It's Potty Time!

I have spent pretty much no time potty training Degen. We have a potty seat and he's worn some Pull-Ups (only because they were cheaper) and he's even sat on the potty a few times, but he's never seemed that interested and so I decided to delay potty training until age 3. I am so bad that there have been times when he's said he needs to go potty, and I have convinced him otherwise (in my defense, the first 100 times he told me I did put him on the potty only to have him giggle, do nothing and then run off to play).

However, last weekend Degen came downstairs completely naked and told us he went pee-pee. I ran upstairs and checked the floors and the beds and didn't find a puddle, so I put him back in his clothes and went about the day. Neither Darren nor I gave the incident another thought until that evening when Kyrie hollered from the bathroom that Degen was going potty by himself. What?!?! We raced to the bathroom to see our naked, baby boy perched on the toilet and going pee! Woo-hoo! We all cheered and clapped and Kyrie gave him big hugs and carried him around like the town hero.

First thing the next day he went potty when I asked if he needed to go. So, we went to the store and I let him pick out 3 packages of his favorite character underwear. He chose: Thomas, Mickey Mouse & Diego. At home he was happy to try them on, but screamed bloody murder when he peed the first pair a short time later. With assurances that all was well, he put on another pair. He has had a few accidents and if he wants to wear a diaper then I let him. I did the high-pressure potty boot camp with Kyrie and would like to avoid that situation again if at all possible. He's doing well and we're taking it easy... the joys of being a second kid! I was pretty much convinced he'd be in diapers well into age 3 so this has been a welcome & happy surprise! Go, Degen!

Sesame Street Live

After our huge plumbing ordeal, during which the kids handled the strange inconveniences with general good cheer, we thought it would be a special treat for them to go see Sesame Street Live. They had never been before, and I was excited to spend a fun afternoon with both kids (while Darren worked on the yard after spending the morning with Kyrie's Kindergarten class).

Kyrie decorating her coloring book with stickers before the show started.

Degen with his glow stick wand. We added some Sesame Street stickers to the handle to make it look official.

 To save money, I stopped by Dollar Tree and picked up Sesame Street coloring books & stickers, as well as glow stick wands. I added them to bags with snacks and juice boxes for each kiddo. The kids always want the fun concessions and toys that they sell at these things, but I hate to spend the money on the overpriced frivolity. Thankfully, both kids were excited for their prize bags, which they opened before the show started. They kept them distracted enough that they didn't want for some of the other stuff, though the Elmo balloons were tempting.

The glow sticks were a big hit!

Elmo Balloons!

Watching the show- Degen was upset because he had to share my lap with Kyrie.

 The show was all about music and had all of your favorite Sesame Street characters singing and dancing along. Both kids were on there feet and dancing along, especially during the finale. I don't think that it was their favorite show, but it was definitely a treat!

Happy Kids! They caught streamers that flew from the stage during the finale and they thought that was very special!

Crafty Degen

Monkey see, Monkey do! Usually, Kyrie does her crafting after Degen has gone to bed, but one night he saw what Sissy was up to and, of course, had to do his own craft. He was really cute sitting up at the table and doing his gluing, and he was proud of his work when he was done!

LOVE this picture of him admiring his work!

Crafty Kyrie: An American Girl

A few weeks ago, I stopped by our local Michael's craft store with Kyrie in tow (she was on her way to choir practice) and in the clearance section she found some American Girl doll stickers. The stickers were 50% off, but still $1 apiece, which seemed a little pricey for a single sticker, but she loved them and I let her choose one (and then secretly chose a few more to surprise her with later). Now my first concern about this $1 sticker (being the thrifty momma that I am) was exactly what she was going to do with it. Still, in the clearance section I spotted a small scrapbooking kit with paper and a few embellishments and picked it up thinking she could make a crafty picture page 'showcasing' her sticker.

 After choir practice and back at home, she begged to make her picture. I got out several pieces of craft paper and opened the scrapbook kit. I laid out several papers for her to choose from and talked to her about layering different sizes & colors of paper to make a picture. I offered a few suggestions and watched as she made her choices and finally placed her sticker at the center. Her first picture looked really great, especially at the hands for a five year old who is not always known for her neatness (she would sooner scribble on every page in a coloring book than take the time to color in the lines on one page). She was very proud and ran off to show Darren! Of course, she wanted to do another.

Thankfully, I had those extra stickers and told her that if she had a good day the next day she could do another. I repurposed a scrapbook so that she could have a place to keep & showcase her pages.

