July 2009

The 4th
We had a great July. We went to see my grandmother for the 4th and Luke watched his first firework show. Mom, Donna, Mark, Haley and Will went, too. We drove up on Friday and went to the 4th of July carnival, dog show, and old car show. It was very small town. The kids got their face painted and seemed to have a good time. They then played outside on the water slide and in the pool. My genius husband thought to bring those at the last minute. (See the pictures below...it's obvious that he brought it for himself more than the kids!)
It was a great time with family and good to see my 93 year old grandmother doing so well.We also drove over to see my mom's mom! She is always a delight. I still am in awe that she is still working as a CPA at 86.

The firetruck pulled up right in front of my grandmother's house. The kids loved seeing the ladder go up. The fireworks display was so close to the house that they were nervous that debris would catch houses and other things in the area on fire. Luke LOVED watching the firemen!

Watching fireworks in the front yard!

Sea World


We went on a mini vacation to Sea World as a 'last hurrah' as a family of three. It was a great time together just the three of us. Boy was it hot. I think I drank more water than ever before. We got to see some great friends while we were there. It's funny...Luke was a little confused by all the Jonathan's we saw. We met up with Libby (from school), Jonathan, and Baby Wortham for dinner one night. Worth is so cute and we had a great time meeting him. He looks just like his Grandad, I tell ya! Like a mirror!!
Then we went to lunch with a friend that I used to work with, Jonathan. It was good to see him...it had been so long. He and I LOVED to play jokes on each other. For instance, one day I walked into my classroom and all of my desks were turned upside down. Nice!
That evening, we met up with our friends, Amber and Jon (yes another Jonathan), at Sea World to finish out the day and to see Shamu. Amber and Jon are such a wonderful friends. We really enjoy hanging out with them and miss seeing them more often. We went out to eat afterward and Luke didn't get to bed until 11pm. It was the latest that he has ever been up. He did ok considering. He LOVED playing with Morgan and Natalie so it was fine. He did play catch up once we got home, though. It was a great trip and he talked about it for days. When we arrived home, he kept saying, "No...we need to go to the hotel!"
*side note*
Another Jonathan came over that weekend for a cookout and really sent Luke for a whirl! It is so fun to watch his little brain try to put it all together.

Bah and Papa's Lake House

Our good friends, Nikki, Scott, Hudson, and Hadley invited us out to her Mom's (Bah) house. It is a gorgeous house on the lake with a spectacular view and yard...it's just an all around great place for a kid, especially!

Luke was so scared of their precious (super friendly) dog (see him in the background) that he would run to us screaming when he came around. Poor dog...

Pushing baby sister in her stroller...

Luke and Bah feeding the ducks.

Scott and Hudson

Hudson heading back to the house.

On Papa's sailboat! It was awesome!

Baby Hadley up from her nap and loving the view.

Hudson and Papa driving the ski boat over to get the sailboat.

Luke showing Papa how to steer the boat. HA!

Heading out...

Always in love with the steering wheel!

Captain Luke at your service!

Potty Training

July was a fun month with many wonderful activities. Most of July was spent potty training, however. (Read more on that here.) Luke said some pretty hilarious stuff while going through PT.

• 'I tooted Mommy, can you laugh?' (Mainly, because David, of course, always laughs!)
• While we were in a public restroom, Luke yelled, "Good job, Mommy! You stayed dry and tt'd in the potty!"
• David came home from work and asked Luke, 'Did you poop on the potty today?' Luke replied, "Yep, I grabbed the handles!" (There are handles on his potty insert!)

Potty Training

I have a number of posts to get to, but for now I need to post about our potty training experience before my pregnant-forget-everything-brain kicks in.

