Potty Training

I thought I'd talk about how I potty trained Richie.. then when people ask for tips I don't have to write a huge "comment"…

Being a momma's boy he follows me everywhere, including the bathroom. I had never put him on the potty or anything but he knows what I'm doing.
When we got back from Kansas after the New Year, he was sick. As soon as he was over the sickness he went in the bathroom with his Bob Bob and said "potty". So I said let's do it! We started potty training that next day. I made a sticker chart, got stickers at Wal Mart (you can get 500+ for $2) and M&Ms. I put him on the potty and we waited. To distract him we played with shapes (after a while that got old and he started throwing them- time to find a new distraction!!). I only let him sit on there for 20 minutes. Then he put undies on. I took him every 30 minutes. It obviously takes a lot of time and patience.
I had to learn from him first- I had to learn how often he needed to go. I learned that if he carries a drink around with him all day, it's harder to train. I made him ask for a drink in order to have it more controlled instead of having a drink every time he saw his cup.
My phone has an elapsed time alarm on it so I set it to go off every 30 minutes. If he was going every 20 minutes, I changed to time on my alarm. Be prepared to do a lot of laundry.
I didn't let Richie pick out his undies because at that point he had no particular interests (18 months). So I just grabbed some. He liked the stickers, and of course loved the M&Ms. I gave him the M&M while he was on the potty whether he went or not and I told him good job sitting on the potty or good job going potty.
After a month, I didn't really feel like we were getting anywhere quickly. I'm also pretty impatient. I felt like we were at a standstill.. every time he sat on it he wouldn't go, but then he would go in his undies. So I started turning on the water in the sink or tub… that always makes me have to go! As soon as he went I would tell praise him. I was trying to make him understand the process. It didn't take long to break him of this, and he was going in the potty.

He still wasn't telling me when he had to go, I just had to get lucky that he was holding it when I set him on the potty. So when he would go potty I would ask him if he went potty, and really tried to teach him what to do to tell me that he had to go. I never made him feel bad for peeing his pants, instead I said "Oh no! You peed your pants. You're supposed to go potty in the toilet remember?" He got to the point where he would say "oh no" when he saw his undies.

It doesn't happen overnight. When I see blogs that say "How to potty train in 3 days" I roll my eyes. Yeah, for the 3 year old that you've tried to potty train FOUR times!! Richie and I have been potty training since January 4th. He doesn't always tell me when he has to go but he's doing really really well! Especially for not even being 2!

I have to say, when I saw a difference was him understanding the difference between a diaper and undies. Another HUGE difference was when I would keep him in his diaper a little while after he woke up. It takes the pressure off and gives him time to tell me when he has to go. Plus he never went right when he woke up anyways because he probably just went in his diaper when he woke up.
I think it's also important to just potty train during "awake" hours. If they're sleeping, let them sleep and wear a diaper. Work on sleeping in undies after the awake potty training has been learned.

GOOD LUCK! Keep your patience!!

This kid….

Richie has been fighting off something for a couple weeks now. We went to the doctor on Wednesday the 12th for what I thought was a double ear-infection. It turned out to be a sinus infection, she put us on the same antibiotics that he's been on before for an ear infection but they didn't quite get the job done this time. On Monday the 17th he kept BMing. I wouldn't call it diarrhea, but he couldn't hold it and he went about 5 times that day. Tuesday he was better, we just stayed home. Wednesday I decided we could go to the gym since it had been 24 hours. Thursday it was the same thing. Saturday he was good until about 6 and he was doing the same thing, it lasted into Sunday (we didn't go to church for this reason) and then around 4:00 he started BMing every 20 minutes, he had a SEVERE diaper rash. We had to hold his legs so that I could wipe his hiney because he was screaming and kicking. I finally just took him to the ER. I didn't know what was wrong with him and he was going to be miserable BMing every 20 minutes and not getting any sleep (or worse: having poop in his diaper all night and making the diaper rash worse). We waited for 2 1/2 hours to be called back, then another 30 minutes to be seen by the doctor, then another 30 minutes to get our orders so we could leave. (Worst hospital I've ever been to) So I tried to get the Rx diaper rash cream filled… no where carries it. It's just a higher dosage of Zinc Oxide than what is found on the shelf (shelf- 11%, Rx- 51%). The tubs of diaper rash cream are 40% so I got that and called it good. He said to just let the diarrhea run its course. Monday I called his doctor for something else for his sinus infection, she called it in and if it's not better in 2 days we have to go in (I requested to not have to go in this time since he has diarrhea). Well today is day 2 and there isn't much improvement, so we'll see by the end of the day. His diaper rash is getting better, and he's BMing every few hours so all in all he's getting better.

