How to Potty Train [Your Duck]

Perhaps my most proud mommy moment to date was the other day when Blaine [unprompted], decided his ducks needed to go potty too.

STEP 1: Put ducks on potty.


STEP 2: Read your ducks their favorite tractor books. STEP 3: Thoroughly wipe off all duck butts.

STEP 4: Go dump the duck pee in the bathroom. [He actually ran it in there and "dumped" it too!]

I love that kid!!

Farmchick's Farm Photo Blog Hop

Wearing his tractor pull shirt to church. Doesn't get more country than that (LOL): One of several new Christmas gak gaks:

This week's farm theme is, "BLAINE LOVES PLAYING OUTSIDE IN THE COLD BUT HATES WEARING GLOVES!!!"

He is fine until he realizes he wants to pick something up and can't. Then he gets mad and rips off the gloves.

I neeeeed advice on how to keep gloves on him. He has even figured out how to get off the ones that double snap to his coat.

Duck tape?

Merry Christmas: Santa Fail

I'm one of those people who gets stressed out about Christmas presents. Like I hate them. Really hate them. Really really hate them. I hate bringing them home and having to find a place for them. So in turn, I basically don't buy people Christmas presents, and if they insist on getting me something, I request toilet paper, toothpaste, soap, batteries, etc. Things I can use. I kid you not, I get them too. It is great! Some people don't listen and some of their gifts end up at Goodwill. I kid you not.

Now that I have a child, I had a Christmas dilemma. Last year we didn't get him anything. This year I bought him 4 used books on Amazon.com for $0.01 each [ok yes you have to pay shipping], but caved and let him read them the minute they came in the mail. {Santa Fail #1}. I also was planning on giving him a bag of hand-me-down toys [thanks George / Peg / Heather] from "Santa". Well, last minute, Santa decided to not come again this year, so Blaine can get the toys in February when the toys from his grandparents have worn out their welcome and we are reallly having cabin fever! {Santa Fail #2}

Let's face it though, Christmas is all about having fun and playing with your cousins!! Blaine had a great time doing just that! After four Christmas gatherings, the dust is settling, dadda is back to work, and we are getting back into a routine [NOT]. Babies staying up until 11 pm is a recipe for long-term messed up schedules! ;)

Farmchick's Farm Photo Friday

Here in Ohio we've had a WARM WARM WARM WARM December! No snow yet this season and great temps to be outdoors. Blaine has been loving it!

I follow a local farm on facebook and on their wall it said, "Stop on by our Holiday Open House Sunday from 1-3". I was totally excited, thinking Blaine would love to see the horses, animals, and tractors. Well, long story short, we get there and it is a party for the people who board their horses there. LOL!! Opps! Totally their fault though (IMO), and they know us so had no problem letting us take Blaine around the farm. HE HAD A BALL!

Apparently, the Belgian horse above is not far off the world record height of 20.1 hands. I learn something everyday!

They Don't Teach This in Childrearing Classes

You know how you take childbirth, breastfeeding, and child-care classes to prepare you for things you will face as a parent?

No one taught me what to do when my child is up all night vomitting and my husband is out of the state.

Yes Blaine got his first tummy bug last night and I was alone.

Here are the strategies I used:

Make sure to call husband who is warm and asleep in his hotel room. Just to fill him in with the miserable conditions at home. If you are losing LOTS of sleep and are VERY miserable, maybe call again. I only called once so things must have been only semi-miserable. ;)

Stop changing the sheets after the third set have been puked on. Just cover puke with a towel. Repeat with new towel when necessary.

Only bath child at 3 am if so much vomit is in his hair that you can't handle the stench while you are sleeping beside him.

Only change his jammies and / or your jammies when so much vomit is on them that the wetness is causing hypothermia.

There you have it! We survived! No more vomit since 4 AM and the diarrhea he has had today so far has gone in the potty [score!!].

Hope Blaine is on the mend and I REALLY hope I don't get it! Today I have waaay too much laundry to do! He puked in my bed AND in his! :(

Back to School

Breastfeeding class that is! I'm going with my pregnant friend to her bfing class tomorrow and I'm soooo excited! Breastfeeding is something I didn't predict I'd like all that much but now that I've been doing it for 16+ months, I'm a big fan.

LOL.

But while we are talking about school, I'm 97% sure I'm going back to teaching next year. I've been very much on the fence for the last year and a half, so this is as close as I've come to being sure about the decision. It is 100% the wrong decision for the next 8 years of our lives but definitely the right decision for the long run. It is my dream job, it is the perfect job for me, I realize I miss it, I love making an impact on so many lives, I love teenagers and all their energy, and it makes me jealous and angry to think of my sub "stealing" my position, my SMARTBoard, my classroom, etc [this girl never even had to interview!!!!!!!!].

