I'm back

Well, I haven't been gone, but have been horrible about posting! - Sorry!

To update: Kellen's doing wonderfully on the potty, including poo poo. He's gotten three busted lips in the past week and a half or so...



This is a picture of his 1st one (Thursday before last), then he got another one that mirrored this one (but not quite as bad) that weekend...those mostly healed up, then another one this weekend! Oh boy...

I'll try to get back in the habit of posting!!

Dry all night...and day!

Yup...Kellen woke up dry this morning. AND, he had ZERO accidents at school today! Whoo hoo! He had one accident on the way home from grocery shopping, but it really wasn't his fault. He was still buckled in his carseat and I was moving groceries around, so we're just chalking that one up to miscommunication.

We're getting there (and it seems to have taken us quite a while to get to this point, but that's ok!)

He's talking about wanting to go to swim lessons after school, so I think that Matt and I will look at the rest of the summer schedule and see about getting him in another set of swim lessons around his birthday. That way he could just do the Frog class rather than the Frog and Me class. I think that he would do really well in a class with just kids and a teacher, rather than having Matt or I in the water with him.

We'll see!

Jesus made the stars

So tonight Kellen and I went to a party hosted by one of my co-workers. She has had a fish camp named after her and was having a pool party & cook-out tonight for all of the counselors and invited some of us from work to attend. By the way, in case any of you were wondering, Kellen did GREAT in the pool. He jumped in, put his face under water, floated on the noodle chest down - both assisted and unassisted, and practiced his kicking and blowing bubbles in the water. He was so proud of himself and did not want to get out of the water when we needed to get ready to leave.

After getting out, he made up to one of the girls...wanted to sit on her lap and play with her...he's such a flirt! It was adorable! When he decided that he wanted to sit with her he asked me very quietly, "Mommy, I want to sit with her," and pointed to the girl. So I told him that it was ok and that he needed to walk over there and ask her if he could sit with her. The first time, he made it halfway and then ran back to me, acting shy...the second time he did it and just started playing like he had known her for forever!

So we say our goodbye's and are walking out to the car, when he whispers to me, "I didn't give kisses bye-bye!" We then turn around, go back in and he gives my co-worker and host of the party a kiss. It was just so sweet!

Anyway...we make it home and out of the car and he looks up at the sky, points out the stars, then remarks, "There are lots of stars up there. Jesus made the stars, Mommy." Now I ask you...how sweet is that?

Too sweet!

Ok, he made another comment that was so cute and sweet that I just had to post it! We left for swim lessons tonight after saying our good-byes to Matt, since he was about to get ready for work and will be gone until tomorrow morning. On the way, I asked Kellen if he was excited about going swimming, and he told me, "No, I'm not." I asked him why and his reply, "I want my friend Daddy." (Sidenote: He really ended up being excited about swimming and did great, but this comment was just too sweet. He just adores his daddy!)

Over the Hedge

Well, we finally delved into movies on the big screen with Kellen...we went and watched "Over the Hedge" this afternoon at Cinemark - and he LOVED it! (We had to get up only once to go to the potty, but he didn't have an accident! ). The movie was cute and although it's rated PG, I thought it was very appropriate for Kellen (has potty humor, which he gets from Matt anyway)...Matt and I were even laughing out loud during parts of it.Whew...Kellen really behaved well...he was getting a little impatient during all of the previews, but when the movie started he was just mesmerized! All in all, a very pleasant experience!

What a day!

I just have to start with out with an *ARG* and a *sigh*...but I'll end with a WHOOP...

Kellen and I made it home to eat and change for his swimming lesson tonight, but then right before we were about to leave, he gets in his poo poo stance (this may sound funny to some of you guys, but he's been perpetually constipated and/or has had BM problems/issues for at least 1 1/2 years now...prune juice has been a staple for him for a long time). Since we're working really hard on the potty training, I've been catching him in the poo poo stance and just putting him on the potty to go...not asking if he wants to, just doing it. We're really making progress that way (i.e., he's actually done some business on the potty and hasn't been holding it in) for the last couple of weeks. Anyway, he's on the potty, and I know he has more (he had a little accident before we actually made it) so I get a book to read to him. Finish that book and he asks for another. Finish that one and he asks for another. Ummm...by this point in time we're going to be really late for the swim lessons, IF we even get off the potty and leave.

