Sunday, May 5, 2013
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The Waltz of the Sugar Plum 3 Year Olds
It has been way. too. long. since we posted to this little blog-o-sphere. It seems that our children usually drive us to post to this little space. And, here we are... ONE WEEK til Christmas! And, today is our little ballerina's 3rd birthday!
With the Nutcracker Suite playing in the background, our home welcomed G's little preschool buddies for the Boots and Ballerina Bash for this little 3-year-old to be.
Really, I don't have too many words... just pictures to share. And, of course, some 3 year old stats. G is in the 65% for height and 55% for weight (wish I was so lucky). She's got ALL her colors down and is known in her preschool as the child that organizes the markers and crayons from pink and purple ... to all other colors. She LOVES dancing and singing - LOUDLY. Let's be honest, folks, G is no quiet child. She has a beautiful gift of projection, which she often loves to use with her brother and in the car. About 3 weeks ago she switched from using "My" to "I"... we are a little sad to no longer hear expressions like "My hungeeyyy", "My hav a go POOOTTTTYYY". She loves to take care of her baby dolls and play with cars and swords, after all, she has an older brother.
With the Nutcracker Suite playing in the background, our home welcomed G's little preschool buddies for the Boots and Ballerina Bash for this little 3-year-old to be.
Really, I don't have too many words... just pictures to share. And, of course, some 3 year old stats. G is in the 65% for height and 55% for weight (wish I was so lucky). She's got ALL her colors down and is known in her preschool as the child that organizes the markers and crayons from pink and purple ... to all other colors. She LOVES dancing and singing - LOUDLY. Let's be honest, folks, G is no quiet child. She has a beautiful gift of projection, which she often loves to use with her brother and in the car. About 3 weeks ago she switched from using "My" to "I"... we are a little sad to no longer hear expressions like "My hungeeyyy", "My hav a go POOOTTTTYYY". She loves to take care of her baby dolls and play with cars and swords, after all, she has an older brother.
This is the Birthday Girl, getting ready for her guests to arrive!
Here we are pinning the tutu and boots on the Ballerina!
And, Daddy reading Miss Lina's Ballerinas to the crew:
And, finally, the cake and singing:
And, one last shot of the Ballerina Birthday Girl!!!
and, let's be honest, this pretty much says it ALL...
All this while the London Symphony Orchestra played Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. It was a great day!!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Bye Bye Miss American Pie
You may think this title a strange one for Mother's Day but the song is about saying goodbye and I think moms have to do it a lot. Mommies say goodbye when their little one goes to preschool, kindergarten, and eventually college. We say goodbye to morning naps, crawling, throwing food (this may come later depending on your child :-)) and diapers. Lots of good and natural goodbyes...
This post, however, is for the mommies who are mommies in their hearts. And because they had to say goodbye before they met their little one or they are praying for that day when they get to hold their little one, they wait. And today is hard. Their heart aches only like a mommy's heart can. This mother's goodbye is the one that has struck me most today.
This year, I'm one of these mommies. A year ago this week I found out that we'd have another little one. We would have 3!! Were we rady? Hardly. We were shocked... Shocked at first. But then as the weeks passed and sonogram pictures were printed and heart monitors thumped to the little rapid beats, we grew quite attached to our little person. Baby Choo-choo, as named by his big brother. We would sit and talk about what it would be like to have another tiny baby around. He/she would be born in winter, what would that be like? What would we have? A boy or girl? We had decided we wouldn't find out.
So much hope and excitement thinking about being a mommy again. Then the 16 week appointment came. Our little Choo-choo no longer had a heartbeat. All that hope and promise froze in an instant. And since that day, I have felt like a part of me is gone too. I've talked to quite of few other goodbye mommies. Each has had their unique process to move on. I think part of my process of healing is just to say that I loved that little life and it blessed me more than I can comprehend.
Today, I am proud to be a mommy of 3 with only 2 that I get to hold here on earth. And a deep-soul hug to all you other goodbye mommies out there.
Closing with a photo of my two boys... although we won't know until we meet Baby Choo-Choo in heaven, I think he was a boy. My boys.
This post, however, is for the mommies who are mommies in their hearts. And because they had to say goodbye before they met their little one or they are praying for that day when they get to hold their little one, they wait. And today is hard. Their heart aches only like a mommy's heart can. This mother's goodbye is the one that has struck me most today.
