M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Aidan and I have been getting along a whole lot better. We had a pretty good weekend. On Friday the three of us went out to the neighborhood pizza place for the big 5 year wedding anniversary. We thought about taking a trip but then we were reminded of our house budget and thought against it. Anyway, we went for pizza and Aidan had to stand up in his seat the entire time. No sitting down for him! At first I was a little bothered by it but then Jason and I discussed what the issues were about his standing up and decided that it really didn't matter so much whether he was standing or sitting while he ate. As long as he ate and wasn't running around the restaurant. By the time we got out of there he was pretty wound up so we were making a quick get away!

On Saturday we all just hung around the house. I worked on sewing while Jason worked on scraping windows and such. Aidan watched parts of the Heffalump movie in between getting bored and harassing the cat. Overall it was a pretty boring day for him.

Sunday we went out to pick up our CSA basket, so Aidan was able to run around and play on the church grounds. When we got back home he took a nap while I prepared our chicken and dumplings feast for Jereme and Jody. They are moving to West Virginia on Friday and I've been promising chicken and dumplings for a year, so I made in yesterday. They brought Aidan's birthday present to him and he loved it! It was a huge dump truck-- so big he can sit in it! And they gave him a stuffed Mickey Mouse, which he loves. He was running around after they left saying, "Scrub! Mickey Mouse!" (Scrub is Jereme's nickname.)

Last night we attended a one year birthday party for a playgroup friend at the park. That was loads of fun! Daddy stayed home to cut down the apple tree, but it was nice to see friends and to let Aidan run around a little. At the party they had a pinata that all the kids hit except for Aidan. When they pulled out the pinata Aidan had run to the other side of the park, so I yelled to him, "Candy!" He quickly came running over. I gave him his bucket and explained that the kids will be hitting the pinata and then candy will fall out. When it falls out, run over and pick up the candy and put it in your bucket. He couldn't take his eyes off of the pinata. Each child went up and hit the thing and he clung to his bucket on the ready. When it was his turn he wouldn't hit it because he didn't want to give up his bucket. What if it broke and he wouldn't have his bucket ready? All the other kids would beat him to the candy! In actuality, the mommy who made the pinata did a great job. So great that it wouldn't break no matter who hit it. A dad ended up tearing the thing and then dumping it out from overhead. The kids dashed in and filled up their buckets. Except for Aidan, who went over and picked up two suckers, stuck one in his mouth, and then was content. Later, of course, he went back for more. When I asked him if he wanted cake and ice cream he said, "No! Candy!"

When we got home last night he was smelly from playing in the heat and sticky from the candy. He took a long bath and then was off to bed. As he was dozing off to sleep he said, "Mickey Mouse! Mickey Mouse!" Jason heard him from the other room and came running in with the Mickey he'd gotten for his birthday. Aidan clung to it and drifted off to sleep.

(Don't assume peacefully, he woke up three times last night!)

Toddler Hell

So I usually write all about the precious moments, the cute antics, the adorable yet often overlooked events marking some developmental milestone. Today I have to say that parenting a two year old sometimes sucks. We had a serious disagreement this morning, to say the least. Granted, I've had way too much going on. Besides dissertation writing, work-related activities, social commitments, our anniversary, Aidan's birthday, house completion issues, etc., etc., etc., Jody and Jereme are leaving town and it seems like all of Aidan's little friends are celebrating birthdays. And all of this is coinciding with Aidan's recent assertion of independence. Don't get me wrong, he's a lot of fun and has very positive emotionality. A dream child, full of energy and curiosity. But the moment that I switch gears, pushing him into doing something he hadn't planned, out comes the screaming, kicking, biting toddler from hell.

It amazes me how we can get along so marvelously 99% of the time. We understand eachother. I can see things from his perspective. I can predict what will happen next. But that 1% of the time, when Mommy is in a hurry or has a lot going on, he's just over the top. So this morning was one of those mornings. The argument started when I told him we had to change his diaper. I had to pin him down on the changing table. On top of the leftover angst from the shoe in the eye from last evening, I ended up yelling at him this morning for kicking and throwing books at me. Not one of my finest moments as a mommy.

Of course, by the time we got to his school he'd forgotten all about it and I've been carrying it around all day. Yes, this is hard work. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It's a darn good thing he's so adorable!

