Potty Stress

Twins...they make life complicated.

Potty training...it's not something to be taken lightly.

Put the two together, it's a surefire why to make a person crazy.
Real. Damn. Quick!

Everett is determined that he wants to use the potty.

We bought the unders. Now it's just me holding things back. This mama is not ready to commit!

So, we've tried a less formal approach. Just put him up there at certain times of the day.

Then last week (the moment that sparked the shopping excursion for unders) he decided he needed to be naked.

"Mommy, my snake nekked too! Pleeeaaaaasssseee!!!"

What's a mommy to do?! So I let him be naked. And had an inner panic attack about every 30 seconds. And probably every five minutes the panic escaped right out of my mouth as:

"Everett, remember, we don't pee on the carpet!"

Smooth, right?

It's okay, the smart little stink got me back for it. While they were eating lunch, I may have let the little catch phrase slip for the 37th time.

His random reply a short time later:

"Mommy, no pee on Beckett! No no pee on Beckett!"

Ha!! What do you do with that besides laugh?

The good news, he never did pee on the carpet. Yay for that! The kitchen floor and the leather couch on the other hand...thank goodness for clorox wipes! But he did go in the potty too - a couple of times. He even did the serious business there. So I called it a success for the day.

And the next day, he asked for a diaper. Whatever. Why not? Diapers it was for the rest of the week. I just chalked it up to him not being ready, and I didn't want to force it. So whatever.

Until he found the unders. Then he was determined he needed to wear those. So we had another day of me panicking every few minutes and being anxious All. Day. Long. 

It's not even just the accidents on the carpet that causes me stress.

We set the timer for 30 minutes. He goes willingly for a while and will sit there, but then wants down before anything happens.

Do I make him sit up there every time until he goes?? That seems like a lot. And if not every time, then how do I pick and choose which times he does?

Do I distract him with games and songs and books? Or does that take away from him actually trying to go? Or how do I help him figure out letting all of it out?

Because what kept happening was he'd go a little in the potty, and five minutes later empty his entire bladder on the couch. Lovely.

Those are the normal potty training stresses. Now add the fact there are two of them! 

Beckett has no desire. His interest still stops at wanting to flush. The end.

"No under-airs! No no potty. Mommy, no thank you, I not want the potty!"

Which I don't really mind. Except...

The little stink gets sick of Everett getting so much attention all day. Understandable. So now while I'm sitting in the bathroom with Everett (trying everything I can think of to get him to go)
Beckett is playing DE-STRUC-TOR throughout the living room.

Or he is in the fridge.

Or he is climbing the chair onto the counter.

Or he jumps on the couch.

Or he just HAS to have chocolate milk right that second.

So, the solution:

Twins just don't get privacy. And it seems absolutely natural for them to just be up in each others' space. No clue one is half naked. Not caring one tiny bit!

And the real solution - put potty training on the back burner. I'm in no rush. I will put all of my procrastinating powers into putting this off a little longer.

Yep, we bought the unders.
Yep, Everett wants to wear them.
Nope, my sanity just can't handle it alone.

So until Daddy can take a couple days off to help us, potty training will wait.

My sanity needs to wait.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DENA!

I've been a bit of a grump this week. I don't want to do anything. I just want to be a grump. And a slob. Staying in my pjs all day would be okay with me if I didn't have to go to work.

And it's all my sister's fault.

Her birthday is today. A milestone birthday. And I'm not there. I don't get to help her celebrate it. I don't get to be there to give her a huge hug, go shopping and take her out for ice cream. I even forgot to put her card in the mail. But it was a dumb one anyway. No card said it just right.

And for a second, I almost didn't make this post. I didn't want anyone to get jealous or upset or think I don't care as much for them. I love my family. All of them. And, I love my sister. I think she is great. I want the world to know it. Plus, it helps me feel a little better. 

So if you want to be offended, that's your choice. It's not my intention though.

But I won't hold back on her special day to let at least a small portion of the world know how great I think she is, and how lucky I am to have her as my best friend.

