Ho Lee Crap

No time, no time!!  I really truly have been too busy to write lately.  Which is unfortunate since I've had some interesting stuff going on lately.  Even when I do have a few minutes of down time, the last thing I want to do is sit down with a computer in my lap.  Our laptop sucks.  It's four years old and we need an upgrade.  The battery is shot, which means it has to be plugged in all the time.  It overheats easily, which means we have to have a hard surface and a fan underneath at all times.  It's all just not worth using most of the time. 

ANYWAY.  Biggest news of the moment: Aiden's been using the potty!  Not exclusively, but he's finally giving it a little more thought.  He used to refuse to sit on it all the time.  The only way we could get his butt to touch that seat\ was to bribe him with entertainment, such as stickers or books.  But the second he got bored with that, he was off the pot.  He never sat on it long enough to accidentally go potty in it.

BUT THEN.  Last week I think it was, Travis was giving him a bath.  He kept saying he needed to change his diaper, which is his way of saying he needs a diaper on.  Travis told him not to poop or pee in the tub and to sit on the potty if he needed to go.  He finally panicked enough that he was willing to give it a go.  A few minutes later and we had a teeny tiny poo in his potty!! 

Sadly, we didn't get to make a big deal of it at the moment.  Travis and I were both on the phone.  Travis said yay, gave him a high five and told him to come tell me what he did.  Aiden came out and told me went potty, but I assumed he'd gone in the tub and Travis was in the middle of refilling it.  So I just said, "Oh ya?  Get back in that bathroom silly boy."  Ugh.  It really upsets me when I think about how I didn't make a bigger deal of his moment. 

We put Aiden to bed and then went to the bathroom to clean up.  Travis dumped the poop in the real toilet and I asked him if he had put the poop in that potty to to show him where it was supposed to go.  He said, "No, Aiden pooped in the potty."  I was like WHAT?!?!?!  I ran in the bedroom right then and made the biggest deal I could out of the moment.  He was so proud.  I wish I could have shared that with him at the right time, but there's nothing I can do about it now. 

That weekend, we made a big attempt at the potty training.  We realized that he didn't recognize the sensation of needing to use the bathroom, so I spent an entire afternoon with him outside without a diaper on.  He had three accidents (two #1's and one #2) before finally getting it.  He said he had to go potty and we ran inside.  He sat down for a few minutes before finally peeing.  Amazing moment.  One I honestly didn't think would come anytime soon.  I showed him how proud I was and called Travis into the bathroom to do the same.  I gave him some stickers I'd been saving for his first time.  It was enough that he was willing to try sitting on the potty several times that evening and the next day. 

I've lost count of how many times he's used the potty.  I'm sure it wouldn't take more than two hands to count, but I haven't kept track.  The sad part is he regressed a lot after spending a day at daycare.  They don't really work with the kids on potty training much. It's intensely aggravating, but I can't change that.  When he got home that Monday night, he refused to sit on the potty.  I finally found that using reverse psychology worked the best: 

"Do not sit on that potty, Aiden.  That potty is for big boys, so you can't sit on that potty."

"I wanna sit on the pooooottttttyyyyYYY!!"

"Okay fine."

It feels wrong to let him completely defy what I have asked him to do, but at this point I'm willing to try anything.  We try to get him on the potty as often as possible.  When we get home from daycare, I take off his diaper and make an attempt to keep him off the furniture.  He does okay.  Nothing serious just yet, but we're making progress.

This past weekend, he woke up and decided he would go sit on the potty all by himself.  He took off his own pants and diaper and peed first thing.  It was probably the most amazing moment of my life recently.  Its funny how things change when you become a parent.  I've never been so ecstatic to see excrement in a toilet.  That Monday after Aiden first pooped in the potty, I think I told everyone I knew at work - even the graduate students who I'm sure could care less about where my toddler puts his poop.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, but it would be freakin' fantastic if Aiden were potty trained soon after Mila is born.  One set of diapers in the house is enough.  I have read that regression is common in older siblings of newborns, so I am prepared for that possibility.

I do have to say that potty training is my least favorite task of parenting thus far.  I don't think it's an easy thing for any parent, but it doesn't help that I have the Most Stubborn Child in the World.  I used to be the Most Stubborn Child in the World.  But at some point in my teen years, I realized there was no point.  Why fight everything in life?  Things have gotten a lot easier since then.  Until I gave birth to the new title holder, that is.

