That Was Easy

With almost a week of potty training under our belts, I think I can safely say that Collette is potty trained. OMG!

Collette, reading her "princesesa" book (People magazine with Kate Middleton on the cover)

I wish I could share with you all the secrets to successful, stress-free potty training. Alas, I have no secrets. I think we just got lucky on this one. After the few accidents she had on Day 1, it clicked. She asks to go when she needs to, with plenty of time to get to the potty, get pants off and get her on the pot. False alarms are far fewer now (although we still have lots). And she is waking up dry from nap and overnight. I know. It's not even fair.

Poop, though - that's another story.

My first day alone with all three post-potty-training was Friday. I got the kids up, Collette went pee in the potty, and then went to the potty again but didn't do anything. So, I figured it was safe for me to sneak downstairs and make a coffee. And naturally, Collette decided that would be the perfect time to poop. In her underwear. I heard her crying/screaming and I knew she'd had an accident. Her pants were FULL of poop and some had even escaped down her pant leg and on to the floor. She was in hysterics. I was just glad the baby hadn't eaten any of the poop. Does that make me a cup half full kind of person, or what? :)

So, number 2 is still an issue. She has only gone twice since we started on Monday - once in her nap time diaper on Wednesday and the aforementioned incident. I have heard from so many moms that this is pretty standard so I'm not going to worry about too much for now. I'll keep you all posted though - I'm sure you'll be dying for Collette's BM updates.

All in all, I have nothing to complain about. This was way easier than I thought it would be. Does this mean it will be hell training Sebastian??? Please don't say yes.

Collette and the Potty: Day 1

After much thought and sufficient planning, we started potty training Collette today. Billy is on vacation this week which means that we can really devote a lot of energy to her and the process. Today was the first day and it went remarkably well considering the fact she has been refusing to go on the potty at all leading up to today.

We have been psyching her up for today for about a week. She seemed excited to start using the potty and to wear her Kai Lan underwear. We told her that she would be a big girl. That she would get chocolate. And prizes! I forgot about those last two so they didn't happen. Nit that it mattered. Once we got going, she was all in, candy or not.

She had her first accident this morning, right after breakfast. Billy and I were distracted by the other two and she peed while playing at the train table. It scared her so much that she went running to Billy and slipped in the mess. Poor thing. She spent the next hour crying, sitting on the potty without producing, crying more, another accident, more crying. Then she finally had a successful trip to the potty and she was so happy. I know because she actually said, "my so happy!". She didn't have another accident until lunch. Food can be distracting that way. She wore a diaper for nap (which I need to elaborate on but I'll wait until tomorrow for that), and did many a trip throughout the afternoon. She was accident-free for the rest of the day! Not too shabby!

Some things that worked for us:
- drinking water on the potty
- putting her fingers in warm water while on the potty
- letting her tell us when she had to go (as opposed to us bringing her - fit with her personality/mood better)
- rolling up the rug in the living room

Fingers crossed that Day 2 is even better...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

9 Months Old and Making Mischief

Oh yes, its that time. The time when the baby becomes a force to be reckoned with. And Matteo is hitting it right on track.

Truthfully, 9 months is one of my favorite ages. The crawling means he can get into everything but he is so happy to explore on his own. And I am starting to get glimpses of the kind of person he's going to become now that he has this independence. He's curious, determined, affectionate, engaging and fun-loving. It's so nice getting to know him. Even while he is eating sidewalk chalk, shoes and paper.

He is learning to pull up, which means I have to kick the baby-proofing into high gear. Or any gear. My house is currently not baby-proofed at all We had to move his crib down from the highest setting to one of the lowest - another milestone!

Also, much to my satisfaction, he has learned how to take a sippy cup. We let him try the straw cups that Sebastian and Collette use and he was able to figure it out pretty quickly. Now, whenever he sees them with their milk, he tries to steal it away. I'm sure this will be a recurring theme throughout his childhood, for better or worse. For now, I'm just glad that I can have someone else feed him. Plans are in the works for an adult-only weekend away to celebrate my big 3-0. More on that later. :)

As far as his schedule, things are still pretty much the same. Two naps, goes to bed around 6:30 and gets up around 6/6:30 in the morning. It can be hard to get him up from his first nap in time for the twins' classes but so far we have managed to fit it all in and not disturb Matteo much.

