Connor's Monumental Achievement!!

Today, April 26, 2010 at 20 months and 4 days, Connor peed in his potty for the very first time!!!

Yes, I am that mom that took his picture! (at least I didn't post these on Facebook....)

Brian was quick to give him a sucker as a reward for his monumental achievement even before he got up. That, in addition to our cheering and praise sealed the deal for him that peeing in the potty is a big, wonderful event. :)

I put a pull-up on him after this and he pooped in it about 2 hours later, but there was no pee. :) When I changed him back into a diaper, I gave him the opportunity to pee again, and he managed to force a little out....again, so proud. Hopefully this is the beginning of a successful toilet training attempt!

(I personally love the picture of him clapping for himself. :) And yes, the potty is in our entryway....whatever it takes, ya know?!)

Busy, Busy

With spring now in full swing, I find myself busier than ever. I never thought a "stay-at-home mom" (that works some too) could ever have such a full plate.....and I only have one kid, and he isn't in school and doesn't have many extra-curricular activities!

Today is the second day in a row that I have woken up (on my own accord) before 5:30 am. The gerbil in my head just won't stop running. I am so thankful that it is not huge stresses that wake me, but projects that I typically task myself. I am a huge list maker. I will even add items to a list that I am in the process of doing, just to check them off! As a matter of fact, I just added "blog post" to my list of 21 tasks that I'd like to get done today. Yup, 21, and that does not include vacuuming (yet again), cleaning the floors or getting all the Connor prints off all of my windows.....okay now the list is 24.

Only about 7 tasks on my list are "work" related....3 book covers (2 mechanicals, 1 front cover), and 4 stationery projects that need to be completed. The rest are mom/house duties, many of them dealing with spring "cleaning"....this is really spring organizing. The garage and storage room have been my latest big projects and the storage room is looking really good, but the garage is driving me nuts.....I am so anxious to get rid of some crap in the garage sale! (June 4 & 5)

I'd like to think I thrive under intense situations (not that my tasks are exactly intense) but we have a really big May ahead of us. The first weekend in May is Brooke & Jake's wedding in GA. Second weekend is Chris's college graduation and Pat's birthday, followed by a week in Cleveland while Brian helps out at the Cleveland Clinic. 3rd weekend in May....beach sand delivered = neighborhood margarita sand spreading party & I think we are having a division picnic with B's work. I think the next weekend is Memorial Day. I'm not sure what we are going to do, but I'm going to have to get ready for the garage sale that is the following weekend at some point. Oh yeah, and it is catalog time again.....the National Book Network's Gift/Gourmet catalog has to go to press by the first week of June and my client hasn't even gotten me copy yet....it will be over 80 pages. Sweet.

Perhaps this post was not a good idea....I'm starting to feel overwhelmed.

Thank goodness Connor has been an AMAZING sleeper recently and really just an awesome little guy all around. I do my best to give him my full attention and do fun stuff with playdates or just playing "side" (outside). I'm amazed at how much I can accomplish when Connor is sleeping. I've only got about 4-6 hours per day to do all my crap (approx. 2 hour nap....the rest depends on long after 9:00 I want to stay up and how much before 7:30). I am so fortunate that I get to stay home with him and I wouldn't change a thing. I just never thought I'd have so much on my plate.....even though much of it is self-induced.

A few fun Connor updates:

• When he wakes up in the morning, before I get him out of bed, he likes to walk along the edge of his crib like a balance beam. (2 full lengths and a "dismount")
• He has been saying "mee-im" a lot in the last few days and we have no clue what it means...
• "Ga-Ga" used to mean water...now it is all liquids (the lake, milk, water, juice, perfume, puddle, etc.)
• On the rare occasion I let him play in my car (since he did fall out of Brian's last week) he turns the lights on and if I turn them off, he turns them right back on. Yet, when I ask him to turn them off, he looks at me like I have horns growing out of my head.)
• He will do tons of stuff on command (throwing things away, brushing his teeth, go to his room so I can change his diaper, finding his cup on command, putting toys away, getting books, getting himself a treat from the pantry, etc. etc.) but he is so smart.....if he doesn't want to do any of those things, he gives the previously mentioned horns look like he doesn't know what you are talking about. I can't believe my (almost) 20 month old is already trying to manipulate me!
• He "swims" in the bathtub and will kick, blow bubbles and put his face in.
• Our new, almost 15 year old neighbor, Alek is one of Connor's best friends. Whenever he is out playing basketball, it is almost impossible to keep Connor away. Thankfully, Alek likes Connor too...I just don't want to burn him out!
• Learning about the street is going well. However, the latest trend is pushing his toys (police car, wagon, and umbrella stroller) into the street while remaining in the driveway himself. Yes, technically HE is not in the street, but come on....no toys in the street...

