A Mother's Day Post Interspersed with Pictures of the Children

The quote on the Mother's Day card my husband chose is from Anne Bronte: "But those who dare not grasp the thorn should never crave the rose."

Jer said Trader Joe's ran out of Mother's Day cards a few days ago, so he picked one out of the "encouragement" section--appropriate for my Mother's Day anyway, he thought. The inside greeting says, "I am so proud of you for being brave enough to try."

I don't think personal bravery has much to do with my mothering, but the rose-and-thorn metaphor is apt! Today contained plenty of both . . .

Jeremy took the girls after I nursed them this morning and allowed me a sweet fifteen minutes more in bed. Josiah came in about five minutes after Jeremy left and commandeered Daddy's pillow. These days he likes to cuddle in bed (in contrast to his wild self of a couple years ago!). He held my hand, snuggled up close, and closed his eyes. He was still a bit wiggly, but sleepy-sweet enough to make up for it. And how could I resist holding that little three-year-old hand?

After breakfast, Jeremy dropped his parents off at the airport (on their way to Hawaii!). He took Josiah along and came home by way of Trader Joe's to buy some Mother's Day gifts (among which was the card mentioned above). Josiah picked out a bouquet which he eagerly handed me upon their homecoming: "Look, Mama! Flowers!" He pulled open the makeshift wrapping paper to show me the chocolate-covered raisins they bought, too, and of course wanted to sample some right away.

We had the typical Sunday ups and downs. It's always a little crazy in our pew as we try to sing and keep the kids from impaling each other with pencils, drawing on the cushions, ducking into the next row, ripping the offering envelopes, yelling, crying, kicking, etc. After the singing, we took them to nursery and Jeremy stayed with them (the girls are in the throes of stranger anxiety and hate being left). I enjoyed sitting through the entire sermon!

Post-church meltdown started before we left the building and continued right up until I got burritos on the children's plates at home. This mollified them for a bit, but the meltdown commenced again as soon as lunch ended. Jeremy's cousin Nicole came over and distracted everyone from over-tiredness for a few minutes, and then we packed all three off to naps.

Coffee, conversation with Nicole, Jeremy cleaning up the kitchen, sourdough sticky buns . . . these were beauties of Mother's Day! The girls woke up before Josiah and entertained us all with their hilarious antics--Lydia doing her "funny dance" and "injured face," Abby walking backwards, both climbing in and out and onto boxes . . . the crawling and growling and close calls and belly-laughs. They're just so much fun these days, and the cutest two girlies in the world to boot. I love how they claim the limelight when Josiah isn't around.

Jeremy and I tag-teamed the rest of the evening so he could work on his deck project outside and I could clean up, make dinner, clean up again, and start the bedtime routine. We all went for a glorious bike ride in windy but beautiful evening weather, though--for me this was the crowning delight of Mother's Day!

Thorns and roses--the everyday work and wonder of motherhood--the little sufferings and little joys all ordained by God's goodness. Oh, I could get plenty more profound on this theme. But I'll spare the quote further wringing and just end Mother's Day glad for three years of being Mama.

Three years. Not much bravery, but plenty of trying. (Okay, I guess I did have a couple more things to say.) I think I'd like to see Mother's Day as a little Ebenezer: "Hither by Thy help I'm come. And I hope by Thy good pleasure safely to arrive at home."

P.S. Along with the usual bedtime songs, Josiah specially requested "You Are My Sunshine." He held my hand as I sang and gave me kisses afterwards.

Cute Kids

To offset the extra-long potty training post, here's a post full of pictures of our cuties from the end of April. I'll have a few more posts of May pictures coming soon!

Abby

Funny face

Lydia lounging

Lydia "roping stuff" in imitation of her brother

All three eating a snack

Wannabe cowgirl

Sweetheart boy

Sibling love . . . with a little bit of orneriness 

Abby insisting on more snacks

Enjoying being three!

Our other thumb-sucker

Potty Training: A Saga

Last summer I planned to potty train Josiah, thinking I could let him run around "nakey" (as he says) in the heat while he learned. We bought a little Baby Bjorn potty, and he enjoyed sitting on it occasionally. But baby twins and a two-year-old are no joke to take care of; I was still new at the twin thing; and Josiah didn't exude readiness . . . so I never worked up the courage or carved out the time to begin the ordeal of potty training in those summer months.

Since this past Christmas we had Josiah use the potty sometimes--when we thought about it or when he asked to. We rewarded him with chocolate chips, which did motivate him at times. Mostly he couldn't be bothered to stop his play and ask to go, though. The diaper was just convenient! He stayed dry most nights and naptimes, and he sometimes requested to be changed after peeing or pooping.