All in all, 9 months is looking great! He is still my happy little boy.

I think he is going to have Collette's hair. I was looking at pics of Colie from this age and her was only just starting to curl. As you can see in the chair picture, he is rocking the faux hawk - that's au natural, folks. He's going to need a haircut soon. Oy. My baby is growing up!!

Sebby-isms

It would seem that all toddlers have those weird, quirky things they say that make us laugh but also question the lead content of the paint on the walls. Sebastian's latest obsession has him saying something that I find kind of funny and hopefully not indicative of some mental malfunction.

His obsession is with my Auntie Kim's car. Now, he has always been into cars - it was his first real word, after all. But his love of my sister's VW is really something else. It's a white Jetta (I think it's a Jetta...) - cute but nothing special, save for the fact that it brings Auntie Kim over to visit. A month or so ago, Sebastian would spot another white sedan and proclaim "Auntie Pim's Car!!" (Note that he cannot say Kim and instead says Pim. We're working on it.) In the past few weeks, he has stepped things up. Now, anything he sees that is white, even the tooth of the whale in a picture in a book is "Auntie Pim's Car." Milk coming up the straw of his sippy cup is "Auntie Pim's Car." Socks. White blocks. The mane on the unicorn rocking horse in their room. All "Auntie Pim's Car."

But that's not even where the obsession ends. Now, he can recognize the VW emblem. So whenever he spots a VW - no matter the color or model - it's also "Auntie Pim's Car." This part of the obsession has translated into finding Infinities ("Leah's Car") and Toyotas ("Auntie Stacey's Car"). The funny thing about the Toyota is that we have a Toyota. I guess he never notices our car's make.

So, what silly things are your kids saying? I know I'm not alone here! :)

Makes My Monday: Busy Matteo

Last week, Matteo had some very big breakthroughs. He is officially crawling forward, and with purpose. He mostly crawls around to put things in his mouth that he shouldn't, like pieces of paper, shoes and chalk. Clearly, I need to do a better job of tidying up.

He has been babbling for awhile now but it wasn't until last week that he started saying "mama." I have no illusions that of what his meaning is - I know its just babble. But still. Pretty awesome :)

And just over the weekend, he learned to clap! I started playing Pat-a-Cake with him and he loved it, started clapping after I showed him and that was that. He's a clever one!!

And for your viewing pleasure, a crawling video taken on my sh*tty phone.

Pee Times Three

As nice as it is when your sisters call you up out of the blue to take your kids (well, 2 out of 3) out to dinner without you, it's not so nice when said trip results in three sets of sheets soaked in pee.

What does one have to do with the other, you ask? Well, FavAuntie dropped off her puppy while she would be out at dinner, so as not to leave puppy in her apartment all alone. Sure - no problem. Unfortunately, when the puppy discovered a clean bedspread and sheets (mine...), she decided to mark her territory. Not cool.

As for the other two incidents, it seems that the twins were both drinking more than their fair share of something while out to eat with their Aunties (and Uncle, who met up with them). I awoke this morning to two toddlers in wet jammies and wet sheets. Thank goodness their mattress are waterproof.

And now I get to do even more laundry! What a day :)

(But seriously, it was really great to have the kids out without us - they had lots of fun with their Aunties and Uncle, so THANK YOU despite the pee)

Bonjour, Mon Ami!

Yes, the Flat Twins have jet-setted their way to the City of Light: Paris!



Lucky for the Flat Twins, they got to see all of the city, including the Louvre (I'm so jealous!) and many a cathedral. Unlucky for us, Billy lost his phone and all the Flat Twins pics. The ones above he had already sent me, thankfully, but the rest are stuck in his iPhone, keeping some Parisien company. Ah, well. C'est la vie!

