Our Journey through Potty Training [with Comforts for Baby]

Potty training is a real hoot. Truly, it's a gem of parenthood.  There are so many different ways to teach little people how to pee in the potty. There is the “wait and pee” and “potty  planner” or the “eyes on the prize” or the “Panty Raid”. Let’s be honest, cutesy (and kind of disturbing) names don’t make the ensuing mess and drama any less real. Guys, there is gonna be pee. There is gonna be poop. There is gonna be a lot of mop buckets. But there is also help and hope on this journey.

My son might be one of the most natural rule followers I know. He is meticulous with cleaning his room, excellent at school, always colors in the lines, just aims to be awesome at whatever he sets out todo. When he was just 18 months old, he hopped out of the tub, ran to his Elmo potty and never looked back. There were some issues with him building confidence to go, shall we say, number 2. But we ditched wearing diapers, and switched to underwear without thinking twice.

My daughter might be one of the most creative and free spirited children I know. She intentionally wears mismatched shoes on the wrong feet. She colors a rainbow on her page with no concern for the lines. She dances like no one is watching, and laughs with her whole body. When she was fifteen months old she hopped out of the tub and pooped on the potty--and then didn't do that again for a LONG TIME.

Reese was more stubborn than her brother about potty training. Not that wouldn’t use the potty like we were teaching, but at times it was like she couldn’t be bothered to stop her game, her lunch, her…creativity to go to the bathroom. When she turned eighteen months (the age her brother was when he mastered this endeavor), transitioning her straight out of diapers to underwear just wasn’t what she needed. The kindest solution that we learned with Reese, that I'm very glad we stuck to, was simply this: TIME. 

Sounds simple, doesn't it? But really, I stopped stressing out, I stopped bribing with sticker charts, I stopped giving myself straight anxiety at the thought of accidents because I just knew. I knew that Reese was different, and that as independent as she longed to be, that potty training would be OKAY. It's amazing what you remember in your child's lifetime and the things that you don't. I have friends ask me what age we started solids and with my son, I remember that he was six months old exactly. But with her, I have no idea?! I do however, remember potty training with BOTH of them. 

Pretty shortly after Reese turned two, she announced that she wanted to be done with diapers. Instead of underwear [which we immediately went to with our son], we let her pick out Pull-Ups. She has always been a girly girl, and instantly drawn to everything princess related. Thanks to Comforts™ Diapers we found the happy medium, and were able to purchase their Princess Themed training pants (which she LOVED). Within several weeks of wearing training pants, Reese was able to transition to little girl underwear during the day; however, at nap and bedtime, she still slept in a pull-up. The Comforts for Toddler Training Pants that we use, have really made potty training engaging for Reese. She loves the princess characters, and the product itself is thin and comfortable. They are simple for her to pull up and down, and the flowers fade when wet, letting me know if she had an accident. 

To go along with the Comforts Pull-Ups that she wears, we mostly have used their Sensitive wipes. I'm not sure at what point we'll stop purchasing wipes, I like to always keep a package in the car for meals on the go and for when and if accidents happen! These ones in particular smell very refreshing, are gentle on my kids' skin, and they serve many purposes beyond cleaning up toddler bottoms-- like teaching Reese how to care for her baby dolls for instance ;) 

Now our big 4-year old only relies on a pull-up only when she sleeps at night, and they're easy enough for her to pull down, put herself on the potty, and go BACK to bed. (Motherhood goals, right?!) Thank you, Comforts for Baby brand for helping us through this process and for all my readers, these products are exclusively at Kroger® Company family of stores. You can check them out and read more about Comforts on their Facebook page here.

Gather: A Sunday Dinner with Friends

I've missed Sunday dinners for a long time. They weren't ever a huge or elaborate affair in my household growing up, however there was still something sweet and wonderful about them. I have a lot of nostalgia remembering the things Mom would cook; I'm pretty sure mashed potatoes were my obsession? But I tell Asa often that I miss Michigan (okay, ALL the time...) and one of the reasons I wish we could be closer than the six hours that we are, is because I wish we could pop in on Sundays after church to eat a meal with my family...

Sigh. Who knows where the Lord will take us in the years to come, but as you can see, meals and fellowship are important to me--to us. We've been blessed by the church we joined last September and with it, some truly amazing friends. Tim and Steph are ones that it's been so evident, God is just using immensely to be a part of our village. Y'all know the familiar saying, 'it takes a village,' in regards to raising kids--as cliche as it may sound, it is TRUE! So these two had the brilliant idea of getting together on Sundays to come around a meal; to eat food, hang out, and to just spend time together. Of course we said YES! Our kids love them, they love our kids, and both Tim and Asa love to cook. So duh. 

Not only am I obsessed with mashed potatoes (pictured above!!), I LOVE Asa's deviled eggs. He adds a piece of bacon on top and they are creamy AND tangy. I could have literally devoured the entire plate but go figure, Tim and Steph loved them too. Tim made the fried chicken (omg!!) and the greens. The whole thing was a giant Southern dream. 

