Potty Learning: The Try, Try, Try Again Edition

Gamma Rita arrived last Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning we hit the ground running with Operation Potty Learning: Third Time's The Charm. Today was Day 5 of our venture and while not much has been happening in the potties per se, we're encouraged nonetheless.

My boys have typically been enthusiastic potty sitters for the most part, especially if there are books involved and most especially if stories are being read aloud. On the third day of our venture into Potty-Learning-Or-Bust, we visited the library and came across a great find.

Ian's New Potty was an instant hit and Nate and Seth love hearing all about Ian and his big-boy adventures. It was a timely find too since this time around we decided to skip the Pull-Ups and went straight for the big-boy underpants. Coincidentally, Ian also wears big-boy underpants while learning to use the potty and by a stroke of complete luck he also has a red potty.

I've easily read the story at least 15 times by now, but my boys are always eager to hear what Ian will be doing next (hint: we've learned more from this book than just potty-related things).

In the past 5 days (but especially the last 3) we've learned:

• Big-boy underpants are awesome.

• Accidents happen, but wet underpants don't feel very nice.

• How to hold it until Mommy nearly starts to worry.

• Sometimes how to say "Potty!" in time, even if a trip to the potty doesn't actually result in anything before we're "All done!" with said potty (usually followed by an accident and some wet underpants that don't feel very nice).

• How to eat a big-boy sandwich! Not potty-related, but Ian eats a big-boy sandwich in the book (because he is a big boy of course) and if nothing else comes of this venture I think the days of cubing up a sandwich into pieces are finally over – to which I breathe a huge sigh of relief.

I'm taking all of the above as positive signs and I think all we need at this point is a break-through in production.

Gamma Rita made an excellent observation today while we were both feeling a little discouraged over 5 days of no one actually doing anything in the potties:

"If we knew in advance that there'd be a breakthrough 3 weeks from now – even though it would be 3 weeks from now – we'd keep going and not even give this a second thought."

And aside from being perfectly true, I have a feeling it's what's going to keep us going. I'm 100% sure my boys are at least having a good time and at least 95% sure that they are really and truly ready to give up the diapers. Also, I have a good feeling about things this time around.

Maybe it's the summer weather or maybe it's that Gamma Rita showed up with a plan and so far it's not been a complete disaster at least.

Or maybe it's as simple as those big-boy underpants. I did mention they were a hit after all.

Of course, I might have left out a few details about why they're such a hit. 

And once again, I find myself with yet another post that would not be complete without a little of this: 

"FORE-STAINS!"

Really and truly, I can't believe I never saw that one coming, but I sure did make a mad dash for the camera this morning.

- L.

Before And After

I've had a few projects I've been meaning to get to for awhile now, and after the very sad news about Gram on Sunday I decided tackling at least one of them would be a welcome distraction.

Last December, I tackled a similar project following some nursery* shenanigans, and while it was a success at the time, the boys have found more than a few ways to get into mischief since then. Their ability to not only climb, but to find things to precariously stand on in order to do some especially precipitous climbing (something they pride themselves on by the way**) has led to their books (which they will still tear given the opportunity) migrating higher and higher up the nursery bookcase until the books were sitting on top of the bookshelves, rather than in them.

Even with bookends, it all seemed a bit wobbly and I realized that I've been reading less often to my boys as a result – getting the books down without causing a cascade of books to start sliding was starting to be something I would do reluctantly. I love reading to my guys and they love their stories, so yesterday seemed like a good day to finally do something about it.

And by something I mean making room in their closet for any books I don't let them have unlimited access to (which is most of them) and toys that can't be used without supervision.

Have I mentioned that we only have one closet in our 2 bedroom apartment? Because we do. I refer to it as the boys' closet because it's in their bedroom, but really it's an all-purpose closet, so making room for everything I needed to make room in there for was a serious undertaking.

And doing it all while two toddlers were "helping"? Well, that was just asking for trouble obviously.

Still, it made for terrific distraction.

Behold my helpers, moments before I relocated them:

Where they continued to "help" of course:

They eventually got curious about what I was up to however:

Around this point, I was having some serious misgivings about taking on this project since everything was in such a state of disaster it was kind of making me want to cry anyway. In the end I resorted to giving them some of the "forbidden books" to look at while I kept one eye on them and the other on the task at hand. 

