The Fall Update

So I guess now I will start doing seasonal updates to my blog. LOL!!! Though if you check out my business blog, you will see I've been busy with that side of my life - personal blogging has taken a back seat.

We are getting ready to head to New York for a week, to visit a friend and make a day trip to New York City. We've never been to the northeast in the fall, so we are looking forward to this trip! I hope the colors are still nice when we get there. We leave Wednesday and will return the following Wednesday or Thursday.

OK - the Aiden update. He's turning into a little person! Yesterday he made a great little friend at a park playground. He played with this little girl for about an hour. They were so cute together. He is talking more and more everyday, and some of the thoughts that make their way to his mouth are quite impressive. I am pleased to announce also that Aiden is fully potty trained now, at least in the day time. He's had #1 down for a long time, and #2 came together over the past month! Thank goodness!! I was tired of 3 year old poopy!! He doesn't wake up in the night to take himself potty, so we end up with wet pj's about every other night. But that will come in due time just as everything else has.

Only 2 months until Christmas! I need to work on a 'wish list' for Aiden. He's already been telling me that Santa is bringing him a Snow Plow to put on his Thomas engine. :)

Until next time...

The Big THREE

Happy 3rd Birthday,
Aiden!!!

Happy Mother's Day

I got the best Mother's Day present today. And before I get started, let me warn you - poopoo and a 2 year old are involved!

Problems are going on at my husband's work, so that has required him to work this weekend, and of course to work on Mother's Day. So, Aiden and I are spending this Sunday like we would most days of the week, just the two of us. Anyway, during one of his typical two year old temper tantrums I told him to go into his room if he wanted to scream like that. He willingly ran to his room and slammed the door. Where on earth did he get that?

He pitched his little fit which was probably over in about 60 seconds, and then he started to play with his toys in his room. After a few minutes of quiet playing, he emerges from the room and he TELLS ME that he NEEDS TO POOP! This is coming from the boy who has avoided pooping on the toilet for the most part over our potty training experiences. And get this... he sat on the toilet and he DID IT!!! I am so proud of him. I really can't say I've done anything to 'potty train' him as he has done it all himself. I'm hoping that this little incident that falls in the "WIN" column on the potty training score card is noting the end of the pooping debacle.

So, for the rest of my Mother's Day, I am planning on going out to my mother in law's house to spend the afternoon, let Aiden play and do fun things that he doesn't get to do here, and I am going to enjoy my afternoon documenting his experiences with my trusty Canon 30D!

Happy Mother's Day to all my momma friends! :o)

April is almost gone!

And I've realized I've been such a slacker this month with my blog. Such is my blogging life; it seems to ebb and flow. ;-)

We had a nice trip to Chattanooga. Aiden had a blast going on the little train ride and climbing all over the engines and cars they had out. We went to the aquarium too and saw way too many fish. It was fun, but we tried to do the aquarium in only a couple hours, and that was just too many fish in too small of a time period. Aiden enjoyed it for the most part. We visited Lookout Mountain, which Aiden seemed to love for some reason, because we really didn't do anything there. I think he just liked saying "Lookout Mountain." And we spent a few days wandering around the battlefield at Chickamauga. I always knew there was a Civil War battle that occurred there, but I never really knew much about it at all. I enjoy history, and especially learning about it. I hope Aiden grows up with a love of history as well.

I had my first photo session of 2007 last Friday. It was with an adorable TINY little newborn. I had a lot of fun. It was fun to be taking pictures of someone other than Aiden for a change. I have another session this afternoon with a family of eight! It's actually two families that are doing this for one of the mothers for Mother's Day.

We've done really well with potty training. Aiden did fairly well on the trip, and ever since he has rarely had an accident. He sometimes is a little wet in the mornings, but that is just because I can't convince him to come out of his room on his own in the mornings to come get me to take him to the potty. We'll work on that. Oh, and pooping isn't going so hot. We're about 50% on successes with that. But, I'm really not complaining. I'm so proud of him doing so well with everything.

I must close and finish my internet rounds while I still have some coffee to drink. I'll also update the photoblog. If you check out my flickr site, you can see our pictures from the Chattanooga trip.

