To Poop or Not to Poop?

That is the question.
I should either be celebrating tonight or feeling like a gullible idiot.
I've mentioned the difficulties we're having getting Jacob to poop on the potty. The foam pirate sword I bought, that under any other circumstances would have been a HUGE hit, has not worked as bribery. He'll walk up to me and say in a very taunting, singsong tone, "Mommy, I no want to poop on the potty and get dat sword!" As if he's saying, "Haha, your bribe isn't working and there's nothing you can do other than get the wipes & be ready to change my poopy diaper!"
So yesterday, the boys & I were at our favorite store (Target), and Jacob asked for a "prize".
Me: "OK, you can pick out a surprise."
Jacob: "Yay!"
Me: "You can pick out a toy, and I'll buy it, but you can't play with it until after you poop on the potty, OK?"
Jacob: "OK."
So we spent the next 15 minutes browsing in the toy aisles.
Jacob: "I want dat, Mommy."
Me: "I'm pretty sure you don't know how to play Monopoly. Let's find something else. How about a Power Ranger?"
Jacob: "No."
Me: "But they have a red one AND a blue one."
Jacob: "No thank you."
Me: "Okaaay...how about this Batman car?"
Just stares at it with no detectable excitement.
Me: "Oh wow, a Superman car!"
Looks away in disinterest.
Me: (sigh) "Jacob, what prize would you like?"
Jacob: "Hmmmm...I don't know."
And finally, I found it. The perfect bribe. Hallelujah.
There, hanging in the very back, behind several Spiderman action figures, was one of Jacob's favorite villains. It was the only one left and I'd never seen him in the store before. His name is Shocker, and Jacob pretends to be him all the time.
Me: "Jacob, what about this?"
Jacob: "Shocker! I want Shocker!"
Me: "OK, we'll buy him, but we aren't going to open it up until after you poop on the potty."
Jacob didn't care. He hugged the package to his chest and grinned. I decided that counted as agreeing to our terms, so a bored Alex, excited Jacob, and smug Mommy bought our items, and headed home.
All afternoon, I heard, "Mommy, I wanna play with Shocker."
Me: "OK, you can play with him after you poop on the potty."
Jacob: "No wanna poop on the potty."
Me: "OK, then no Shocker."

Today I was a big ol' nuisance, following him around, never letting him out of my sight. He was NOT pooping in his diaper on my watch! I even propped Shocker, unopened, on the table so he could see his prize. He picked him up and held him a few times. I made annoying comments like, "Boy, I sure wish we could play with Shocker. After you poop in the potty, I'll open him up. I can't wait to play with him and watch him fight Spiderman."
Jacob looked so excited.
All day long, he peed in the potty. But still no poop in the potty OR diaper.
Around 5:30 p.m., he needed to pee. As he was sitting on the potty (sometimes he sits to pee, in case you're wondering), he tells me:
"I need some privacy."
(I guess he's finally learned what this word means, since the last time he used it in a sentence, he asked, "Mommy, want to come watch me have some privacy?")
Me: "Oh...okay. Alex and I will give you privacy."
And he leans over and pushes the door closed. A moment later, I hear him turn on the fan.
A need for privacy? The fan turning on? Those are definitely two clues that would normally mean poop, but is that what was happening? Surely this was too good to be true. I tried peeking, but both times I opened the door, he leaned over & closed it. About 30 seconds after my 2nd peek, I heard the toilet flush. I quickly opened the door.
Jacob: "I pooped on the potty! I get Shocker now!"
Me: "You pooped? Really?" I looked in the toilet, and saw no post-flush remains.
Jacob: "I wanna play with Shocker."
Me: "Did you really poop, Jacob?"
He nods yes.
Me: "Next time you poop, please tell Mommy before you flush, OK? Well, let me wipe you."
Hmm, nothing on the toilet paper. There was a slight odor in the bathroom, though. I wasn't sure what to think.
At that moment, Jeff walks in from work. I brought him up to speed on the situation.
Me: "What do you think?"
Jeff: "I think if he said he pooped, then we should believe him."
I asked him a few descriptive questions about his poop to try and determine whether he was being truthful, but I'll spare you the details. :)
So I guess he pooped in the potty. We told him we were proud of him and gave him Shocker to play with. He was thrilled.
So that was either the best bribe ever OR Jacob is a clever little con artist. Hmm. We shall see.

