Potty Training and House Updates

I thought I would give an update on potty training... My last post was on his best day ever! He only had an accident 4 times that entire day; however, the next 3 days were quite difficult and trying. I don't know if we were pushing him too hard or what, but he just didn't seem to be enjoying it. He would tinkle and tell us as he was going, instead of before. So he was so close to being there, but wasn't there yet. We decided that we'd just do a more gradual approach over a longer time period and let him and mom actually enjoy our summer! We weren't able to really go outside or go to the pool or anything, which wasn't fun or fair. So now, we'll take him to the big potty about 3 or more times a day and he'll tinkle right away - and he's so proud of himself! We still have to buy diapers =( but he's a much happier little boy =)

We've been spending our time going to the pool, which he adores. He loves to get in the kiddie pool and walk like a little duck. He's a good little kicker in the big pool too! We've been finger painting and coloring at home (he's working on drawing circles) and just having a blast enjoying the summertime while I'm still able to chase him... speaking of - one of Elijah's Sunday school teachers told us the other day "man he's fast!"  A few min later, Stephen asked me what I thought of when they said that. I said "yeah I know! And I'm 8 months pregnant chasing him!" Stephen said he was thinking, "That's my boy!!!!" Like father, like son.

Stephen and our sweet friend Joey got the baby's furniture moved into it's room - all but the crib, which we have to disassemble and reassemble to get it in the doorway. We've decided to keep our house on the market, so instead of decorating the baby's room like I want to, we're just going to set up the furniture for now and wait to really decorate until after we move. I told Stephen, as I was crying, that I think it's the best decision to not decorate or paint or anything, but being a girl, I do want the baby's room to be really cute and it makes me sad that it won't be. But it will eventually be cute and permanent, so I just have to think what's best long term. We're getting closer to being ready for the baby to be here. Less than 6 weeks now, so we really need to get going (which I'm sure the Phelps would agree!). Please be praying for our house to sell and us to move before the baby gets here, and for a continued healthy pregnancy, baby, and delivery! 

And you can check out my not so stellar acting and Elijah's you tube debut at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcBcQ3kaCyg. This is a video our realtor put together to help promote the sale of our house in a bit of a lighter way. Hope you enjoy!

Potty Training...

Well this has been an interesting and trying week. Monday we had his 18mo check up. He weighed 24lbs 7oz (30%) and was 50% in height and maybe a little bigger in head... I forgot what percentile. He did great for Dr. Malone! I told him that I was going to start potty training on Tuesday and he told me if I was able to pt an 18mo old boy, I needed to right a book. LOL That's what I've heard quite a bit! But I figure it's worth a try. Hey, we've saved money on diapers this week! (although we've gone through some spot shot and paper towels...)
So I started naked baby training on Tuesday morning... no pants at all, except for a diaper at naptime and bedtime. I've tried to keep my eyes on him at all times to see when he looks like he's about to tinkle. When he looks like he's ready to go (or after he starts to tinkle on the floor), I try to encourage him to sit on the potty (maybe read a book or watch tv or something). I've made a spread sheet and have recorded every time he's tinkled or pooped, all with cute little graphics, and if he tries to go on the potty - or refuses - I make a note of that. I put a little heart graphic in the spreadsheet whenever we have a success. So that being said...
Day 1...
4 hearts - 3 of which were after he first tinkled on the floor, but finished in the potty. This was a hard day! The Lord blessed me with a positive attitude though... Elijah tinkled a lot in 5 min intervals. =) He would tinkle a little and I guess he would surprise himself by seeing it, so then he would stop. I mean, for 20+ min before naptime, I was just trying to get him in a diaper but he wouldn't stop tinkling for me to put it on him!!! lol But it was the first day...
Day 2...
9 hearts - 3 of which were after he first tinkled on the floor, but finished in the potty. 6 were counted as success b/c he tinkled in front of his potty (so he tried!) and 1 was when he sat in the potty and actually went w/o an accident. We bought a new potty today and it plays music whenever he tinkles in it, which he really seemed to like. It also has a flusher that makes a noise. Fun incentives. We were able to go on a walk in his stroller (1 1/2 mi) w/o an accident. He tinkled in the tub immediately before and in the potty immediately afterwards. Yeah!
Day 3...
5 hearts - 3 of which were w/o accidents (one he warned me in advance) and the other 2 were in front of the potty, so I counted them as a try. This was a very trying day. It's so hard to be encouraging and not scold him for doing something that comes natural to him... especially when he likes to rub his hands in the pee that's all over the floor! At one point, he was being super sweet and cuddly, but I was so down about the day that we just rocked in the chair as I cried and talked to him. I'm so proud of him for trying so hard and I just want him to see that. I'm just hard on myself.But Stephen gave me lots of encouraging words and helped me to focus on the small successes that we've made. One thing that worked really well was to lure him to the potty with a piece of a cupcake (no frosting, but the confetti kind of cake). He wanted it so bad and I told him he had to tinkle in the potty first and then he'd get the cake. He fussed and fussed sitting there and then...music played...yeah!!!
Also, today was Elijah's year and half birthday! And it was our 4 year anniversary! It was such a romantic evening - chasing around our naked little boy!
Day 4...
(today) As of 3:15, he has already had 9 hearts!!!! Only one of which was an accident first!!! He told me he had to tinkle upstairs, and both the potties were downstairs, so I just plopped him up on the "big potty". He tinkled immediately! Then I put him down and he cried, so I put him back up there and he tinkled 2 more times!!! When I've lured him to his little potty today, it hasn't taken very long at all for him to tinkle - like 30 sec or so. Unfortunately, I had to put a diaper on him for almost 3 hours today b/c our realtor came over to shoot a video. After an hour and a half, I sat him on the potty and he tinkled right away. And right before naptime, I sat him on the potty and he tinkled again! Today has felt very successful - only 3 accidents (one was during snack time in his highchair). I thank the Lord for a good day so far b/c I just needed to see it clicking with Elijah and I'm really starting to. But this is all naked... in a few more days we'll add the clothes and see how it goes from there. =) Say a prayer for us! It would be so nice to only have the cost of one baby in diapers come August. =) (By the way - make sure you vote off to the side... girl or boy?!)

