Backwards it is...

We've been trying to potty train Austin. In my delusional world I was thinking that we'd have him potty trained before Ethan arrived. No dice. We had started last summer, I mean we weren't that delusional that we thought he'd accomplish the task in a weekend....but he'd be interested, then the whole idea of putting pee pees and poopies in the toilet actually went down the toilet. It tanked. So, I gave up. I wasn't going to pressure him, I figured he'd know when it was time.

Now, the last week or two he's been interested...getting stickers, hi-fives, knuckles....he even will go into the bathroom and pull his pants down, take off his diaper and mount his little tooshie backwards on the toilet and go.

Yes, backwards!

Whatever works....we'll see what happens!

A visual, if you will.....

Silky? Check. Water Bottle? Check. Cat? Check.

Last night, while Austin was sleeping, I snuck into his room to put away some laundry. I looked over....and this is what I saw....

...my 'baby' sleeping in his big boy bed, with his silky (blankie/lovey), his water bottle, and Simon....how cute is that?!

Behind the Shower Curtain...

Austin, Ethan and I were all downstairs. I was at the sink washing dishes and bottles, Ethan was napping, and Austin went into the bathroom. He's had a runny nose, so I figured he went to get some TP to blow his nose. But as I was washing, I came to the realization he was still in there...longer than he should have been...and he was quiet. When Austin disappears and is quiet, I know he's up to something - he was up to no good. I went in there, and the shower curtain was bulging out in one spot with two navy blue socks on feet sticking out at the bottom. Hmmm....I asked him what he was doing and he said 'wiping my hands.' I pulled the curtain back and he had the bathroom hand towel. So I thought to myself - why would he be hiding while wiping his hands? He handed me the towel and I noticed a nice shade of brown/red on the towel. I opened the bathroom drawer and noticed a tube of my lipstick was all smudged...aha!

I would have laughed had he put it on his lips instead of his hands then my towel!

Gaining and Growing

Ethan had his one month well baby check today. He weighed in at 9 lbs 5 oz and is now 22" long.

Where did the last month go? It seems to have gone much faster than Austin's first month.....

Baby in Blue, Look at You!

Here are a few pictures of Ethan taken this morning...before naptime. Such a cutie-patootie! (I had rotated them, but after uploading them to Blogger they re-rotated themselves....I'll have to check into that issue!)

A Colorful Afternoon

This afternoon Austin and I teamed up in the kitchen to make Play Dough Cookies (thanks to a link from Sarah, we acquired the recipe - if you want it, just click the recipe name in purple!) We had so much fun making these today from ingredients I had on hand. Ethan cooperated by taking a nap - his usual from about 12 noon and I don't expect him to wake until well after 4. Austin learned that by mixing blue and red you can create a whole new color - purple - so we have some cookies that have purple swirls in them! They actually taste good too - I think I have enough that he can take one for each of his classmates for snack when he goes to school tomorrow.

How Cheesy!

Austin loves to be in the kitchen and cook with me. I am doing my best to nurture his love of being in the kitchen, helping and cooking. Unknowingly to him, I am secretly preparing him to be able to cook on his own - to be able to cook for himself as a single man and a married man. I want him to be an outstanding husband for a fabulous woman someday - and I want him to enjoy cooking. For himself and his family. Right now he dumps ingredients in here and there, stirs things, gets things from the fridge....he is just a good helper and wants to be right by my side. My latest try at a new recipe was Cheeseburger Macaroni and Cheese (a thanks to Rachael Ray!). Austin and I teamed up to make this cheesy dish for dinner the other night....and here is the end result:

P.S. Yes, I have him doing laundry with me, too! He just loves it!!

Polka Dots

A cute picture of Ethan taken this afternoon.....in his cute polka dot outfit! :)

Chunky Monkey

On Thursday night we took Ethan in to see his doctor in Urgent Care at the Mfld Clinic. I was concerned about his poops......they were runny/seedy/mustardy/explosive/mucusy...and with my history I was a little alarmed since I had not experienced this with Austin. She reassured me, his poops looked normal, she had seen many a newborn's poopy diapers. Yes, we took a diaper in, per the nurse I spoke with earlier in the day. Talk about gross....! It stinks changing it the first place, just imagine opening it up an hour later! It might be his formula, so I think I will ask for some samples of partially-broken down something or other that she said we could try. She had them in Peds, so she couldn't give me any that night. Ethan has his one month check up with her again on the 22nd, this coming Thursday, so we'll get them then. Ethan is such a good baby, and so happy - and growing! He weighed in at 8 lbs, 12 oz....!!! Yikes! Can you say...Chunky Monkey?!

Eating Cereal = Austin & Ethan

So, in reading this article - maybe I secretly "craved" two boys?

I wonder.....since I did crave and eat Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds throughout both pregnancies.....maybe I made them into boys?? You'll have to read the article for the arguments and reasonings....but, is it possible? With the next pregnancy, I will test it out, stay away from the cereal all together. Will the baby be a girl? Mind you, I will flat out tell you right now that I am not one of those people...you know, the one who 'tries' for a girl. I didn't care what the gender of my first two children were - we didn't find out ahead of time, both surprises - I was quite happy they were boys! They are awesome little men!! So, if the third baby turns out to be a boy, then woo whoo! I'll be excited and all full of love for that third little man in my life. They will be the best of friends....and I won't have to buy all new clothes and toys. Maybe there will be a fourth - it depends on how many children we want...not 'trying for a girl'. If we do have all boys....then I will be so happy, and my knees will be hurting from being on them every night praying to God that one of my handsome little men will someday produce a little granddaughter for me. I need a little girl to spoil sometime in my life....be it a daughter, granddaughter, or my friends' little girl(s) when I know my body's done having children of its own.

