Summer Lovin: Day 8

The sun came back, hooray!
Kids are out of school, so summer has officially begun.
My nephew's kindergarten graduation: adorable.
Our 5 year wedding anniversary: a milestone.
Family.
Outside.
Jude picking strawberries from the garden.
Learning to use the pedals on his bike.
Jubie kicking in my belly. Feels a little bit like an alien inside of me.
But I love it.
It's the best feeling.

Happy Saturday, all.

Summer Lovin: Day 5

Well, Oregon decided that weather-wise it's not summer anymore and we are experiencing a rain break. Honestly, I find it refreshing. I am a person who LOVES to be hot, hot, hot, but I am an Oregonian as well, and rain means I don't have to worry about watering the garden. ;)

Day 3: My gratitude belongs to my mama. I wrote out my feelings for her in a card, so I'll leave it at that. She is just the best Mom & Grandma.

Day 4: Yesterday. My gratitude would have to be towards my son & his 3-year-old independence. He is BLOWING me away with his growth, development and communication right now. I love having slow times with him, where I can just relax and go at his pace. So, yesterday he wanted to go to the zoo and I said, "sweet, let's do it!" It just so happened to be a very busy, crowded day at the zoo and I had to adapt my mindset to keep it relaxing and enjoyable. So, Jude and I had a conversation before we left the Jeep in the parking lot about how we were going to leave the (huge, cumbersome, but I love it so much jogger) stroller in the Jeep and how this means that he will need to walk the entire way, but he can do that because he's 3 now! (Mommy can't carry 30lbs of toddler for much longer than a few moments right now due to her growing belly.) He was super agreeable and completely on board.
We had a blast together. We rode the train for the first time since it opened this season! We shared a $7 corn dog meal, hid out in the bird-walk during a downpour, and saw all of the animals, of course. By the time we made it back to the Jeep, I think we both could have used a good 2 hour car nap.
"3" is just so awesome. I know it gets a bad rap, because there are unpleasantness's that go along with this age; whining, tantrums, meltdowns, power struggles, and the like, but it's so exciting to experience Jude really growing into his own. He's so proud of himself and each new thing he can do all by himself. He shows me each day how tall he is, how long his legs and arms are, and how he's theeees much closer to reaching the "wall" (read: ceiling). And he's absolutely right. He's growing right before my very eyes.

Haven't uploaded pictures from yesterday yet, so here's a recent one of Me & the Bear up to our usual shenanigans.

Day 5: Would be today. I'm grateful for this moment: right now. We're recovering from expending a ton of energy yesterday and we had a "3 year old" morning full of whining and, "don't do that!" "no, not like that!" and the like. And now my Bear is sound asleep in bed next to me (it's 1:30 PM) and I've no intention of doing much more than I'm already doing right now.

*bask*

Summer Lovin' Day 2

Fresh strawberry Jam. And I mean FRESH. Like the prince of bel air.
Mmmmm.
Jude's eaten a cup of it - mostly off of the counter because I knocked a jar over.
Listening to Tool.
Washing berries, while Jude's learning about compost, recycling, and the fact that he's big enough to reach into the sink to rinse his own berries. On the smallest of stools.
Miles in an apron.
The boys ducking out the back door when they have to pee.
Jude's little butt butt.
More sunshine.

So much gratitude.
And it's not even 2 pm.

*bask*

It's tempting to focus on what's NOT inspiring gratitude. Like, I woke up at 4am with a searing pain in my mid-back, one of my quad muscles wants to give out each time I walk up or down the stairs, and the calf on my other leg wants to do the same. So, I took an Epsom salt soak at 5, and slept in Jude's bed from 6:30 on... where no one would kick me in the face. It's frustrating not being able to do everything that I want to do... and my body is letting me know when I've done too much. But, I've got to focus on the positive - on the gratitude. That I've got a husband who will clean the bathrooms & just wants to make me happy. And he'll hold me and listen to me while I cry about my first world problems.