This year, I'm one of these mommies. A year ago this week I found out that we'd have another little one. We would have 3!! Were we rady? Hardly. We were shocked... Shocked at first. But then as the weeks passed and sonogram pictures were printed and heart monitors thumped to the little rapid beats, we grew quite attached to our little person. Baby Choo-choo, as named by his big brother. We would sit and talk about what it would be like to have another tiny baby around. He/she would be born in winter, what would that be like? What would we have? A boy or girl? We had decided we wouldn't find out.
So much hope and excitement thinking about being a mommy again. Then the 16 week appointment came. Our little Choo-choo no longer had a heartbeat. All that hope and promise froze in an instant. And since that day, I have felt like a part of me is gone too. I've talked to quite of few other goodbye mommies. Each has had their unique process to move on. I think part of my process of healing is just to say that I loved that little life and it blessed me more than I can comprehend.
Today, I am proud to be a mommy of 3 with only 2 that I get to hold here on earth. And a deep-soul hug to all you other goodbye mommies out there.
Closing with a photo of my two boys... although we won't know until we meet Baby Choo-Choo in heaven, I think he was a boy. My boys.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Giuliana is almost 16 months
But she is already wearing mommy's shoes. This was taken today. It pretty much demonstrates what we are dealing con nostra prima donna!
Che bella piccolina!
Che bella piccolina!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Some updates and videos
It has been a really long time since we last posted a update about our family.
The latest goings on with us are that J has a guitar and makes up songs. It is hilarious.
Here are a couple of Joseph's original songs:
This one is about Jesus in his Palace.
This one is about Jesus and J's imaginary pet kitty cat Singalo... and a pirate kayak.
We can't make this stuff up. He's sooo precious!
The latest goings on with us are that J has a guitar and makes up songs. It is hilarious.
Here are a couple of Joseph's original songs:
This one is about Jesus in his Palace.
This one is about Jesus and J's imaginary pet kitty cat Singalo... and a pirate kayak.
We can't make this stuff up. He's sooo precious!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
When it's too quiet, beware
It happened again this morning. I was in the kitchen, cleaning things. I had just checked on J in the family room playing in his "fort". Giuliana was sleeping. All children accounted for and occupied. Maybe I could clean up from breakfast? Dare to dream.
Then, I realized it was very, very quiet. I heard something in the bathroom.
Yep! It had happened again. J had opened all of my fabric paints and was playing with them in the bathroom. Colors all over the sink.
Now, in truth, if you are going to play with paint when you know you aren't supposed to, playing the bathroom is actually pretty convenient. Because we had to clean up the mess quickly, I couldn't get any pictures. I did get one shot of the paint in the trashcan... Yes, he had paint in the toilet, sink, and trashcan.
Clean up was fine and I think J has learned that he does not touch mommy's paint.
This is the second time this has happened to me. When the kids are too quiet, don't assume they are "playing nicely". Here is what happened the last time I left them alone thinking they were in the playroom.
First look:
Taking it all in:
Close up of the KIX:
Then, I realized it was very, very quiet. I heard something in the bathroom.
Yep! It had happened again. J had opened all of my fabric paints and was playing with them in the bathroom. Colors all over the sink.
Now, in truth, if you are going to play with paint when you know you aren't supposed to, playing the bathroom is actually pretty convenient. Because we had to clean up the mess quickly, I couldn't get any pictures. I did get one shot of the paint in the trashcan... Yes, he had paint in the toilet, sink, and trashcan.
Clean up was fine and I think J has learned that he does not touch mommy's paint.
This is the second time this has happened to me. When the kids are too quiet, don't assume they are "playing nicely". Here is what happened the last time I left them alone thinking they were in the playroom.
First look:
Taking it all in:
Close up of the KIX:
Friday, January 28, 2011
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
As most people have seen all over the news, global warming is effecting us in new ways this winter. It's bitterly cold and there is a lot of SNOW! Now, when we knew we were going to move to New England, we were excited for the change of seasons and we were thrilled to have some of the white stuff. Were we really ready? Um...
You might think that my next statement is going to be some disparaging comment about snow and all things cold and winter. But not here! We love it. I mean, it's a lot and after the snow storm we are going to have next week, who actually knows HOW MUCH snow we will have accumulated in our backyard. I can honestly say, bring it! We have built an igloo out of our giant mound.
It is practically a small mountain. In fact, since I am from Florida, I think it IS a mountain. It's over my head and in Florida that's a mountain :-)
You might wonder how such a mountain forms in our petit jardin? Well, here's some video footage of our AWESOME plow-ers! We love them!