An Early Start

It was 5 AM when I heard Aidan cough and fuss. Then the thud of his feet hitting the floor. Then the pitter patter of footsteps. Jason jumped up to meet him on his path to find us. We thought, or at least I thought, he'd come into bed with us and go back to sleep. First he asked to nurse, which isn't tolerated when the sun hasn't woken up yet. That irritated him. It was clear he wasn't going back to sleep without it, so we got up for pop-tarts. Daddy was able to get right up and off to work early.

Around 6:00 Aidan was running through the house saying and signing "Drive!" When I asked where we were driving to he said, "School!" I explained that school doesn't open until 6:30 and that his favorite teacher wouldn't be there anyway. Jason told him he couldn't go to school with only a diaper. At this point he had on a hat, a diaper, socks, and shoes. He had instructed his Daddy to put those items on him. Standing there literally half dressed, he put his arms out and said, "Clothes. Don't got." We had to laugh.

His teacher says that he's the only kid in his class that can speak in complete sentences. I think she actually means complete ideas. It's not like he's using 5 word sentences with correct grammar. He's just getting his points across. I wonder how much of that is the sign language and how much is just sheer brilliance. :)

We've been experiencing quite a few meltdowns lately. It occurred to me last night when I was putting him to bed that this has happened in the past and I always forget that it's correlated with some sort of leap in development. Never fails. We have a few weeks of intolerable behavior (yesterday it was a screaming fit over a balloon at the furniture store) complete with hitting and biting and then suddenly he stops having emotional breakdowns and we notice some brand new skill. The most noticeable leaps lately have been his excellent communication skills and his interest in dribbling.

Yes, you read correctly. He's trying to learn how to dribble a basketball. I realize this is hard to believe but he practices non-stop and his meltdown in the store yesterday started and ended with him screaming "Ball!" over and over. When we finally got home and he was able to play with his ball, he dribbled. Jason said that when he picked him up yesterday Aidan wouldn't leave school because he was dribbling his ball. So far we've only seen him dribble three times before losing the ball. Is this normal?

We're so excited about Aidan's upcoming birthday and I'm busily planning all sorts of activities for his little friends at the party. Some of Aidan's family have told us their plans for his gift and all have chosen excellently. For those who have asked for assistance, I will let you in on what types of things he needs/wants. We do not, however, expect gifts. I certainly would prefer if Aidan learned that birthdays are about seeing family and friends rather than gifts. I do realize, however, that his grandparents and aunts and uncles want to give him presents. So for them, I share a list.

First, Aidan really wants a Mickey Mouse movie. He has a VCR tape that he inherited from Rebecca that he watches frequently but it only has Mickey Mouse in it for a few minutes at the beginning. He then screams to see Mickey Mouse for most of the rest of the movie. He has a vcr for the car and also a DVD for other times, so choose your format.

Another thing he could use is bath toys. He seems to be very bored with the bath toys he's had for about a year. Can't say I blame him there.

For several months Aidan has been eating from a plate rather than directly from his highchair tray. Problem is that we only have two child's plates, so we have to wash them frequently. To give you some idea, what he currently has is a Baby Bjorn bowl/utensil set and a train shaped cup/plate/bowl combo given by Grandma Agett.

Another item that he is very fond of is the signing time DVDs. He has volumes 1-6 currently but I think they have 12 or 13 volumes, so there are plenty of others to choose from.

Lastly, since Aidan is working on his potty use, he'll soon need training pants. Not much fun, I know, but as his Mommy I have to put something practical on the list!

I hope this list helps but again, bring a gift only if you feel the urge. And if you know of something else he'll enjoy, I'm sure anything will be fine. After all, his very favorite things are still balls and sticks!

What A Brave Little Boy

This morning Aidan had to have blood drawn for his lead test. At his 2-year appointment some of the standard questions they ask concern the age of your house and whether it has been remodeled recently. Our house was built in 1955 and, as you all know, has undergone some extensive remodeling. The blood test could not be avoided.

I tried not to rush him this morning as to ensure that he'd be in a decent mood. I knew he'd probably freak out but I didn't want to exacerbate it by making him feel rushed or hungry, which often makes him cranky. Plus the lab was walk-in and not by appointment, so I knew it didn't matter much. All morning and all the way there I repeated phrases like, "We have to go to the doctor so that they can take your blood" and "They have to get your blood out of you." He'd repeat things like, "Blood out!" There was a newborn that entered before us and she was screaming her head off. When she came out with her Daddy Aidan got a look of shear terror on his face. He watched her very carefully while we waited for his name to be called. I reassured him by telling him that although she was crying, she's ok. She was just scared.

