Poop, snuggles, and other stuff

It might be a little premature to say this…but Coen is POTTY TRAINED! Hooray!

For the last couple of weeks we have talking, reading, singing (yes, singing…more on that later) about “going” in the potty. On Monday we took an eventful trip to Target to get Coen’s big-boy underwear which he picked out (Thomas the Train was the favorite) and we threw in about a bu-gillion more for the “accidents”. We drew a little chart for Coen to put stickers on for every time he sat on the potty chair and hung it up on the bathroom door.

We went the whole “positive parenting” route…cheering each time he got on the potty and if he had an accident just saying “oh look! You went potty, huh? Next time we’ll go to the toilet!” (By the way, if you are not a parent this post may bore you.)

The first day was a little daunting…we didn’t really know what we were doing, but I was of the – it’s one way or the other ilk – I didn’t want to drag on potty training if he wasn’t ready…and if he was…no more diapers (except nap and bedtime, until he got that all figured out). He had a few accidents, but learned pretty fast that he didn’t like being wet.

The second day he woke up with a totally dry diaper…but wouldn’t pee. “Uh oh! What do we do now?!” This is pretty much the first time in our parenting that we had NO control over whether Coen did something or not…we couldn’t redirect him, give him a time out, or coerce him at all. This was something he was going to have to decide. Back to the whole positive parenting bit…so we (Coen and I) were sitting outside in the swing and talking about the whole conundrum.

Me: “Coen, it’s okay to pee, you just have to relax a little bit.” Great…his bladder is totally going to explode and it’s all my fault.

Coen: “Noooooo! Oweeey!” wriggling around

Me: “You know what? Sometimes big boys think it’s fun to pee outside! Daddy just did it the other day when he was working in the yard (sorry to “out” you Dave) and it’s good for the plants!”

Coen: Thinking that is a GREAT idea runs over to the flowers and lets it fly…er, pour. “Mommy! Look! Peeing!”

Me: Thinking this may be the proudest moment of my life, and a little sad about that fact. “Coen! That’s so great!” We high-five a bunch of times and he runs to get Daddy.

And ever since that moment he’s been potty trained. How about that. Now he joyfully yells “Oh! Gotta pee/poop!” And then runs into the bathroom and does his biz. Pretty remarkable, eh? We’ve gone to restaurants, shopping, playing…and NO accidents. He even wakes up completely dry…we are SUCH great parents.

I just have to share a little song from one of the books we got for him…just picture me singing this to him…several time a day…for a week and a half now. He LOVES this book.

cough, cough  To the tune of “Take me out to the ball game” (I picked it just for you, Dad)

Go do poop in the toilet
Go do pee in the bowl
Don’t have to wait till the whole things filled
Just go a little, we’ll all be so thrilled
So please poop poop poop when you feel it
Just sit and let pee pee flow
You’re so big
And the potty is
Where all big kids go!

This is from the book “On top of the Potty – and other get-up-and-go songs” by Alan Katz and David Catrow. This book is hysterical! I highly recommend it, potty training or not.

Alright…on to the snuggles and other stuff…actually, now I’m pretty tired after writing all that so here’s the short version…below is a picture Dave took of Coen and I snuggling…oh and we’re working on the yard again…got the patio finished now we just need the get the lot seeded for grass (fertilizer compliments of Coen) and hopefully in a month we’ll have an actual yard! Hooray!

The Cinema

We decided to take Coen to his first-ever feature length movie today, since the weather was a little iffy. Coen hasn’t really seen many movies…and the ones he has seen have been pretty calm (Wiggles anyone?-I can’t believe I just said that).

We made it about 5 minutes into the previews before he burst into tears. But I did have a little time to snap a few pics. The staff at the theater were nice enough to give us our money back…but we were determined to still drink our gallon sodas and bucket-o-popcorn.

A little different

Do you ever feel like you are the only one who “squeezes from the middle”? Who casts aside habits that are meant to make life easier just so you can spend a few extra seconds doing things that matter more…like smiling at your child or reaching out to your thoughts?

Here is to a week filled with lackadaisical habits and meaningful moments.

 

And thank you Jonni for being the finder and sender of awesome things!

Ode to White Center

So I feel liked I’ve been givin’ my ‘hood a little too much hate in the last couple weeks…so here is my ode to “rat city” aka White Center.

Dear White Center,

      When we first looked into moving here we were thrilled with the inexpensive homes, accessibility to downtown, and diverse culture. We didn’t necessarily realize that we would also be subjecting ourselves to the neighborly meth dealer/prostitute, creepy dudes in wife beaters, and parents who think it’s totally acceptable to send their 6 year old to the park along with their two-year old…alone…although this might possibly be preferable to the parent who drives them to the park but then sits in the car the whole time and drinks a 40 while the children play.

    But you also have your good sides, White Center. Here are a few…

1) If I don’t feel like getting dressed and showering on a particular day…it’s totally okay! And even better, I can go around town and still feel like I completely fit in and actually feel pretty good about myself because I still have my teeth.

