Potty Training 101

We are taking a pretty laid back approach to the whole potty training thing. I heard that boys tend to potty train later than girls so we are pretty much just waiting till Owen is ready and not pushing the issue. I would love for him to be potty trained by the time the baby arrives, but if he isn't, it is no big deal. A few weeks ago, I told him that when he decides to go poop on the potty, I will buy him a new choo choo- his choice. This did not seem to motivate him too much. He's tried to go a few times because he really wanted a choo choo, but nothing....until today. After lunch he said he wanted to go poopy in the potty. I figured he probably would not go, but we tried anyway. He was really trying to go, but I did not think he went... until I looked and saw a teeny tiny poop. Mike and I made a HUGE deal about it. We were very proud and so was Owen (as you can see in the picture!). I told him we would go get him a new train after his nap, but he wanted to go right away, so off we went. On the way there he told me he was going to get James, but he ended up getting Hector. Ten minutes after we got home he tried to go potty again. I think he wanted to go back and get James. I said he has to go pee and poop in the potty to get another train. Potty training could get very expensive so I might eventually have to make a sticker chart and reward him after five or ten successful potty trips. I know some of my friends give their kids a tiny M&M every time their child goes to the potty, but unfortunately, Owen does not like M&Ms, or candy for that matter.

Pumpkin Carving

Tonight we finally carved our pumpkins. We were really pushing it considering Trick-or-Treat is tomorrow night! I really thought Owen might get into it this year because he understands so much more than last year, but I was wrong. He was not at all interested because he refused to get his hands dirty! He definitely got the neat freak gene from my dad. I remember hearing stories about my dad when he was younger and he also hated to get dirty. I know I am anal and a neat freak when it comes to things like keeping the house clean (although you wouldn't know it by the looks of it), only eating food in the kitchen, not wearing dirty shoes in the house, etc.... BUT I never discourage Owen from getting dirty. In fact, I think the dirtier, the better, when it comes to playing (especially when outside) because it means you had a lot of fun. We will need to work on this. How is he going to make mud pies if he doesn't like to get dirty? That was one of my favorite things to do when I was little. Maybe we'll practice finger painting with chocolate pudding. Anyway, Mike tried to get Owen to touch the pumpkin guts and he got VERY upset. Uncle Boo was over to capture some Kodiak moments.

Mike and I finished Owen's costume. I tried to find overalls, but had no luck finding his size so we are just going with a flannel shirt. I think he looks adorable! There's just something special about homemade costumes. I will take some more pictures tomorrow night, but I thought I better get a couple tonight because you never know what mood he might be in. 

(I linked up to Kelly's Korner and accidentally called it Thomas... It's actually Percy!  Oops!)

Tomorrow he has his hayride and costume party at Linda's house. He's excited to show his friends his costume!

A Productive Weekend

This past weekend was VERY productive. Beth and Eric were home so Eric, my dad, and I spent Saturday morning and part of Sunday making Owen's Halloween costume. It is adorable! I just need to make a few final touches- like suspenders to hold it up. Thanks, Dad and Eric, for all the time you put into making Percy!
We also cleaned out the baby's room, moved the crib and dresser into his room, got two twin matresses, and prepared Owen's room for the bunkbeds.
Here are some pictures of the nursery (so far). It's small, but cozy.

It felt so good to be able to check off so many things from our "to do" list!

Shot

After doing much research, Mike found a place in Maryland that will give me the shot. We are headed to a health clinic in Maryland tomorrow with another pregnant friend. The clinic will give the shot to ONLY pregnant women. Maryland seems to be much more "on the ball" than PA!

UPDATE: Just as we were about to leave the house and drive at least two hours to Maryland, we found out about a clinic in Lancaster that was giving the shot today from 2-4. They got some vaccines in early so I picked up Nikki and we drove to Lancaster and did not wait at all.

Firsts... and Lasts

I have been meaning to get a picture of Owen in his toddler bed before he moves into his new bed. We ordered bunk beds and they are delivering them on Monday. He has slept in his crib/toddler bed since he was just a few days old. When I went up tonight to check on him, this is what I saw, and I just had to get a picture.

I would also like to get a picture of him on his changing table because that too will be moved into his brother's room. I have not been using it too much lately because he has really outgrown it. I usually just change him on the floor. Hopefully, soon, he will decide to use the potty, but right now he wants nothing to do with it.

Here is a picture of him on his changing table when he was just a baby trying to eat his toes.

So often I write about Owen's firsts, but you don't really think about the lasts. That's probably a good thing because it would be too upsetting. I read another mom's blog and she was writing about "lasts" and how when kids get to this age you never know when will be the last time you carry them up the steps or rock them to sleep. I love rocking Owen in the rocker in his room, but that too will move into his brother's room closer to my due date. We will replace it with a white wooden rocker, but it won't be the same. We have rocked him, fed him, and read to him in that green rocker since he was born. I remember nursing Owen for the last time and then giving him a bottle for the last time in that rocker. I did not blog at the time, so I do not have the exact date (ha!), but I do remember feeling a little upset that it was the "last time". As fun as it is watching him grow up and move out of and onto "bigger" things, it is also a little sad.

