If there is one thing I am guilty of in this life, it is over planning the hell out of something I've never done before. Marriage, child birth, moving around the world and now potty training. I've made lists for all of those events. Each one slightly different depending on the event. My latest, uncharted territory/event is potty training. I'm diving in head first tomorrow!
We have the potty training chart, to keep track of successes!
The Sticker Zone- a poster board on Nixon's bedroom door for him to (safely) stick his reward stickers on.
The potty seat, which will go over my toilet seat.
The step stool.
And, the creme de la creme of potty training efforts, Nixon's very own bathroom library!! An old easter basket, converted into a sink-side holder for Nixon's brand new, bathroom only, books! I read (big shocker, I read a lot of books on the subject!) that using books can capture the child's interest and keep him from rushing off before he's done. We shall see.
I do not have a photo of Nixon's reward box. For the first day, Nixon will get to choose from the box for every 3 pee's. A poop is an automatic reward box trip!! As we go on, the number between reward box trips will increase. A trip to the 100 Yen store, plus a few other small items, have filled the box. Which is hidden in a closet, so Nixon can not get into it whenever he'd like.
Tomorrow morning, we'll get up, clean up his morning diaper (poop please!) then onto the potty for the first time before going into new undies. The timer will be set for 20 minutes and our day will begin.
March 7th has come and gone, so another year of marriage is beginning. As someone, who once longed for marriage at the age of 18, I can honestly say I needed the right partner first.
Our marriage has been bumpy and challenging, but we overcame each obstacle and we're really and truly, better for it. I won't claim Mac is the love of my life, or my soul mate, and he's not my best friend but he has helped me create the one, true love of my life. He's helping me raise our son and while it's trying because we're not always on the same page I wouldn't want anyone else by my side.
I finally spoke to my mom today. It took 4 months of trying to call home before she finally picked up. It was a normal conversation with my mom. I love my mom, she's my mom afterall, but we are different entities and we've never really understood each other. My mom is a large reason that I tell Nixon "I love you" a thousand times a day. She's also a reason I talk to Mac and make sure we're okay. I've seen what she's gone through and I never want to be in her shoes.
Mac has been on leave for a week now. We've got another 7 days with him home and then it's work as usual. It's been nice having him home. It's been good for us. We've managed to reconnect and it feels good.
Last night, on our anniversary, I'd asked him if he has any regrets about us. Things he'd do differently, stuff like that. His answer was private, between the 2 of us, but the gist was he regrets what happened when he thought he'd never see me again. Silly boy....I was already in love with him and decided I needed to make sure he knew he was mine. A month later, he knew and we are where we are now because of it.
I don't know how many years we'll have together. But I do know...he's not getting rid of me easy!
I love you, Cookie. Thank you for 3 years and can't wait to see what our future holds for us.
I'm sure I'm not the only one, who has an idea take on a life of its own until it becomes reality, right??
A couple days ago, I had a random thought pop into my head. It's an idea for a children's book about families. I fell asleep and figured "well, that's the end of that one". And it was...until my shower last night when the whole thing took over my brain! I went to bed, with pictures for the story in my head. I woke up this morning and its still there bubbling under the surface.
So that's how this one idea has come to be brewing in my head. When I get a chance today I'll start writing the story and then go on to find someone to illustrate it.
And to think: it all came to pass because I saw a stick family decal on a car one day.
I think it's easy to forget I'm not just a mom. I spend so much of my time with Nixon and thinking about Nixon and worrying about Nixon, that sometimes it feels like I have nothing left for me. Well, thankfully, that's not true.
I've been working on losing weight/toning my body for over a month now. It's hard, especially the diet part. But it's been worth it. The first goal I was working towards was a boudoir photo shoot. That photo shoot took place this afternoon and thanks to a very talented photography, I looked amazing! I've only seen 4 pictures so far, but I'm in love with what I've seen so far.
I think, as wives and mothers, its very easy to forget we're women first. It's easy to wear the comfy sweats/jeans/tees. It's easy to pull your hair back in a ponytail. But sometimes it's really rewarding to step outside of the comfortable and just be a woman for a little bit. I know I had fun! I also have another, similar, photo shoot in the near future, so my hardwork isn't done yet. This next one will be a real pampering: hair/makeup and photos, all for free!! (Thanks to the 24 people who voted for me!)
The really rewarding part is knowing I'm taking better care of myself and reaping the rewards for the hardwork.
But because I am a mom, here's a little brag!
