Polo Shirt

When we were in Orlando over the weekend, we went to the outlet mall.  Grandma bought Nico a polo shirt because we decided that he would be adorable in it.

I think we can all agree that he is adorb.

On another front, I think we may have turned the corner in the bathroom situation.  Nico has been extraordinarily good about the whole going #2 on the potty.  For serious.  Like sometimes he will just take himself in there and get it done.

I think that the conversation I had with him regarding his desire for a sibling might have something to do with this.  I He has mentioned a couple of times that he wants a little brother or sister, so I told him that before we can talk about that, he needs to get the potty training under control, because we cant be having a baby in diapers and having to deal with that whole situation.  He still wears diapers at nap and bed time, but I think that won't last for too long.  He seems to be thinking that he is going to get a firefighter truck bed when we move to Chicago- which he says that he is going to sleep in, and put him self to sleep in.  #toogoodtobetrue?

When we came home from school on Monday, Nico and I did some exercising.  A friend had given me an older ellipitical, so I did that for a while and then Nico did it while I lifted weights.  He did calves with me.  He is pretty excited about how big our muscles are going to be.

That is where we are at.  Still trying to find a house that we can live in in the Chicago area.  But, it seems to NOT be a renter's market.  At least not for people with two large dogs who want a yard with a fence.  

Soccer and Chores

Not much going on around here.  Nico is hot and cold with the potty training.  Still wearing a diaper at night- still sometimes has accidents.  Including this weekend at practice, when he peed in my car seat.  Awesome.

Here he is telling me about a book he is reading:


We had a pretty low-key weekend.  Just soccer and chores.  Boooo!  One of Nico's favorite things is Busy Town, which is a series of books and videos by Richard Scary.  His memory is awesome.  He also has a really good ability to describe what is going on in a picture.  He pretty much knows ABCs, although sometimes he gets V and Y mixed up.  He pretty much knows his numbers, but sometimes get them mixed up too.  He knows how to spell "STOP", "ON", "OFF" and "GO".  He also knows my phone number.  Which is pretty cool.

All for now.

Chuck Taylors and Underpants!

What you say?  Is Nico running around the house in a pair of chuck taylors and underpants?  Yes.  Yes, he is.

So yesterday was kind of a beatdown with the potty training.  He didnt go on the potty at all at school and had two accidents... which I guess is good because it means that he is holding it.  During naptime (they put a diaper on him) he peed a gallon.  We got a new potty seat at Toys R Us yesterday and he sat on it and peed a gallon.  Again.  So really, he's just holding it.  His teachers say we'll give him two weeks with this to see if he "gets it" that its much better to just go than hold it all day.  Hopefully at the end of two weeks, he will be okay with the potty training.

And the really awesome news:  we are going to move to another daycare/preschool.  Since Nico is about to age out of FSU and because the Preschool there is like the infant and toddler center, we have decided to start looking for other options for daycare.  We found this place that is research based and everyone we know loves.  Its expensive and sort of out of the way.  But we did a tour there today.  And we love it.  Its run by this old hippie woman- who is all about taking things back a bit.  Not classrooms, they stay in groups and can go from playing outside, to the water deck, to making food, to reading, to blocks, to all kinds of awesome.  They also have a garden, a hamster, some fish and some birds.  Its pretty great.  We'll apply this week and see if he gets in before we give the word at FSU.  Its kinda sad  because we really adore Jenn, Sue, Dana and all Nico's teachers.  But this place is pretty awesome.  Hopefully when we go there with Nico to check it out, I can grab some photos.  Its off the hook!!

Getting on with it...

So.  Its time.  We are going cold turkey with the diapers.  Finally.  Turns out that SOMEBODY is really stubborn..  And his name rhymes with Rico.  I was talking to Sue at a birthday party last week and she said that another kid in Nico's class, his parents just decided to do it.  Made the break with the underwear and that was that.  The kid was not too much a fan- and for two weeks the kid acted like his underwear was a diaper.  And he still has accidents.  But for the most part, the kid is pretty much potty trained.

