Jude potty-trained himself!!!

September 2012

It seems that with the first child every “first”, every milestone, every time he did something cute, every time he took a breath we were documenting it and posting it on this little blog of ours!  Unfortunately, with more than one child life is too busy and too sweet to stop to write everything down.  Is it possible that there is a blogging mother in the world somewhere who has managed to give all of her children equal blog space shout outs??  Probably.  But, I’m not her!

 There are so many things that I wish I would have had the time to blog about and probably won’t ever have the time.  However, there is one thing that keeps coming to mind that I must not forget to document.  And, that is that

You heard me right.  Our beloved second son took it upon himself to learn how to use the potty.  When Benjamin was a mere 1 month old, and Jude was just past 2 years old he started asking to use the potty.  I went along with it the first few times but when I realized that he was serious I actually tried to get him to stop!  I had a newborn and did not want to spend time trying to potty train a 2 year old boy at the same time!  Late night bed wettings and abrupt “I have to go potty” scenes at the grocery store were not something that I was looking forward to adding to my plate.  We waited until Elliott was nearly three to start potty-training.  It went so smoothly so I had planned on doing the same with Jude.  He, however, was persistent and so I gave in and got on board with his program.  Because we started at his prompting I wasn’t even prepared with a sticker chart or candy!  He did it all for quite some time without any rewards.  About 2 weeks into it he got tired of being asked to go potty and started to resist.  ”Oh, no you don’t”, I told him.  ”You started this and you’re going to finish it!”.  And, finish it he did.  He definitely had more accidents than Elliott did at 3 years, but we were so impressed with how well he did overall.

He continued to wear pull-ups for naps and diapers during the night until very recently.  He hasn’t even celebrated his third birthday and this boy is completely potty-trained!

 Jude is the King of the Throne!!

This mama could not be more proud!  Jude, you are a delight.  You are stubborn, and persistent, and you don’t give up.  You are going to do amazing things in your life if you keep this up, kiddo!  We love you so very much!

This video is super old, from May of last year, but it is too awesome to not mention.  This was one of the last days I had Jude to myself before Elliott finished preschool and Benjamin was born.  We borrowed a generous friend’s key to her neighborhood pool and spent the morning swimming.  It was really windy, but we had the place to ourselves.  Jude, always the little explorer, spent a lot of the time opening and closing the filter lids around the pool.  I was in the water when I noticed him getting really excited about something in one of the filters.  At first I started to brush it off as nothing, but then the horrific thought occurred to me that something harmful might be in there.  I jumped out of the pool as fast as my 7 month pregnant body would allow me to.  I could not believe my eyes when I got a look at what Jude had discovered!  The biggest toad that this city girl has ever seen!  There is really no telling how long he could have been struggling in there.  We watched him for a while and then decided to set him free.  The video doesn’t show it, but he did eventually hop away like nothing had ever happened.  I like to believe that we saved the little guy’s life!  Jude loved every minute of it.  It was a sweet ending to a sweet year at home with my sweet little boy.

Next up, our darling second-born, Jude.

This video was taken 9 months ago!!  It is most definitely one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. It reminds me of the time Elliott had the same dilemma.

This is just a video of a few random moments with Jude.  The first portion was taken shortly after Benjamin was born…in fact I think it was my first day on my own with all three!  And, the second portion was not long after Elliott started school.  I love these sweet glimpses into our daily life.  They seem somewhat insignificant at the time, but are so much fun to look back at.

I put this video together to show the progression of Jude learning to ride his tricycle.  He’s been sitting on it since before he could reach the pedals.  We intended to put some blocks on the pedals to help him reach but never got around to it! Ah well, time passed and he grew.  Finally he was able to reach, but he couldn’t quite get the hang of it.  Frustrated, but determined, he kept trying and eventually propelled himself forward.  The first part of this video was taken around that time.  Fast forward a few months, and he was finally ready to venture out of the driveway and take it for a spin around the pond!  Way to go, Jude!!

Jude loves to sing!  If you were to visit our house you will no doubt hear him chant a tune at the top of his lungs while you’re here.  We sing to the boys before every nap and bedtime and, like any child, they like to hear the same songs over and over again.  How else would they memorize the words!?  During the Christmas season Jingle Bells quickly became a favorite.  By January we were all beyond ready for a new song!  I still sneak it in with him at nap time though when he asks for it.  This little montage does not cover all of the songs that he loves to sing, but it’s a good sampling.  Without any further ado….here’s Jude!

