31 weeks

Most of our days look something like this: we all wake up sometime between 7-8am, followed by breakfast (usually pancakes) Lately the boys have been getting their baths in the morning because I'm just too exhausted come nightfall which is why Daniel has wet hair in this pic. Vincent goes down for his morning nap between 9-10 until 11 or 12. I say he goes down because he has not been falling asleep all that quickly. He might be phasing out of the 2 naps a day phase, but I'm not ready for him to yet, so as long as he's happily talking to himself in his crib for an hour or two, we're all happy to let the happy kid rest. During Vincent's morning nap, Daniel watches VeggieTales. We LOVE VeggieTales. This is when I get ready or work on the computer or clean...ha! Clean! That's not happening very much around here lately. Only the bare necessities. The dishes are washed, the clothes are washed, that's about it.
After Vincent wakes up, we eat lunch, followed by a couple hours of whatever we need to do that day. Naptime for the three of us begins at 2pm, my favorite hours of the day. It usually lasts about 2 hours, if I'm very lucky 3. This is when I get any office work done and also try to sqeeze in a power nap. They don't always sleep that whole time, but they stay in their beds for the most part. Vincent sleeps in the pack-n-play in our room otherwise their would be a huge party in the boys room everyday between the hours of 2 & 4. George comes home between 5-6. Dinner is at 6. The boys run around, playing, wrestling, knocking each other over until around 8-8:30 which is bedtime for them and lately, for me too.

For all two of you who actually wanted to see the 35+ pounds I've gained so far, here is the 31 week picture. Below is me at 31 weeks with Daniel. So theres no more pictures of me in a sports bra after my morning jog. Those days are long gone. Just walking at the zoo for a few hours sent me into contractions all evening a couple weeks ago. I've never been so out of shape. Surprisingly, I've gained about the same amount of weight, so that's encouraging.

Funny Face

This is Vincent's recent funny face.

Daddy and Vincent

This kid loves his daddy. Whenever George comes home from work or even just walks into the room, Vincent runs to him with a big smile saying "Dadda!" They also have a great time playing on the floor together. Vincent has developed this super cute, super cheesy smile when he's being goofy. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get a picture of it, but it's hilarious and I don't know where it came from. He does this fake laugh and shows off all his teeth- all six of them. Where are the other ones? Who knows, he's had six teeth for months and months.
In other news, Daniel's potty training seems to be going okay. He's regressed a little after a weekend away, he wants help to go again after doing it all by himself for a couple weeks. It's a little discouraging, but it could be a lot worse. Let's just hope that's all the regression we see.
I'm now 30 weeks prego and getting plenty big and uncomfortable. Daniel is a good helper in picking things up off the floor or fetching stuff if I'm sitting down. He's pretty good at getting Vincent and himself their sippy cups from the frig which is great. Sometimes the refridgerator door gets stuck open with two little boys playing in it, but sometimes he just gets the drinks and they're both happy and I'm happy to keep my feet up.

Artists

This is Vincent's favorite book. He loves reading, and this one is getting really worn out from use and abuse. He's been learning more animal sounds, he names some of the fruit and when he sees the motorcycle he says "voom, voom".
Vincent had his 15 month Doctor appointment last week. He weighed in just shy of 26 lbs. He's around the 70th percentile for height and weight.

Down time with dad.

This morning, Daniel got to paint. He loves to paint and color. First he made one for mommy, the next one he designated as his own, then he kept going down the line. With each new paining he would say, "this one's for Grandma, this one's for Auntie Tracy" and on and on. I had to start labeling them so we wouldn't lose track of who's was who's. He needed a little encouragement to paint the last few and by the last paining, he really fizzled. He used up all the paint and he was no longer inspired. So he moved on to coloring with his markers.
Vincent has recently taken up playing the piano. He sits there for 10 plus minutes and just plays away. Several times now, I've left the office door open and come in to find him composing.