Funny Richie time!
When we go upstairs to talk to Popeye and he's on the phone I say "sssshhhhh Popeye's on the phone" and we go back downstairs. Well yesterday at supper, Popeye got his phone out of his pocket to look at it and Bobbie was talking so Richie told her "ssssshhhhhh". It was SO funny!

This morning when he woke up he stood up and looked out the window and was just talking about the choo choo's and the cars and trucks. So mommy got to at least lay in bed and get a little bit of extra rest before wrestling with him all day.

When the puppies (Kallie and WallE) come in from going potty, they get a treat. Sometimes we hand it to them, sometimes we throw it so they can chase it. Well Richie has caught on to that and he's started throwing it for them. He always offers it to Kallie first, then makes WallE work for it. Yesterday he was spinning in circles making WallE chase him, instead of the usual chasing around the house. I caught it on video, maybe I'll be able to figure out how to upload videos…

I think that's all for now. It's all homework and hanging out today!

cute and rotten

I think I have the cutest, most rotten little boy EVER!
On Friday (March 14th) Richie was being ROTTEN! He was just being naughty that day, not listening, telling me "no" all day. He was standing up in the kitchen chair and I told him to sit down, Richie-"no"
Me- "sit down or I'm going to spank your hiney"
him- "no"
So I spanked him and he didn't skip a beat, he got down off the chair after he pouted his lip, came up and spanked me on the hiney! It was SOO funny! I couldn't help but laugh! I won't next time, but this time I was so caught off guard that it couldn't be helped!

Earlier that morning I was sweeping the floor, preparing for company, and he was at the table eating (staying out of my way) and I hit his chair with the broom, on accident. He said "Sorry. Sorry." It was SO sweet :)

This weekend the Turners came down and he loved hanging out with the boys! He was best buds with them. We went to the trampoline park- he wasn't a huge fan of it. He had fun when he was on his hands and knees and I just bent my knees and bounced really fast and when I had him in my arms and we ran the length of the park. He laughed at that. Otherwise he just walked on the solid parts in between the trampolines.

The poor boy is around his Bob Bob and momma so much that when I pull out clothing that's more than just a plain color, he says "cute cute cute". It's so cute cute cute!

He loves animals except when they're live. He loves looking at books of animals and he can identify a cow, sheep, horse, puppy, kitty, elephant…. but when he has the chance to pet them, he gets scared.
We went to the circus last monday and first was the horse ride- he didn't want to get too close. Then the elephant rides- he didn't want to even think about getting close. Then we saw a llama- he was going to pet it but it started moving its head around. He did pet the donkey.
Also at the circus they had motorcycles and just like animals, he loves "cycles". He plays with his motorcycle EVERY single day. EVERY. So anyways at the circus, first there was 1 motorcycle riding the in the cage and he was okay with that. Then there was 2- eh, he's still doing okay. Then when the third one came out, he was grabbing Bobbie because he was scared. I'm sure it was the noise, not the thought that 3 motorcycles in the cage is INSANE.

I love the way he talks- most of the time… blankey= kankey
moo=boo
drink sounds like juice
movie= boobie. Wish I was kidding. Hopefully he doesn't say "movie" when he's at church or at daycare at the gym… that would be awkward!

He loves giving hugs. He gives me hugs when he's eating, when he's playing, when he's sitting on the potty, when he's going to sleep. :)
He likes to trick people also. It started with his daddy on FaceTime. Jeremy called one day during lunch and Richie likes to feed daddy, well he went to feed daddy some veggies and yanked it back real quick and laughed so hard. So then he kept doing it and loved that it was making us laugh. So he does that with food, hugs, kisses and anything he can think of! If it will make us laugh- he will do it :) Like I said… CUTE and ROTTEN!

