No Accidents

I'm very happy to report that no accidents, besides the occasional aiming problem, have happened in the last week. Dylan has continued to demonstrate both the awareness and ability to hold "it" in during the evening and/or wake up during his afternoon naps. The newest development is a need to "go" at every stop we make; he doesn't always go but likes to check out all the different bathrooms. It's fun when the bathrooms aren't nasty. I try not to make a big deal of the nastiness because he'll be exposed to chemical or pit toilets this summer while camping and I don't want a huge scene.

On a different front, a new bedtime game has started. We tuck Dylan into bed, say "goodnight"with a kiss and a "I love you", and go to bed ourselves where we usually read or watch baby2's movements. After a few minutes we hear movement then breathing and see a head peer around the corner. "Dylan what's wrong?" we say. He responds with, "I gota burger for you" (This is actually a booger) I take the booger put it in the garbage or sink or where ever is convenient, and walk him back to bed, use the above tucking procedure, and return to my previous activity. This goes on for a two or three more cycles until he gets tired of it or can't find anymore boogers. Then we all are able to drift off to sleep.

Sleep. I love sleep. Currently, we sleep from 9ish to 6ish relatively uninterrupted. We know we're very spoiled and in the next few weeks our world will be turned upside-down, shaken, and dumped on it's head. Taking the upheaval of our cosy pattern into account, the best part about the first few weeks will be the napping. Family naps should be great except for the whirling dervish, but we'll see how it goes, Dylan may have to sleep in a different house. After the novelty of napping wears off, it will become necessary to my mental state and ultimately every one's well-being that night-time roles be defined. Since I'm the SAHP, I will be the human rocking/walking/entertainment machine while mommy will be the sleeping, nursing, human pacifier. Hopefully, after the first few weeks the crying, walking, rocking will subside and the ol'fashioned mommy pacifier will be all the coaxing baby2 will need to be comforted and return to sleep.

I'm hopeful that part of Dylan's fantastic disposition and sleeping record is passed on to Baby2. I'll also admit that I might be crazy enough to assume this will happen.

Success!!

I'm reporting to you a very important milestone. Dylan has worn his big boy underwear for a full 48 hours with no accidents, including through the night twice and during nap time. I'm so proud of this little boy. I don't feel like we pushed him into the nighttime or nap time elimination of diapers; he asked not to wear them and to keep his underwear on.

28 days and counting til the next little one arrives.....I'M SO EXCITED I CAN HARDLY SLEEP AT NIGHT, but I know I do, probably more than a few friends of mine, both with kids and without.

Get in your bed and....wait

Man, I should have followed my instinct on this one and not let the boy wear big-boy pants during his nap. I walked into the room and thought there was a familiar yet unpleasant smell. He was squatting on the floor drawing on his etchasketch. So I asked Dylan to get back in his bed. He started mumbling something that I couldn't make out because he still wears a pacifier when he sleeps. I found out the source of the smell, and what he was trying to enunciate through the popo, with my hand.

So we walked/waddled to the bathroom. We started taking his underwear off and "it" fell on the bathmat. He finished going to the bathroom, got cleaned up and went back to his room to make another attempt at a nap.

I didn't learn my lesson. I'm hoping that by putting on a new pair of big boy pants it will give him confidence to keep trying. The rationale being, he's already pooped, how could he possibly poop again.

Since the last post he is only wearing diapers during naps and at bedtime, and the results have been very good. I'm thinking since the 12th maybe 5 accidents and of those primarily #2's are the issue.

The Potty Update

The last week has gone very well. We're still having the occasional accident, usually once a day, and he's getting much better at communicating the need to go potty. More times that not, he realizes he has to go potty because we ask him and from what I've read and found out through conversation, that's the way it goes for awhile. Does that mean we are rushing?


Today marks the first day that we ventured out of the house without a diaper on. We went to the grocery store, delivered Trudi's grocery order and went to open gym without an accident. We just finished lunch, went peepee in the potty and went to sleep with a diaper on.

Success!

I feel alittle like I'm pushing him. I'm not sure who's more nervous about an accident. I'm nervous for him and don't want to be looked at as a novis parent(which I am). But, he definitely doesn't like going in his pants. So, who really needs there expectations checked? It comes down to the fact that I don't trust him to communicate when he has to go, so I probably ask him too often.

At one point at every destination Dylan said he had to go potty. He only went at the Warner Park Rec center and at home before his nap. I'm beginning to think, because I ask him so much, that he is confusing his own signals. Mostly because I'm becoming neurotic about the first public accident.