So I have this internal debate raging in my brain about swim lessons (that we paid for) and him going to the potty (should I rush him, just get him off the potty only to have what will inevitably an accident - and possibly in the pool, at that!)... Realistically speaking, I'm not quite sure what my brain was truly debating or thinking, because it isn't like I could make him "go" any quicker or anything.

We completed the task at hand after the three books, but by this time, swim lessons had already started...and our house is a good 10 minutes away...the swim lessons are only 25 minutes, so I just gave it up for the night. What was the point? I want to cheer him for going on the potty... really...but it was frustrating to miss a swim lesson, as he has been making progress each day.

In the grand scheme of things, this really isn't a big deal...I just needed to vent!

Ok, next topic...although very closely related. I'm having a moment...A little bit before he went to bed, Kellen came to me and told me that he had to go potty. I immediately get up and go with him to the bathroom to help (I normally help him undress and put him on the potty) and he gave me a very emphatic, "I do it!" So he pulled down his undies, got on the potty himself, and goes pee pee. Then he looks up at me with the biggest grin...It was just precious (ok...how sad am I when I'm calling pee pee'ing in the potty precious - but anyway!). I then tried to help him off the potty, but he was having none of that either. He did it himself, flushed, put his undies back on, and there ya' go!

He's doing it, we're making it, and I'm excited about this! But, I'm also a little sad, because this is one more way of proving that he's growing up! I'm not sure that I'm completely ready for that? But are we ever?

He's doing really well at school, too...so I hope that he keeps this up!

Swim lessons...

So another day for swim lessons...and he did much better today, after a short period of time to get used to it. Once again, it was super cold...and threatening to storm the entire time. It even started raining during the lesson. *Arg* However, he did better today than yesterday, so if we can keeup up that trend, we'll be in good shape!

I need another weekend to recover!

We had such a full weekend that I need another day to recover...or two...

Thursday night Kellen and I went to MawMaw and PawPaw's and although it wasn't intended, our arrival was a surprise. Friday Matt and I went to my TMJ dr appointment to see if there is anything else that can be done right now for my jaw...I've been seeing the chiropractor twice a week now for a couple of months and I can notice a difference, but she's thinking that I need a night guard and we wanted to get his opinion...He's fairly indifferent on the night guard, but thinks that I need a steriod injection in the joint, which would require me to be "out" although it's a outpatient procedure done in his office. So, we're probably going to have that done in a couple of weeks. Back to MawMaw and PawPaw's afterwards to get set up for the first installment of the marathon family reunion weekend.

Friday night - pool at the park and then pizza and games at MawMaw and PawPaw's
Saturday - down to Chuck's for brisquet, swimming and games
Sunday - down to Channelview for the gameroom/pavilion
Monday - hang out with everyone that hasn't flown out or started back on their drive...

Kellen and I got back home around 8:30 last night. I'm beat! I could barely make it through work today, and have NO idea what I'm still doing up! (Actually, that's not true...I'm cleaning the house because we're going to have company tomorrow night). I'm doing a Girls Night Out and a friend of mine is coming over here with her kiddo and we're splitting a babysitter. Hence the need for some cleaning.

Tonight after work was Kellen's first swim lesson...and we managed to survive. That's about the extent of it today. After the rain this weekend, a cooler front (not a cold front, but just cooler - hey, we are in Texas!) came through and the air was rather chilly for those of us in the pool at 6:35 PM...His little teeth were chattering and his lips were turning blue! He just didn't want to let go of my neck! We were able to play some of the skill games, and he's ok with being on his belly, but NOT his back. We'll just have to work on that. I didn't want to push it tonight, as it's the first of nine lessons and I didn't want to take the fun out of the swimming lessons and swimming/pool in general. Hopefully tomorrow he'll do better - and hopefully it will be a little warmer! I don't blame him for not wanting to let go of me...It was COLD in the water!!

Monster man...