24 Weeks with Mila

Travis and I have picked up a new hobby.  Puzzles!  I love it!  Problem is, it's a little addicting.  A couple friends have suggested Puzzlers Anonymous for treatment.  HA.  The puzzle I'm working on in this photo is only our third one.  The first one we did by ourselves (1000 pieces) over the course of several days.  The second one we did with Ariel and Robert in one night (1000 pieces).  This one is going to take forever.  It is basically a bunch of swirling colors.  Close to impossible if you ask me.  I don't know why we started it.  Because of course now that we've started it, we can't stop.  With two hours of help from Ariel and Robert we only got the outer edge and a few random pieces together.  It's definitely slow moving.

It's amazing to me how two pregnancies can be so different.  I am still surprised by my skin.  I still have acne, but no more than I had before I was pregnant.  With Aiden, it was worse than high school.  I don't think I lost a single hair out of my head during the last pregnancy.  This time I shed as much as I normally do.  Maybe not all of you are maternity experts.  Woman routinely get extremely thick hair and nails during pregnancy, partially due to the hormones, partially due to the vitamins.  I had that last time.  This time, notsomuch.

I do have a similar craving of cereal.  I feel like a kid in a candy story going down the cereal aisle at the grocery store.  I eat a bowl at bedtime almost every night.  Sometimes two bowls, depending on the type of cereal.  Funny thing is I am LOVING whole milk.  The thickness used to gross me out, but now skim milk just seems like water to me.  I've heard people say that before, but never got it.  Now I get it.

I had a day of nausea last week.  I got really freaked out, thinking it would mean the nausea was back.  I think I may have just overworked and underfed myself.  I haven't had a problem with it since.  I have been tired a lot lately, but that's probably related to my lack of sleep.  I get up frequently to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and I've started having a little trouble falling to sleep.  I used to be able to pass out the second my head hit the pillow.  Now that it's taking me longer than that, I have time to get worked up about it while I'm laying there.  It probably only takes me 20-30 minutes to actually fall asleep, mind you.  Nothing outrageous. 

There isn't much to tell at this point.  Mila is VERY active.  I know I've mentioned that before.  Aiden was active enough that I never worried about him, but this just seems hyperactive.  I hope it's not a sign of what's to come.

I have my glucose test in four weeks.  That's the one where you have to fast the night and morning before you go in.  I'm so not looking forward to that one.  I didn't faint last time, but I'm making Travis take me nonetheless.  I don't want to risk fainting at the wheel on my ride to the doctor's office.

Succinct

Again, I have little time, but I have lots to talk about.  So just a quickie.  Aiden has been getting up before 6 for the past couple of days and it reminds me so much of myself.  When I was little if I woke up even a tiny bit, I would get up immediately.  I didn't want to miss anything.  I don't know if that's what Aiden is thinking, but I can't help but think of myself when I was little.  I did sleep in when I was a teenager.  Though if family was in town or if it was a holiday, I was up at the break of dawn. 

Travis gets so annoyed with him.  I do get a little frustrated he's up before my alarm some days, but at the same time, I know this won't last forever.  He won't always want to get up and lay in mom and dad's bed for a few minutes before the day gets moving.  And the fact that we're so much alike gives me a bit of a soft spot as well. 

I sure hope Mila is a daddy's girl so he can get a taste of this.

Too Busy

In the meantime, check out this interesting article on incubating humans.

Our Selves, Other Cells

Monster Jam 2012

Doing things without Aiden are becoming increasingly difficult.  I'm not exactly sure why it's any different than it was a year ago.  Maybe because we used to do more stuff in Galveston and that's where our babysitters are?  Not sure.  So when I had TWO nights in a row without Aiden this weekend, I started to feel pretty guilty. 

Saturday night, Travis and Aiden went to a monster truck show with Chris and Blair.  They left before 5 and didn't get home until almost midnight, I believe. 

