Potty Time

This week at daycare, Jaxon and two other girls his age started potty training. Having no clue what I am doing, I did a quick read of 'Stress Free Potty Training' and tried to determine whether Jaxon is goal-directed or impulsive. The whole method centers around what kind of kid you have. I decided he was impulsive.

And after putting this whole process off for way too long, we decided, it was time. Potty time.

I think we've known for awhile that Jaxon was ready. He shows a lot of, not all of, but a lot of the signs. He's actually gone potty on his potty chair many times already in fact, so we know he knows what to do. When we visited our doctor for his three year check-up, she essentially told us we were going to need to go cold turkey on the diapers, not even have them in the house as an option, because he was just too smart for us.

So, always the compliant one, I did as she said.

It really started on Thursday night. We made a really special trip to Babies R Us to get a new potty, one that Jaxon could pick out. He picked a race car potty that revs up it's engine when you 'flush' it. Now, why I got the plain one the first time around, I have no idea. This one makes noise!

We also bought some big boy underwear that Jaxon got to pick out. I told him no more diapers starting Friday. He was very excited. We got dressed that morning in his new underwear. Of course, I packed two extras and two extra pairs of pants for daycare, thinking he would get it right away, but that he might have one or two accidents...

As I was saying goodbye to him at daycare, he came to give me a big hug and we noticed he was wet. Good thing I'd brought a change of clothes I thought. I get a call from Nancy at noon-- 'Uh, Brenna. We've been through all his clothes and I know you don't want him in diapers, but I'm not sure what else to do...'. Okay, so Plan B. Diapers just until we get him home.

Saturday, day 2.
Fecal fiasco.

I knew there would be a little bit of clean up involved with the Duece. But seriously. I did not know I'd be scrubbing my fingernails (and Jaxon's) and cleaning toilet seats in the sink. We went through six pairs of pants and underpants in about two hours that morning. Jaxon just kept peeing, but never quite got to the potty.

Then, I noticed his crouching in the corner and hurried him to the potty, thinking, if we can't get the pee at least let's get the poo! And we did. Three times that morning. I was very proud of him.

But, I was also ready to throw in the towel on the pee. We ended the day with pull-ups. Partly because I felt defeated and wanted to give up, and partly because we had no more clean clothes.

Sunday, day 3.
I woke up, renewed and refreshed, ready to try again. I had him hurry to the potty so we could pee before we eat breakfast. And he did! And we did a dance and got so excited and had a treat for making pee. So, we started the day with a Hershey's Kiss and new clean underwear.

And, I am proud to say, that he has gone four times on the potty today and only one accident so far. I think Nancy is going to kill me tomorrow. She uses stickers for rewards and I've been using chocolate. I felt like things were going to slow for me (and really, it is all about me), so I needed to pull out the big guns. Seems to have worked.

For now. Day's not over yet...

resolved to be unresolved

So, it is that time of year. Everyone is making new year's resolutions. Or not. And everyone has a reason for doing so. Or not.

I realized that last year, I made some resolutions up for Jaxon- things that he would be thinking. Here they are in case you forgot:

• Learn to go potty by myself (okay, this is mom's resolution for me)
• Eat more vegetables (another one of mom's resolutions for me!)
• Be the best big brother I can to my new little sister or brother this summer!

So, looks like we are at about 30%... Not sure if that's considered good or bad in the resolution world.

Funny, we are just embarking on the first one (a whole nother blog post), using bribes for the second one (balancing chocolate with vegetables is something our doctor taught us if you beleive that!) and doing great on the third one.

For the past several years, I've been writing out 'goals' rather than resolutions. I make them for each part of my life- home, work, family, and what I call the 'me' goals. Most of the time, I meet about 75% of my goals. And I re-write them half-way through the year if I know they are way off base.

This year. I have no clue. I think I might try flying by the seat of my pants. Or perhaps I'll see if I can accomplish 50% of what is on my to do list each day and be satisfied in that. Or maybe, I'll just keep setting resolutions for my kids:

• Jaxon will be potty trained by the end of this year, if not the end of this weekend.
• Kiley will get some teeth to prove she is actually teething and not just irritable.
• Kiley will finally start crawling so she can get what she wants so she can also stop being irritable.
• And, Jaxon will eat more vegetables, even if I have to break out my food chopper and puree them into his food so he doesn't know it.  

