Potty Training
I swear, the best tool for potty training is an idol. Matthew was in Red Oak when we visited last weekend. On Saturday morning, he and Jacob were sitting at the breakfast table waiting patiently for Grandma Rose and Papa to finish cooking. Matthew got up from the table, said he had to go potty, and went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. As soon as he returned, Jacob started to get down from his seat, and he announced to the room that he had to go potty. So I started to go into the bathroom to help him, and he quickly escorted me back out and closed the door behind me. He wanted to do it by himself just like Matthew! So I watched him thru the keyhole in the door. He pulled his pants down just fine, but he could not figure out the diaper. So I watched him work on it for a minute and then asked if he needed help. Of course, he said yes, so I helped him. He didn't do anything on the potty, but he was so proud of himself for sitting on it and trying! He did this about 2 more times that day, and he's been excited to sit on the potty ever since we got home. He hasn't been this interested in the potty since Andrew has been born. Let's hope he keeps it up! Go Jacob!
Farm Boys
The last 2 weekends we spent in the country. I had scheduled with my brother and parents to visit my grandfather in Kaufman on Father's Day weekend. My brother and I were going to take our families so that Grandpa could see his great-grandsons. So I'm at work on the Friday before, and Jacob's school calls. He has a red eye, and it's getting more red as the day goes on. So I'm thinking it's pink eye. It turns out that he had a cold and the drainage was coming out of his eye. So since he was contagious, he and Brian did not get to go to the farm. I was so sad! Jacob is the only one who actually cares about the farm! Andrew and I went and had a great time! My grandfather LOVED meeting him! My uncle Russell was so sweet to Andrew, too! He has Downs Syndrome, so I just try to keep an eye on him around the kids. We don't go down that often, and I just forget that he is the sweetest person! He would straighten the blanket for Andrew, and I even saw him patting his little belly. He was just so sweet!
Then last weekend we heard there was going to be some hay bailing going on in Red Oak! Jacob is all about tractors and hay right now! I don't know how long it will last, so we decided that we were going to go watch Papa bail hay! Jacob just wanted to climb in and out of Papa's tractor on Friday night. Matthew was there, too, so they took turns riding the gator. The next morning, Jacob could not wait to get outside to watch Papa bail hay! It was really cute! He kept saying that he was going to ride with Papa and help him, but he wouldn't get on the tractor when we got down to it. While Papa was bailing one pasture, Jacob got on the gator and started picking up his own hay. He played very hard! We all had a really good time.
Then last weekend we heard there was going to be some hay bailing going on in Red Oak! Jacob is all about tractors and hay right now! I don't know how long it will last, so we decided that we were going to go watch Papa bail hay! Jacob just wanted to climb in and out of Papa's tractor on Friday night. Matthew was there, too, so they took turns riding the gator. The next morning, Jacob could not wait to get outside to watch Papa bail hay! It was really cute! He kept saying that he was going to ride with Papa and help him, but he wouldn't get on the tractor when we got down to it. While Papa was bailing one pasture, Jacob got on the gator and started picking up his own hay. He played very hard! We all had a really good time.
Nanas Nonny Stoo
I mentioned in another blog that we are using the naughty stool for Jacob. He's really pretty good; he only has to sit on it every couple of days. Last night he and Brian were playing with Mr. Bananas, this stuffed monkey that Jacob has. Jacob loves this little monkey! I don't know how it started, but I sat down to feed Andrew, and Jacob and Brian were putting Mr. Bananas on the naughty stool. Brian set the timer for 2 minutes, and they sat on the stairs to wait for Mr. Bananas. Then when time was up, Jacob went to the stool, picked up the monkey and made him apologize, and then topped it off with a hug and kiss. I don't know how many times they did it before I started watching, but they did this another 4 or 5 times after I sat down. Jacob would take Mr. Bananas off of the stool, take a few steps towards the living room, and make Mr. Bananas hit his head. Then he'd tell him "Nanas nonny stoo hit kakob 2 mimits." A few times he wanted to get him off of the stool early, but Brian made him wait the full 2 minutes.
So I've been going back and forth in my mind if this is a good game to let Jacob play. One side of me says that we shouldn't do it. The other side of me says that he is practicing and understanding the concept of the naughty stool, so it's not really a big deal.