Mr. Mom

It's now a proven fact: my boys can survive without their mother for at least 24 hours. And not only survive, but apparently, they can enjoy themselves and only inquire about their mother's whereabouts after she has been gone for 6 of those 24 hours.
On Sunday afternoon, I went on an overnight trip with 2 of my favorite girls: my mom & sister. We'd been excitedly planning this for months, and it wasn't until the morning of our trip that I got my infamous nervous stomach. I wasn't really worried about Jacob. He's such a big boy, and while I knew he'd wonder where I was, I was also certain he'd be just fine with his daddy.
Alex was the reason my nerves were acting up. He is not completely weaned from breastfeeding. And although I absolutely would never have gone on this trip if I weren't 99.9% sure he'd do fine with his whole milk in a sippy cup as an alternative to the usual he orders at the boobie bar, that .1% of doubt & uncertainty had me worried.
We had to leave no later than 2:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. So at 2:00, I called Alex over to take his last drink from the bar before it closed for 24 hours. After he was satisfied, he popped off and walked back over to the toys. The countdown was on.
So I said my goodbyes, and even though I knew I was being ridiculous, couldn't help but have tears in my eyes when I gave the boys big hugs.
We picked Kerri up and were on our way to see the American Idol concert. Laugh if you must, but we were looking forward to seeing most of them. First we grabbed a quick dinner at our hotel, then walked to the concert. As expected, we saw lots of kids & teenagers milling about with their parents, and there were times we all felt old, but it was a lot of fun. Our seats were terrific, but would have been more enjoyable if we didn't have Chatty Cathy & her friends directly behind us. My mom shot her several dirty looks, but she was oblivious to mom's subtlety. Finally, I turned around & said, "Shhhhhh!!!!" Yes, I was that person, but it was so annoying. And you know what? It worked! This was my night out and I wanted to enjoy it, darn it!
There were about 2 of the performances I could have done without, but enjoyed the rest. Especially Michael Johns & the winner of this season's American Idol, David Cook. I wasn't sure if I should post a picture of Michael Johns. If I do, Jeff may think I have a crush on him or something. He always makes fun of my celebrity crushes. Did I mention how awesome Michael Johns' performance was? Or that he has an Australian accent (my very favorite accent)? Oh what the heck, here's a picture:


I love you, Jeff. :)

After the 3 hour concert, we headed back to the hotel to sleep. We planned on a "quick" breakfast at the hotel before hitting the road. Apparently, however, it takes a half hour to scramble a couple of eggs and make 2 pancakes. And then what should have been a 2 1/2 hour drive turned into a 4 hour journey because of a lane closure due to some kind of crucial work that absolutely had to be done to some trees by the roadside.
By this point, I just wanted to get home and see Jacob & Alex.
And finally, we were home. I saw Alex first, and oh boy, did he give me the sweetest smile & wrapped his little arms around my neck. And you can bet he was breastfed almost immediately.
Jacob was playing down the street at his cousin's house, so Jeff walked down to get him. That was also a sweet reunion. He grinned, ran over to me, and gave me one of his famous hugs. As he was hugging me, he was also stroking my hair. So sweet.
Jacob: "Mommy, where you go?"
Jeff: "I told you where Mommy went. Do you remember?"
Jacob: "Hmm...to church?"
Me: "No, Mommy didn't go to church. I went with Nan & Kerri to a concert."
Jacob: "Oohhh, a toncert. What's a toncert?"
Me: "A concert is where people sing and play music."
Jacob: "Oohhh!! I wanna go to a toncert!"

It seemed all went well while I was gone. Jeff got to enjoy his longest stretch of time alone with the boys. Everyone went to bed easily and Alex slept through the night as usual. Nobody cried for Mommy, and Jacob only asked where I was at bedtime. I'm grateful everything went smoothly, otherwise I would have felt extremely guilty for my mini vacation.