Mostly, I think it is going to be a great year, with lots of fun, happy moments to come. I'm looking forward to appreciating each day, each smile, each moment of joy. And, really looking forward to dropping a diaper bill.

 

 

More Christmas Spirit

Well, I am playing a bit of catch up this week, so look for multiple posts. I wanted to share a few pictures from our Christmas weekend. Scott and I both had Christmas Eve off of work, so we ended up having our small family Christmas that morning before driving up to Fargo. We opened up a few gifts, including this one from California-- thanks Carol and Jeri! You will be excited to know, that as soon as Jaxon opened this up, he said 'Go Raiders!'. Scott has him trained well. We also LOVE the stocking for Kiley. Jaxon was so excited that it matched his. It is a beautiful treasure our family will have forever. THANK YOU!!



We arrived in Fargo just in time for dinner and some games. Jaxon got a new toy from his great grandparents- somehow they evaded the camera, yet again- it was a big hit. We must have played with that Buzz Lightyear Rocket for over an hour. Sometimes I have to hide it at home because Buzz needs to take a nap... he is exhausting!

Then, that night, we decided we should put out some cookies for Santa Claus. But he needs milk too!

And we also had to put something in our belly so we could pretend to be Santa. Because that's what you do when you're three.

You pretend.

And make things up.

All the time.

Kiley really enjoyed herself this weekend too. She had lots of paper to chew on. Look at those eyes. She's watching you. Making sure you're not going to take her paper away from her. Girl's got paper to eat!

All weekend, we kept saying, let's get a picture of the four of us (Scott and I and the kids.). It's been forever since the four of us have had a picture. Well, we never got one. But we did get these oh so sweet photos of grandma and grandpa with Kiley and Jaxon. They make me smile ;-)

And Kiley got to see what it's like being five feet taller. I think she liked it up there. Can I just say- cute?

So cute.

Oh, and Jaxon. Well, he became Super Jaxon. Thanks to Grandma Barb who sewed him a cape with 'Super Jaxon' on the back. He can now fight dinosaurs and dragons, and all sorts of scary things!

All in all, we had an excellent time in the West Fargo and we are so happy we made it back there this year.

Christmas Cheer

Well, it wasn't hard to get into the Christmas spirit this weekend. We had our traditional weekend before Christmas celebration at our house this past weekend. New home. New baby. New traditions.

I will say this has felt like a very different holiday season this year. My family decided on no gifts. This was a HUGE step for us. I know lots of families that have been doing this for awhile. Or drawing names for gifts. We decided, no gifts, except for the kids. I have to say, it has been really nice not to have to stress over the perfect, most meaningful and thoughtful gift. The one that would have the recipient wondering, 'how did she know I've always wanted that?' It's been different though. I kept thinking I was forgetting something. And when I'd go to the stores, I really didn't have anyone to buy for. No stress, no worry. I think I can get used to that. It also caused me to pause and think about the true meaning of Christmas. I have found I'll give a little more at the Red Kettles. Donate at the register to St. Jude's or whatever the charity of the day is. Perhaps I'll even splurge and treat my office mates to a healthy breakfast this week. But it was also a really nice weekend with family, just enjoying one another's company. Enjoying the kids and their Christmas cheer.

Jaxon and Zoe made an amazing Gingerbread House. Note to self. $8 is nothing when it keeps two kids busy for two hours. Loved this investment.

Zoe and Jaxon tried to do a little snowtubing in the backyard. Didn't work out so great. Jaxon wiped out after about three minutes and the snow facewash sent him indoors pretty darn quick. But, indoors is where it's at. There were cookies to be made. And eaten along the way...

 Kiley got some love and attention from Grandpa and Grandma. She was having fun grabbing her feet this weekend, tried some new foods, and giggled and laughed when Grandpa gave her the 'chin'.  

 We also had a few photo shoots. Of course. I'm not sure which of my kids is going to be the more dramatic of the queens, but they're both doing a good job so far.

 After a very delicious dinner on Saturday night (which did not include eating the gingerbread house),

We had the kids open their gifts.