You might think that my next statement is going to be some disparaging comment about snow and all things cold and winter. But not here! We love it. I mean, it's a lot and after the snow storm we are going to have next week, who actually knows HOW MUCH snow we will have accumulated in our backyard. I can honestly say, bring it! We have built an igloo out of our giant mound.
It is practically a small mountain. In fact, since I am from Florida, I think it IS a mountain. It's over my head and in Florida that's a mountain :-)
You might wonder how such a mountain forms in our petit jardin? Well, here's some video footage of our AWESOME plow-ers! We love them!
Monday, January 24, 2011
We are so extreme, yeah right...
We are so extreme. That's us... the Extremes. I mean, so what that we moved to Arizona in the middle of July and we moved to Boston in November. Now, November is not an extreme month in which to move to NE. In fact, it is really a lovely time to move up to the Boston area. The trees were multi-colored and the bushes were lovely shades of red. And even Christmas week was lovely with a few inches. All in all our winter here has been quite beautiful. Now, my definition of a beautiful day involves sun. When the sun is shining I am happy girl no matter what the thermometer reads. So here's to all of our sunny abodes... from Out West to the NE!
A photo capture of our weather extremes:
- Summer 2009
- And then, today...
I also have to admit that I wasn't sure that the temp reader in the car read as high as 122, but it does. And, this morning for the moment that it sat at 0, I wondered if it would go into the negatives. It did. Car thermometers have quite a range.
A photo capture of our weather extremes:
- Summer 2009
- And then, today...
I also have to admit that I wasn't sure that the temp reader in the car read as high as 122, but it does. And, this morning for the moment that it sat at 0, I wondered if it would go into the negatives. It did. Car thermometers have quite a range.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Boston: Our New City... #6 Un-friendly City in US
Yesterday, or maybe the day before, MSN released the most unfriendly places to live in the US. Boston ranked in at #6. Part of me was not surprised by this but part of me was... and here's why:
1) Never have I lived somewhere that the drivers are so conscious of pedestrians. What I mean is that I have almost rear-ended a few of my fellow MA drivers while in town centers, etc... because the car in front of me will suddenly stop to let some one pass.
2) In the same vein, never have I lived somewhere that when I am walking with the kids, cars will stop even when they have green lights to let me cross.
3) At least in West Medford, the gas-tank fillers, tellers, and grocery clerks are cordial. You might not get a full-out smile but you will get a hello and a thank you, which I think it better than nothing (like places in DC).
4) Let's face it, no matter where you live - "friendly" or "un" - the DMV is never the most fun thing. But, my MA DMV experience was actually quite nice. The whole process was organized and efficient. The tellers I went to were willing to let me come back, not wait in line, and bring back the right paperwork. Now, this occurred the third week we lived here and I was blown away.
5) Overall, when we found out we were moving up here I was really nervous. I thought people would be really, well, yankee. Now, when I say this I am not exactly sure what I mean. But, I grew up in "the South". I went to school in Atlanta. I married a Virginian. I can openly say that I have yet to meet anyone openly rude or even curt.
All that being said, I have also observed that people are less "inclusive" than people in the DC area. And I think this is mainly because in DC, most folks are in a state of transition. It seems that every, of 2-4-6 years, there are exoduses in and out of the city. Whereas in the more residential areas of Medford, etc... people have been here for generations and plan to be for many to come.
As an example, J goes to a Preschool in Woburn. We live in West Medford. As the crow flies there is only about 7 miles between the two. But, it is about 2 towns away. The moms in J's class are amazed that I drive 20+ minutes one-way to bring J to and from school. Of course, to me 20+ minutes is nothing... especially since the average speed is 35 and it's through two, adorably quaint town centers - Winchester and Woburn.
In closing, I have to give a big BOO-HISS to MSN for listing Boston at such a rank. I whole-heartedly disagree. Here's to BOSTON and it's neighboring towns! Thanks for welcoming us in the dead of winter. We can't wait for spring.
Here are some shots of our wintry welcome to the NE:
1) Never have I lived somewhere that the drivers are so conscious of pedestrians. What I mean is that I have almost rear-ended a few of my fellow MA drivers while in town centers, etc... because the car in front of me will suddenly stop to let some one pass.
2) In the same vein, never have I lived somewhere that when I am walking with the kids, cars will stop even when they have green lights to let me cross.
3) At least in West Medford, the gas-tank fillers, tellers, and grocery clerks are cordial. You might not get a full-out smile but you will get a hello and a thank you, which I think it better than nothing (like places in DC).