Thank you, Mom, for the whole trip. I needed it.
Thank you, Kerri, for the company & the $3.75 bottle of water.
Thank you, Pam, for helping Jeff at bedtime.
Thank you, Tricia, for letting Jacob play at your house, sweat in D's costume, and wear the "hot mask".

And thank you, Jeff, for being such a wonderful Mr. Mom for 24 hours. I appreciate it.
Now that I know he's so good at it, maybe I'll go on more outings. :)

Numbers

I did some counting today.

The number of...

times Jacob pooped in the potty: 0

times Jacob pooped in his diaper: 1

accidents Jacob had in his diaper: 1

accidents Jacob had in big boy underwear: 1 (that's fun to clean up)

times Alex put Hailey's food in his mouth: 2

actual dog food kibbles chewed & sucked on: 6

times Alex turned the bath water on: 7

times Alex tried to pull the keys from the laptop off (I call him the Keyboard Bandit. I don't even know if I could pull the keys off if I tried, yet he does it so effortlessly.): 5

times Alex succeeded in pulling keys off & put them in his mouth: 2

laptop keys in his mouth at one time: 3 (and 1 in his hand just waiting to be added)

times I had to threaten Time Out for Jacob: 4

actual Time Outs: 1

tissues Alex nibbled on: 1

injuries I sustained from interacting with the boys: 2 (1 bloody lip & surely yet another bruise on my leg- how can a 1 year old & a 3 year old be so strong?)

times I had to tell Alex "No!" when he was approaching Hailey's food & water bowls: at least 15
(On a side note, as exasperating as it is to repeat myself over & over, it is quite humorous to watch Alex do a quick U-Turn when he knows he's been caught. My favorite is when he quickly detours to the right and acts like I've wrongfully accused him.
"What? I'm not getting into Hailey's food! Heavens, no. That's DOG food. I'm just going to stand here by this chair for a little while & take a breather. Go on about your business, Mother. I'm just watching the bowls."

cute comments from jacob: several.
Alex was trying to take my bottle of Coke, and I told him, "Alex, Coke isn't for babies. Sorry, buddy."
And Jacob chimes in with, "Yea, Alex. Cokes are for mommies & Jacobs."

sweet hugs & kisses: lost count

times I thought how cute & funny my boys are: Lots

Keeping Busy

What have we been up to this week? Keeping busy and having fun.
Over the weekend, we became members of our neighborhood's community pool. Jeff wasn't sure about forking over the money so I've been quietly crossing my fingers. During a family bike ride together on Saturday morning, as he's pulling the boys in a trailer behind him, and I'm huffing & puffing beside them, he yells across the street, "I'm going to join the pool today!"
I yell back, "Really?! What changed your mind?!"
Jeff: "I've just been thinking about it and I say we do it!"
Me: "OK! Sounds good!"
Luckily, the conversation ended then because bike riding up a hill while talking is a more advanced level of exercising than I'm accustomed to.
On Sunday evening, the 4 of us headed over to the pool for the first time. It's awesome and just great for kids. There are little fountains for children to play in, a large kiddie pool, and a huge shallow end. There are also 2 big water slides that empty out into water that's just 3 1/2 feet deep. Perfect for kids and for their parents who need to stand there and catch them! I was actually quite surprised how eager Jacob was to try the slides. Maybe he saw his cousin doing it fearlessly. Or maybe he's just braver than his mommy.
One slide was so slow that he had to scoot himself out into the water. And the other slide, he came shooting out of like a rocket. He tried that one only once by himself. But he does love to go down it with his daddy. You know I took pictures.

Here are the slides, for help with imagery:

Jacob making his way down the slow slide:


Jacob & Jeff being blasted out of the rocket slide:


Jacob was shouting, "Again! I wanna do dat again!" before Jeff could even catch his breath.


And because he's a good daddy, he did it again. And again. And again.

While Jacob was having fun on the slides, Alex was enjoying splashing in the fountains.




Deep thoughts




Can you tell they love the water?