And so it began... almost every day Kyrie asks to do her American Girl craft. When she misbehaves, we warn her that she will lose the chance to make one (and this threat is often met with howls of protest). I have returned to Michael's twice and bought one of every AG clearance sticker they have- I am plotting my options for when we run out of the clearance stickers because I cannot bring myself to pay $2 for a single, full-priced one. At the completion of each new page, Kyrie asks me to take a picture of her new creation, and here is (almost) the entire collection:

Kit: Kyrie's first AG craft page

The Big Dig

By Wednesday night of last week, I was not in a great place. I was tired and frustrated and just emotionally done with having to deal with our plumbing issues (see post: "Drain Disaster). Thankfully, on Thursday (11/17), a crew came out to start the process of replacing our main sewer line. They dug a 10 foot trench from the house and across the front yard. We had been unable to use our drains in the preceding two weeks and were without running water and gas for about two days while they replaced the line and filled the trench. By Friday evening, we had running water, gas and use of all our drains. We survived! Looking back, I can say that we did an overall great job with both our living conditions and the stress of the situation.... and in the spirit of moving on to better things, that is all that I have to say about the entire experience.

The front yard after the repair. We will need to have our sidewalk replaced.

Kyrie's Surgery

Last Thursday (11/17), we woke up at 5:30 to make our 6:30 appointment at the Ohio Surgery Center. After months of recurring ear infections, Kyrie would be getting tubes placed in her ears. I was grateful that Darren could take a half day off from work to be there with us.

We arrived when it was still dark and had a short wait before Kyrie & I went back to pre-op. Her nurse was wonderful and had a great way of explaining everything so that it seemed fun and even a little silly. Kyrie changed into a hospital gown top and was given a dose of pain medication and Versed (a drug that causes drowsiness, relieves anxiety and prevents memory). I held her on my lap and sang to her while we waited for the medication to take effect. Her body soon grew heavy in my arms and she started to giggle. I moved her to the bed where she drooped & flopped like a ragdoll. She tried to sit up and get off the bed, she saw bugs on the floor and then they were glitter and she wanted to touch it. I held her in my lap again until she insisted she wanted to walk, which resulted in me placing her in a huddled pile on the floor where she became fascinated with the underside of the bed. She saw a deer and a playground and reached for the sun while I talked to her doctor and the anesthesiologist. It was hard not to giggle at her, and I wished that I had had a camera to document her goofiness. And then the nurses were wheeling her away for the quick procedure.

I was grateful that this was a short, simple surgery. No sooner had I hugged Degen, updated Darren and gotten a cup of cocoa then we were being called back to speak with the doctor. All had gone well, and I would soon be taken back to see her in post-op. For all the giggly fun that pre-op was, post-op was a sad and frightening place. The nurses had warned me what to expect, but as much as you steel your heart to see your child crying and in pain it is a heartbreaking experience. Still groggy, she cried and moaned and sobbed that her ears hurt. Helplessness is a mother at the side of her child's hospital bed. She said she couldn't stand the pain and begged for her heating pad (when she has ear infections, one of her biggest comforts is to lay her head on a hot, "rice bag"). I asked the nurses if they had anything to help, but there were no 'rice socks' and she had already received pain medication pre- and post-op. One nurse brought her the warmest blanket she could find, and that seemed to help but a little. We were moved to a quiet, private room in hopes that the calm would soothe her (the surgery center was busy with at least a half dozen children in pre- and post-op) and in another 10 or 15 minutes the pain seemed to be more tolerable. I was given care instructions and we were sent home.

At home, we put her in our bed with her hot pad and she was asleep in minutes.

When she woke up, she was in good spirits and by that afternoon you would not have known that only hours before she had been in surgery. She said that her ears felt funny and that her voice sounded different, but there was no more pain- what a relief. As a side-note, that same morning, I would take Degen into the pediatricians' office where he would be diagnosed with an ear infection.

Dance with the Nutcracker

Kyrie spent a fun-filled afternoon learning all about "The Nutcracker" ballet through Columbus' Ballet Met's Dancing with the Nutcracker program. There were tons on kids, mostly girls and many dressed in sweet tutus & ballet slippers. A narrator told the children the story of the Nutcracker and asked them to play many of the parts en masse. The pretended to be party guests and mice and soldiers. The children were joined by cast members of the ballet, including the Sugarplum Fairy who was the envy of every little girl (& little girls at heart). Last year, Kyrie went to see "The Nutcracker" with Darren, but this year she had fun tiptoeing and twirling her way through the story! This was a great way to start our holiday season!

The Arabian Dancers

The Sugarplum Fairy

American Girl Fashion Show

Kyrie is all about the American Girl Dolls right now! She loves her Molly doll, looking through the glossy catalogues and just about anything that has to do with American Girl! For all these reasons and more, I was excited that we could attend the American Girl Fashion Show this year! The Fashion Show is a fundraiser for the Lauren Faith Miller Foundation, which helps support families with children who have congenital heart defects. The show began with Lauren's mom telling the audience about her short life, and how Lauren inspired them to create the foundation. There was a lovely luncheon and then a fashion show of girls & dolls in American girl finery. Kyrie was the youngest girl at our table and thoroughly mesmerized by the fashion show, especially whenever Molly was on stage. During the intermission, she & Molly got matching t-shirts, and we went home with an AG-themed fashion gift bag. It was a very special event just for Kyrie & me!