, Atticus kept saying "bye people" and waving to people as we walked the sidewalk to our vehicles (he is a slow walker, so he told a lot of people bye); he also got two little rubber rats as prizes (he picked them out of the prize bucket) and has since talked about "my vats" a lot. I don't know if I've mentioned his love of talking about rats and asking us if we like rats over and over. They have them at the pet store and I always cringe and tell him I don't like rats and of course, he laughs and asks me over and over and tells me he "Attis yike vats!" with a scrunched up face. Oh and this was pretty much the best night ever for him: unlimited treats and cupcakes and corn dogs and games! It was very fun to watch him play a game and then know immediately he was about to get candy. The good part was, he was more interested in getting a piece and eating it right away than stocking up a lot. It reminded me of Easter when he realized his eggs has candy in them. He would find an egg, eat the candy and then go find another egg. I am excited for his first Trick or Treating adventure this next week. I think he will love it and already says "Happy Hayoween" and "tick a cheat" like a pro!

 

Friday Favorites: Just a Friday

I haven't done a Friday Favorites post in awhile, so today's is just because today is one of my favorite Fridays! This morning, we got up and went to the Texas A&M Saddle & Sirloin Petting Zoo at Pierce Pavilion. It was great! It was setup in the barn, so the kids could run and play and look at animals to their heart's content. And for Atticus, this is a GREAT day as you all know his love for am-mulls. There were not too many kids there so it was relaxing and fun. There were chicks, a show lamb, a meat goat, a steer, a shetland pony, a horse, a couple of show pigs, and a tractor. Apparently, the show animals were all from the State Fair. Anyways, there was a college student at each pen and Atticus had no problem walking right up to each animal to pet them; except the horses. He walked up, but a horse is pretty tall compared to Atticus. He pet the Shetland Pony, but not the horse. And, what was better was that my friend Megan and her two kids, Cole and Nathan, also came. So, Atticus and Cole ran from each animal pen to the next laughing and checking out the animals. He truly didn't want to leave, so I was glad I could convince him by telling him our next stop. We were headed to Lupe Tortilla to meet with some other moms and kids to celebrate our dear friend Meghan's birthday! But, what convinced him was that there was a playground at the restaurant! I was not aware of that, but it could NOT have been a more perfect setup. The mom's sat outside under some canopies eating lunch and visiting while our kiddos, who could walk, played in a giant sandbox and playground area. We spent 2 1/2 hours there and for those of you with kids, you know that you are usually satisfied to last 45 minutes in a restaurant when you have your small children with you. It was just so much fun to visit and spend time with some great moms and kids!

 Our day began with a pumpkin picture. It has gotten cool this week and was in the 60's today. And, of course, this now means I can pull out all of Grace's cute fall and winter outfits!

 Atticus was so fearless with the animals today. He is getting less cautious around them all the time, which of course makes me want to move to the country as soon as possible and buy some goats! He loved these little chicks.

 

 He even reached right through the fence to pet the steer. Texas Aggie Animal Science major in our future?

 While we want him to show goats and not lambs, he was very interested in the sheep's wool. It is really soft!

Atticus kept telling people who would walk up that the "piggies are seeping".

 Atticus was very concerned about what the horse was eating.

 This place was so big and perfect for Atticus to run in.

 

 Even Grace got to see the animals up close. She didn't have any problem petting the little chick and got a little too rough at one point. I was fearful for the chick's life....or at least the chick's eyes.

 

 The boys were having such a good time!

At the restaurant, we had Courtney, Noble, Brenda, Luke, Mason (I think?), and Jessica at one table.

And Meghan, Lane, Cecilia, Isabelle, Evelyn, Atticus, and Grace at another table. We were all together, until is started raining. By the time we split the tables to be out of the rain and got everyone situated, it stopped raining!

I could not believe how perfect this playground was for our day!

Atticus and Grace

Here is a throwback Thursday for you: The top picture is Atticus at about 5 months and the bottom is Grace at about 6 months. Such cuties!

 

Books of the week

For about the last three weeks, we have had a group of about 8 books that we read over and over. But, the ones we read the most are these five:

 Press Here is interactive and my favorite part is at the end when he says "Bravo" just like the book.

Bunny My Honey is so precious and all about a baby bunny that gets lost from his mommy but then of course is found. When Atticus sees bunnies now, he calls them "Bunny My Honey".

