Potty Power

Yesterday was Mr. P's first day with "big boy underwares" on. Lately, we've been talking about it with him, and he's been really interested in wearing them. Also, his pull up has been dry in between "potty times" so we figured we'd give it a go... So far, so good! He did really well yesterday, and wore them to school for the first time today. Surprise, surprise, he had NO accidents! Don't worry, I'm not kidding myself into thinking that will last... but, still, it's a good start!

Put Your Hands Up!

Some quick updates about life with an almost-3 year old, Mr. P...

My name has changed from "Mama" to "Mommy," back to "Mama" and now to "Miss. Mama." The formality is hilarious, and no, I NEVER asked him to call me that! We do ask him to use "Miss." with our adult female friends or his female teachers. I guess he figures he should use it with me too. Even though I keep telling him he doesn't need to use the title with me, it has stuck. The funniest thing is that instead of HH being Mr. Daddy, he's Miss. Daddy too!

Mr. P's favorite song is not from The Wiggles or any other cheesy kid's group... no, it's Beyonce! More specifically, "Single Ladies" is his current favorite. He even requests it as his lullaby some nights and sings right along. Something about hearing his little boy voice singing, "All the single ladies, all the single ladies... Put your hands up!" just cracks me up every time.

Another update is that Mr. P has started having more and more nightmares. Poor guy. He sometimes just cries out in the middle of the night, or will talk/shout in his sleep. Often, it seems to involve someone taking or eating his food. What have we done to our poor child?!?!

Speaking of talking... Mr. P is speaking mostly in full sentences now. The things he says cracks us up! Especially when he randomly starts recalling specific scenes or directly quoting movies or TV shows. Nemo seems to be a current fave, since he just watched it a couple of days ago: "You're about to eat my bubbles!"

And lastly, an update on teeth: A couple of months ago, Mr. P cut his bottom "two-year molars." We kept waiting for the upper set, and a couple of nights ago we realized that is upper right molar has broken through. Those big molars look so painful as they come in... fortunately, they don't seem to be bothering him *too* much.

Noodle-head

I can't believe Mr. P actually shoved a piece of spaghetti up his nose, never to be seen again.

Ok, well that's not completely true... at first, I could barely see it, way up there. And now, after trying to get it out several different ways, it's for sure MIA. Now I'm trying to decide if it's still lodged up there or if he ended up swallowing it. Sigh.

Mommy

Tonight, for the first time Mr. P called me, "Mommy!"

Usually I'm Mama, but for some reason he called me Mommy tonight. And not just once. He was calling to me from upstairs, wanting me to come up and say good night again, "Mommy! Mommy!" It was so cute. I have to admit, it brought tears to my eyes.

Mr. Jokester

Mr. P's sense of humor is really starting to come out. He's begun cracking jokes himself. Well, only one joke really.

For a while now, he's loved saying that everyone is happy: "Mama, happy. Daddy, happy. Tee Tee [Mr. P], happy." And on, and on, and on.

But now, the joke is to say that some inanimate object is happy, like this...

"Juice, happy! ... NOOOOOOO! (laugh, laugh, laugh)"
"Chair, happy! ... NOOOOOOO! (chuckle, chuckle, chuckle)"

I guess that means he understands that 'happy' is an emotion that only people (and animals) have. Pretty cool.

You know...

...you're the mom of a little boy when you start picking out specific types of trucks on the highway, even when your son is not in the car with you.

Potty Power!

By no means are we potty training yet, but at the advice of his pediatrician, we've begun introducing the idea to Mr. P. Just two weeks ago we showed him his new potty seat and stool (of course, Cars themed). Every night, before putting him in the bath tub, we ask him if he wants to sit on the potty. At first I was concerned that he'd be intimidated and not want to do it, but so far he's been game! I think it's helped that for a while now, we've let him watch Mamma and Daddy go potty. And of course, every time he sits on the potty we make a big deal about what a big boy he is and how proud we are.

Also, his pediatrician recommended a DVD, Potty Power. It shows real kids sitting on the potty, has lots of songs (which Mr. P now sings along to) and has a little story about a princess learning to use the potty. Unbelievably, it is now Mr. P's favorite show/movie, by FAR. He asks to watch it every day, multiple times! So certainly, that's helping.

Well, something is clicking because tonight he actually went pee in the potty!!! It was HH's turn to give him a bath and get him ready for bed. I was downstairs and all of a sudden heard HH call down, "MAMMA! He used the potty!" Apparently, while Mr. P was sitting on the potty right before his bath, he actually went pee a little! Of course, we made a crazy huge deal about it and Mr. P was so proud of himself. It was definitely a moment to remember.

I know it's going to be a long time before he's actually asking to go to the bathroom, but it's an exciting start down the road to NO MORE DIAPERS!

Night Out

Too excited. Handsome Hubby and I are going on a date-night tonight. Dinner and a movie. Doesn't get more classic-date than that.

