By popular demand

Inquiring minds are demanding more pictures of the new van. Here you go:



Gotcha! But this just happened to be parked in our neighbor's driveway and I couldn't resist snapping the picture. It's a shout out to Patrick's old white van, a blast from the past. I drove it one time in my life on the night before our wedding with all of my best friends to Steak and Shake. We cracked up the whole way as we raised and lowered the mini-blind shades! BTW, the one pictured above is much nicer than Patrick's old van.

Here's our new mini:

We joined "the club"

It's official, I am a mini-van driving mama. As I mentioned in my last post, the transmission in Patrick's car broke last Monday on his way to work. We knew it was only a matter of time. He called me around 8:30 as I was pulling into Wal-Mart with the boys to do some grocery shopping and said that the car was making lots of funny noises and he didn't think he would make it. I offered to leave right away to come pick him up, but he insisted on continuing to drive and wanted to see how far he could get. As I was settling the boys into the shopping cart Patrick called again to say that he really didn't think the car would make it much longer. Again, I offered to pick him up and told him that I would rather leave right away than when I had a whole cart full of groceries (that sounds really selfish); he again declined and told me to keep shopping. Another thirty minutes passed and I was nearly done shopping as he called again. This time to say that he made it to his parents house-about halfway between home and work- and could literally make it no further. I told him as soon as I got the groceries unpacked at home we'd be on our way to get him. We picked him up at his parent's house, he brought us home and then turned around and began his commute again. As soon as he came home that night he told me that his dad's mechanic looked at the car and diagnosed it as a broken transmission. With the realization that the car was not worth as much as the repair, our search for another vehicle began.

Having just had our second baby, it was really only a matter of time until a mini-van would seem appealing and alluring. In fact, lately I've been envious of my other mommy friend's vans. They're so roomy and seem so convenient. It seemed the perfect time to explore the van as an option. I was embarrassingly clueless about the modern van - at our first stop, the Honda dealership I was so impressed by the double side doors that opened that I raved to the salesman about how much I liked that feature and I wanted to confirm that older models had the same feature. When Patrick and I were driving home that evening he laughed and said vans have been doing that for years. Oops. We were both a little hesitant though, I was worried that a van would be too big-you know, bus-like- and Patrick wasn't quite ready to commit to one so we also looked at a few 7-passenger SUV's and a 7-passenger crossover. The irony is that after test driving the vans, the other SUV's seemed small and we began saying crazy things like "it doesn't have enough room." After lots of looking, test driving, late night online research and some stress induced headaches we settled on a used Toyota Sienna that we found online at a dealership in Elmhurst.

Now I don't want to be that crazy mini-van loving lady who goes around telling everyone to buy a van. It was the right time in our lives to consider it as an option and I will say that if you're considering one...do it! I love driving ours. Sometimes I feel like a babysitter because I couldn't seriously be old enough to be driving one around filled with my own children. But it's true and I do like it. I like all of the room and the perks of a van. I'm still learning to park and reverse safely. So far, so good. The boys like it, too; Henry lovingly refers to it as "my van" as in his van. Ha ha, ah the irony, it may well become his when he turns sixteen...

The Diaper(less) Diaries

I feel like I could create a separate blog for this subject because I have so many thoughts on a daily basis and my days seem to be revolving around it. I'll resist however, because I know (or at least I hope) that in a few months it will be a normal, commonplace part of life.



I've always been a bit anxious about potty training and skeptical about my diaper dependent child learning to wear underwear. I starting dreading the task around 18 months when at Henry's well-baby visit his doctor kindly told us that we could introduce the potty. Sound advice? Maybe. A little over-ambitious and untimely? Yes! I've heard and read many different theories and ideas about how one can successfully teach her child to use the potty. Equipped with this knowledge I could still only picture a naked toddler running around the house leaving messes equal to those of an untrained puppy. Everywhere. I dreaded it. When other people's children had potty success I cheered, yet every time I was awed and amazed that it was even possible.



Inspired by the success that Sara and Sally have had with potty training their boys in recent weeks, coupled with the fact that we were homebound (due to having only one car when the transmission broke in Patrick's car) I decided it was time to tackle this monster I've feared since entering parenthood. Last Tuesday (6.3.08) was Henry's first diaper free day. That morning I changed his diaper and told him about the fabulous Spiderman underwear he was going to wear that day. He wasn't excited or upset, I was pleased with his neutral reaction. Again, I've feared the worst. I explained that since he was such a big boy, wearing such big boy underwear he would need to tell me when he needed to go. Off he went. A few first thoughts: his shorts seem a lot saggier, maybe I should have gotten the 4T's instead. Do they look wet? I wonder if he has to go yet?