As if that weren't enough fun, we also went to a park with Tricia, Daniel, & Lainey. The intended destination was a small park with 75 cent rides, but we found out upon arriving they were closed on Mondays. That would have been fine had we not decided to make the trip ON Monday. Plan B: Head over to a playground near Tricia's parents' house. The boys & I loved Plan B. What a great playground! I'm always a big fan of outings that allow Alex to participate. While I was running around and doing my best to keep Jacob in my sights, Tricia & her mom (aka Nana) watched Alex for me. That actually worked out very well because Tricia took some oh so cute pictures of my baby boy. She seemed to enjoy the photo shoot with her nephew, and I'm so glad to have the pictures!



Lainey peeking in at Alex



And I think this might be my favorite:


While Alex was charming his aunt and Nana-in-law, I was able to get a few pictures of Jacob.



I guess he thought he heard another knight sneaking up behind him.


Alex enjoyed the swings just long enough for me to get this one picture. And then he was ready for Mommy to hold him.

Jacob LOVES playing in the sand, and while he's doing it, you can pretty much count on having to repeat yourself a minimum of 3 times. He tunes you out and focuses only on sand, buckets, and shovels.


Alex, on the other hand, has never encountered sand before. Since he tries to eat everything, and does not discriminate against inedible items, I was a little reluctant to put him down. But I decided it would be safe if I never took my eyes off of him. And you know what? He did great! He wasn't really sure he liked the way the sand felt in his hands at first...he had a disgusted look on his face, yet couldn't seem to pull his hand away & stop playing with it. He only tried to eat 1 piece of mulch and that was it!


Number of times the sippy cup fell spout down into the sand: 3


After hours of enjoying Plan B, the boys & I were worn out. Ten minutes into our drive home, I turned around to find two sleeping boys.


Yes, I even take pictures while driving. But don't worry- I waited for red lights.

A Visit with Great Grandparents

On Wednesday, we went on a road trip to visit my dad's parents, Grandma & Papa. Actually, it's Betty & John (who we got the John in John Alexander from!), but they seem to like being called Grandma & Papa. :) My parents (Nan & Pop Pop to the boys) drove. I sat in the back in between two car seats on the way up. And Nan graciously offered to sit in the back on the drive home. Thank goodness.
I did an amazing job packing. Really, I thought of everything. Extra juice & milk in the cooler, snacks for the car (even packed enough for the adults), toys to play with at my grandparents' house, a change of clothing for both boys, and activities for the car. This is, of course, in addition to all of the normal crap that's stuffed into the diaper bags: diapers, wipes, thermometers, Tylenol (you never know when someone will start running a fever!), nasal aspirators, etc.
Our car has a portable DVD player in it, which is just awesome for long trips. As far as inventions go, it's ranked right up there with the shopping cart with the attached car as well as video baby monitors. Nan's car doesn't have one of these, so I had to come prepared. How were we going to spend our time in the car after we got tired of talking & singing? I brought a Spiderman sticker book (over 700 stickers, baby), a Color Wonder book & markers, & a View Finder. Jacob was set. And he loved having an adult in the backseat with him. He kept snuggling up against my arm.
Jacob talked our ears off and for the first 10 minutes of the drive, Alex just stared at me. Like he was trying to figure out what on earth I was doing in the back. And if I was in the back seat, then who the heck was driving? All was well (busy & loud, but good) until about the last 20 minutes. I felt carsick, and way too nauseous to continue singing verse after verse of "Old MacDonald" or "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to calm Alex down, who by this point in the drive, was just plain sick of being strapped into a car seat. Who can blame him? I think we were all glad to get out of the car after 2 1/2 hours.
The night before our trip, I talked to Jacob about our plans for the following day.
"Jacob, tomorrow morning after you wake up, we're going for a ride in Nan's car!"
Jacob: "Ohhh! You drive our car?"
Me: "No, I'm going to ride with you."
Jacob: "No. I ride with Nan and you drive our car."
Me: "Jacob, Mommy needs to come with you. We're all riding together in Nan's car."
Jacob: (big sigh) "OK, you can come with me."
Me: "Do you know who we're going to see? Pop Pop's mommy & daddy!"
Jacob: "Wow! I can't wait!"