I have to say it was easier than I expected. We have talked about going to the potty for months and I have read two books to track his readiness and to be prepared. I noticed that he was starting to move toward potty training about 2 months ago when he was in the bathtub. He would tell me that he was going TT (sorry...we don't say PP around here for some reason...my MN friends think TT is a southern term. I'm sure it is, but...oh...who cares. TT it is). Sure enough, I would look down and he was going in the tub (at first, I thought this was so gross, but all kids do it and how do you stop it...I digress...). That's when I would ask him if he could stop it and then start again...YES! He can control it...first sign. Then, he was always interested in flushing his diaper doo (just made that up...sounds good) and saying, "Bye, Bye!" to it and watching Daddy go potty.
At the beginning of July, we went to visit my Grandmothers with Donna, Mark, Grandma, and the 'cuzins'. Luke, Haley, and Will all stayed in a hotel with Grandma and every morning Luke woke up and wanted to TT on the potty like his BIG 4 year old cousin, Will. That started it. After that, he would wake up with a dry diaper in the morning and if we asked in time, he would go in the potty.
I decided at that point to block out a week to 'Potty Train' because we were obviously in his window. Luke is stubborn sometimes, too, so I didn't want the fight if I waited until he turned 3. The problem was finding a week to block out. After Grandmother's, we were going to be out of town on a mini-last-hurrah-as-a-family-of-3 vacation and had a busy week after we returned. So, finally decided on a week and continued to praise him when he did go on the potty. Last week finally arrived...we had the snacks, drinks, Mr. Bear, underware, potty chairs, fun soap for hand washing...you name it, we had it and pumped it up to him. He even woke up from his nap on Sunday and said, "No more diapers for me!!" (Can you tell he's ready?)

**A short story before we begin explaining the PT week:
The previous week we had all of the snacks, etc. sitting out. There is a baggie of left over candy in the pantry that we pulled down to get m&m's for his 'snack display'. He saw this bag and said, "OOOoo, Dad, I want that egg!" He apparently saw the Cadbury Egg in the bag that was left over from Easter. We told him that if he pooped in the potty 2 times during PT week, he would get the egg. The next day, he woke up and needed to TT first thing in the morning. David got up with him, but noticed that he was pushing and not 'releasing' (the book says they get that confused). So, David told him that he didn't have to push, but to just let it go. That's when Luke said, "But Dad, I'm trying to poop! I want that egg!" I laughed for hours about that!

Monday, Day 1:
We woke up and followed the directions in Potty Training: 123. We checked Mr. Bear and gave him an m&m for staying dry. Then, another for 'hearing' Mr. Bear go potty. A few minutes later, we praised Luke for staying dry and then going potty. This was the routine all morning and after lunch. He normally poops at this time, but no luck! After nap, his pull up was dry---praise---potty. By mid afternoon, he was saying, "No, Mom, I don't want to try. I'm good. I'll tell you when I need to go." I started to see that poop was going to be a problem. I could really tell he was hurting. So, when David went outside to mow and Luke wanted to go watch him, I decided to bring the potty into the garage. When I saw the 'potty dance', I made him sit on it and watch Dad from there. He finally went. We paised him, but could tell he did not like it.

My Big Boy underwear!!

Giving Mr. Bear something to drink.

Showing Mr. Bear how to go on the potty and praising him for staying dry!

Day 2: Hit a snag...
I decided not to ask him about going TT all day and it was a good move. He chose to go on his own all day long. I did nag about pooping because by bed time he hadn't gone all day. He was obviously holding it like a champ. uh-oh...

Day3: Finally!
Still no TT accidents, but no poop, either! We even went to swimming lessons and the neighborhood pool. He told me each time he had to go! SWEET! As the day moved on, though, I could really tell he was hurting. So, at 4:00, after his nap, I told him that I was worried about his tummy and that I would take him to Toys R Us and buy him any toy he wanted if he would go poop on the potty for me. Needless to say, he RAN to the potty and went within 5 minutes. It was so big that he when he stood up to look at it he said, "It looks like a big banana!" Off to TRU we went! We came home with a Little Einsteins rocket (on clearance...thank God! It was normally $50...wouldn't you know...MY kid picks the most expensive toy!)

Day 4: Let's get out of the house!
We decided to get out of the house and go to Aunt Donna's. It was a 50 minute drive over there, but I wasn't worried...he holds it like a champ. Plus, I bought a portable potty to have in the trunk with disposable bags just in case we needed to pull over. No reason to, though! Got to Donna's, went on the potty, and off to play! It was a good day...BUT...NO POOP! Of course, though, we were about to leave and he goes in his pants! UGH! Our first accident! (BTW...cleaning THAT up is much worse than a diaper ever could be!) We cleaned him up and headed home.