For the most part, I'm overreacting and going through normal parent anxiety. I'll probably take a picture or cry when it happens.

Potty Training

We refer to the No-Cry methodology for everything(including babymaking) and this time or topic is no different. It's not that your child never cries but it's the idea that you give him and yourself consistent education and realistic expectations to start with. (I'm going to use him cuz I've got a boy, it's subject to change) This particular book, the only one that I've actually read instead of just looking at the pictures(they commonly have kids sitting on the potty holding newspapers and such), uses a very simple idea, observe and educate before introducing the potty to your toddler. How do you know when your child is ready? You take the readiness pre-test.

We've taken the pre-test periodically for the last year, and we finally seem ready to begin. How did we know? We don't for sure but keeping all the pee and poop confined to diapers seems like a pretty restricted way treat it, almost inhumane. (Not that poop is human but after dealing with too much of it, it begins to take on it's own terminology and occupies alot of time)
Seriously, he started telling us more and more frequently that he was wet or poopy and needed a diaper change. In short, he's becoming uncomfortable with having a dirty diaper on his butt.

So, yesterday we embarked on our potty seat journey as a family. Dylan picked out his new Lightning McQueen and Mickey Mouse underwear and I paid for them. Dylan wore big boy pants for the first time, peed in them while on our couch and Mommy cleaned it up. I'm especially grateful for Tricia's clean-up part and very proud of my little boy for his understanding about what happened to the couch and who was responsible for it. He never got upset, from what mommy said, but did repeatedly point out the spot on the couch and describe it as pee pee spot.

Today, Dylan not only peed in the potty but pooped in it as well. Of course, we called mommy after each one to tell her how proud Dylan was of himself. Right now, my main objective is to offer the potty at diaper changes and introduce the underwear in the evenings, in between our normal diaper changes, when we are home to observe. Ideally, we can help him diagnose the need to pee or poop before many accidents occur.

R and R for the SAHD or

Bockfest 2008..... as someone said while waiting in line, "they should call it waiting-in-line fest". We waited 2.5 hours for 3 beers a piece(9 total), and two(6) of the beers were bought at the same time. You may think that 9 beers or 3 a piece shouldn't be enough to get you drunk, well then you should come along next year and try it yourself.

You can really only see the crowd that's under the awning, but know that the line is about five times as long in all directions.

Calm and collected in spite of the fish frenzy.

Of course you can stand on the table! How else am I going to catch a fish head or beads in this cup? Now stop taking pictures of me!

Me and the self proclaimed queen of bock.

Can you imagine 600 people (or more) standing in a group trying to catch one of these? What is it? The remains of a smoked chub, you see when the chub hits anything it disintegrates into thousands of pieces. Why? Cuz if you catch a fish head and take it to the bartender you get a free beer. (in the same cup as the fish head) Why? Cuz you're drinking Blonde Dopple Bock ( or apple box according to Brian) and you're drunk!

Brian and Betsy.

The Perfect Valentine

...it was an amazing idea. Order a pregnant lady Non-alcoholic wine for a present. How could it go wrong? Well, in the fine print, on the delivery contract is a contingency where the winery reserves the right to delay a shipment of NA wine if the recipients weather is inclement, preventing it from freezing. Which is very noble and makes sense. The winery is in California. Wisconsin is in the frozen tundra, or so it seems this year. When will the order arrive in Madison? Keep in mind I ordered it on the 12th of February. It's now the 22nd of February and there's been no sign of action despite a charge to my bank account. This has peaked my interest because I've been billed and becuase my wife really likes wine or a decent tasting NA wine. Oh, and Valentine's day was 8 days ago. Soon she will forget what the wine was for, please send the wine!!!

Maybe I can understand why the shipment was delayed if I knew the actual definition of inclement weather, so here goes:

Inclement - Courtesy of dictionary.com

1.(of the weather, the elements, etc.) severe, rough, or harsh; stormy.
2.not kind or merciful.

hhhhmmmmm...over 80 inches of snow, very cold(0-20 degrees), seems pretty severe to me and I'm living in it. Image hearing about this weather while you're sipping real wine and sunny yourself on the beach, the country east of the rockies is inclement. I don't think the wine will arrive until May and by that time our second child will be here and my wife will be drinking like a sailor again. I'd rather unthaw the frozen NA wine, broken bottle and all, than wait for the merciful weather to return. At least this way she'll remember the wine as a Valentine's gift instead of a huge letdown after all the waiting.