At least someone gets use out of the Wii fit

This is Vincent 4 months ago @11 months old. You have to watch it! It’s cute darnit.

So, I’m sure most of us have heard that potty training boys is harder than it is girls. Well I’ve decided to challenge that old wives tale (or is it?).  Why should it be harder or take longer? And why should it take up until 3 yrs of age to do it?  About 2 months ago (at 12 months) when changing my sons diapers I started to say “pee pee diaper. We throw it in the garbage.” and he would follow me and watch. When he had a poopy I would show him that it goes in the diaper pail.  Not long after that he caught on and he decided he would throw away his own diapers.  Of course I applauded him, called him a big boy and made a big deal out of it because I wanted to encourage his behavior.

Soo… here we are at 14 months and he loves to flush the toilet, he can say pee pee and he will now call out “pee pee, pee pee” when I change his diaper.  He also knows that pee pee goes in the toilet. I always announce to him when I have to go pee pee and I say “Now we flush it all gone.” and he flushes it for me.  Usually two or three times since it’s so much fun.  Just last week or so I decided I would start putting him on the big toilet (haven’t bought a potty yet) and see what he thought of it. Well he finds it extremely amusing but usually only for about 1 minute and then he wants down. That’s ok though because just these past few days he has been trying to remove his own diaper and looking down at his ‘peepee’ right before he has an accident on the floor.  In my head I figure that he is now associating his ‘peepee’ with going pee.

When he’s on the toilet I have told him to go “ugh” sort of like a grunt and then I push on his belly and I say “go pee pee”.  Well it seems like that is working because he acts like he understands. However, no pee pee has made it in the toilet yet.  But heck I’ve only just started introducing him to it and not actually trying to train him yet. I figured this would make it easier for him.  Just tonight he tried pulling off his diaper and then he ran in the bathroom and say ‘that” and I go “what do you want? Do you have to go pee pee?” and he said “yep yep” and he tried to climb up onto the toilet.  No pee pee but hey it’s a start!

I have also noticed that he has started to hide when he is pooping. I don’t think he’s ashamed or anything but more like he just wants the privacy. Probably because every time I see him pooping I ask him if he’s pooping. I suppose it could be pretty annoying. Lol.  But he’s also started to try telling me immediately that he needs a clean diaper, which is great because that means he doesn’t want to be in a dirty diaper.  Of course when I actually try to change it he runs the other direction.

Anyway, my biggest reason for starting this early is because he is such a big boy and we are already in size 5 diapers and really need to move to size 6, I figure we only have 1 size left after that and it’s on to pull-ups. Since I still haven’t seen a real slow in growth from him (He grew 11 in. the 1st yr) it’s making me a little nervous.  Diapers are getting a bit expensive and as you know when you move up a size you get less diapers in the pack.

So… if anyone has potty trained a boy and a girl before what were the differences you noticed?  Was it harder to train a boy?  I’d love some advice. The more the better.

I almost forgot to put this up. I always take vids and then never put them on my blog for some reason.

Anyway!!! Vincent learned a new trick a few weeks ago. Pretty good for 12 months right?  Oh and at the end of the vid he is upset because he immediately wants the blocks out of the box so he can do it again. He’s a bit obsessive lol.

Time has gone by so fast! On April 2nd we celebrated Vincent’s 1st birthday.

Just today I got to see my neighbors new baby (he’s 3 weeks old) and it was amazing to think that at this time last year my son was just about the same size.  Wow, where has the time gone? In the beginning things moved so slow and I never could have imagined that by 1 year my son would be doing all the things he is. I must say that the baby human is a pretty incredible thing.

Since most of the time during the week it is just my son and I, we’ve had plenty of time to learn how to train one another.  Oh yes, you better believe it, he does have me trained.  He’s still not sleeping all night long and is taking at least 1 4oz bottle at around 1am every morning.  His body is definitely on a schedule and it is my goal to figure out how to break that schedule and get him back to sleeping all night.  He hasn’t done that since 3 months old! Unfortunately it’s not working.  He decided that he was going to try to cut out his afternoon nap and consequently my free time. Not cool.  As much as I love spending time with him I do need to do things like take a shower, wash dishes, do laundry etc.

Speaking of time, my own schedule is out of control. I haven’t quite figured out how to manage my time yet. yeah.. a year later lol.  Things have been happening so fast that it’s really hard to keep up.  Like most stay-at-home moms my husband doesn’t come home each night and help out. He usually comes home every Friday and if I’m lucky I get to catch up on sleep on Saturday. However, that doesn’t mean I really sleep. I mostly just lay in the bed half awake scared that while I’m asleep something may happen.  It really is hard to let go and just relax.

Anyway, this post wasn’t about me! It was about Vincent and all the milestones he’s hit lately. For which there are many.  Seeing as he’s running around behind me getting into anything and everything I’m quite sure I won’t be able to think of them all at this time but I’ll try.