4) Let's face it, no matter where you live - "friendly" or "un" - the DMV is never the most fun thing. But, my MA DMV experience was actually quite nice. The whole process was organized and efficient. The tellers I went to were willing to let me come back, not wait in line, and bring back the right paperwork. Now, this occurred the third week we lived here and I was blown away.
5) Overall, when we found out we were moving up here I was really nervous. I thought people would be really, well, yankee. Now, when I say this I am not exactly sure what I mean. But, I grew up in "the South". I went to school in Atlanta. I married a Virginian. I can openly say that I have yet to meet anyone openly rude or even curt.
All that being said, I have also observed that people are less "inclusive" than people in the DC area. And I think this is mainly because in DC, most folks are in a state of transition. It seems that every, of 2-4-6 years, there are exoduses in and out of the city. Whereas in the more residential areas of Medford, etc... people have been here for generations and plan to be for many to come.
As an example, J goes to a Preschool in Woburn. We live in West Medford. As the crow flies there is only about 7 miles between the two. But, it is about 2 towns away. The moms in J's class are amazed that I drive 20+ minutes one-way to bring J to and from school. Of course, to me 20+ minutes is nothing... especially since the average speed is 35 and it's through two, adorably quaint town centers - Winchester and Woburn.
In closing, I have to give a big BOO-HISS to MSN for listing Boston at such a rank. I whole-heartedly disagree. Here's to BOSTON and it's neighboring towns! Thanks for welcoming us in the dead of winter. We can't wait for spring.
Here are some shots of our wintry welcome to the NE:
Thursday, October 21, 2010
OCTOBER already?
And, not only October but practically the end of October! Where in the world does the time go? Oh! That's right? We moved from Phoenix 3 weeks ago. Mike started his new job in Boston two weeks ago. The kids have been with me visiting family and friends until we can move into our new place in west Medford on October 31.
I wish I could load up some pictures of how much the kids are growing and changing, but that would require a camera and it's cord, which are currently in the "big white box" with all of our stuff traveling across the country.
So, who else thinks it's pretty funny that we love extremes. We moved to Phoenix in July and we are moving to Boston in November. We can't wait for a white Christmas and four full seasons! We are thrilled to be heading back to the east coast and the adventure a new city offers.
We will post pics of the now 10 mos. old Giuliana and the practically 3.5 year old Joseph!
Love to all our sweet family and friends that read this!
The Vagabond Gretos.
I wish I could load up some pictures of how much the kids are growing and changing, but that would require a camera and it's cord, which are currently in the "big white box" with all of our stuff traveling across the country.
So, who else thinks it's pretty funny that we love extremes. We moved to Phoenix in July and we are moving to Boston in November. We can't wait for a white Christmas and four full seasons! We are thrilled to be heading back to the east coast and the adventure a new city offers.
We will post pics of the now 10 mos. old Giuliana and the practically 3.5 year old Joseph!
Love to all our sweet family and friends that read this!
The Vagabond Gretos.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
August Over... Wha????
As I write this, the clouds are rolling in outside and the high temp is only about 100, which is so pleasant. It's about to rain and it has been raining at least once a week this month... which I don't remember from our two previous Augusts out here in the valley of the fun.
Over the past month, we have had a lot of fun! J has moved up to the official Preschool classes at his school. He is in the big boy 3-yr-old class and he LOVES it! He is learning so much and enjoying all of the new structure in his class.
This month we decided to go on a family camping trip. It was a ton of fun and, well, a trip we will never forget! It was a gorgeous plot with a view of Lake Lynx:
And, here's a pic of all of us at the campsite: 
And, I couldn't resist this pic opp of J on his travel potty out in the woods:
Now for the Giules! She is 8 months and officially mobile! She put crawling together ON her 8 month birthday. She is not very speedy but crawls about 5-6 feet and then stops and sits and plays. It's really funny. Here's a video of the crawler in action:
And, lastly, a little month to month comparison. A pic of Giules at 8 months, standing on the piano bench:
Then, a picture of Joseph at 8 months standing at the same bench:
Can you tell they are related??
And... on a closing note...
Over the past month, we have had a lot of fun! J has moved up to the official Preschool classes at his school. He is in the big boy 3-yr-old class and he LOVES it! He is learning so much and enjoying all of the new structure in his class.