Now, back to business (can be read as business or busy-ness....both work...ha)...My goal is to accomplish 15 of the tasks on my list today. I'll be happy if I can get 10-12.

Oh, and just so you know, plans for this weekend: Brian is running in the Undy 5000 (in his underwear for colon cancer...B's company is a big sponsor. On that workout note, B is looking amazing....he's lost over 35 lbs since January!!! (B=workout and calorie counting machine) We also hope to get and spread this year's mulch as well as get our garden planted. Surely we won't get another frost, right?...

I MUST end this. Blog post: CHECK.

(the next one will have little man pictures)

Connor: 19.5 Months Old

I swear he looks about 4 in the top picture....

.....and those are Brian's hands and feet, just miniature.
I think the blonde hair is about the only proof that the child is even mine....and my lovely c-section scar of course.

I am so excited that Grand Rapids just got a Portrait Innovations! They opened about a month ago. We've been pretty busy, but I made Connor an appointment for this Tuesday. Of course, on Monday he fell while trying to get out of Brian's car and landed on his head. Sweet. I was right there, but there was nothing I could do. I scooped him up and got the loose gravely stuff from the garage floor (that has yet to be deep cleaned from all the winter crap) out of his new boo-boo. The forehead sort of got worse with time. I was originally most concerned with the side of his nose because it was bleeding the most. But anyway, the kid barely cried. I swear his pain tolerance must be super high! This is a good thing, because the kid is getting into stuff ALL..THE..TIME! Hey, at least he hasn't been "head-banging" on stuff for the last few days. Hopefully that phase is over....

I was going to reschedule the picture appointment after he healed, but Brian advised me to keep it anyway and Christian even made an open threat if I canceled and added that I "need to capture him in all his glory, scars and all".

Thankfully, PI is super cheap and we can take C back in 3 months for the same $9.95 special, so I was willing to get a couple of battle wound pictures. (I ended up spending $35 total.)

Oh, and next time I am going to have them hide the motorcycle. We all know he is a mover and shaker, so getting him to sit still for a picture is tough, but as soon as he saw the bike, it was all over. We are not big bikers, but I really had no choice. In that picture, he just finished saying "peas, peas, peas", so that is why he looks a bit like a beggar.... Oh, and if you look closely, you'll see small scars on the knuckles of his left hand. He bit it while running all around the park last week and shaved off a couple layers of skin...no tears at all.

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It is now 5:19 and I've been up for well over an hour.....ridiculous, yet no excuse. Once again, our blog "fans" are reaping the benefits of a sleep-little night. I should be doing work instead.

Oh, and Connor amazingly escaped from his crib on last Friday night (no clue how), but hasn't even attempted since then. We've had a great week!!!

Our Weekend & Maiden Voyage!!

It has been really nice the past couple of days. Yesterday was just gorgeous...about 68º and SUNNY! We went to Countryside Greenhouse in Allendale on Saturday and got lots of new plants (Rhododendrons (2 big, 3 small), a "Miss Ruby" Butterfly Bush, a Goldenrod plant, lots of veggies (tons of tomatoes....many varieties, squash, zucchini, peas, beans, cantaloupe, watermelon (?), and a full set of herbs) and some more perennials including a spreading, flowering ground cover I'm excited about. Anyway, I'll have to force myself to wait a little longer before I start digging. I want to make sure we don't have another frost that will zap anything.