24 Feb 2014

I don't want to forget the cute things that Richie is doing, so they're just going to be little posts on here.

Today he hit me with his broom and I said "Hey that wasn't very nice!" And in the sweetest little lispy voice he says "Thorry" "Of course it's okay baby" LOL

We were watching Mulan today and he was drinking out of my water bottle, then "spit" in it like daddy does.

After he ate hardly any breakfast, he signed/said "done!" and then said "WaallEE" (to give WallE his plate with his leftover food)

He was eating (French Toast) goldfish and he was walking with some in his hand, of course WallE was at his feet wanting some and he kept saying "no. no. no." Then walked over to Bobbie, acting like he was going to give her some and as soon as she opened her mouth he pulled his hand back and said "no!"

His teacher compliment him every day (at the gym).. "He's so mature for his age." "He's so cute." "If we had more Richie's then things would be great." "I love that he knows sign language"


He has a little cardboard alphabet book that has something to represent that letter. We started reading it when he first started potty training, to get him to sit on the potty and be somewhat distracted. Well we hadn't read it in a long time because he sits on the potty then goes and gets down. We read it tonight and he knew 3/4 of the "things".
A is for? Nana! (banana)
B is for? Nana!
C is for? Carrot
D is for? rawr! (dragon)
E is for? "elephant noise" (elephant)
F is for? Fishy!
G is for? "Gaffe" (giraffe)
H is for? Hen (really surprised that he knew that one)
I is for? (he didn't know that one)
J is for? "J" (jam)
K is for? "boingy boingy boingy" (Kangaroo)
L is for? "pop!" (lollipop)
M is for? "toe" (mosquito)
N is for? (didn't know that one, but did after we read the book a few times)
O is for? at first it was "apple" cause that's what he calls them when he sees them on the counter, then he started saying orange
P is for? didnt know that one
Q is for? didn't know that one
R is for? robot
S is for? *crawls his fingers on my hand* (spider)
T is for? choo choo!
U is for? "lella" (umbrella)
V is for? didn't know that one
W is for? sorta knew that one
X is for? "phone" (xylophone)
Y is for? yo yo!
Z is for? zebra!

I'm so proud of him :)

Going on in his life... he loves broccoli, peas, carrots, corn, cauliflower (sometimes)... all sorts of veggies! :)

He started not sleeping well when he started potty training- waking up in the middle of the night, wanting me. I used to be able to shoosh him back to sleep but that wasn't working. So I'd have to get up every single night and go in there and sleep. So I thought I'd just go to sleep in there and then get him out of the habit of waking up. That didn't work. So now I'm not even laying down in bed with him. We read a few books by night light then turn it off and he goes to sleep. It has been taking less than 10 minutes between "The End" and the snoring! And then I get up and walk out! When he wakes up I go in there, sit in the chair, get him back to sleep and walk out. It's going to be tiring at first but I'm hoping that it works out.

When he "accidentally" hangs up when we're Facetiming Daddy, Jeremy will call back and Richie will say "Thorry" It's just the sweetest thing ever and you can see on Jeremy's face that he just melts. Right now, Richie can do no wrong in Jeremy's eyes :)     That might change after a week or so of being back home ;)

He loves loves loves to be outside. He cries when I make him come inside. Even if it's to walk through the house to go from the back of the house, to the front! :P

When his Bob Bob is around, I'm chopped liver. He loves her so so much! He goes running for her, squealing when she gets home from work :)

He carries his daddy doll around a lot. He sleeps with it. He hugs and kisses it. At first he didn't much care for it, would play with it for a minute. But now he loves it!

I think that'll catch me up to the now. He's such a sweet boy and I am so blessed. He can definitely be a handful at times but I love him with my whole being.

January 2014

We have been living in Texas since late October and we're LOVING it! Richie had a great time trick-or-treating! We pushed him in his car and he had a great time picking out candy. He was the cutest monkey in Texas!
We went to Kansas for Thanksgiving and ended up staying all of December. We got really good bonding time with Rylea. She started cruising furniture shortly after seeing Richie walking all over the place. They love each other. Richie woke up every morning saying "Sissy?" It was cute, they wore each other out! Richie was sleeping until 8:30!