Washington, D.C. is a book that Whitney gave to him a few weeks ago. I kid you not, he can tell you who George Washington is when looking at his picture, that the president lives in the White House, and when asked who works on Capitol Hill, tells you "Witty Patick". (even though Patrick doesn't really work on the hill.) He loves this book!

Little Blue Truck Leads the Way is a follow-up to Little Blue Truck but is set in the city and of course, the Little Blue Truck saves the day again.

Good Night Texas is an old one, but a good one. He says "go puffy!" and "remember the Alamo!" during those parts of the book.

We have a couple other new Halloween books that I'll share later. I can't help but love to shop for books for him. He loves to be read to and recently has picked up a book and started reading it to himself for just a minute before bringing it to me. I have quite a few on his Christmas list that I think he will like!

Grace: 7 months old

Our Grace turned 7 months a few days ago. Here are her updates:

• Weight is: approx. 16.8 lbs
• Height is: approx. 27 inches
• In 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers.
• Doing the "sit up and then lay down and roll over and then sit up again" method to get around. But, she is ALMOST crawling. She still tucks her legs under and then flattens. But, occasionally she will get a couple forward movements in before flattening.
• Plays with toys mostly by putting them in her mouth; loves to be sung to; loves the finger puppet book for Old MacDonald Had a Farm; starting to take Atticus' toys....
• Still a paci baby.
• Takes a morning nap of an hour and an afternoon nap of 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Sleeps for about 11-12 hours per night waking up once but keeps me on my toes as to when that time will be.
• Has her two bottom middle teeth.
• Started babbling "babababababa" just yesterday!
• She is still a happy eater. I am feeding her dinner of prunes (always prunes!) and either oatmeal or vegetables or fruit. The only table food she is eating so far is bananas and avocados and has those at snacktime. She also likes puffs and crunchies.
• She is not taking a bottle very often because she is with me all the time. However, sometimes when we do need her to take one, she doesn't take it very well.
• She loves her bathtime if it falls in her routine. If she is hungry or too tired, she is not happy at all!
• She loves pulling up on us while we are on the floor with her. And, she prefers to be carried around almost all the time. She will play once she is fed and has energy. But, as soon as she is done playing, she is ready to be carried and held. And, for whatever reason, if someone else has her and I walk up or she hears my voice, she immediately wants me instead. Sweet baby, but goodness!
  
   

Decorating "My Sugar Punkin Cookies!"

So, when I was at Michael's last week, I found a pumpkin cookie decorating kit for $4.99. How could I pass it up? So, last night I told Atticus we were going to make and decorate sugar cookies today. Of course, the first thing he says this morning when he wakes up is "where my sugar punkin cookies?"

So, after Grace went down for her morning nap, we made sugar cookies and decorated them. In case you were wondering, here are the required steps for making "sugar punkin cookies".

Step 1: Place butter & sugar in the mixing bowl.

Step 2: Add eggs and mix.

 

Step 3: Taste test the batter.

Step 4: Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl and then add to mixture in bowl.

 

 Step 5: Lick the mixing bowl beater.

 Step 6: Roll out the cookie dough.

 Step 7: Taste test again to make sure the cookie dough is still good.

 Step 8: Cut out "punkin" cookies.

 Step 9: Bake cookies and continue to ask "Where my sugar punkin cookies?" as they bake.

 Step 10: Smile for the camera.

Step 11: Use up leftover cookie dough by adding some chocolate chips. 



Step 12: Let mama ice the cookies because the icing bag is "too hot; need to cool off". But, then start adding a few "spinkles".

Step 13: Start out putting "spinkles" on very carefully but then dump the entire jar out to make it easier to use them.

Step 14: Let mama ice all of the cookies while you lick the icing off and ask for more icing. Also, be sure to use way more sprinkles than necessary. (I promise that I kept his cookies to the side and saved the rest from his little sticky fingers.)

 Step 15: Eat cookies!

And if you'd like the sugar cookie recipe, here it is:

Vanilla-Almond Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

3 c unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 c sugar (I use sugar that I've stored vanilla beans in)
2 sticks (salted) butter, cold & cut into chunks
1 egg
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.

The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for rolling.

Roll on a floured surface to about 1/4" to 3/8" thick, and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets (I recommend freezing the cut-out shape on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking) and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let sit a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.