Sunday, October 24, 2010

Crazy Week

This week was crazy only because we started potty training. I can't say that it went badly but I can't say it went superbly either. We went cold turkey and put him in big boy underwear during the day. I am happy to say I've only used a few diapers this week (at nap and bedtime), and most of those stayed dry. Just when I think he's completely got the pee part of it down, however, he has an accident. Plus, I'm not sure how well he's realistically doing since we make him go on the potty every 30-45 minutes. If we are good about remembering to tell him to go, he usually stays dry. The #2 situation is unfortunately not so good. He's gone by himself on the potty really only 1 time all week. The other times have been initiated in his underwear. Skittles aren't working as well as we'd hoped. (See last post for more riveting details on this topic.)
Aside from all things potty, the week was pretty normal. The temperature has dropped significantly and winter hats and gloves made their first appearance of the season. Genevieve continues to push her mobility to new limits. It's not unusual for me to have to "find" her after being out of the room for a few minutes. She likes to scoot under coffee tables, into corners, etc. She'd like nothing better than to be able to catch Gwynnie and it's very cute to see her enthusiasm as she tries.
Below is Genevieve trying to get Sebastien's sippy cup. Note our new "rug" consists of old blankets which, as anticipated, have both been victimized by this week's potty training.
Below: Entering the kitchen to see what she can get into. Here she's pulled down the high chair tray from it's resting spot on the chair rungs. Also note the blanket on top of her. Sebastien is constantly throwing one of his blankets (or his "boo" as he calls them) on her. I'm not sure why he does it, but I think it's affectionate.

Below: These are the kids in our Thursday playgroup. There's 3 "big" kids and their 3 baby sisters.

Below: Genevieve watches Dan & Sebastien playing outside

Below: Kim took Genevieve to a bridal shower on Saturday and this is the cute little outfit she wore. Genevieve had a great time at the shower amusing herself with gift bags and ribbon.

Lessons Learned after a week of potty training

WARNING: This may be too graphic for those who haven't yet had to potty-train a toddler. :)

(I'm writing this to remind me of some things for the next time around.)

■Cleaning up poop on the floor is semi-amusing when you also have to clean poopy footprints leading away from it.
■ Stickers are our new best friend.
■There's nothing wrong with bribes.
■Parenting humbles you to lower levels when you "go" in front of your child so you can show them how. It is, however, pretty cute when the toddler then goes and gets you a sticker.
■Rolling up and hiding my nice rug was the best decision yet.
■Using hand-me-down underwear instead of buying new was the 2nd best decision yet.
■Randomly finding my child's poop on my clothes is now just a daily annoyance.
■At the end of the day, no matter how many accidents we had, at least I didn't use any diapers....saving me about the cost of a coffee at Dunkin Donuts...sigh.
■Potty training around Halloween time may not be ideal since every time I remind him that pooping on the potty means he gets candy, he just smiles and says "trick or treat!"

Sebastien models his new (but previously owned) big-boy underwear.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

VIDEO: Accomplishments

In this video, Genevieve shows off her newfound clapping skills and Sebastien says some of his letters for us.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Play, play, play

Below Sebastien shows Elmo how to color.
We wanted to go to Windham's Halloween Fest at the park on Saturday but Sebastien's nap prevented us. Instead we went to a different park after he woke up. Here's Dan and Sebastien peeking out of a tower.
Below: Mommy & Genevieve trying to stay warm in the windy weather

On Sunday we went to the Hudson Pumpkin Fest with the O'Donnell family. Below is Sebastien and Landon (1 yr) in the motorized cars on a track.
Below: I think their favortie part was running around in this tent...and we didn't even need any tickets for it!
Below: Genevieve watching the boys run around
Below: Sebastien and Luke check out a talking, moving firetruck that has befriended them.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Fall is Here

We haven't been up to much lately so I'll just share a few photos.
As you can see below Genevieve is now big enough for baby swings and she really likes them. This is the swing in our backyard.
Friday mornings we go to a playgroup in the next town over. It's held in a gym and I wish it could be every day! The kids really enjoy it and I get to talk to mommy friends.
Sebastien never strays too far away from his baby sister though. He definitely thinks of himself as her protector.
Below: After playgroup we all had lunch at Nicki's house. All 4 of the boys had lunch and also had a screaming contest at the table. They weren't upset, but just wanted to see who could scream the loudest. Boys!
Landon and George (seen below) are Genevieven's potential future boyfriends.
Genevieve's Halloween costume - a lobster!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Christmas Guinea Pigs!

Some friends of ours are starting their own photography business and they needed some "models" for their upcoming Christmas advertising. So last Wednesday night we got all dolled up in whatever Christmas colors we could find and went and had some family pictures taken. Sebastien is apparently NOT an evening model. He barely smiled, so that was frustrating. The last time we took pictures in the mall, he was such a ham. Oh well! The pictures still turned out well. If you want to see them (or buy any), just send me an email and I'll reply back with the link and password. We're currently trying to decide which to pick for our Christmas cards so feedback is welcome!!

Monday, October 4, 2010

The Deerfield (4-H) Fair

On Sunday we went to the Deerfield Fair - a large 4-H type fair in Deerfield, NH. Dan and I weren't sure if Sebastien would really like it and he, in fact, LOVED it. As soon as we walked in the gates, he was pointing at things (food vendors, RVs, balloons, etc) and laughing. We went through the oxen, cow and horse barns multiple times because Sebastien kept asking for "more moo!" He also loved climbing on all of the tractors on display. Here are some pictures from our fun day:

Below: Dan & Sebastien in the horse barn
Below: oxen barn
Below: A little girl and her brother stopped us to ask if Sebastien wanted to pet the baby oxen. He got close but didn't touch this one. He did touch a baby cow later on though.
Below: Sebastien running around the petting zoo area with some goats.
Below: Checking out the alpacas
Below: tractors!
Below: Genevieve was also a fan of the fair.
Below: Sebastien has some snacks after eating his first corndog.
Later that day we enjoyed the cool fall (but sunny) weather and played in the backyard. Here's Genevieve playing on the deck.