THE OCTO-TABLE

I know, I post pictures all the time from daycare. I can't help it. These kids are just too darn cute all elbow-to-elbow in their 8-seater table. I love it!

Craft time!

Spaghetti day!

(Yeah, James is totally sucked into whatever show is playing on their little TV. They get to watch it first thing in the morning while they wait on breakfast, at lunch, and sometimes in the afternoon at the end of the day as kids are filtering out and going home. At least he's a good multitasker?...)

THE HAT

For real, Cora LOVES this restaurant!(More flashback photos from my phone. Taken at the end of May.)

OUR OWN PERSONAL WATERPARK

Well, we didn't get out the sprinkler, but all other water toys were in use this afternoon. We even converted the slide. So much fun hanging out in the shade with the kids, chillin' in their pool, and eating homemade popsicles!

(Cora is starting to take more steps, standing up on her own for longer stretches, and walking between things without our prompting. She's getting close...)

FATHER'S DAY FLASHBACK

Ooo-weee, was it ever hot last weekend! After Cora's portrait session, we took Daddy out to eat, and beat the heat with BLT's and smoothies at The Tomato Place. James definitely enjoyed lounging with his smoothie under the fans.

'BORGIE BORGIE BORGIE'

MILK COMA

Milk comas are SO adorable!

The other morning, Cora woke up starving (after STTN). She ate a HUGE, double helping Happy Meal, then promptly passed out, slung over my lap.

She is currently nursing 5 times/day: 6:30, 9:00, 12:00, 3:30, and 8:00. She hasn't nursed during the night in about a month (except for one night where she refused to go back to sleep, so I tried nursing her, after which she STILL stayed awake for another hour and a half... usually though, even if she wakes in the night, I just snuggle her back to sleep rather than feed her), and she dropped her 6:00 nursing session during the first week of swim lessons (which went from 5:45-6:30). I had tried nursing her before lessons, and she wouldn't eat (I learned during the second week that part of the reason for that was that her daycare teachers were in transition and she was getting her afternoon bottle an hour later than "scheduled"). So I tried nursing her right after lessons, but all she wanted was dinner. Oh well. I must admit that it's kinda nice not to be on such a schedule with her right after work, as we're trying to get dinner made and bags repacked and chores started.

The only downside is that her sudden dropping of 2 nursing sessions has negatively affected my supply. I know so, because I am now only pumping 7-10 oz per day, as opposed to the 13-15 oz I was getting a month ago. I guess there was a hidden blessing to Cora's night feedings throughout her first year - she really kept my milk supply strong! What this means is that Cora is now getting only two 5 oz bottles of breastmilk at daycare (at 12:00 and 3:30), and we're sending an 8 oz sippy of coconut milk for her to drink with her breakfast and lunch (and she's been doing great lately, finishing the whole cup). My freezer stash is down to less than 50 oz, so it won't last too much longer. The "plan" as of now is to continue pumping 3 times/day until sometime after we return from Cali, at which point I might drop down to twice a day (or I might not... I haven't fully decided yet). And then it will be just once/day. And eventually I'll pack up my trusty pump, and we'll just nurse in the mornings and evenings when we're together, until either Cora or I decide we've had enough. I have no idea how long we'll continue our nursing relationship, but I can say that I'm in no hurry for it to end. It has been truly amazing to nurse this little girl of mine, who eats with gusto and graces me with milky smiles. It is precious, precious time that I know I will miss like crazy when it ends.

In the meantime, I'm already learning the ins-and-outs of toddler nursing... Super fast and efficient meals, nursing while kneeling in my lap or climbing on my belly, multi-tasking with leg calisthenics, talking with her mouth full, and clapping for herself when she's all done. It's quite the adventure!

DINNER AND A SHOW

Today's happenings: Cora got her 7th tooth and James learned to sing Happy Birthday. He's practicing for you Grandpa! "Happy burday to you! Happy burday to you! Happy burday to you! Happy burday to you!" It's totally adorable, and he knows it. When I started singing along with him at dinner, he told me "No singing. My sing it. Happy burday to you!"

Jay made Taco Soup for dinner. In the crock pot. It was AWESOME! Especially with shredded cheese and a 'dollop of Daisy' on top. And even better when strained and eaten with blue corn chips instead of a spoon. Did I say awesome? Even Cora loved it! (Of course, when she was done eating, she spread it all over her tray. And the table. Little stinker.)

