Potty Training, Day 1

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Yesterday morning I woke up and thought, “Today is the DAY!” In other words, “NO MORE DIAPERS FOR MICAH!!!!” Micah is now 2 years and 8 months old. We’ve been preparing him for months. He has two potty videos he watches regularly, and he has already been sitting on the potty off and on for a few months. So, in the morning, right after he woke up, we took off his diaper and put on his big-boy underwear. He wore them all day long, and I took him to the bathroom at least 8 times. I’m sure he got tired of me asking, “Do you have to go pee-pee? Do you have to go poo-poo?” He will probably wonder why he has these recurring dreams when he’s 20 of me asking him those questions ☺ He did pee, 4 times, but not in the potty. In his new underwear. I only had 3 pairs, so I had to do a lot of laundry yesterday. He held his “poo-poo” all day long until after dinner, when Martin found him hiding in the closet pooping in his 4th pair of underwear. Poor baby… It was like he knew that he wasn’t supposed to do that, but he had tried to hard when he was on the potty and nothing would happen. I tried so hard not to pressure him to go, but he probably felt anxious about it anyway. I mean, that would be like me going to the bathroom all of this time on the toilet, and then someone telling me all the sudden to go in a diaper from now on. I would be nervous too! ☺ At bedtime we put his diaper on and he actually protested- he wanted his “big boy” underwear! This morning when we woke up, we found that he had indeed been “saving up” for when he would have his diaper on (sorry for the details). I’ll keep you posted. We are now on Day 2 and nothing has happened yet.

Who Is This Woman?!

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I can't believe how much I have changed since becoming a mom. After having Micah almost 3 years ago, I was pretty much the same person (personality wise), going at the same pace, taking him along with me. But now, after having a second child 8 months ago, I officially have "mommy brain." I seriously feel like I am a walking, young, Alzheimer's patient.  My personality type has always been Type-A.  People have known me to be organized, reliable, dependable, on time, always calling them back within a few hours and emailing back right away.  The new me?  No way. I don't know what exactly happened and when, but something shifted.  One morning I woke up, and that old me was locked away in some closet inside my head.  The New Me decided to take over.  I have never lost so many things in my life!  I am forgetful, I have missed events I RSVP'd for, I am walking around in some kind of haze every day!  Now, I am "on time" if I arrive less than 30 minutes late to any event.  I am "dressed up" if I am wearing clothes (period) and if they do not have throw up on them somewhere.  My hair and makeup are done if my hair is up in a clip and I've slapped some chapstick on.  My house is clean if there is a path between the loads of laundry that allows me to get from room to room.  

Of course, I am exaggerating a little bit.  But mostly, I feel bad for people who call or email me. Sometimes it takes me weeks to get back to them.  I am online frequently but only for a minute or two at a time, when I stop to catch a breath and check my email between changing two boys in diapers, nursing one and feeding the other, getting lunch and dinner ready, and doing laundry.

These things might make the average woman with no children feel utterly depressed at the thought of having kids.   But honestly, I love it.  I am doing the best that I can.  I admit that I don't have it all together.  If you just "drop by" you might think my house is a mess, that it smells funny, and that I am still in my pajamas.  Or you  might catch me on a day when things are put away, the kids are happily playing with each other, and I'm relaxing on the couch reading a magazine while dinner is simmering in the crock pot.  Either way, I never know what each day will bring, and that is part of the joy.  Every day is a new adventure. 

Oh, and to my old self, my new self would like to say, "Just chill, woman!"

Me and the Boys - Valentine's Day

My Confession

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I have a confession to make.  I am a little obsessed with Britney Spears right now.  I check websites daily to keep track of her progress, I think of her throughout the day, I wonder if she's okay, etc... I keep asking myself "Why?!"  and honestly, I think it is because she is a mother, just like me.  She has 2 young boys, just like me.  And she's really messed up right now (okay, that's not just like me).  I think of her poor boys, and I feel sorry for her that she can't see them or be with them, because I know that her heart probably aches for that.  Here she is trying to fill the void in her life with so many things.  I genuinely feel concern for her.  

