Stickers, Potty and Bedtime

Emma is slowing learning more about the potty and when she has to go. She has a huge desire to use the potty and hates to have her diapers on. Usually after a bath and every time we get her dressed and change her diaper she says "Potty, potty, potty."

So far she has three stickers on her chart. One for a poo and two for the pees. She knows now that those stickers only get there by using the potty. So it is funny how she will sit on the potty forever even if she already went in her diaper. I think she is hoping some more will come so she can get a sticker.... very cute.

I would say a little bit longer and I will start her in the training pants. I am really proud of how she is catching on. We are still a long way off from being totally trained. But it is a start and a good one.

Tonight though was a different story. She was using the potty to postpone bedtime. Isn't it amazing how their minds work at this age?? I kept telling her to hurry so we could go to bed... She would get off the potty and I would say "Are you ready to go to bed?" To which she would answer with loud emphatic no's and proceed to race back to the potty and sit back down... I finally had to drag her away and tell her I already gave her a sticker for the drop she managed to squeeze out.

She's finally in bed now... Boy... almost two is a crazy age!

Oh! I finally started to use the cloth diapers I made for Josiah... It is going really well... And washing them out isn't so bad afterall... I think we will probably stick with the cloth...I like how the fleece that I used to line them with keeps his bum really dry! Drier then a disposable in fact!

Bring on the Rain

I am seriously thinking of changing my blog name... I like the current one... but I am looking for a more catchy phrase that might stick in people's heads better...

So whaddya think of this one??

Bring on the Rain
Cause around here when it rains, it stinkin' pours.


That is what I have come up with so far...

Anyways... on to other news...

Everyone in the house here is sick with a nasty cold... including the poor five week old baby. How fair is that?? Poor thing... He has a bad runny nose and a nasty cough... I have to let him sleep in the swing... It is so pitiful. Emma had croup last week and now she just has a nasty cough... Pete has a cold.. and I have a sore throat.

Pete and I are exhausted... we have been taking turns getting up with the baby at night... but between that and being sick, we are really getting kicked in the butt! I can only hope that we will all get better soon... and the next time we have some freakish 60 degree weather I will air out the house....

So... let me know what you think of the new title... maybe I will change it in a few days.

Signed: The Dawg

Dear Owners,

It has come to my attention that this new screaming addition to the family is here to stay. Once again ousting me out of my position in the family. In a matter of two years I have gone from Number One, to Number Two... and now finally... Number Three.

As this upsets me I have no other choice but to retaliate. In doing so you will be sure to find "accidents" more frequently, a few more chewed up tissues and of course the occasional half-eaten dirty diaper.

If you would like my outrages to stop then please, if you don't mind, grant me these few requests:

1.) I require a belly rub every day, for at least ten minutes.

2.) Regular trips outside would greatly reduce the number of "accidents".

3.) Please keep the new Number One from squealing in my ears (she hurts my ears!) and pulling on my legs.

4.) If at all possible, could you please keep the new Number Two a little quieter at night, he hurts my ears as well.

And last but certainly not least ( and definitely most important):

5.) Please... could youPLEASE stop forgetting to feed me???

Signed,

The Dawg


*****(No dogs were harmed in the writing of this post.)*****

He who hears baby first: Gets baby first!

Have you ever played this game with your spouse???

You know the one that I am talking about.... It's 2am in the morning.. you have only just gone back to sleep from the last time the baby got up and you hear that unmistakable whimper... again!

So what do you do?? You play the game... Who is going to "hear" the baby first.... Now I will be the first to admit that I have played this game a time a two... but usually only after I have been up two or three times and can't stand the thought of being up for over an hour again!