The finished result(s): 

You'll note some red drawers privileges have returned – but not the super fun ones! – at least not until I get some latches that hopefully prevent climbing. The toys on the top of the bookshelf are all things they can stand on/make precipitous towers out of so that's why they've been reassigned. Things looked a little more balanced originally, but after supper last night, Nate and Seth actually managed to get a toy down from there while I was tidying up the kitchen. My only guess is that they stood on the bedrail since that's all they had available, but I'll admit it doesn't totally add up.

They're tall boys, but even with the bedrail, I just don't think they're that tall. Maybe they took turns standing on each other's shoulders until one of them managed it. To be honest, I wasn't in the room so I have no idea – but I did shore things up further after I saw they were still able to get up there somehow.

And last but not least, in case you were wondering... 

... Seth's favorite bucket is once again "OK".

- L.

PS. About the Vaseline... I ended up getting a great tip which turned out to be unnecessary for dealing with the boys' hair but was invaluable when it came to cleaning the bucket at least since soap and hot water were not getting the job done. The answer is baby oil. While it might sound counter-intuitive, baby oil cuts through the Vaseline grease and is easily removed with soap and hot water – in between, it sort of makes a bigger mess but it's short lived. Just wanted to pass that along in case you happen to have a Vaseline in the hair (or anywhere else) incident in your home.

• • • • • • •

*I've actually been very good about not calling the boys' room a nursery anymore, but it was still legitimately called that at the time.

**I mentioned cryptophasia in a previous post and since it ties in nicely with this one – and also since I haven't gotten around to a proper post about my boys and their "twin speak" yet (and at this rate, never will), "anasahnize" will serve for now. I've spelled that phonetically of course since the boys aren't big spellers yet. It took me awhile to figure out it's meaning, but quite specifically it is this:

Anasahnize (ah-NAH-sah-nize)

– verb

1. the act of standing upon something precipitous in a dangerous fashion. Best served with a side of giggles.

The after-effect of anasahnize sometimes look like this since anasahnize is often deployed for ill-gotten gains:

10:30 PM a few weeks ago, post-anasahnize.

And so proud of ourselves too!

The box that held those puzzles used to be located on top of their dresser where I assumed it was safely out of reach. This particular anasahnize incident involved stacking soft toys in their bed to make a tall enough tower to reach up there. When I walked in on the aftermath, both boys proudly declared "anasahnize!" and then had the temerity to try to reenact their crimes while I was still cleaning up the first one. Fortunately they are shameless that way because up until then I'd been scratching my head wondering how they'd managed it.

For whatever it's worth, anasahnize has worked it's way into the vernacular over here. Frankly it's easier to say, "No anasahnize!" than "Get off that wobbly tower because it's dangerous and also stop building dangerous wobbly towers so you can get at things that I don't want you getting at!".

Unfortunately we have enough words like this now that I'm pretty sure I won't even be speaking English by next year.

Possibly The Best $12.95 I Ever Spent

Of course I had no idea at the time how far my dollars would stretch or how loved and obsessed over a simple set of soft-foam ABCs and 123s would be or I would have been on it sooner.

The Bath Toys™ first made their debut on the blog here, but were already very much a bath-time staple at that point. Two months later we are still going strong, and just so you know, Bath Toys™ aren't just for baths anymore.

Requested first thing in the morning and loved until it's time for lights out – and by that I mean Seth's personal "lights out" since he's not content to go to sleep unless the container of bath toys is in his crib – they are an all day kind of toy.

Outside of the bath, they've made inadvertent appearances here and here, in similar fashion to the train toy decorations. Really, these simple foam shapes are out pretty much all day and there are definite threats of mutiny if I make any attempt to put them away.

For $12.95 I got my money's worth months ago.

The Bath Toys™ really are a pretty fun toy, especially in the bath since getting them wet makes them stick to pretty much any surface – like your tub or tiles for example. Of course, if you absolutely, positively MUST bring your Bath Toys™ back to the nursery post-bath when they are most certainly bound to still be at least a bit damp AND you also happen to have a pair of toddlers bent on finding new ways to have fun with said toys, then you pretty much end up with a scenario like this: 

In case the pictures aren't doing what just might be the BEST TOY EVER! justice, there is also a video here. I have no idea what the strange noise is that my boys are making almost the entire time, but it has something to do with the twin mind-meld* they often have. 