 Jaxon's box started talking to him before he opened it (the true powers of Buzz Lightyear), and so he got beyond excited when he realized there might really be a Buzz in the box. I've never seen him like that. It was pretty hilarious. Buzz is now his new best friend and goes 'bababeyond' with him everywhere (to infinity and beyond, for those unfamiliar).  

Another favorite was the art easel with chalkboard and letters. Zoe and Jaxon played 'classtime' and taught us all our letters. But you better pay attention, says Jaxon.

Miss Kiley, sorry you had to go to bed and miss out on all the fun. She did love her gifts that Jaxon so kindly helped her open. That fish mirror and glowworm are her new favorite friends.

And so, if I wasn't in the holiday spirit before, I am now. It's not about the gifts or shopping for the perfect present. It's about the time spent with family. The energy and creativity one gets from watching thier kids act out a show on demand or dancing like a princess. It's about making cookies, eating them, sharing them with neighbors. It's about watching the snow fall on a sunny December afternoon when it isn't even winter yet and you clearly have enough snow to last you the rest of the year. It's about making snow angels with your son on the hardwood floor. It's about snuggling on the couch, watching movies, enjoying each other. It's about all these things, and so much more.

As we go into the holiday week and weekend, we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy time spent with your family and friends. Make snow angels. Catch a snowflake. Share some merriment. Happy Holidays from all of us at the Vuong Household!

important lessons from the 'epic storm'

Things we learned while trapped in our house for too many hours together during the epic storm of 2010.

1. The difference between wax paper and parchment paper. We'll have to save that oatmeal cookie recipe for another day.

2. To always keep an eye on chocolate cooking on the stove, or melt it in the microwave next time.

3. Toddlers aren't always as 'helpful' while baking as they might claim to be. But they are good at eating...

4. Kiley really likes pears, peas, and squash.

5. Learned how to clear the snow from our hot water heater exhaust so that we could have hot water again.

6. The mailman delivers in rain, sleet, or snow. But the newspaper man does not. ;-(

7. Naps are not 'wasting the day away' as I've often believed to be true. They sometimes are a welcome gift.

8. Always stop at Target on your way home from work, just in case you might need something. Good think I picked up that formula on Friday or Kiley would be p*ssed!!

9. It's important to have a house with a clear 'runway' for Jaxon to run back and forth and use up all that energy. Or have padded walls for when he starts bouncing off of them.

10. And the best thing I learned while being couped up all weekend-- if you just stay in your pajamas all weekend, from Friday night through Sunday, there is very little laundry to do.

three, part two

Hard to beleive our little boy is three. What a fun weekend we had celebrating. Jaxon's birthday party was on Sunday. The cupcakes were frosted, the party hats were on,
the friends and party guests had arrived. There was the obligatory cute baby sister, scrutinizing... watching... taking notes for future birthday parties.
Pretty sure the birthday boy had a good time. How could you not when everyone you ask for a cupcake thinks it's your first one? Dear Jaxon,

You are the most amazing little boy with the biggest heart.

On your third birthday, I want you to know how much your parents love you. How we think about you throughout our day. Even though we can't always be with you, we wish we could.

Tonight as I was hanging out downstairs watching GLEE and updating your blog, listening to you sing Jingle Bells in your crib when you should be sleeping put the biggest smile on my face. It reminded me of myself as a kid. Hearing you tell me that you can't use the cucumber melon soap because it has pickles on it, has me cracking up. The fact that you told me you weren't going to hurt anyone today at daycare made me a a little nervous, but at least you didn't say the opposite.

And the sweet boy in you that is so thankful for his mommy and daddy, makes me just want to squeeze you tighter, hold you longer, stay up later, and be with you more.

I know why my parent's (your grandma and grandpa) always said, 'just you wait till you have kids'. They said that about a lot of things, but it's so true, that you never quite know what it will be like until you dive in. I am beyond grateful for you and could probably gush for another paragraph or two, but I won't.

I'll just hug you a little tighter tomorrow, hold you a little longer, stay up a little later with you.

We love you, Mom and Dad

three

Jaxon turned three this weekend. He got a camera.

Enough said?