Potty Training 101

I must say it never occurred to me, when we signed Logan up for preschool this summer, that potty training would be entering our lives so soon. Thanks to Logan's awesome teachers we have thus begun the journey into potty training.  Although Logan is just 2 1/2 and the youngest in his class we have gone from diapers to pull-ups in a matter of weeks!

It began slowly, with Logan just going potty at school but after a few weeks he was going at home!! Just pee-pee at first, but now we're going #1 and #2 at home, on the big-boy potty!! Funny how Logan completely bi-passed using the little "Cars" potty we got him and went straight to using the "big" potty. At school Logan is able to go potty all by himself, at home he needs help because we haven't quite mastered how to get on and off the potty by ourselves; and getting those shorts and pull-ups off all alone is quite a feat that I know will take another few weeks if not months to master.  My goal of being almost trained before our big trip to North Carolina might actually happen!!

The one aspect of potty training we have yet to venture into is nighttime training.  Logan's can't seem to keep a diaper dry at night thus I am not about to risk my already tired self into attempting nighttime potty training...that will have to wait until we are fully trained during the day.  Plus even with an extra protection diaper on he still seems to wet the bed sometimes.  Enter  the Ultimate Training Pad.  These things are awesome!! They have totally made my life easier.  Before I had them I was changing sheets sometimes daily...with this awesome invention I only have to change the pad!! I know I will be using them for months to come!! Thanks Safta for getting them for me!!

The funniest thing about potty training so far has been Logan's enthusiasm.  Kids are so impressionable and copy everything you say, so when I began trying to get Logan to use the potty I would say "wouldn't that be fun".  Well, wouldn't you know the little man picked up on this saying and now uses it for all types of occurrences.  I almost died laughing when one day when I asked him if he needed to use the potty he looked right at me and said "wouldn't that be so fun!".  SO HILARIOUS!

One of the techniques we've been using with Logan to help with his potty training is the "open door" technique where you allow your child into the bathroom with you when you have to go.  I think it definitely helps and Logan always congratulates me or Brennan when we've done a good job saying "good job Daddy" or "I'm so proud of you Mommy".  The comic relief this has brought just makes the process all the more entertaining and less stressful.  I mean, who doesn't want to be congratulated on a job well done in the bathroom by their child?!

We still have a long way to go, but I'm so proud of my little bug and all his efforts.  I cannot believe how much he's grown in such a short amount of time!! Will keep you posted on this subject!

I married my best friend and the military part 2

Oh move-in day, how I love and loathe you.  After making the two day car trip with an 18 month old to Greenville, MS and then spending 10 days in a hotel until your house-hold goods finally arrive I was excited to finally see our stuff!! Brennan took Logan as I spent the day, in the July heat, watching box after box along with miscellaneous items and furniture being loaded into our 1,200 square foot apartment.

Here's the view of our downstairs

 Luckily Brennan's brother, Mike, was coming down to help us watch Logan so that I could unpack this mess.  Brennan of course would be at work...standing duty every three days again until he got qualified. Enter single (sometimes) parenting 102.

My hope was that although Greenville was no amazing place to live, Brennan's work schedule would be better and we would get to spend more time together as a family. Well schedules are never what they say they're going to be and we've spent the last year learning to deal with that...well I have at least. Course 102 of Single (sometimes) parenting wasn't too difficult until in September 2010 when we found out we were expecting.

We had been trying for about four months and I was at my mothers house when I found out.  It was my birthday weekend and I took a test at 4am.  It was a faint pink line so of course I needed more proof! Who only takes one pregnancy test anyway?! So after three more digital tests that read "pregnant" (I love that they have the ones that spell it out for you!) I knew it was real.  I graciously waited until 6am to call Brennan and tell him...he was over the moon excited.

Upon returning to Greenville I began my journey into being an expectant mother with a toddler in the house.  Greenville was not a fun place to live but Logan and I enjoyed our time together and when Brennan was home it was great! We shared our news with our families when I was around 8 weeks pregnant and they were so excited.  I was feeling pretty good and Logan was doing wonderfully and we were happy in our little bubble we had created.

Time passed and we took trips to visit family, celebrated thanksgiving, Hannukah and Christmas and even had visitors here, which was wonderful!! We got Logan a brand new big boy bed and he loved sleeping in it!! (I would recommend all parents get their kids big boy beds sooner than you think you need it!! It really changed the way Logan slept).  Bedtime became easy which was great because I was exhausted from running after Logan all day and being pregnant.

We made some friends here in Greenville...and I finally had some other moms to hang out with, have play dates with and complain to when Brennan's schedule wasn't what I was led to believe it was going to be.

Brennan always tells me to never expect anything and prepare for the worst - then you'll be happy when things go better than planned.  YEAH RIGHT!! Do you know how hard it is to not be hopeful that your husband will come home early?! Or even just on time?! This is a lesson I don't know I'll ever fully learn, though I do try...kind of.

Enter The Great Flood and the birth of Emmett Stuart.  I was 38 weeks pregnant and going to the doctor to hopefully find out I could travel because Greenville was on the map to basically go under water on my due date, when my doctor laughs and tells me I'm 4cm dilated and should probably go home and pack my bag.  Boy was he right...2 hours later Brennan and I were on our way to the hospital, contractions 5-7 minutes apart.  Though Brennan thought I was "lying" about the contractions the nurse and monitor proved otherwise and an hour after monitoring me I made the decision to stay and have the baby for fear of missing my chance at an epidural.  About seven hours later Emmett made his entrance into the world and my mother was booked on a flight to come meet her newest grandson.

Not even two days after Emmett was born we were going home from the hospital.  The flood of the century was still possibly upon us and thus I made the decision to pack up my newborn and 2 year old and drive from Mississippi to Charlotte, NC.  Best decision I ever made!! Although it was a tough two weeks, recovering from childbirth and all, but it was worth it to not be dealing with the stress of possibly needing an ark.

My mom stayed with us for a few days and then we were left with our new family of four.  Brennan had already returned to work and thus we strove to create a new normal.