Picture updates

I had a random set of pictures on my phone from the last couple of weeks that I wanted to make sure to get posted before too much time had passed.  

I ventured into kale chips, finally, and can't believe I took so long to make them in the first place!  Micah loved them, and I love getting healthy food in him :)  (Side note on the healthy food topic: 2 weeks ago we had to go to the ER to try and get broccoli out of Micah's nose.  Yep.  He had put some in his nose during lunch - accidentally or not, I'm not sure - but the only way to be sure it was gone was a $150/2 hour trip.  Ah, never a dull moment...)

We do quite a bit of picnic lunches at the park when it's nice out, and I just couldn't resist a couple of pictures.  I sure love my boys, and how adorable is Reid??!? :)

At home, taking pictures to send to Daddy while he was away on a business trip for the week.

Race day - Chicago spring half

Well, it was a hot and humid day, but the race must go on.  And there was actually a little breeze, which made the humidity not quite as unbearable.  Poor Christian came down with achilles tendinitis and/or a lower calf injury so he was unable to run the race, but thankfully I had two girlfriends who were doing the 10k.  It was a nice fun morning and a good way to start the last week before taking off to the Caribbean for vacation.  (Oh, yes, have I forgotten to mention that?  Christian and I are headed off to St. Martin next Saturday with our friends Steve and Kate while Nana Kay and Papa C watch our boys for 5 days.  Thank you in advance, Nana Kay and Papa C!  They will keep you busy :)).  But I digress...the race went well, I ran a 1:46:02 (my goal had been a 1:45, and considering the 89% humidity in the day, I'm quite pleased).  My friends also did spectacular in their races as well so we drove home a happy bunch!  And to top it off, I was able to pick up a water table from a lady off Craigslist for cheap to give to my turning 3-year-old next week...aghh!  How is he almost 3?  

Happy Running.

Pre-race non-sweaty girls

Post-race super drenched girls :)

Walking Reidees!

I promised a couple of videos of Reid walking, and here they are.  Loving this drunken sailor/just gettin' off a horse little walker :) 

 

Walking Baby Boy!

I will try and capture a video and pictures soon, but Reid has figured out this walking thing!!  We were at a park yesterday and it had the squishy ground, but it must have been a bit uncomfortable for Reid, because it convinced him to try out walking.  And once he tried it, he continued trying it!  He still has a ways to go, but something definitely clicked yesterday and he's on his way to being a walking boy :)

"I'm gonna work like Daddy."

Ah, Micah is so sweet.  Last week I was cleaning out clothes and rediscovered a gift from Micah's 2nd birthday and he loves it.  It's a LeapYear LeapPad that he uses as his "com-poo-ter" to work like Daddy and Mommy.

We were playing "work"  And here are just a few of his phrases from the day:

"I'm getting my computer and going to work like Daddy."
"Mommy, get your computer and go to work!"
"Get your computer and go to work with me Mommy.  We go to Daddy's coffee shop.  And I bring my computer and my bucket (his work bag) and you bring your computer.  Does that sound like a good plan?"

You'll see from below that the kitchen table became our coffee shop.  He would also tell me, whenever I stopped pretending to type, "Keep working Mommy!"

I love this kid and love watching his imagination grow.

"Don't worry Mommy, I will find the babies."

Micah and I had a touching and memorable moment today.  He was checking out my necklace,

as I was explaining its symbolism.  I let him know that Daddy had given me my necklace when he, Micah, was born.  I told him that the bottom pearl was for him being born.  And then I went on to tell him that the other three pearls were for the 3 babies I had lost.  I told him I had lost 3 babies before having him, and then he made it and made me the happiest Mommy in the whole world.

He stared intently at my necklace, feeling all 4 pearls, and the looked up at me and said in such a sweet, soft voice, "Don't worry Mommy, I will find the babies."  Heart. Melting.  I then explained that the babies were in heaven with Jesus, to which he replied, "It's okay Mommy, I will find the babies in heaven with Jesus."

What a sweetheart.  He literally thought I had lost 3 babies and he wanted to help me find them.  I just love this little boy so much, and if it's possible, another part of my love for him grew today in a new way with this moment. 

Potty Success

Finally, finally, finally we are really making headway on the potty!  And by making headway, I mean specifically with regards to pooping :)  When we started potty training back in January, Micah picked up the pee part within 3 days.  And we've had very few accidents.  The pooping, on the other hand, has taken some time.  I think he had one instance where he got scared or it hurt a little while pushing early on, and he just shut down in that department.  I still put pull-ups on him for naps and night, so some days he would just wait for that time.  Other days, he would say he had to go, but then sit for 2 seconds.  It has been a trying couple of months.

My parents got a taste of it when we visited them in February while Christian was in Australia.  My mom even made up a song in order to try and encourage Micah and give him something to relate to.  It goes a little like this:  "Poo-poos on the potty is g-o-o-d.  But poo-poos in the pull-ups is b-a-d.  And poo-poos in the big boys is b-a-d.  But poo-poos on the potty is g-o-o-d." Micah knows it well, as we've sang it often to try and get this thing going to no avail.

Prior to us coming down, my mom had picked up a birthday card for me.  After seeing what I was going through, she discovered she couldn't hold out until July.  Take a look, and you'll see why:

 

I have literally been at my wits end trying to get the pooping thing to happen, and a month or so ago basically gave up.  Clearly he's not going to be in a diaper in kindergarten, so I just let it go.  He's not even 3 yet, and at least he's pee trained, right?  I had started a rewards chart for staying clean and dry at nap/bed times as well as a poop chart to try and help bring incentives for Micah with "mini-prizes' and "big prizes" at the very end.  It didn't really seem to matter, and we went 2 months with 0 stars on the poop chart, and only a handful of stamps on the clean and dry chart.  

Until 2 1/2 weeks ago.  Something changed and suddenly started clicking with Micah.  The first 2-3 poops he whimpered and essentially had a freak-out on the potty, with me encouraging him, door closed and finger under the door so he knew I was still there, every 2-4 seconds saying "You got this Micah."  "Let the poo-poos go to his home." "The poo-poos will be so happy in his home." "Don't get off the potty Micah!  Relax and let it come."  And on and on.  No joke.  For at least 5 minutes.

After those first 2-3 sessions though, we were done, and I am finally experiencing the freedom of having a potty trained child.  It's not 100% through naps/night time yet, but it's getting there.  He's getting almost too good at waking up in the middle of the night to go potty.  I have to remind myself on some mornings that I did want a potty trained boy, right? :)  Seeing my sleep being compromised again after Reid has been on track for 4-5 months is not awesome, but I am so proud of my big boy and what he's done.  He's now raking in mini-prizes, stars and stamps left and right. 

 

Almost at that "Big Prize!"

 

And not too far away here, either. 

Let's just hope he continues to pee and poop once the charts are gone, lol.