Pants off to Andy

After two or three days of missing out on successfully using his potty, Andy did manage to pee in the potty tonight. I asked if he wanted to go (his diaper from school was mostly dry at about 8 p.m.) and he said yes. He sat down and immediately said, "I hear it. I hear it coming," which must mean that he feels it inside. And viola, he peed in the potty. Bjorn promptly came upstairs with a cookie and we both said how proud of him we were. He was so proud of himself, though, that afterwards he really didn't want to get off the potty and dressed, even though it was clearly bedtime.

In other news, I now use the word "potty" in my daily conversation, whether it's Andy using it or when I have to explain to him where his father or brother are (he asks a lot of the same questions over and over again so naturally, I get to say, "He's in the potty" again and again). I haven't yet said that at work, but it's bound to happen. And it scares me.

Potty training

After Andy rocked the potty training world on Saturday, he hasn't been quite as successful. The good news is that he's now quite interested in sitting on the potty (those cookies sure must taste divine). The bad news is that he's never interested at a time that it could do some good, which usually makes him mad that he doesn't get a cookie for trying. He's got the interest though so I imagine sooner or later he'll get the timing down. It's going to be an adjustment for us though to leap whenever he says he's ready, but I figure we'll get it down eventually.

We're all sick here. Again. Seriously, what is up with that? After having the stomach bug just a few weeks ago, I've now developed a really painful sore throat that hurts to swallow, breathe, eat and sleep. Lovely. I have an appointment today to see if it's strep or not. I did call the doctor's last night who prescribed Tylenol 3 with Codeine to help with pain and let me sleep until I could get in today. Apparently Codeine is safe in pregnancy. Who knew? It did help me sleep a bit, but my throat still hurt pretty bad last night.

Bjorn is also still sick (poor guy) and has an appointment this afternoon to see about his sinus problems that have been bugging him for a couple weeks now. He has been quite sweet taking care of me the last day or so with my sore throat by going to the all night pharmacy to get my prescription last night and taking care of Andy while I try to rest. Hopefully, we'll both get some good antibiotics and we'll start feeling better sooner rather than later. Of course, Andy did wake up with a cough so probably we'll get well in time for him to get sick.

Update: Bjorn has a sinus infection and some killer (and expensive) antibiotics. No word on if I have strep or not until the test comes back later this week, but I have some penicillin to take for the next seven days. I'm already feeling a little better and Bjorn is well enough to still at work at 8:30 p.m. so hopefully the rest of the week will be better.

Special cookies

Breaking news - Bjorn got Andy to pee on the potty twice today, both times resulting in the special cookies for the boy. Both father and son (and mother) are delighted with the progress. This is the first time he had repeatedly gotten on the potty and the first time with any success. Those Chips Ahoy cookies are quite a draw.

Whining and crying

Andy is really starting to perfect the temper tantrum. Worst of all, he's now throwing them about totally stupid things, like when he breathlessly shouts through tears, "I...don't...want...the...monkey...cup!" Yes, folks, the thought of the monkey cup over the Sponge Bob cup is worthy of 20 minutes of tears. I'm doing my best to ignore it when possible, put him on the time out step when it seems appropriate and try to keep my wits about me when he manages to push my buttons...just right.

Course, the bugger will be obnoxious for an entire day and then it comes bedtime and he comes at me wanting more hugs and I just melt.

We've been talking to Andy a little about the new baby. The only concept that has seemed to stick is that sometime around his birthday, we'll get a new baby from the hospital that will come home to live with us. So now he keeps saying, "I'm getting a baby for my birthday." Not quite right, but he's thinking about it.

I'm still on the hunt for decent maternity clothes. I have had some luck with cute pants from Target and Gap Maternity. What I'm struggling with now is tops that are at least semi-work appropriate. I have started branching out to look in the Women's sections for some stuff. It's not quite right, but there seems to be a much larger selection of better items there sometimes than in the maternity section. At least it's getting cooler so I can start layering and wearing sweaters. Sigh. Is it February yet?