When I plan on introducing Jacob to friends or family he doesn't know well (or has never met), he does best when I prepare him for it. Normally, he takes several minutes to warm up to "strangers", but this new tactic really works. After entering their house, he walked right up to each of them, and gave them a big, spontaneous hug. It was adorable, and made me tear up a little (what a surprise) because I could tell how much that meant to them. He warmed up to them immediately.
Even though we all call them Grandma & Papa, Jacob decided on another name for Grandma. He called her "Nana". So, Nana & Papa it was. He talked to them, and over lunch, told Grandma stories about Spiderman, his toys, and the clothes he was wearing. During their conversation about eating grapes cut in half, Grandma told him, "When you're five, then you can eat them whole. Then you'll be a big boy."
Jacob's response? "I already a big boy." :)
At one point during their lunch conversation, she reached over, touched his hand, and said, "You like Grandma, don't you?"
I'm so glad she & Papa both enjoyed the attention he was giving them.
Both were amazed to see how much Alex has grown (the last time they saw him was Christmas), and loved watching him walk. He wasn't a big fan of being held- of course not, he had places to go- but did bestow some award winning toothy grins upon them, that had everyone saying, "Awwww!"



He's such a little ham. Here he is, showing off how cool & handsome he looks in Mommy's sunglasses.



I would have loved to get a picture of both the boys with Grandma & Papa, but Alex was too busy playing with a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke. Jacob cooperated for me, though. I couldn't decide which one to post since they're both good.




When it was time to leave, and Papa finally got his rolling walker back (it was a big hit with both the boys), Jacob gave one of his sweet trademark farewell hugs. "Bye Nana! Bye Papa! See you soon!"
I love my grandparents. I wish they lived nearby so we could see them every week. I would love for Jacob & Alex to have close relationships with their Nana & Papa. But I'm grateful they have these opportunities to spend time with them, and that during our visit, both were very loving & affectionate. I know Grandma & Papa loved it too.

Hilarious

Jacob has become interested in watching video footage from when he was a baby. He saw me watching some the other day, and was enthralled. So now he has started asking to watch these movies. Since Alex is happily snacking in his highchair beside us, I pulled Jacob up on my lap, and selected footage from when I was about 8 months pregnant with him.
"See Mommy's big belly, Jacob? You're a baby in mommy's belly."
Jacob leans close to the screen.
Jacob: "Where? I no see the belly."
Me: "Just a minute. You'll see it when I stand up."
Sure enough, a few moments later, I stand up and show off my enormous belly to the videographer (aka Jeff).
Me: "See that big belly? You're inside my belly!"
Jacob: silent for a few moments, and then, "Mommy...why you eat me?"

It was all I could do to stop laughing.

Another Post of Cute Jacob Quotes

The other day, the boys & I were driving when this awful smell just hit me.
"Jacob, did you poop?"
Jacob: "No. I not poop."
Me: "Did you poot?"
Jacob: (sniffs the air) "Nope. Dat not me. Dat somebody else."
Me: "Who do you think made that smell?
Jacob: "I don't know."
Me: "Did Alex?"
Jacob: "No, not Alex."
Me: "Mommy?"
Jacob: "No, not mommy."
Me: "Hmm, maybe an animal outside pooted?" (As you can see, we have very intellectual discussions sometimes.)
Jacob: "Yea. A shark do dat."
Watch out. There are lots of pooting sharks on the highways these days.

A few days ago, Hailey vomited right smack in the middle of the carpeted family room. (On a side note, that's the 2nd time I've had to clean up her vomit on our new carpets!)
For some reason, the spray bottle of cleaner is enticing to both boys. Luckily, I was able to find something equally interesting to Alex, so his attention was diverted. But I could see Jacob eyeing the spray bottle, glancing at me as he inched towards it.
"You can't use this, Jacob. Please go sit over there and watch Mommy clean."
Jacob: "Please?"
Me: "No, honey. It can make you sick. Mommy needs to use it to clean Hailey's throw up."
Jacob: "I a mommy sometimes. I do it. OK?"
Me: (laughing) "You aren't a mommy sometimes."
Jacob: "Yes I is."
Me: "No, you're a big boy. Mommies are girls. You can clean this up when you're a daddy."
Jacob: (a pause as he considers this negotiation) "OK." (Hopefully this won't encourage early fatherhood.)
Jacob: "I know!" This is his latest expression when he has a "good" idea. If he were a cartoon, you'd see the light bulb turning on over his head.
He picks up an orange Lego and shows it to me. "You play with THIS & I'LL play with that!" and points to the spray.
What a deal. If he were older, and actually knew how to clean up dog vomit, I probably would have taken him up on it.