Gotta go play the Sax-O-Flute now... it can't wait.

45 Days: Summer Gratitude

"Last Child in the Woods"

the Bear on a hike through Cooper Mountain  Nature Park

 

 





Inspired by:

 

1. My book club's recent "glamping" trip to L.L. Stewart "Stub" State Park, for which we read "The Last Child in the Woods" by, Richard Louv

and,

2. My favorite yoga instructor, Kimi Marin's blog post, about gratitude and being mindful of gratitude during these beautiful summer months

 

it seems a good time to *bask* in this gorgeous Oregon summer, and so I'll try to blog about what we're up to and what I'm grateful for. This is day one.

 

Ever since our glamping trip a week ago, I've been making a real effort to get outside daily. Jude LOVES it. He's such a nature boy, and he always has been. It's great for my mood and well being. I f*ing LOVE the sun and this gorgeous weather we've been having. Here's a little bit of a catch-up to show you some highlights of what we've been up to:

 

Here's the Bear on the morning of his 3rd birthday. 3 is SO much fun. I can't even stand it. He knows how far he's come & that he has much more independence than ever before. I'm so damn proud of him.

 

Our fearless leader, directing the way on our hike at Cooper Mountain. He's getting fast, and with Jubie in my belly, it can be a challenge to keep up with him. But, I haven't lost him yet.

 

This is the Bear's "before" shot, where he has his long, hippie hair. It was pretty much a bob, and he looks a lot like me with long hair & this cheezy grin.

The "after" shot! After my Amazingly talented sister, Megan, gave him his first real "little boy" haircut. *sniff* God, he looks gorgeous. And, now that you can see his face, he looks like his Daddy & not so much like me. :)

Oh, here's little ol' me, after my AMAZING sister, Megan, (did I mention her already?!?!) cut & styled my hair. Who knew I had curly hair??? I think it got curly after the Bear's pregnancy, and now it may get curlier after Jubie-Bear's current incubation.

G-ma Bear chasing Jude around the baseball diamond at Gabriel Park. I am so grateful that G-ma and G-pa live so close, we can pop in for impromptu lunch/park dates. *bask*

 

Here's Daddy Bear this morning in the middle of the strawberry fields at Smith's farm. We ended up picking 10 lbs. of strawberries. I am grateful that we are so close to all of this bounty, this farm was 10 minutes from our house. And we just had the BEST time together.

Jude Bear this morning, "showing" me the strawberries that he is eating. Talk about gratitude. Out of doors, sunshine, this kid, my son, delicious berries, sitting in the dirt, family: my love of this life is abundant.



 

Day 42? Potty Training!

Thank you, Uncle Cliff! Apparently anything can be done if you "give it 45 days". I think that my little boy may actually be potty trained, and I can not take full credit at all. This is Very exciting. I'd like to thank my husband, the best team mate in parenting and family. I'd like to thank my neighbors, for not minding at all if my son is peeing in the front yard or in the middle of the street. I'd like to thank JUDE most of all for refusing to wear pull-ups! No, thank you for being such an amazing little boy who rocks the socks off of Life. You are the best and I'm so lucky to be your mom.

The CRAZY thing that blows my mind is that Jude just decided one day not to wear pull-ups when we left the house... and he has not had any accidents in his car seat, even on long drives, even sleeping in the car, and when he needs to go we make it work! He is courageously mastering public toilets that are not the ideal size and he is a spectacular hand washer. Even CRAZIER is that a little over a week ago he fell asleep while we were disagreeing about whether or not he needed to wear a night time pull-up. I was standing my ground, refusing to read him his good night book until he put one on. (I know, terrible mothering) He just fell asleep without a book and without pee protection. I was left to just have faith and see what happened. Amazingly, he stayed dry ALL NIGHT LONG!? I didn't get much sleep because I was constantly checking his pj's to make sure that he was not wet. (Here is another plus of co-sleeping!) The next night he did wet the bed, but the next night he woke up at 1:30 AM and had to pee, so I took him to the potty. I think he was half asleep on there, and it was adorable. Since then, he has stayed dry all night long!!! I don't know how this happened. I'm baffled, and extremely happy about it.