When they called his name we walked back and we sat in the chair. I asked the technician if she had anything for him to hold in the other hand or to play with for distraction. She gave him a vial and he seemed pretty happy with that. She stretched his arm out and put the rubber band on him. I told him that there was blood inside his arm and that the nice lady was going to take it out. He looked a little scared but still ok. Another lady came in to help hold him down just in case and I was imagining all kinds of scenarios where the three of us were strapping him down to a table, giving him a lifelong case of needle phobia.

I tried to stay upbeat even after the technician pulled out the needle. I was actually quite surprised and pleased to see that the needle was teenie. I guess it'd have to be since his veins are so small, but I was still surprised. He watched her very carefully as she poked the needle into his arm. Even I could tell that she hit it on the first try. His face turned red and he crumpled his lips but didn't cry. The blood started going down the tube and I said, "Look, Aidan! That's your blood! She's taking your blood out of your arm. Isn't that neat?" He was successfully distracted by that and within 30 seconds the whole thing was over. He grumped again when she removed the needle but still didn't cry. The spare technician that was brought in for back-up commented that he did better than most adults. I was so proud.

In all, his major gripe was that the sticky bandage was too tight, so I removed it when we got to the car. The highlight was telling the teacher and all of his friends about it when he got to school. When I left he was standing in the middle of circle with his arm outstretched, beaming from the attention. He loves being in the spotlight!

A Weekend for Visitors

What an eventful weekend we had! On Saturday Aidan had a few hours to play with his Uncle Stevie before he had to go home. A few hours later Sabrina and Jeremy stopped in to give him his birthday present in case they cannot make it to his party. He was so happy to see her. Although in the past he has preferred Jeremy (to Sabrina's disappointment), this time he was all about Brina. When they left he said to me, "Bye, bye, Brina" in a very clear voice. He never says "Brina" in front of her. Maybe he will the next time.

Later in the afternoon Amy and Craig rode their scooter down from Louisville. Aidan loves them too, of course. He has so much fun with all of our visitors. And, of course, everyone adores him and loves to play with him. Aidan loved sitting on the scooter. It's really more like a motorcycle than a scooter and he was enjoying pretending to drive it. We all went to dinner at Bella Notte and although he was a little grumpy, he did pretty well. The highlight was when he asked Daddy to go to the potty. They went twice and the second time Aidan both peed and pooped on the potty! In a restaurant! Go figure! We were pretty astounded. He sat on the potty twice on Sunday and didn't do anything but it seems that he's interested in training himself on his own time. That's fine with me. I'd prefer that he set his own pace.

Yesterday we went to church and he enjoyed the outside playground. Afterward we ate lunch at the Coop. Later Amy and Craig had to go home, so the three of us worked on the house. Aidan is such a huge help. He helps me sweep and mop, loves to do laundry, etc. The funniest thing is when he helps Daddy with the remodel. Jason put down laminant in the screen room and Aidan "helped." Last night we moved one of Aidan's toy boxes out there. At first he thought we were stealing his toys and cried while he clung to the toy box in desperation. We explained that we were just moving it outside, so he decided to help. Jason put it on a blanket and slid it through the house. Aidan pushed while Jason pulled it. The funny thing was that he was actually helping. When we got it into the screen room he then gestured toward the door to take it outside. Jason had to explain that by "outside" we meant the screen room, not the yard. We need to remember that he takes things quite literally.

Also yesterday Aidan got in trouble for biting Daddy. Clearly he was playing and not angry, but he just put Jason's hand in his mouth and chomped down. I told him to apologize and he refused so off to his room he went for a time out. When he came back we told him to apologize again and he refused. It was sort of puzzling but then Jason observed that Aidan seemed to not understand that he'd done something wrong and didn't want to apologize. I knelt down and gave him a quick explanation (one that I doubted he'd understand) about why we still have to apologize even when we accidentally hurt someone, he stopped crying and apologized. He must have understood something! Wow, that was easy once we figured out what was going on!

For Sale: One Healthy, Frustrated, Temper-Throwing Two Year Old!

When I went to pick Aidan up from school early to go to the doctor, they were watching a Winnie the Pooh movie. All of the kids were sitting on their colored squares in from of the television and Aidan was standing on his, next to the teacher, holding on to her arm. I walked up behind them and heard them talking. At first she was trying to convince him to sit down and he just ignored her. Then she started talking about the movie. His face was very animated as he "discussed" what Tigger was going to do next. He'd obviously seen this one before. When he saw me he was very excited and ran over to me, immediately asking for milk.