So there you have it.! Boy...girl...don't care whatsoever!!! I'm just curious, that's all, to the whole cereal=boy idea.....I'll test it out, but either way I'll be happy! :)

So....What's for dinner?

Sound familiar?

Apparently I'm the only one who cooks in the house...and I'm getting tired of making and eating the same-old-same-old...I need fresh ideas for dinner!

Have any?

My recipe box could use a make-over....I've been paging though my cookbooks, and looking at the Rachael Ray website.....I've come across a few things I'd like to try out....but I could use more, so I'm asking for your help!

Share a favorite recipe if you can - just email me!

Thanks in advance!

He did it!

After the bumpy beds discussion....when he was winding down...all of a sudden he announced:

"Momma, I have to go pee pee and poopy on the potty."

"OK, let's go!"

So, I laid Ethan down in his crib (which he is not sleeping in yet - he sleeps in the cosleeper next to my side of the bed) and we went in the bathroom and we yanked off the footed PJ's and diaper and he sat down on the potty and...

Tooted.

Then he smiled and peed.

Yippee!!!! He sensed that he had to go! Maybe he's interested in wearing his big boy underwear now!?

Bumpy Beds

Tonight as I was putting Austin to bed, we sat on his bed and read some books together. I had Ethan sleeping on my chest, all curled up in a ball....and after we were done reading, he had the latest Pottery Barn Kids catalog with him.

"Momma, you can look at this and tell me about it."

"Ok, let's see...Maybe when Ethan is big enough, we can get you two some bunk beds in here - what do you think? Would you like bunk beds?"

"Yeah! I want bumpy beds in here. And I will sleep on the bottom."

"Hmmm...yes. But I think since you are older, you will sleep on the top, and Ethan will sleep on the bottom. I think we'll get you bunk beds. That will be fun!"

"I want bumpy beds. Daddy will bring his ladder in here so I can climb up to the top. And Ethan will sleep on the bottom."

"Sounds like a good idea. I will tell daddy about the bunk bed idea."

"Sounds like a good idea. I will like bumpy beds!"

We did it!

Success!

I had my first outing alone with the two boys today - and it was great!

Austin had an opthamology appointment at 10am - all went well. He was such a good little boy reading all the pictures, and even taking a ride in the big black chair where he got his eyes dilated.....even though they stung a little.

Then we ventured over to the post office and I finally mailed out my Christmas cards/birth announcements (so you should be getting them Tues/Wed)!

We picked up Culver's and went to visit daddy at work and eat lunch with him. Ethan needed to eat then, too, so it was a perfectly timed out stop. Some of Michael's colleagues stopped by to ogle over Ethan...awww...what a cutie pie he is!

The Bridal Boutique was our next stop, so Dawn and Haley could get their 'baby fixes' and we chatted for a bit. I love adult conversation! :)

Target was next, where I told Austin he could pick out a toy since he got some Target giftcards for Christmas. He chose a little motorized bulldozer that was on clearance for $3.98.....of all the toys Target had, that was the one he chose. That was an easy task!! He fell asleep in the cart with the diaper wipes, gallon of milk, orange juice, with the bulldozer clenched in his hand....poor guy!

We were home around 3:30, just in time for another feeding for Ethan.

A perfect day....it started snowing 20 minutes after we got home!

Adjusting

We're adjusting to being a family of four.

• My husband is getting full, uninterrupted nights of sleep.

• My first born has wedged himself in our bed, right between Michael and I.

• My second born has yet to want to sleep on his own in the co sleeper on my side of the bed.

• We have created the "FAMILY BED".

• Ethan's circumcision has healed, the little plastic ring fell off on his eighth day of life. His umbilical cord stump fell off today, the twelfth day of his life. Yippee! No more sponge baths for the little man!

• I have yet to venture out with both Austin and Ethan, on my own, in public - ie, running errands, shopping, etc....I can honestly say I'm afraid to. It takes the four of us forever to get ready to leave to go anywhere, so I am not looking forward to doing it on my own, even though right now I'm fully aware I'm avoiding the inevitable. Austin and I are great shopping buddies; we have that mastered. I'm just not sure what to do...Ethan, in a car seat, being put where Austin sits in the cart...then where does Austin go? In the big basket of my cart? Then where do the rolls of toilet paper, boxes of diapers, miscellaneous items, or grocery items go? Do I haul two carts? I can say I've never seen another parent do that. I can't make Austin walk - I'd be all over chasing him. He's perfectly fine with me, with my attention solely on him...talking only to him....how do I manage an outing with two? Any advice from any of you with two kids who have mastered this task....?? Help! I know I'll get it all figured out, I'll master it...but until then - I have a little anxiety!

• I am already not ready to go back to work on Feb 19th.....I'm ready but not ready. I want to go back, but I don't want someone else watching my little Ethan. He'll only be about 8 1/2 weeks old; too young to be put in daycare!!! Austin was 6 months old when he started daycare - he could sit up on his own, roll over...he was more independent. Ethan is going to be 2 months old, still a little 'lump' of sugar cradled in someone's arms. Not ready!!!!!!!!!!!! But then, it's only for 3 months then I'll have the summer with him. Need to stay positive! :)