Twenty-One

The fact that I've been trying to write this entry for SIX days tells me a few things: (1) Jadon has learned so many new things this past month and (2) I don't have near enough time to keep up with two blogs, editing and posting pictures, and baking cupcakes for my husband. While I am learning to balance the many daily tasks of caring for my family, (especially the always-hungry Macy Bleu), some entries may lack all of the details I wish I had time to share :/ While nursing a baby on my lap, it is hard to have two hands to type, and short video clips and pictures can be uploaded with one hand...it's true :/

Although Jadon is potty trained, we have had a few accidents this month. This one happened last week, while he was eating lunch in his high chair. He hates the feeling of having wet pants..."Uh oh!" He stands bow-legged and looks at us like, "Sorry, but I need help...like now!" We laughed at how he was standing there with his hands in his pockets and a big wet spot on his behind. When I went to get the camera, he looked confused, but kept saying, "Cheese," and laughing because we were. Hard to be frustrated, when he's so darn cute!

Jadon has also learned the names of everyone in our family now. Here he is yelling for his daddy. When he yells, "Jamie," it reminds me of Rocky calling, "Yo, Adrienne!" In this clip he is also telling Daddy it's time to go in his room and play basketball. At least 20 times a day, I hear him telling Jamie, "Gotta go shoot!" He even pushes Jamie back into the room, when he tries to come out, telling him, "Gotta go shoot." He could watch Jamie shoot that nerf basketball all day long! Only for the next few years will you be his Michael Jordan, Daddy :/ Sadly, by the time he's five, he'll know better ;)

This month, Jadon also learned to identify the rest of the alphabet and all of his numbers 1-10. It's so hard to get a video clip that is short enough to upload, but I did what I could. Here he is labeling the letter "L" for "Lisa" (his Gramma) and the letter "O" for "octopus." One of my personal favorites is "A" for "Auda" (Andrea) and "B" for "boo boo." ;) You'll notice in the second clip that he doesn't have pants on; that's because he loves taking them off now...including his "udder dayer"...I must here that word a thousand times a day!

Other funny/cute things Jadon is now doing: He says "Good norning" (yes Norning) to me, Jamie and Macy every morning, and also tells each of us good night one by one. He has started using the word "no," not as a word of defiance (not even once yet), but to tell us his preferences. He will ask for his flashcards or to watch a video, and if we hand him the wrong one, he'll say "no." It's great because we can now ask him if he needs to go potty, and he can honestly tell us if he has to, and not be defiant by saying so...although I'm sure that part of using "no" is coming very soon :/ I dread it! For now, we are somewhat enjoying his new found use of opinions and desire for independence (only to a degree though)...it's kind of sad at the same time. Our baby is surely growing up :/

I may add more later, but one other cute thing Jadon is doing is wanting to kiss Macy or hold her a lot. Everytime he kisses her, it is followed by an "I love sister!" Adorable! But he still gets an ornery look in his eye and throws things at her too :/ Grrr! Only three months until we have a two year old??? :(

Big Brother Is Officially Potty Trained!

Congratulations, Big Boy! You have gone four days without wearing a diaper, and you haven't had any accidents! Yesterday, you even pottied in public (while Mommy was at the eye doctor's office). Good job, Jadon!

(BTW, Jadon insists on using the big potty ONLY now, and he has thrown a few fits about putting on a diaper at night time...he only wants to wear "udder deyer.") He also likes to do all of the flushing himself. "Sush?" We usually know when he's going to have to go potty...he likes to tell us by saying "toot!" Pretty cute to watch him take off running from the living room in his underwear and socks towards the bathroom. He slows down, as he approaches the foyer, so he doesn't slip on the floor. Sucha cutie!

