Potty Training...for real this time!

Ok, so I have to brag...Isaac took about 3 hours to potty train. Really! (well according to the "Toilet Training in Less than a Day" book) He can go to the potty, pull down his pants, get on the potty, go potty, get down, flush, and put his underwear back on. Sure he needs reminders and some supervision still, but overall he's doing great and I think he gets that he's accomplishing something major.

Here's how we went about it for those interested (if not you can skip to the picture):

1. We chose to teach him to sit on the potty to pee (for all those moms of boys out there that I asked their opinion of, thanks! you were all helpful!) just so when it was time to poop, he wouldn't have to remember extra steps. One mom (mother of 4 boys) told me, "Look, they'll get it when they see all the other boys standing up and daddy standing up that they can do it that way too. It's just easier in the beginning." We also just went ahead and went with the big toilet. Less things to learn to get to the final result..."Just start with what I want to end with" is a parenting phrase of mine. So anyway. That's what we went with and Isaac seems to do pretty well with it!

2. We also started with a "dolly" that goes pee-pee...aka- an old Cabbage Patch Splash'n kid that I got in the 2nd grade after my first dental surgery because I didn't cry, and a squirt toy that I artfully held behind the doll in order for Isaac to watch the doll go pee. Anyway, the book we kind of followed said to for the child to teach the doll to go pee, then it's understood better when he starts. The doll thing helped somewhat, even though I was skeptical. I think it helped him get that he was supposed to sit and wait on the potty to pee. The problem was we had 3 accidents before we could really get done training the doll (less than an hour) so I just ended up abandoning it and going with training Isaac.

3. Here's another thing we heard both sides on when asking parents. But we decided, no pull-ups. He's a big boy. He can learn. I realize it may take up to a year or more for him to REALLY get this, but I think being consistent is helpful for those little brains trying to figure out what Mommy and Daddy expect from them in potty training.

Anyway...not that any of you wanted to know all this. I just know there are different ways of approaching potty training and this is how we did it.

And I'm happy to report at the end of day #2 that he woke up dry from sleeping all night the first night and from his nap today and he pooped in the potty with only a little complaining/fussing. The next big task is to go on an outing and see how he does. Who knows what tomorrow will hold but that's a pretty good start and we're SUPER proud of him!

So I almost posted a bunch of the really funny and cute pics we got of him potty training...there are several! But then just didn't feel right about it...but the one below I HAD to share. Anthony managed to catch this moment on day #1 about 1 and a half hours into it. It so captures the essence of potty training! (oh, and I have a white tank top on for any of you out there thinking I shouldn't have bought a shirt so big) I think this moment was when I gave up on the doll...that you can see here being cast to the wayside.