Day 5:
Nothing new...same thing...stayed dry, but no poop all day...accident in his pants AGAIN! Man, it was so hard to stay calm and not get frustrated. At one point, I caught him mid-poop and he was able to finish a little turd on the potty. I don't know how much was actually sucked back in because of my reaction. He got up, though, looked at it and ran to David's office to say, "Daddy, come look at my yittle turd!" He's a mess!

Weekend:
On Saturday, he did the same thing. Still no wet accidents, but no poop! The frustration was overwhelming me!

On Sunday, we went to church and during SS he stayed clean and dry. I did talk to a sweet mentor during the service that recommended letting it go and just telling him that it was in his hands. She thought it may be a control issue...Luke? Want to be in control? never! So, when we got home I said, "Luke, Mommy and Daddy aren't goint to ask about pooping in the potty anymore. It is up to you to tell us. You know that we expect you to stay dry and clean and you know where poop is suppose to go...so, it's up to you!" Well, it wasn't an hour later that all of us were playing in the living room before nap time and he got quiet and started squatting. I immediately knew what he was doing and frustration flooded this volitile pregnant Mama! I grabbed him and said, "No, Sir! You know where poop goes!" We went straight into the bathroom! He didn't finish, but he got an earfull! I told him how yucky it was to make Mommy clean that out of his underwear and how his underwear was not a diaper and on and on. Basically, negating everything I told him when we got home from church. Even still, something must have clicked because after his nap he ran in to tell David that he had to go potty. He had a major poop! He was finally able to eat that egg because it was poop on the potty number 3. He was so proud. See the video below of his recall of the event!

Eatting the Egg!!

Week 2:
Oh, glorious day! He stayed dry, but held his poop until after nap time. As soon as he went, David told him we would go to the toy store and buy him a Mader from the Cars movie! He's wanted one for a long time. The only problem is...they are no longer making them. We had to drive to a Toys R Us 45 minutes away just to get the dumb toy! It must've helped cement how proud we were of him, though, because he's gone on the potty every day this week without us nagging him.
On Tuesday, Grandma babysat so that we could go out for our Anniversary. She said that he didn't get to bed until 8:00 because he held his poop until 7:40. She said that it was huge. Apparently, Luke thought so too because he said, "WOW! Grandma, do you see how big that turd is? It looks like a big banana!"
Thankfully, he is finally getting it down and recognizing the feeling and where it goes! We are so proud of our Big Boy! And...it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!!

Second 3D Sonogram - 33 week

We had our second 3D sonogram today. Thanks, again, Amber. (For more on the story click here.)
The photos are much better at 33 weeks. She seems to look like Luke and has a ton of hair like he did. Each time I see her, I get more and more excited to meet her in person...only 48 days, give or take, to go!

She slept through most of the session even though she was doing cartwheels on the drive over there.

My favorite...looks like Luke when he's sleeping!


Look at that smirk! I love it!


Luke loved it when she stuck her tongue out! Sibling teasing has already begun!

Look at that sweet face! I cannot wait to meet her...
(She's quiet now, though...I can wait to hear the crying!)

June 2009

VBS
June was an easy, fun month...compared to what July holds, anyway. Luke attended his first VBS at Aunt Donna's church. It was somewhat of a disaster. I was working with the 6th graders and he did.not.want.to.go! After the first day, he would tell me, "Mommy, I don't want to go back to that room." I don't know what it was...the unfamiliarity, the smaller kids in the room, the teachers (mom's), tired from the hour drive over there...or just being without me. On Tuesday, they had to go find my sister to console him. Luckily, he didn't have to go back the rest of the week. Wednesday we stayed home because of swimming lessons. Thursday there was a huge storm that knocked the electricity out of the church for two days. So, no more VBS for the week. Our church doesn't do VBS and I am hoping that next year will be easier for him.

Swimming Lessons
He started swimming lessons and is doing a great job! We will probably keep him in year round so that he is swimming on his own by next summer when I have to be in with baby sister. I don't have pictures right now, but will post later in the summer. I have to be in the water with him, so it is hard to get pictures of his progress.

Big Boy Bed
He moved into a Big Boy Bed and is doing OK. He pushed the limits and doesn't want to stay in his bed, but we are working on it. He may have to get in baby sister's crib for awhile if he keeps acting like a baby! HA! We'll see if that works!