Baby Names

Now that we've narrowed the naming process down to only one sex, we need to spend some time thinking about names and doing our due diligence. And by due diligence, I mean you can't name your kid Marc Anthony and then be surprised to learn he was also a historical figure who killed himself over Cleopatra.

To help with this process, Betsy sent me a rockin' Web site located here with great ideas for what not to name your kid. It's awesomely bad. Plus, the site already gets some street cred with me for this first item. I can personally vouch that Love Seamon was a real person as I remember her going through rush at Emory. I remember hearing she was a nice girl, but dang, that's a really unfortunate name.

It's a....

girl! We went for the big sonogram (ultrasound?) today and the baby is healthy, measuring as it's supposed to and almost certainly a girl. The technology was amazing -- they were able to see the four chambers of the heart beating, the spine, the hemispheres of the brain and even fingers and toes (at one point, she was even waving to us, or flipping us off for waking her up, one or the other). They were even able to tell the direction of the fluid flowing into and out of the umbilical cord and bladder to see that things looked as they should, which was a great relief. The tech even got a fabulous crotch shot of the baby and confirmed not on the absence of male genitalia, but could even identify the labia. Rather amazing for a person that barely weighs 12 ounces.

This further confirms my suspicion that the baby has been secretly trying to poison me with all her estrogen over the past 4 1/2 months, which is the reason I've been so nauseated for so long. Now if only there were a way to let her know that if she makes the next 4 1/2 months relatively pleasant, there will be lots of treats on the other end for her. I'm not above a little bribery here.

Andy, the ripper

Normally, Andy is pretty good about not destroying things. Well, I should say normally. Until now. About 6-8 months ago, Andy ripped part of a library book. We paid our fine, he made his "I'm sorry" to the librarian, and since then I remind him when I put him in bed with a book, "Remember our deal, Andy?" "No rip the pages."

Last week, I came in after a nap to find that he had ripped the cover of a paperback Thomas book into several large pieces. To be fair, he didn't rip the pages, just the cover. We talked about how that made Mommy sad and then had to trek to the library to buy it (it was a strange bargain actually, buying the book cost $3.20, but there was a $3.00 processing fee. Whatever.) Then yesterday, I woke up early on a Saturday for us, about 7:15, to hear a strange noise. He had taken off the lamp shade by his bed and torn out the reflective inner lining, ripping it to many small pieces. What the? Bjorn and I have been going back and forth about whether we want a boy or a girl (for the record, either is great so long as it's healthy) although after this, I turned to Bjorn and said, "A girl would be fine."

I asked Andy why he had done it, but so far, he doesn't seem to understand the why question. When I ask him why he did anything, he usually says, "Yeah," or something similar over and over again until you stop asking. I'm okay with him not knowing why since I imagine we've got years of that in our future, but it's frustrating at times like this where understanding his logic would go a long way. That said, if this keeps up, he probably is set for a career as a White House press person since it's clear he doesn't mind not answering the question at hand.

My son, the diva

Should I be worried that my son seems to have an eye for fashion? Every so often, I'll show up to his school wearing a skirt or looking particularly well put together and he'll take a moment to look me over and say, "You look good, Mommy." Then last week I was out shopping for maternity wear and he was freaking out when I tried on a couple of outfits because he hated them so much. He was right, they did look bad (course, it's maternity wear so it IS mostly all bad), but where does he get it?

I do love the compliments, but it surprises me a bit. It's not like he hears Bjorn saying that in the morning so I wonder where he gets it. I certainly have no eye for fashion so he's not getting this from me. He does remind me a tad of Justin from Ugly Betty, which cracks me up and scares me a little.

Ugh!

As if the regular "morning sickness" that still seems to hit me every few days wasn't enough, now I have a stomach bug adding to the mix. It started Sunday morning and has been going through today. My doctor prescribed Zofran, an anti-nausea medicine, to help stop the vomiting, but now it has pushed all the problems, er, lower. I called in sick today and yesterday - the first time since Andy was born that I've called in sick for just myself. He went to school like a good boy and I've been home trying to sleep. Unfortunately, it's tough to get a good rest when I'm up every hour or so.