So as his third birthday loomed, I decided to force the issue.

We purchased a second gate to section off the living and room and dining room when necessary, and that was a great boon. I'm so glad I didn't have to constantly deal with the girls mobbing the bathroom when Josiah and I camped out in there. They hated to be left out of the fun, but poop, pee, and potty times three was just too much for me!

Jeremy and I rolled up the living room rug on a Sunday night in early April. I put flannel sheets on the couches Monday morning. When Josiah got up, we told him he would learn to use the potty rather than going pee and poop in his diaper. He would get one chocolate chip for going pee and two for poop. (Or more, if Daddy's on duty. Daddy tends to be more generous than Mama. He's been known to give extra chocolate chips just for Josiah initiating a potty trip.)

Anyway, I took Josiah to the potty before breakfast and confiscated his pants and diaper afterwards. He did object and asked for a diaper several times that day. But he mostly did his stuff on the potty! And he certainly claimed those chocolate chips. "I have five choc-chips, Mama?" he asked almost every time he produced something on the potty.

I think we had one pee accident outside that first day--not bad at all. I kept him naked-bummed for another two days (other than naps, nights, and outings, when I diapered him). We played outside a lot, and it was warm enough to play in the hose and water table, which he loved. He started preferring to go naked . . .

On the second or third day, I stepped inside to start a load of laundry while Josiah played with the hose. When I stepped back out to check on him, I noticed a smell. I asked if he pooped or needed to do so. "Nope!" he responded and ran off.

My nose did not deceive me, though. A gathering of flies led me to the unsavory pile Josiah left behind right next to the muddy sand hole he'd been playing in. So we talked about where we do and do not poop, I shoveled up the mess, and we haven't had another accident of that sort since! A few skidmarks in the undies aren't nearly as bad . . .

I required Josiah to make frequent potty trips those first few days and allowed him to bring a book into the bathroom for me to read while he sat. He fast discovered he could get out of less-desirable activities like "book time" and "room time" by hollering, "I need to go potty, Mama!"

For several days in a row, Josiah would make up to 10 potty trips during book time (which usually lasts 20-30 minutes). This meant I couldn't use those precious minutes to unload the dishwasher, clean up breakfast dishes, start laundry, check e-mail, etc. Instead, I'd supervise a little tinkle on the toilet, make sure he washed his hands, help him put his pants on, and get him back in his seat with books only to repeat the process two minutes later. (Thankfully the continual potty trips have lost some of their appeal now, and I don't spend half my time in the bathroom anymore!)

By the fourth day, I started having Josiah wear underwear. Usually his first pair would get soaked (with hose-water) and sandy when he played outside mid-morning, so he'd strip down and run around naked until I made him wear another pair. He didn't see "big-boy underwear" as the rite of passage or big deal that I kind of hoped he would. Apparently running free is all it's cracked up to be, though--other than the grit in the crack (which meant a bath most "nakey" days).

Big-boy undies are more versatile than you might think!

 

 . . . at least for making Mama and Aunt Bobo laugh :)

Pantsless preference and lots of sandy undies aside, we're glad and a little surprised that potty training has gone so smoothly. In less than a week, Josiah was effectively potty trained.

We didn't cancel outings or rearrange our schedule that first week. From then till now Josiah has done a great job staying clean and dry when we're at the store, over at friends' homes, in the car, etc.

Public bathrooms are a bit of an ordeal, since he seems to touch everything and drops his pants on the floor before I can stop him and looks under the stalls and tries to drink out of the sinks and is scared of the hand-dryers. But we've survived and he's stayed accident-free when it matters most. Yes, that's pretty exciting!

It has been a little tricky navigating this potty-training stage with Lydia and Abby needing supervision, love, attention, and food, too. Emergency potty trips always seem to occur when I'm trying to nurse the girls. So I tear myself away (literally), unlock the gate for Josiah to get through, leave two devastated and wailing babes behind ("They're in jail!" Josiah says gleefully when they shake the bars of the gate), and speed him to the bathroom in hopes of attaining the toilet before bowels or bladder let loose.

What a style! What a girl!

 

All in all, these days Josiah does pretty well. He doesn't need as much supervision, so I can send him to start his business while I finish what I'm doing, and then I go into the bathroom to help him wipe and wash up. He often gets himself on the toilet without even telling me. Actually, he's too self-sufficient sometimes: he likes lots of toilet paper (but only one pinch at a time), lots of soap, and lots of water.