Luke reading his trucks book in his new room.

Play dates
June was also filled with Playgroup play dates and a visit from Tommy and Alison who came down from Minnesota. We always have a great time with our friends and it was great to see the Gartner's again!

Tommy, Luke, and Katherine playing in Luke's Big Boy Room.

Tuesday's with Grandma

Grandma comes over every Tuesday and we have the best time. Luke LOVES to watch for her and yell, "Grandma, come play in my big boy room!" as she walks in the door. They have the best relationship and it just warms my heart. The pictures below are of Luke and Grandma making cookies together one Tuesday. I think they ate more than they made!


Father's Day
This Father's Day weekend we travelled to see Lou Lou and Opa. Uncle Charlie, Aunt Brook, Jack, and Ella came over on Saturday. Luke LOVES his 'cuzins' and he was thrilled to see them. Jack will start Kindergarten this fall and is so good with Luke. They play well together. Luke and Ella are exactly a year apart. He loves her, too, but she's a 'girl'...so he doesn't pay much attention to her. He's the same with Haley and Will. He says hi to Haley, but would rather play with Will. Boys!

Make a funny face!

Anyway, we had a great time with everyone during the day. After dinner, David and I went to visit our MN friends, Melissa and Brian, that moved home a year after we did. They have an awesome 'theater' in their house so we ate dessert and watched a great movie. It was so good to see them. We were sad that Kaitlyn was already down and we didn't get to see her. I bet she is getting so big. (She's a year older than Luke, too!)
Sunday was a big day, too. We went to breakfast with our friends, Matt and Rachel. Rachel used to work with David and was a week away from giving birth that day! It was a wonderful time to see them and talk about all things baby. After breakfast and our good-bye's, we drove to Opa and Lou Lou's friend's house...The Farm, as they call it. I only saw one horse and it was hotter than...well, you can fill that blank in...but it didn't matter to Luke...he loved it! Because of the detour, we ended up getting home rather late, so the next morning I had Luke give Daddy his Father's Day picture! (notice Luke's bed head)
"Thank you, Daddy, for being the best Dad in the world! Thank you for loving me, taking care of me, and playing with me! Love, Luke!"

So proud of his creation!

Mommy's Home Group Shower

We joined a great church recently (started going in October, actually) and then found a Home Group in March. Because of various activities, though, we weren't able to attend the Sunday get togethers during the spring much. We probably attended a total of 4 times. I did join the small group bible study and was completely blessed by such wonderful women! To be honest though, I think I only saw/met/got to know a hand full of people by June and of those people, I may have seen them 5-7 times total. Yes, I did make friends with a few during Bible Study, but...My point is, I did not know these wonderful women at all by June when they decided to include me in a Baby Girl shower with a veteran HG member, Taylor. I was blown away by their generosity and support of our upcoming arrival! Taylor and I are due just days apart from each other and are both having girls. I cannot tell you how honored I was to be included in the celebration. The food was superb. The games were hilarious. The gifts were 'too much' (but so appreciated). BUT the company was by far the best part of the evening!

Taylor and Me

The table...look at the yummy spread! Those cake balls on the end were 'to die for'!

The gifts!


Baby picture game!

The wonderful cake that read, "Children are a gift from God, they are His reward."

BEAUTIFUL Easter dress from Aunt Donna!
The ca-UTEST door hanger from Keri! She is so talented!

Mom, Me, and Donna

Me, Taylor, and Melissa
"The prego's of the group!"

Luke eating a cake ball that Ms. Dawn made just for him!

Thank you, Ms. Dawn!

Play Time

I love to paint!

We sorted all the colors from his favorite new toy from Ms. Atlanta and Blythe.

Don's 40th Birthday Party
Our friends, Don and Melissa, threw a James Bond 40th Birthday bash. It was awesome to dress up, get away, 'fake' gamble, spend time with friends, eat some yummy food and CAKE (I am pregnant, remember!). Happy Birthday, Don! We love you, guys!

The girls...

My handsome date!

The birthday boy blowing out the candles on the awesome cake!

I TOLD you the cake was a focal point!! It was delish!
It was a great ending to a great month!