- L.

*The twin mind-meld? It's one of those "I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it" kind of things, but I'm definitely a convert now. And yep, there's a post about that coming soon.

PS. OP trivia: the pics and video were our Christmas Eve shenanigans before bed. Forget the milk and cookies everyone (Santa is stinkeroo anyway) – Bath Toys™ is where it's at!

Fun With Socks

As a Mommy there are times when you need to pull out the creative big guns, so to speak, and non-stop rainy days are definitely one of those times.

Hence today's post.

It started like this:

It ended like this: 

And in between there was some actual fun being had, which you can check out here.

- L.

Pink Food

In a household with two boys and a Mommy that isn't exactly wild about pink, it shouldn't come as a big surprise that pink was one of the last colors that the boys learned. Pink is in short supply around here.

And perhaps because it is hard to come by, the boys have especially delighted in the things they find around the house that are pink. Surprisingly, I find it delightful also.

Fish, on the other hand, has been a much tougher sell over here. Salmon gets a pass from Seth 50% of the time, but Nate has always been strictly in the no-fish camp (although to his credit, he will usually at least try it before spitting it out).

Until last week when I pointed out that salmon is pink.

Now they can't get enough of "Pink food! Pink food!".

We had salmon for supper tonight. Nate had 2 generous servings. Seth had 3. The constant chorus of "Pink food! Pink FOOOOOD!" bothered me not.

- L.

Happy 18 Months!

It's not easy trying to get two fidgety toddlers who are ready for their morning walk to sit still long enough for a few quick pics. 

Thank goodness a lady happened by walking her puppy.

Puppy, Mommy? Puppy?

Which got everyone's attention.

Puppy! Puppy! Puppy!

The world definitely needs more ladies with puppies at opportune moments. Even serious Seth had to give it up and smile. 

Happy 18 Months to my best guys – serious, smiling or otherwise.

And yes, that is my mom – formerly known as Gamma Rita, recently redubbed Gabba-Ga – out for a summertime visit. I'm not sure she's wild about her new title, but if the guys enthusiasm for Gabba-Ga is any indication, I have a feeling it's going to stick.

- L.

Penaten Power!

– Hey Seth? 

– Yes, Nate?
– I hear there's 'dis story going around about you and me pulling off some Penaten caper? I think Mommy blog about it and everything.

– I knows nothing about 'dis Penaten, Nate – or capers of any kind. Nothing at all. I not even know what a Penaten is. 'Dis my innocent face by the way.
– Oh, that good innocent face Seth. Wish I think of that a little sooner. 

– Instead I cover with cute smile.
– Cute smile good move too. It almost always bamboozle the Mommy-type people. Is nearly foolproof. I make cute smile too. See?
– You think it working?
– Dunno, but talking probably not good right now. Just keep smiling and maybe Mommy go away.

•   •   •   •   •

Mommy note: I'm not sure what the magical ingredient in Penaten might be, but do not underestimate it. The day after The Great Penaten Caper (featuring the Penaten Twins), Seth took his first step and both boys cut a new tooth.

- L.

Birthday Fun: Some New Toys

It was hard to get pictures where everyone wasn't a frantic blur, but I did manage to catch a moment here and there of the boys enjoying some of their new toys (and a couple of old favorites too). 

The soft blocks are a big hit with everyone. They're very toddler* friendly. No chance of taking out an eye on them (or your brother's eye either). Also, they smell nice. Weird, I know, but true. Apparently they taste good too. 

The drum is a big hit with Nate especially (watch out for some new video coming soon!). I was a little leery about getting it because the flashing lights, sound effects and pre-recorded songs sounded like a recipe for being the kind of toy that would drive me up the wall after the first hour. But so far, so good – even I like playing with it. Also, it has an off switch in the event that my temples start throbbing.

Seth went pro with the shapes puzzle this morning when he put all the shapes in the correct spot and blew his mommy away. I had a feeling this toy would be well suited to Seth – he's very meticulous with sorting and stacking toys and will often try to help me tidy up when it's time to play put-away in the nursery – I just didn't expect him to be so good at it already.