The iphone has made taking videos so much easier.  The only problem is that I forget about them!  David and I recently transferred all of our photos and videos to the computer.  There are so many!  Rather than post about each one in a separate blog post I thought it would be easiest to give each of the boys their own movie page to hi-light what they’ve been up to lately.

We’ll go in birth order and start with Elliott!

This first video was taken the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We were on my way to my mom’s house for dinner and apparently this non-napping 5-year-old needed a nap that day!  There is almost nothing sweeter than watching my children sleep and it’s really fun watching them trying to do it in the car!

My mother-in-law had the fantastic idea to visit the Chinese Lantern Festival in Dallas back in December.  And, to make it even better I found a Groupon for the event just days after she mentioned going!  It was absolutely amazing.  I would highly recommend it to anyone.  I will share more pictures from that night later, but for now I’ll leave you with this video of Elliott getting his groove on to the Chinese music playing in the background.  I love this age.  Totally uninhibited, living life to the fullest, dancing in the middle of a crowd without a care in the world.  Apparently a ninja dance was the best interpretation for the music.  Well done, son.  You nailed it.

The monkey bars.  He’s been trying for years.  But, at 5 years old, he tackles them and finally wins!!!

This last video was taken by Elliott on his camera that he received for his birthday.  It was recorded in September but I actually hadn’t noticed it sitting in our photo library until a few weeks ago.  It’s not very exciting, but it’s fun to get a glimpse of what he was doing at that time.  Funny kid.  I love him.

People are constantly asking me how life is with three.  When we’re out and about we get lots of attention.  Elderly women smile and coo at the boys.  Many people comment on what great helpers I have.  Some like to tell me about their kids, grown or not.  And lots and lots of people like to tell what I already know…that I’ve got my hands full!  I usually respond in a way that I remember reading in one of Rachel Jankovic’s books…”Yes, full of good things!”

It’s easy to think that I will never be able to forget these times.  After all, these little people consume every minute of every day of my life!  How could I forget all of the details when at times I feel like all I think about is them!  None of the following will come as a shock to anyone.  Of course the logistics of having three kids is more complicated than having two; just as having six children would be more complicated than having one!  It’s just that people seem to be quite curious about the transition.  I thought it worth something to write some of these thoughts down, both for the sake of remembering these early years when the boys are all so small, and to share with other mamas out there a bit about what life is like with three.

Getting out of the house is hard.  The logistics of getting everyone ready, out the door, and into the car is grueling work! If we are already planning on being somewhere; for example school, it isn’t too bad.  I try to prepare the night before by having clothes laid out and ironed and a lunch box packed.  Compared to when Benjamin was itty bitty, now I am much more familiar with how long it takes us to do each part of our routine.  I just back track from the time we need to leave, then I know what time we need to finish breakfast, nurse Benjamin, start getting dressed, be in the car, etc.  It’s the spur of the moment, on a whim, “let’s all hop in the car and go to the park” outings that can be a bit more frustrating.  Is everyone dressed?  Been to the potty?  Had a diaper change?  Wearing shoes?  ”I need a snack!  And, something to drink”  Is my diaper back packed with extras?  Do I have my keys?  The checklist goes on and on.  A spur of the moment venture out of the house can become quite the ordeal, and look more like we are preparing for a week long vacation rather than a 30 minute play date at the park!  Life is definitely not as simple with three as it was with one!  All of this being said, it is no wonder why we spend a lot more time at home these days.

Trips to the store are definitely more interesting.  Jude loves to be out and about and is quite content to run “boring” grown-up errands with both David and me so I usually plan my weekly trip to the grocery store for when Elliott is in school.  Baby carriers have been a Godsend with Benjamin!  In the early days he loved being snuggled down in the Moby wrap and nowadays we prefer the Ergo.  He is my little snuggle bunny and I am happy to have him close whenever the need arises.  On the rare occasion that all three boys need to be with me in a store Elliott is really good about wanting to help out.  He tends to wander and run off more, leading Jude to tag along, so I have to do a lot of reminding them to stay close.

I think that one of the most difficult things for me about having three children has been learning to juggle the very different needs of each child.  They are all in different stages and require different types of attention.  Despite the fact that I never stop moving and caring for them during the day, at times I feel like no one is getting enough attention!  It is easy for me to feel sad about having to divide my attention among the three boys because I so badly want each to know how important they are to me at all moments.  In the rare moments where I have some alone time with one child I try to make myself stop whatever it is that I “need” to be doing to sit down and give some extra attention to him.  I think that most of the time my feelings about this are irrational, and that the boys are doing just fine.  With time I’m sure we will adjust and it will feel normal to be stretched in so many different directions.

