Potty Training Update

Okay, so saldy I had pretty much tried all suggestions I received, though I was very thankful to all for offering help. As an update as to where we are now...back in underwear, but still peeing just a little bit. About a quarter size. This I can handle, though we continue to tell him he needs to go potty before he starts peeing. He also only gets his toys back by having no pee in his underwear. How did we get back to this stage, you ask? Well, thankfully it only took 1 day. It started in the morning when he peed in his underwear about 1/2 hour after he woke up. So I put him in a pull-up because I had to go to work and I was terrified that he would pee at my friend's house. When I got home, he had peed a little in his pull-up, so I took that away. Yup, he had to go commando! I also told him if he was going to pee in his underwear like a baby, I was going to treat him like a baby. That meant he was going to have to take a nap. Well, at first he though he would play along and wanted to sleep in Jaxon's crib. Well, Jaxon was in Jaxon's crib so I said fine and set up the pack n' play! All this time I was throughly annoyed, however I knew once he got in the pack n' play he would hate it. So I laid him down for a nap. Every 30 mins or so he would start crying for something which I occassionally went in and told him no he had to take a nap before he could come out. Other times I just ignored him. I let him stay in there for about 2 1/2 hours before I decided I should probably get him out before he peed in the pack n' play. Keep in mind he was still naked from the waist down. No, he never did take a nap, but he decided mabye the pack n' play wasn't so fun and maybe he did want to be a big boy. Just for good measure I left him naked for the rest of the afternoon. He never pees anywhere when he is just naked, only if he has underwear on. He went potty a few more times and has been much better ever since. We also have been working on him doing other big boy things like going potty by himself and getting dressed. Hopefully this will last! We'll see!

At a loss....

So I have a problem and am in need of any help anyone can give. Let me start at the beginning. In March of 08 my son Spencer saw his friend Cora learning to go potty and decided he wated to. So for about a month and a half we worked on potty training. In that month and a half I became very well potty trained. Spencer would pee on the potty, but not poop and he wouldn't tell when he needed to go, I just had to take him every so often. Then we decided to give up for awhile because we weren't making any progress. We would comtinue to ask him and he would occasionally go. We started to make a little progress in Late July early August 08, but still no pooping. I really wanted him potty trained by school time so I could send him to preschool or some other classes. Finally I gave up and about a week later he finally said, "Mommy, I need to go potty." I was sooo excited. Over the next week and a half he finally became completely potty trained.

Then came October...it started with just a little spot of pee in his underwear every once in awhile, then it got bigger and bigger until it was going through to his pants! What? Huh? I thought we were done? So we tried taking toys away, time out, a reward chart for a toy he really wanted for everytime he was completely dry. Eventually the chart started to work, though it took weeks. So, I made the chart big because I wanted him to learn not to do this for good, not just long enough to get his toy. I learned from our early potty training days!

So here is his Mickey chart. He had the thing filled up except for one ear. I made the mistake of thinking, "Good, I think he is over this." The next week it started all over again!!!! Aaaarrrgggg!!! How long is he going to take to potty train!? Yet again I am continually bugging him all day long, we have taken away his beloved Handy Manny tools that he received for Christmas. He has sat in time out. He has had to take stickers off his Mickey chart. Tonight I came home from the store to find a sobbing son as my husband made him pick out toys to take away. It broke my heart! I am at a loss!!! What do I do?!? I can't possibly put him back in diapers he has been out of them since August, with the exception of night time. I really don't know what to do, but at the same time if I have to change my 3 1/2 year olds wet pants again I think I might scream! Any help, anyone?

Spencer and Cora

Yea! I am all caught up with this post! Maybe my New Year's resolution should be to keep my blog current! lol! On Fridays, Spencer's friend Cora comes over to play in the afternoons while her mom goes to work. I don't think she believes me when I tell her that Cora is absolutely no problem, but she really is. Cora and Spencer always play really well together and do cute thing like this! How can you not love them! Don't they look like an old married couple in this picture? Haha!

This one was just too sweet. (Chelsea -I promise I told Cora to take her thumb out of her mouth right after I snapped this! Though I am not sure it actually was in her mouth. I couldn't decide!)

Love these two!

Snowboarding

The Saturday after Christmas, David went snowboarding with my brother, Trevor and his wife Maria. We missed him, but he had fun and he doesn't get to go very often anymore.

Christmas day!

I have finally made it to Christmas day! Woohoo! Christmas day was perfect. Really it started Christmas eve. Both of our parents live here in town and normally we have to rotate who to spend Christmas Eve with, but this year my mother-in-law decided to do Christmas Day dinner. It was so much better! We also didn't have to rush out Christmas morning for breakfast which was nice for the boys. So, Christmas Eve we had dinner with my family and the grandkids opened presents. It was necessary for my brothers kids, and once one has started, of course everyone wanted to! Then Christmas morning we spent at home. We were able to take our time and really enjoy watching the boys. Spencer was soooo much fun this year. He just had the perfect reactions to everything and was loving every minute. Jaxon was actually pretty good at opening as well. The only problem with Jax was we could get him off his brother's scooter! Check out our matching pjs! I know, I know, you are all jealous! lol!