In other news, he woke up this morning talking about Andrew pooping everywhere; Daddy put on gloves; the gloves were stinky. That little incident made quite the impression on him!
So I've been going back and forth in my mind if this is a good game to let Jacob play. One side of me says that we shouldn't do it. The other side of me says that he is practicing and understanding the concept of the naughty stool, so it's not really a big deal.
In other news, he woke up this morning talking about Andrew pooping everywhere; Daddy put on gloves; the gloves were stinky. That little incident made quite the impression on him!
Andrew Coos
I took this video of Andrew over the weekend. I have a hard time catching him with a smile when I'm taking pictures, but he performed like a champ on video!
He is doing so well at school! He loves the bounce chair and he is very curious about his new surroundings. The down side is that he is so ready to be with Mommy at night that he cries the entire way home. The first night, he just wanted to be held all evening. Yesterday he played in the floor while Jacob made me a nervous wreck while he ran around.
Jacob had wheel day at school yesterday. Mrs. Miller said he loved his little truck that we sent in. She called me yesterday to catch me up on the summer activities, and she went on and on about how wonderful Jacob is. I'm so happy he can put on such an act for his teachers at school. I'm kidding!
Jacob does not like white noise. He is scared of the vacuum, blender, food processor, and even the fan in the bathroom. While we were at Costco, we saw a giant vacuum (it looked like a zamboni or something). He was fascinated with it and did not have a break down, but in the checkout line he told me that the giant vacuum hurt his tummy and arm. I'm not sure where the arm came from, but his tummy probably hurt because he was feeling anxious. So I told Brian the story, and he decided to do a little vacuuming Sunday evening (right before Aunt Megs was coming over). So, of course, Jacob totally freaks out. Brian is so patient with him! It probably took about 20 minutes before Jacob was calm enough to touch the vacuum. Brian ended up holding Jacob's hand on the little handle to help Jacob get over his fear. Jacob did not talk about any vacuums all day Monday. But this morning he woke up talking about how Daddy got the vacuum out and it hurt Jacob's arm and tummy. This kid does not forget anything!
Pictures....finally!
So I have finally put together the pictures from the end of my maternity leave!
We had a pretty good weekend (although as I type this I realize it was pretty uneventful). Friday night I picked up Jacob from school, and I thought we'd do something fun. I told him, "Mommy and Jacob are going to go eat pizza." He said, "Daddy Jacob pizza." So I called Brian, and the 3 of us went out. We left Andrew with Grandmother. After naps on Saturday, the 4 of us headed out to see Big Gaga. Jacob was so excited to see Gaga and Oscar. Jacob got to play with Seth while we were there, too! We went to the cemetery to visit Granddaddy when we were finished. He is buried in the DFW National Cemetery, and it is just beautiful out there! I took Jacob to Costco with me on Sunday, and Andrew got to go to Target with me. Then Aunt Megs came over Sunday night. Jacob had so much fun with her!
I had borrowed my sister's label maker so that I could label all of Andrew's bottles for daycare. I recruited Megan to help me since she was there, but it didn't last long. Just as we got enough bottles labeled for his big first day, the tape started acting up. No biggie...I'll get a new tape tomorrow, I thought, and finish tomorrow evening. Then I decided to do baths for the boys. I get everyone's gear ready, sit down next to the tub, turn it on and a small trickle comes out with a lot of air. Yep...our water was out. It turns out there was a water main break around my neighborhood and they expected to have it fixed between 3 and 5 a.m. the next morning. That meant that when I woke up at 5:00 I would know if we needed to go somewhere to take showers. No biggie.
Sure enough, no water yesterday morning. So I spend 2 hours (yes...2 flippin' hours) packing bags: Jacob's daycare bag, Andrew's daycare bag, my pump bag, my lunch, and my bag to get ready at Grandmother's house. I sent an email to work (which no one received because our server was down) and fed Andrew in the middle of all of that, too. Ugh! So naturally, I cry a little before I leave the house because Andrew started school yesterday. He was so happy and playing when I left which makes it 10 times harder to leave him! The rest of the day was wonderful!