So, I have made it a point to pray for her whenever I think of her throughout the day.  Maybe it really is God laying her on my heart.  I mean, that sounds weird, right?  But God lays other people on my heart to pray for - friends of mine, people experiencing tragedy throughout the world, so why not her?  Hopefully we will hear one day that she found Jesus.  That is my prayer.  

Likes and Dislikes

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Okay, Melanie inspired me, so here we go:

Things I like:

Snow and fireplaces, going simultaneously (which hardly ever happens here!) :)

Micah and Jaden's laughter

Hugs and kisses from my sons

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Decaf, non-fat white chocolate mochas

Sees Candy

Reading a good book

Getting together with friends

Taking a long afternoon nap

Snuggling with my 3 boys (okay, one is a man)

Lazy Sunday afternoons

Piano music with good singing (see www.saragroves.com)

Shopping (Target and Kohls are enough for me!) :)

Extremely clean bathrooms

A big bathtub

Being warm and cozy

Things I dislike:  

When one of my kids gets hurt or is sad

Not getting enough sleep

Bad smells (i.e. Tijuana - need I say more?)

Dirty bathrooms  (hmmm - this one and the last one seem to go together!)

People who have too much self-imposed drama

Having to go to the bathroom and nowhere to go!

Driving long distances

Cussing

Rap music

Buying something and then seeing it on sale later for way cheaper!

Oh yeah, and one of my biggest pet peeves - when politicians campaign at churches!

My sister Lauren & I at my favorite place: Sprinkles Cupcakes (Beverly Hills)

The Importance of Life

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This morning I had a good conversation with friends about how important it is to vote for a future President who will uphold the sanctity of life and be against abortion.  Since having my own two babies, this issue is even more important to me than ever, because I know that human life begins at conception, and I know there are people out there who will deny a baby the chance to live by aborting it.  What amazes me is hearing from a woman who is 6 weeks pregnant say that it is not a baby yet - just a bunch of cells - so her choice to abort is justified.    Yet fast-forward 10 years, when she is married and trying to get pregnant.  When she finds out she is 6 weeks pregnant, I'm sure she will tell everyone around her, "I'm pregnant!  I have a baby growing inside of me."  For this woman her definition of life depends on what is convenient for her.  

A friend pointed out to me that she didn't fully know what abortion was until much later in her life. She always knew it was wrong, but wasn't sure exactly why, until she saw a video on it at a church.  I, too, have seen the videos - of 6 week old babies being torn from their mother's womb through abortion, fully intact.  Nobody who has seen these videos (afterwards) thinks abortion is okay at any stage of pregnancy.  

If you would like more information on what abortion really is, please visit: 

http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/index.html

If you would like to read about the INCREDIBLE testimony of a baby who survived an abortion and is now a singer and speaker, visit:  http://www.giannajessen.com/EPK/bio.html

Here is an excerpt from her website:

"Gianna is a Christian. Her life was given to her by the grace of God. She shouldn't be walking, but more miraculous still; she should not even be alive. Gianna's biological mother was 17 when she had a saline abortion in her third trimester. Many Americans don’t realize it is legal to have an abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. After being burned alive for approximately 18 hours in the womb from the saline solution, Gianna was delivered alive in a Los Angeles County abortion clinic. Her medical records state, "born during saline abortion"...this is what caused her Cerebral Palsy."

This is a video of an abortion.  Do not watch it unless you really want to know what is going on when an abortion takes place.  It is gruesome, but the purpose is to show that this is happening at abortion clinics every single day (i.e. Planned Parenthood).  It is hard to believe that this gruesome act of murder is legal.  http://www.abort73.com/HTM/I-A-4-video.html

I hope that you vote during this election.  Whoever you vote for, make sure that they will protect human life.  Because of a politician does not have respect for the life of an innocent baby, how will they respect the lives of you and I?