A few days ago, we went to Target (our favorite store). Jacob was helping me push the cart and Alex was riding in it. Jacob was saying hi to every child we saw. He even tried to strike up a conversation with some of them. In the shoe aisle, we were chatting with another mom & her 3 boys (her youngest was also an Alex). Jacob complimented their shoes & Lightning McQueen clothing.
"I have blue shoes. You like my blue shoes?"
Then he just darted off, sprinting away from us.
Me: "Jacob Carl, you get back here right now! If you don't stay beside me & the cart, then you have to ride IN the cart!"
So he came running back, cup in hand, and casually told the other mom, "I got in trouble. And I have juice!"

Jacob likes to ride his tricycle in the house. He pedals through the breakfast nook and around the corner through the kitchen in one big circle. It's like a little race track. While Jacob rides his bike, Alex runs after him with a push toy. It's quite cute.
Yesterday, I was inadvertently standing in Jacob's way while looking for dinner ideas in the pantry. From behind the pantry door I hear, "Lauren? Excuse me." I moved aside, and as he pedaled past me, he said, "Thank you."
Yes, it was my 3 year old son addressing me so formally & politely. :)

Up in the boys' play room, Jacob was strumming wildly on his toy guitar. It was a big rock out session, complete with dancing and loud singing. I thought he was just yelling nonsense words until I overheard the following lyrics being yelled over & over as he jammed on the guitar: "I love my mommy! I love my mommy! I love my mommy! I love my mommy like dis!" And he ran over & kissed my arm. Then went back to performing his hard core rock song.

The other day, Jacob was standing in the kitchen, wrapping himself up mummy style in one of those straps you use to tie things down in the back of a truck. He knows I don't like it when he does that, so when he saw me notice him, he quickly began unwrapping himself.
"Jacob, you can play with that, but if you wrap it around yourself again, I'm taking it from you."
Jacob: "It's okay, Mommy. No worry."
Me: "OK, but if you do it again, I am going to take it, OK?"
Jacob: He points to the family room, gently nudging me out of the room. "You go in dere. No worry in dere."
I guess if I can't SEE him wrapping himself up, then I can't worry about him. :)

Yesterday morning I burned my tongue on hot coffee. I forgot I had just refreshed it, and it was no longer the lukewarm coffee I'd been gulping down a few moments before.
"Ouch!"
Jacob: "What, mommy? Why you say 'ouch'?"
Me: "My coffee was so hot and it burned me."
Jacob: "Oh." He sips his milk & says, "My coffee's nice."

As I was nursing Alex the other evening, Jacob picked up his baby Cabbage Patch doll. He said, "I give my baby boobie just like you." Then he sat in the chair next to mine, lifted up his shirt, and cradled the baby against his chest. He looked at me, held his finger to his lips, and said, "Shh. Baby sleeping." His baby fell asleep much quicker than the one I was nursing, so he laid him to bed right on the coffee table. "G'night, baby. Don't let those bed bugs bite."

I love my conversations with Jacob.

Highs & Lows

What I Should Be Doing: Picking out the boys' clothes & packing snacks, toys, and other necessities for our day trip to visit my grandparents tomorrow. They live 2 1/2 hours away, so it will be an all day adventure.

What I Am Doing: Recounting my day and relaxing for a little while before I begin previously listed tasks for tonight. Ever the procrastinator.

Highs & Lows of Our Day

High: Waking up at 7 (well, I'd rather wake up a little later, but read on) to Alex crying, and realizing he'd slept 10 1/2 hours in his crib.