The weekend before last, Andrew had his first poop incident. In the middle of a diaper change, he pooped everywhere...and I mean everywhere! It got all over the wall, changing table, package of wipes, and even in Jacob's clothes hamper. Jacob was sitting on his bed and watched the entire fiasco. Brian came in with latex gloves to help me clean which was really nice. So now when Jacob has a dirty diaper, he says, "Jacob poop everywhere!" And on Sunday night while Megs was there, Jacob took off his socks, put them on his hands, ran to his room and shouted, "Jacob poop everywhere!" He is starting to pretend now, and it is so much fun!
Granddaddy's Memorial Service
I setup a couple of photo frames at Granddaddy's memorial service. Here is a slideshow of the pictures that I put on them. We got a cassette tape of the service and I’m working to get it digitized; I just need to find a male-male headphone cable. I’m sure I threw a couple away when I cleaned out the office a few weeks ago. Once it is ready I’ll post it.
You can watch the show with larger pictures here OR, click on the four arrows in the lower right corner once the slideshow starts to watch it in full screen.
A Few Stories
I was so exhausted last night after work that I did not touch my computer to update the pictures. I have my camera with me today, so maybe I will have a chance to at least get them onto the computer.
I thought of a couple of stories to share about the boys.
Andrew update: Have I mentioned that he is the best baby?!?! We had his checkup last week, and he was 12 lbs 9.75 oz (74th percentile) and 23.5 inches long (66th percentile). He is such a chunk! He is pretty happy most of the time and extremely relaxed. He averages 5-6 hours of sleep at night (9:00 - 3:00 or 4:00). He eats every 2-3 hours. He has been cooing and smiling at us for a while now. He coos differently to Brian than he does to me. I think he really likes Jacob, too! Jacob thinks Andrew is the funniest little thing. I think he giggles at every noise Andrew makes.
Jacob update: A few weeks ago you needed a translator to understand what Jacob was saying. It's not like that much anymore! He is starting to speak so well and in sentences. He loves to "cogor" (color), watch tractors, read his books, and recently he has become even more fascinated with letters and counting. He has learned how to spell his name and Mommy. We are working on Daddy and his own middle name. He has learned that his full name is "Kakob Ellis Dedomm" (he makes a K noise for his J's). He loves to count! He has also learned recently about the naughty stool and does not like it! It works, though! And we had to do it Super Nanny style in the beginning. It took about 45 min. for him to get it the first time; 30 min. after that; and now he doesn't get up and run around.
It turns out that Andrew is quite the bully, too! (Forgive me if I have already posted the following story). One morning, Jacob and Andrew were on our bed. Jacob picked up Andrew's hand and brought it to his own mouth. I thought he was kissing Andrew's hand. Then he puts down Andrew's hand, points to his mouth, and says, "hurt, hurt." I handled it very well in the moment and did not laugh at him, but I giggled about it all day!
Over the weekend, I was cooking some biscuits and doing some laundry. Both boys were in the living room, and I hear Jacob say, "Angoo Kakob hurt knee." So I ask him, "Did Andrew hurt Jacob's knee?" He tells me yes. So then I apologize for Andrew (I did not witness anything and I want to make sure Jacob feels like he is heard when he complains), and I explained that Andrew cannot control his movements right now. Then about 10 minutes later Jacob runs to me in the laundry room and says, "Angoo Kakob books." I ask him if he wants to read his books to Andrew; no response (which means no). Then I ask if Andrew took his books, and he tells me yes. Okay, that's just ridiculous. So I told him, "No. Andrew did not take your books. Go play." Then I noticed Jacob was looking at his books next to Andrew. It was really cute!
I thought of a couple of stories to share about the boys.
Andrew update: Have I mentioned that he is the best baby?!?! We had his checkup last week, and he was 12 lbs 9.75 oz (74th percentile) and 23.5 inches long (66th percentile). He is such a chunk! He is pretty happy most of the time and extremely relaxed. He averages 5-6 hours of sleep at night (9:00 - 3:00 or 4:00). He eats every 2-3 hours. He has been cooing and smiling at us for a while now. He coos differently to Brian than he does to me. I think he really likes Jacob, too! Jacob thinks Andrew is the funniest little thing. I think he giggles at every noise Andrew makes.