- L.

*Toddler. My babies are toddlers now. *sob*

First Sit-Down Breakfast

I've been doing two sit-down meals since the boys started solids – lunch and dinner basically. With their waking/morning nap schedule it always felt a bit too rushed to try to squeeze in anything other than a bottle, but things have changed in the past week.

Last week the Party Babies™ were waking up around 8AM and staying up partying until 9:30 most nights. They would have 2 naps – 1 mid-morning and one mid-afternoon. I have to say the 9:30 PM bedtime wasn't really working for me and I guess my guys decided a change would be good too. On Friday they jointly ditched their afternoon nap and were down for the night at 8:15. – and we haven't looked back.

Even though I no longer get a little break in the afternoon, I am liking our new routine. The boys still sleep until 8AM, have one really good nap (up to 2 hours) late morning and then go to bed around 8:15. It gives me a bit more time in the evening to unwind and get a few things done, I still get to sleep in AND there's now ample time for 3 sit-down meals a day.

Today the boys not only had their first breakfast we even tried out a new food!

Nate and Seth feasted on:

Oatmeal with Pears
Buttered Toast
Yogurt with Apple/Plum

AND...

Scrambled Eggs!

Seth really liked his eggs – a lot actually. They were a big hit!

Nate, on the other hand, was pretty suspicious of the new food and pushed the little egg bits around on his tray for a long time before he finally picked up a little egg crumb and put it in his mouth. He then made a big show out of gagging on said crumb, but I have a feeling he'll come around. For now, toast is a hit with him at least and they both like their oats and yogurt. And of course, I served Cheerios® afterward while I cleaned up.

- L.

PS. I realize that on the surface the photo I posted appears to have nothing to do with breakfast – however, their tummies are full of said breakfast in this picture. That counts, right?

DIY: How To Make The Best Present EVER!!!

Yes, that's right – the best present EVER!!! is something you can make yourself at virtually no cost. Believe it or NOT!!!, you probably already have everything you need to make it in your house RIGHT NOW!!! Take a moment to collect yourself – it's very exciting after all.

Are you ready?

Step 1: Find a box with a lid. If you're feeling fancy, wrap/decorate box and lid separately. I went with some OP-style polka dots. 

Step 2: Find some dye-free paper or paper scraps. I chose plain brown kraft paper – the kind you wrap a parcel with. It's durable, but can be softened easily with crumpling. I tore 12" x 12" sheets (or thereabouts) with a ruler so there wouldn't be any sharp edges. Then I crumpled, crumpled, crumpled until the paper was nice and soft. 

Step 3: Fill box and place lid on top.

Step 4: Find unsuspecting babies and hand over the box. Grab your camera. Take lots of pictures as pandemonium ensues. Or make a video. Or both.

Enjoy! 

Oh look – here's an unsuspecting baby now...

Well, that didn't take long – now there's two unsuspecting babies! Like moths to a flame, the babies just kind of show up.

Looks like a satisfied customer!

Make that two satisfied customers! Too bad everyone's ignoring the new Fisher Price farm we bought. I really thought it would be a hit. *sigh*

Oh, thank goodness! Seth spotted the farm at last and made a beeline for it. It was money well spent after all. *whew*

Or, you know... not.

– L. 

PS. In case you missed my subtle reference, there's a video of the fun we had with Box-o-Paper™ up on our YouTube™ channel. Now get on over there!

More Random Acts Of Domesticity

I have a favorite recipe that I used to make quite a lot, especially during the cold winter months. Of course, that was pre-babies when I could afford to spend 2 hours preparing and cooking dinner. In fact, I thought the days of enjoying some of my favorite recipes were long gone – until I discovered the wonder of using a slow-cooker that is. It's a magic device that makes my dinner for me, quietly doing it's work all day while I am busy chasing babies.

After a couple of recent successes with pot roast and beef stew, I decided to modify that favorite recipe of mine so it could quickly and easily be prepared slow-cooker style, with prep work that requires no more than a 5-7 minute commitment at a time (because if you have 2 or more little ones then you already know you are lucky to get even that).

Without further ado, below is the recipe for The OP's Braised Chicken and how I did it. Of course, if you don't have babies to chase after, you can probably get your prep work done in one shot. Or not. It's up to you.