So, in honor of her milestone birthday here goes:

40 Things I love About Dena:

1. She listens.

2. She vents.

3. She knows exactly how I feel and tells me it's okay.

4. She always knows just what to say.

5. She takes on crazy adventures with me.

6. She goes shopping with me and is every bit as cheap as I am.

7. When we go shopping, she picks out the exact same things as me from across the store. Multiple times. Every time.

8. She sends my mom the exact same birthday card I did, without ever knowing it beforehand.

9. She loves my crazy children - she listens when they call, she answers when they facetime, she cares about every dumb milestone or every new thing they learn that I get so excited over!

10. She is an amazing example of what a mom should be like.

11. She reminds me it's okay for the kids to be kids. Let them make a mess!

12. She sends me pins on Pinterest.

13. She will wander through a fabric store with me for hours and not care that we didn't buy one thing.

14. She opens their home to us any time we say "We want to come visit"

15. She makes the 600 mile trip with 3 kiddoes to come see us.

16. She gets excited over little things like I do.

17. She is the greatest piano player I have ever known.

18. She is selfless.

19. She sends random notes in the mail.

20. She loves Dr. Pepper.

21. If she orders before me at a restaurant I can simply say, "Me too!" down to every last detail.

22. We can have five conversations going at once, and still understand exactly what the other is talking about.

23. She gets the stresses of being a mom.

24. She encourages me to keep running.

25. She knows that it's really not 'all good', but there is not any other option - so we keep going.

26. We can train in different states, yet still end up running the same pace during a race.

27. She is always working on bettering herself - which inspires me to do the same.

28. She knows who my friends are and what is going on with them.

29. Nobody makes a better frozen yogurt (or Coldstone) date.

30. We laugh. And laugh. And then laugh some more.

31. We can have the most fun just sitting on the couch together.

32. She lets me be myself.

33. She has an amazing testimony of the gospel.

34. Every moment is a teaching moment.

35. She melts down too.

36. She genuinely cares about people.

37. She forgives me for not sending a birthday card for her BIG birthday!

38. She knows as much as we want to see each other, sometimes a phone call just has to suffice.

39. She supports her husband in everything he does, regardless of what it means for her.

40. She's just fan-freaking-tastic.

She's amazing. I love her more than any list could ever do justice. This list doesn't make up for the fact I can't be there, or that I can't help her celebrate, or that I forgot to send her a birthday card.

But hopefully, just a little, it will brighten her day. Help her know that she is wonderful and amazing. Because she is. And I love her.

So, Happy Birthday sis! I love you like crazy, and miss you so much. Hope it's a great day!

Shopping for Unders

Why do I have to make things at least thirteen times harder than they need to be? I just get all wrapped up inside my own head, and something simple becomes a major life decision.

Today's example: buying toddler underwear.

Now, yes, it is a big milestone moment. We are beginning the potty training process at our house. So far, nothing extremely formal - but the process has definitely begun! 

Yet, when I decided today that we needed to buy unders for the nuggets, it was an all day process!

We stopped at Target on Saturday, and I just should have bought them. However, I wanted the boys to be involved and pick their own. It would make them more likely to wear them and get excited about it, right?! Not at 10 o'clock at night. They didn't care. Not even a little. And then when I finally did get them interested, all Everett wanted was Ariel panties. 

So Tadd proclaimed Everett must not be ready! Ha. 

And then last night, E peed in the potty!!! Wahoo!

And this morning, he pooped in the potty! BIG wahoo!!!

And this afternoon, he peed in the potty again!!! Oh goodness. 

Every time I put him up there today, he went in some form or another. Apparently he is a little more ready than either Tadd or I cared to admit. 

Beckett - he just wants to flush. The end. His interest stops there.

Still, knowing Everett was even a little bit interested, I figured we might as well get some unders ready and start getting at least a little more serious about it.  And so the journey began. 