But, the CRAZIEST thing is that we just returned from a 3-night beach trip. Just In Case - I packed day time pull-ups, night time pull-ups, and a waterproof pad for the bed. I could have left all of these items at home!!! He made it the entire 2.5 hour car drive without an issue. He slept through the night and stayed dry all 3 nights. He peed in the big potties, in his little potty that I packed, in the sand, off the top deck, etc. It was awesome. Yeah, there was one moment where he pooped a little standing over a pillow. We got the rest of it in the potty. Yeah, there was another moment where he peed on his cousin's leg while they were playing in the sand. That was adorable.

Wish me luck, you guys. Obviously this journey isn't over. Someday I hope that he'll wear underwear. Someday I won't have to wipe his little butty-butt. Someday he won't ask for jelly beans after he pees. But, I am EnJoYiNg these days - right where we are.

 

*bask*

 

early morning tide pool adventures

 

father of the YeAr! 3 years & counting.

 

on the secret passage to the beach

 

I love being on your team.

SO Proud

Just when I've committed to letting Jude take the lead of his own potty training experience, guess what he chooses to do?!

Tonight he peed in a public toilet... for the first time!

I am beyond excited and proud of him. Talk about surrendering, trusting, respecting, and letting go of control. If you recall my last post, I was ready to relax in the phase that we find ourselves in right now. Jude was potty trained at home, wearing pull ups when we went out, peeing in the yard, and really taking himself to the bathroom without much help from me. On Friday the boys gave me a "day off"while Papa Bear took him to the zoo and other adventures. In the evening I ended up locking myself out of my Jeep, so they drove across town to rescue me. Only later did I discover that Jude made this trip (and another) sans pull up. Totally Daddy's choice - and Jude was even asleep for the hour car ride! My husband is a brave, brave man.

So, yesterday and today Jude resisted wearing a pull up when we left the house. I am not insane enough to argue with my potty-training-3-year-old, insisting that he put a pull up ON, so we've been following his lead and letting him make this choice. (Knock on wood) NO accidents yet! Tonight was the same thing. We really didn't feel like cooking so we treated ourselves to dinner. Jude wanted to go commando so we let him. At the restaurant he told me when he had to pee and we went to the bathroom. Well, you know the rest.

I. Am. So. Proud.

Current Endeavor: Potty Training

OK, if you don't have kids, I'm sure I've lost your interest already. If your kids are past the potty-training stage, you probably don't want to relive it. (Congratulations.) And if you have babies, I'll bet you don't want to go here yet. So, here we are: The Lucky Few of us here right in the thick of it.

Welcome.

Although not intentionally, this has been my current "45 day" experiment. I decided to commit to potty training my almost-3-year old son about 30 days ago. I have been keeping a journal about our experiences to help focus myself, stay present, and reflect. I chose not to blog about it as it was happening because, well, let's face it: it's a highly personal issue that involves HIS body. And I don't want to disrespect that. Also, I don't want to embarrass future Jude or his future crushes by revealing too much of the adorable and hilarious hijinks of potty training out here on the interwebs for all to see.

When I search mom forums & such I keep coming across this "3 day" potty training plan everyone raves about. Ugh. Like we need another practice in driving ourselves straight off the cliffs of insanity. Potty training is such a hot topic in the 2-3 year old circles, I just want to put my two cents out there.

