It's a No-Go

Well, all the signs were there that Sawyer was ready to be potty trained (including his willingness & positive feedback about the idea). Yesterday was our big day of attempting the "one day method", one on one, no distractions, all drinks & all potty everything. By the end of the day he hadn't caught on to his "potty urge feeling" even the slightest. He was positive & upbeat, never complained about doing any of it, loved his underwear, helped me clean up every accident happily, but never on his own had even the slightest clue when he was about to "go", to even have a chance at going to the potty himself.
Last night I went to bed so confused about what to do next. According to the method I'd done, he was supposed to have gone potty on his own by the end of the day (usually less time, even). Do I do another entire day of that? Do I just keep him in the new underwear, having clueless accidents every 1/2 hour? Do I go buy those "cool sensor" pull-ups I saw advertised on tv until he starts to understand his body better?
This morning I continued on with having him sit on the potty at opportune times, putting him in his new underwear. Not only did he not go at all, but he really didn't want to go. He was starting to hate the potty and any talk of doing it. Wow, what a change from yesterday!
Now what?
After all the reading I've done, all the advice from the doctors who wrote the "What to Expect..." series has been spot on with raising Sawyer & hasn't led me wrong. I've decided to use their potty training rules, and not push him (once a kid starts showing hate, it's a problem). I'm in no rush to potty train him, I only tried because I really was convinced that he wanted to. If you push when they don't want to, it can really scar them, plus take much much longer than it should, and you're just making more laundry (and frustration) for yourself. Silly.
Plus, so much of the literature say that, in general, boys are older before they start to "get it", usually around 3 1/2.
There are also so many stories of just waiting until a child is a bit older, and they actually are the ones who come to the potty on their own, ready and willing, and practically doing it themselves. It's not like Sawyer is in some rush to get potty trained to start at a preschool or anything, so why not wait until he's truly ready?
So I prayed last night that I'd be in tune with him and what he needs, so that I wouldn't destroy his chances at successful potty training in the future either. Today, Sawyer and I had a very deep, gentle conversation (you'd be surprised how deep our conversations can get sometimes :), where he told me he'd like to "put the potty away, and have diapers back on" for awhile. I think that was the answer to my prayer- an actual answer of what Sawyer needs right now- FROM Sawyer. I was very pleased with the way he talked with me about it all, and felt surprisingly ok with that decision.
It looks like I'll need to make another trip to the store for diapers.

Sawyer's Masterpiece

We had this big box from buying Sawyer's new bed, so instead of throwing the whole thing out, I thought it looked like a great place for him to paint!

Behold, Sawyer's first enormous masterpice:

Size: 30"x 50"

Medium: Crayola washable paints, mixed with whatever grass was stuck to his feet

First ND Game- San Diego State!

Joe and I are so glad we're able to attend the football games and be a part of the "magic" that's on campus on each of those Saturdays.

It all starts by waking up in our student housing the sound of private planes and jets coming in nearly constantly (undoubtedly well-do-to alums coming in for game day), helicopters patrolling overhead, swooping back and forth, and watching people gradually fill the streets, walking towards central campus.

It was gorgeous weather (high of 75* and mostly sunny), and we headed up to campus a bit before noon to check out the festivities and attend the MBA luncheon. Here's Sawyer with his very favorite ND friend (and next door neighbor), Jonah, hanging out on campus:

Sawyer enjoying a Sprite at the MBA tailgate lunch (yum, he rarely gets soda unless it's something special like this). Thanks Updikes, for taking the cute pic!!

A full stadium, before the game. This was the 400th football game in Notre Dame Stadium, and the 200th consecutive sold out game.

FIRST ND TOUCHDOWN!!! I love catching everyone's arms thrown up in the air at that moment; why is that our natural reaction? Interesting...

Gathering to congratulate the receiver in the endzone:

ND WINS! 21-13!

I took a few video clips and threw them together into one video. Be impressed by the enormous marching band entering the field, the band playing the ND fight song, and the fighter jets flying overhead before the start of the game (enjoy the sound, make sure you don't blow out your computer speakers)! I dedicate these clips to Ashley and Kimberlee, who couldn't be at the game yesterday. We were thinking of you guys!

All Grown Up!

My baby! It broke my heart to take his crib apart and tuck it away. The original plan was to keep him in his crib until graduation & moving away from Notre Dame. He slept so well at night and still took a 2-3 hour nap every afternoon, I didn't want to disturb him.

Unfortunately, the little boy is practically begging to be potty trained.

It turns out, you can't have a potty trained boy who's still zipped into a crib at night. He needs to be able to get out to go potty.

