Checking In

I can't believe how long it has been since I have written. Last week was a total blur. Sawyer had strep throat for the second time in three weeks. The ped said that the first antibiotic probably wasn't strong enough so she prescribed another one. I actually called the after-hours line last weekend for the first time because his temperature got up to 103 degrees and that was the highest fever he has ever had. I learned from the experience that I need to take him to the ER if it ever gets to 105. That sounds absolutely terrifying because I was really scared just to see the thermometer climb to 103 degrees.

It was pretty rough when Sawyer was waking up at night along with Chloe. It's one thing to get up with our three-month-old, but it's tough to do it for our two-year-old too, especially since he has been sleeping through the night for so long.

We're *trying* to get her to nap in her crib, but with marginal success. She took two 45-minute naps this weekend. She slept about twenty minutes this morning and about forty this afternoon. She had been up since 5:30 this morning! It really is some kind of cruel joke because Sawyer slept until 8:00 for the first time, probably since Chloe was born, and so Chloe decides that she'll start her day at 5:30....ahhhhhhhh!

Chloe cut her first tooth last week-at 3 1/2 months! That has to be some kind of record! Sawyer's first was closer to five months and I thought that was early! I shouldn't be surprised since she has been drooling like nobody's business for the last month or so. She is also rolling both ways. Poor Sawyer wasn't even put down on the floor to even practice until he was five months old. He probably would have done his rolling this early too but we'll never know since he was always being held. Chloe has also found her feet so I took some cute pictures of her exploring her appendages.

We started potty training with full force today and it was super chaotic. I'm hoping that it's due to the novelty of the whole process and it will get easier. I read a book on potty training and it suggested having a clear plastic Treasure Bowl with thirty wrapped prizes for him when he does his thing in the potty. The idea is that he will be trained by the time all the treasures have been opened. I bought Matchbox cars, plastic dinosaurs, Play-Doh, bubbles, and rubber bouncing balls. He instantly noticed the bowl this morning and was enthralled with it all day long. I also started putting him in training pants today. He was wearing Pull-Ups and/or diapers previously and I just don't think that they were allowing him to feel the level of wetness that is necessary for success. I'm still doing diapers for naptime and bedtime though. He's a long way from being dry at night. The book says that nighttime bathroom use is physiological and not something that can be taught.

He didn't pee in the potty until Lorne got home and then he did it twice. What a little turkey! I worked with him all day and NOTHING! Lorne says it's just luck and timing, but I'm worried that he won't want to go for me tomorrow. I guess that we'll just have to wait and see. I tried to put him on the potty every two hours, but he seems to be peeing much more often that that so he went through all eight pairs of training pants. I think that it's probably all the water he drinks, but I don't want to limit his fluids because that will just make it tougher. I hope that we can get some consistency going now. I tried to start a few weeks ago, he got strep, then we had company for a week, and then he got strep again, so I don't feel like he has really had a lot of time to warm up to the idea of using the potty. All I know is I seriously doubt that Lorne and I had potty books, a potty chair, potty rings, special wipes, special soap, or Pull-Ups and we were able to be trained. I start to wonder if all of this crap doesn't just complicate things in the long run. Oh well, I've started with it all so I feel like I should continue. Maybe Chloe will use the potty chairs because Sawyer seems to only want to sit on the big potty. That's probably because the potty ring is decorated with Elmo. I should have known that old Elmo would seal the deal for him.

Here are some random pictures I have taken these past few weeks:

Another Bumbo picture.

Sawyer wanted me to take his picture since I took one of Chloe.

Sawyer likes to lay with Chloe under her Elmo activity gym.

Here's a close-up of them and Elmo.

The kids in their Old Navy 4th of July outfits.

I love watching Chloe play with her feet!

Check out my thunder thighs!