Here he is in his one month and 12 month picture sitting on his rocker. I took a picture with him in the rocker next to his bunny every month for his first year.

How we spend our Saturday mornings...

Owen has been waking up between 5:30am and 6 o'clock every morning! I wish he'd get back into the routine of sleeping in a bit. Last night I told him that his cousin Ella was coming to visit today so at 5:50 this morning he was yelling from his bed, "Mommy, is Ella here?" She was only coming at 10:30am and he was already asking.

So this is how we spent the four hours we had until she arrived...

Playing with Play-Doh (our new found friend). It is very messy, but the mess stays confined to the breakfast nook and the 45 minutes I have to get stuff done around the house is worth the 10 minutes it takes to clean up and vacume afterwards.


Watching cartoons on the couch.

Running laps around the house. See the pink ticket in his hand? There was an incident at Linda's house recently where Owen was running in her house (even though they are only allowed to use walking feet inside) and he ran into Levi. Since Levi does not have the muscle strength to catch himself when he falls, he fell right on his face and got a bloody nose. Mike and I were not happy about that so we had to make a "walking feet only" rule at our house too. The only problem is....when it is cold and rainy out, like it has been the past few days, Owen needs a way to release some energy. So, Mike came up with the idea that he can only run if he has a "ticket". If there are little kids or a lot of people over, he will not be given a ticket to run. Owen LOVES the idea and runs around the house saying, "Yeah Owen. Owen has a ticket!"

Practicing for the circus with daddy.

Dr. Owen

Making sure his brother is ok in there....

H1N1

This is a scary time for any pregnant person. When I was pregnant with Owen I did not even get the regular flu shot, even though they recommended it. This time around, I did get the flu shot and I will also be getting the H1N1 (Swine Flu) shot when it becomes available. The district where I teach is already seeing many cases of Swine Flu and I had three kids out yesterday with fevers which are assumed to be Swine Flu. I came home yesterday early from work with a fever, aches, chills, a sore throat, and headache, however I am almost sure it is from sinuses, not the flu. I took today off to rest and now that my fever is gone I am feeling better. I am still going to see the doctor today to be safe.

I called my OB on Friday after I found out so many kids in our school had the flu. I wanted to know if it would be safer for me to stop working until I got the shot. I hate the idea of using up my sick days, but if it reduces the risk to me and the baby, then I am willing to do whatever I have to. They said I should keep working and just be careful and wash my hands and not touch my face, which I am already doing. It is scary. No one seems to know what to tell me. There are no definite plans mentioned yet about where I will be able to get the shot. Mike called the CDC and they said OB doctors should be getting the vaccine in early, but when I called my OB they knew nothing of it and said they are not giving it and I should call my family doctor. When I called my family doctor, they said to call my OB because they are not getting it in. Then I found out I will have to go to a designated site when it comes out. It seems pretty unorganized.

I hate the idea of even getting the Swine Flu shot, but the repercussions of actually getting the flu and being pregnant can be deadly.

This is such a different time than three years ago when I was pregnant with Owen. I think I took one or two sick days while I was pregnant and I worked the same day I delivered him. I had so many sick days saved up that it carried me almost all the way through my maternity leave. I hope I can work up until the end again, but we will see!

Steamtown Marathon

Mike, surprisingly, completed his first marathon today in just under 3 hours and 45 minutes. He and I are so glad its over!

Mike's good friend from college wanted him to do the marathon with him. When Mike first mentioned it I said "No way!". We are way too busy. I am pregnant, working full time, and he is working an extra job after school, coaching, and taking his final class for his principal certificate. I understood that running a marathon was on his life "to do list", but now was not the time. Well, he did it anyway. He wrote down his training schedule on the calendar and did NOT follow it closely because he just did not have the time. He did a couple long runs on a few different Sundays and ran now and then during the week once Owen went to bed (if he did not have a soccer game), but other than that.... he did NOT train for this marathon. He went on one long run of 22 miles, but that was it. I was nervous for him to do it because he did not have the proper training, but I knew that he could probably still do it because he is athletic and he was strong enough- mentally- to complete it. Then.... he got sick a week before the marathon. He had a pretty bad cold/cough and even he was doubting whether he would be able to run. Now, I was even more nervous for him to attempt it because he was sick. I was really hoping he would come to his senses and back out.... but he didn't.

We dropped Owen off at Mike's dad's house on Saturday and drove to Scranton. It was a very pretty drive because the leaves were at their peak. We arrived at the hotel, which was a very nice, and clean one, and met Mike and Tushanna. After that we drove to the expo center to pick up their running stuff/number, and then went to dinner. We had a really early dinner and then came back for a swim in the pool and hot tub. Being pregnant, I could only dip my legs in the hot tub, but it felt soooo good. The pool was too cold for me. We went to bed early and still, I was feeling nervous about him completing the race.