PT

Okay, this is the last time I write about potty training for awhile. I just had to give an update.
The bells were ringing at high noon today as the toilet flushed. It's been two weeks since we started training and today Daniel has accomplished the final feat...he did the whole thing by himself, I was in the other room. Partly because I'm too tired to get up and supervise and partly because he was ready to do it. This was the goal and what I considered officially potty trained! On Sunday, he had "PT" written on his name tag by the teacher at church, letting the helpers in his class know about his status, this was another proud moment for me.
I don't know why it was such a big deal for me. George pointed out that I was really worked up or stressed about it, or I let it get to me too much. He was right. I don't hear other moms talking about this right of passage as much as I stressed about it for months. I had almost resigned myself to the cold truth that I'd have 3 kids in diapers at the same time. But alas, Daniel pulled through just in time. Since the first day he was really going in the potty, he hasn't woken up from his nap or sleep at night wet. So for the last couple nights and the last many nap times, he's been in undies. No more diapers or even pull-ups. (So much for the $15 I spent on that pack of training pants.) There have been so many very proud moments throughout this process, along with a lot of pee on the floor. Last time he went, he came out with his shorts on backwards, as I write this, he came out commando with both feet through the same leg of his shorts. We're still perfecting it, but he's come a long way.

Picnic by the lake

We stood by the lake to feed the ducks. One duck that was a little less shy than the others came close to the boys. Daniel started to get worried when the duck was just a couple feet from Vincent saying "he's gonna get Mincent, he's gonna get Mincent!" Then he very sweetly tried to move Vincent away from the approaching duck. The funny part was how he moved Vincent. He gently place both hands around Vincent's neck in a choke hold and tried to get his little brother to step away from the duck.


This video is of George and Daniel walking along the lake where George spent many days riding his bike growing up. They were strolling along when there was this sound of something sliding in the dirt behind me. I turned around to find Vincent sliding down the hill, once he stopped he just laid there like he wanted to keep going. I'm not sure if he dove down the hill on purpose, but he didn't seem to mind the ride.

Picnic in the park

Summer vacation at the park. We really went all out for our vacations this year. We all had fun.

Routine

A warm evening in the backyard.






Vincent is now getting time-out. I was a little surprised at first, but he knows the drill. He's seen enough time-outs to know how it works. Auntie Jessica was the first to try it a few weeks ago and it's now being implemented more regularly.
The other day I told Vincent to bring Daniel his sippy cup in the other room as a little experiment, he totally did it. It's amazing what they already understand at this age.

This is how we brush our teeth. The power of kids bubble gum flavored toothpaste is amazing.



There are just so many steps to the whole potty process. First you've got to figure out if you're going to open the toilet lid and put your seat on there first, or should you pull down your pants or step up on the stool first. Then once you've made your contribution to the septic system, do you get dressed again, or wash up. And when do I get that strawberry flavored marshmallow for going on the potty?

Potty Talk

It seems potty training has taken over our lives this week. For those who are interested, here are the details. Daniel first went on the big boy potty once Wednesday, then once Thursday and since then he's been going on the "big boy potty" every time with a few minor accidents. We had our first outings with "big boy undies" on and we've gone 2 out of 3 times with no accidents. There is still much for the little guy to learn. Today we're working on putting on his own undies and shorts. We kept the jammies on as they are easier to pull up. He is adamantly opposed to learning this, he just put his own shorts on for the third time this morning by himself with many tears. I'm trying to figure out why he is so against learning this skill: laziness, wanting to depend on mommy & daddy, stubbornness, not wanting to change the status quo...I don't know. But he's fighting it. He now takes naps in his undies but the diaper at night. Last night, for the first time, he woke up with a dry diaper and asked to go potty before going to sleep and when he woke up. I'm so proud of him.
Vincent is now saying his first sentence (we think) "I want that." He's been patiently standing by while his big brother learns his new skills. He's very hands on if he gets a chance to be in the bathroom while the action is going on. He also recently learned where his belly button is and says this as well.