I was ecstatic to learn Aiden chose to wear the ear protection courtesy of the Ramby's.  Travis has a pair of adult ear muffs, but they are as big as Aiden's head.  No wonder he was willing to wear these, but always refuses ours.  We might need to invest in a pair before the next loud activity.  It sounds like Aiden had a blast.  Travis probably had as much fun as he did.  He came home with tons of photos and videos on his phone.  When I asked Aiden what he like the best about the show, he said the Spiderman truck (of course) and the popcorn.  I don't ever let him have popcorn because I'm irrationally terrified he will choke on it.  Meh. 

The next day, Aiden spent a good portion of the day driving his monster truck toys all over the place.  He has the Gravedigger monster truck, which I didn't realize was an actual truck.  Gravedigger was at the show, so that worked out!  Travis showed him how to run over his other matchbox cars with the monster trucks.  Oh boys.

I, on the other hand, suddenly had a free evening and wasn't sure what to do with myself.  I decided I wanted to do something I can't normally do when I have Aiden.  I ended up going to see a movie with a bunch of girls from work.  We saw the second Sherlock Holmes movie at one of those theaters where they serve you dinner and drinks at the same time as the film.  None of them had ever been to a theater like that, so it was a lot of fun.  A bunch of us got a Groupon that included one ticket and a large popcorn for $5.  GREAT deal.  I shared my popcorn with a girl who didn't get a Groupon because a large popcorn is entirely too much for me.  It would be perfect for Travis and I.  My friend and I barely made a dent.  Granted, we also ate other food.  I got bruschetta and she got cupcakes. 

After the movie, everyone came back to my house and we chatted for an hour before they continued on the road back to the island.  I had a really good time.  I only went to the bathroom three times while we were there.  HA.  One of those times, I saw a man walk into the men's room carrying a mug of beer.  I decided he must not have wanted to leave his drink unattended.  You know, roofies and all that.

At the end of the movie, the servers brought out the bills for everyone.  An elderly woman in the row in front of us whipped out a lighter so she could read and pay her bill.  I don't know why, but that seemed so absolutely outrageous to me.  Did she not have a cell phone to light her way?  Perhaps it didn't cross her mind?  Or was the first thing she thought of her tinderbox?

Before Travis made plans to go to Monster Jam, I had arranged for him to keep Aiden Sunday night while I went to a friend's house for a birthday dinner.  We had Monday off for Martin Luther King Jr Day, so we opted to celebrate on a Sunday night.  Our plans were quite dorky, so try not to judge too much.  We all brought food and planned to watch Aladdin. 

Aladdin was one of my VHS tapes from when I was a kid.  My mom brought an entire box of Disney VHS tapes on her road trip this Christmas.  I finally convinced Travis to figure out how to plug in the VHS player we've been keeping around for just such an occasion.  Travis was always asking if he could throw out that thing.  My response?  "But what if we need it?!"  So glad we kept it. 

Sadly, things didn't work out exactly as we had planned.  My friend's cassette player ate my Aladdin tape. It didn't tear the tape, so we winded it back up.  I haven't had a chance to play it to make sure everything is all right.  Hopefully all is well.  It was pretty funny though because I couldn't tell you the last time I had to wind up a destroyed cassette.  Good times.

Since everyone had Disney on the brain, we opted to watch another Disney movie: Lilo and Stitch.  I have watched a good portion of that movie several times recently because that was another movie in the box from my mom.  Aiden really likes that one.

Dinner was great, and I wasn't home too late.  There's a little more fun left in my weekend to share, but I'll save that for later. 

Family Time

This morning Travis was telling Aiden bye before leaving for work.  He was giving him a hug when Aiden says something muffled into his shoulder.  Travis pulls back and asks him to repeat himself.

"Thank you for getting me dressed."

I don't know why, but that was just the sweetest thing!  I teared up while I was getting ready in the bathroom.  Travis said he was VERY welcome and said love you.

Aiden replied, "Love you!"

Melts my heart.

He has also started asking to see Mila a lot lately.  I'm not sure if he wants to go back to the doctor for an ultrasound or if he understands that she is going to come out into the real world eventually and he would like to meet her.  Either way, I love that he is interested in her.

I am having a little trouble figuring out my hunger these days.  It seems like for the past week my stomach has been a bottomless pit in the morning.  I eat cereal, then 15 minutes later I'm still hungry.  I eat a piece of fruit and 15 minutes later I'm still hungry.  I eat trail mix and FINALLY, I'm satiated.  I have a snack (usually yogurt) at 10 am, then lunch at noon.  Then I start to get hungry again between 3 and 5.  So I have some more trail mix or a protein bar. 