ENT

Mr. P had an appointment with an ENT (Ears, Nose, Throat) specialist yesterday. He's always been a mouth breather and a snorer, so his pediatrician recommended he get checked out by an ENT to make sure it's nothing serious. Worse case scenario, we'd be talking surgery to have his tonsils and/or adnoids removed.

But, good news! The ENT isn't concerned and unless something changes, sent us on our way. Fingers crossed that we never need to go back!

New Interests

Mr. P has been gaining lots of new interests lately. In the last few weeks, he's really gotten into coloring. "Draw, draw! Help, help! Play!" He really gets into it sometimes, picking out specific colors and drawing with very specific intentions. It's so cute! He's knows how to draw lines, dots, squiggles and circles too. Practicing circles seems to be the favorite at this point.

He's also really into singing songs, which I think was helped by his aunts and Garma over vacation. It's so fun because he's really getting to know the songs and tries to sing the words too. Some faves include: ABC's, Row Row Row Your Boat, If You're Happy and You Know It... (which Mr. P calls "Clap, Clap!"), Patty Cake, Ants Go Marching, You Are My Sunshine, Ring Around the Rosie, I Met a Senorita and my personal favorite, The Crocodile Song . He's getting really good at the hand movements that go along with some of the songs, especially The Crocodile Song, which probably adds to why it's my fave.

Back to Reality

We just got back from a week long vacation, visiting my family in New England. As always, we had a wonderful time; it always seems to fly by.

While on vacation, HH and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary. Hard to believe it's been seven years. What was super nice is that my parents sprung for us to spend the night away at a B&B on the coast, while they watched Mr. P. It was a much needed getaway for the two of us, and we really enjoyed it.

Mr. P had so much fun with the family and soaked up all the attention! He's saying new words every day, including my current favorite, 'fart'. He also began counting on his own. He can get as high as six and then needs a little help. He's using more and more two-word sentences also which is really cool because it means he's really beginning to communicate a lot with us. He's developing into such a cool little boy... except for when he's hitting, kicking, pinching or biting. Yeah, we've been rocking the Time-Outs a lot lately!

Also, I think his next set of molars are starting to come in because he's been having a hard time sleeping the last couple of nights. Which reminds me, I finally installed the toddler bed rail last night, after Mr. P kept falling out of bed in the middle of the night and once got stuck under the bed after rolling under there while he was sleeping. Sounds funny, but it definitely wasn't at the time since he ended up with scrapes up and down his arm from the exposed metal springs. Ouch! At least that's finally been taken care of, which helps me sleep better at night too!

Lots o' Quilts #5

This is the last in my quilting series... for now anyway, as I've got three more in the 'pipeline.'

I made this doggie-themed baby quilt for my very good friend from work. They knew they were having a boy, which is why I opted for the more masculine colors. Obviously, they are a puppy-friendly family. This was my first attempt at the Flying Geese pattern. This time I used cotton batting, which is far less fluffy than polyester and makes quilting much easier. I think it gives it a more "antique" feel. I stitched-in-the-ditch around the lattice (which is the same fabric as the background so it may be hard to see), the border, and around each of the 'geese.' It was by far the most machine quilting I have ever done. Also, this was my third attempt at machine binding, and I was pleased with the result. It's such a learning process! Again, burp cloths to match.

Lots o' Quilts #4

This quilt was for another very good friend of mine from college. I previously posted about being a bridesmaid in her wedding here. They've chosen not to find out the gender, so again, I tried to make it gender neutral. It's another Winning Hand pattern. I used polyester batting and binded it. Like the baseball themed one, I stitched-in-the-ditch around the lattice and border, but left the 'cards' alone. Again, burpers to match.

Lots o' Quilts #3

This baby quilt was made for one of my good friends in college. I didn't know if she was having a boy or girl when I made it, so I tried to make it gender neutral. Turns out, she's having a girl. Hopefully she won't be turned off by the frogs. If you look closely, you'll see they do have hearts on them!


This is a Double Irish Chain pattern. I used polyester batting and finished it with the turn method. I mostly hand-tied it, but did stitch-in-the-ditch around the borders. I made custom burp cloths with the froggy fabric.

Lots o' Quilts #2

This quilt was made for one of my Homegirls. Her husband is a huge baseball fan and since they knew they were having a boy, I went with it. It's the Winning Hand pattern and was my very FIRST attempt at actual machine quilting (stitching in the ditch). I used polyester fill batting, which I like because it's fluffier than cotton, but it made the quilting more challenging. This also means it was my first attempt at binding, which I also did with the machine (as opposed to doing it by hand). I definitely learned a lot with this quilt and hope that it didn't turn out too bad for my first attempt at these techniques!

Also, for the first time I decided to make custom burp-cloths. I can't take credit for the idea, I ripped it from a gift I received after Mr. P was born. It's pretty simple, but makes a plain white cloth diaper so much more attractive!