I was running late so I refused him, gave him some animal crackers, and plopped him into his car seat. He lost it! He ate his animal crackers but continued to fuss for milk all the way to the doctors office in the car and on the walk in. It's really hard to carry a toddler who is trying to lay down in your arms. We got in there late and they got us right back to the exam room. I made the mistake of telling Aidan that he'd have to get a shot and it might hurt, so he was screaming "NO!" every time the nurse came near him. My motivation was that it might help him get ready for it. I won't make that mistake again. Basically he screamed the entire time we were in there and began hitting me when I was paying more attention to the doctor than to him. We, of course, could barely hear eachother over the screaming. I reminded Aidan to hit the floor when he's upset rather than hit Mommy but I was a little self conscious about disciplining him in front of his pediatrician. The doctor wanted to check his walking but Aidan wouldn't walk across the room. He just threw himself into the floor and screamed. Quite comical in retrospect.

The result of the appointment is that he's a healthy two year old. He does have to be tested for lead since we live in a 50 year old house that has recently been remodeled. We'll do that on Monday. His weight was in the 15th percentile, as opposed to the 8th. Probably the extra junk food that he's discovered through people like Daddy and Nana. Jason gives him cookies so often on the way home from school that Aidan asks for cookies every time he gets in the car now. And Nana had things like doughnuts when we went camping. One morning I asked Aidan what he wanted for breakfast and he said doughnuts. When I told him I didn't have any, he said, "Nana!" I guess that's his way of saying, "My Nana would give me some!" On height he is also in the 25th percentile. He's just small.

Aidan had so much fun with Uncle Stevie last night! They played a lot and Uncle Stevie gave him a bath so that Mommy could finish painting the ceiling in the screen room. I helped them get ready for the bath and Aidan was dancing around like he was trying not to pee so I put him on the potty. He successfully peed in the potty with little issue. We all got very excited and he got a sticker on his chart. He was very happy about it. Uncle Stevie is staying until Saturday and I know Aidan will be sad to see him leave. He goes to the upstairs door and says "Stevie" for several days after he leaves.

This morning was uneventful but the assistant director at his school told me that yesterday she did something and Aidan said, "Why'd you do that?" I've not ever heard him say that but he must have picked it up from one of us. He pretty much can imitate anything we say. That's generally a good thing but sometimes...well, let's just say he gets his potty mouth from his father.

Just So Much To Do

We've had a ton of stuff going on this week. On Sunday Jason and I decided to put the house off and spend some time with Aidan. He seemed like he needed some time with us. We went to the neighborhood pool. We told him we were going and he started freaking out, running around the house, helping get his stuff together, saying "swimming, swimming, drive" over and over while trying to sign the words. When we got to the pool it was obvious why his teachers claim that he's fearless around water. He loves it! The pool we go to has a baby pool that's a couple of feet deep and has two water slides and lots of fountains squirting water all over the place. He went down both slides by himself, although he could see that Mommy was going to catch him at the bottom. The adult pool has a zero depth section where he can just walk out until it gets too deep. He walked out (we stayed within reach, of course) until he could barely hold his head above the water. Next year it's swimming lesson time!

Monday night we went to a birthday party for Sadie's mommy and we got to see all of our dear friends from playgroup. Aidan had so much fun playing with them again. If I ever get this dissertation proposal finished, we'll be taking Mondays off to attend playgroup again but for now it was nice to catch up with them.

Both Sunday and Monday were very hot days and lots of non-stop playing. Aidan gets too busy to stop for water, so it wasn't too surprising when Aidan's teacher called me Tuesday afternoon to tell me that Aidan was acting strangely. She said that they'd been outside some but that she always makes sure that the kids drink. After his nap Aidan sat down at the table and started drinking water. He just kept asking for more and kept drinking until finally the teacher realized he'd been doing this for 2 hours. Thinking this was peculiar, she called me but Jason and I both explained that he was most likely a little dehydrated from his busy Sunday and Monday. Plus it was 105 degrees on Tuesday.

Yesterday Uncle Stevie came to visit to help us get all the stuff done on the house. Really he helped distract Aidan so that we could work on the screen porch, which was quite helpful. He's decided to stick around until Saturday to help out. I think with him here we'll be able to get all of our stuff done before the party. Aidan is so excited to have Uncle Stevie. The first thing he asked for this morning was to go upstairs to see him. Although Uncle Stevie was very tired, he tolerated being woken up well and even came downstairs to see us before we left for school. I felt sort of bad for him but I knew he could sleep today while we were gone if he wants to.