Plus now that it is rainy / cold everyday, I'm definitely going 100% INSANE. I think 2 years off is / was the perfect amount for me. The thing I'm having the hardest time with is the bedtime thing. Blaine sleeps 8:30 pm - 8:30 am give or take 45 minutes or so on each of those times. If I'm getting him up next year at 6:15, suddenly we are looking at a 6:15 bedtime. I know lots of you mommy's out there have always had your kids on that type of schedule, but we haven't. And it really REALLLLY will have to change how we live our lives [we aren't even home until after 8 most nights]. Plus he will probably never see Nick in the evenings who will be switching to 10 hour days next year so he can get one day off per week to babysit. Gah. Plus the obvious, I WILL MISS BLAINE SO MUCH.

But I will manage and eventually I will adjust.

PS must share an old pic I am in love with:

Going on a Walk

Talk about the perfect sun angle!!

EC: Our Journey

As some of you know, I've been doing Elimination Communication with Blaine since he was 2 weeks old. Some people say "it isn't really potty training", but it absolutely is. I've basically been potty training Blaine since birth.

The peak of his potty effectiveness was definitely 5 months to 10 months. In that time period, he often had "one diaper days" where every single poop and pee went in the potty. It was awesome!

Then he started walking.

I think walking opened a whole new door of adventure and freedom. He suddenly was way too busy to sit on the potty and unless it was at a wakeup AND he was "in the mood" to sit, there was no way he was going to sit on that potty. He would kick, he would scream, and I wouldn't push the issue. I was changing poopy diapers for the first time since he was a newborn and I would always say, "Blaine, you pooped in your diaper. You know poop goes on the potty!". Then one day about 14.5 months old, it clicked again. He started pooping on the potty regularly but only in the mornings. If he had an afternoon or evening poop, it would go in the diaper. Even if I knew it was coming and tried to put him on the potty, he would just sit there, and then get up and poop in the diaper 10 minutes later.

That is pretty much where we stand now. It is currently 2:30 pm and he's had the same diaper on since this morning. He's peed twice on the potty and pooped once so it has been a good day so far.

So let me explain my 'disappointment' [I use quotes because obviously I'm thrilled he knows how to use the potty and uses it so much, so I don't want anyone to think I don't appreciate that]. I thought by now he'd be more communicative. I've taught him the ASL sign for potty and he has never used it. I thought he would walk to the potty when he has to go. He never has.

In conclusion: I still think EC is pretty much the BEST THING EVER and I would do it all over again with child 2. I just thought by 16 months we would be further than we are with him initiating the communication regarding when he has to go.

16 Months

16 months old today. My little [no pun intended] outdoorsman, lover of animals, obsessor of "gak gaks" [tractors], tool-man, daddy's boy, Blaine is amazing! It is crazy how much he understands and how much he remembers. OH, and how ornery he is and how he tests boundaries. ;)

Blaine can do so many great things now that he's 16 months old, but for some reason I'm hung up on a few cannots:

HE CANNOT SLEEP FROM BEDTIME TO MORNING! Never once, has not happened. Mommy and Daddy are sleep deprived. He will still cry up to 2 hours at night when he wakens.

HE CANNOT SAY "MOMMY". Or pretty much anything other than daddy, gak gak, and moo.

HE IS NOT POTTY TRAINED. Both his parents were by this age and I hear about it often.

Am I simply expecting too much? Is Blaine doomed because his mother is too negative? Is his mother negative because she hasn't slept all night long since October 2009?

:)

HAPPY 16 MONTHS LITTLE BUDDY! I COULD SQUEEZE YOU ALL DAY EVERYDAY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Our Oompa Loompa

Not all hand-me-downs are created equal. Or as Blaine would say, "JUST BECAUSE IT WAS FREE DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO MAKE ME WEAR IT!!"

Let's hope he never sees these pics when he's older! LOL.

Tests Tests!

Here's an update on how things are going in the "Blaine is little" department. We had to go to the hospital to visit a nutritionist, get a blood test, and then go back two weeks later for a sweat test [checks for Cystic Fibrosis]. As you can tell, he's a champion sweater and he passed all tests with flying colors.

In conclusion: I'm still not sure how much money I'll owe the hospital, I had to listen to Blaine cry waay more than I would have liked, and I knew he was fine all along. At least everyone can rest easy now! :)

M.F.M.F. - Poison Ivy

This new MFMF moment is brought to you by Phase Three of Life. Every Friday she does a "My Favorite Moments Friday" and all I can think when I see MFMF is "MOMMY FAIL! MOMMY FAIL!" I always expect a funny mommy fail story but realize I've got the acronym embedded in my head wrong. ;)

Well here ya go with my week's mommy fail: Blaine, my little adventurous outdoorsman just came down with poison ivy for the 2nd time in his short life. ON HIS FOOT. You know, WHERE HIS SKIN IS ALWAYS COVERED BY SOCKS AND SHOES! Bizarre. Definite mommy fail.

I don't even think I have had poison ivy two times in my life. That kid is going to have a long, itchy life; I haven't even taken his on a REAL geocaching adventure yet! Stinging nettles, thorns, poison ivy, OH MY!!