We got up early this morning and luckily the guys could catch a shuttle to the race since they had to be there early. Tushanna and I drove to the first viewpoint at the 7 mile mark. It was freezing outside so we made friends with the lady that owned a convenience store and watched for a bit from the window before going out into the cold.

Here are people lined up along the street waiting for the first runners to go by. Everyone at the race was so friendly. Everybody cheers for everybody. It is a great atmosphere.
The quality of the pictures is not the greatest. I forgot my camera at home so I had to use Mike's iPhone.
I was so relieved to see Mike run by and he said he was feeling fine, so that made me happy, but he still had 19 more miles to go! Tushanna and I got in the car and drove to the second viewpoint which was at the 17 mile mark. Tushanna's husband was a good distance ahead of Mike. He had followed the training schedule precisely. I felt myself getting very nervous and I even checked my cell phone to see if the EMTs had called me. Finally, we saw him, and he was looking pale, but smiling. I think it was my obnoxious cheering that made him smile. He gave me a big kiss and continued on his way.

Can you see him in the picture? He is wearing the white shirt, gray shorts, and white visor.

There he goes....

Again, Tushanna and I got into the car and drove, but this time to the finish line. We stood about 3/4 mile before the finish line on the hill and tried to cheer everyone on that passed us to push it up the hill. It was brutal.

Here's Crab (aka Mike, Tushanna's husband) coming up the hill.
I was so relieved when I spotted Mike running in the distance. I can spot his gate a mile away! I think my jumping up and down like a maniac helped motivate him to push it up the hill. I was so just happy he was alive and not in the hospital with a collapsed lung from being sick.
A cute picture of Crab and Tushanna after he finished.

He, and I, were thrilled that he finished. He had said before the race that if he finishes it will be amazing and he will write an article for Runner's World about running a marathon on very little training. He definitely did that. Now he can cross that off his list. I told him he is not allowed to say the word "race" until next spring/summer when he and I both train for the Harrisburg or Philly half marathon. We would really like to do the race together, but we'll see. For now, we are BOTH raced out and will be taking a LONG break.
After the race, we went back to the hotel so the boys could take a final dip in the hot tub before we headed home. It was great to see Owen. We really missed him, but it was nice to get away.

Hallelujah!

An amazing thing has happened today....


It only happens once or twice a year....


When it happens, it is such a great feeling....


I almost want to take a picture....


ALL THE LAUNDRY IS WASHED!!!!

Levi's Run

This morning we had our first family race. Owen's "best friend" from Linda's house, Levi, was diagnosed last December with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It is the most severe form of MD a child can have. Levi is eight months older than Owen and he has two older, very sweet, brothers whom Owen looks up to a lot. A group of close friends and family organized a 5K and 1 mile fun run to raise money for Levi and Duchenne MD. We were excited for Owen to run in his first race since it seems all he wants to do lately is run!

When we arrived I could not believe how many people had come out to support Levi. I don't know how his mom held it together so well. Owen was acting very shy. There were a lot of people there we knew, but I think the large crowd was overwhelming for him. Mike ran the 5 K in under 20 minutes, which was his goal. Then, the three of us did the fun run/walk together. Owen was a stinker and refused to run-- go figure. He said his diaper was bothering him and he was shy. He walked the entire thing. He made up for it and ran about 30 laps around the house when he got home yelling "Go Owen! I runnin the race."

One of the most amazing things about the race was the 90 year old man that ran the 5 K. He was a WWII vet and a cancer survivor. I wish I could have gotten Owen's picture with him!

It was a fun morning, and we had great weather! Hopefully they have it again next year so I can attempt to run the 5K.

A Princess

One of the main reasons I blog is so that one day my children will have a book of memories from their childhood to read about. Sometimes I wonder if they will even care to read it, but I am sure, once they are much older, they will want to read about the things we did when they were little. If they don't, I know I will want to go back and read my blog when I am older. I was also thinking that maybe my grandchildren will one day be interested in reading about their daddy's lives growing up.

Owen is at a great age where he is saying funny things and the world of "pretend play" has begun. Last night Mike and I sat in the basement and watched him play a pretend game for at least a half hour on his own. He was in his own little world. He understands the meaning of "pretend". When he tries to jump down the stairs rather than walk and I have to correct him, he says "I pretend." When he wants to eat a lollipop and he is not allowed he says he will just pretend. He also likes to pretend that his Big Wheel is a motorcycle, although I am trying to brainwash him at an early age about how dangerous they are. I'm not sure it will work. I think boys are programmed to like motorcycles and things that go fast. Needless to say, he is at a really fun age and I hope the stage of pretend plays lasts for a while.

A few nights ago we went to Mike's soccer game and there was a lady there dressed in a big, black, wool shawl/cloak. She was a pretty large lady and Owen looked at her as she walked by and said, "Mommy, that a princess". I had no idea what made him call her a princess until I figured the flowing shawl maybe made him think of a princess. Then, when I got home, I looked at his calendar from Linda's house and that day the little girls were invited to wear their princess dresses for "d" week.