An Isaiah Post

Our Mini-er-man has been up to a lot the last month and a half too...
Like...he celebrated his big brother's 2nd birthday at Disney...
Got his first two teeth! (They're there, promise!)
Went to his cousin Jeremiah's baseball game... it was coooollllllddddd!!!!!
Has really developed his own little "blind-man" way of greeting and loving on people. We're not making fun of blind people here, so please don't see it like that. But when anyone picks him up to hold him, he first reaches for their face with his hands. With his Mama he usually then snuggles his face into mine while still holding either side of my face. It's a really cute unique-to-Isaiah kind of thing.
He'll fall asleep sitting straight up too in someone's arms. He just snuggles his face against mine and then will fall asleep. Seriously. AH-dorable!
He got some Disney action thrown in there too... if you can click on the picture below, do so... not sure what Zay was doing with his pacifier, but I think he's got a bit of comedic genius in him. We laughed so hard when we noticed it.
He LOVES his big brother... (I heart the picture below!)
...even though Isaac has interrupted more than one of his naps...
He's now eating solid food and doing pretty well with it!
Again, did I mention it's been cold?
On March 7th he turned 6 months old... and don't let this picture fool you... he was inside the rest of the day, but this pic was taken in a pretty chilly breeze...the shoes were just too cute and I didn't know if they'd still fit him by 7 months...
We have the pic below on our fridge. Sometimes when I look at it, he looks proportionately like he's a midget. Not sure how I got him to stand up, but he did long enough for me to take 2 photos like this... midget or not, that koala's got nothing on him these days.
And here's proof of my reason for lack of posting on the blog... this is Cohen...he's 6 weeks or so older than Isaiah and comes to play with (and steal pacifiers right out of Zay's mouth) Zay everyday from about 7:45 until about 4:45:) Check out the drool on Isaiah's shirt...it's dark orange around the graphic on his shirt...
And the drool here... I'm trying not to leave his pacifier in all day long so he can learn to talk. But the photo below was taken 10 minutes after removing the pacifier. Bibs hardly stop the drool either. He's been like that from the beginning! We call his pacifier his "cork."
And since we could no longer get his infant carrier to snap and his head and feet were hanging over the top and the bottom, we figured it was time to move him to a big boy seat and face forward. We found a matching seat to Isaac's! I love it when things like that match! We even bought Isaiah some animal pads to go on his straps too... his are teddy bears and Isaac's are monkeys. He LOVES facing forward. I need to get a picture of it, but the first time and almost every time since, when Isaiah is sitting next to Isaac in the car, Isaac reaches over and holds Isaiah's hand (sometimes just to jerk on it or squeeze in an "un-gentle" like manner... but mostly in love!) It's SOOO precious!
At the Easter party last weekend, Isaiah L-O-V-E-D the donkey. Isaac only touched it briefly (to get the picture in his post) but Zay was clearly in heaven.
C'mon now. Chubby baby on a donkey. That's comedy at its purest.
He was so proud of himself and loved being on the donkey! Too funny!!!
See? Teddy bears help to hold his head up.
He's gotten too big for his baby bath. I accidentally filled the tub too full this night, but you get the idea. Right now the boys' bathroom is being renovated so they've been using our bathroom. Like I can really complain seeing as how I lived without a tub for 3 years and without even tile in my shower (bare concrete folks) for a year of that. Anyway... I'll be excited when they get their own bathroom back. The shower in our bathroom has those sliding glass doors on it, and it makes impossible for bathtime to be done with both parents. Not that yall care... I'll hush now so you can see how cute Zay looks in a big boy tub.
Right now he's working on crawling...er...rather...getting his knees underneath him. He's getting so big and so cute so fast! He is just so precious. His personality seems to be so easy going, loving, gentle, and patient... can't wait to see more of it!!

An Isaac Post

Sorry for the delay in posting.... here's what Isaac's been up to since mid-February...
A slightly big deal is that he turned TWO! Holy cow I have a 2 year-old!!! He got to ride a horse at Nolan's birthday party (the same day as Isaac's!) and then had his own party in front of Cinderella Castle at Disney World. Good times!How cute is this? :)
Many many times. I mean MANY times if Isaac can manage he makes his way into Isaiah's crib. He climbs up on the changing table and then into the crib. Multiple spankings and multiple "NO!'s" have proven useless. I think he takes after his Mama on some things.
A lot of extra time (that normally could go to blogging) went to decorating my friends' nursery for their daughter... Isaac did his best not to touch the walls...
He's gotten good at holding pencils correctly.
Couple trips to Disney mixed in... We still can't get over how much fun we've had there. Here are Isaac and I at the "Grand Prix."
He's gotten better at eating by himself...
This is his first Easter in the states. We went to an Easter party a good friend of ours threw (Love you Miss Candi!) There was a donkey and palm fronds to re-enact the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem the week before he was crucified. We missed the story :( but still got a picture with the donkey!
Easter egg hunting was a bit of a cultural conundrum for Isaac and he was a tad apprehensive at first...but Daddy was a big help and before too long he had it all figured out!
He loves swinging! He says "Mem sing!" which means "More Swing!"
He got sick this past weekend so to pass the time while everyone else was at church I gave him some coloring books and he was fine til we all got home. Kidding. Just seeing if yall are paying attention! Mommy and Isaac stayed home and filled the (newly spray painted) birdfeeder. Isaac is also an expert at saying "Tweet Tweet!" for what a bird says. Very cute. Afterwards there was nothing better to do than snuggling up and taking a nap on Mama. That was my favorite part for sure!

Isaac is also a big fan of cheese. Last night while making grilled cheese, I looked over and Isaac had yoinked the cheese I was about to use. The little stinker.
So that's Isaac lately. He's getting bigger everyday and communicates so well these days...I was nervous about the terrible two's but really it's been better and more calm than the terrible 22 month old's were!:) As long as he's had a nap and has a full tummy, we're good to go!