Elijah's First Vacation Bible School!

This week, I taught music at Hunter Street's VBS (aka Summerquest). They had childcare for all the workers' kids, but they really treated it like an actual class. Even though I only taught from 9:30 to 11, the asked to keep him from 8:30 to 12. I had to pack a lunch for him to eat with his friends - I had never packed him a lunch to eat out w/o me before, so I was a bit nervous! =) Everyday, he came home with some crafts they had done. They used little dot sticks (like bingo dabbers), crayons, glue sticks, paint... He made a choo choo train, a shaker, a fishing rod w/ some yellow fish, a boomerang, etc. They even had a music class everyday! By the end of the week, when I asked him "What do we learn about at church?" instead of saying, "mick mouse!" he would respond, "Bi--ble." And then I would ask him "Who's the bible about?" and he would say "Jesus." Too precious! He's understands what a bible is since we tell him to grab it off the book shelf every night to read while he drinks his milk (and he chooses it among 15 or so books). So it's really neat to see him making the connection between his bible and Jesus. It was a really fun week for him - exhausting, but fun. However, after seeing how much crafts they did in one week, I now feel obligated to start gluing and painting more with him! So I guess we'll add a craft segment to our day!

Our Little Smarty Pants

Elijah is amazing me everyday! I can totally understand why parents think they're kids are all geniuses! Yesterday morning, I walked into his room to pick him up and he's smiling, saying "blue! blue!" for my blue bathrobe that I had on. He is really starting to learn his colors! When we're in the car, he'll yell out "YELLOW!" every time we pass a yellow car or see one of those yellow signs on the side of the road; and when we're stopped at a red light, he'll yell "green! go!" after the light changes. He still responds that most things are yellow when you ask him the color, but if you ask him twice, he'll most likely tell you the correct color. =) He's getting to know his shapes too! He tells us circle, star, triangle, & heart. We're working on the rest...
He is definitely my little talker too... He was sitting on my lap yesterday and he asked for his daddy. I told him that daddy's at work and he replied, as always, "baseball." Normally I correct him, but I just sat there watching the wheels turn in his head as he yelled "swing!!!"....(Elijah thought for a few sec)..."go! go! go!"....."run! run! run!" (while pumping his arms, of course). Too cute. He was watching me make him eggs the other day and he said "egg...egg... crack it!...mix mix!" His vocabulary is growing so much! I don't know where all of his words are coming from, but I love it. He also made mommy proud when he sang "rain rain....go away! go away!" He was so proud of himself for learning that second part of the song. He now replies with his version of I love you ("I do") sometimes when we tell him we love him, and he'll just kiss us out of no where. He absolutely melts our hearts!
BIG NEWS! Last night, Elijah started kind of grabbing himself, so I asked him if he needed to go pee pee and he said "uh huh." So I said, "let's go to the potty" and he ran towards the bathroom. So we took off his diaper and he sat down and started looking through a magazine, telling me the different things he saw. Within 30 seconds, he tinkled!!!! We said "yeah!!!" and clapped and then he said "tissue," so I gave him some toilet paper. Then he said "wipe, wipe" and he wiped himself and was done! Stephen and I had a talk later where he told me that I have to eliminate the tissue and wipe part... what can I say? I'm a girl and he learns from me! But Stephen suggested that, when he asks for a tissue, he can just blow his nose after he tinkles. lol! We're officially starting to potty train Monday, so this gives me a little more confidence going into it. It will be a crazy week of not really going anywhere, but hopefully the payoff will be worth it.