This month we decided to go on a family camping trip. It was a ton of fun and, well, a trip we will never forget! It was a gorgeous plot with a view of Lake Lynx:
And, here's a pic of all of us at the campsite: 
And, I couldn't resist this pic opp of J on his travel potty out in the woods:
Now for the Giules! She is 8 months and officially mobile! She put crawling together ON her 8 month birthday. She is not very speedy but crawls about 5-6 feet and then stops and sits and plays. It's really funny. Here's a video of the crawler in action:
And, lastly, a little month to month comparison. A pic of Giules at 8 months, standing on the piano bench:
Then, a picture of Joseph at 8 months standing at the same bench:
Can you tell they are related??
And... on a closing note...
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
7 months and where is the time going?
Hi everyone!
Sorry we haven't posted in awhile. I am not really sure where the time had gone. And, I can't really believe that we have been back from our DC/VA trip for a month now.
Part of the lapse in time is due to the fact that we have not been sleeping well. The Thunderous Threes have been upon us in full force. And although it means that we can officially say J is 100% potty-trained, we can also say he has had some MAJOR regression in the area of going to bed and sleeping through the night. This has been a huge shock to us as J was always a really EXCELLENT sleeper and going-to-bed-er.
Other than not sleeping too well, we have been busy! We try to hit the pool every-other day or so. We get to see a few of our friends that are still in town and we enjoyed VBS last week. It was really a ton of fun. Here is a video of Joseph singing the main song:
But, onto the real purpose of this post. Our little Giules!!! She is now 7 months old! I cannot believe it! She is wearing 6-9 month clothing that is fine width wise but seems to be running a little short. We think she might be a taller drink of water, which would be nice since I'm a shrimp (mom writing, not dad). She is weighing about 14.5 LBS and wears the 2-3 diapers and is 26.6 inches long. She is eating her multi-grain cereal, peaches, plums, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, butternut squash... and carrots and avocado are reluctantly eaten when mixed with some other more favorable fruit or veg. This week we are going to introduce pears, apples, and bananas while continuing to enjoy the squashes and veggies.
She is able to sit up for quite a long time on her own. She also will purposefully roll down from sitting and do what I call the "spinner". This is where she balances herself on her tummy and rotates around in a circle. She is also rolling from place to place... mainly to try and get at anything she shouldn't. And, she is practicing getting up on all fours to crawl... Mobility is not far off.
As for her temperament, she is incredibly happy and smiley, unless hungry or very tired. But, even when exhausted, if you smile and engage her or take her outside to watch the trees, she is happy as can be. She loves to float in the pool and is even getting used to her big brother swimming and splashing all over her.
Now, for what most of our family and friends have been waiting for, PICTURES!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
How many birthdays can one little guy have?
It's been way too long since I posted. It's mostly because we have been soo busy with life and summer. The big guy turned 3 on June 10 and man was he celebrated!!!
On this actual day, he received a fabulous red firetruck from his sister and special music time at his school care of daddy! Here are some of the pics!
The next day, he received his big birthday present from us: the red scooter!!!
Then, the next day, we had a little party with some of our friends. J is missing his closest buddy but he did have Jon Miguel from his class there!
Oh, you think we are done... but we aren't!
Then we headed to VA. He had about 3-4 parties and cakes and singing! Too much! I think his 4th birthday will need to be chill. The 10 days of vacation began with a great Nationals game with the Cannons!
And the kids:
Then he had a birthday cake at another party...
Ok... so this is getting long but there was one last birthday and Joseph was sung too as well!
Happy 3rd bday J-monkey and happy 93rd birthday Mom-mom G!
On this actual day, he received a fabulous red firetruck from his sister and special music time at his school care of daddy! Here are some of the pics!
The next day, he received his big birthday present from us: the red scooter!!!
Then, the next day, we had a little party with some of our friends. J is missing his closest buddy but he did have Jon Miguel from his class there!
Oh, you think we are done... but we aren't!
Then we headed to VA. He had about 3-4 parties and cakes and singing! Too much! I think his 4th birthday will need to be chill. The 10 days of vacation began with a great Nationals game with the Cannons!
And the kids:
Then he had a birthday cake at another party...
Ok... so this is getting long but there was one last birthday and Joseph was sung too as well!
Happy 3rd bday J-monkey and happy 93rd birthday Mom-mom G!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
First Camping Adventure
On May 20, 2010, Daddy and his buddy Linc took on the fun and adventurous caper of taking Joseph camping. They rented a large, two room tent, packed up blankies, animals, LOTS of unders, and tons of FOOD. They picked up Joseph from school around noon and headed north into the Prescott National Forest.