He can multi-task too...just look at him go potty, balance himself, and flush at the same time ;) Also this week, Jadon has been enjoying having Mommy lay next to him on the couch at bedtime. He spends a lot of time with Daddy lately, since I'm always nursing Macy. By bedtime, he's had enough and needs some Mommy time, so we do puzzles, flashcards, etc. Then I brush his teeth, maybe sing a song, and cuddle with him.

The other night, Macy was throwing a huge fit to eat while Jamie had her, but I didn't want to abandon Jadon's time with me, so I attempted to do the unthinkable...I nursed her in between me and Jadon! It was so cute because he saw Jamie handing her to me, and he put his arm out for her to lay down beside us. Jamie and I were quite terrified at the possibilities (he's still not so easy with her, you know?), but he did great, and actually fell asleep within 5 minutes of her laying down with us :) Now if only we can only get him to stop throwing things at her! At least I can predict it, when I see that ornery boy look in his eye. And generally, before he launches something, he says, "Easy."

Two Birds, One Stone

Why wait until you've finished going to the potty to brush your teeth, when you can do both at the same time? At a mere 16 months, his time management skills are impeccable! :)

Fifteen

SO many things have been changing with Jadon in the last month that I could have written at least 20 other blogs, but because he keeps me so busy watching him, I rarely have time to sit at the computer. Thankfully I can at least read my emails from my cell phone...sorry if I have not been so quick to respond, but I promise a return email will eventually come to those of you who have written me :)

Jadon turned 15 months old yesterday, and today he had his 15-month-old well baby visit, including his chicken pox and MMR vaccines. Daddy was able to go to the visit with us, thankfully, because Jadon nor his mommy were prepared for him to get his shots in the backs of his arms!?! Ouch! Things didn't start out so great, first of all, when the nurse had to do a follow-up finger stick to check his lead levels. I think we all know that Jadon is a VERY outgoing little boy, but we learned today that strangers must come on his terms only! He HATED the nurse touching him, and no sooner than his tears dried up did the doctor come in and invade his space way too soon :/ He laid Jadon down on the table to listen to his lungs, and that was bad enough, but when he tried looking in his ears...yikes! He cried so hard, he couldn't catch his breath...oh, brother!

In the waiting room:

"They're gonna do WHAT with that needle?"

So then another mean old nurse (not really) came into the room, just as he had calmed down (thanks to the mandarin oranges in the diaper bag). She told me to hold him because he would get a shot in the back of each arm...ouchy! Without a doubt, he cried more than at any of his other "shot" visits...hated it :/ But all is well, and our big-headed boy is taking a much-needed and well-deserved nap :) Here are his 15 month stats:

Weight: 24.04 lbs. (50th percentile)
Height: 31.5" (60th percentile)
Head circumference: a whopping 19"!!! (85th percentile!) I still don't think he looks like he has a big head...maybe I'm blinded by love ;)

So here is an update on all of the new and exciting (and sometimes very annoying, but cute) things that Jadon has learned to do in the last month:

A few days after Jamie's family left (around July 27th?), Jadon learned to climb onto and off of the couch...not our favorite past time of his, trust me! Four weeks later, he can now be found running across the couch! He also loves to throw the pillows onto the floor, then get off the couch and put them back, leading to hours of non-stop fun :)

Puppy training, I mean potty training is going well still. I would say that 95% of Jadon's poops are now in the potty and 1-3 pees/day, the other pees are hit and miss. We regularly attempt to pee in the potty, as soon as he wakes up in the morning and from his naps, which tends to work better than after meals, which is more unpredictable. He has done the sign for potty several times, just after he pees in his diaper to let me know it is time for a change...we're headed in the right direction, at least ;)

Jadon still LOVES the beach! Besides playing in the sand with his toys, he could pick up seashells and toss them back into the ocean for hours...LOVES it! Here are a few pics from our last trip last week (they are from my cell phone, so they aren't the best quality, but anyway...):
Although I know many babies start giving kisses very early on, Jadon REFUSES to perform on demand. He's always been that way...he still is. It's always on HIS terms. For whatever reason, he decided that Mommy and Daddy didn't get kisses, when they asked, but instead chose to give them to Auntie Em?!? Unbelievable! Not fair! It's still cute, and he does now kiss me and Jamie, but we have to pucker up right next to his mouth to get it, and trust me, he doesn't give them out in abundance either...so stubborn, that kid!