Well, we had a visit from the monster man today, and it felt like he stayed all day long! Kellen woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and we ended the day with having a fit at McDonald's, one so bad that we actually left without him even playing on the play area (he had played while the food was getting ready, but was told to eat first and then he could play). He just never made it...temper tantrum, throwing a fit, disobeying, etc. What a scene that he made! We had a nice long talk on the way home, and then again when we got home. He was still talking about McDonad's as I put him to bed...but we ended the day with him saying that next time he would listen to Mommy and Daddy and obey so that he could play at McDonald's.

My goodness!

He's Making My Day!

I just had to give a big, "Whoo hoo!" today!

We were out of town this weekend, and Kellen did wonderfully on the potty. During the ride home (3 hrs) he told us that he had to go twice (fortunately we were close to places to stop). AND, he fell asleep during the ride coming home, but didn't have an accident and when we got to the house, he asked to go pee pee. Whoop!

We got some clothes this weekend, and I had a feeling that the "right" big boy undies would do wonders for his...umm...motivation. And we might have found them...Shrek! He was desperate to wear them, but I told him that he couldn't because he was having too many accidents but that once he got really good at telling Mommy and Daddy that he had to go pee pee, that he could wear the Shrek undies (this was before our ride home, mind you). Well, perhaps something about that conversation - or the motivation for Shrek undies - might have really done it!

He woke us up this morning at his normal time with a loud yell...when I went into his room and asked what was wrong, he told me he had to go pee pee. And we made it! (Not that he was dry or anything, but getting him to sit on the potty first thing after he wakes up in the morning has been a bit of a struggle with us lately).

He only had 1 accident all day at school today, and none tonight while he were hanging out here at the house...AND during the day today (at school) he went poo poo on the potty, too! Throughout the day today after he would go, he kept telling his teacher that his Mommy was going to be so happy. How adorable is that?

When he told me that he had gone poo poo on the potty, it was immediately followed by a request for a sticker (we've implemented a sticker reward for that and a grab bag item as a reward for days when he doesn't have any accidents - we haven't made that one yet).

And it gets better...Kellen is just making my day today! As we were getting ready for bed, he reminded me that we needed to floss his teeth. Whoop! And he picked out the purple flosser with which to do it...I still do all of the flossing and we take turns brushing, but YEAH! He reminded me! And let me do all of his teeth!I'm so excited! (I'm having a good "Mommy" day today and just wanted to share my good news!).

Otherwise, the day has been a Monday...we had a water leak in the building over the weekend and my office suite was part of what got water damage. Arg. So I walked in this morning to the student worker computer in the lobby area of my office all disconnected and that desk in dissarray. But, it could have been much worse! It didn't get into the small conference room or the records room (two other rooms within my suite area), or my office. Whoop!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

It's Grandpa Gerren's birthday today, and I thought that Kellen was going to sing to him this morning, but nope...as soon as I got him on the phone munchkin man decided that he wasn't going to grace us with his singing. Little toot!

Things are going all right over here...just rolling along. Kellen's school pictures came in today and they are just too cute! He looks adorable! I just love his sweet smile!

His teacher told me that he's doing really well on the potty...we're averaging an accident a day (using the training pants only - no pull-ups even during naptime - whoo hoo), so I think that's pretty good. I think that perhaps next week I'll move to a reward grab bag system and start letting him pick something out of a grab bag on the days that he doesn't have any accidents or poo poo's in the potty...I think that might be an incentive for him to work on this a little more...Who knows?

That's about it for us...just getting ready to go away for the weekend...Ft. Worth Friday night and then to a welcome-back party and a wedding on Saturday in the Stephenville/Tolar area...we'll be back sometime on Sunday.

Happy Birthday to Me

So, today was my big day. I'm the age that everyone "holds" at now. That seems very wierd. My day didn't start out well, but it had virtually nowhere to go but up! My car had no gas when I tried to leave this morning to get Kellen to daycare and me to work, but Matt put some in it for me so I could make it to the gas station, then I burned my hand on the coffee while getting a filler at the gas station. But, I somehow knew that this was going to happen (all except the burn part) - so it didn't bother me at all! It's just one of those things. No biggie! My big plans for the day included: Work...birthday cake & ice cream...lunch with some of my co-workers...home to a wonderful spaghetti meal cooked by Matt...then watched Alias and Lost, and now the season finalie of Invasion.