He had a great Christmas! We woke up and had Christmas with Janet, Luke and Rylea. Then headed to Wichita, we were only there a short while before we had to leave but I'd drive all that way just to get a hug from everyone! Then we went to Bucka and Papa's. There was a TON of people there and we had a TON of fun!! It was so good to see everyone! I love our families! We got to see grandma Karen quite a bit too! Richie has a new friend... Uncle Donald! He loved playing with him! The Tickle Mouse was his favorite!! And bouncing on the air mattress!

We came back to Texas on the 3rd. Richie got sick in the car on the way back, and after a hot mess on the Braum's bathroom floor, twice, we finally made it back safe and sound! Richie was very very happy to see his Bob Bob!! He wouldn't leave her side!

Have a happy New Year everyone!!

Goodbye Nebraska

Today we said our goodbyes. I said goodbye to my co-workers also known as my friends. Then Richie said goodbye to his teachers. They took him in when we needed them and have loved him ever since! We all agree that it seems like just yesterday but if definitely wasn't because in the past 5 months they've taught him sign language and put him in a schedule. I don't like the old daycare, at all. At. All. But I'm grateful for my experience because otherwise I wouldn't know what a great daycare Kathy's Kids is! Richie loved his teachers and his friends :)

A week from today we will begin our journey to Texas! We're staying the night in Kansas then getting up and continuing the journey. We're so so excited about this move!! Richie is going to be S-P-O-I-L-E-D by Grandbob and Popeye! I can't wait to be a Texan! It's sad leaving Nebraska because of the friends that we've made but that's what Facebook is for ;)

I'm going to get better about blogging since I won't be working. I'm going to find a lot of activities for Richie and I to do. I'm hoping to teach him a lot of sign language but that means I need to learn too!!

Next week is going to be very busy! Clean.... Pack.... Clean... Clean..... Move!!

Adios Nebraska!

Aaaa!!!!

I'm realizing that I need to be blogging and keeping the memories of Richie! So- Richie is still swaddling. He's only slept one night not swaddled and that was in December. I try every once in a while but he only lasts a few hours before I have to go in there and swaddle him.
He still isn't crawling. He's trying and he's so close but still not doing it! He did pull himself up on Sunday (2/3/13). He's been so fun lately! He is so smiley! He had a couple ear infections that was really rough for momma to get through! He didn't have any trouble until it was bed time. He didn't like laying flat because of the pressure. On January 20th he woke up every thirty minutes.. Needless to say the next day at work was really rough!
Starting today were going to start giving him 3 meals a day. We started weaning this week. I don't want to but it's time. He's getting too attached to his momma and I can't even walk to the other side of the room without him crying for me. So we are weaning. I'll miss it but that just means we will have to have another ;)

11 weeks

Well ever since our little accident Richie has been so active.. talking, sitting up (not on his own), starting to stand (not on his own) and be even more CUTE!! :)
He is such a good boy, I can't get enough of him!!
On Wednesday we went to "Grandma Jayna's" and hung out with Britni and Miss Emma Jay! They are SO cute together!! She was born three weeks after him.

Friday night I was talking to Jeremy and Richie was starting to talk and he really let Jeremy have it one time. It was hilarious. Daddy is ready to get his hands on Richie and watch some football together! :)
That's all we did this week. See ya next week!