Andy has been a precious darling though. When I was sick on Sunday, he offered to get me a band-aid. "You sick, Mommy? You need a ban-baid?" is that adorable kid way. He genuinely seemed sympathetic which was sweet to hear as well.

I went to the doctor today and the good news is everything is fine with the baby. I just need to let this, "run it's course," which is not what I want to hear after three long days and nights of this. Fingers crossed that running it's course actually means immediately. She did weigh me when I was there and was pleased that I haven't lost weight. I was stunned at the number (which I won't tell you) because I swear I have lost weight the last few days. Imagine how high the number would have been otherwise? Scary. Still, I'd take the weight gain over this bullshit.

Also annoying is the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book. I have generally found it informative if a little bland, but in this case, they have a whole section on coping with food poisoning/stomach bug and cap it off with something about how if I would just eat better, I could avoid it. I loathe hearing "I told you so" anyway and this seemed particularly annoying on a sick stomach. There is also a part about stretch marks that I came across that got me riled up. It said if you eat right, you won't get them. Horseshit. And a nice way to make folks feel bad that they're getting them because of something they ate.

Rant over.

Fire trucks

Today we went to the Manassas Park fire department for a tour and to check out the trucks with some of our friends, including one who lives in Manassas Park and organized the event. The tour was interesting for me, but Andy and the other kids were less interested in seeing where the fire fighters sleep during their 24 hour shifts and more interested in touching and "driving" the firetrucks.

Andy liked the hoses and stuff fine, but really all he wanted to do was sit in the driver's seat and man-handle the steering wheel. Such a boy sometimes. Some of the girls were very interested in safety. Molly, for example, sat in all the seats and tried on all the seat belts to make sure they worked properly. As you can imagine, that was less interesting for Andy who would rather flip the switches and rock the steering wheel than bother with that stuff.

I do hope they reset everything before they go on duty next. I would hate for them to rush out to a call only to find the truck stuck in reverse, all the blinkers on and the oxygen masks turned off. That could be problematic.

I'm famous

I'm famous. The story ran on CNN.com. I'm quoted talking about vaccinations. Just think how lucky you are to have known me back when. I'll be signing autographs later.

Alright all you Luddites out there complaining that can't find the story. There are three tabs on the page I send you to, then click the middle one about "vaccinations" and you'll see my charming mug. See? That wasn't so hard.

Breaking news

With all my blathering on with school and travel, it occurs to me I haven't mentioned the big news in the house which is I'm pregnant. I know, I know, I swore I wouldn't do it again considering how much I didn't much like being pregnant the first time and how hard I thought having a tiny baby was, but apparently time really does heal all wounds (and memories). We're excited although I vacillate being really looking forward to seeing my own tiny baby again and all the things I'll do better this time and fear at how in the world I am going to handle two when one seems pretty impossible some days. I'm due beginning of February, but in my mind I've already backed that up a few weeks. That somehow makes the time ahead seem less daunting.

I've been casually floating to Andy questions like, "Would you like to have a baby like Baby Emma?" And he usually says, "Yes. Get a baby." He them seems disappointed that we can't pick up one at Target right now. He hasn't asked about why mommy is so big yet, but I'm sure that's coming. It will naturally happen on a day that I haven't slept and feel huge, I can feel it.

What's amazing is how totally different the two pregnancies have been. After having no morning sickness with Andy, I found myself completely sick for about six weeks and even now I will find myself throwing up randomly some days if I don't seem to eat just right. It seems bizarre to me that not having a full stomach actually makes me sick, but I've already decided that Mother Nature has a pretty wicked sense of humor.

My sister returned my maternity wear and I've done a little shopping with my mother to supplement that stash, but I still find myself every night going through what I have to wear to work tomorrow and getting stressed out. Because my body is constantly changing, I find that the pants that fit last week, are now a little too tight while some of the shirts in my closet are still way too big. Sigh. Only four and 1/2 more months, that's no time, right?

