Finally potty training

Okay, so last time we tried potty training, in November, we had several accidents in a day and reverted to pull-ups. Four days ago we tried it again, and although my nerves were frazzled from expecting an accident every five minutes, Chris pointed out at the end of the day that Eli had only had one accident. He wore underwear to school the next day and...no accidents! Day four, no accidents! I guess he's finally ready. With one month to spare before baby #2. Then we have a bunch more diapers to look forward to, and perfect timing for Eli to regress, which I hear happens a lot. Oh well, it's progress at least.

Speaking of baby #2, we have a few names we like, and are feeling them out. Which do you like?

Andrew
Evan
Cameron

Up until last week, we had no names, now it seems we like a new one every day. We may have a new one tomorrow! Stay tuned! =)

Two Years

Mom has been gone for two years now. It is as hard to believe that she is gone as it was the day she died. I still can't wrap my head around it. She was the central personality in our immediate family and, to me at least, in our extended families. Holidays and gatherings still feel empty without her. They always will. She would have been happier than anyone at our Thanksgiving celebration on Friday about the five babies age two and under. Mom used to dream about the day we'd have a lot of kids at our parties. It is here, and she missed it altogether. There was no better gift-giver, and no one I enjoyed shopping for so much. I always wanted to match her talent for finding the perfect gift. I miss sitting on the couch and watching tennis with her, shopping with her, cooking with her, and waking up to her french toast. I wish we could enjoy Eli together and talk about motherhood and what I was like as a baby/toddler. I thought I was prepared to miss her. But the hole she left in my life takes me by surprise every day. I guess that's the down side to being so much to so many people. The hole.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

This is a big week for us. We have started the process of potty training and are planning to move Eli into a big bed tomorrow night. I never planned to make two big changes at the same time, but he suddenly seemed ready for both, or maybe I'm the one who's ready. I can't guarantee that we won't all freak out and revert to diapers and the crib by next week, but we're trying. Wish us luck!

My Little Baby Duck

It seems like some kids are in to being "big kids" but Eli is not one of those kids. He's going through a phase where he loves for me to sing "Rock-a-bye Baby" to him. He still eats in a high chair and sleeps in a crib. He's even been referring to himself as "baby" sometimes. I think this has something to do with the anticipation of his baby brother and him sensing that he won't be the baby for long. I am afraid about what this might forebode for when the baby is actually here.

He's also a bit of a baby on the playground. If another kid, especially if it's an older boy, tries to take something from him, he hands it over. If he gets pushed or shoved, he cries and runs away. In a way I wish he would stand up for himself, but I also kind of love that he's still my innocent baby. And I am proud that he isn't the one doing the bullying.

Eli videos, old and new

We just downloaded videos from the past two years, and I'm asking myself...how did Eli get from here...




To here?

Conversing

Eli has a wonderful vocabulary, but for the longest time it seemed like he mostly repeated what other people said, or talked about what he was thinking about. He still does that when he's feeling lazy, or not really paying attention, or doesn't understand what was said. He used to be bad at answering questions with a response other than yes or no. But lately he has started to converse with us. It's most evident to me when I pick him up from preschool and he tells me what he did. This is something that I was not a part of, and he is telling me about it. It's hard to explain how weird and exciting that is. I mean, we spend almost every waking hour together, so he doesn't have a lot to tell me that I don't already know.

Today was fire safety day at preschool. The fire safety van came to school and apparently some firefighter(s) showed Eli's class how to stop, drop, and roll, and how to spray out a fire with a hose. I know all of this because Eli told me. Weird! The whole thing had quite an impact on him, I think more than any other experience he's ever had. He talked about it all day, and even showed us how to stop, drop, and roll. I wish I could have been there to see the whole class doing it.

Also, when I was driving him home I asked him if he had any friends in class. He said "yes". I asked if he knew their names. He said "CJ". CJ! I happen to know this is the name of one of his classmates, but I don't know the kid. Eli was invited to CJ's birthday party. Now, it's possible that he knows CJ's name because CJ gets in trouble a lot. But still, it made my heart glow that Eli was able to name a friend...one that I didn't know.

Going to try to write more, I promise!

I've decided to make this more of a "Mommy Blog" and less about our family in particular. That means more writing about the trials, tribulations, and joys of being a mom. But before I get to that, I have some Talley business to attend to.

In case you haven't heard by now, and I'm not sure if anyone checks this blog anymore, much less anyone who doesn't already know this information, (please send me a comment if that is you) I am having another baby, he is due in February, and yes, he is a boy.

To be honest, I really wanted a girl. But the way Eli keeps talking about his "Baby Butter" (translation: Baby Brother) he is getting me excited too. And at least I still won't have girl hair to deal with, and maybe a little less pre-teen angst when the time comes. And yes, they can play together. They can play with their cars and trucks and spiderman and swords and leave me bewildered but trying to keep up. At least I like sports.