He's Sick

Evan vomited a couple of times last night and once this morning. He also has a slight fever. This is the first time he has had a stomach virus that has included throwing up...hopefully, it's a quick one.

Poop and More

We went out to eat on Saturday night with the in-laws...somewhere that Evan has never been. He gave the usually few screams as we pulled into the parking lot and fussed all the way to the table. It was fairly crowded, but luckily, we found some tables in the corner that we pushed together.

Soon after we sat down, he got really upset--with tears. It was rather noisy, but his reaction still seemed a bit extreme. It didn't take long to figure out that it was the noise of the ice being dumped into the ice bin that bothered him. Really, though, it's not like we were right next to this ice bin! I carried him around for a while to get food (a buffet style restaurant), and he was content while we did that--not happy, but content. He wouldn't eat much, only applesauce and a few meatballs. He was right next to the window, so he frequently pointed outside while saying (whispering) "bye bye."

On to today: He had diarrhea six times today!!! Amazingly, 4 out of the 6 times was on the toilet; the other 2 were in a diaper. Although this time it "may" be a bit of an illness, there is something not right with this kid's bowel movements. Friday and Saturday he only went once on both of the days--on the toilet :)--, but both times it was pure diarrhea! He has NEVER been constipated a day in his life. That's sound like a good thing, but unfortunately, he is quite the opposite. I've tried narrowing it down, but I don't think it's as simple as that; there just seems to be so many foods that give him icky, runny poop! Example: Cheerios or any other cereal that I can get him to eat! That one I'm 99.9 percent sure about. Sometimes, when was take a food out of his diet, there seems to be a change for the better, and we think, "Oh, that was it." But then after a week or so, it's back to icky. He has slight ridges in his nails, and from what I've read on-line, that can be a sign of malnutrition/malabsorption. He has a doctor's appointment on Friday. I'm wondering about an allergy to gluten, but I want to get the doctor's input on all of this before I make any drastic changes. It could be something completely different.

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In other Evan news, he recently walked down our stairs with just holding onto the railing with one hand and the other hand against that same wall. I was standing at the bottom of the stairs while he was doing this, with my heart going thump thump very loudly.

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The number of shows on TV he can watch without getting upset is getting smaller and smaller. These shows, in order, are now out: Super Why (that was the first to go), Dora the Explorer, Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse Club House, Winnie the Pooh, and, this one, which he just got into not too long ago, is still touch and go: Blue's Clues. He also recently started watching Veggie Tales, but there are scenes that make him really upset. A new one for him is Sesame Street, so far, so good; he's in love with Elmo, but I can be fairly certain that relationship is going to deteriorate quickly. The one that he likes that seems to cause the fewest problems for him: Tom and Jerry. Really, though, he doesn't watch much TV with "his shows. " He takes note of the games shows his brothers watch, NASCAR, and most recently, Monster Trucks. Matt and I watch that together in the mornings at 7. It's actually quite entertaining...for now.

Lemon Pound Cake

On a recent quick stop at my parents' house, I was offered a piece of cake; mom likes to bake--I'm often offered something good! :) This time, it was Lemon Pound Cake. It didn't look too particularly appetizing, but oh my, it's good! So moist! One would never guess that there were white chocolate chips in it. I made one this afternoon.

Lemon Pound Cake

Cake:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 ½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
Zest of 2 lemons
1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
(melt chips in microwave for 1 minute on 70% power; stir well)
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup buttermilk

Glaze:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup confectioners sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. Stir in lemon zest and melted white chocolate. Add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk.
3. Butter and flour a Bundt pan; pour cake mixture inside. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. While cake is still in pan and warm, mix together lemon juice and confectioners sugar to make glaze. Brush half the glaze on exposed surface of warm cake. Invert cake onto plate and glaze top of cake.
4. When cake is cool, slice and serve fresh berries.

Success!

Maybe it was something in the air yesterday...just like Ian, Evan had a major accomplishment yesterday!

Evan went poop in the toilet yesterday!

I have to say, the day definitely didn't look like it was going to head in that direction. He had diarrhea--3 times before noon--and, well, I won't write the details on that. But, because of that, I thought we were going to take a day off of potty training.

In the evening, though, because it had been a while since the diarrhea, I put the training underwear back on. Although he's been doing fairly well with keeping them dry, he wet in them. So, I brought him to the bathroom to get him out of the wet stuff, and I put him on the toilet and asked him if he needed to do more...often when he does go in the underwear, it's not a lot. I put him on the toilet, and he started pushing! And out it came...he pushed some more...and out more came...and again!!! I was sooooo proud of him!

The potty training is going better than I expected. I'm thankful that I'm home this summer to be able to work on this...it is a full time job!

What's Playing at the Movies

Chelsey has taken Kyle to the movies a couple of times recently---Night at the Museum, and Monsters and Aliens. A couple of weeks ago, this is what Chelsey found on her calender.