I think pictures and video will really tell this story best:
Here is a view of the campsite and tent set up
Here is a tour of inside the tent:
The first S'Mor ever!!!
Early morning rocking out at the camp - brace yourself, this is really cute!
Classic daddy and son shot:
We are going to plan another trip soon. The next time we will take Giules and mommy! Not sure when it will be considering the summer heat has started in AZ.
I think pictures and video will really tell this story best:
Here is a view of the campsite and tent set up
Here is a tour of inside the tent:
The first S'Mor ever!!!
Early morning rocking out at the camp - brace yourself, this is really cute!
Classic daddy and son shot:
We are going to plan another trip soon. The next time we will take Giules and mommy! Not sure when it will be considering the summer heat has started in AZ.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
5 Months May 18
Giuliana turned 5 months old yesterday! Where in the world does the time go?
She is a sweet little thing, weighing in at 12.5 LBS. She is 25.5 inches long. Her latest tricks are to roll over, drool everywhere, spit up A LOT, and chatter away! She also LOVES her Daddy and her brother. The minute one of them walks in the room, she just lights up. She loves her mommy too, especially at 10Pm, 3AM, and 6:30AM -- the times she gets up to eat. She usually begins her day at 7-7:30. She takes two naps, first around 9:30 and then another around 1PM. And her day is OVER by 5:30PM. Yep, folks. She is our sleeping little thing.
Although several of her birth-buddies have moved (Igna and Matias), she still has her closest girl friends around: Quinn, Gabriela, and Lexi. She gets to see them at least once a week. But, we are preparing for the departures of Quinn and Lexi. Fortunately Gabi will still be around for playdates.
So, what everyone has been waiting for... some pics and some videos.
She is getting used to the bows. Mommy is a little nuts with them:
And here are a couple from our little 5mos photo shoot:
She is a sweet little thing, weighing in at 12.5 LBS. She is 25.5 inches long. Her latest tricks are to roll over, drool everywhere, spit up A LOT, and chatter away! She also LOVES her Daddy and her brother. The minute one of them walks in the room, she just lights up. She loves her mommy too, especially at 10Pm, 3AM, and 6:30AM -- the times she gets up to eat. She usually begins her day at 7-7:30. She takes two naps, first around 9:30 and then another around 1PM. And her day is OVER by 5:30PM. Yep, folks. She is our sleeping little thing.
Although several of her birth-buddies have moved (Igna and Matias), she still has her closest girl friends around: Quinn, Gabriela, and Lexi. She gets to see them at least once a week. But, we are preparing for the departures of Quinn and Lexi. Fortunately Gabi will still be around for playdates.
So, what everyone has been waiting for... some pics and some videos.
She is getting used to the bows. Mommy is a little nuts with them:
And here are a couple from our little 5mos photo shoot:
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Everybody does it....
Yep, you guessed it, Poo! We all do it and there's a book for children about it. It's aptly named, Everybody Poops
Our household, being a musical one, would not really be OK with letting this one slide. We saw Everybody Poops listed on Joseph's daily activity sheet last week and immediately thought of nothing else... but the REM song "Everybody Hurts"
So, here's our rendition of everybody poops for J to the tune of Everybody Hurts by REM. Another note is that we are battling with poo... it's not really happening in the potty... it's staying in the pants. So, maybe this song will help get it where it belongs.
[Best read with the video playing in the background and these words inserted]
When the day's begun and the pot-ty, the potty is yours alone,
When you're sure you've got to go to pot-ty, well hang on.
Just let yourself go, everybody does and everybody poops sometimes.
Sometimes it's tough to go. But put it where it belongs.
When your potty is alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like ya gotta go, (hold on)
Run for the seat and wait and, well hang on.
Everybody poops. Get comfy on your thrown.
Everybody poops. Don't throw a fit. Oh, no. Don't throw a fit.
If you feel like ya gotta go, go, go, go, go on the pot-ty.
If you're holding it all in then the days and nights are long,
When you think you've gotta go to poo, just hang on.
Well, everybody poops sometimes,
Everybody pees. And everybody poops sometimes.
And everybody poops sometimes. So, go on the pot, pot-ty.
pot-ty, pot-ty. So go on, pot-ty. Go on, potty. (repeat & fade)
Our household, being a musical one, would not really be OK with letting this one slide. We saw Everybody Poops listed on Joseph's daily activity sheet last week and immediately thought of nothing else... but the REM song "Everybody Hurts"
So, here's our rendition of everybody poops for J to the tune of Everybody Hurts by REM. Another note is that we are battling with poo... it's not really happening in the potty... it's staying in the pants. So, maybe this song will help get it where it belongs.