Yesterday I was starving so I couldn't stop eating trail mix.  By the time I got home and reheated some leftovers for dinner, I wasn't hungry.  I ended up not eating until 9 pm.  I've noticed that Mila gets an energy boost about 30 minutes after I eat, so starting around 9:30 or 9:40 she went nuts.  Right around the time I was laying down for the night.  Gah.

Some Joe

It's annoying when things don't go exactly the way I'd like them.  Yes, I know that's life.  But it doesn't stop me from feeling a little off.  Aiden has been waking up really early lately.  I don't know why.  We haven't changed his nap time or bed time.  This morning he came out of his bedroom one second after my alarm went off, which meant he was already awake in his room.  I hit snooze and stayed in bed.  Aiden silently walked around to my side of the bed.  When I didn't react to his presence, he went out to the living room and turned on the light (he climbs up on the couch to reach the switch). 

He played for a few minutes but came back when my alarm went off the second time.  I asked him what he was doing awake already and he ran away whining, "Nooooo...."  I think he thought I was going to make him go back to bed.  You see, that's what I do when he wakes up before the sun is up on weekends or before my alarm has gone off during the week.  I just let him run off to the living room while I forced myself out of bed. 

I've been pretty exhausted this week.  We've stayed up late every night for one reason or another - Curt's in town, the puzzle is all too addicting (we finished it by the way), I can't put an e-book down.  I've gone to bed between 11 and 12 for four nights in a row now.  It's not a habit I should keep.  I usually go to bed by 10.  But in order to get eight hours of sleep I need to be asleep by 9:45.

To top off this exhaustion is the fact that I'm limited on the amount of caffeine I can have.  My doctor said one cup of coffee a day is fine.  But I feel guilty whenever I have caffeine.  For some reason, I feel like Mila is a lot more active than Aiden ever was.  She's always flitting away in there.  But when I have caffeine she goes NUTS.  Almost to the point where it annoys me.  Plus I feel bad that I'm forcing her to take a drug she didn't ask for.  I dunno.  For all I know, she's loving the energy, doing log rolls all around her live-in swimming pool. 

The nice thing about the coffee is it helps keep me regular, if you know what I mean.  I haven't had nausea in a while, so I haven't needed the Zofran.  That means one less thing causing constipation.  I'm still taking stool softeners, probiotics and eating a prune or dried apricot everyday.  Plus, doc told me to drink three LITERS of water a day.  I don't always get the full three, but that combination has kept me pretty regular and I'm loving it.  There are days when I'm BM free.  Those days I contemplate a cup of coffee just to keep things moving.

So I guess I'm going to sit here for another hour or so feeling guilty about how badly I want that cup of joe until I actually go get my fill. 

On a side note, did you know that coffee is sometimes referred to as Java because back in the day, the sole exporter of coffee was the island of Java?  And one theory for the term 'cup of joe' is because the soldiers used to stay warm in the trenches with a metal mug of hot coffee.  GI Joe's drinking a cup of joe. 

New Hobby

Sorry I haven't been good about posting lately.  I'm a little addicted to my new iPhone (Christmas gift from Travis), which means I've been reading and playing games more than thinking about what I can write on here.  Seriously, that thing is taking over my life.  I need the awesomeness to wear off a little so I can pay more attention to my life. 

Travis' dad Curt came into town last night.  He's a trucker and needed to take a break from the road, so he is taking it at our house.  He took us up to his truck last night so Aiden could see it up close.  Sadly, he was too afraid to go in the cab.  I stood in the door with him in my arms, but he was still freaked out by it.  So we got out and inspected the exterior of the giant vehicle up close.  Aiden loved that part.

Travis, Curt and I were lost in conversation at one point and I could tell Aiden was getting bored because he kept trying to talk to me.  To distract him, I handed him a rock and told him to go throw it in a giant puddle near where we were standing.  He just thought that was an amazing thing.  Kept him busy long past the end of our conversation.  Finally, we had to pry him and his muddy hands away from the water to go home for dinner. 