After a bubble bath and playtime, we actually had 15 minutes to spare to get some chores done. And the kids were willing to play independently. When it got 'too quiet' (you know what I'm talking about), we peeked in to see them playing nicely. TOGETHER. They were "cooking dinnuh". James was teaching Cora to stir the pot. Of course, when I interrupted, the kitchen phone 'rang' and James had to go answer it "Hello? Blah blah blah blah blah" (Sorry, I have no idea what his 35 second conversation was about. Maybe he was ordering pizza?)

Man we love these guys!

Of course, after dinner and their show, they both decided to be difficult at bedtime. At the 8:30 cut-off, James was sent to bed. And I took Cora upstairs to rock and soothe (she had finished eating a half hour earlier). She was IMPOSSIBLE and would not settle and be still. I got so frustrated with her after 15 minutes that I just stuck her in bed, wide awake. She sat up and yelled at me, and I told her to quit complaining and go to sleep. So I laid her back down. She complained some more, through her paci, and kicked and squirmed around the bed. But after a few minutes, a miracle happened. She settled down and fell asleep. On her own. No. Way. Didn't see that one coming. I SWEAR this girl keeps us on our toes!

PLEASED AS PUNCH

With her new shoes.

Her feet are finally long enough to fit into her size 2/3 shoes (that's 6-9 months or 6-12 months). However, her feet are so dainty and narrow that they look ridiculously big on her. She doesn't care though. She LOVES them! When we took them off after school today, she cried until we put them back on. I guess she likes to accessorize.

(Poor little raw knees. The girl needs to start WALKING before she gives herself scars from all the speed crawling and knee dragging...)

POTTY TALK

Disclaimer: For those of you who are embarrassed or otherwise uncomfortable with potty talk (and by potty talk, I mean further details on potty training and use of anatomically correct terms), please read no further. This is a post where I record some of the things James has been saying lately, for our own later recollection (and amusement).

First off, James has a pretty standard bathroom routine these days. We sit him up there, he does his business (often times singing or humming to himself as he goes), then he says "All done!" or "I did it!" Sometimes he even tells us "all done" while he's still peeing. Usually, he kicks his undies (and/or shorts) off while he's sitting there, yelling "Off!", because apparently it's easier to pee on the potty without your bottoms on?... Once he is taken down off the potty (or gets down by himself - he is becoming quite the acrobat), he will seriously lean with his head practically in the toilet to check out his deposit. And then he points to it, saying "Pee pee IN the potty!" We're working very hard to get him to keep his hands out of the toilet... Next he'll say "I flush!" And if he forgets? Oh boy, we had better not flush the potty for him. Instant tantrum. He MUST flush it himself! So the reminders are still a constant thing in our house ("Tell Mama when you need to pee pee", "Push all the pee pee's out", "Don't play with yourself, just go potty", "Flush the potty", etc.) Lastly, he always requests "Wash your hands?" after I pop an M&M in his mouth. (Someday we'll get him to say "Wash MY hands?" instead...) What's really funny, is that most times these days, once he is all finished, he will then say "Mama's turn" or "Daddy's turn" - he feels very strongly that potty trips are a family affair...

While he hasn't had a poop accident in nearly 3 weeks (AWESOME!), he still pees himself now and then. He had been doing SO great (he went all weekend, 2 weekends ago, without a single accident, and only had a couple of naptime accidents at daycare last week), until we took the trip to Jackson last Thursday. We had put him in a cloth trainer, since it was our first car ride longer than 15 minutes, and we didn't want a wet carseat. Well, apparently that trainer felt cushy enough (and diaper-like enough) that he peed in it. And he did it again on the way home too. Throughout the rest of the weekend, he had 3 more accidents in the car (in his undies, even though we took him to the potty RIGHT before we got in the car). He peed on the edge of his bed (where the waterproof mattress pad doesn't cover) while playing on Saturday, even though he could see me clearly down the hall. Then he dribbled on the couch at bedtime while snuggling with Jay (SO not cool). So, what is this? Defiance? Or is he reverting? Is he just not fully emptying his bladder? (Hence our new slogan "Push ALL the pee pee's out James!") We are debating revisiting PT Bootcamp this weekend. We are considering sending him to time-out when he has accidents we KNOW he could avoid. We have started using harsher words and tones with him when he has accidents, one of which we picked up from his daycare teacher ("Nasty!"), since yucky doesn't seem to be cutting it anymore. We show him his wet undies and tell him they are gross, and that Mama and Daddy are NOT happy when he gets his undies wet. Anyone out there in blogland have other suggestions?...