It does my heart good to be able to just carefree sit around the table with friends AND our kids. Let's be real...eating with children is not exactly stress free. They whip their utensils around, spill 90% of what's on their plate, and talk/bicker LOUDLY. Oh wait, I have some proof of a big table spill below! Ha!

Reese had been playing with the salt shaker on the dining room table prior to dinner, but obviously we weren't aware. When one of us went to USE said salt shaker......well, you see what happened. It dumped ALL, OVER, THE, TABLE!!!!!!!!!!! So the second photo was everyone scrambling (minus me, oops) trying to clean it up. Oh my word, I love these people.

And last but not least, I *finally* made a homemade blueberry pie for the first time in a VERY long time. (Remember when I made a new pie a month for 12 months, a tribute to my Grandma?)

Tonight we just had our second dinner together, that I'm sure I'll get around to blogging here soon as well. On my list of must reads is Shauna Niequist's book 'Bread and Wine,' but from this book there is this magical quote that speaks to my soul: 

“The heart of hospitality is about creating space for someone to feel seen and heard and loved. It's about declaring your table a safe zone, a place of warmth and nourishment.”

Now that you've seen OUR Sunday dinner, what do you love about Sundays? Or maybe what is a nostalgic meal you remember from your childhood? Leave a comment below and I hope you have the greatest week! 

xox

Let's Get Real

Hey everyone, so moment of truth, how many people here enjoy working? Is it like, 10% or 90% of you reading who say, "I do! I love getting up in the morning and going to work all day!" Because I'll just be real with you: I want to stay home with my babies all day everyday, as exhausting and infuriating as they can be, and write and take pretty pictures on my terms. Can anyone else relate?

Do not get me wrong here or twist these words--I love teaching, and I love the relationships that I build with students. However, now that I've had a taste of stay at home life, well, it's that much harder to go back. My son starts kindergarten next Wednesday and my daughter starts preschool in TWO days. Bless their hearts but good LORD, could someone just heal MY broken heart?! There are some moms who are great with their kids growing up and getting older and get super thrilled about all the milestones. I have loved every stage and every single year, but let's also be real; when Pierson was three months old, you would have found me in his nursery crying, flat on my face, simply because he had changed so much. (Okay, at that time I had a serious thyroid disorder that made my hormones ALL out whack, but still!!) Most months when I feel extra emotional, it kind of spirals when I think about all the memories or moments of recent days. It's like, in SPITE of how frustrated (downright angry) I get with their bickering, tattling, and constant messes, I simultaneously want to scoop them up and hold them on my lap and squeeze them forever. 

Let's get real. I just signed up to a part of my son's PTA. I smiled and gave my email address and sat through his orientation with many other parents in the room; meanwhile, I felt like I was having the wind knocked out of me over, and over, and over again. There's a difference in losing your breath when you see your baby for the first time after hours of a strenuous labor and then losing it because you've realized that baby is FIVE freeking years old and he's his own miniature person. And the same goes for my baby girl, who is SO excited to start school because her brother is, and who talks constantly about picking her outfit for the first day, making friends, and listening to her teacher. Y'all, these are GREAT THINGS! I just need to be 100% honest in admitting that they also are making me feel physically ILL at the moment. 

You know those moments as a mom when you're utterly exhausted and you're sitting on the toilet, and you think, "This moment of peace will last a maximum of 2.3 seconds...." and then you're spot on, because the kids barge in and are either running from each other or one asks to literally see what progress you've made on said toilet? I literally shut my bathroom door today, for the FIRST TIME EVER, because we have never had an en suite. And we now have THREE bathrooms in this house [hello heaven!!!!!] so I thought, "Surely I can just pee, and close the door so that I don't hear their noise." Lo and behold Reese storms through the door: "MOM! WHY did you close the door?! That's so MEAN!!" It was a rare moment where I had my patience under control, and I said, "Reese, let's try that again. I closed the door because I can. I am a grownup and grownups can close doors, children should not. I closed the door because I wanted a minute of quiet. Why don't you try knocking on the door and asking if it's okay to come in?" "Okay, Mommy!!" she responded. And she practiced. "That's a very big girl thing to do, Reese," I praised. And then I almost laughed out loud because the entire exchange took way too long and let's face it, I had finished peeing LONG ago, I was just merely scrolling my phone at the point that she had rudely entered. However, I digress. There's going to come a day in the very near future that my daughter does not WANT to come in the bathroom with me. Let's get real. She is going to want her privacy, and respect mine, and the days of her constantly wanting me will be no more. 

Our son just recently started going into a stall at the gym to change into his swimsuit and HE has been closing the door when he uses the bathroom here at home. I don't even know when or how this happened, is that just like, an innate thing that kids do? Because Lord knows I didn't prompt that. I guess I just feel like at this moment, in this season, my kids are giants. And it's barely just begun. So here, let's look at some sappy photos and all cry together, want to? 

