In Touch with His Sensitive Side - A Howell Family Slide Show

When Parker was 9 months old our wonderfully talented photographer and friend, Caroline, put together a slide show of our photo shoot. She chose the song not knowing that it has always been one of my all-time favorites by Brett Dennen. Love love love the song and it makes the slide show even that more emotional for me to watch. When she first gave me the slide show I watched it over and over and over again while tears would stream down my face at how proud I was/am of my little family. I haven't watched the video in a while, so last night I pulled it out to show Parker. We were cuddling on the couch together, and his little head was rested against my chest watching it on the I-pad. I wasn't crying, but instead smiling this time around. Then, about 1/2 way through I heard Parker sniffling. I look down and my shirt was soaked in his tears. He was crying and then asked me to stop the video. So, I stopped it, but trying to ask a 2.5 year old why he was so upset is just plain impossible. I don't even think he knew why he was crying. It seemed to have made him sad for some reason. I don't think they were tears of joy (like mine were when I first watched it), but rather tears of sadness. I still have no idea why. Maybe it was the song? It is an emotional song. He does know what the word "love" means. Who knows. It worried me a bit, so of course I googled it. I google everything. Google usually always has an answer for me. I typed in "why is my toddler crying while watching our family slide show?" Google failed me this time though. It didn't have answer for me. Ha! So, I guess I'll wait until he's a little older to show him this video again and maybe then he can tell me why it makes him so sad. Me on the other hand, it makes ME SO extremely happy and grateful to have this documented to a beautiful song. This song is exactly how I feel about my precious little family. So, to you Caroline, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating this for me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oWDFOe2JiU

We Got A Poopy Problem

Potty Training. Nobody told me it would be this hard.  Looking back on it all, if I knew what I know now, I would have waited until Parker was 3 to start.  I would have saved a lot of gray hairs if I did. Oh well, live and learn for baby #2.

So, here is our potty training story. Why we started and where we are now.  We definitely have a poopy problem.
 
It has taken over our life for the last 2 months.  We started on July 29^th 2013.  I remember the date because it was the Monday before I went back to work.  We did try it for a day back in June, but quit because I was so frustrated and I just didn’t think Parker or myself was ready for how time consuming it was.  Fast forward to July and the director at Parker’s school told me that she wanted to move Parker to the “3’s” room early, and he would start on the first day of school (Aug. 7^th).  The catch was that he had to be potty trained.  The director told me to start immediately so he would be ready to be transitioned in a week.  So that is what I did.  Come to find out, Parker was never moved to the 3’s room.  I still don’t know why.  However, I didn’t speak up because I liked his current teacher and was pretty nervous on how he would handle a new room and teacher.  In addition, he wasn’t fully potty trained yet. So I really wasn’t in any rush to move him to the 3’s.   

About a month and a half into potty training Parker finally stopped having pee pee accidents.  THANK THE LORD.  That was the longest month + in my life.  It was so frustrating, but I had given so much of my time and effort I couldn’t quit on my boy.  Now only if pooping was that easy.  To my surprise though, he finally started pooping in the potty Tuesday of last week at school (Sept 17^th 2013).  Yay!!!!! He has gone every day at school since.  He pooped in his pants on Sunday at home, which discouraged me, but he does it in the potty at school.  Last week, we would go and pick out a new toy after school each day if he went poopy in the potty (this is only going to last until it’s a habit for him).  This got exhausting, so I went out to the Dollar Store and picked out about 6 small toys he could choose from at home.  So yesterday, when I picked him up the first thing he said to me was…. “I poopy in the potty!!! Toy? Party City??? Dollar Store???”   Haha, gotta love him.  I told him that I already went to the store and he could pick out a toy when we got home.  When we arrived home I laid out all the toys he could choose from.  BIG MISTAKE.  He studied each toy and decided on the maracas.  Great, Right?!  So, I put the other toys away for the following days.  He happily played with his new maracas for about 5 minutes.  THEN he wanted another toy.  LIKE HAD TO HAVE ANOTHER TOY RIGHT THEN.  He went into total freak out mode when I told him no and that he had to wait until tomorrow when he poops again.  HE KEPT FREAKING OUT and said “I POOPY NOW!!!”  Then sat on the potty and tried his hardest to squeeze out a turd while tears were streaming down his his little face because he wanted to poop so bad for a toy.  It was so sad and a little pathetic.  I’m thinking to myself…. “What have I created? What have I done???”  Parenting mistake #102 (letting your child know that multiple toys are hidden in the cabinet).  At this point I’m worried about him getting a hemorrhoid with all his pushing and crying he was doing.  So, I gave in.  “Fine, you may pick one more toy”.  And that my friends, was parenting mistake #103 (giving in after you already said no).  Ugh.  So not looking forward to what is going to transpire after school today. 

On the positive side, at least he’s pooping in the potty. :)

He does look so stinkin cute in undies though. I pinch that butt all day long!

Working for the Weekends

Weekends.  I devourer them.  Being a working mom, Saturday and Sundays are my days to be with my son.  We don't ask for babysitters much (aka grandparents) because the weekends are OUR TIME. Matt, and Parker, and Me. We just choose not to ask for babysitting because we don't want to share our time with Parker.  We are selfish.  And I'm okay with that.  We just want to be with our boy as much as possible since we don't see him for more than 3 hours a night on weekdays.  I mean lets face it.... his teachers spend more time with him then we do.  That is so sad to me.  BUT that is the way it goes when you have to work.  SO, with that being said, it is super important to me to spend the most quality time with him as possible on those 2 itty bitty days.  They say it is quality over quantity that's most important, right?

My most favorite weekends we have are ones that include play dates.  Parker gets to play with friends, and so do Matt & I.  It's a win-win.  I love play dates the most though because they make Parker so happy.  My kid LOVES other kids.  Like obsessed.  He loves playing and giggling and just being around his friends.  That's what is most enjoyable about play dates.... seeing him so happy makes me happy.

Last weekend was a weekend of complete play dates.  We babysat Joey on Friday night, had a busy day of cleaning and running errand on Saturday, went to the Kingman's on Sunday morning, and finished our weekend off at the Wilson's.  It was a blast.  Unfortunately I didn't take many pics of the play dates, but here are few random ones from the past couple weeks.

His absolute FAVORITE activity to do!

Serious stuff going on here.

First haircut that he didn't throw a COMPLETE fit.

Sometimes we go visit papa & grandma when Daddy golfs.  Parker enjoys cleaning up Papa :)

Last Friday we met Poppie for dinner.  Of course Poppie insisted that we all head to Target after dinner for a new toy.

And one BIG Castle later..... Parker is a spoiled little boy for sure!

The video above is Parker practicing his ABC's.  He still skips a few, but he should have it down soon. 

Baby Sister... Or Brother... Or Both?

No. I am NOT pregnant. However, a certain little boy sure does wish I was right now. The Kingman's welcomed baby Carter on 9/9/13 last week. We went over meet him on Sunday and Parker just thought it was the coolest thing. He would get real close and study him and giggle. He wanted to tickle his belly. Then lifted up my shirt and tell me to grow a baby. It was so cute.

The video's below are a part 1 and part 2 conversation with Parker Sunday night.  I just can't stand how cute he is these days!!!!  The things that come out of his mouth crack us up!