Kellen was so cute today...he was talking about my birthday and asking where my, "Happy Birthday cake was?" and saying, "Happy birthday cake to mommy."

Too adorable!

Poor baby!

This morning was very odd. I woke up, got almost completely ready, and still not a peep from my Kellen. I went into his room a little before 7 and he was still sound asleep - tried to wake him up (didn't try too hard, but did hold his hand and rub on his back a little bit), but nothing. Still zonked out. So I finished getting ready and then went back into his room a little after 7. His door has been open since my initial peek, and still my little boy slept. What's up with that? I finally rouse him and after he stretches and rubs his eyes, he looks at me and says, "I threw up."

Huh?

Then he proceeds to tell me that he got sick last night, and shows me the spot on the floor by the door where he threw up (we're not talking huge quantities here, folks). I asked him if he called for me ('cause I most definitely did not hear him) and his reply, "I cried." Then he proceeds to show me his cry face. "See, like this." I never could get a good answer out of him about whether or not he called for me while he was getting sick. He said that he felt fine now, and that his tummy didn't hurt, but it certainly was an odd way to start the morning!

Minutes later Matt came home and was pretty much in shock to see that Kellen had just woken up. If you can't tell, his sleeping late is highly unlike our little guy.

Poor thing! I just can't believe that he didn't call out for me or that I didn't hear him last night while this was happening. He just wanted to snuggle and snuggle this morning, but he certainly wanted his Daddy to take him to school. There were no if, ands or buts about that one!

Mother's Day

My day began very nicely, my boys and I watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at Maw Maw & Paw Paw's house (we stopped by just to see the new deck, and ended up being too tired to drive home, so we spent the night there on Saturday night), Matt stopped to get me a cappacino for our drive home, we made it home and our intent was to go to the late service at church (to no avail...a migraine kicked in for me), so Kellen and I took a very long nap when we got to the house (about 3 hours long - which is virtually unheard of for him!). I woke up migraine free to a wonderful husband who had been working non-stop on the yard and house since we went down for our naps. He served us lunch, then brought me my Mother's Day cards and presents - an 8 X 10 family picture (the Easter Sunday bluebonnet picture) and another picture of Kellen in an Aggie shirt with an Aggie hat on his head looking too cute for my desk at work. After that, the rest of the day was spent lounging, playing, and listening to the storm (unfortunately, the storm sidetracked our plan to go to the pool, then the other possibility was taking Kellen to go and watch Ice Age 2, but we figured that plenty of other folks would be doing that on a rainy Sunday afternoon, plus we didn't really want to get out, especially get Kellen out, in that nast storm!) Other than the migraine, it was a good Mother's Day...

Getting there...potty training

So today was the first FULL day of no pull-ups, just training pants for munchkin man. We had one accident at the house before we even left for school (somehow I have to get it across to him that the toast will still be there when he gets back from the potty - where did he get that love of bread? I'm sure it couldn't be from his Mommy???!!??), but then made it to school ok and made sure to tell the teachers that he was in training pants and not the pull-up. Well, I'm not sure if he just had a bad day or if he was just getting back at us or what, but he had several accidents today - lots of clothes wrapped up in the bags for Mommy to pick up when I arrived at school - Oh well! We expected that for the first few days!

His issue tonight was telling me he had to go poo poo, me sitting him on the potty, them him hopping right back off and saying that he didn't. I really think that he was holding it in so that he wouldn't poo poo on the potty, because he actually went pretty well in his training pants a little later on. I'm so worried about pushing this phase of it, because with his BM troubles, I don't want to push things with him and the potty and just make him hold it all in and make everything worse. I feel like he's just now growing out of the issues that we have been having and I don't want to go backwards. Arg!

However, we are putting him in a pull-up at night to sleep in. No way in getting around that one right now and I'm not even going to tackle it until we have the daytime worked out.

We're getting there, though! Whoo hoo!!