Then it was off to the Murray's to exchange gifts. They live up the street and Spencer insisted he ride his new scooter despite the fact it was drizzling rain outside! Oh well, it was Christmas, right? Both boys loved their presents, of course! The pettiskirt was actually for both girls since they are so close to the same size! Too cute!

Next it was off to my parents house to give my parents their presents and my brother his. Spencer had fun with Uncle Trevor and Jaxon was all about Grandpa's cookies!

Then it was off to the Wilcock's! For dinner, family and more presents! I think Spencer got a little spoiled with this day full of presents. He is already looking forward to his birthday and next Christmas. Hmmm...we might have a problem. (His birthday isn't until May!)




For those of you thinking, wow what a day, that wasn't the end! We went straight from the Wilcock's to our friend's house to lay the kids down and play Rock Band! It was a very long, but very fun day!!! Good thing David decided to go snowboarding on Saturday instead of the next morning!

Christmas projects

Just in case I wasn't busy enough in the month on December,with the new job, and everything in the previous posts, for some reason I ended up making a bunch of Christmas gifts this year. Below are a sampling. I made a total of about 20 pairs of pajamas (cute matching ones to be featured in later Christmas day post) including these for my neice and nephew. And then there was the hardest craft....Pettiskirts! I had a blast making them. Especially since I don't have a girl! BUT, the pink and brown one took me about 1 1/2 days to complete because I wanted to make it really full. The brown and blue one was much more reasonable, only about 5 hours. I didn't make it as full. Anyway, I had a lot of fun making all of them, but it is a good part of why my blog was so neglected in December!

Since my mom was helping me figure out how to make the pettiskirts, she made one for my neice as well. ^

Gingerbread Houses

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is gingerbread houses with my husband's family. We all get together and bring candy and share and decorate together. It is really messy, but a lot of fun. This year I was in charge of making a few gingerbread houses too. Kinda fun actually, though they take awhile! I sadly don't have any pictures from the night we decorated together., (I forgot the camera!), but this is Spencer decorating the extra house later at home by himself and the house I made that night. Just in case you can't tell, they one on the right is mine! lol! I was very impressed with Spencer. All I did was put frosting where he told me to!

Little Pastry Chef's

For Christmas, Spencer and his friends went to Little Pastry Chefs to decorate some cookies.

There was lots of this.....

Mixed with this......

And then this.....

In the end, they all had a great time and Spencer got to see Santa for the first time. I know I am a bad mom for never taking him before, I just didn't see the point of having him cling to me and scream while I tried to sit him on a strange man's lap. This was the first year he understood Santa and was excited to see him. The kids also got to go on a carriage ride. Sadly, I don't have a pic of this. I still need to get a copy from someone else...Could someone please e-mail a copy?

Disclaimer: I having a really hard time typing tonight, so please excuse any typos!

Snow Day #3

So after the "big snow" we had that crazy snow day in Vegas! Which meant no work for me, and David got to go in late. They told him he could just stay home, but he ended up leaving around 9:30, but not until he had built another snowman in the front yard and had a snowball fight with the boys! I love that my rose bushes still had roses to use as arms! That's when you know snow is not normal in Vegas!

Snow Day #2

This is the second day it snowed when we actually got enough to play in. Sadly, Jaxon was sick, so no playing for him. Spencer was so excited to make a snowman. The golf club arms were entirely his idea!

Snow Day #1

The day I returned from Houston was the first day it snowed in Vegas. The funny thing was, the day I arrived in Houston it was snowing for the first time in years! Of course, we played in and tasted the snow. My question was and is, should I worry about my grapefruits? Will the continue to ripen if I pick them? I don't think they need much longer...Did I ruin them by not picking them this day? I have no idea!!!

Okay, I know, I know I have a lot of posts to make up for. All I can say is they are coming. I am hoping to be all caught up by the end of Sunday. Now that we are back to the beautiful 9:00 time I have time after church! :) I had a really busy December. Forst I took a job teaching at American Heritage Academy just a few days before I left on a trip to Houston to visit my sister and all her wonderful boys! I had so much fun playing with all of them! How can you not smile at Benjamin's cute face? It was the first time I have ever left my boys, but all these boys kept me from getting too homesick!

Aaron Benjamin

Grandpa and the boys Duncan and Tavio

The reason for this trip! A sealing and a double blessing.!

You can't get much better than that!!

These are both boys the day of their blessings. They were being so cute together. I had a hard time choosing which pictures to put on here. Little Aaron was my buddy most the weekend. I had the "magic touch" for putting him to sleep for the majority of the time. There was a breif Grandma moment, but we won't talk about that. :) He was my sweet boy sleeping in my arms. Almost made me ready for another, but not quite. :)

Sealing day!