•   •   •   •   •

The OP's Braised Chicken

Step 1: Prep your veggies* the night before. I sliced up half a white onion, 1 green pepper and 1 orange pepper (a yellow pepper is also a nice option). I tossed everything in a large bowl, covered the bowl with plastic wrap and placed it in the fridge. I was able to pull off this amazing feat while the boys were busy having their nakey time. No one even noticed I was missing.

*Optional: 1 or 2 chili peppers, sliced. I find one gives a bit of kick without being too hot – although I am a self-admitted lightweight about these things. If you like it more than kicking, better add two.

•   •   •   •   •

Step 2: The next morning I prepared the yummy marinade while the boys crawled around exploring the kitchen. If attempting this yourself, exercise caution so you don't step on any babies. Then get busy and mince 3 cloves of garlic and place into a bowl. Add:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 generous tsp. paprika powder
• 2 generous tsp. curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground cumin 

Take a moment to breathe in the wonderfully fragrant aroma from the marinade you just made, then cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave on countertop. Retrieve babies from whatever imminent kitchen danger you were unaware existed until just now. Retreat to nursery with said babies.

*BTW, if you're planning to take pictures of your efforts, try not to use a shiny reflective bowl like I did (unless you want an inverted image of yourself among the spices that is). Spices, I might add, that resemble an inverted version of this. Spooky. 

•   •   •   •   •

Step 3: I managed this last step by throwing some Cheerios at my babies after their lunch. Cheerios are a great diversion, btw. While they were distracted, I quickly salted, peppered and browned 2 chicken breasts in a little olive oil. One or two minutes per side and you're done. Place in bottom of crock-pot and brush with roughly half of the marinade you made earlier. Looks pretty good already, no? 

Pour 1/2 cup of chicken broth around the sides of the chicken. Toss the veggies you prepped the night before with the remaining marinade and add to crock-pot. Top with 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, including juice from can. 

Cover, set your crock-pot on low and enjoy the next 8 hours with your babies. 

The finished result: 

Prior to serving, remove chicken and gently pull apart with a fork. Top with veggies and reserve liquid to your liking. Serve alongside or over rice (Basmati goes well with this dish). Makes at least 2 very generous servings.

Enjoy!

- L.

PS. Or, if you prefer, here is the recipe minus the mommy rambles (click to embiggen):

If It Seems Like It's Been A Little Quiet Over Here...

Let me assure you, it has not been quiet. 

We are moving, standing, and attempting somersaults (no joke). I've been on a mission to get some nice shots of the boys and their new moves, but alas... my mission has been a fruitless one.

So you get what you get in other words. These really are the best pics I've gotten all week.

I hope you remember what Nate and Seth look like because I'm pretty sure future posts with photos will look something like this:

For the record, please note that everything around my two motion machines is in focus.

Also, for the record please note that if you are looking for a walker/wagon for your baby to practice his first steps with you don't need to shell out the big dollars like I did. An $8 bucket will do nicely.

Seth cruised his way across the room and over to PooBucket™ Corner hanging on to nothing more than his favorite bucket. Go Seth!

Oh, and in case you're wondering why the boys are wearing hats in the nursery, it's because I was eager to take some pics of them in their new pirate hats (they are getting quite the hat collection btw). They are also modeling their new fleece lined jeans, which have to be the most comfortable jeans ever. I wish I had a pair.

For what it's worth I wish you had a pair too, but I digress...

This is the best picture I got of Nate:

At least you're looking at something other than the back of his head. Also, it kind of looks like their pirate hats are fighting. Y'ar!!!

And the best picture of Seth:

Of course, I was only able to get a face shot because he was wondering where Nate went. Cute hats though, right?

And this photo pretty much sums up our week in pictures so it's sort of my favorite:

Also, now you know where Nate went. Hi Nate!

The video is at least a little more impressive, so head on over to our YouTube™ channel to check it out. Nate does a full stand, Seth exits with his marine-man crawling moves (and that's him you'll hear in the background making a little noise btw, but he's OK). I definitely had to put the camera down for good once Nate started doing his moves one-handed, but the little trembles for the first few seconds are adorable. Also scary.

Very, very scary.

It's the end times everyone – better lock your doors.

- L.