Friday, February 25, 2011

Impatient children. . .

When there was a month left until our son was born we went to my wife's doctor's appointment and was told we had 7-10 days left until her arrived. He was born 11 days later.

So this time around we were sort of expecting a similar situation.

What we weren't expecting was a much more worrying "I doubt you'll make it past the weekend." Especially when that's on a Wednesday. So now we're both in hyper active mode at our respective work places and are a little stressed that she'll be coming soon. Thankfully she's only 4 weeks early, she should be fully formed and ready to face the world.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Finally potty trained. . .

Almost a year ago we successfully pee trained our toddler. It took one time of having to hold him on his little potty chair, but since then he's matured to the point of being able to take care of it all himself. He'll stop playing or pause the TiVO, run into the bathroom, and come out just like he went in. It's a nice thing to not have to deal with that end of diaper changing anymore. . .

But then there is pooping. He refused to even try. We tried everything: bribing, taking away toys, rewards, punishments. Nothing was working. We recently convinced him to sit on the toilet with a pull-up on and that was a little better and we felt a large step in the right direction, but still he refused without a pull-up.

Then two weekends ago I tried something I had read about online and thought would never work. . . I cut a hole in his pull-up. He didn't notice while he was going. After he finished I went in to help him clean up and talk to him.

"Buddy, I have to tell you something."

"What, daddy?"

"I tricked you, I cut a hole in your pull-up."

He saw what had happened and agreed that it was great the clean-up no longer consisted of a whole diaper change, but still he thought he needed the pull-up. For two weeks he was pooping through a hole in a pull-up.

So yesterday I decided it was enough. I cut a bigger hole in his pull-up. One so big that it was less diaper and more belt. . . ok that gives it too much credit, it was a belt. And he knew it and suddenly realized that it was cool that he could poop and then pee without having to be changed out of a pull-up in between.

Today he was still trying to insist that he needed it but I told him it was silly and refused. . . and an hour later we were having a potty party at Chuck E Cheese's.

And just like that the last chain of babyhood was broken. Just in time for the next baby to arrive.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Are you ready for some cartoons?!

"Listen buddy, daddy isn't like a lot of other daddies," I explained to my son on Sunday. "Daddy only watches one football game a year. It's called the Superbowl."

He laughed, "duperbow? That's funny."

"Yeah I know, but you see football is on every Sunday and on some other days too and lots of daddies watch it all the time, AND they watch other sports too. You're pretty lucky because the Superbowl is the only football game, heck the only sporting event, that daddy watches all year long. . . and I only really watch it for the commercials. So tonight, daddy is going to watch his show which means you are going to have to play with your trains and not have cartoons on the TV that you ignore while you do it. OK?"

"But I wanna watch Thomas."

"I know but not tonight there is no Thomas. Tonight we watch football."

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

More overheard in our house. . .

Parker: Where you going mommy?
Mom: I have to pee.
Parker: I'm coming with you, let me get my binoculars.