And finally, this is the part that might embarrass you. And will probably embarrass James someday. But he's only 2 now. One thing we've noticed over the past couple of weeks is James' escalating interest in himself. We have never stifled his curiosity in the tub or anything, so we think the new "easy access" that he has without being in diapers is a major contributing factor. That, and the fact that he is TWO and is becoming more and more interested in ALL his body parts. We're scientists, and we don't like cutesy, silly names for ANYTHING (let alone genitals), so we use anatomically correct terminology with James, and always have (even when he was itty bitty and not even talking yet). Well, the other night while laying on the couch at bedtime, James started doing some exploring. We quickly told him that his behavior was not appropriate while sitting with us (or Sissy, or anyone else for that matter), and that he needed to go to his room if he wouldn't stop playing. He didn't like that, and kept doing it, even though we kept stopping him and reminding him that he needed to go do that in private. And you know what he told us? With a very stern look on his face? "MY penis!" It was all we could do not to bust out laughing. I mean, seriously though, how in the world is he old enough that we are having these discussions already? Please tell me this is a VERY short phase!

DANCING CHIHUAHUAS AND BARKING CATS

When the kids are getting punchy, we're not above queuing up YouTube and playing them some crazy animal videos. Because honestly, our kids are fascinated with cats and dogs, in any form. Especially if they're doing something "Funnnny!" So, if you need 2 minutes of peace from your own kiddos, check out this barking cat or dancing chihuahua. It's time well spent. I promise.

SHOE FETISH

Not only is Cora obsessed with socks, but she seems to have developed a shoe fetish too. She used to just chew on shoes. Or sniff them. Now she totes them around the house, or flings them about. She empties my shoe shelf in our closet EVERY SINGLE TIME she goes in there. And she tries VERY hard to wear them. Flip-flops are her favorite, but James' tennis shoes are a close second. She was cracking me up tonight standing up, holding onto his door frame, trying her best to get her toes into his shoes.

I suppose I should dress her in her own shoes more often...

(Oh, and thanks for the new onesie Gamma, I'm cute as a cupcake in it!)

CORA'S 1-YEAR PORTRAITS

Portraits by Jay

FATHER'S DAY 2011

That's right. I got Jay and the kiddos matching shirts for Father's Day. Daddy Godzilla going to work and a pair of Baby Godzillas. Cool, right?

TEAM LINDSAY IN WHITE

We had a baby shower to attend this morning. One that I knew would be filled with well-dressed folks. So I picked out some fancy duds for the kiddos (James wore his Easter outfit, along with a pair of cool hand-me-down shoes from Coltin, and Cora wore a pretty white eyelet dress that Amy made her for her baby shower last year). As I was blow-drying my hair (Have I mentioned that I got it cut? And I have bangs for the first time since 1991? It's an attempt to blend the post-partum regrowth. Oh, and there are highlights too. First time since D&T's wedding back in 2007.), Jay walked in with James to show me that he'd picked out a matching outfit for himself. So I figured, if everyone else is wearing white, I might as well too. Bummer that we couldn't get a good family photo before we left for the party. It was already sweltering. By 10:00am! James kept saying "No picture!" And Cora was WAY more interested in her brother than the camera. Oh well, here we are. Keeping it real.

SHE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD...

...in her hands(This is a flashback photo. Not even sure how long ago I took it, since I found it in my phone. Probably in mid-March though, since the mermaid shirt arrived in the mail from Grambot around that time.)

POTTY THOUGHTS

James has been potty training for 3 weeks now. I'm even tempted to call him "trained" at this point. Last weekend he didn't have a single accident. Not even overnight or at naptime. He very rarely has accidents at daycare, and when he does, they occur right at the end of naptime. Or sometimes outside (if he's really into what he's doing and doesn't want to admit to needing to go inside and go potty). In reality, we are very aware that accidents are likely to continue to occur from time to time, for who knows how long. He's a child. Children have accidents. We are prepared for them. But when they don't happen, and your "big kid" is peeing and pooping on the potty regularly without a fight, often times letting you know when they need to go, it's SO awesome. These are what parenting moments of pride are made of, I tell ya!

We feel pretty lucky to have escaped the whole potty training process with so few poop accidents (none of which were any more difficult for us to clean up than his cloth diapers were, and in fact, were even easier, since we caught them right away before he had time to squish things around). And the pee accidents that happen now are usually small, because we catch them and James will stop himself and hold it until we get him to the potty, or he'll catch himself and say "Uh oh!", and stop himself, letting us know that we need to take him.