10 weeks

Well Our 10th week was pretty exciting. On Monday Richie had a fever that got up to 101.3 at daycare and his pediatrician told me when he was born to take him to the ER for anything over 101, so I did. They didn't get that high of a temp, they got 100.3 which is what I got that morning. They drew blood, got a urine sample, swabbed his throat and did a chest x-ray and nothing came back positive so they said its probably just a virus and told me to keep giving him Tylenol. So he spent the rest of the day sleeping. He wasn't throwing up or anything, just had a fever, thank goodness! He got rid of his fever and was back to normal in a couple days.
Him having it and me cuddling him, made me have it! Mine was a little worse though. I left work early on Friday to go home and rest before I had to tend to Richie, so I slept only for an hour before I woke up sweating and just couldn't get comfortable enough to get back to sleep. So I got a few things done around the house and went and got him. He was really good for me (like always) and he was asleep by 830 so that's when I went to bed too. He woke up in the middle of the night so I fed him and he went back to sleep until 6:15. So I went in to get him and when I was changing his diaper I felt light headed so I sat on the floor. He didn't have a diaper on so I got on my knees to finish putting it on him. I don't remember the next part but I fainted and apparently tried to catch myself by grabbing the changing table (stupid!) and I took it with me (with him on it). I woke up (immediately after falling) to him crying above my head and the changing table on top of me. I don't know why my initial reaction was to feed him but I grabbed the bottle that he didn't quite finish a few hours prior and gave it to him and he stopped crying, so I knew he was okay. I took him into my room and put him on my bed and he was waiving his arms, kicking his legs and smiling so I knew for sure he was okay but I was scared to death still. I tried calling almost everyone I know up here. Okay not quite everyone but at the time it seemed like it. No one was answering. I can't say I blame them.. It was 6:30 on a Saturday morning! Finally someone called me back and she said she would take us to the ER. We went and they asked me if he cried right away and I said yes and that's about all they did for him. They were concerned about me so they hooked me up to an IV and did an EKG, they also swabbed my throat and drew my blood looking for a reason for my fever of 101.9. Nothing came back positive for me either. So I asked why I fainted and he said not enough blood to my brain.
I know happens when you stand up too fast but I've rolled out of bed a lot faster than that before and from a dead sleep (I was awake already when he started crying because I heard him making noise but I was waiting to see if he'd go back to sleep) but I guess with the addition of my fever it wasn't good. 
That has happened to me a couple times before but It was probably 10 years ago. It was really scary this time because I have a baby and I could've hurt him! Luckily we're both okay. 

Richie really started talking that morning at the ER. I just couldn't believe how much he was talking! He's been doing it ever since! :) and, not that I want to, but I can't get him to stop smiling! He got "grounded" from his mobile the other night because he was smiling at it instead of sleeping! Hehe which is my fault because I play it in the morning to wake him up while I'm getting his clothes and diaper ready for the day. So I moved it to the changing table and he's loving it! 

He really likes to sit up. Not that he can do it on his own or anything but he doesn't like to lay down, just wants to sit. I've also been working with him on standing. He's getting the hang of it and loving that also. He's soo sweet, he knows he's doing good and just smiles! 

This weeks started out a little strange, he wouldn't put himself to sleep. He would wake up and cry instead, but if I picked him up he would go right to sleep. I eventually put a blanket under one side and under his head so he wasn't just laying flat and that did the trick.

That's about all I've got for this week!

9 weeks

This is silly but I can't believe he's only 9 weeks old. 9 seems like a small number, and it seems like he's been melting my heart for a lot longer than that!
He's such a good boy! I couldn't ask for anything more! There aren't any significant milestones for this week. Just a happy happy boy!

He's getting SO big! He's just as adorable as can be! On the 19th he had his 2 month appointment. He weighed 12 pounds, 6 ounces (67 percentile) he was 22 3/4 inches long (45%) and his head was 15 3/4 inches (64%)! Above average. He's getting more and more rolls every day!
He had to get shots after his appointment. He did pretty well with them, luckily she was quick. He cried a cry I'd never heard before but he stopped when I was able to pick him up (which melted my heart!).
He wore a daddy shirt on Jeremy's birthday

He sleeps almost all day at daycare. I drop him off around 7:15 each day and pick him up at 5. He is awake about 3 hours the whole day. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about, but I do joke about him being narcoleptic. He rarely spits up, only when he gets laid down after eating. And he is a good burper, when he wants to. Sometimes he doesn't burp right away but if you walk and carry him on your shoulder he'll let out a really good burp. He gets the hiccups every few days, which has significantly decreased from every day!

The chair in my bedroom that I nurse him in is right beside the tall dresser that has the TV on it, and when he's nursing he watches the TV. Sometimes he forgets why he's there and I have to put my hand between his eyes and the TV :)

Everything he does is SO CUTE! I just love him!