Low: Giving Alex his morning breastfeeding session and realizing he wasn't going back to sleep. I was holding out hope until I noticed his eyes were as wide as quarters. Not the least bit drowsy looking at all. And after he was done nursing, he sat up, clapped, and started playing with toys. Yes, very cute, but Mommy could have used just another half hour of sleep.

High: Our visit with Nani this morning. The boys love her. Both of them greeted her with hugs & kisses. These aren't from today, but should give you an idea of the boys' love for their great-grandmother. And her love for them, of course.




Nani is Jeff's grandmother. When I've mentioned to Jacob that we're going to visit her, he says, "Nani will be so happy!" They eat up the attention & affection she doles out and vice versa. Tricia, Daniel, Lainey, & Emma (Daniel's friend) were also there. Tricia took a super cute picture of Alex & Lainey together.


Low: Seeing Jacob get his feelings hurt. :( It really is harder on the mommy than it is on the child. I wanted to cry. He bounced back & is over it, though. No worries.

High: Having the opportunity to run a few errands by myself! Nan (my mom) graciously agreed to watch the boys for me during my mini shopping spree. In the first store, I found myself rushing, speed walking with my cart and hurriedly glancing at items on the shelves. Then I realized...I can take my time! And so I did.

High: The reason for above shopping trip! I picked up Alex's birthday present & party supplies today. I know he'll love his gift. And I found a few cute things to go along with his football themed party. (Football was chosen b/c he does love throwing the football with his daddy & brother. And 2 members of this household- 1 in particular- are very excited that football season is near.)

Low: Does someone want to volunteer to potty train my son? We were making such good progress. He was doing fantastic with peeing on the potty. Sometimes he'd even run to the potty on his own without telling me he needed to go. And now I feel like we've regressed. Sigh. And why won't he poop on the potty? I put him in Time Out this evening for pushing his brother. After his 3 minutes were up, I walked to the corner & found him squatting. Uh oh. A classic sign that pooping is taking place.
Me: "Jacob, are you peeing or pooping?"
Jacob: (puts his hand to his chin as if he were seriously pondering the question.) "Hmmm...I don't know."
Me: "Jacob...are you pooping?"
Jacob: "Go back in there, Mommy." (and points to the kitchen) "I in Time Out for 2 more minutes."
Sure enough, he had pooped. I hate potty training.

Low: And speaking of bad moments with potty training, tonight we had a HUGE miscommunication. Today at Toys R Us, I bought Jacob a toy I knew he'd love. I decided to use it as incentive to get him to poop on the potty. He has been wanting a pirate sword he saw at Target, but I just know that plastic weapon is a ticket to many Time Outs for hitting walls, pets, or little brothers. So I found a foam sword that was perfect. After his bath tonight, he was acting kind of funny, grabbing at his diaper. He'd peed right before his bath, but I asked him if he needed to go. Every time I asked, he said no. Then he tells me he's going upstairs.
Me: "OK, but don't go upstairs and pee or poop in your diaper."
Jacob: "OK."
Me: "If you need to pee or poop, tell Mommy or Daddy, and we'll go on the potty. If you pee and poop on the potty, you can have a surprise Mommy bought for you."
Jacob: (big smile) "What surprise?"
Me: "I guess you'll find out if you poop on the potty."
Five minutes later, he comes to the top of the stairs, and says, "I peed!"
But he was still wearing his diaper. Sure enough, he did pee. But not on the potty.
"I have my surprise now?"
Um, that's not really the way it works.
We explained that he needed to pee or poop IN the potty to get his surprise.
Jacob: "I need to go pee pee!"
Me: "Buddy, you JUST peed in your diaper."
So Jeff takes him just in case he has to poop. He sits there, grunts, and after 2 seconds, says, "Alllll done! Now I get my surprise!"
You can imagine the hissy fit & tears that erupted after that misunderstanding. So the darn foam sword is in the back of my car, just waiting for him to poop in the potty.