Funny Boy!

TRACT-OR TREAT: Farmchick's Farm Pic Friday

When you are a country kid, you go trick or treating on your tractor! ;)

Tract-or Treating! hardy har harrrrrr.

Blaine was the scarecrow and his girlfriend was Dorthy! Totally precious!

'Tis a New Week

^^ our super cute Halloween card this year.

IT'S A NEW WEEK, AND I'M FEELING MUCH BETTER!

Thanks for all your comments / words of encouragement / advice.

A high school and blogger friend Anna said I should do an update [who, by the way, recently announced her pregnancy....YIPEE! CONGRATS!]. I really do think it was just a combination of hormones and rainy weather. This week it was sunny. My period is over. Life is glorious. Tara was right, something about mom hormones. My period just isn't what it used to be when it comes to mood swings! LOL.

I survived the midterm with minimal tears [but lots of nights up until after midnight]. I am contemplating whether to take the next class this spring or not [to those who are wondering why I'd be taking an advanced math class right now, when mom brain is in overdrive and I am still sleep deprived, well I need 6 credit hours before 2014 for license renewal. I figured now is the best time since I'm off work].

To clear up the "social worker" and "hospitalization" story: the doctor definitely did not mention any of those words. I would have punched him in the face if he did. [ok I would not have]. It was my husband who said those things and I did want to punch him in the face. [and still do]. ;) We are planning on getting the blood tests and sweat test done so we can move on and the doctor can sleep easier. :)

Now on to other business. There are two mommies and two babies out there that really really really need our prayers right now. One is currently in the hosptial and the other is slated for open heart surgery on November 3rd. These kiddos are so lucky to have such strong mommies [I'm constantly in awe of them] but even I know they can use some extra prayers and hugs right now.

15 Months: Mommy Struggles

I am in such a funk lately that I didn't even realize it was the 18th of the month [thanks to Blaine's birth-twin's mom's post or I would have forgotten it].

Blaine is amazing. He is the best thing in my life and every minute I'm with him is perfect. Even when he's screaming. [lots of sickness and teething pain in the last few weeks]. I love him more than I could imagine loving anything and I want to sneak in his room and hug him right now just because.

But. I'm depressed. Honestly, I'm not a crier type person. Didn't cry at my wedding, or the birth of my child. Don't cry at sad TV shows. However, every single day for the last couple weeks, I've cried multiple times a day or felt like crying pretty much 24/7. I feel like life is drowning me.

I'm in a math class where "struggling" would not be strong enough of a word. I've never EVER felt like the "dumb kid" in a class but I feel even dumber than the dumb kid in this class. Not to mention I feel like I just never have adequate time to get the hw done. Blaine is always waking up before I get even one problem completed or my computer is freezing and it takes me 2 hours to watch a 30 minute lecture. The class is mostly online [whoever thought up the idea of an online math class obviously doesn't teach math], but we have to go three times. Monday was one of those times. Sitting through that torture was worse believe it or not. The pace was so fast I was just lost the whole time. The "smarty pants" people make us "humans" feel like crap with their snide comments, etc. I almost lost it right there in class and burst into tears. I held it in until the car ride home. The midterm is going to be posted tomorrow and I have so much anxiety and dread in my chest I almost can't breath when I think about it.

Then you have the topic of my child being a peanut. Blaine doesn't weigh enough apparently and we have to go to the hospital for tests. The words "social worker" and "hospitalization" have been brought up in conversations with my husband about the issue. I think those words are pretty strong considering the kid is healthy and happy. So of course when your husband mentions something about "them sending a social worker" I feel EXTREMELY inadequate as a mother.

Then there's the topic of I ABSOLUTELY DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANT TO DO WITH MY LIFE. Quit work? Go back to work? Get a new career? Take more classes so I can teach at a college? [classses where I would feel like the dumb kid, remember]. I feel like such a lost soul. The thought of going back to work and leaving Blaine everyday makes me cry. I'm sitting here crying just thinking about it. Every single night I lay awake and worry about what decision to make regarding my job.

So, in conclusion, sorry I didn't dedicate this post to Blaine, it being his 15 month birthday and all, but my struggles with life have been quiet for too long and I had to get this all off my chest.

[PS: Maybe it's just the hormones getting the best of me. I'm on my period. LOL!]

[PPS: I feel extremely guilty writing a post about how math makes me cry when there is no one in my family with a terminal illness, nor anyone at war, nor anyone unemployed, nor anyone homeless; you get my point. I am thankful we have our health and our jobs and each other, don't get me wrong, I'm just in a funk and that is all.]

Farm Pics Friday

Ya'll might be sick of pumpkin pics but I will never EVER be!!! :)



Cold one day: Hot a few days later:

Those are some fine lookin 'kins! [I grew the one on the right]:

Farmchick's Farm Photo Friday

It was an amazing week around here. Good fall weather, lots of fun outside. Blaine got his first sickness worthy of a doctor visit [separate post], but other than that this week made my heart smile.