At school today they had a giant blow-up water slide that empties into a small pool. Aidan was very excited about it. I'm looking forward to hearing about how much fun he had when I pick him up this afternoon. His teacher speculated that he'd be one of the few kids asking to go down the slide. He's a little mad man. Yesterday his teacher told Jason that although he's not the fastest, he's the most coordinated of the bunch. She thinks he's going to be an athlete. Of all the sports, I'd like to see him play soccer. It just seems less violent than others but I'm sure he'll pick something like Rugby.

Boring Saturday

Our boy seems to be doing better but one can never be too sure. On Thursday he stopped throwing up after noon, so he went to school on Friday. No issues Friday at all and caught up on his calories from the day before. The child can really eat when he's hungry. Reminds us of another garbage disposal that we all know and love. Anyway, he seemed better and went to bed Friday night with a full tummy. Then, at around midnight we heard it again. Almost an hour later it happened yet again. He seemed alright today but didn't eat a lot.

I don't know if it was illness or the feeling of abandonment, but he sure was clingy today. Mom and I painted the screen room, which took the entire day. Clearly Aidan felt like he deserved more attention than we were able to offer. Once Daddy was able to shift his attention to him, however, Aidan felt better. He's in bed now and we hope he won't wake up throwing up again.

No cute little stories that illustrate how adorable our little guy is. I'm sure he did some cute things today but I either missed them or I'm just too tired to remember. I do know Aidan and I both will be glad to spend more time together tomorrow. I know he'll miss Nana but he really likes having Mommy all to himself. Jason and I have been talking about how Aidan's universe is organized and he sure does have things structured well. If we could all be so lucky!

Nana, Just In Time!

Aidan is so excited that his Nana is visiting. She and I picked him up from school yesterday and although he was happy to see her, he was still pretty Mommy-centered. Daddy worked late, so the three of us went home to settle in and get some things done around the house. Of course, like every night, time went pretty quickly and before we knew it, it was bedtime. Aidan was all keyed up with Nana visiting, so he was having a difficult time getting to sleep. Then around midnight I heard him fuss for a minute and then the wretching noise. And the swoosh. The sweet sound of vomit in the middle of the night. Then came the screaming.

Jason and I both ran in to find him sitting up in bed covered in orange vomit. Jason immediately informs me that Aidan had eaten about 30 cheese puffs before bed. He laughed and muttered something about it really being "junk food." And for those of you who are aware of our food preferences, you might also guess that Aidan had never had cheese puffs. What possessed Jason to buy them or to give them to Aidan, I'll never know. Now we know that the cheese puffs were not the primary cause, but they sure made for a hell of a mess. It's also convenient for Jason that he's not the one Aidan clings to when he's ill. As soon as I reached him, Aidan grabbed me and pleaded for me to pick him up. I tried hard to put him off until we got him wiped down but that just made him cry harder. So while Jason was laughing about "junk food" I was covered in orange, cheesy puke. Ah, the pleasures of motherhood. Friday it was poop, Wednesday it was puke. It brings me back to the night that Aidan was projectile vomiting down my shirt and Jason said, "Sometimes I'm glad he likes you better!" Truth be told, I really don't mind being covered in anything. Any more than I minded the cesarian or the two years of breastfeeding. The best is when he's clinging to me for comfort, whether scared or sick or lonely.

Speaking of lonely, I slept on his old crib mattress positioned next to his toddler bed on the floor. I told Jason I might do it and he informed me that he'd feel better if I did. For a moment I wondered why he didn't volunteer but I know why. Aidan wants his mommy when he's sick and I'm sure Jason would have slept there if he thought it'd do any good. Sometime in the middle of the night Aidan discovered that I was sleeping on the floor, so he crawled down to sleep with me. If you think it's not awkward enough to sleep on a crib mattress, try sleeping with a toddler on a crib mattress. Needless to say, I slept very little.

Luckily, Nana was well rested and eager to help out today. We had two more incidents this morning before I left for work, but I've been informed that he seems to be feeling better. He stunk to high heaven when he woke up, so I put him in the shower with Jason. He smelled much better after that. I'm hoping for a 24 hour bug, but he's never had a 24 hour stomach bug. It always lingers for a few days. Poor little guy.