We made it through that first day and I bravely put underwear on him again Wednesday morning. We've now made it through seven days. By no means are we completely there. I just have committed to this and don't want to turn back now. He had accidents at least once a day for the first few days and he still isn't telling me when he has to go, I have to ask him after a few hours or tell him to go (if we're getting ready to leave the house). He wears a pull-up for his naps and at bedtime; sometimes those are dry in the morning or after his nap and sometimes not. He is now able to do everything all by himself; he uses the step stool to turn on the light then he moves it close to the potty and uses it to get onto the potty by himself. He then wipes and is able to get off of the potty by himself and moves the stool over to the sink to wash his hands. I'm hugely proud of him and he is really proud of himself. He loves the book "My Baby Brother is a Little Monster"; there is a part where the baby needs his diaper changed and Big Bird asks why he doesn't just use the potty. The big brother says that babies are too little to use the potty and that's why babies wear diapers. Last night Patrick was reading that book to him before bed and when he read that Henry stopped him and said, "Daddy, I don't wear diapers". I think he's very proud.

As I mentioned, we're still working on it and our week hasn't been without it's share of ups and downs. Having a child that is learning to use the potty requires much more planning ahead and thinking things through. Before we leave the house to go anywhere I need to make sure that Henry goes potty, and that I have a change of clothes with me. Once I arrive somewhere I immediately scope out the bathroom just in case we need to make a run for it.

A few notes from the first week:

• On Wednesday I thought we were doing so well, Henry was dry all morning and after lunch I was getting him ready to play outside in his little pool. I asked him to take his Crocs off (so that I could help him get his swimming suit on) and he said, "Why? Because there's pee in them." I looked at him and realized that his shorts were wet. We must have just missed it. I had to laugh though. I'm still not sure if he knows before he goes or if he realizes just as it's happening.
• Henry and William spent the day with Patrick's mom and dad (and some cousins) on Friday, and he wore underwear there and had no accidents all day! His mom was very helpful in working with him, but I was thrilled that he did so well away from me and from home all day.
• Friday night we went to Patrick's nephew's (Isaac and Caleb) baseball game with Henry in his underwear. After we'd been there for awhile I asked him if he wanted to go potty and he said "yes". I had a moment of panic as I glanced towards the blue Porto-potty at the other end of the field, but hand-in-hand he and I bravely trudged towards it. He was fascinated by the whole thing, especially having to wait in line to use the bathroom. Once inside I said lots of "don't touch that", "don't look at that" and "don't move". With several layers of toilet paper lining the entire seat he sat down and went potty. I was proud of him but more excited to get out of there. I felt like that was a good initiation into potty training. If we could brave that together, I think we'll make it through the next few weeks.
• Saturday we were in a public restroom together, again Henry was fascinated by the whole scene. He had a million questions. The box next to the toilet, "what's this?", pointing to the woman's feet in the stall next to us, "what's that?", and then it happened, a loud burst of gas explodes from the stall next to us, "what was that noise mommy?" It all happened so fast: while I was dying from embarrassment and trying very hard not to burst out laughing the woman in the stall started to laugh and I apologized. She said she had been there too with her little ones and was very understanding of it all. I made sure we stayed in the stall until she left the bathroom.

It has been an eventful week. I think some progress has been made. I'm still waiting for those magical words, "I have to go". Those four words will be so thrilling to hear. Until then I think we need to buy a few more pairs of underwear and shorts and I'm happy to not be changing as many diapers as before. Buying less will be wonderful, too.

Pretty in pink

The only thing I dislike about the peony is that the blooms don't last longer. I wish they would bloom all throughout the summer. Oh and that they attract ants. Otherwise, these are my favorite flower. I love that the blooms get so big and fragrant. These peonies are from the bushes in our yard. I have cut several stems from the bushes and filled every vase in our house! I hate to waste them.

Boy's pool

Hot, sunny summer weather is finally here! After the super long, freezing cold winter we had I am loving every minute. (*it's also nice to enjoy the heat and not be pregnant in it.) We've been taking out our little pool for Henry - he loves to fill it up and play in it. He filled it up on Thursday morning and we left it out in the sun all afternoon while he was napping. When the boys and I came outside that afternoon the water felt warm, and since there wasn't very much water in it, William got to go swimming with Henry for the first time. He liked it a lot and did a lot of splashing. Henry loved having him in there, too and he designated it the "boy's pool".

