What can I say? Max chose this "outfit" himself and insisted upon wearing it to the park. Quite a look, no?
Friday, January 9, 2009
Laugh of the Day
What can I say? Max chose this "outfit" himself and insisted upon wearing it to the park. Quite a look, no?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Potty Training: Day One
Before we tackle today, let's talk about yesterday...
I was upstairs changing Henry, and I came downstairs to find that Max had removed his diaper and peed and pooped all over the living room floor (the newly refinished living room floor?!#^#*&!!!). While I was cleaning this up, he then went in the kitchen and peed on the rug. I was out of my mind about it and decided on the spot that if he knew he was going to go and he was capable of taking off his pants, then it was time to pursue potty training in earnest. We've been doing it casually for weeks -- talking it up, letting him sit on the potty on occasion, etc, but we hadn't actually fully committed yet. Oh, it was time to step up! Without wasting a moment, we got in the car and headed for Target where we spent a small fortune stocking up on potty-training essentials like training pants, a potty seat for the toilet, children's books on potty training and more.
Today we really went for it. Max sat on the potty the moment he got up and he peed. A good start. After breakfast, he sat on the potty again and he peed and pooped. Hurrah! We went out and ran some errands and Max stayed dry. There was more peeing before lunch and then he reluctantly consented to wear his diaper for naptime. After the nap we went to a coffee house with a friend and Max wore his diaper. Of course he pooped in it, but how much can we really ask of him on day 1? We had a great afternoon full of several more potty visits and then one accident shortly before bed. Not too bad, all told. Now we just need to get Max to realize on his own when he needs to go instead of waiting for me to remind him. It helps that at least at the moment he is really, really excited about the whole process and he adores his "big boy underpants." I'm so proud of him!
One last story, this one unrelated to bathroom issues -- to top off the great day I had yesterday, I took the boys to the grocery store in the afternoon. Henry reached over the side of the cart and knocked a wine bottle to the ground. It shattered everywhere, making a god-awful noise and mess. I was mortified as everyone turned to stare at us and as a deli worker announced on the intercom, "Cleanup in the wine department." My one consolation was that Henry had the good taste to dive for a bottle of pinot noir instead of the chardonnay...
I was upstairs changing Henry, and I came downstairs to find that Max had removed his diaper and peed and pooped all over the living room floor (the newly refinished living room floor?!#^#*&!!!). While I was cleaning this up, he then went in the kitchen and peed on the rug. I was out of my mind about it and decided on the spot that if he knew he was going to go and he was capable of taking off his pants, then it was time to pursue potty training in earnest. We've been doing it casually for weeks -- talking it up, letting him sit on the potty on occasion, etc, but we hadn't actually fully committed yet. Oh, it was time to step up! Without wasting a moment, we got in the car and headed for Target where we spent a small fortune stocking up on potty-training essentials like training pants, a potty seat for the toilet, children's books on potty training and more.
Today we really went for it. Max sat on the potty the moment he got up and he peed. A good start. After breakfast, he sat on the potty again and he peed and pooped. Hurrah! We went out and ran some errands and Max stayed dry. There was more peeing before lunch and then he reluctantly consented to wear his diaper for naptime. After the nap we went to a coffee house with a friend and Max wore his diaper. Of course he pooped in it, but how much can we really ask of him on day 1? We had a great afternoon full of several more potty visits and then one accident shortly before bed. Not too bad, all told. Now we just need to get Max to realize on his own when he needs to go instead of waiting for me to remind him. It helps that at least at the moment he is really, really excited about the whole process and he adores his "big boy underpants." I'm so proud of him!
One last story, this one unrelated to bathroom issues -- to top off the great day I had yesterday, I took the boys to the grocery store in the afternoon. Henry reached over the side of the cart and knocked a wine bottle to the ground. It shattered everywhere, making a god-awful noise and mess. I was mortified as everyone turned to stare at us and as a deli worker announced on the intercom, "Cleanup in the wine department." My one consolation was that Henry had the good taste to dive for a bottle of pinot noir instead of the chardonnay...
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Henry Walks! (well, sort of...)
Henry's physical abilities are increasing by the day. He can wave, clap, crawl, cruise, and now walk pushing his wagon. He was so proud of himself! Check out the footage...
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Holiday Fun
The computer "mother board" is back! Below you can check out some shots from our recent travels -- Christmas and Hanukkah in San Diego, visitors in Alameda, a bus/bart/ferry ride to San Francisco, etc...
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Trials and Tribulations
Apologies to my legions of loyal fans (ha!) for the long blog silence. We have experienced a series of technical difficulties from no internet in the new house to corrupted photo files on the camera to the complete implosion of our computer's "mother board" (yes, that problem is just as serious and expensive as it sounds).
In any case, the G. family is currently down in San Diego visiting my mom, so I decided to take advantage of her fully functional computer to catch up a bit on the blog. Here are a few highlights from the past couple weeks:
1.) We moved into our new house and have been VERY busy painting, unpacking, and generally trying to get ourselves settled. In general things are going very well. We even have both boys sleeping in the same room! It amazes me the things that they are capable of sleeping through. Sometimes Max will get up, turn on the light, bang the door, and move Henry's crib around and Henry still doesn't wake up. Sometimes Henry will wake up and want to nurse and cry and cry at the top of his lungs and Max doesn't wake up. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Human beings are programed to be together in small spaces and certainly families all around the world manage to sleep in one room. Somehow, though, it seems miraculous every time my two sleep-challenged boys make it through the night in a room together.