Separation Anxiety

Yesterday when I took Aidan to school, he didn't want to go in and started crying when I pulled up to the building. I asked him why he didn't want to go to school and he said, "Don't like it!" Alarmed, I went in to talk with his teacher. She's the assistant, but she said she thinks it's just the age. Yesterday afternoon when I went to pick him up (Jason was working late) he was outside eating a popsicle and was in no hurry to go home. The head teacher was there, so we discussed it. She says he's doing fine and that he even asked to go to the potty yesterday. They put him on the potty but nothing happened. We concluded that the recent night weaning and recent move to his big boy bed may be triggering his separation anxiety. I'm trying to make sure I'm spending extra play time with him in the evenings but sometimes it's difficult. His teacher also commented that she thinks Aidan might be very competitive-- he only asks to potty when he sees the other kid doing it. We're going to need sticker charts for Mommy, Daddy, Aidan, and Simon. We're all going to be in competition!!!!!

This morning was worse than yesterday morning. He walked into school just fine but when I opened the door to his room he clung to my leg and then I had to walk with him draped around my leg like a pencil koala. It was like one of those scenes in a movie. Another mom was coming out of the room as I was walking in and she said, "Oh, you have one too!" This made me feel a little better but I still had a kid attached to my leg. I've read to give him a choice between two activities, both of which direct him toward doing what I want him to do, so I said, "Aidan, do you want to look at the reptile book or play with your friends?" He didn't fall for it. He's on to me! Then the teacher asked for his help with giving the crab some water. That got him mildly interested for a moment but then he realized I was not following him, turned around, and ran back to me. I walked over with him and told him that Nana was going to pick him up today. That helped. Then the crab came out of his shell and that was all she wrote. I was able to leave and Aidan never took his eyes off of that crab. I never thought he'd find a crab more interesting than Mommy, but whatever works!

Weekend Happenings

We had a pretty good weekend but this morning didn't go so well. He's doing great with his sleeping. For the last 2 nights he's gone down around 9:30 pm, woken around 2 am, and then up around 6:30 am. I've tried to get him down earlier but 9:30 or 10 pm seems to be it. At 2 am both nights I've gone in, told him to lay down, offered him water, and then laid down with him until he gets to sleep. He's not quite as insistent these days about nursing in the middle of the night but he still asks. Can't blame a kid for trying!

On Friday night we had Jereme and Jody over to cookout. Aidan had a pretty good time but we had quite a setback on potty training. Apparently on Friday they put him on the potty twice at school. He lost it both times. There's something about school that is just uncomfortable for him. On Friday night he sat on the potty once and peed. Then later after bath he had naked baby time. I thought he had to poopy but he said he didn't have to go when I asked him. Ok, so before I tell this story I have to warn you that it might gross you out. And for a preview, the moral is never let a potty training kid sit on your lap naked. So there we were, Aidan in my lap, reading his book. Suddenly he got up to reveal that he'd pooped in my lap! And I had on white pants! Yuck! I guess he was confused about whether he had on a diaper. I knew to expect accidents, but this was disgusting. He then sat on the potty for a few minutes on Saturday but didn't do anything. We've decided to give him some space and let him choose. He's already made some huge progress.

Both Saturday and Sunday Aidan went to the pool with his daddy. Jason says they had a great time and that Aidan is getting better and better about being in the water. Our neighborhood pool has a baby pool complete with baby slides, water squirters, fountains, etc. And next to that is the playground. Even the adult pool has zero depth entry, so he can splash around there as well. It's important to us that Aidan get lots of exposure to water so that he is not afraid and that he eventually will learn how to swim. Because I have such fond memories of visiting my grandparent's lake house as a kid, I want him to have that too. I told Jason that someday (after I have a job, obviously) I'd like to have a little lake or beach cottage to visit. Then Aidan can have similar memories!

That brings us to this morning. Aidan did everything he could to put off going to school. As it got closer to time to go, he asked to color. Then he asked to listen to music. He wouldn't cooperate with me to get dressed. I sat down with him and said that I understand that he doesn't want to go to school but that Mommy had to work and that he wouldn't have much fun at work with Mommy. He'd have more fun at school. Then I asked him why he didn't want to go to school. He said, "Mommy play!" He wants to play with Mommy! I said, "You want to play with Mommy instead?" And he said, "Mommy 'stead!" In desperation, I said, "Well, if you are a good boy and go to school today Nana will come to visit you tomorrow." He immediately changed his tune!