I grabbed my trusty laptop and started searching. Target. Amazon. Walmart. K-Mart. Shopkpo. I looked everywhere I could think of.

Bottom line - the dumb things are just expensive. End of story. It doesn't matter where you buy them. They are just pricey little things! 

Still, I searched on. Trying to figure out which characters would be the best and would keep their interest/motivate them the longest. I called Tadd at work. I sent him some messages. I debated internally for a great while. 

Cars? Planes? Monsters Inc.? Frozen? 

(Yes, they make Frozen underwear for boys!!) 

Despicable Me?  Toy Story? Thomas the Train?

Far too many choices. All of their favorites. 

Even after I decided on which characters, I still had more to think about. 

Do I haul the boys into the store and have them pick some? Will it really matter that much?! Or do I just save Mommy some sanity and order online? Then I have to worry about paying shipping if I order from Walmart or Target. And I have to wait for them to get here. If I do decide to take the boys to the store, what if they don't have a good selection?! 

Ugh. I should have just bought the dumb things at Target.

Curse Logan for not having a Target!!

Ultimately, none of it even matters a little. I know that. They are going to wear the dumb things. And have accidents in them. And fight over who gets which pair of Planes underwear. Or be upset that I didn't buy the Power Rangers kind when they see them in the store, even though they have no concept of who the Power Rangers are. Our nuggets are two. Almost 2 1/2. Their opinion will change by the second. Potty training will be awful regardless. 

Potty training is coming! 

Well, really it's kind of here, I'm just in denial a little.

So wish us luck. Pray that I can keep my crazy thoughts somewhat in check.

And shed a few tears with me that my tiny boys...

October 2012

Have somehow gotten this big already!

December 2014

Secret Weapon

If you've every wondered how I manage with twins...the answer is quite simple.

Besides the fact I don't really have a choice -it's simply survival mode some days!

The reality is I have a secret weapon.

We call it...

Daddy!

This guy is amazing. Truly, I do not know how we would make it through a day without him.

Whether it is him picking up slack around the house - and he picks up a LOT of slack folks. He does dishes, laundry, garbage duty, bathrooms - yep, even the TOILETS!

Or sometimes it is the sheer fact he answers his phone at work for the seventeenth time in a morning to listen to me ramble about something completely unimportant. 

"The boys are so funny...."

"Oh they just did the cutest thing..."

"How the hell do I handle this?!"

"They keep hitting each other..."

"Please tell me it is 5 o'clock..."

"I didn't get a chance to..."

"Remind me later..."

He gets several phone calls in a day. And graciously gives his attention while I ramble to get whatever I need out of my brain. Otherwise, I just might go crazy. Literally. As a mom of twins, there is a lot to think about in a day. If I held it all in, I guarantee there would be an epic explosion. The kind with a puff of smoke and nothing but dust left of what used to be me.

He is supportive. You name it, he supports me in it. Simple as that.

I just kinda like him. Well, okay, not just kinda...I most definitely and completely think he is wonderful. As I read article after article on how marriages are hard work, or hear about miserable relationships, read about divorces...I find myself lucky. Totally and completely, incredibly lucky. 

Yes, he drives me crazy.

The dishes might not be as clean.

He doesn't fold laundry the way I do.

The vacuuming is only around objects on the floor instead of under them.

BUT, he does those things. Not many guys would be willing. Or willing to take on the kids most nights of the week - let alone TWINS. He is solely the bedtime guy at our house. Mommy is just a hindrance. They don't sleep at night for me. Only Daddy. Which truthfully breaks my heart some days...but then again, I'm grateful he is willing. Grateful for the great husband he is. Grateful. Just completely grateful.

He is an awesome secret weapon. The one weapon in my armory I truly couldn't live without. We could do without fruit snacks. Or candy. Or ice cream.  I could even handle a day without television. I might even go a day without Dr. Pepper. But a day without him, our life just wouldn't be possible.

So thanks, all, for reading a slightly mushy and gushy post. I just had to tell somebody besides him that I think he is pretty great!