2.) Henry turns nine months old tomorrow which is shocking. Where does the time go???!!! He had a doctor's appointment last week with his new pediatrician. Henry was a champ despite the blood draw and the two shots. Max, however, never does well with having to wait around in a doctor's office. He turned off the lights in the tiny exam room four times while the doctor was trying to examine Henry. I used my super-stern voice and tried to get him in line, but of course he thought it was really funny to disobey me. I'm sure I made a great impression on the new doctor with my oh-so-effective parenting techniques. To top things off, after the doctor left the room, Max turned off the powerstrip on the floor and shut down her computer. I had to slink out of there and tell the two nurses on duty about the incident so they could reboot the thing. Let's just say that they didn't look pleased. All antics aside, Henry was in good health though it is interesting that he has turned from a gigantic infant into a rather petite older baby (40th and 5oth percentiles for weight and height). The kid eats ALL OF THE TIME, so I don't know where the food is going.
3.) On Sunday I took both boys and drove down to San Diego by myself. It was great to be able to load all of our crap into the car and set off on our own schedule as opposed to the agonizing and interminable cross-country flights we have grown accustomed to around the holidays. It was a long day -- 8 plus hours of driving with a few stops thrown in to burn off steam and regain our sanity. The boys actually did remarkably well. They both slept a lot (Thank God!) and I broke out the DVD player for Max. This prompted the most dicey scene of the trip. Envision me driving the station wagon down Interstate 5 at 85 miles per hour (this is the speed that traffic was going, I swear! Things are different in California...). In the back seat, Henry keeps reaching out to grab the DVD player. This throws Max into hysterics -- "No, No, Henry! Get your hands OFF!!!!" Eventually, Max manages to wrench the DVD player away and he subsequently drops it on the ground. I have one hand on the wheel and I'm yelling at Max and reaching behind me to fish the DVD player off of the floor and re-establish it on Max's lap where Henry can't reach it. Good times. We made it to San Diego, though, and it has been great to visit with family. Scott flew in last night so he will be here to drive back North with us on Friday. I can't wait.
So there's a few tidbits for now. I promise to post some photos when I can. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all.
In any case, the G. family is currently down in San Diego visiting my mom, so I decided to take advantage of her fully functional computer to catch up a bit on the blog. Here are a few highlights from the past couple weeks:
1.) We moved into our new house and have been VERY busy painting, unpacking, and generally trying to get ourselves settled. In general things are going very well. We even have both boys sleeping in the same room! It amazes me the things that they are capable of sleeping through. Sometimes Max will get up, turn on the light, bang the door, and move Henry's crib around and Henry still doesn't wake up. Sometimes Henry will wake up and want to nurse and cry and cry at the top of his lungs and Max doesn't wake up. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Human beings are programed to be together in small spaces and certainly families all around the world manage to sleep in one room. Somehow, though, it seems miraculous every time my two sleep-challenged boys make it through the night in a room together.
2.) Henry turns nine months old tomorrow which is shocking. Where does the time go???!!! He had a doctor's appointment last week with his new pediatrician. Henry was a champ despite the blood draw and the two shots. Max, however, never does well with having to wait around in a doctor's office. He turned off the lights in the tiny exam room four times while the doctor was trying to examine Henry. I used my super-stern voice and tried to get him in line, but of course he thought it was really funny to disobey me. I'm sure I made a great impression on the new doctor with my oh-so-effective parenting techniques. To top things off, after the doctor left the room, Max turned off the powerstrip on the floor and shut down her computer. I had to slink out of there and tell the two nurses on duty about the incident so they could reboot the thing. Let's just say that they didn't look pleased. All antics aside, Henry was in good health though it is interesting that he has turned from a gigantic infant into a rather petite older baby (40th and 5oth percentiles for weight and height). The kid eats ALL OF THE TIME, so I don't know where the food is going.
3.) On Sunday I took both boys and drove down to San Diego by myself. It was great to be able to load all of our crap into the car and set off on our own schedule as opposed to the agonizing and interminable cross-country flights we have grown accustomed to around the holidays. It was a long day -- 8 plus hours of driving with a few stops thrown in to burn off steam and regain our sanity. The boys actually did remarkably well. They both slept a lot (Thank God!) and I broke out the DVD player for Max. This prompted the most dicey scene of the trip. Envision me driving the station wagon down Interstate 5 at 85 miles per hour (this is the speed that traffic was going, I swear! Things are different in California...). In the back seat, Henry keeps reaching out to grab the DVD player. This throws Max into hysterics -- "No, No, Henry! Get your hands OFF!!!!" Eventually, Max manages to wrench the DVD player away and he subsequently drops it on the ground. I have one hand on the wheel and I'm yelling at Max and reaching behind me to fish the DVD player off of the floor and re-establish it on Max's lap where Henry can't reach it. Good times. We made it to San Diego, though, and it has been great to visit with family. Scott flew in last night so he will be here to drive back North with us on Friday. I can't wait.
So there's a few tidbits for now. I promise to post some photos when I can. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
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