Of course, then I had to call Nana to make sure she was still coming. I would die if she changed her plans and then he thought he'd done something wrong! I really need to watch making those sorts of statements. It was an act of desperation! Luckily, Nana says she is coming tonight or tomorrow.

Another Potty Adventure

Most of our time has been spent focusing on the potty. Last night he peed in the potty again. He really seems to enjoy his after-bathtime potty sessions. Both parents are offering their undivided attention, we read his potty books, lots of positive reinforcement and praise. I looked through the books that he'd inherited from Rebecca and found a Sesame Street potty book, so now we have some variety in our bathroom library. He dictates which book he wants to read and we read both of them over and over again. He loves the book with the button so that he can flush the toilet. And he also loves hearing about Little Grover finding his Mommy to help him go. We just read them in sequence over and over again until he's done.

This morning we were running pretty late but I knew I had to be consistent with putting him on the potty, so I put him on there. To multi-task I was dressing him as he sat there and then I fed him breakfast there too. All the while reading his potty books. When he was dressed and had eaten a little food I was getting a little impatient, so I looked under him to see if there was any evidence that he might need to go. Then I saw the poopy! I was so surprised! I told him to push it out and he did. Interestingly, he didn't get quite as excited about his accomplishment as he did with the pee yesterday. He looked surprised when I started cheering and kissing him all over his head. A few minutes later we were in his room putting his diaper on and he said, "Aidan poopy potty!" It was sort of prideful, like it might be sinking in that he'd done a good thing. Then he said, "Mommy poopy!" I had to just tell him Mommy didn't have to go right then.

I have to say that I'm just amazed at his interest in the potty. Hopefully he won't get bored with it any time soon.

We're Gonna Potty Like It's 1999!

We are astounded at how Aidan has suddenly, in the words of his daddy, taken charge of his own development. Again last night he asked to use the potty. I took the seat off of one of his baby potties and placed it on our potty. He tried and tried to go but was unsuccessful. We read a book called, "Flush the potty." It's a story about a little boy learning to use the potty like big boys and girls. It even has a button that Aidan can push to make a flushing sound. The book was a gift from Uncle Stevie.

He tried lots of different things. Different potties, standing, sitting, just trying to see what works. He stood over his baby potty and tried to pee into it but mostly missed. Still, he was trying and we were very excited about it. This morning when I changed him and I asked if he wanted to try the potty and he said yes, so I again put him on the big potty with the baby seat on it. He said, "Potty book!" and we read the book. He went back and forth between reading the book with me, pushing the flush button, and watching himself to see if he was peeing. Suddenly he started to shriek with excitement and laugh. He was peeing! There was no amount of praise and reinforcement that I could have offered that would have exceeded his own personal satisfaction. He was so elated that he kept asking to sit on the potty again and again. Then he tried his little potty again. Needless to say, we were very late for school but I wasn't going to say no when he asked to use the potty, whether I believed that he needed to go or not.

When we got to school I told his teacher about his new interested in the potty and she said that he asked her about the potty yesterday during diaper change. She said that they currently have two kids sitting on the potty and that they can sit him on a potty during the day if I would like. I told her that I would love that, so we are all going to work with him. Jason and I are both amazed with him. Jason even commented that maybe all that stuff that the attachment parenters spout off about kids becoming independent on their own time might be right. We have such a big boy.

The icing on the cake is that when it was bedtime he started to go into our room on habit but then remembered about his big boy bed and went there instead. Unfortunately, he had a little more difficulty sleeping through the night last night but I'm not complaining. He slept from 9 pm to about 3 am. I went in to get him back to sleep and then he was up again at 4:20 am, so I just took him into our bed then. He slept really well and later than usual in our bed. I'm continuing to refuse nursing when the sun is not up and he's doing ok with that, but I'm not going to push the weaning during the day since he's sleeping in his bed and potty training simultaneously. I don't want to overwhelm him with too much change.

I realize that potty training takes a long time and that there are good days and bad days. I'm just glad that he has taken the initiative to let us know that he's ready to experiment. I'm off to order trickle-free potty pants!