I started by reading The No-Cry Potty Training Solution by, Elizabeth Pantley. I highly recommend this book for a starting point. She devised a quiz to take to see if you, and your child, are ready. We scored off the charts. But, I still knew that I wanted this more than my toddler at this point. Pantley insists that your job as a parent and teacher is to remain Positive and Patient throughout the process. She advises to stop at any time and hold off for a couple of months before restarting if it becomes a negative experience. So, this was my mantra some of these days: Positive and Patient. Patient and Positive. Pantley also insists that potty training mastery is when your days are accident free: nights are a different story. Nighttime dryness is purely biological and there is no reason to force this step. It will happen naturally. And, most importantly, she insists that potty training is a monthS long process.

Here's where I started:

THE PLANNING

I journaled about reasons why I feel that I want to do this now & also asked myself what signs I had that he was ready. Then, I set goals for NOW and for the next step.

My Goals for Now:
1. spend a lot of time at home - wearing NO diapers or pull ups (April was a good month for me, our commitments were minimal so I figured it was a good time)
2. Pull Ups are for when we go out & at night time/nap time
3. Pee in the Potty
4. Poop in the Potty
5. STAY relaxed and easy going
6. Above all, be positive, patient and encouraging
7. Enjoy the moment - this will not last forever. My baby boy is growing up, so BE PRESENT for this experience

This is phase one. And I predicted that phase two will happen after we master phase one. I defined mastery as: when Jude initiates potty use, going by himself, and having no accidents at home.
Phase two will be going potty in public places, wearing underwear (!), practicing at the bathrooms where he'll be attending preschool this fall, and starting night training if and only if he's ready.

A couple of notes: 1. Underwear. He doesn't want to wear it! During the past month I've had either a full nudist on my hands or a pantsless toddler. Which is fine by me, but I assume he'll warm up to undies eventually??? 2. For night time success I've got to limit liquids before bed, which makes me nervous because he drinks warm milk every night while we read stories. (It's the only way I got him off the boob!)

ABOVE ALL: I wrote that with my son, I want to consciously focus on what he CAN do and never, ever dwell on perceived "cant's" (not a word.) He is the joy of my life.

This is important to me, because when it comes to myself I am uber-critical and will get lost in thought whirlpools about what I'm NOT doing, etc... (I'm working on this) But, I DO. NOT. want to ever view my son in this light. It's so much lighter to bask in the miracle that he is.

THE PROCESS

Looking over my journal, during week one we had some accidents around the house, but also some pees and poops in the potty each day. Day 8 I had a text-off with a mom friend of mine who is going through the same phase. We were both feeling like we were trapped inside of a nuthouse. It really really helped to swap stories and frustrations, and to LAUGH about it all. By day 11 I decided to stick with what we were doing and reflect after 3 weeks. I also reminded myself to trust Jude - and to trust his body.
Day 18 it became less of a battle to take off that pull up first thing in the morning. (They are too damn comfortable & absorbent!) Somewhere around Day 20, he discovered the joys of peeing outside. :) He actually has a spot right off the front stoop that he'll run to and mark his territory. This is the only time that if he happens to have a pull up on, he'll pull it down to pee. I also happen to think the little arc fountain of pee is supremely adorable. (Sorry, future Jude.)

Day 21 was big: 1. He decided to wear pants - commando style. I think this is a step up from pantsless. 2. He was outside playing in the cul-de-sac with the neighbor kids and he yelled, "I'll be right back!" then ran into his own front yard to pee in the grass. I didn't have to initiate any of this. :)

So here we are, around day 33 and I am feeling great about it. We may have reached "mastery" of phase 1, according to my definition. He initiates his own potty use all of the time, for #1 and #2 now; and he hasn't had any accidents in over a week.

I am SO proud of him. It's amazing to bear witness to the independence that comes with this age, and the triumph of doing something "all by myself". He lights up when he shows me, "look mom! I put on my shoes all by myself! I'm big to do it!" I think we are just going to rest where we're at for a little bit, before I try to push any more goals or the next phase. I want him to enjoy this moment right now where he is successful, independent, and he's the leader. So, I think we're just gonna chill and celebrate the month of May - as my baby is turning 3 years old.

 

I'm big to do it! Now, help me down.

 

Bask.