Happy Monday!

Potty Successes!

So, it seems like all of a sudden Aiden is getting the hang of this potty thing. He is basically figuring it all out on his own, much like I anticipated he would, once he got the little kick in the hiney that he needed to get him started. He has peed on the potty every day for over a week, and usually a couple times a day. Yesterday he peed on the toilet 5 times. Today, aside from nap time, he has been in underwear all day long! Aside from some poopoo accidents, which I really can't blame at all on him since he has been having some nasty poo belly for the past several days, he had absolutely no accidents at all today! He is growing up so fast. He is in his big boy bed now, and he stays put in the mornings until I come in to get him. He is sleeping without his pacifier now. "Sunrise, sunset." My baby is turning into a kid. It's a bittersweet thing. I'm sad to see the baby days go, but I'm excited to get to know my child even more as he grows up.

:)

A big boy...

We finally took the side rail off Aiden's crib this past weekend. He has been sleeping in his 'big boy bed' like a champ ever since. We had bought one of those safety rails, but with the way his bed is made, there isn't a good way to attach one, so he's been sleeping with pillows beside his bed in case he rolls into the floor. So far, at least as far as we know, there have been no issues. The cutest thing is, he still won't get out of his bed on his own in the morning when he wakes up. He waits for me to come in and tell him it's time to get up. How nice is that?

Last night when Matt and I put him to bed, we got him all settled, and he actually forgot to ask for his pacifier. I try to not offer it at all, and had only been giving it to him if he asked for it. Well, he's closing in on 3 years old. There is no need for him to be sucking on anything anymore... So, last night, I made it out the door before he could ask to have it. Within a minute or so of me closing his door, I hear crying. :o( I didn't give in, and he ended up going to sleep with out it. I heard him wake up once this morning fussing, and I tried my best to tune it out and he ended up going to back to sleep. I hope this is the end of the pacifier. Next big tackle... no more diapers! I've taken Aiden's lead and backed off a bit on potty training. He peed on the potty the last two nights before bed time. We'll see where this small successes lead us.

Now, I'm going to get a cup of coffee and sit down and watch AI from last night. I heard that Sanjaya gave quite an interesting performance...

The Week of the Train Table...

We're assuming most of the train table stuff will be coming this week, at least we hope so. Today, we received the second of a number of sets we've won off of Ebay.

The newest friends of Thomas to come to our house are Edward, Lady, Percy, Frank, Wilbert, Bertie, Clarabel, Terance, Toad, Gordon, Henry, Donald, Annie and Clarabel, Daisy, and Harold, along with a number of cars for all of these engines to pull.


We had one potty success this morning! Woohoo!!! Aiden told me he needed to poop, so we went to the bathroom. He peed instead of pooping, but I don't care... after a literal DRY SPELL on the toilet, I was happy to see any type of progress. Of course later in the morning, I caught him in the pooping act and asked him if he wanted to sit on the potty. Bribery, often called a no-no in parenting, I feel, is perfectly acceptable in the realm of potty training, especially if it means I'm not going to be changing yucky diapers anymore. Too bad bribery doesn't usually work with Aiden, as was the case this morning. Promises of treats and stickers didn't influence his pooping location, and he proceeded to poop in his diaper. Of course, after the deed is done, he comes to me BEGGING to sit on the potty. When I tell him he's too late for the potty, he is very sad and protests getting his diaper changed. I see a REALLY long TTT (the toilet training tunnel) ahead of us.

Ever had one of those days...

Where you just feel like a failure at most things you do? Well, if you have ever been parent to a toddler, you have probably felt this way!

Today, nothing would make Aiden happy. He's been a little under the weather the past several days, but I am fairly certain his crankiness is NOT from being ill. He's just being a pest to me! Seriously, he is such a 'tester.' He tests me with everything. He fights me with everything. Even simple tasks, such as washing a few dishes, can turn into big ordeals for me during the day. Anytime the water runs at the kitchen sink, Aiden feels it his God-given right to splash his hands in the running water, and heaven forbid you don't let him!!

I know one day I will look back on his toddler antics and, while still knowing the headache he put me through, I will be able to laugh at it all... When will that day come?