The hardest part for us, other than having to watch him like a hawk for 2 weeks straight, was bedtime and naptime. James VERY quickly learned to "work the system" and would use the potty as an excuse to continually get out of bed. Then he'd just sit there and sing to himself or read a book or play with a toy or talk to us. Seriously, he was getting up a dozen times and producing nothing. But after 2 weeks, he finally slipped back into routine (well, a new routine, since he now has 2 potty trips after bath and before bed added in). Thank goodness! We had worked SO hard prior to PT Bootcamp to get James going to bed on his own without a fight. It was really hard and upsetting having that slip away, and it made for a lot of VERY late nights for all of us. Things are so much better now.

I had heard some pretty funny potty training stories before we got started with James. I'll be honest with you though, I didn't think any part of the process was funny. And I know Jay didn't. Training is hard work for everyone, and that's ok. I'm sure we'll laugh about it some day...

I was also expecting to have another bonus to potty training - having less to carry around in the diaper bag. But in all actuality, we now carry MORE than we did before. Before potty training, we carried 4 diapers, a pack of wipes, and a wetbag to store the dirty diapers in (plus all the other junk that isn't really a requirement, but gets us through outings while all remaining in a "happy place", things like sippy cups and snacks and toys, etc.) The newly potty trained James requires a pair of undies, a pair of shorts, a wetbag, and his travel potty seat cover, which is far more bulky than the 2 diapers we carried for him before. Plus, we still carry 2 diapers and a pack of wipes for Cora. Oh well, maybe next summer we'll travel light...

In summary, while it may be stressful and frustrating, especially during the first week, potty training is SO worth it! While the first couple of days are ridiculous in the number of accidents to clean up, they drop dramatically very quickly. We went from 15 accidents on day one to 1 accident on day 4. How's that for progress? Here are my tips for surviving potty training bootcamp:

1) Expect that they will test you. Once they realize they can use the magic words pee-pee, poop, or potty to get out of doing something they don't want to do (like go to bed, or go into their daycare class), the game is ON. They will also test you with accidents. Yes, accidents are usually just that: accidents. But sometimes, the kiddo KNOWS better, and will do it just to test you. To see if they can get their diapers back. So stay strong and don't give in!

2) Have the parent with the most patience and/or tolerance do the actual taking of the kiddo to the potty, especially during the first 3 days of the actual bootcamp. Teaching a toddler to use the potty is not like turning on a light switch (at least, not for my kiddo). James needed a day and a half to adjust to the idea of using the potty for it's intended purpose, and that takes a LOT of patience. Besides, I honestly think that even if two parents are on the same page as far as words to use, methods to follow, etc., there is inevitably some degree of variation. In the beginning, being as consistent as possible will benefit you all. (Besides, then the other, non-designated parent can be the one to clean up the messes...)

3) Don't be afraid to switch up your method a bit if it's not working. I know, I know. I read the 3-day manual. And a book on a different method. And I read tons of tips and tricks online. And they all tell you to be consistent. Well guess what, what works for one kid doesn't necessarily work for the next. So if it's not working (at all), go ahead and change things up a little. Offer treats, or take them away. Give them stickers. Use a little potty, or use a seat up on the big potty. Let them read books or play with toys while they go. Or don't give them anything at all and make them focus. Remind them constantly to tell you when they need to go, or give them some space and just watch their body language VERY closely. Stand/sit there and supervise them, or give them some privacy. Only you know your kid. And only your kid can show you what works for them.

4) DO limit fluids with and after dinner. In order for James to keep dry overnight, he gets his usual 3/4-1 cup of milk at dinner, and nothing after. Or just 1/8-1/4 cup at bedtime if he's really begging for milk. Though we have been reminding him at dinner time to drink his milk because there will be none after bath.

5) Establish a new bedtime routine right away. Dinner, potty, bath, play time, potty, snuggles, and potty again (right before we put him in bed), is what's working for James these days.

6) Celebrate every single victory! Even a dribble is learning. Every accomplishment deserves a high-five. Keep up the positive energy and try VERY hard not to show your frustration (or diappointment - there will be some, especially if you go into potty training with high expectations). You don't want to scare your kid off the potty, and every time you heave a sigh or say "Just go pee already!", you are setting them back a step. Believe me, I know. Turn away and count to ten (silently), clean them up, give them a hug, and tell them you're proud of them for sitting on the potty.