Saturday was actually our second attempt at going to Countryside. We were on our way there on Friday afternoon and we were rear-ended in Brian's car about 3 minutes away from our house. We are all fine, and so are the passengers in the other car—a lady about my age and her 2 year old daughter. She wasn't texting or talking on the phone....she didn't have a cell phone, but something must have distracted her because we were at a complete stop at a a light (64th and Byron Center Ave.) and we got rammed. We heard the skid marks long enough for me to cover my head and Brian was looking in the rear view mirror before and during impact. B's car will be repaired next week, but is completely drivable. The other car's (Rav4) airbags deployed and was totaled at the scene. Other than some brief headaches we are fine and Connor was completely unphased....no tears or anything. Thank goodness for wonderful carseats!

Ok, back to our maiden voyage! Sorry.

The weather was so nice yesterday that after Brian applied the spring fertilizer treatment to the grass, we assembled our brand new pedal/paddle boat and got her ready for the launch. We also made a family trip to Menards to purchase the necessary anchor stake, marine rope and carabiners needed to keep us from waking up to our boat floating in the middle of the lake. B figured out the fancy knots and our neighbor, Tim Kruse gave him a few techniques for easy docking and anchoring while out at "sea".

We always do everything possible to keep Connor away from the shoreline....so far I've spanked him the hardest for getting too close to the water and the street. However, it is pretty tough to tell him not to go near the water when Brian is standing IN IT. So, despite the fact that the water was pretty dang chilly, Connor wanted to go in. We got his life jacket on him (not thrilled initially, but got used to it) and let him go. His non-swim diaper and clothse were pretty wet, but we wrapped him in a towel and he was good to go. The temperature of the water did not phase him a bit!



I LOVE that Connor loved it so much.....that sweet little laugh. It is a little tough to pedal and video with a toddler in your lap. According to Brian it is also tougher to pedal and control the rudder with said toddler. :)



We had such a fun evening...perhaps so exciting that I had a tough time sleeping last night. After tossing and turning throughout the night, I laid awake in bed for over 30 minutes, so I just got up at about 5:30. I'm sure Mitsy was thrilled because I heard her faint pawing at the door. Although I think Connor probably dreams about spending the night in the garage, I'm sure it was not ideal for our little white kitty. :) I consider my early rise, thus this blog post, the result of my mommy intuition that also reaches out to the kitties...now, she is my shadow.

Brushing in the Buff

This video doesn't show him spitting or turning on/off the water like he usually does during his brushing routine, but there is a different surprise and heck, it is so cute that he is naked and yet I somehow managed to preserve his dignity. :)

Video was obviously pre-bath and pre-haircut....about a week and a half ago.

Connor's Carousel

Connor doesn't really like to ride anything that doesn't have wheels. He refuses to ride those little mechanical toys in the mall or grocery store (Meijer has one for a penny!), he had no interest in the ponies at Liam's birthday party and he doesn't even like to ride on Brian's shoulders! We took our old neighbors, Holly and Paetyn to the Van Andel Public Museum to see the Big Bugs! exhibit and treated the kids to a ride on the carosel. Connor started out in a bench seat with me, but after about a minute, I put him on a non-mobile horse/donkey/ram....whatever it was, and he seemed cool. I loved how he held on so tight to the golden column!

Of course I went into photographer mode, but my telephoto lens made capturing the moment a little tough as we were spinning around. I was happy with a couple that I managed to get and I now truly understand why photographers ask people to say "cheese". It worked like a charm! Look at the little guy totally "cheesin" it up!

Butterflies are Blooming!