[Best read with the video playing in the background and these words inserted]
When the day's begun and the pot-ty, the potty is yours alone,
When you're sure you've got to go to pot-ty, well hang on.
Just let yourself go, everybody does and everybody poops sometimes.
Sometimes it's tough to go. But put it where it belongs.
When your potty is alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like ya gotta go, (hold on)
Run for the seat and wait and, well hang on.
Everybody poops. Get comfy on your thrown.
Everybody poops. Don't throw a fit. Oh, no. Don't throw a fit.
If you feel like ya gotta go, go, go, go, go on the pot-ty.
If you're holding it all in then the days and nights are long,
When you think you've gotta go to poo, just hang on.
Well, everybody poops sometimes,
Everybody pees. And everybody poops sometimes.
And everybody poops sometimes. So, go on the pot, pot-ty.
pot-ty, pot-ty. So go on, pot-ty. Go on, potty. (repeat & fade)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
P-Day Part Deux! Farewell to the Daytime Diaper
Over the past few months, Joseph has been asking us to go on the potty or to "potty train". We think this is because he was hearing his buddies at school talk about it AND we also think it was because he truly was ready!
Since this is basically like our children's baby book online, we will recount the whole escapade...
About a month ago, mommy and daddy decided that a week after daddy graduated from his program, Joseph would begin his training to graduate to big boy underwear! The week before the big day, his teachers were very supportive and started to chat up going in the potty ALL the time. He was taken more frequently to the bathroom with his pullups on. Oh, he has been wearing pullups for about 3 months now. He only wears an overnight diaper for night time.
On Friday, Mike went to get Joseph and stopped by the grocery store. He picked up a blue poster board and some stickers along with a package of Matchbox construction trucks... way cool for Joseph right now because of the road work they are doing in our neighborhood.
I was sooo impressed with Mike! He had a plan to turn the poster board into a race track and every time Joseph used the potty he would get a Cars sticker to place on his race track. He hung the poster right in front of the potty, for inspiration.
Joseph came home from school and we made a BIG deal about hanging the poster and showing him the stickers. He immediately wanted to try the potty... and he went! Thus began our weekend!
Saturday we were a little nervous because it was a gorgeous day but we had heard you really needed to stay inside and focus on going to the bathroom every hour or so. We did that in the morning, but for the afternoon, we decided to have our friends come over (they would be leaving for Chile in just 4 days so we needed to spend as much time with them as possible). We hung out at the pool and the boys played outside... and we just continued to take him every hour. And he went every hour.
By Sunday, we were starting to wonder about something... where was number 2? He didn't ever mention it and we would ask him and he would say no. Sunday, being Mother's Day, we also had a couple plans... another BBQ and more friends over to swim. We also conquered another hurdle: public potties!
One of the reasons me and Mike had been delaying potty training was mainly because the thought of having to take him into the public bathrooms, etc... just seemed like a big mess! Well, we ran a couple errands and Mike took him on a potty "tour". Now, there was no successful public pottying but he did check it out. Maybe next time!
All in all, by Monday we felt pretty confident in his pottying capabilities... minus the poo! He has not had a pee accident yet... but he has had quite a few poo ones at the writing of this blog. We are going to have to work on that! I mean, really work on it! We live in AZ, we can't be doing this much laundry every night.
Here's a couple pictures of our proud potty-trainer!!!! Joseph, we are sooo proud of you, big boy! You have done so well!!!
Stay tuned as we continue to question, "who does number 2 work for"? And prepare to turn 3 in about a month!
Since this is basically like our children's baby book online, we will recount the whole escapade...
About a month ago, mommy and daddy decided that a week after daddy graduated from his program, Joseph would begin his training to graduate to big boy underwear! The week before the big day, his teachers were very supportive and started to chat up going in the potty ALL the time. He was taken more frequently to the bathroom with his pullups on. Oh, he has been wearing pullups for about 3 months now. He only wears an overnight diaper for night time.
On Friday, Mike went to get Joseph and stopped by the grocery store. He picked up a blue poster board and some stickers along with a package of Matchbox construction trucks... way cool for Joseph right now because of the road work they are doing in our neighborhood.