Laundry.  Loads and loads of laundry!  I could keep up when there were just four of us, but now laundry seems to be like a gift that never stops giving!  I’ve recently started trying to do one load a day to help cut down on the mounds of dirty clothes piling up around us.  It works well….as long as I keep up with the folding and putting away, too!

While we are on the topic of chores I will go ahead and mention tidiness around the house.  It’s never clean.  At least not in my opinion.  One day the kitchen will sparkle while the rest of the house sits littered with toys and a thin layer of dust.  Another day the bathrooms won’t smell like a mens’ restroom but the kitchen sink is filled to the brim with dirty dishes and your feet stick to the tiles when you walk through because someone spilled their juice again.  After Benjamin was born my mom gifted us with a house keeper for 3 months.  It was wonderful!  The best gift ever for a new mom!  She did the hard work and I managed to stay on top of the dishes, laundry, and clutter.  I’ve recently started trying to loosely follow a daily chore chart that helps me focus on one room each day of the week so the toilets are at least getting scrubbed and the floors are getting vacuumed more often than they were before.  Sometimes when there is so much to do it’s easier to just do the things that you’re used to.  It helps to have a way to check things off when the list is so long.  What helps most of all when I get overwhelmed by the state of the house is to remember something my mother-in-law said to me when Elliott was just a baby.  ”Tricia, you will have years to clean you house.”  These are such simple words, but so wise.  There will be years and years for me to enjoy my house being tidy.  These are the years when it is messy.  Embrace it for what it is.  Clean when you can and don’t let the messiness around you get in the way of enjoying life.  After all, the kids don’t mind a bit do they?

Life has definitely gotten sweeter having three.  My heart is so full.  Being an only child, I was a bit nervous about sibling interactions.  When Jude got old enough to tear into Elliott’s things and annoy him I was a bit taken aback at the way they would treat one another at times.  My lack of experience with a brother or sister of my own left me wondering if they were going to hate each other forever.  Thankfully, my worries were short lived and I was able to relax in knowing that brothers will be brothers and brothers will fight. But, oh my goodness, how they love on another so!  I am not exaggerating when I say that multiple times a day I hear them telling each other that they love one another.  Melts. My. Heart.  It has been so much fun to see the way that the boys have included Benjamin in their brotherhood and I cannot wait to see how their love grows in the coming years.  Having three who are all boys is something special for sure.  They have no idea how blessed they are, but I pray that one day they will.

Curious moms of two are always asking me if the transition from one to two or from two to three kids was harder.  In the wake of bringing home the third, it is difficult to remember all of the details of bringing home the second.  There are some differences that immediately come to mind though.  I think a lot of it depends on the baby and where you are in life, too.  With Jude I was no longer working outside of the home and we were more strapped for cash.  He had reflux.  He and Elliott were nearly three years apart.  All of these things played a part in shaping the transition.  However, after thinking about it quite a bit I think I can finally answer the question for how things went in our family.  Going from one to two was definitely more difficult.  Sure, there are things that are harder with three than with two.  And, although we are outnumbered now, and the kids are all different ages with different needs and demands, and we are getting less and less sleep, I am still sticking with my answer  I will elaborate.  The transition from zero to one child is a bit of a shock.  The lack of sleep is enough to rock your world.  On top of that, you’re now in charge of having to keep another human being alive!  Schedules, activities, meals, etc. all revolve around the new cute little person in your life.  It’s fun, but way different than it was before.  But……you’ve still got nap time!!  When the little one goes down for a nap it is all about you again!  Haven’t had a shower yet today?  Knock it out during nap time!  House is a wreck?  Tidy up during nap time!  Need some sun?  Sit out in the yard and read a book while sipping on your favorite beverage during nap time!   Mommy needs a nap, too?  No problem!  The house will be quiet during nap time!!  Nap time = Me Time!  Do you see where I’m headed with this?

Cue the second child.  Jude came along and rocked our world!  Or, at least mine!  Simply put.  There wasn’t guaranteed me time anymore.  Jude was king of the 45 minute nap.  When he was a baby I would lay him down for a nap, quickly read Elliott some books, and get him down for his nap.  Then, just as soon as I was settling down to read a book or catch up on a missed show….Jude would wake up!  So, I’d feed him, play with him, and put him down for another nap.  Then, you guessed, it! Elliott would wake up!  They had it made…each getting lots of alone time with Mommy!  But, I was exhausted and not used to the demands of being a full-time mother of two, without so much as a few moments to myself during the day.  It was frustrating to say the least.  I felt like I never got a break.  I think I hit rock bottom the day I ran circles in our backyard because I just wanted to get away from the crying baby inside but knew that I couldn’t run around the neighborhood with two kids back at home!  Talk about feeling like a rat in a cage!  Truth be told, as Jude got older he actually became a stellar napper, and he still is.  The early days were rough with him.  Knowing that babies eventually grow out of things and move on to new phases is part of what makes dealing with subsequent childrens’ quirks bearable isn’t it?