One day of school down...hundreds more to go

Andy survived his first day of school in his new "big boy class" as we're calling it. However, poor Bjorn had to drop the sobbing guy off this morning and I think it might have been harder for him carrying that image around all day. Sure enough, moments after Bjorn left, Andy went over to play with his first girlfriend, Soren. Fortunately, about half of his old class moved up to his new class with his so while it's new teachers in a new room, the kids are mostly the same. Apparently there was a lot more demand for the 2-year-old room and less demand for the 3- and 4-year-old rooms so they have combined some of those classes to make room for some younger kids.

When I went to pick him up today, we went and checked out his new room together and I let him show me where he sits at lunch, where his cubby is and point out other parts of the room. Then for being such a big boy, I took him to a special dinner (to the ever-exciting Fuddruckers) and then to play in a park on the way home. He seemed rather pleased with himself. And after all the drama of the morning, when we got home, he said he didn't want to go home, he wanted to go back to school. Figures.

Pants?

Before bed, I usually sneak into Andy's room to check on him, you know, one last time. Last night when I went in, I noticed something unusual. He had taken off his pajama shorts and was sleeping in just his shirt and diaper. Lately he's been going through a phase of wanting to nap in just a diaper, sometimes with shorts, sometimes with a top, but minus one article of clothing. I'm happy to indulge him on these things, plus I find it somewhat amusing. The removing an article of clothing thing is a new one for us though.

This morning when he got up he kept talking about how he didn't have any pants. "Where are my pants, Mommy?" He didn't seem to have a good answer as to why he had removed them, but still he seemed surprised they weren't on him. Rather funny actually.

Tomorrow is a big day as Andy is starting school in a new class. I'm a little uneasy about it only because all summer Andy was having trouble crying at drop-off and now a new class might start that all over again. I'm sure he'll do fine. He sees all the teachers already and the class is right next door, but it's hard not to worry, even just a little.

2 1/2 year check up, one month late

Today we had Andy's 2 1/2 year check up a solid one month late. I called about a month or so ago figuring I could just get in, but with everyone going to the doctor to get physicals for school, I had trouble getting a well appointment on a Friday. He weighed in at 32 pounds and is now 36 inches tall, making him a solid 50th percentile on both height and weight, further confirming Bjorn's suspicion that Andy is not going to be that tall and Bjorn she start training him to be a point guard now.

She was pleased with his verbal skills even though he was playing shy and wouldn't talk too much for her. She also confirmed my suspicions that he's getting two new molars. That was a relief as I was worried his recent ornery behavior was related to an ear infection, but the ear check came up clean. I just wish the diagnosis would stop the constant whining and fake crying he's doing lately.

I asked about potty training. She said not to sweat it because most kids of normal development around 3ish will decide they don't want to wear diapers anymore and that it would be a waste of time to try to force him into it now if he's not interested. This kid has no interest in the potty at the moment. He sits on it occasionally at school, but rarely at home. It's good to know our approach of offering without forcing is the right one although some days after the fourth poopy diaper in a row I really think otherwise.

In other news, a reporter from CNN contacted me about an article she's writing about new mothers. How cool is that? I gave her some quotes and a picture. She asked for a picture of me and Andy and looking through the last year, it turns out I have like three pictures of just the two of us that are remotely presentable. There are lots of cute ones of him and Bjorn, but apparently I'm the one always taking the pictures. I sent her a sampling of photos for her to pick which one is best. That should be interesting. If only she's promise to photoshop me and make my teeth perfectly white and shave (at least) 10 pounds off me. The story is supposed to run Thursday on CNN.com and is a column on empowered patients or something like that. And to think you knew me before all the fame and fortune.

Pictures

It's been a crazy week coming off travel so I haven't had much time to devote to this, what with paying bills, doing laundry, etc. Here are a few cute pictures from the weekend. My dad reading to Andy.