High: Swimming with Jacob in Nan's & Pop Pop's pool today. He was wearing arm floaties and was so excited to show off his swimming skills.
"Look, mommy! Watch!" And he began kicking his legs underwater, moving his arms, and holding his chin up high, with his mouth tightly closed to prevent any water from coming in. When he forgot to do this, and water did trickle in, he promptly spat it out. I was impressed! And when I raved about his performance, the happiness & pride on his face was unmistakable. I wish I'd had my camera with me today, but here are a few very recent pool pics of the boys enjoying their swimming time with Nan & Pop Pop.




Notice the blurry spots from the water on my lens. Good aim, Jacob.


He jumped off the side of the pool into my arms, and I think he wanted to do it "Again!" a total of about 40 times. With his arms around me, and his head resting on my shoulder, he also let me hold him in the pool. It was a nice moment with my big boy.

High: Unpacking a box and finding some old t-shirts I used to wear all the time. I'm wearing one of my old favorites now. It used to be Jeff's almost 20 years ago & boy, is it comfy. It reads:
Hard Rock Cafe
Baghdad
Closed Due To Strong Desert Storm

I love my bummy t-shirts. I'm sure Jeff appreciates his wife wearing them too. :)

Low: After months of begging, I finally relented and told Jeff he could trim Alex's hair before his birthday. That happened tonight. Alex's adorable curly cue in the back of his head is gone. I cried.
But he still looks cute. Very dignified & grown up now. Maybe the curly cue will grow back.

High: My 9:00 p.m. shower in peace.

Low: The spider I found in the shower as I was stepping in. Should I just get in, watch the spider closely, never take my eyes off of it, and avoid it during the entire shower? But what if it's a jumping spider & it lands on me? Decision made. Dispose of the intruder. I stood there with the tissues for 2 minutes, staring at it. Then I grabbed a large manila envelope, waited until it climbed on, ran down the stairs, hoping it wouldn't crawl over to my hand, and carried it outside. I know- I'm ridiculous. I'm sure he's already found his way back into the house and is looking for the shower again. :)

High: Alex is out like a light in his crib, and has been since 8:30. Jacob fell asleep by 8:45 in his bed, but he'll make his way into ours sometime before morning. Now that we've taught Alex to sleep in his own bed, I suppose it's time to work on Jacob staying in his. (This didn't start until we moved into the apartment. At the old house, it was a rare occasion for him to come to our bed.) I don't mind that he sleeps half the night in our bed. It's actually kind of nice to wake up and find him snuggling with me.

Have I procrastinated long enough? Time to prepare for our big day tomorrow. I'm hoping for a day with lots of highs, cooperative kids during our travels, and maybe, just maybe, some poop in the potty. Is that too much to ask?

Best Invention Ever

OK, maybe not the best invention, but it definitely ranks high.
Since we moved, we're shopping at a different grocery store. I took the boys out this afternoon to pick up a few necessities. Jacob noticed it first.
"LOOK, mommy!! Mommy, can I drive it? It's not dirty, mommy, can I drive it, please?"
And there it was in the distance...I could hardly believe it. A shopping cart with a little something extra: a car attached to the front for young shoppers, complete with 2 seats, 2 steering wheels, and 2 seat belts. This was the solution to the dilemma I face every time I shop with my 2 helpers. Alex takes the front of the cart, and I either have to put Jacob in the back (which leaves little room for groceries); or get a 2nd cart for Jacob to ride in (which is what I did last time, and I'm sure you can imagine the downside of maneuvering 2 carts through narrow aisles and hands that reach for everything on shelves); OR Jacob is free to roam. I think the 3rd option is self-explanatory.
But this was perfect! Alex took the front seat that actually had room for TWO babies! So the diaper bag sat next to him, providing easy access for his toys & drink. And Jacob drove us around the store, happily restrained in his seat belt. He made race car noises, sang along to the car's imaginary radio, and every time I stopped to put something in the cart, he said, "Green light, mommy! Go!"
Everybody was happy and it was the best grocery shopping experience I've ever had. Definitely one of the best inventions ever. Every grocery store needs them. I think I've decided to boycott any grocery store that doesn't have them. I'm never in such a good mood after the grocery store!
Jacob & I can't wait for our next grocery shopping trip. And maybe next time, Alex can drive too. :)