Travis grilled out beef for fajitas that night.  We had made plans to do this the day before and had no idea there was a 100% chance of thunderstorms for the majority of the day.  I think we were lucky the rain stopped for us to make dinner!  The flooding was horrible, but thankfully no tornadoes hit our house.

We stayed up late for the second night in a row.  The night before we spent 5 hours putting together a 1000-piece puzzle - our newfound common interest!  I am so excited about this!  Something for us to do together.  After discussing it on Facebook, I found that LOTS of people do puzzles.  The good thing about this is that means we can trade puzzles!  Free of charge.  It's like my very own library of puzzles.  We still haven't finished this puzzle because Curt was in town last night, but we probably have an hour or two left on it.  I look forward to the challenge WITH my husband along for the ride.

Aidenisms

We pulled into the driveway after grocery shopping to see Travis' truck parked in the driveway. 

Aiden yelled, "Daddy!"  Then he saw his pirate ship and yelled, "Pirate ship!"

"Go inside and grab Daddy to play on the pirate ship with you."

"Daddy's too big for the pirate ship."

=(  Travis has already played on it with him and he loved it.  I don't know why he suddenly became a Debby Downer about it.

This morning I was driving Aiden into work when my phone alerted me to a text message. 

Aiden asked, "Who'sat?"

"Gpa." (My dad.)

"Gpa?  Not Gramma?"

"Nope, it's Gpa." I text both fairly regularly.

"Gpa gave me a pirate monkey."

Last September when we went to Illinois for my cousin's wedding, my dad gave Aiden a toy monkey that is dressed like a pirate.  It has a button on it's hand that when pushed, makes monkey sounds.  It was a Halloween decoration that he thought Aiden would love.  He was right.  I am just so impressed that he remembers who gave it to him.  I'm hoping this means he got Travis' memory because we know mine sucks it.  The only reason I can recall things is because Travis reminds me, or I go back and check this blog. 

The other thing I've been really impressed with lately is Aiden's ability to name colors.  When I used to ask him what color something was, he would answer 'blue' 75% of the time.  Occasionally he got it right, but I was never sure if it was luck or true memory.  But I have noticed for the past couple weeks that he has consistently gotten colors correct.  He never seems to remember pink and purple, but I am still blown away at his good record as of late.  They must be focusing on colors at daycare.

Last Outing of the Break

This past Sunday we made plans to meet the Yeager's at the park.  I really wanted to get Aiden out of the house and I was feeling a little guilty that he hadn't had much of a chance to play with friends over my break.  I think he appreciated the afternoon out with Luke, even if it was a bit chilly (for Texas).

Aiden is getting more and more bold these days.  I still prefer a spotter for certain feats.

I'm super bummed that I can't get these photos to stay rotated after loading.  Sorry for the crick in your neck!

Zach and Luke (Aiden is learning adult's names now)

Static Head

Luke in a tube

Linsey and Kenley - feeding time!

After feeding the non-existent turtles in the pond (I'm pretty sure they were staying warm at the bottom of the water), we decided to go out for dinner.  We just happened to be near a Cracker Barrel, which I haven't been to in years.  Decades maybe.  I know it was while I was still in high school, could have been before that.  The only time I've ever been was with my friend's family for breakfast after I stayed the night at her house.  I'm pretty sure the last time I stayed the night at her house was Freshman year of high school.  I'd never been for dinner.  Of course, I had to reminisce with breakfast for dinner.  I'm a little ashamed to say I ate half of my plate and half of Aiden's.  Those grits really hit the spot!  Aiden's favorite meal is breakfast, so we ordered pancakes and bacon for him.  He went to town.

Man, that place is awesome.  I need to remember that place next time someone asks where I want to go to eat.

The Christmas that never ended

I had all last week off, along with yesterday.  I had a lot of time with Aiden since I only brought him to daycare one day last week.  It was a nice day.  I dropped Aiden off and then headed to Ariel's where Alex had stayed the night.  We dropped Ariel off at work and then headed out for lunch.  He wanted Vietnamese food since we've got a few good Pho places on the island.  We went to one I hadn't been too before, so it was an experience for me as well.  He was a gentlemen and bought my lunch!  Unexpected, but appreciated. 