Bad Mommy

I'm feeling like a bad mommy right now. Kellen was outside with me on Monday night while I weeded the flower beds, and dumb-bo me forgot to put the insect repellant on him (and I just bought some, too!) and, like his mommy, he ended up getting eaten alive in the 20ish minutes that we were outside. After bath on Monday night we put the calamine lotion on the bites, and have been repeating the lotion in the morning and after bath. But we must have some mosquitos in the house, because he has more on his legs today then he had yesterday. During bathtime tonight I counted between 25-30 bites (some are hard to say because I can't tell if it's one big bite that he's been scratching or a couple of little bites just close together). Oh I just feel awful! I know that he wants to just scratch and scratch them, because that's what I'm wanting to do! I have him watch Mommy put the lotion on her boo boo's, so he's sees me doing it, too - and we discuss NOT scratching them, but it's just SO hard!! (As I sit here dying to scratch the ever-living out of mine!)

Anyway...moving on...

This morning he was so cute! He was intermittently running aroung sans clothing, eating his breakfast, and singing "Hakuna Matata" - I wonder if he'll ever really know how much he makes my heart melt? Kids - their joy, innocence, sweetness, goodness - it's amazing that we're entrusted to care and raise them. He just melted my heart this morning!

And today was parent-teacher conference day at school...no major problems but we're moving to training pants only at school - no more pull-ups because he's just being lazy sometimes when he has them on. He knows that if he has an accident it is no big deal and that he doesn't have to stop what he's doing to actually go potty because he has a pullup on. Well, he knows when he needs to go - so we're moving all the way there with the training pants. I hadn't realized that he had been wearing the training pants over his naptime, too - and lots of times not having an accident! Way to go buddy! Now we just have to work on it more at home - but being naked really seems to work for him. For some reason he tells me he has to go if he's naked much better than if he has clothes or even a training pant undie on. I've read and heard some stuff about this so it seems to be pretty normal.

Growing up little boy here we come, I guess...

7th Heaven

I've enjoyed this show off and on throughout the years, and tonight is its final episode. Hmm....

Kellen is just being Kellen. I did a stupid-mom thing today and took him outside with me to do yard work without putting insect repellent on him (I know, I know...stupid mommy thing to do) and he had almost a dozen bites all over his poor little body. He takes after him mommy on that one and the mosquitoes are just drawn to him! Poor thing! So after the bath he got a kick out of me rubbing calamine lotion on his boo boos...he just giggled his cute little giggle. It was adorable!

Day of Rest?

Isn't a weekend supposed to have a day of rest built in there somewhere?

There must be something in the air today, because while Matt slept (not that he was veggin', his new job just requires him to be nocturnal), my day went something like this:

To church (the early service) a little late (but that was ok b/c Kellen made a poo poo in the potty - that's pretty big for us!), after church went to Kroger, then to the Dollar Store, back to the house and while feeding lunch to Kellen got all of the groceries put away. Got Kellen down for a nap, then started on the laundry (the 7th load of laundry is finishing up in the washing machine now). Cleaned up the kitchen, which entailed two full rounds of the dishwasher, a good scrubbin' of the stove, the normal counters, floor sweeping & mopping, plus a not-so-normal deep cleaning of Kellens chair. I also managed dinner, which was just a simple salad, alfredo pasta, with a side of green beans, and got Matt's food ready for him for work. In the midst of this, Kellen and I managed some fun play time with a variety of toys, including making trains out of playdoh.It has to be something in the air...because this is normally what I manage to get accomplished all weekend long - not in one Sunday afternoon!

I feel a major sense of accomplishment here - but after the craziness of this weekend's schedule, it's rather exhausting as well!

Anyway...Moving on..

Tonight was our first try at flossing and Kellen did GREAT! He let me floss ALL OF HIS TEETH!! On the FIRST NIGHT! I was so amazed! I had wondered how he would do, because he's used to us working with his teeth, etc., since we've done his turn, my turn for SO long now...I thought flossing would be a whole new ballgame. At the grocery store today we went and looked for flossers...and I told him what we were doing and that we were going to start flossing his teeth. I couldn't find any character flossers at Krogers, (I had been told about some Buzz Lightyear flossers that we still might look for), but came across Fun Flossers (48 in a pack for $1.99 - all right!!) and they come in green, purple, yellow and I think maybe blue (he wanted the green, of course - his favorite color), tonight. The handles are super easy to grip (for Mommy at least- he didn't get a turn tonight - it was just me). There were a couple of times that he told me it hurt, and we took 3 or 4 breaks. Once I was going to put the flosser away and he said, "No, we have to finish all my teeth." Then we brushed just like normal. He even wanted to sleep with the flosser, which he does with new things that he likes. Maybe this transition into flossing will be easier than I had initially expected.