2) There are really great dollar stores here. In fact, a lot of our decorative items come from there and no one is the wiser…once we saw our doorstop in a fancy store selling for, like, 40 times the price we paid.

3) We are indeed very close to the city…in peak traffic it only takes me 20 minutes to reach downtown, and along the way I can pass judgement in my own privacy about the people that have really fancy vehicles, but live in a shack with 10 of their relatives because having a cool car is soooo cool.

4) I always feel like I am the best mother in the world…in comparison to all the completely crazy parents I’ve met here…and they all think I’m really “cool” ’cause I’m too much of a wuss to be like “uh, could you tell your 4 year old not to swear, please” or “Your kid is about to walk into the very busy street right now, dumba$$” (hey, I’m trying to keep this G-rated, but it’s hard!!

5) There are great taco vans around here…and I’m not trying to be funny on this one. They are fantastic!

6) I feel closer to God because, whether I like it or not, I can hear the sermon from three blocks away in our front yard…and understand most of it, even though it’s in Spanish.

7) I get to see, for real, the guys that make an exceptional living doing random illegal what-have yous. Before moving here I thought that the guy with the 6 different gold necklaces, baggy clothes and fancy, I’m talking fancy car was kind of a character, but now I know it’s for real…and the head honcho’s son plays with my kid everyday at the park and we’re on a first name basis, so I guess I’m “protected”.

   All in all, White Center, you are a quirky gal, but I’m glad to call you my home (or at least until my son is old enough to pass by the meth house and ask “Mommy, what’s that smell?”).

       Love,
          Kirsten

P.S. Here is a picture of a fabulous find at the dollar store today…and kid sized umbrella for the rain.

P.P.S This is meant to be “cheeky”, and White Center is actually very cute…(Dave is sensitive about this subject and wanted to make sure that I didn’t scare any of our relatives that live outside of Seattle).

Finalist!

Hey everyone! I am honored to be a finalist in a photo contest over at Me Ra Koh Photography Blog! On a whim I decided to enter one of the pictures I took on my New York trip. The contest’s theme was “water”. Click on her link to check out the other finalists (and my photo) and VOTE on your favorite one! Don’t feel obligated to vote for mine…I feel pretty special just to have my photo picked as a finalist. The deadline is this Tuesday at midnight!

Me Ra is giving away a gift card to a random voter, and if the votes get up to 400 she will also pick a random voter for Adobe’s Lightroom so get on over there! And for all you photogs she is holding another contest with the theme “pets” so submit your cute pet pictures too!

P.S. For anyone visiting from her site that is wondering about the picture I submitted…it was taken from under a thick plexi-glass stage, which was filled with water with the performers from Fruerza Bruta dancing and sliding on it as it slowly was lowered to about 6 inches from my face. This photo is straight out of my old Casio point and shoot. You can check out more pictures from this series here.

Me, or something like it.

When your husband is hard at work pounding pavers into the ground, what’s a girl to do? Well, get dolled up and take pictures of herself, of course! (warning – if you have never met me for “real”…I don’t usually look like this…or even close to it so don’t be disappointed should we ever meet outside of blog-o-sphere)

Holy @#!%!

This is what happens when you don’t read the directions on the back of the packet of zucchini seeds you planted that read “harvest often and when fruits are small”. I let this one go about 2 weeks before wandering back to my garden…I swear I used fertilizer once…and it was organic!

Rear Views

I’ve never really liked driving all that much. In fact if you asked me what kind of a car I drive I’d have to think about it for a second. Once, when my car got towed, I told the guy at the lot that I thought he had my car and he said, “well what kind of car was it?” and I replied “Uh…it’s grey…and a two door” we finally had to narrow it down by what street it was on when it got towed.

After Coen came along I really started to hate driving. Every time we stopped he would start screaming bloody murder…and we lived downtown…which meant at least one stop every block. That lasted until he was about a year old. Ugh! I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it!

Now it’s getting better. Coen will sit in the backseat and beat box, or name things he sees “tree, tree, tree, tree, building, tree” or sing songs. He likes to tell us that “green means go” and “red means stop” when we come to a light and when we finally park he’ll tell me how I did “too close to the fence mama” or “perfect!”

I guess, looking back (ha ha!), it wasn’t all bad…oh who am I trying to fool, it sucked…and I still really don’t like having to drive to get anywhere, I’d rather walk but now I live in the semi-burbs and will just have to suck it up until I can afford a driver of my very own.

Here’s a fun pic anyhow.

Get out your Kleenex…

…here comes another video from the talented David Geyer. Click on my new page “Videos” for another one that he made documenting Coen’s first 18 months. Make sure to turn up your volume!

Someday…

…we will live in a house with this kind of view, and we’ll have chic dinner parties with catering and service people…although it will probably be in a retirement home…in the middle of nowhere. For now at least we’re cool enough to be invited to share the glamour with the people who can afford it all!