Our Holiday Camping Trip

We did so much fun stuff on our holiday that I don't know if I can tell it all. Let me start by saying that Aidan had more fun than should be allowed for a boy so small. Our drive on Friday was a long one, so from the time Jason picked him up from school Aidan was told that we were going camping with Nana and that we'd have to drive for a long, long time. When they got home I had the car all packed up and ready to go. Aidan didn't even ask to nurse when he got home. He was so excited about going. He did pretty well on the way there and we didn't even have to stop. About the last 45 minutes he was a little grumpy but it was way after his bedtime and he was waiting up to see Nana. Overall, not a bad trip down.

We had a sleep cabin that was essentially one room with an air conditioner, a full sized bed, and a set of bunkbeds. Now, when I think camping I always remember the days when we'd pitch our tent and cook our food on a fire. Those days must be over because Nana and Papa have a "camper" that is the size of a one bedroom apartment. They've really upgraded since we've been there. It's a home! I explained to Aidan that this was not camping, but we did get the camping experience in many ways.

Aidan went swimming everyday. You can see in the picture that he wore his water wings. He also enjoyed sitting in his float. He's such a big boy! The first day out he got into trouble and had to leave the pool because he wouldn't stop running and then he took off his water wings. That was enough to lose his swimming privileges. He didn't do that again. He's a pretty courageous kid. He wouldn't go under the water but he did "jump" into Daddy's arms from the side. Of course, Daddy didn't take his hands off of Aidan the whole time.

We also saw lots of animals. Daddy and Nana went to see the buffalo at LBL. I was told that Aidan argued with them that they were cows and not, in fact, buffalo. We also saw lots of deer. Daddy and Aidan saw a doe and her fawn by the pool and then later when we were all out driving we saw two fawn that were just walking around. We played with a really big spider. And Daddy caught a frog and put it in a jar for Aidan to watch. Then they let it go. We saw some ducks and lots of other birds. Because the may flies were out, there were not many mosquitoes but Mommy managed to get chiggers. Lucky me!

We did the traditional camping activities too. We roasted marshmallows, which were more for Daddy and Mommy than for Aidan. Aidan didn't seem to like them. There is something wrong with that. We also did sparklers, which he was very excited about. He didn't get to see any big fireworks, but he's too young to know that yet. He'll do that next year.

The drive back was not as easy as the drive down. We had to stop twice and once we were desperate for some entertainment to help him unwind. So you know that we ended up at the place of all happy kids. McDonalds! Ugghhh! Jason and I were joking about it a bunch. We hate the food, Aidan loves it. And the playground is just amazing. Jason and Aidan played on it for a very long time in the 90 degree heat. Then it was back on the road. Again, Aidan really fussed for the last 45 minutes but he was happy when we got home. He even took an extra nap after he got home.

Friday night when we got to the campground, we went to Nana's and Aidan thought that we were staying with her. When we went to our little cabin (it was a short walk up a gravel road) he was confused and upset. At about 2:30 am he woke up disoriented and asking for Nana. I walked him down to Nana's (Papa was out fishing) and we went to bed down there. All day Saturday he was telling everyone that the bed he'd slept in was his bed. Jason and I went to the store and bought a bed rail. All the rest of our stay there he slept in that bed by himself. Jason and I stayed at the cabin and Nana would bring Aidan down to us in the morning when he woke up so that he could nurse.

When we got home last night I put the bed rail on his toddler bed and talked all about how he should start sleeping in his "big boy bed." We made a really big deal of it and then he took a nap in it. Because he napped sort of late, he wasn't ready for bed at the right time. When he was ready for bed I laid down with him on his bed with the bedrail up until he went to sleep. He slept there with his Elephino until 5:30 am, at which time I got him and put him in our bed. We were so proud of him! I'm expecting tonight to be harder, but last night went very well.

We had two other big accomplishments. First, he's been taking food when we offer it instead of nursing. This is a big deal since in the past he has outright rejected food when it was offered and he was asking to nurse. We are definitely moving toward weaning. Second, he asked twice now to go to the potty. Over the weekend he followed Nana into the potty and asked if he could go. When she put him on the toilet, he grunted and tried to go but couldn't. Last night before bed he was having "naked baby time" and I said something to Jason about watching to make sure he doesn't pee. Then Aidan asked to potty. We pulled out two baby potties, both of which he tried. Then he wanted to try the big potty. He was unsuccessful at making himself go, but he insisted that both Mommy and Daddy try to go too. Those who were most successful got praise. Unfortunately, he was never able to make himself pee into the potty but we certainly praised him for trying.

I'm totally expecting for him to backslide on something since we're having so much development at once. I'd say it will be the sleeping since that's never been his forte. I guess we'll just go with it. He's such a big boy!