The Next Day

Liem: 30 months
Priscilla: 9 weeks

There are days I feel that I accomplish a lot. Sometimes it's getting housework done. Sometimes it's teaching Liem something. Sometimes it's a project that I have. There are days where I feel like I get nothing accomplished. Then there are days like today; days I think I'm accomplishing something, and then I find out I never was.

Mommy's lesson 1: If at hundredth you don't succeed, try try again.
Liem secretly likes his little sister. He doesn't want me to know, though. But he really is warming up to her. He likes to hold her hand and talk to her. He likes it when she looks at him and smiles. But he hasn't really decided to like her openly yet. He decided to pick flowers from the yard and being them to her today. But then he got upset that she wouldn't take them when offered. I tried to explain that she doesn't know how to hold them, but he didn't understand. Instead he decided to let me know, "I don't like her any more." Oh, well. I'll try again tomorrow.

Mommy's Lesson 2: "Just keep swimming, swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming."
I really believe Dory (from Disney's "Finding Nemo") was on to something there. Today Liem went potty much more successfully. He only had one accident. It was, however, on me. We were playing horsey, and he peed on my back. Ew. I'll try again tomorrow.

A picture of my little (big) blessings:

Today

Liem: 30 months
Priscilla: 8 weeks

I have been absent for some time. The reasons can all be summed up in one word: diseased. My little family has run the gamut of illnesses, and it would be too long and boring to list them all. Sufficed to say, I finished the last of my antibiotics yesterday and we're all well---what a blessing!

I have learned many lessons over the past weeks. Things like, just put your kid in the tub when they have a stomach bug. It's hard enough for adults to decide which end of their body to use the toilet for; don't put that kind of pressure on a two year old. And this lesson: bring more than two changes of clothes for a baby with projectile poop abilities, even if it is only a 15 minute errand. Instead of sharing all my lessons at once, though, I'd like to tell you a few anecdotes and one of today's lessons.

My two year old provides most, if not all, of the humor throughout my day. I really believe God did this especially for me, since it breaks up his other "adventures." His use of the English language is really just my favorite:

My husband has a few regular exclamations hr uses when things aren't going according to plan such as, "Come on, man!" (I don't know who this man is.) Liem likes to repeat these for emphasis at the time, and then later in his own moments of frustration. My favorite is his version of "dogon it!" I've heard this pronounced many ways like "daw gone it!" and "dog on it!" and "da gum it!" But my son's interpretation, or rather misinterpretation, is my favorite: "all gone it!"

Liem is a big fan of Disney's movie, Cars. But his pronunciation of the name of the main character, Lightning McQueen, needs some work. It always comes out, "Wiping Queen."

Today's Lesson: Adventures in potty training are really just reasons to double my efforts.
Liem is quite capable of using the "big boy potty," he just doesn't want to. As soon as he is coerced onto the toilet, he goes, lets you know what he did, cleans up, puts the potty seat away, flushes, and washes his hands. Knowing that he has the intelligence, understanding, and capability I have begun to force the issue. He always has an excuse not to go, though. Reasons such as, "I'm too busy to go potty." He even started saying, "I don't need to use the potty, I have a diaper." So today I took the diaper away and told him that if he went pee pee on mommy's floor or couch or bed or chair (it is of great import to be 100% clear on everything hr may not pee on) or Liem's bed, etc. that he would be in trouble. He did a pretty good job all in all. So today when he needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of talking to me, he dropped his toy and ran to the bathroom. Yay! Success! Or not. He didn't make it. He came back very upset and said, "Mommy, I went poo poo on the floor." He sat on the toilet to finish, though.

In news on Prissy, she coos and smiles beautifully and we're loving every minute of her development. She's such a sweetheart.

A picture of one of my sweet girl's first smiles, as well as my two wonderful children together:

Day 10

Liem: 28 months
Priscilla: 20 days

Mommy's Lesson 1: Children and poop are synonymous.
Today, my dad pointed out to me that almost all my blogs include something about poo. At first I thought that was odd; but then I really thought about it. I change at least 7 poopy diapers a day between my two children---more if one of them is especially active. I may get lucky and have a little less if I can convince my son to use the potty. It is almost impossible to not have some kind of smelly experience from my day. Maybe in the future, I will try to eliminate a few BM stories. But, lest today be any different from the norm . . .

Mommy's Lesson: Save the talking for after Liem's bedtime.
Liem' Lesson: Dog poop is not play dough.
My husband and I try to grab a few moments to talk in between the madness. These moment are rare, since they are usually when both children are temporarily settled---mainly our two-year-old. Occasionally, though, we try to grab a moment to discuss something when he is awake. Today is a prime example of why we don't normally do this. I let Liem play outside unsupervised. I knew he was digging in mud, fresh from the day's rain---I was okay with this. Boys and dirt go together like cupcakes and frosting. What I didn't know was that while my husband and I talked about needing a bigger car, Liem was building dog poop castles. Then, realizing the reprimanding that he would incur, he decided he should wash his hands. So he went into our bathroom and got poop all over my sink, soap dispenser, cabinets and towels. He then realized he was unable to turn the water on. At this point he comes to me and says, "I need to wash my hands, Mommy," displaying his very messy hands. I didn't know he'd already been in my bathroom, but the poo was all over his shirt, his hands, and his arms. I told him to go rinse in his pool to get the big stuff. He did, then came back in and wiped his hands on my couch and jeans---now I and my couch are wearing soggy poop. I tool him to the bathroom and saw the mess from his own attempt to clean up. I washed his hands and arms, and my bathroom and realized it was also all over his legs and in his hair. The end result was Daddy giving him a bath and giving Mommy a break.