I was sooo impressed with Mike! He had a plan to turn the poster board into a race track and every time Joseph used the potty he would get a Cars sticker to place on his race track. He hung the poster right in front of the potty, for inspiration.
Joseph came home from school and we made a BIG deal about hanging the poster and showing him the stickers. He immediately wanted to try the potty... and he went! Thus began our weekend!
Saturday we were a little nervous because it was a gorgeous day but we had heard you really needed to stay inside and focus on going to the bathroom every hour or so. We did that in the morning, but for the afternoon, we decided to have our friends come over (they would be leaving for Chile in just 4 days so we needed to spend as much time with them as possible). We hung out at the pool and the boys played outside... and we just continued to take him every hour. And he went every hour.
By Sunday, we were starting to wonder about something... where was number 2? He didn't ever mention it and we would ask him and he would say no. Sunday, being Mother's Day, we also had a couple plans... another BBQ and more friends over to swim. We also conquered another hurdle: public potties!
One of the reasons me and Mike had been delaying potty training was mainly because the thought of having to take him into the public bathrooms, etc... just seemed like a big mess! Well, we ran a couple errands and Mike took him on a potty "tour". Now, there was no successful public pottying but he did check it out. Maybe next time!
All in all, by Monday we felt pretty confident in his pottying capabilities... minus the poo! He has not had a pee accident yet... but he has had quite a few poo ones at the writing of this blog. We are going to have to work on that! I mean, really work on it! We live in AZ, we can't be doing this much laundry every night.
Here's a couple pictures of our proud potty-trainer!!!! Joseph, we are sooo proud of you, big boy! You have done so well!!!
Stay tuned as we continue to question, "who does number 2 work for"? And prepare to turn 3 in about a month!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mother's Day
Hi everyone,
We have been enjoying a wonderful Mother's Day. We are also potty training this weekend, but more on that later...
Mother's Day.
Last night I had a wonderful time with some dear mommy friends out here. As we sat and enjoyed some delicious chocolate fondue and some wine, I was struck by how all we really talked about was our children. I have been thinking a lot about this lately... mommy-hood is just such an all consuming adventure. And, the more I do it, the more I realize it is the most important job, task, adventure, occupation, filler-of-time that one can do. No other thing in life holds the weight that being a mom does. We are shaping the lives of the next generation. We are leading, molding, and releasing people into society. It's a big job! I know I am often caught up in the monotony of it at times, and can even lose sight of the bigger picture. But, the big picture is right there, in front of you... I mean, it's in the mirror. It was our mommies who brought us this far and have been examples of what we are raising.
So, here's to ALL the mommies out there!
Thank you for all you do!
Love
Me
We have been enjoying a wonderful Mother's Day. We are also potty training this weekend, but more on that later...
Mother's Day.
Last night I had a wonderful time with some dear mommy friends out here. As we sat and enjoyed some delicious chocolate fondue and some wine, I was struck by how all we really talked about was our children. I have been thinking a lot about this lately... mommy-hood is just such an all consuming adventure. And, the more I do it, the more I realize it is the most important job, task, adventure, occupation, filler-of-time that one can do. No other thing in life holds the weight that being a mom does. We are shaping the lives of the next generation. We are leading, molding, and releasing people into society. It's a big job! I know I am often caught up in the monotony of it at times, and can even lose sight of the bigger picture. But, the big picture is right there, in front of you... I mean, it's in the mirror. It was our mommies who brought us this far and have been examples of what we are raising.
So, here's to ALL the mommies out there!
Thank you for all you do!
Love
Me
Monday, April 26, 2010
Last weeks of T'bird times
Hi everyone!
It has been a wild month. We are preparing to say farewell to our wonderful friends who have shared this amazing graduate experience with us the past 20 months. It is really hard to believe that it is coming to an end and in less than a week we have so many friends who will be back in their countries or states.
Here are a few pictures of the last of things:
The Last of the Tuesday Dinners:
The last of our playdates at Clau's house:
Last playdate with Bella:
There are a few more lasts but for now this will do... we love our friends so much and are so thankful for their love, support, and fun!
It has been a wild month. We are preparing to say farewell to our wonderful friends who have shared this amazing graduate experience with us the past 20 months. It is really hard to believe that it is coming to an end and in less than a week we have so many friends who will be back in their countries or states.
Here are a few pictures of the last of things:
The Last of the Tuesday Dinners:
The last of our playdates at Clau's house:
Last playdate with Bella:
There are a few more lasts but for now this will do... we love our friends so much and are so thankful for their love, support, and fun!
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