Wait a minute!  What’s that you say?  Don’t you have even less me time now that you have three?  And, the answer is “yes!”…but the difference this time around is that I’m so used to it that it doesn’t even bother me.  If I do get a few moments to myself (like now…I’m actually blogging!) then it feels like a rare treat.  A breath of fresh air.  I don’t count on it, but when it is given to me I savor it!  So there you have it.  It’s all about giving up the idea of me time if you ask me.  And, more than that, it’s all about your attitude!  If I had taken a chill pill and relaxed when Jude was a baby I know that the transition would have been much easier.  Thankfully, the Lord was gracious to me this go-round and has answered my prayers to help me to enjoy this time as we adjust to adding one more to the mix.  This season of life doesn’t allot much me time.  There will be years ahead of me to spend doing things that I want to do.  But, I’m fairly certain that when all is said and done I will be wishing that I had less time for just me and more time to be with them.  The trick is to keep this reality of the future a reality of the present.  The honest truth is this. I am going to miss this.

I had the privilege of being able to accompany Elliott on his first field trip ever!  We were given the option and he said he wanted me to come along.  Sweet boy.  The trip was back in October to Mainstay Farms.  It was a lot of fun to have the place practically to ourselves.  Benjamin came along, too, but kept to himself in the Ergo

We visited this pumpkin patch last year for the first time and had a blast.  Being that it was a field trip, the owners added in a few more educational opportunities for the kids.  They watched a movie about growing pumpkins and we listened to them talk about how the farm got its start and growing Christmas trees.

It was neat to get to see Elliott interacting with his friends and put faces to all of the names that I hear.  And, it was nice to get a better feel for how his teacher interacts with the kids as well. Oh if I could only be a fly on the wall at his school!  I also very much enjoyed getting to talk to some of the other moms.  They are a sweet group of ladies and I look forward to getting to know them over the coming years.  I cannot say enough how happy we are with making the decision to send Elliott to this school!   It is such a perfect fit for us.

One of Elliott’s favorite things to do is to peruse a good catalog.  He gets so excited when one comes in the mail. He spends hours and hours inspecting each page over and over again.  He’s content to just look, knowing he isn’t going to get anything.  Christmas time is made even better for him because of the sheer amount of catalogs we receive in the mail!  His grandmothers often save catalogs they receive in the mail for him, because they know how happy they make him.  I knew he was an addict, but I had to laugh out loud when I happened upon this a few months ago.  I texted my mom to see if she could make out what it says.  Can you?

  Elliott decided on his birthday in August that he would be a cowboy for Halloween because he received a cowboy costume from my mom.  Easy.  Done.  We just needed to decide what Jude would be.  While he understands the concept of saying “trick or treat” to get a handful of candy, he doesn’t quite get the concept of “what do you want to be for Halloween?”  So, we decided that a cute little horsie would go nicely with a cowboy  Plus, Elliott’s favorite book in the Chronicles of Narnia series is A Horse and His Boy.  Next year it’ll be interesting to see what Jude comes up with on his own.

As always, without fail, my mom really came through with Jude’s costume.  It was totally adorable…and it looked quite comfortable if I do say so myself!

She just sewed ears, a mane, hooves, and a tail onto a brown hooded sweatshirt and sweat pants.  We already had the pants.  And, there you have it!  The cutest lil’ horse ever!

A few days before Halloween trick or treating we went to a friend’s Halloween party.  It was so much fun!  They had a bounce house and pumpkin decorating for the kids as well as an assortment of marshmallows to roast over the fire.  Dinner was catered by Mi Cocina.   And, for the adults, margaritas!  Yum.

Howdy, partner!

Dorks.

Elijah, the pirate.

Mike and Louanne always have the best costumes!

Our friends, the Schneiders a.k.a. The Flintstones!   Little Audrey is dressed up as Pebbles.  It was chilly so her costume is covered up by her coat.  Are they cute or what?

At the last minute I got inspired to dress up, too.  When I walked out of my room to surprise Elliott with my costume he was completely underwhelmed!  I though he would be over the moon about it!  And, to think that I’ve felt bad  for being a boring grown-up and for not dressing up all of these years!