I put Josiah's little potty outside, and he uses a kid seat on the big potty inside. This arrangement works well most of the time. The other day he did opt to poop on the little potty and pee in one of Jeremy's big buckets from Home Depot that he found on the patio. And Jeremy showed him a spot in the back corner of the yard that he could pee in if he couldn't make it to a potty in time . . . so Josiah has definitely taken advantage of that.

We ordered two ImseVimse training pants (padded with a PUL liner sewn inside) for naptime and nighttime, so now Josiah doesn't wear diapers at all. Jeremy is thrilled at the impact this will have on our budget and has started encouraging Lydia to sit on the potty before bed each night. (Abby shows no interest; Lydia at least likes to sit.)

One down, two to go!

Oh the Love

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1). 

These pictures of sibling love are good for my soul, even if they're not exactly an accurate picture of normal life . . .

 Could they be any cuter?

 Apparently not. The cuteness can only go down as, inevitably, the love gets a bit overbearing . . .

 All three in one photo--quite a feat!

Abby and Josiah

 Three hat-loving kids

 Sisterly affection, too!

After all that cuteness, here's a reality check--the sweet embraces usually turn to wrestling pretty quick:

Third Birthday

This year Josiah understood the essentials of what it means to have a birthday (song and cake feature heavily), and for weeks he anticipated the celebration of his. I coached him ahead of time on his upcoming new age; he regularly claimed he'd be five, and only when prodded would he reduce it to three. (He thinks five is quite a large number. He usually asks for "five chocolate chips" when he poops on the potty. Typically he gets two.)

We had a small celebration for him the day before his birthday. Jeremy's mom was here, cousin Nicole came over, our friends James and Jamaila came, and a neighbor family with two little boys came as well. I asked Josiah a few days earlier what kind of cake he wanted, and he replied, "A different cake!" Since he usually just eats frosting off cake and leaves the actual cake part, I decided to make a mint chocolate chip-oreo ice cream dessert that my siblings and I enjoyed during summers at the Baynes'. It was a hit!

Even though he was out-of-sorts most of Saturday, he had fun at his little party and gobbled up plenty of the ice cream-cookie stuff. He couldn't just sit still and eat it, though, because it was so much fun to hunt tigers with his friend Leo or play t-ball with Mr. James. So he went back and forth. 

We also got a dozen helium-filled balloons which were perhaps the biggest highlight of the day (week?) for Josiah. His sisters and the neighbor boys loved them, too. We still have a couple deflated, unpopped ones hanging around that Josiah and Daddy "shoot" at each other.

This year Josiah knew exactly what to do with the three lighted candles on his "cake"; he knew all about the happy birthday song; and he loved to announce in a loud proclamation to anyone who'd listen, "Happy birthday to 'SIAH!"

Ready for that cake!

Grandma and Nicole

Mr. Newhall and Josiah

Leo and Mossimo

Abby

More T-ball; James would set the ball down and jump back quick as he could to avoid Josiah's swing! Josiah sent the ball smack into James' chest a couple times

Three-year-old!

Lydia

Jamaila and James

I asked Jeremy to take a few pictures of Josiah and me before church on Sunday, his actual birthday. Josiah wasn't really interested in posing for pictures . . .

Not thrilled with Mama's plan

I asked him to just smile for the camera--so he contorted his face for a half-second

Actually looking pleasant!

Success!

We forgot to take a picture of Josiah blowing out candles at his little party, so we re-enacted on his actual birthday (yes, he had already eaten part of the dessert)

He didn't object to another chance 

Another fast "smile" in response to Mama's request

This is what he really wanted to do . . .

All in all, I think Josiah enjoyed his third birthday, both the small celebration and our day-of family activities. We saved our presents and his great-grandma's packages for him to open on his actual birthday, so that evening was a very exciting time of ripping paper and pulling out new toys and setting to work on puzzles and reading new books.

He loves to scare his sisters with his remote-control car from great-grandma, and he ropes Jeremy and me into helping him with one of the puzzles from her just about every day (soon he'll be able to do it on his own!). We've read Sylvester and the Magic Pebble many times since Sunday. He and his sisters can build bigger towers with additional duplo. He loves to don Nicole's present of a head-lamp, often along with Grandma's gift of a cowboy hat. So he's already gotten lots of enjoyment out of these birthday presents! He loves the cards he's gotten in the mail, too (as do the girls--they especially love one with a doggie on the front from Great-grandma and Great-grandpa--they bark at it and hug it), and he's had lots of fun tearing into mail sent just to him!