News from the Front

So James threw away his last three diapers this morning (yes, we were literally down to three!), and donned a lovely pair of Percy the train underpants.

He kept them dry for just over an hour.

We had a few small accidents followed by a more substantial miss that ended in the potty.

That little bit that made it into the potty was enough to get him on board. We called Daddy to share the success.

Soon afterwards he yelled out, "Potty! Potty!" and off we ran to the bathroom.

Hooray! Underpants dry! Pee in the potty! A prideful phone call was made to Nana & Pops.

This led to many trips with varying degrees of output. James and I would get so excited with the more substantial pees; he'd proclaim, "I'm proud! I'm so proud!"

He also quite enjoyed dumping the little pot into the toilet. And helping himself to "paper towels" or "wipes" (a.k.a. toilet tissue).

Even when there was no output at all.

It would go something like this:

"Potty!"

We run to the bathroom.

James sits on the potty (usually forgetting to pull down his underpants until I intervene).

James stands up announcing, "Look at that poop in there!" (There is nothing in there.)

James helps himself to lots of t.p.-- "You need a paper towel to wipe."

"You need to dump it."

Flush.

And naptime was rather exhausting for Mommy. James proclaimed that he didn't want to sleep in his crib but rather on the floor (like school). I decided that would be fine as it would be easier to clean a blanket/the floor than to strip his crib in the event of an accident. Well, he wouldn't be still. So after a while that landed him in the crib. He got upset then announced, "Potty, Mommy!" We went to the bathroom where he managed some amount of output. Then the whole sequence would repeat. After an hour or so, I called naptime over.

Apart from the naptime mess, we spent our day indoors having all kinds of fun. There was dancing, painting, and making banana bread. We watched the mailman, caught sight of an ambulance, and spotted a garbage truck out the big window. And, of course, there was much playing with trains and trucks.

All in all, it was a good day. Most accidents were in the morning, and he really seems to be excited about being such a big boy. No poop since the final diaper provided its service, however. We'll have to see how that goes...

And he's just getting in bed for the night now (he's already had one productive trip to the potty during storytime-- hooray!), so hopefully sleeping won't be too traumatic. (Unlike many of our friends, we've decided to carry on with real underpants rather than using "night night undies" a.k.a. Pull-Ups.)

Last Diaper

So, this is it! The last diaper. After breakfast (which is oatmeal, you know, for the fiber), James will say bye-bye to diapers. Stay tuned....

Happy Vacation!

So today is the actual first day of real summer for us. James and I are both home! Yippeee!

I did quite enjoy having a few days to run errands (it is SO much easier/faster to shop without a super curious tot in tow) and tidy/organize the house while James finished "school." Here's a photo of James heading out yesterday morning. His teachers were really sweet and gave him lots of hugs when I picked him up yesterday. His head teacher had made a little yearbook for him with pictures from throughout the year. Love it! I think James knew it was his last day until September. He didn't want to leave; I had to read him all of his favorite books in the library!

We started our music class yesterday morning, and James is currently OBSESSED with the CD. He especially LOVES the song "Ants in my Pants" which is really silly. He cracks up and says, "It's so funny!" Now during the actual class, James was hanging out at the back of the room. A bit bashful and taking it all in (quite like his start in yoga in Charleston in April). Whenever Sean, our teacher, would bring out the instruments, however, James was all in! Loved that! He also really liked it when Sean was "silly and funny" at the end of the last song (he sang it in a punk fashion-- quite entertaining). In James's defense, he was running on fumes after not having gotten much sleep the night before. We had the end of year party for his class Tuesday evening, which we left after 8, so he didn't actually fall asleep until 10! I think next week will be completely different now that he knows what's going on (and since he's been listening to "the music class music" NON-STOP!).

Potty training festivities were going to begin today, but have been postponed due to extremely BEAUTIFUL weather outside. We started the day with LOTS of singing and dancing to the aforementioned "Music Class Music" followed by a run (including a stop for bagels, of course). Then it was off to the park
where Daddy met us for a picnic lunch.


James is "napping" right now (a.k.a. playing in his crib, refusing to sleep).

We'll now plan to begin either tomorrow or Saturday. Dan is off Monday & Tuesday, so we're considering delaying the start until Saturday so that we'd both be here to do it for four days together.

I was asked recently if James is ready. Well, we've been talking it up to him a bit recently. Here's our first exchange:

Me: "You know, you're going to be a big boy and start wearing underpants soon."

JML: "No. No underpants. Diapers."

Me: "Big boys wear underpants. Babies wear diapers."

JML: "No, boys wear diapers."

Great. He seems to be coming around now though. Today Dan told him that we were going to have lots of fun this weekend learning to use the potty, and he didn't protest. So we'll see...

Summer Plans

Tonight was the end of year party for James's class at his day care. It was so fun to see all the children playing together! Tomorrow is his last day. I got out a week ago, but since James is paid up through the end of the month, I've used the time to get a few tasks done (cleaning the office, cleaning the house, running errands...).

We do have some big plans for the summer.

First off is potty training. I know, I know, I blogged about this a year ago! Well, James's classroom this year didn't have a potty in it, so once we found that out, we decided not to move forward with the training last summer. Sure we have the little potty chairs in the house, and James has sat in them from time to time, but he's never actually gone potty on one. We also have a potty seat for the big toilet that we bought a few months ago after James was impressed by a friend's skills on a playdate. "You want to poop on the big potty like Cora." And we have underpants as you may recall from the big boy nap in April.

Our plan is to use the three-day method. It goes something like this-- wake up, get your diaper changed, and have breakfast like usual. Then after breakfast, put on underpants and throw away all the diapers in the house. All of 'em. Even the ones in the car, in the stroller, etc. Because big boys wear underpants; babies wear diapers. Oh, no pants, just underwear. Then tell the tot to keep the underpants dry and be sure to tell you if he has to go potty. As accidents happen, run off to the bathroom and try to at least finish on the potty. From what I understand, the first day is AWFUL and full of accidents. Day two is better. Day three is great. We'll see how it goes-- I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Other plans for the summer include a return to music class, a week at Isle of Palms, the possible/probable move from crib to bed, and hopefully the purchase of a house.

Happy Half Birthday!

James is two and a half today!!!

(How did that happen?)

To celebrate, I picked up half of an apple pie at the store today.

Cutie Pie

This week has been rough, but as mentioned before, James has provided happiness and light. Here are some pictures from the last month or so...

A little gardening:

Cooling off on a hot day:

Clapping for the Vets in the Memorial Day parade:

Mr. Potato-- James's new best friend:

James looked particularly Big Boy this week:

James and Daddy made Mommy cookies today (thanks, guys!):

I love my son.

When things don't seem to be going just how one hopes, it is so wonderful to have this super cute curly-haired child (yes, child; that kid is getting big) look up at you and say, "You need a tiss." (Tiss is James-ese for kiss.) Of course, the "you" meant "I," but he was actually spot-on. Mommy needed a kiss.

A hug from a two-and-a-half-year-old just makes it all better.