Today has been an event filled day of milestones. I am very excited to say Nate is successfully potty training. We had some accidents over the last few days but today he pooped in the toilet completely on his own!!! And did not wet his pants all day. He stopped wearing pull ups this week and progressively got better each day.
Yesterday, he woke up with gunky infected eyes and a cold so he's been to the doctor and now on eye drops to clear it up. And in the midst of his sickness I thought of just putting a pull up on him just in case. But after reading Potty Train Before 3 I realized it is all about the parents initiative. Duhhhh! How do I so easily forget these things. Nick potty trained earlier and easier so it just didn't seem that difficult then compared to now. So I stuck with the underwear today and it was his best day ever! We are going to beat the 3 yr cut off! I'm sure it will be a process to be completely trained but we are on our way! Yes! One less in diapers!
On a sick note, Nate's eyes are really gunky, red, and seem to hurt. I'm praying the girls don't get it! I've made a huge effort in keeping his hands clean and not letting them bathe together.
The girls are talking more and more. Their favorite words for now are No and cracker! They are also saying Uh-ho, thank you, please, cup and whatever else they can copy! I can't really think of them all right now.
The next best milestone today was a semi-peaceful, stress free time eating out. We went to our local Japanese restaurant and the girls, Joe, Nick and Nate behaved nicely. We gave the girls their own Japanese soup bowl and spoon, you know the unbreakable kind, first with some ice to play then with some noodles to eat. They were so distracted with their bowl I actually got to eat all my meal and enjoy our time together as a family. It really has been a long time since I felt that way! Although we did make a quick exit since Nate and Kate started making a couple signature screams and Nick was flinging his chopsticks through the air while stealing steak from my plate. I made a mad rush for the car with Kate, Joe brought out Ally along with some pineapple treats and the girls were content again in their car seats. Adam paid the bill inside and we were off. I only wish I would've thought to take a picture to capture this milestone moment.
Another milestone moment happened yesterday when I was lucky enough to sit down and watch Joe practice football from 6-8pm. While I did do some reading, I got to see Joe make some really awesome catches and most amazingly watch him take first place in a race relay of sprinting, bear crawling forward and backward and who knows what else at the end of practice. Now, I couldn't tell if Joe was in first since all the players wear white practice jerseys and Joe's has only a faint last name we wrote on the back. The sun was going down, it was about to get dark but as he came in he looked over in my direction, waved and I knew it was him. My heart just swelled with pride over him. He is growing up, turning into such an awesome young man and I am so very proud to be his Mom... regardless of if he comes in first or not. He did really great and it was so nice for me to finally get a moment to watch him since I am usually at home with the little ones during his football practices and games.
Our milestones may not seem like much to some but during a day filled with cooking, cleaning, going for a bike ride with 3 toddlers, homeschooling Joe, keeping him on task and all that entails, cutting Adam's hair, paying bills, reading to toddlers, putting together puzzles, disciplining toddlers, cleaning gunky eyes and wiping running noses, and whatever else it is that I do here ....
I find it a huge accomplishment and awesome transition into a new stage of life! I am continually amazed at how much one person can accomplish and delegate in one day!
And it is not of my own doing. I can only do these things through Christ who strengthens me! Really true! Thank you Lord for each of these milestone blessings, for giving me the strength each day and for sustaining me in my weaknesses!