7) Don't give up. After our experience, I'm a big proponent of the "all or nothing" method. Throw out those diapers and trust your kid. They WILL figure it out. Putting them in pull-ups (or overnight diapers) knocks them backward. So suck it up, clean it up, and move forward. I promise you won't have pee on the floor forever. Or the couch. Or the bed. Or the computer chair. Or the booster seat. Or the picnic table. Or the carseat. Those first 3 days confined to the house are rough, but after the initiation, it's really not so scary to take them out to dinner or to the grocery store or even to swim lessons. Toddlers have an amazing ability to learn and absorb so much at once, it's no wonder the "ideal" potty training age is 22 months. We're absolutely starting younger with Cora!

As far as the "signs of readiness" go, the things that James did that convinced us it was a good time to get started included: having words for pee-pee and poop, showing some interest in potty books, having dry diaper checks a couple times per day (meaning that he was holding it for a couple hours at a time and not just going constantly), waking up dry a few nights per week, and being able to remember details about things (so we knew he'd remember what the potty was for, where it was, and what the body signals felt like). In all honesty though, we would have done it sooner if we could have. The reason we waited was that daycare doesn't usually take kids in the K1 class to the potty, and James isn't scheduled to move up to the K2 class until August. But in April, after talking it over with them and knowing that we had a 3-day weekend coming up a the end of May, we decided to go for it. We are VERY lucky that James has a daycare teacher who is so decidated to him, and who loves him very much. She has been key in his training and we couldn't have done it without her (especially since he refused to go with the K2 class when they went every half hour - instead, his teacher takes him as often as needed throughout the day and has really worked with us to use the same methods and lanuage with him that we do, so that there would be minimal confusion between home and school). So if you're ready and you think your toddler might be ready, just pick a date and go for it! It's not so bad. Honest!

ALMOST BIRTH BUDDIES

We were SO excited to head out and meet "New Baby Mason" (as James is calling him) this afternoon, it was all we could do to stick out the day at work! He is the most adorable little guy, and we couldn't be happier for his proud parents - Congratulations Michelle and Jerry!

Last year on June 14th, Michelle was babysitting James while we were at the hospital having Cora. And she brought him to Jackson after work so he could meet his new sister:

A year and 2 days later, she's at the same hospital with a cute little man of her very own, born yesterday on June 15th:

Welcome to the world Mason, we sure are happy you're here!

(And yes, Jay took a few other cute photos this evening, but we'll leave those to Michelle to post, so stay tuned to her blog for more of Mister Mason!)

SOMETIMES THERE ARE NO WORDS

LITTLE PAINTED PIGGIES

Part of the fun in having a girl (and being a girl), is getting to wear dresses and bows. And have painted toes. I bought Cora some Piggy Paint ("Natural as mud" is their slogan) for her birthday. She sat completely still while I painted her toenails last night. I think she likes it!

BEST BUDS

James has known Gabriel longer than any other kid at daycare (since he was 4-months-old and Gabriel was 2.5-months-old), and they have become the best of friends. They stick together. They share toys, drive trucks around together in circles outside, sit next to each other at the lunch table, sit side-by-side while watching movies in the afternoon, sometimes gang up on other kids together, and are even potty training together now. They show genuine concern for and interest in each other.

When James started potty training a week before Gabriel, he would tell James "James go potty! Yay James!" and clap his hands and give him hugs when he had success. When James was out for 2 weeks with Kawasaki Disease, Gabriel was beside himself, asking his mama about James all day long each day, saying things like "Where's James? James sick! Oh no!" The easiest way for us to get James into his daycare class on mornings when he doesn't want to go to school (Monday mornings, usually), is to tell him to go find Gabriel. He'll often go running in yelling "Gabe-wel, are you?" And when Gabriel was having a meltdown yesterday afternoon, James came running to me asking "He OK? He OK?" And when I told him that Gabriel was OK, just mad and needed a hug, James ran right over, grabbed him around the back (it was one of those face-to-the-ground tantrums), squeezed him tight, and said "It's OK. Gabe-wel, it's OK!" They usually hug each other goodbye in the afternoons, or at least give each other high-fives. I just love that they have each other and really hope they stay in the same class for a long time to come. Everybody needs a best friend.

These are just a few of my favorite photos (sent to me over the past few months by their teacher, Gabriel's mom):