Jadon can identify several of his body parts, and has for a while, but his new favorite is his hair. I'm going to get a video or pic of this, when he wakes up...that is, if he'll perform on demand for me, but I doubt it :/ He LOVES rubbing his head with both hands. He's loves doing this so much that, if you ask him, "where's your nose/ears, belly, etc.," he will continue rubbing his hair, even though he knows lots of other body parts. Welcome to the stage of autonomy. "I am my own person, Mom! I make my own decisions!" Lord, help me!

But the good news is that I did have my trusty camera at Kroger the other night, when Jadon was loving to smell the scented soap bars :) A few of you got this pic that night from my cell phone. He is obsessed with smelling things that he knows are scented! He loves sniffing (blowing air in and out of his nose), and this is how he now identifies his nose, by scrunching his little nose up and blowing in and out rapidly :)

By now, nap time has been over for a while, and Jadon has pooped (once) and peed (twice) in the potty. Yay! So the rest of the updates will have to wait, but hopefully it will be accompanied by some pics. If only I can sneak the camera in, while his in performing mode...

Tan Lines :)

Jadon has a neck!!! At the beginning of summer, he acquired those white lines that have recently made their appearance from his stretched out chub ;) He's turning into a little boy :( Also notice the insides of his elbows and wrists, the lines from his swim trunks and the line around the tops of his feet...sucha cutie pie!

Mommy felt deathly ill yesterday. I spent the ENTIRE day on the couch with a headache...well an entire body ache really (not sure what was going on), while Jadon hung out with Daddy all day. Potty training doesn't go so well without Mommy's guidance and supervision :/ My head felt as heavy as a bowling ball, so I couldn't make it into the bathroom to assist them. When Daddy left Jadon for two minutes to grab his coffee, Jadon pooped in his diaper, and it seems Daddy missed the pee pees by just minutes all day too :/

But the good news is that Gramma is a potty training champ, just like Mommy! Jadon spent the night with Gramma and Grandpa (potty in tow), and he peed twice and pooped once this morning in his potty :) You go, Gramma!!! She even blew the potty train whistle, did the sign for potty, and cheered on his efforts, when Jadon took her hands and prompted her to clap, when he was finished :) Too cute!

While Jadon was with them, Jamie and I were busy selling "another man's treasure" at the development-wide yard sale, here at the Farm. Since I was sick all day yesterday, we literally did all preparations between 7:30am and 8am this morning...and we still made $103.50! Not too shabby for the small amount of stuff we put out in our driveway. Jamie says the sale of the day was this crappy torquoise jelly purse that I layed out there for $0.50...still can't believe someone bought that old thing. I just randomly pulled it out of my closet this morning, and a grandma bought it for her 18-month-old granddaughter. I must say, I'm a bit embarrassed that I still had it :/ and that it was sold to a toddler :/ By day's end, we only had a rug and two pictures left over, which will now be donated to the Good Will.

Jadon's napping, so we'll see if he goes to the potty, when he wakes up...

Potty Training Day Two

THREE pees, one poop, AND...

Big Boy Underwear!!!

With dinosaurs on the butt :)

No time line here, but Mommy and Daddy are thrilled that we have progress already on day two! You've already learned the sign for "potty!" Go, Jadon!!!

All Aboard the Potty Train!

So today was day one of potty training for Jadon! Let me just say that, at first, we weren't quite sure what we were doing. I had read things on and off, here and there, since he was only a few months old. I had read articles about early potty training (like weeks to months old), but never really thought too much about it. Since becoming pregnant again, and with his pediatrician's recommendation, I decided it was a good time to begin the process.