Mommy's Lesson 2: Just be patient.
Liem has been doing a lot better with his sister. And a lot better with me, too. He especially does well if he thinks no one is watching. Today, I stepped out of the room to make lunch and left he and Priss in my room. When I came back he had pulled her blanket over her. She didn't need it, but he was taking care of his little sister. What a blessing to see that patience and not pushing is working.

A picture from one of Liem's muddy adventures this Spring & Prissy after Liem had covered her:

Family Day 5

Liem: 28 months
Priscilla: 19 days

Our Sunday is spent at church. We're there most of the day. But getting there is always an adventure.

Liem naps in the afternoon, and getting him up to go back to church is always a battle. He likes the nursery--loves it, actually. But he loves sleep more (he's his mother's son). But once we get moving, we're all good.

Today, we headed back for choir practice and evening service and we offered him a snack, as usual. Today, though, Liem said, "No, thank you. I'm too sad to eat." After swallowing my laughter at his silly-for-a-two-year-old statement, I asked, "Why are you sad?" He said, "I just need some rest." So we let him be. A few minutes later he said, "I'm rested now." What a crack-up my little man is.

Adventures Alone: Day 9

Liem: 28 months
Priscilla: 17 days

I had very little alone time with both my children today. We had an appointment this morning, and planned to come home this afternoon.

My mom and the three of us were headed home after our morning out. As soon as we got in the car, Liem told me he didn't want to go home. I thought it was just because he had got to play with his friends and wasn't ready for it to stop. But we were almost home and he was still insistent that he didn't want to go home. When I asked him what he wanted to do, he said he wanted to go home with Grandmommy, my mom. I explained to him that I had to go home, so he would have to go with her by himself. To my surprise, he agreed. I was thrilled that we had instilled in him some independance, and broken hearted that he was asking to leave mommy. They dropped me off, and it was reported to me that he said, "I got home with Grandmommy, and Mommy feel better. Mommy take a nap and feel better." I just can't believe my little man is already thinking of taking care of me---at two! I am just so blessed!

Family Day 4

Liem: 28 months
Priscilla: 18 days

Just wanted to share about my fabulous family.

We got tons of work done around the house, and everyone pitched in. Liem and Daddy mowed the lawn, and Prissy and Mommy organized the clothes (she laid next to me, anyway). We went on our first grocery shopping trip as a family tonight---that was a new adventure.

The best part of our day was Priscilla's first bath at home. Previous to this, I've been cleaning her with a damp cloth waiting for her belly button to heal. We all got in on the adventure. Daddy took pictures and video, Mommy bathed, and Liem gave me instructions and said, "It's okay, Prissy." Then, while Daddy put Liem to bed, I cuddled Priss while she was a wrapped up in a towel. It was such a sweet moment just Mommy and the baby girl. Then, she pooped on me through the towel; and pooped, and popped, and pooped. Why didn't I get up and clean her? Because she didn't take a break. Every time I would go to clean her up, she'd go again. I am very thankful her system is in good working order.

I have a fantastic family! And I just can't get over how blessed I am. I couldn't ask for anything more than I already have.

Mommy & Priss after her bath (and before the poop):

Adventures Alone: Day 7

Liem: 28 Months
Priscilla: 15 Days

I am exhausted, and therefore do not guarantee the quality or correct grammatical structure of the content of this blog.

Mommy's Lesson 1: I need more than 3 non-consecutive hours of sleep a night. Priscilla was up all night just because. She'd fall asleep and wake up five minutes later complaining, as if saying, "Wait a minute, you tricked me!" I lost count somewhere after the third time, but I cried a lot today. That's just hormones and a lack of sleep. I believe I may have said something to Liem along the lines of, "Don't do what I told you to" at some point today. I think I may also have called him "Bumper" (the name of our dog). Poor kid. I'm pretty sure I was very confusing today.

Mommy's Lesson 2: It is best to double check the needed ingredients needed vs ingredients I have before making a meal. I think I've done this several times since coming home from the hospital. I can usually improvise; today, however, I was just out of everything that would work. So I decided to quit while I was ahead and move on to the back-up plan. Liem loves sweet potatoes, so in went three bakers. A success? Unfortunately not. I wasn't paying very close attention to my husband's. He ended up with one big bite of a rotten sweet potato. Liem's and my potatoes were fine. My poor husband ended up with a bowl if cereal for dinner.

Mommy's Lesson 3: 2-year olds can't be still; and hair gel covers a lot.
Liem's Lesson: Hold still as best you can.
Every time Liem gets a haircut, he screams like a banshee. You'd think that his hair had feeling and every time the blade cut, he felt it. So I have quit taking him to get his hair cut; I feel bad for the person having to do it. I started cutting his hair myself last fall thinking it might be less "scary" for mommy to do it: wrong! He still screams. My skill has improved, but his confidence has not. So I switched to regular scissors today in hopes that the elimination of the loud noise while cutting would help. He didn't scream, but he did wiggle a lot more; now he was curious. The process went something like this: I cut, he squirms, I sigh, and he says, "Oh, no." My skill with the scissors will have to improve and learn to move with his squirms. In the mean time, hair gel does quite a bit to cover my mistakes.

Just want to say thanks for reading!! I'm having fun writing, and I hope you're getting a chuckle as you read. :-)