Anyways... you lay there and wait to see if your Significant Other is going to get up...actually you hope with your entire being that he/she is going to get up... cause come on now.. it's their turn!
You lay there a little longer listening to their breathing... analyzing it to see just how real those deep breathes and snores really are... you peek out with one eye to see if your SO is doing the same... Then after some time has gone by and the poor baby has probably decided that you aren't coming you throw the blankets off and stomp off into the other room... You slam the can of formula down on the counter, make as much noise mixing the bottle as possible and sigh as many times as your lung capacity will allow... all in hopes that these noises will rouse your SO out of his/her "peaceful" slumber... Then you just resign yourself to the fact that your the one that lost this go around... This is the losing side.

The winning side goes a little something like this... You hear the baby scream... again... It startles you and you jump...then you think "Aw crap! I hope he/she didn't notice that I woke up!" So you settle back down into the blankets sigh a cute little sleeping sigh and resume deep breathing/snoring... hopeing against hope that it sounds believable!! You listen to your partner do the same wondering how long he/she will hold out and hope that you win this time... Finally your partner decides that you aren't going to get up and you feel them get out of bed... you open one eye and peek out to make sure when it is safe to let out your breath and relax... Just when you finally relax back into the blankets and close your eyes a crash comes from the other room... a series of sighs..and some banging around... You startle, look around... and realize that your partner has caught onto your ploy and is making his/her anger known... You think... oh well and turn over and try to get some more shut eye.... And plan what you will say when he/she comes back to bed... Usually the old stand by will work... "oh honey... I never heard him crying.. boy! I must be tired..."

Which side do you play?? And is either side really the winner?? The loser may actually be the winner because you get to see that first smile in the middle of the night and hold the baby's hand... and the Winner??? Well are you really the winner if you can't get back to sleep from all that banging??

Josiah Christian: 1 month

Josiah! What a month we have had!!! It has gone by so fast and I can't believe that today is your one month birthday... It seems like just yesterday I was wondering if you were ever going to come!

You came on a Monday and two days later we were home. That first night you showed signs of a sensitivity to your formula. So we struggled along for about two and a half weeks before we called the doctor. He put you on soy and for about four to five days you were much better. We actually got some sleep!

Then you started to get worse again... no one was sleeping and you cried so much... Mommy was hurting just knowing that you were so uncomfortable.



So this past Tuesday we went in for your one month checkup. We found out that you are 10lbs 120z and 22 inches long... Growing so fast!

Mommy talked to Dr. B. and told him about your problems eating and how miserable you had become. So he suggested that we put you on the hypoallerginic formula... Expensive.... But so worth it!! You are so much happier now and you sleep so much better. It is definitely a trade-off to see you better.


You still sleep so much... But I think you may have finally gotten your days and nights somewhat in sync... In fact last night you went for a four hour stretch twice!! Mommy and daddy got two stretches of three hours of sleep... It was nice... Before you know it, it will be five hours.. then six... seven... then maybe all night...
Well... maybe not.. But it is a start!!

You still don't smile... I wish you did... I get those cute little smiles in your sleep... The ones where you are probably passing gas... or maybe peeing.. Who knows... But I sure can't wait till you dazzle us with a big gummy smile!!

Something I have learned since you have come to be with us is that the second time around is much easier... I am not so uptight about things... but then again I do get concerned sooner because I have some experience now! But things are definitely a little bit more laid back with you... Heck if your binky falls on the floor we examine it and then put it back where it was... and who cares if you don't get a bath every night... thank you to the man who invented baby wipes!!

I look back at the last month and I just can't believe how it has flown! Before I know it you are going to be one year old and eating birthday cake... But until then I am going to savor every moment that God gives me with you... For you, baby boy, are my last little one... and I want to cherish every little baby moment that I have with you... My only request is this: Please don't grow up to fast....

Why me!!??

Okay an update on what has happened lately...

Josiah steadily got worse during the last week with his feeding problems... The soy worked for a while and then not so much!! He would take the nipple for a few sucks and then spit it out and start to scream, bring his knees up and pass a lot of gas... After I finally got him to take a few ounces he would cry and scream for an hour after... We weren't getting any sleep because this mostly happened in the night!! So finally this past Tuesday we had his one month checkup...