William loves balls. We had just these two in the pool and he was occupied with them for a while.

Time to eat

Henry is becoming very independent as he nears his third birthday. One of Sara's friends told her that the "terrible two's" are a myth and that the "terrible three's" are more accurate. I'm definitely starting to wonder. We made it through the twos with some defiance, but nothing more than I would expect from a two-year old. Henry is a spirited boy who has always had his fair share of fiest and lately he has had an opinion about everything and wants to do everything all by himself. I love his personality and I know that as his parent it's my job to channel his independent spirit into doing positive things. He was upset a few nights ago (I can't even remember why) so I asked him if he could come help me feed William. He's always up for helping and was super excited when I asked him.
It was so funny watching him, he opened his mouth every time he gave William a bite. He would say after every bite, "is that good?" in the sweetest voice.
William is looking at me like "mom, are you seriously going to let him do this?"

My boys

Henry asked me if he could hold William this morning. He took it very seriously and hardly moved at all when William was resting on him!

Surprise

The other night I got William undressed, put him in his crib and ran to get his bathwater ready. When I returned to his room, this is what I found:



He had an unexpected visitor and they were having a little party. Henry is really taking a liking to this sweet little brother of his. Even though I freaked out a little bit because of the dangers of two boys - one being a very active almost 3-year old-in the same small crib, it was very sweet. And I'm sure only a taste of the trouble these two will get into together...

Memorial Day getaway

Happy Memorial Day everyone! We decided to take the boys to Chicago this weekend for a little getaway. Since Patrick started his new job he's been working long hours and has had some late nights. I think both of the boys really miss him and we all loved spending the weekend together. We got to Chicago early Saturday afternoon and started our day at the Shedd Aquarium.
Henry was fascinated by the fish in the various tanks. One of his favorite things was watching this lobster crawl around this tank.
I carried William in the Snugli so he could see everything up close. He was mostly intrigued with all of the people there. (note to self: a Baby Bjorn would have been a very wise investment)
After leaving the aquarium we walked around by the lake and then decided to check into our hotel downtown. Due to an overbooking we ended up getting a "presidential suite". It was definitely more luxury than we planned - we had a kitchen, dining room, living room with a flat screen and a large bedroom. It worked out perfectly; Henry had lots of room to run around and play and we were able to put the boys to bed in the bedroom and still be awake without bothering them. It was a corner room with windows all around, so we had a nice view of the city--seen in the picture below. The boys slept great despite our hotel being located next to a very busy fire station. When we checked in Henry had only two questions for the concierge. 1., Where is the pool? and 2., How do I open this? Referring to the apple that he snatched from the decorative display at the entrance. Since he was so anxious to swim we decided to take the boys to the pool once we got settled into our room.

Henry loved the pool. He loved splashing. He loved being held and pulled around fast. He didn't love the water he accidentally gulped when his foot slipped on the stairs walking in; but he stayed in and kept on swimming until he was shivering.
The water was just a little bit too chilly for William to swim in, but he loved sitting on the side of the pool and splashing his feet. He was enthralled with the water; I couldn't get him to look up!
The boys took a bath to warm up when we got back to our room. Henry was first fascinated with the jets in the tub, but when one of them started spraying everywhere and I got a little bit frantic, he was terrified and wanted out!

On Sunday morning we got up early and Henry and I were at the pool by 7:00! He really loved swimming. Then we walked around downtown a bit and then went to Lincoln Park Zoo where we met Dan, Sara, Gabe and Caleb. It was so much fun spending the afternoon there with them.

There is a farm exhibit and guess who waited in line for 15 minutes to sit on a tractor? The cows were one of his favorite animals to see there. He did not want to leave the dairy barn.

Gabe and Henry rode the train together.
We had lunch together at the zoo.

Then it was off to see more animals. Gabe and Henry holding Uncle Dan's hands. Gabe climbed over this little chain link and pretended to be an animal at the zoo.