I'm doing a happy dance here!!

Ok...backtrack for the weekend in review..

Friday night I had a party to attend and the boys had a boys night in and watched the Astros...

Saturday morning was summer swim lesson sign up and I would say that it was my first experience into the foray as a beginner "soccer mom" - isn't that the term used as a generality for most all extracurricular activities for kiddos? Anyway...I had heard the stories about needed to get to the sign up early...and my goal was 8 AM...I actually got there at 8:30, and was #64 in line. OH MY GOSH! I talked with the #4 lady (mom of one of Kellen's daycare classmates), and she was there at 6 something, got her number, left, and came back again for the final wait. Wow! But...it was a successful adventure (after some of my signature stubborness took effect, I stood my ground and got Kellen into a class that he's officially too young for but I had been told repeatedly that he could take - twice before Sat. morning and then again before the sign up on Sat. morning). Whew! We're all signed up!

Then onto Toys R Us to get a birthday gift for the birthday party he was going to that afternoon...Home for an early nap, which he surprisingly took with NO problems...I just told him if he wanted to go to the birthday party he had to lay down and take a nap, and he hopped right into bed! Imagine that! ABS Reunion started at 12:30, but because of his early nap we were late and got there around 1:30...stayed until a little after 3:00...ran and got a bag for his present and made it to the birthday party between 3:30 - 3:45, and he was pretty well behaved there. It's so difficult for kids his age to see so many presents and understand that NONE of the presents are for them! However, he did really well with this! Back to the ABS center after the party around 5ish, hung out for a while and then the gang went out to each in downtown Bryan...swung some leftover food by for Matt and we finally made it back to the house by ~ 10:00 last night.

And for the schedule that we had yesterday, he was SO well behaved. There were some moments...but overall, he did pretty well. It was such a great weekend, starting wonderfully on Friday night, but I'm utterly exhausted from it all! These jam-packed schedules and work days just take it out of me!

Maybe the week will be more restful...Hmmm...

Best Friend

I guess it's about that time...tonight Kellen told me who his "best friend" is...We were saying our prayers and we started to bless our friends, and he named one of his friends in particular and then told me that he was his best friend. Is it too early for him to have a best friend? Well, I guess not...Where did he learn that terminology? I have no idea!! It was cute and scary all at the same time...cute and sweet, but then scary because I know he's getting to that point when it's possible that he'll become hurt by his "friends" and start going through those types of relationship issues that are just part of growing up. Man-oh-man...are we already there?

Weekend...

What an unusual weekend...it starts out with us leaving for Conroe on Sat. morning after Matt got off of work...with dog in tow, then getting a call indicating that the storm that blew through Conroe had once again knocked a tree over in George and Judy's backyard. What are the odds? Once again, the falled tree had damaged the fence, only this time it hadn't destroyed any property (whew!). So, Baily's status as a backyard animal was in jeapardy...kennel in the garage or boarding was in order, so we opted for the boarding route, which meant that I took a half day today since we couldn't pick him up until this morning. Wacko start to the weekend, I guess. Oh well!

Went to the housewarming party...which was nice, and ran after Kellen seemingly the whole time (I know that I had assistance on this, but I was WIPED out after this party was over). George and Judy offered to watch Kellen while Matt and I went to do something, but we were both exhausted! How sad...

Church on Sunday...Then finally got Kellen some sandals (bought 5 pair and ended up with 2 that he will tolerate/fit him) - Whoo Hoo! MawMaw is taking the rest back to the various stores from which they were purchased. We were supposed to go and see Tom, Cassie and Taylor, but Taylor had a stomach virus and the doctors had suggested she have no visitors...so that knocked that visit and part of our trip out. Stinker.

So, Matt and I decide to run a couple of Houstonian errands and make a night of it on Sunday night instead...and drove around for ages. We had a great date night that consisted of riding around Houston. Sounds like an odd date night, but we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Onto the week!