He is now 10lb12oz and 22 inches long... I talked to the doctor about the formula and his problems... He told me that it sounds like Josiah has colic.... (great!) and that he wants us to change his formula... So once again we changed his formula... the problem is that it is the REALLY EXPENSIVE formula... It is literally twice the price... A can of normal formula is $11.99. The same size can of this special formula is $22.99. So we will roughly be paying about $80 a week in formula..

The good news??? We have been using the formula for a little over 24 hours and I saw a big improvement already!! Hopefully, here pretty soon, we will start to get some more sleep... So I guess it is just a trade-off we will have to deal with!

So the why me comes in right about here....

Emma has croup again... Argh!! Poor thing... My only hope is that it doesn't put us in the hospital again like it did in August last year... She sounds bad... but not near as bad as she did the last time... A little while ago I went to put the humidifier in her room and it didn't work... Again I ask... Why me?? So Pete is going to have to go after work and pick one up... I hope she doesn't get too bad before he gets home... Luckily I got her an appointment earlier this evening and was able to get a steroid prescription filled for her so I gave that to her before I put her to bed... I am hoping it wards it off before it even starts!!

I am back!

Just a quick hey to let everyone know that I am still alive! We had to have our computer fixed and so I was without it for five days!

I will get write later when I have more time!

Anybody out there???

Hey! It is National De-Lurking Week.

So since I am curious if I have any regular readers... please!!! Leave a comment...

Now I know what your thinking... "Nah... I don't want to, because she has that annoying security thing on... and I don't want to open an account just to leave a comment... "

Well I am sorry!! I had to do it... so I would stop getting spam comments...

So please... please!!! Throw me a bone and leave a comment! Tell me who you are and how often you stop in! And hey while your at it... leave your website and maybe I'll do the same for you!

PS... I was going to post a cute button that said "Don't be a Lurk-ness Monster... Leave a comment..." But unfortunately blogger won't let me upload any pics today... go figure...

Technology Stinks!

Ever since we got this crazy highspeed, cable internet, our computer has been wacking out!!

Our email sometimes doesn't work. The internet doesn't always load up... things freeze... and as we speak I am about ten words past where my curser decided to stop moving... then it finally catches up and Voila! A whole sentence magically appears on the screen!

I have so many piuctures of Josiah that I would like to post but since my computer is screwy that ain't happening!!

Anyways... like I said... Technology stinks..

Boy I have been busy the past couple days... I finally feel good! It took a good three weeks but I am starting to feel like myself again... aside from the mind numbing exhaustion from being woken three times a night... but I feel half normal again!

In the past two days I have managed to clean the whole house... and keep it clean I might add... I finished all the laundry!! I changed the sheets on the bed... and I baked bread today... you know the old fashioned way, with yeast and the raising and what not!

Tomorrow I have plans to tackle the bathrooms... They aren't that bad... but I figured now that I can bend over I can scrub the showers!

I also was able to get Emma to bed on time! And give both of them a bath today! I feel like I did good!! I would have made some good dinner tonight... but I decided we would eat what was left over from last night... Tomorrow I am planning on making some soup and biscuits...

Josiah is doing MUCH better now... So if we can get him to have his four hour stretches of sleep at night instead of day time life would be great!!!

Well I am off to finish putting laundry away... Something that's easier to do when Emma is sleeping... that way I don't have to keep making sure that she isn't mutilating Josiah!!

A word to the wise... or not so wise...

I stayed awake last night debating whether or not I should do this... Only because it may cause strife! But I decided finally that yes... I am going to write this no matter what because it is time that I stood up for myself... I am a grown adult now... a mother and a wife... I have the right to explain myself to whoever will listen...

It came to my attention last night that some of my single readers who don't have children think they have all the answers concerning child rearing... and even concerning marriage itself... Let me just say that unless you, yourself are in a specific situation you don't know how you will react, what you will say or even do...

