Potty training....number 3

As both of the girls approached age 2, I started (and successfully) potty trained them. (side note: Ryan will admit he had nothing very little to do with this milestone). I'm not saying it was easy peasy, in fact, I probably shed a lot of tears. But the way I remember it, it was not terribly trying either. Fast forward many years, and along came Lincoln. He approached age 2, and I tried, without much luck one fall day, to potty train him. I didn't remember it being so hard with the girls! Plus it was 1 against 4 in this house and I wasn't getting much support from Ryan and the girls. 

So I quit. I would say that I was lazy, which I probably was, but in my defense, I was up to my eyeballs learning about Lincoln's food allergies which was a total game changer for all of us. 

Several months later (this past weekend), on a little bit of a whim, I decided to take the plunge again. This time, I warned Ryan and the girls to either get on board, or get out of the house :) I was fully prepared for them to leave for the weekend! But they didn't, and in fact, with only a little mumbling and one screaming episode (Sidney got peed on), they were even helpful! I have THIS pretty hilarious video (be warned....offensive language!), that I took one day as he was sitting patiently on the pot.

My plan is always to "pull off the diaper and never look back", and that's what we did. Stay home, drink loads of liquids, and pee. By day 3, Lincoln was a complete champ! I, on the other hand, felt pretty frazzled and was beyond excited to get out of the house this morning. If there's one major difference between boys and girls----aim! Ryan said it best today "it's like a missile"! Needless to say, the bathroom floor has been scrubbed many times/day because the boy has zero aim and makes a complete mess. One thing at a time, right!? 

Way to go buddy! We are so proud of you :) 

A new sport

I strive to expose the kids to a variety of sports. Let them try things (at least once) before making a decision about actually taking up interest. Sometimes, despite the battles it takes, I hit the nail on the head. 

And this time, I even surprised myself! 

I don't like winter much. I don't like cold. But if there is one thing I do like about snow, it's downhill skiing. But I'm no pro, so I knew that waiting for the kids to get a little older was in my best interest. Finally, this winter, I asked the girls if I could sign them up for skiing lessons. Ryan complained (it's expensive, they're involved in a lot already, and aren't they too young!?). 

Although there were tons of nerves and maybe a little whining this morning, an hour on the hill and they were both hooked! 

And good!

I truly was in awe at how well they both did. After their lessons, I couldn't get them off the hill! They spent another 1.5 hours going up and down, up and down. Don't get me wrong, they have a lot to learn yet as they only worked at the bunny hill today. But they loved every second and are so excited for next week! 

Click HERE and HERE to watch each of them in action. 

Way to go girls! 

Videos

Lincoln is catching on verbally and expressing himself in ways that I often can't describe without a video. The other day, I asked him what he wanted for a snack....and his response was that of a teenager. Listen for yourself: 

https://youtu.be/g8vIjPHVV4E

Is it bad that my favorite part of the video is his (fake) blown kisses to my "I love you". And my second favorite part is that he suddenly disappeared because he tripped on his own feet at the end. Toddlers are incredibly uncoordinated and our little guy ranks right up there when it comes to stumbling on himself. 

He's also learned how to softly ask "why" to every darn request/statement/comment that is made. Now I could find this mildly irritating (and eventually I probably will), but currently, I think it's the most adorable sound. And he knows it. You can see it in his smile that he knows he's cute. 

https://youtu.be/j3G96ewxOBI

And as for spitting out every bite of an apple?, yea that's his latest act. Talk about irritating! It's a mess. I feel like Hansel and Gretel with his trail of Apple bites! 

Oh how I love you Lincoln! 

Videos of Lincoln

Lincoln is like a sponge these days, learning more and more each and every day. Often, I will hear him repeat a new word out of my mouth and look at him with that "say it again!" look. In the last few days he has added the words: see, please, mine, dog and my favorite....no-no. 

I know!!!

How in the world can I be excited that he says "no no"?! Well, it's something that I've been working on with him for a few weeks. He mastered the word yes long ago, but then everything turned into 'yes'. It's like at my work when a patient perseverates on a word and that's all they say. Makes it unreliable.

So the other day during bath, Lincoln took a giant amount of water and dumped it out of the tub. My response was "no-no!"

His response.....click HERE.

I love it :)  

One word that he has yet to master is 'more'. He has his own version of the sign, and it is beyond adorable. For those that are unfamiliar, it is normally signed like this

Lincoln only puts his first fingers together, and it is so delicate and adorable. 

Click HERE to see his reaction to a police car zooming past and his perfect expression of what he would like to happen next.

We see that sign constantly, especially when he sees a dog, an emergency vehicle, a semi truck and more recently, when he 'toots'. :) What a boy!!

One final video..., he has his hands on Regan's recorder from school this past year (lucky for us, she gets to keep it forever which means we get to hear Hot Cross Buns on a daily basis). Lincoln has picked up on her tunes but has no idea how to actually make the sound come out, and so he hums a tune rather than blow. Oh how we love him so!! Click HERE to listen. 

Books

Both of the girls had a love for books at this age, and Lincoln is no different. Regan happens to have a bookshelf in her room and recently he emptied that thing in less than 3 minutes. Ryan forgets that the girls did these things too, and it takes just a few moments to clean up his fun. And so, I let him have his fun. 

Click below to listen to him "read". I've been trying to catch him for weeks and finally managed to do so! I just love his sweet voice as he works to make sense of the story. 

http://youtu.be/uYANQeRRcYc