Jacob update: A few weeks ago you needed a translator to understand what Jacob was saying. It's not like that much anymore! He is starting to speak so well and in sentences. He loves to "cogor" (color), watch tractors, read his books, and recently he has become even more fascinated with letters and counting. He has learned how to spell his name and Mommy. We are working on Daddy and his own middle name. He has learned that his full name is "Kakob Ellis Dedomm" (he makes a K noise for his J's). He loves to count! He has also learned recently about the naughty stool and does not like it! It works, though! And we had to do it Super Nanny style in the beginning. It took about 45 min. for him to get it the first time; 30 min. after that; and now he doesn't get up and run around.
It turns out that Andrew is quite the bully, too! (Forgive me if I have already posted the following story). One morning, Jacob and Andrew were on our bed. Jacob picked up Andrew's hand and brought it to his own mouth. I thought he was kissing Andrew's hand. Then he puts down Andrew's hand, points to his mouth, and says, "hurt, hurt." I handled it very well in the moment and did not laugh at him, but I giggled about it all day!
Over the weekend, I was cooking some biscuits and doing some laundry. Both boys were in the living room, and I hear Jacob say, "Angoo Kakob hurt knee." So I ask him, "Did Andrew hurt Jacob's knee?" He tells me yes. So then I apologize for Andrew (I did not witness anything and I want to make sure Jacob feels like he is heard when he complains), and I explained that Andrew cannot control his movements right now. Then about 10 minutes later Jacob runs to me in the laundry room and says, "Angoo Kakob books." I ask him if he wants to read his books to Andrew; no response (which means no). Then I ask if Andrew took his books, and he tells me yes. Okay, that's just ridiculous. So I told him, "No. Andrew did not take your books. Go play." Then I noticed Jacob was looking at his books next to Andrew. It was really cute!
Back at Work
Good morning! I am back at work after 9 wonderful weeks off with my babies. I say babies, but Jacob still had to go to school while I stayed home with Andrew. I have a ton of pictures that I'm going to put into a slideshow.
Here is a quick summary of my leave time. I had cabin fever like crazy so the 2 weeks I was not allowed to drive felt like forever! I wanted to use the time off to get my house organized and ready for life with 2 kids and 2 working parents. I got some of it done, but not as much as I would have liked. We found a water leak in our house. So I spent a few days at my parents' house with the kiddos. It was nice to go to a familiar place, but there is no place like home with the kids. One day I took both kids to visit Big Gaga and we met Amy and her 2 girls over there. We had so much fun! The kids played really well together! Then we had Matthew's birthday party at Pump It Up! It is a place with these giant bounce houses, and Jacob loved it! Then both boys were sick. Jacob just had the crud, but Andrew got an ear infection. What?!?! 7 weeks old with an ear infection! He seems to be doing much better now. And then it all ended with the passing of Brian's grandfather. He had been sick since the beginning of the year. He will be missed so much! I am sad that he is the second great-grandparent that my kids have lost this year.
I'm taking my computer home tonight to work on the pictures. I cannot wait for everyone to see them!
Here is a quick summary of my leave time. I had cabin fever like crazy so the 2 weeks I was not allowed to drive felt like forever! I wanted to use the time off to get my house organized and ready for life with 2 kids and 2 working parents. I got some of it done, but not as much as I would have liked. We found a water leak in our house. So I spent a few days at my parents' house with the kiddos. It was nice to go to a familiar place, but there is no place like home with the kids. One day I took both kids to visit Big Gaga and we met Amy and her 2 girls over there. We had so much fun! The kids played really well together! Then we had Matthew's birthday party at Pump It Up! It is a place with these giant bounce houses, and Jacob loved it! Then both boys were sick. Jacob just had the crud, but Andrew got an ear infection. What?!?! 7 weeks old with an ear infection! He seems to be doing much better now. And then it all ended with the passing of Brian's grandfather. He had been sick since the beginning of the year. He will be missed so much! I am sad that he is the second great-grandparent that my kids have lost this year.
I'm taking my computer home tonight to work on the pictures. I cannot wait for everyone to see them!
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