For the last few days, we've been changing his diapers much more frequently. As soon as we felt even a drop of pee, he was changed into a nice, fresh and dry diaper. Jamie kept saying, "Man, this is going to cost us a fortune in diapers!" I was thinking about all of the money this would save us in the long run, since he'd hopefully be out of diapers much sooner.

Grandma and Grandpa bought Jadon a new potty chair at Toys-R-Us on Sunday, but I just didn't feel quite ready to begin the very next day. I did lots of reading on Sunday, and kept up the frequent changing of diapers on Monday, along with allowing Jadon to experience lots of diaper-free time, which he thoroughly enjoyed :) Without a plan, I figured today was a great day to just make a first attempt at getting him to take his morning poop in the potty. It is the only time of the day that we truly KNOW he is going to poop, so after breakfast, I stripped him, and kept him close to the potty. For about 20 minutes, all he wanted to do was disassemble the thing and play, calling the potty bowl a "cup." Go figure.

Wouldn't you know, as soon as Jamie had a phone call, and went in the other room with the door shut behind him, Jadon started crawling around on the floor by me and "tooted." I immediately sat him on the potty, and within a minute, he started to whine a bit. I encouraged him to try to poop, and then checked behind him...yikes! A little more whining, and all was done. Although his BM was a little more solid than usual (poor little guy), HE POOPED IN THE POTTY!!! Yay, Jadon!!! :)

Of course, since Jamie was in the other room, I had no wipes or toilet paper handy, and probably freaked Jadon out a bit, going from yelling for Daddy to praising his efforts, but all ended well, and baby got a sticker on his hand for the prize he left us in the "cup."

After the successful first poop in the potty, I figured I needed more assistance in the potty training department, so we headed to Books-a-Million to get this: We had considered buying it on Sunday, but I wasn't convinced (1) that we needed it, or (2) that we were truly ready to start this whole process---once you start, there's really no going back is there? I don't want to confuse the kid.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this kit to anyone who wants to potty train early and to those who teach their baby sign language. Jadon LOVES the DVD! He already knew most of the signs they teach (more, all done, etc.), but now he's learned "potty" and "wash," so he'll know to wash his hands, after he goes to the potty. Did I mention he LOVES the DVD??? Honestly, he smiles the entire time, and does the signs along with the cartoon babies in the video. He looks at me proudly, when he signs "more" and says "all done" everytime they do :) Smarty pants :) And it comes with a potty train whistle for Mommy or Daddy to blow, before it's "potty time"...also a lift and flap book for baby, reward stickers, and a parent's guide :) Love it!

So after watching the DVD for the first time this afternoon, Jadon took a long nap (like 3 1/2 hours!). When he woke up, his diaper was still dry! Wow! I thought, "What better time to go potty?" So we went into the bathroom, after I blew the cheesey potty train whistle of course (I'm such a mom now!), and put him on the potty. I decided I'd attempt to model going potty at the same time. It literally took less than two minutes for Jadon to pee in his potty!!! Unreal! And, for those of you who are wondering, yes, little boys pee sitting down at first. I don't want to hear anything about it, Grandpa! You're no expert, and apparently I am now ;)

Day 1: IMMENSELY SUCCESSFUL! One poop AND one pee!!! Yay, Jadon!!!

I'm sure we're in for a LONG process, and yes, Jadon did poop in his diaper before dinner, but I feel very encouraged about the days progress :) Right now, we're in potty training bootcamp mode ;) No pressure, of course...mostly just keeping Mommy and Daddy focused on the task at hand. We don't want to get lazy about this, and just let him go back to using his diaper anytime he feels like it. So tomorrow morning, we'll put Jadon in his new underwear from Baby Gap and attempt a morning poop again. I can hear the potty train whistle blowing now! Good Lord, what has become of me? :/ But honestly, it makes me so excited :) To be continued...