I used to look at people before I had kids and criticize how they took care of them, how they disciplined or even just their family life in general... but it wasn't until I was actually in a family of my own that I realized just how hard it can be at times... Life it isn't easy... and I would say that parenthood is high on the list of difficulties.

To say that someone should be able to take care of two screaming children at the same time (I mean they are literally both screaming at the same time!) is absurd... Especially when you yourself don't have any children of your own and don't know what it is like to care for them.... and especially if one of those said children are running high fevers... and the other child thinks that he is starving!! Having two kids is a whole other ballgame!! Child care is a full time job for anyone... ask any mother that and they will tell you the same thing... so adding a second child to that makes a big difference.

Add to the top of that, a recovery from childbirth which contrary to popular belief takes more than a few weeks the second time around. I found that with Emma I bounced back so quickly that people were amazed that I had just had a baby! I was up with her three and four times a night... and I was rarely ever tired... but people... listen to me! She was my only child... if I was tired during the day I would just sleep when she slept!! With Josiah I haven't exactly bounced back so quickly... and he is also my "difficult" baby... he never sleeps and he has had many problems with eating... I bled longer this time... and each time that I got up to try and do some house work the bleeding would get really bad... I finally called the midwife and she told me that not only was I bleeding more because it was a second baby... but also because he was a LARGE baby... she told me I HAD to take it easy if I wanted it to stop...

Anyways... I said all that to say this... I have found... and so has my husband... that the best thing that keeps families going is teamwork... if that means that dad has to take a night time feeding then so be it... or maybe he has to cook a meal... no problem he can do that too... Because in the grand scheme of things in a couple more weeks I am going to be back to my old self... Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry... baking bread... make jellies... cookies... Knitting... crocheting...

So what some of these readers lack in knowledge was how I was before I got pregnant with Josiah and that I have every full intention of being that wife and mother again when my life slows down a little! And when I am finally that person again my hubby will be rewarded for the help he gave me because he too knew that it was only temporary!

Soy! It does a body good!

After almost three weeks of crying, gas, diarrhea, vomitting and no sleep, the doctor finally told me I could try Josiah on Soy formula.

Last night was the second night that he had the soy. Instead of waking every two hours to eat (which was only allowing me an hour of sleep at a time) he woke every three hours... He now takes three to four ounces (which he was supposed to have been doing two weeks ago!) He hasn't had diarrhea since we started it either... and the only time he throws up now is when he refuses to burp!

So someone ask me what soy equals???

I'll tell you ..... Soy=Sleep!

She did it!!!

Sorry I haven't posted in a few! Been kinda busy!! I didn't even get to post for the new year... Oh well...

Anyways!!!! Emma went pee pee in the potty tonight!

Yesterday when she got up she kept grabbing her diaper and saying "Poo, poo." There was poop in there so I changed her.

Tonight I was putting her to bed and she kept saying that again and grabbing her diaper... I called my mom to see what I should do... cause there wasn't any poo in there! Mom told me to put her on the potty.

I did and she sat there for a little bit... when she got up there were little three little drops in there so I said " Yeah! Emma went pee pee in the potty!!" She clapped her hands then sat back down... so I left her there because Josiah was screaming.... after I took care of him for a minute she came waltzing out of the bathroom with her pants at her ankles... I went in to check the potty and she had peed in it!! A lot!! So we had a little party... dumped it down the toilet and said bye bye to it. She was excited... But I was sad cause I had missed it!

Well I was kinda hoping this was going to wait till spring when I wasn't so frazzled but I can't ignore the signs... so here we go... embarking on the potty training... hopefully it won't be too hard... Guess we need to go to Walmart and pick out some big girl undies! Maybe we can do that tomorrow... and I want to get some stickers and a poster board so she can have a reward system going... I am praying I can do this!