A cowboy and his faithful horse

This was the first year we decided to try out a new neighborhood for trick or treating.  It is minutes from my mom’s house and was perfect for our little ones.  I am sure we will be returning in the future!

 Jude knew exactly what to do!

Benjamin dressed up, too!  My mom (isn’t she fantastic?) whipped up the sweetest little sheriff onesie for him.  It’s too bad he spent the whole night covered up inside the baby carrier!

Here he is just before getting buckled up to head home.  She made a gun and holster as well as a gold star out of felt and sewed them on.  It was so cute!!

Can you imagine putting this in your front yard?? Let alone, finding a place to store it for the other 11 months of the year!  Either way, it was a big hit with everyone who walked by…especially a big super hero fan like this one!

I love this picture!  Handsome boy, please don’t get any older!

This is the last picture, but we did not stop here!  We kept on going until it was dark out and the boys were complaining about how heavy their treat buckets were!

Every September Fort Worth hosts Day in the District, allowing free admission to all of the museums.  We decided to take advantage of the offer and visit the Log Cabin Village. Frankly, this is exactly the kind of place that I would have loathed going to as a kid, but it is right up Elliott’s alley.  At the zoo, he patiently listens while we read each sign per his request.  And, at the museum it’s no different.  This kid loves to learn!  So, of course the Log Cabin Village was a big success!

One of the first areas we visited the kids got to pretend to collect the hens’ eggs.  Jude especially enjoyed this!

The boys were each given a turn pumping the well for water.

Though Jude got shy and decided he didn’t want to.

The boys also took some time to plant some vegetables.

Next we stopped by an outdoor kitchen where a very nice lady was whipping up a pie from scratch with plans to cook it on the fire.  I was amazed to find out that it was only going to take 20 minutes to bake…just like a regular oven I suppose!  They also had hot coffee brewing over the fire.

Elliott rolled wildflower seeds in mud and threw them onto the hillside.  This was the way they planted many things.  Messy, but efficient!

I found the log cabin homes to be the most interesting.  It’s hard to imagine living the way that they did, working the land and tending to meals the way that they did from sun up to sun down day in and day out.  But, then again, it’s not as if I spend much time sitting around either!  I can’t imagine having a family with 5 or more children sleeping in one room!  I imagine that they were all so exhausted by the end of the day, that it really didn’t matter where they slept!

One of our final stops in the village was to the school.  There was an old-fashioned band playing inside taking requests as well.

This was where they hung and cured their meats.

Third baby…just along for the ride!

Sadly, I did not get a picture of the blacksmith’s shop.  This was Elliott’s favorite part.  He loved watching the metal heat up, turn bright red-orange, and be molded into something new.  He was amazed.

Before leaving we treated the boys to some old-fashioned candy from the gift shop.  The best part was that each piece was only 10 cents!  Not a bad price for a souvenir!  Then we headed over to a nearby grassy area for an old-fashioned picnic lunch.  The boys had a great time playing on this enormous fallen-down tree trunk.

This day was fun, fun, fun!  I never thought I could say that about a log cabin village.  Aren’t you proud of me, Mom?  I must be growing up

Beautiful baby boy, I cannot believe that you are already 6 months old today!!  You have brought so much joy to our house!  Every one of us is head over heels in love with you!  There are moments where I can’t wait for you to grow a bit so that you will SLEEP and give your momma a break, but most of the time your daddy and I talk about how much we want you to stay little bitty.

You are so snuggly and cuddly and happy and smiley.  You are never ever stingy with your smiles, always willing to give just one more even when you are totally and utterly worn out and exhausted or hungry!  Your big brothers “ooo and ahh” over you constantly, giving you lots of attention that you adore.  They will push your walker into the room they are playing in just so that you can all be together…all without being asked to do so!  This morning Elliott said that he loves your long eyelashes so much!

You love, love your daddy and you get so excited when he comes home from work.  You are working on learning to sit up without any support behind you and you can roll over from your front to your back.  You love to reach for things and explore baskets of toys and books.

You had your first taste of real food last night and were not a fan (as evidenced by the picture below)!

At birth you were our biggest baby, and at 6 months you are our smallest.  Even so, you’ve got chubby thighs and chubby cheeks.  Your momma worries that you aren’t getting enough to eat, but the doctor is pleased with your growth.

Sweet Benjamin, what a gift you are.  We cannot imagine life without you and are so thankful that God entrusted us with you.  We will do our best to raise you to love Him and love others.

Happy half-birthday, baby boy!!

Month by month, my, how you’ve grown and changed!