Mastering Blocks:

Believe it or not in my naivety one of the very first toys I ever bought my son were blocks. I thought that somehow he was going to master colors  and stacking and who else knows what before he was even out of his bouncy chair and able to sit up lol.  That did not happen. Instead he eventually learned how to take the top off the box and chew on it.  After that he learned how to dump all the blocks out but not put them back in and eventually to just lose all the blocks and hide the top under the couch.

For his birthday my friend bought him a new set of blocks that also consists of a cube type box that has inserts for the blocks on all sides of it. It requires that you turn the box to find the right slot to fit the block and it also has a lid that doesn’t just pull off.  Apparently this is exactly what he needed to get interested in them. It took about 3 weeks of him trying each and every day to insert the blocks into the hole but he finally got it. His fingers obviously needed the practice in order to flip the block and push it into the slot.  If you think about it, it is a pretty complex task.    He now can insert the blocks into the box but he needs help from me.  He’ll bring the box to me and I’ll sit down and flip it to find the spot it goes into. He has 3 shaped holes to choose from and almost each time he’ll pick the right one.  It was a great day when he was able to accomplish this. He stopped whining and throwing it across the room out of frustration and just had fun playing with it instead.

Responding to simple commands:

Within just the past month he has learned how to bring us our shoes when we tell him we are going outside.  He has also learned how to throw away his own dirty diapers when I tell him it goes in the garbage. He puts the wet ones in the garbage and has learned that the poopy ones go on the porch in the diaper pail.  He has also learned how to retrieve a clean diaper when asked.

Dressing himself:

Of course he obviously hasn’t masterd this but he does know that his shoes go on his feet and his shirt goes on his head. He still helps us to get him dressed but now he also tries to “step into” his shoes.

Throwing a tantrum:

Not actually but you know what a kid looks like when the stomp up and down to get their own way? He recently learned this type of movement with his legs and feet. It’s hilarious to watch him run around the house doing it.  The one thing that helped with this was that his dad tries to play soccer with him and I’m pretty sure the baby is just trying to imitate the foot movement.

Mimicking Behavior:

I’ve now come to realize that whatever I am doing, I am being watched. When I go to the bathroom and flush the toilet, when I get the spatula out of the kitchen drawer, when I blow my nose or type on the computer or even take a drink of pop.  I have to be careful of my every move now because turning my back for one second can lead to a disaster.  The baby has learned how to climb up on the rocker next to my desk so that he can then climb on the desk itself and click the  computer mouse or grab the cup I’ve left from the night before and drink out of it.   When I’m paying the bills he sits next to me and grabs any loose paper he can and tries to ‘help out’.  As a matter of fact that is what he’s doing right this second.   I’m kicking myself for not getting completely organized BEFORE he arrived.

Blowing and catching kisses:

This one is by far my favorite. For obvious reasons. I’ve been doing it for about 4-5 months with him and he finally got it. I blow him a kiss and he either takes my hand and puts it on his cheek or once in a great while he will use his own hand all by himself and say “isses”.

Well, I have a whole ton of paper to pick up now. See you later.

Dear Vincent,

For 9 long months it was just you and I.  I held my belly each night wondering who was inside there, what you looked like  and how I would feel when I finally got to meet you.  Would I be a good mother? Would we love each other instantly?  Then 1 year ago today my life changed forever.  After a pain that only a mother can know you arrived into this world at 10lbs.  Already such a big boy.    It was a hard road but you made your way out healthy and strong. You hadn’t wanted to come out yet but it was time.  The Dr. laid you on my belly and I just stared at you.  The whole process of birth was so amazing I was still in shock that I had produced a human life. You grew inside of me, you were part of your father and I and I had waited so long for this moment to meet you.  I was scared at first but that feeling quickly went away when I looked into your eyes and realized that we had been blessed with an amazing gift.  A gift I would never take for granted and a gift that I would love every day of my life like it was the last.

When we brought you home I didn’t want to be away from you for even a moment.  You were such a good baby, rarely getting upset. I couldn’t believe it.  We put you to bed each night in your bassinette right next to our bed so that we could be with you always.  Eventually the time came for you to move to your own room and I have to admit that for many many months I did not sleep, even though you did.  I would lay awake at night in your room listening to you breath. Feeling your heartbeat and waiting for the time you would wake so that I could see you again and get to know you even better.  And each day when that time arrived you and I would both wake with a smile on our face.  I would look into your eyes each morning with the realization that I seemed to have known you all my life and I can’t explain that feeling to anyone but it is one that has filled me with more hope and love than I have ever known.

I have watched you grow so fast. I couldn’t wait until the day I heard you call me mama. You did that and so much more over this past year. I still remember the night that you and I were up all alone and you gave me kisses and tried to tell me you loved me. After you fell asleep I cried with joy all night long. The love you filled my heart with and continue to fill my heart with each day is something that can never be spoiled and cannot compare to any other love on this earth.

Each day you are here I cherish you more and more and I want you to know Dear boy that you have changed my life forever.  I will always try to be the best person I can be for you. I will always protect you and I will always love you more than anything in this world.