Hence, the crib had to go.

I made sure to get a bed that would remind him of his crib, to (hopefully) not upset his sleeping patterns as much. Last night (his first night) was a complete success! Joe put him to bed, and he didn't get up even once.

We'll make sure he has a week or so to adjust to sleeping well in a new bed, and then get started on the official potty training. I'm going to attempt the "one day" program & see how it goes. Ulgh- I've kinda been dreading this. Hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised...

Sawyer's Time Out

Hahaha I had a great laugh at something Sawyer said today. Let me give you a little background. After a time out, I ask Sawyer "What did you learn?", after which he replies enthusiastically with whatever the situation was, i.e., "Listen to Mom!", "Don't hit people!", etc.

Situation: The phone rang, and Sawyer ran over to it. I called out "Don't touch the phone" (he's never allowed to play with the phone). For some reason this time he still grabbed the handset, then dropped it back down on the hook, thus hanging up on the person. I sent him to time out.

When I retrieved him from time out and asked him what he learned, he had a touch of dislexia & replied:

"Listen to the phone, and don't talk to Mom!"

I wish he were old enough to explain to him how what he said was funny & enjoy the moment together, but oh well; I still laughed out loud and will share it with you.

My First Time...

...making jam, of course. It was much easier than I'd imagined. Well, maybe because I just did freezer jam as my first attempt. The canning process still scares me. I think I need to settle down and have a bigger house before I start making long term food canning investments anyway.

I attemped some raspberry jam and I'm very excited to see if it turns out! Even if it doesn't, it tasted so good liquidy, that I'll probably just dip bread in it anyway!

One More Beach Day...

So, it was our first Saturday back at Notre Dame, and what did we do? Tried to savor the last heat of summer & headed out to the beach! Lake Michigan feels a lot colder than I remembered. We shouldn't have been spoiled this summer by the Atlantic. I do have to say, though, that I actually prefer swimming here than in the huge ocean waves (and salt). This summer I went home with a lot of headaches, lungs full of salt water, and scrapes all over legs and arms from being pummelled by waves. They both have their advantages! But we had a great day here!

Sawyer's First Race, September 13th!

We're so excited for our little athelete, Sawyer! We just registered him for his very first race, which will be September 13th!

The "Salmon Chase Races" happen every fall in downtown South Bend, offering a 10k, 5k, & a "Guppy Run" for kids ages 2-7. We've been really excited about getting him involved in some sports, and were really happy he was old enough for this! Joe will be running the 5k earlier in the morning (go Joe!), then Sawyer races at 9:00. Come back for pics after!

Fallingwater

On our drive back to Indiana from D.C., we stopped to tour Frank Lloyd Wright's famous house, Fallingwater (in Pennsylvania). It's preserved as a historic site, still everything in its original form and furnishings. After driving over half an hour off the interstate, nearly killing our car going through mountains and canyons, we finally arrived; and found out that kids under six aren't allowed on the tour... *hearts sink*

Luckily though, we could still do the "grounds tour" with Sawyer. We could still get up on the outdoor patios and balconies, and look in all the windows. Outside is of course the best part, so it was ok. I've never liked Frank's style of indoor decor anyway, so I wasn't disappointed with not seeing everything inside.

These stairs actually go from INDOORS, in the living room, straight down to the river so you can sit at the base. I love it! Probably not a very kid friendly option though. Maybe someday...

Balcony, hanging over the river with no support underneath:

Sawyer hit his elbow and was crying. Instead of kissing it himself, Joe told Sawyer to kiss his own elbow. Haha I'm so glad I snapped the picture in time! By the way, if any of you can actually kiss their own elbow, let me know. I'd love to see it!

A Day in D.C.!

We were so happy that we were able to squeeze in a trip to D.C. on our way home from North Carolina last week! It was mine & Sawyer's first time there, but Joe has been before (he has had family out there nearby). A BIG BIG thank you to Joe's aunt and uncle for letting us stay in their home in Silver Spring, even though they were out of town!

Lincoln Memorial, Reflection Pool, WWII Monument

Joe feeding a squirrel M&M's. Haha :)

Beautiful engravings on the WWII Monument.

Part of the WWII Monument that blew us away. Each star on the wall represents 100 U.S. deaths (click on the pic to make it bigger).

Vietnam Memorial:

Lincoln Memorial:

Washington Monument:

Dinner at the Red Rock Canyon Grille in Silver Spring, MD. It was our first time there, and it was great food & service. In the big opening behind Joe, there was a live band playing guitar, bass, steel drums & bongos.