I, regretfully, turned Nixon's carseat to the forward facing position. His seat is only safe to rearface up to 36 inches. Nixon is now 35.75 inches tall. With shoes on he's 36 inches. So, today before driving the 30-45 minutes to pick up Mac, I switched his car seat. He was so talkative on the drive. He was saying "trees", "car", "dog" as well as working on some Spanish and Japanese words. You don't know cute until you hear Nixon working on saying "arigato"!
Two days ago, Nixon came to me and said "momma I potty". I asked if he wanted to sit on the potty, he said "yes". So I put the training seat on the toilet, moved the step stool to in front of the bowl, took off Nixon's pj bottoms (a boxer brief type shorts) and finally the diaper came off. He sat on the potty, and as is becoming our way, I read his Nemo storybook while he sat there. Nothing came out and he finally said "I all done". So trying not to push the issue, I took him off the potty and let him wash his hands. He grabbed his pj bottoms and (with a little help) put them on minus the diaper. I was a little nervous, but since we were getting ready to go out in a bit and then he'd have to get dressed, I let him go. In roughly 10 minutes like that, we had no accident. So its a small step, but its a forward step none-the-less.
Next comes the award box, training wall poster and stickers.
Today, after talking to a friend last night, I took Nixon to go get some big boy undies. The selections were slim, but we made it with 2 packs of boxer briefs and 2 packs of super hero undies. The saddest part, as his mom, was when Nixon saw "Doora" (dora in Nixonese) and kept saying "momma I wan Doora". I had to explain big boy undies are different than big girl undies and since he was a boy he'd get to wear undies like Daddy wears. He seemed okay with it, but still kept whispering "i wan doora" but to his credit, he never threw a fit. The lack of a fit was what got him a new "Chuck & friends" toy.
Nixon and I had a good day. Fun at the park (with a total meltdown...sharing is a work in progress these days), a potentially big step by Nixon towards potty training (he asked to go potty, sat on it for a minute or so then got off and wanted to wear his boxer-brief pj bottoms without a diaper. I let him for a few minutes and no accident. He was pretty upset when it was back to diaper time), a good nap by him and even some post dinner snuggles for me!!
I should add, Nixon's been having a verbal explosion these days. He's repeating full sentences and even started singing songs now. His newest song is "Twinkle, twinkle little star".
Now the funny.
Mac took his turn reading to Nixon tonight. When he was done, as we do every night, Nixon and Mac called for "mommy". On impulse, just as I entered Nixon's bedroom I paused and struck a superhero pose. You know the one: hands fisted, resting on hips, legs shoulder width apart and chest thrust out. As I did that I said "Did someone call for a Mommy?" Nixon giggled and Mac said "yeah all I saw was your boobs. That's it all boobs. But it was funny."
There are quite a few causes near and dear to my heart. And sometimes, someone comes into my life and gives me a new cause. This is one of those sometimes. This blog won't be about me and my family. Instead this is a blog about Peter and his Forever Family. Peter is a 4 year-old boy with Down Syndrome living overseas in an orphanage. Peter's story was brought to the attention of a wonderful woman named Julie Kehm (I might be biased but to me she's pretty amazing!). Julie has a son Nixon's age who also has Down Syndrome (I hope I'm explaining this correctly, Julie) named Kai, who has opened my eyes and heart to how wonderful that extra chromosome makes someone. I met Julie on a site called babycenter.com. We share the same birth board and when the drama found us and other random-loving mommas, we found a private group and in the last year roughly 20 wonderful ladies have formed a tight-knit group of support. Okay so back to Peter and his story. Peter's adoption fees are estimated to be $20k. He's already raised over $15k, thanks to an organization called Reese's Rainbow and Julie's amazing facebook campaign. I'll be adding links for anyone who's interested to go to and get the whole stories.
If you can spare a few dollars, please donate to the family fund. The original $15k is going to Peter no matter what. The family fund is to offset the remaining amount, roughly $5k. The sooner this money is raised the sooner Peter can come home to his family and start getting his health issues addressed. There is a small time crunch though. Due to the way children like Peter are treated overseas, if he is not adopted by his 5th birthday, Peter will be sent to an adult institution which is not a good thing. Peter turned 4 on Feb 20th so he has exactly one year to be brought home before the unthinkable happens.
I would never ask anything of anyone that I am not willing to do myself. I have donated to both amounts and as finances allow, will continue to do so. Please take the time to reflect on what a small donation from you can make happen for a child in desperate need a miracle. (That sounded super cheesy, right??? Well it is what it is)