Your father and I came from different lands on opposite ends of the earth in a chance meeting that in the end has created you and I can’t tell you how much more I believe in fate now.  You were meant to be little boy and you are very very special to us both.  Happy Birthday sweet one and I hope each day of the next year will be just as wonderful as this first year has been for us all.

I love you with all of my heart,

Mama

Even though I am terribly behind on my blog due to the fact that I had to serve on a jury for almost 2 weeks and baby is cutting his 6th tooth, I decided I’d go ahead and do an update on what baby learned and became interested in during month 9. It was a really big month for him and I’d have to say in terms of learning new things it rivals month 6.

• Big boy crawling on his hands and knees. (One day he just did it and from then on hasn’t stopped)

• Standing from a sitting position without holding on to anything.

• Pointing at objects and being able to identify them by pointing at them if I call them out. Ie: light, shoes, tv, Vincent in mama’s belly (Pic of his ultrasound on the fridge)

• Helping to dress himself by putting his arms into his shirts and realizing that the shirt has to go over his head.

• How to put a hat or other objects on his head.

• How to eat with his spoon.

• Playing peek-a-boo where he is the one hiding.

• Words he learned: Grandma and ball stick out as the two big ones.

• All words to date: Hi, mama, doggy, get you get you, tickle tickle, Elmo, baba, neh neh (his word for bottle w/ formula), big boy (Can’t say it very well), no no and nei nei (Norwegian for no). Probably more that I can’t remember right now. Still no “papa”.

• Babbling (lots and lots of it).

• Obsessed with watching the toilet flush, emptying the dogs water bowl or trying to eat the dogs food before I catch him, spitting, still absolutely loves music and dances all the time to it

• Learned how to play with this “ball popper” toy that he got. He puts the ball IN the machine to make it spit it back out. (Got video that I will show later.)

• Learned to walk with a push toy that he got on Christmas day

Last but not least…

• Learned to walk!!! on January 29th, one of the only days I ever left him in his whole 9 months. I was at Jury duty but luckily my mom got it on video and he hasn’t stopped since and is now almost a pro.

I will post a few blogs at a later time with vids and with the techniques I have been using to get him to point and identify objects and also learn how to eat with a spoon.

Here comes another tooth.. and more sleepless nights. I thought that maybe Vincent was teething still but I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe his attitude was from the two bottom teeth not poking through enough but I was wrong! It seems I think too much. Yesterday while we were playing he bit me and this time it really hurt. So I moved my finger around in his mouth and found another tooth, but in a totally unexpected place. It seems for his 3rd tooth he’ll be getting a top canine. I guess he just feels that he has to keep the the theme “I want to be different than everyone else”. So this means he got his 3rd tooth (if poking through counts) 1 day after turning 8 months old. Is this what I have to look forward to until they all come in? This all started at 3 months! The drooling, gnawing, chewing, the not sleeping at night….. I miss my happy cheery baby. The one that wasn’t in pain all the time.

This little guy right here.

I don’t know why I never shared this with you before. I guess I get sidetracked very easily. Anyway! way back in August (when he was 4 months) my son tried his first solids and at that time he also said his first words. Meaning, plural. Two words that he put together. It came as a real surprise to me that he did it so early but not a surprise that he actually did it because since birth whenever I would eat I would say “mmm num nums”. This goes to show that babies really are paying attention! Soooo talk to your babies!

If you like my video will you take the time to rate it or possibly leave a comment? Lots of people watch it but no one ever says anything!

At approximately 3 months old Vincent started what I thought was teething. He’s started drooling up a storm, sticking anything and everything straight into his mouth and acting fussy. I thought for sure he’d have a tooth in a few weeks. Haha. Then when he stopped sleeping nights, in my head I blamed that on teething too! But apparently I was wrong.. I guess it’s just a stage babies go through? I don’t know. I don’t claim to be an expert. In the beginning I had been giving him baby oragel until I tried it on myself and realized it barely worked and it didn’t seem to make a difference for him.

Anyway! after many long months, on Saturday his first tooth broke the skin. His left bottom tooth. There was a little blood but not much and suprisingly he didn’t seem anymore cranky than he already had been. He did get upset when he was eating “num nums” because I think the food probably aggravated the broken skin a little but by the next day he was just fine.

I did notice that for the last month or so he has been making the “old man face” so I guess that has something to do with it, but then again he is also trying to learn how to smack his lips together. He’s always practicing.

So, I guess when they say that the age your baby teeths at can be hereditary that’s only one small thing that can factor into when they develop teeth. My husband has pictures here of him with a full set of teeth by 1 years old and it was apparent he had a lot of teeth early on. I’m not sure about myself but I think I got mine much later. I suppose it just goes to show (once again!) that no two babies are alike.

Here is Vincent learning how to smack his lips. When I catch the old man face on my digital cam I’ll be sure to post it.

Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

Yeah, so last night I sat Vincent in his crib after his bath so that I could grab his pajamas across the room and lo and behold he grabbed the edge of the crib, got on his knees, shook the crib around a bit and then decided to stand up! I called his dad in the room so he could try again and I was able to capture it on camera.

Why does time have to go by so quickly????