Yesterday afternoon, Brian and I took Connor to the Meijer Garden's and Sculpture Park for their featured "Butterflies are Blooming" exhibit. I wasn't sure what to expect from Connor. He loves watching birds and planes in the sky and is fascinated with most things having to do with nature. I was NOT expecting him to be afraid. That seriously never even occurred to me, so of course he was terrified.
He wouldn't let go of Brian's leg for the first minute we were in there. We left the stroller in the little waiting area, but went back to retrieve in hopes it would provide a little security. The volunteers said his fear was very common and after I thought about it, I totally get it....foreign objects flying at your head?!
Brian and I couldn't help but laugh as he clung to us and grabbed his face out of pure terror. Thankfully, after holding him for a while and some time in the stroller, he got more comfortable after about 15 minutes and then there was no holding him back. He still wasn't thrilled to be dive-bombed by the occasional butterfly, but it didn't stop him from running around and climbing on all the rocks. :)

We didn't get a family picture, but here are some cute ones of Connor. I'll add a good video as soon as I get them off our new Flip UltraHD camera...so cool. :)

Mr. Independent.

So, I am extremely behind on blog posts. A lot has happened in the last (almost) month. Oh well.

I am currently awake at 5:09 in the morning and have been awake since 1:56 am when Connor started crying. He went back to sleep after 17 minutes, but I was up for good....I hate that! I dread what this is going to do to me for the rest of the day.

The past week has been quite challenging. Connor made numerous, consecutive escapes from his crib on Tuesday during his nap. I thought I'd outsmarted him by flipping his crib around so the high side was facing the middle of his room. I was very proud. It held him for 3 days. The sides of his crib curve down and it didn't take him long to figure it out.

I'm very thankful that he's never attempted to escape at night. He is actually a very easy baby to put to sleep at night....it is just the stinkin' naps that are killer. Yesterday I was already very tired and a bit irritable when he just would not stay in his bed for his nap. I can't even keep him in his room because no door knob locks fit on our oval-shaped knobs and believe it or not, he bulldozed the baby gate down that I had in his door several days ago. (where did he even learn that?!) He is NOT ready for the responsibility of a big-boy bed. I can't even imagine what his room would look like....that is assuming I figured out a way to keep him in there. The child would never sleep.

Anyway, yesterday he lost the privilege of having a spring in is crib. His mattress is now on the floor and the crib is assembled around it. This bought me another 6-8 inches and if he somehow figures out how to escape, I'm going to rename him Spider Man. When I put him to bed last night (reach in as far as I can...then drop...) he layed down and then stood up to give me a kiss on the mouth, then layed back down again and said "nah naht" (night night). Oh I wish he would do that during his naps too. Sometimes he naps so easily....just not this week.

In addition to the crib escapes, I've struggled with finding appropriate discipline that works. I feel like he knowingly pushes me to my limits and although I've informed him that Mommy always wins, he likes to push anyway. I swear he has hit the "terrible twos" about 5 months early. They just better end early too. I'm anxious for him to understand things like "we are going inside in 5 minutes". Hey, I'd even like him to understand a good bribe! He is still too little to "get" these kinds of concepts and yet his mobility is very advanced for his age. He even goes up and down stairs standing and like a champ. This week he even brought up his lawnmower from the basement without a struggle or asking for assistance.

I guess a good name for him would be "Mr. Independent". He climbs into his high chair unassisted. He prefers to eat apples whole (but he does spit out the skin). He climbs up on a stool to brush his teeth himself....he gets out his toothbrush, and tooth paste, turns on the water, wets the brush, puts the paste on, brushes with a smile, spits and repeats. Then he puts the twist cap back on the toothpaste, turns off the water and puts everything back in his drawer. Am I even needed anymore?! He can put on his own shoes (sans laces) and brings me his coat when he is ready to go "side, peas" (outside, please) regardless if it is 75º out.

He really is a good boy, but this week has just been trying. I'm sure my lack of sleep (because of nights like tonight) doesn't help my patience with the little guy and I hate that. Although we'd love to have another baby sometime soon, weeks like these make me thank God I'm not pregnant. :) I find strange comfort in knowing that each day that goes by means that Connor will grow up just a little more and be just a little more mature before it is time for baby #2. Heck, I'll even grow up and mature a little more! Poor little Connor has a rookie mom. I guess we'll just learn from each other.

I'll try to post a bunch of pictures soon. He got his sheepdog hair cut and looks like quite the little man. He was an angel during the cut. Too bad he doesn't really understand rewards yet either. I'll just be thankful that praise from me and a big hug are all the "reward" he needs.....at this point. :)