Mom fixing Andy and Megan's shoes at the pool.

The obligatory bathtub pictures. As you can see, they hated it.

We've arrived

Andy and I are back after our whirlwind weekend trip to Dallas. It was a lot of time in transit and no time to contact old friends (sorry Susan!), but fortunately the weather cooperated and American Airlines treated us fine. The only thing negative really was I noticed getting off the plane in Dallas that the other passengers were courteous to the woman traveling with a small child and offered to help me get into the aisle and help with my bags. On the way back, I was practically trampled trying to get into the aisle once we landed at Dulles. In fact, I had even waited 4-5 minutes after my aisle had left waiting for a calm opportunity to launch ourselves into the fray. I put Andy in the aisle and proceeded to grab my bag to have a woman snidely say, "Excuse me" and try to get past me in the two foot aisle. Nice.

Andy had a great time seeing my family, especially his cousin Megan. He even liked seeing my new niece "baby Emma" even if he did complain that she cried occasionally. My folks have inherited some great kids toys from friends with older children and grandchildren. The hit of the weekend was a train table complete with some trains and Matchbox cars that the kids eagerly played with. We also went to the pool and Andy even swam in the "big pool" and didn't freak out (he's not especially enamored of the deep water). There was also lots of book reading by Grandmother and Pop, which both Andy and Megan adored. In between it all, we even managed to get a couple hands of bridge in.

Unfortunately, Andy and I have both come home with colds and Andy even has a light fever. Yuck. I'm looking forward to the three day Labor Day weekend to recover from my vacation!

The saga of the bed, part 3

I am loving the new bed. Sort of. I love that Andy loves it. I don't love that I haven't figured out how to not smack my head when I try to sit on the bed. I changed his sheets tonight and must have knocked myself 2-3 times before I finally figured out how not to do it. I'm obviously not very bright.

He does love it so, and that makes up for a lot. The tunnel in particular is a huge hit. The last two mornings I have come in to find him already awake and under there. This morning he'd even brought his dogs and his binky with him. I check on him at night so I don't think he's sleeping there, but I know he's thinking about it.

We're off to Dallas tomorrow for a whirlwind weekend trip mostly to see my new niece Emma. Andy is particularly excited to see my older niece Megan. It's not a vacation per se, but it will be great to catch up and it's certainly not work either.

The saga of the new bed

The new bed is turning out to be quite a dramatic element in our house. Last night I spent an hour or so showing Andy how it could be flipped upside down to put the bed on the floor or on the top bunk. He loved it, but he sorely missed the "tunnel" (space created when the bed is set up as a twin as the guard rails for the top bunk shield the space under the bed so it can only be accessed through the hole left in the ladder) so I then had to move the bed back. Fortunately, it's not heavy, just awkward to move in a small room that is fairly crowded.

Then tonight, I went in to check on him after putting him to bed only to find he had crawled out of bed. Fortunately, before I had a chance to panic, I heard him say, "Mommy, I'm sleeping in my tunnel." Otherwise, I would have freaked wondering where in the world he had gone to and probably convinced myself he'd been kidnapped or something else horrible.

Photos are stock shots from Ikea, you know, how it would look if the house was organized and color coordinated. The left one is how it would work as a bunk bed though as I could put a bed on top and then underneath as well. Unfortunately, Andy didn't like the bed like this. At least this week. Bugger. With the right photo, you can see the space left by the ladder. When it's flipped over, there is plenty of room for a 2 1/2 year old to wiggle underneath and disappear.

Wow

So Andy slept through the night not realizing he was sleeping in his new bed so we heard him when he woke up saying, "Wow! Wow! Wow!" as he examined it, complete with starry tent. He was quite excited. I love that he loves it.

The only drawback is with the new bed we went ahead and took off the guard rail we had because the new setup makes it hard enough to get in and out of for adults without that there. Unfortunately, he did fall off the bed during his nap today and never quite got back to sleep after that. Bjorn is ready to give away the guard rail, but I thinking we should hang on to it for a few weeks just in case.