From none to one to five, I'm just not sure where the years went.....and here's some of Reesie Cup:

I've read many a blog post where moms write about the woes and heartache of their children growing bigger. The posts about how important it is for self-care as a mom [and it is] and how we should also not care so much about the messes and finger printed glass doors; we all experience it. We blink and they are starting school. We wake up and they are four and five. While I used to never understand phrases like, "Just you wait, tomorrow they'll be driving themselves!" I do now. I remember carrying two car seats very uncomfortably on my arms, balancing them up multiple staircases to get into our home; and now both of my kids can buckle themselves in. 

Let's get real. Life is fleeting, and I am holding on for dear life. 

The Case of the No Naps

Moms, have you literally forgotten everything that happened with your first born child, now that you have multiple? Because I promise you, I remember almost nothing. First steps, I know they happened the day before his first birthday. I remember he was 25 months old when he was completely potty trained (day-time that is). I remember he was the easiest babe to break of the binky. And I'm fairly certain he was the most perfect sleeper, ever. 

But that can't be 100% accurate. Because I also remember texting my sweet friend and soul sister Jerrica with a million sleep and nap questions; she too, was a "Babywise Mom." That means we scheduled our kiddos and had a pretty good grip on when they would sleep and when they wouldn't. I know that he napped like an angel (babysitters, DID HE?!?!) up until just recently, and he just turned FIVE. 

But if you were really asking me to remember all these details....well, I can't! I'm currently in this stage of nap regressions with our dear sweet daughter. She turns four in two very short months, and she is a monkey see monkey do kinda gal. (Lord, help.) She knows that her big brother doesn't nap daily anymore, and constantly asks, "Well, is Pierson going to play quietly in his room or will he be resting in BED?????" Telling her not to worry about her brother and to just worry about herself, well, that doesn't fly. 

I've always wanted to be the sweet and soften spoken mom. The one who never yells or who doesn't fly off the handle. The mom who gently lulls her anti-napping toddler to sleep. Or who is extremely patient with said toddler when she doesn't even lay down to TRY to sleep. But guys, I fail at this *MISERABLY.* There's like: strike one, strike two, strike three, strike ZERO, NOW I'M SCREAMING, and no, I haven't given too many chances because I'm totally exaggerating here to NOT make myself seem like a total lunatic. And now I'm sitting over here all like, "HOW is she ever going to nap in preschool?? They SAID that ALL the kids lie on their mats and just sleep. But there is no way in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks that this will happen?!?!?!" First of all, Reese turns four a month after she'll start preschool, which means she will be four in the three's room. Surely there'll be other four year olds present who are in the same situation as her? But to say I'm a little worried and stressed over this thought is kinda an understatement. 

My husband likes to reassure me (by not reassuring me) that it just won't be my problem. She'll be in preschool, not ME, and there is really absolutely nothing that I can do.

Okay...............thanks?

I am betting there will be like 300 of you who tell me that your child has never napped. So all I'm going to say here is that I am SO SORRY. I really wouldn't mind the no nap thing, IF I wasn't starting back to work in three weeks, where she'll be in brand new circumstances and settings. Her grandmother will watch her two days in our home, and I'm also not looking forward to how Reese is going to test those buttons on those days, either. Maybe those will just HAVE to be her 'no napping' days? But how do you do that.........? 

Has anyone else ever admitted that raising toddlers is a crapshoot? Who am I kidding, it's a shit shoot. (Sorry, Mom!) It's just a total mess where there are days you have no idea what you're doing, WHY you're having these battles, where you haven't looked in a mirror all day, and you are drinking coffee at two-thirty in the afternoon INSTEAD of lunch, because you just want to sit and BE. I sound like I'm complaining big time don't I? But did you know on the other side of this fence that I am sitting, there is this woman who is about to cry big giant puddles of tears because BOTH of her children are starting school in three weeks?? 

I looked at my five year in the car today in my rearview mirror and saw him just sitting all properly in his booster seat, looking out the window with his insanely long legs dangling off the seat. And in that moment, I got all choked up. This KID, my first born, is FIVE. And my daughter?? The one who is currently undressing herself in bed and getting really frustrated that she can't put the shirt back on correctly (yes, daughter, I can SEE YOU)--well, she's my BABY. I've always called her my baby baby, and here we are, approaching her FOURTH birthday. 

A couple realizations: 
-I'm getting old
-and motherhood is a constant lesson, teaching me ALL the things about selflessness, SELFISHness, grace, laughter, sorrow, and love. 

The case of the no naps have officially arrived. But I suppose this too, shall pass. 

*Dear daughter, my baby baby, who is NOW currently upstairs throwing books off your bed...I love you more than there are words. Thank YOU for still choosing to love ME, even when dear old mom sometimes loses it.*