So Saturday afternoon, we just decided to do it.  Put Nico in underwear and just get on with it.  No big to-do.  No symbolic throwing the diapers away.  No big conversations about how he is a big boy.  He woke up from nap and I put him in a pair of underwear.  He fought me.  Don't get me wrong, he did not want to wear under wear.  We stayed on top of him and even with me asking him every five minutes he still managed to pee in his underwear (which says to me something about his maturity and emotional development).  So we weren't really successful during the day- meaning he didnt go on potty at all, we didnt think that him wearing underwear to bed would accomplish anything other than him waking up with pee all over him.  Oh, and he has been sleeping in our bed. And I wasnt trying to wake up with pee on me.  Please stop judging.  I know you are.  Zip it!

So we put him in a diaper at night and let him sleep in it.  Then Sunday started over again... with no success. Guess who doesnt like EVEN SITTING on the toilet.  We bribe him to sit there with jelly beans.  And when he goes pee on the potty, he gets a Rescue Bot (a transformer fireman).  Today, I went for a run and when I came back, I grabbed Nico (who was awake) and ran him outside to see the recycling truck come by.  Nico was in his underwear.  It was great.  Even better is that Dave told me that he woke Nico up and sat him on the toilet and he peed!!  WHOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO! Can you believe it?  What a great day!!  Going to be a big boy peeing on the potty!!

EPIC FAIL

So, I owe you a blog post explaining about the EPIC fail that was potty training.

Nicole sent me an e-book that she used to teach potty training to Max and Emme.  The book swore that any child could be potty trained at the age of 22 months.  Well, Nico is older than 22 months.  So I figured I had this in the bag.

No.  That would be a no.

I knew 10 minutes after we put underwear on Nico that this wasn't going to go well... Fifteen minutes into potty training  and we were on the third pair of underwear. 

"What were you doing wrong, Jessi?"  Answer: I have NO FREAKING CLUE.

One of the main components of this method of potty training is that you tell them, "Nico, remember to tell me when you have to go potty, okay?"  "Nico, remember when you have to go potty, you gotta tell me, so we can go and you can get a toy car."  He peed twice while I was sitting right next to him.  I grabbed him and ran him into the bathroom so that he could finish on the potty... but he didn't want to.  And I dont want him to end up with any weird bathroom complexes, so I didnt want to force the issue.

So, I pressed on.  But the straw that ended it all was after nap.  He woke up from nap having peed, which is was expected.  I took him into the bathroom to get him cleaned up.  I asked him if he had to go potty and he said no.  I suggested, he, let's try sitting on the potty anyways, just in case.  He was adamant that he didn't have to.  This seemed reasonable given that he just peed during nap.  So he's cleaned up and we are hanging out in the bathroom.  I am sitting on the edge of the tub and I am telling Nico that when he goes pee on the potty, he will get a car.  Blah, blah, blah.  Guess who pees?  REALLY?  SERIOUSLY?

These events put together impressed on me that Nico is not ready to potty train.  Little man needs to grow up a little and stop fighting me on everything before we try this again.

What is really funny about the whole thing is that he "gets it".  He knows that he will get a matchbox garbage truck when he goes.  He even offered Dave a car for going on the toilet.  He's just a little stubborn right now.  Hopefully we'll get him potty trained before he goes to highschool.

Potty Training

So- Dave and I talked about it this weekend- and we are thinking that it might be time to potty train Nico. He hates getting his diaper changed. He says he wants to get stickers for going on the potty. I think its time. But I am not trying to be stopping every 10 minutes on the way to Miami for Christmas. So I think we are going to do it the week we get back. The FSU COM is closed- so I will be home with him. Seems like a good time. Yikes.

Other than that- I mostly have Christmas shopping done. Just gotta tie up a few loose ends. Am hoping Santa is real good to me this year and I get an ipad. I just want one. I just do. I cant help it.

We played last night. We won. Really easily. All the original varsity members have scored a goal this year (except for Chelsea Thompson- who broke her arm before season started). We have a game tonight and Saturday. Then a game next week- then Christmas. Just trying to get through.

All for now.