8 Months old for Matteo

Matteo's eighth month was somewhat uneventful, as he seems to be working on a lot of the same things he was last month. Here is a quick snap shot of my Tater Tot over the past month:

• Crawling backwards very well, not so much forward. In the past week or so, he has perfected his downward dog.
• Eating more table food. In the past month, he has tried crab cakes, quiche (also with crab...), puffs, apple bread, croissant, french toast, mango (pieces and in the mesh feeder), different kids of beans, shredded cheese, squash (pieces and in the mesh feeder), potatoes, and rice.
• Gets mad when I walk by him and don't pick him up. Actually, distraught might be a better way to describe the emotion. And the face he gives me is just heartbreaking...
• New love affair with the tupperware cabinet. I am fine having the tupperware all over the floor if it means peace, quiet and both of my arms free while I'm cooking.
• Still won't take a sippy cup or bottle. Grrr.
• Has been waking up on his belly lately, or at least he's on his belly by the time I get in there.
• Loves to chew on paper and shoes. Must have picked that up from the dogs.
• Sleeping better overall. His naps are much more consistent, I would say. Down from 8/830 - 930/10 for the AM nap and from 1230/1 - 230/3 for the afternoon nap. Bedtime is still between 6 and 630.
• Still very ticklish :)
• Eyes haven't turned brown yet...maybe they won't?

Here is my handsome guy, all smiley for his 8-month chair picture:

Makes My Monday: Super Daddy and Super Auntie!

This weekend, my Mother of Twins Club had their Spring tag sale and I was a seller for the second time. I didn't have too much but was eager to rid of some baby items as well as a plethora of plastic toys that my parents dump on me with each of their weekly visits. The sale is quite the undertaking and sellers have to set up Friday night and work from 6am Saturday morning until about 3pm that afternoon. In my absence, Daddy and Auntie Kim stepped in to look after the kiddos - Kim in charge of Matteo and Daddy with Sebastian and Collette.

Daddy took the kids to the mall and reported back that they behaved PERFECTLY! He braved the Rain Forest Cafe where they politely ate their whole lunch and, as a special surprise for me, got their picture taken with the Easter Bunny! Apparently, they loved him and each gave him a hug before saying good-bye. Figures, right? But I'm glad they are good for him because then he'll take them out solo more often.

Auntie Kim was stuck with Matteo. I say "stuck with" because, contrary to what I thought, he is just not that into his new sippy cup. I was able to nurse him right before I left in the morning but he still nurses every two hours so he had a hard time going down for his nap without me. When he woke up, Kim brought him down to the sale (thank goodness it's just down the street from my house!) and I filled up his little tank. Then she decided to show him off and met up with a friend of hers at a cafe in Davis Square. With a full belly, he behaved like the little angel he is.

Meanwhile, I had a great time at the sale. Saw all my big stuff go off to new homes and hopefully a lot of my little stuff sold, too. I donated everything that didn't sell because Billy would've divorced me if I came back with anything. I also picked up some new things for the kids - summer clothes, rain coats, a T-ball set, sand and water table, toy lawn motor (to match the one they already have and CONSTANTLY fight over), a few books and a toy car ramp. All in all, I know I made out on the plus side by quite a lot. Definitely a success all around.

Also, to propel myself back to regular postings, I am going to commit, here and now, to an overdue post for Matteo (he's 8 months old now!!!) and a Flat Twins post - all this week. Some of you know where the Flat Twins are but for those of you who don't, stay tuned! I have some very cute pics coming :)

Take that Mother Nature!

So guess what? I'm a gardener now!

Ya, since we're not having any more human babies, I decided to start raising some plant babies. We had a minor setback with an April Fool's Day snow storm but everything melted by Saturday afternoon and on Sunday, we were planting.

The plants you see are leeks, shallots and strawberries (in the block holes)

Here's what we've got in there as of now: arugula, spinach, bunching onions, shallots, leeks, strawberries and snap peas. I'm a tad worried about the strawberries but they had them outside at the garden center so we'll see...

As the weather warms up, we'll be adding carrots, cilantro, basil, tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes. I have a very nerd-rrific excel spreadsheet going for "succession" planting (do I sound like a real gardener or what??) and will hopefully have a continuous harvest through fall! Its just ten squares (we're doing the square foot gardening thing which, until I started researching gardening, I didn't know was a thing - I thought that's how everyone planted in their backyard...) plus the strawberries so that should keep things manageable.

As for the kiddos, we got them a small planter and filled it with some soil. Collette especially was so enthralled with the raised bed, even before she saw us planting in it, that we knew they would need something of their own to keep them from inadvertently killing all the veggies. So far, they like their "garden" but still try and help me in the big one. But soon enough, there will be weeding to do and those little fingers will be perfect for the job!