Dan told us about this polar bear exhibit where you stand at a large window and can watch the polar bears swim by. It's amazing to see them so close up and it's so fascinating to watch. There are two of them in there and they would swim the same path over and over again. They would come so close you could see their fur blowing in the water. After we'd stood there and watched for a few minutes I told Henry that we'd watch them swim by "one more time" and he asked me, "can we watch them a lot more times?" I think the polar bears might have tied with the cows for Henry's favorite animals at the zoo.
To sum up the way Henry felt about the weekend ---errr, mostly the hotel---his words as we were pulling into our driveway yesterday evening:

"No, I don't want to go to this house. I want to go to our new house with the pool."

William is 7 months

William taking an unexpected late afternoon nap. He was especially sleepy one day and fell asleep when we were outside. I brought him inside and put him down on the couch thinking he'd wake up, but he stayed asleep. I love a sleeping baby. So sweet.
His hair is really growing - it's getting longer, but it's not long enough to lay flat, so it sticks straight up. Remember when Henry went through that phase? I posted a picture below of Henry and his crazy hair days. William's hair is much lighter than Henry's - he may be a blondie.

He loves to swing. It's fun to have he and Henry in the swings side-by-side at the park.

I put an ice cube in this mesh food bag and he loves chewing/sucking on it. It also keeps him occupied for a few minutes while I make breakfast or lunch.
He is officially rolling over. His first (intentional) roll from his tummy to back: 5.15.08

He is still happiest either sitting up or laying on his back.

We think he makes the "excited face". We've noticed it a few times. In the picture below he was watching Henry drive his tractors around the floor. William turned 7 months old on Monday. It's been an exciting month with a few big firsts.

• He is officially rolling over. He rolls from his tummy to his back and from his back to his tummy. Now that he can do it, he makes it look so easy. He still sleeps mostly on his back, but sometimes prefers his side. A few times I've gone in to pick him up after his nap and found him on his tummy.
• He is constantly chewing on something: his hands, a toy, my necklaces, anything (and everything) within reach and he is constantly drooling; the fronts of his poor shirts are always wet.
• He has his first teeth! His first tooth (the bottom L) came through on Monday, 5.19.08 and his second (the bottom R) came through on Thursday, 5. 22.08. He had a few harder nights a few days before the first tooth popped through, he woke up crying and was content only when I held him. After some rocking and some Tylenol he did ok and he's been fine since that first tooth came. They are still very small, but so cute when I catch glimpses of them.
• He is sitting really well. He seems to mostly fall forward when he's reaching for a toy in front of him. He prefers to sit up and loves reaching for and grabbing his toys. My favorite thing is when he's playing with something and then sees another toy he wants to get. He will put one toy in his mouth to hold on to it and then reach for another one. He's also really quick and will grab anything: tonight at dinner Patrick had William on his lap and he turned to get a toy for him and when he looked back William was holding Patrick's chicken breast and just staring at it!
• He is eating nearly all of the "Stage 2" foods. Green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, garden vegetables, mixed vegetables, applesauce, bananas, pears, along with rice cereal and oatmeal. He has three full meals a day. The only food he's not crazy about is peas.
• His newest sound is an excited, high-pitched scream. It's actually sweet. He does it when he's excited and happy. He has really been using his voice.
• He still likes faces, but has really been liking animal books. We have a book about dogs, "Puppy Love" with real puppy pictures that he loves and also a farm animal book that he likes. Reading to him is tough though, he tries to grab the book while I'm reading and eat the corners. He gets upset if I hold it away from him and he can't reach it.
• His naps are getting established. His morning nap usually starts between 8:30 -9:00 and lasts for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. His afternoon nap is usually around 1:00 and can last up to 3 hours, although 2 is more normal. Most days he and Henry nap around the same time in the afternoon which is a nice break!
• He loves his pacifier and is getting attached to having one for his nap/bedtimes. I also just learned this week that he is particular about the brand. Several of them have disappeared, so I tried another brand that I have lots of and he was not happy. I may have to buy more. I wonder if I will regret this?
• He loves bathtime. This month we started putting his baby bath tub in the big bath and giving both boys baths at the same time. William loves watching Henry and enjoys all of the splashing action. Henry usually requests William to be in his bath with him now.
• He is very amused by Henry who has turned into quite the entertainer. Now that William is at the table for all of our meals, Henry takes it upon himself to entertain him if he starts to get fussy. He mostly makes funny faces and noises. He also makes up lots of nonsense words to say to William. Henry is not so obliging when it comes to toys. He definitely does not want to share any of his own toys with William and lately he's been snatching even William's baby toys away from him. He'll say very adamantly, "no, you can't have that Wee-yum." We're definitely working on this.