After lunch we went for a walk on the beach.  Alex really wanted to make it to the ocean before he left for Illinois again.  When we couldn't bear the wind anymore, we headed up to Ariel's bar.  She took a break and walked the Strand.  We got coffee, walked over to the harbor for a bit and went in a few stores.  We picked out our dad's Christmas gifts together.  We got him some Texas gear since he wasn't able to make it here for the holidays this year.  I really missed having him around, but hopefully that means it will be easier for him to visit in May when Mila is due.

Aiden got some Christmas cards in the mail that included money (thank you Grandpa Curt, Grandma Brenda and Great Grandparents Richard and Jan!!), so we decided to put it all together to get an outdoor playset for Aiden.  It's good up to 6 years old, so we have many years ahead of us with that toy (assuming it holds up).  Little Tikes is good about putting a pamphlet inside all their toys to advertise other stuff they make.  Sells me everytime.  Now I want to get him the water play pirate ship this summer.  Perhaps as a birthday present?

We went outside to show Aiden his new gift for the first time New Year's day.  Travis attempted to get our Christmas present to ourselves working, but it was too windy.  I look forward to a few evenings sitting at that fire with a beer.  Of course, that won't happen until this summer, but the time is near!

I think Aiden likes his new very own playground.  It's pirate themed - Aiden's favorite!

I got a little nervous a few times because MAN that kid is ballsy. 

Aiden just would not go down that slide on his own, so Travis got on to show him how it's done.  Aiden thought it was a hoot racing Travis around to the steps over and over.  It will be GREAT whenever he has buddies over to play with him. 

Christmas Break

Christmas came and went in a whirlwind!  I can't even remember everything we did while my family was here.  Here's what I can recall:

Saturday morning (Christmas Eve), Travis, Aiden and I went over to Ariel and Robert's house for lunch.  We went a little early so Aiden could nap there and I could cook.  We ate a lot and then hung out for a few hours.  That evening, Ariel and Robert had to go into work.  Bummer, but they gotta make that paycheck.

That night I made roast beef sandwiches for dinner, then let Aiden open up one gift - his first of the season!

He went to bed right after that and we stayed up for a while.  It was nice to have time to talk to Alex and my mom spent a lot of time outside bonding with Sagira.

The next morning, Aiden woke up to a couple gifts from Santa and a full stocking.  Santa got him a camera and a Dinosaur Train car and dino-shark.  He played with that for a while and we helped him go through his stocking gifts.  He also got to eat some candy before lunch.  Around 10, we let him open some more gifts to play with that day.  He opened the Dinosaur Train tracks from Grandma Brenda and a Tag Junior from us.  We wanted to wait to open his gifts when everyone was around, so we kept postponing opening up the remaining gifts.

When Uncle Alex woke up, Aiden opened a few more gifts, including those from him.

His Great Grandma Margie sent some gifts that he really enjoyed.

He loves the Dinosaur Train tracks, but I they fall apart too easily.  They are recommended for 3 years old and above, so he's not that good at putting the track together himself.  I may have to hide the tracks and keep the cars out for a while so I don't lose my sanity.  It's frustrating when he needs it put back together every 10 minutes.

That evening, Ariel and Robert came over for dinner.  My mom and I made a beef tenderloin.  It was my first time to ever make one, so it was interesting.  We overcooked it a little bit, but it was a learning experience.  Dinner was great, and as you can see, we were not able to get those Spiderman PJ's off Aiden the entire day.

After dinner we let Aiden open his remaining gifts.  We put together his new grill right before bed, which in hindsight, was not the best idea.  Getting him down for nap that day and for bed that evening was a trying experience.  He just wanted to play with all his new toys!

I also tried a new idea for displaying Christmas cards this year.  Linsey saw the idea online and I thought it was really cute.  My bow was a little sad though.  Next year I'll have to look harder for a better ribbon since this one was a bit droopy.

Never Ceases to Amaze

Tonight we went to dinner at Cracker Barrel with the Yeager's. When the server first came to the table he asked the boys how old they are. They both stared at him blankly. Aiden is usually shy with people at first so I didn't expect him to answer. I gave him a chance but eventually answered for them.

When the server came back with our drinks, Aiden held up two fingers and extended his arm to the server. I couldn't believe he remembered and was interested enough to answer him later. I was so impressed!

Funny thing is Aiden usually holds up two fingers and says, "one". We didn't get the verbal this time, although I waited for it.