As you can see--in case you weren't aware--Transformers starts on the 24th.

Father's Day Golf!

Kyle and John are going to a Father's Day golf tournament today!!!!!! Yes, that deserves all those explanation marks!

John called me a few days ago from work to tell me about this tournament. Chelsey has commitments at church today, so she's not available. She can golf, but I wouldn't say it's "her thing." John asked me to see if one of the boys would go. If anything, I thought Matt might say yes. He's gone with John and John's friend a few times; he doesn't play, but he likes to drive the cart. Kyle, though, was the one that said, "Sure, I'll go." We asked both of them several times during the past few days, thinking that Matt would change his answer to "yes," and Kyle would give us a big "nah." But it never happened!

I don't think Kyle has ever gone on 18 with John.

Rewind: Golf is John's thing. When the kids were little, we bought the little plastic golf sets for them. With help, they messed with them a little. We also tried miniature golf. Yes, family fun time...it's amazing how something that is supposed to be enjoyable can turn so stressful! ;) We don't do it often, but they now enjoy mini-golf. Now for actually swinging a club, their cooperation level is a bit low, their coordination is also lacking, and their patience...hmm. I know John would love to have them as golf partners; I think we'll get there!

So, I'm guessing Kyle won't be swinging the club today--maybe a couple of swings-- but he'll probably be doing some putting and some driving of the cart. John explained the situation to the ones running the event, so their scores aren't going to be an issue.

I'm just so happy that he wanted to go!!!!!!

Kyle has a way of making me laugh. This morning he exclaimed, "Well, today's the big day!" And I smiled, thinking that he realizes how wonderful it is that he's hanging out with his father, on Father's Day, at the golf course. I should have known better because he says that expression often...EVERY TIME there's a NASCAR race on! So, yeah, when I asked him why, he said, "The NASCAR race starts at 5!" :)

Evan's Discovery

Evan discovered today that his mattress on his toddler bed (formerly his crib) isn't attached to any part of the bed...it can come completely off! How cool is that! AND, if he tries hard enough, he can get his leg stuck between the mattress and the frame (several times) so that I go running to his room to check why he is screaming so loudly! (Although, honestly, I figured it out after the second time.)

Ugh...

Its Gonna Take Time

Day 4 potty training: Actually, a better name would be "getting accustomed to the fact that someday he will be using the toilet on a regular basis." But I guess potty training is much shorter and easier to say.

He's doing fairly well with it. I've decided to use the underwear instead of the pull-ups so that he notices a difference. Of course, diapers/pull-ups are used for sleeping and out of the house trips. I'll also use them for days when we may need to take a break. This isn't anything that I'm thinking has to be accomplished soon; I'll realize

Its gonna take time

A whole lot of precious time

Its gonna take patience and time

(anybody recognize the lyrics? I've been singing them quite frequently throughout this process).

In the beginning, I was met with some resistance to the idea, but now he seems to be starting to "get it." When I ask him if he needs to go, I either get, "No!" or his hand on his stomach as he says,

"Peaz" while trotting towards the bathroom.

Sometimes, if it's been a while and he doesn't respond with either, I make the decision that it's time.

The biggest reward for him is being able to put toilet paper into the toilet---little pieces at a time. He has been accompanying me to the restroom for at least a year now--he's quite insistent on it--I sometimes have to sneak in so he doesn't know I'm in there. During the trips when he is with me, he feels it necessary to get the toilet paper for me. Thanks, but it's usually--okay, never--enough.

Anyway, when he's on the toilet, I let him get a couple of pieces to put in the toilet, and then he's not allowed to have more until he goes. Also, while he's sitting there, I use the power of suggestion. I point and say, "Wow, look, here comes the pee-pee!" He then looks, and makes it come out! And now that I'm doing that, I DO remember saying that with the boys when they were going through potty training.

Now, the number 2's, I don't know how we're going to get that accomplished...his are so loose.

I Think He Can, I Think He Can...

My first day of summer vacation was yesterday! Hooray! I thought I'd feel so wonderful when that day came, but really, I felt completely exhausted all day yesterday--not a way to start vacation. I think it was a combination of just plain winding down, and the fact that the day before when I was cleaning my classroom, the overhead abruptly slid from my hands (I had grabbed it by a compartment that opens--oops) and hit me in the temple...ouch. Really, ouch. There was a little swelling right away, but that went away with some ice, and the bruise/red mark left is very small.

I feel so much better today and ready for the break. Sooo, I decided that today would be the day to start potty training. What!!?? Yeah, we'll see how it goes. I think I've typed these words before---I DON'T REMEMBER POTTY TRAINING THE BOYS. It's so bizarre, because I DO remember potty training Chel--it was right before she turned two. I remember the little potty chair, setting it in the kitchen, and giving her M&M's for rewards. I know the boys were potty trained when they were 3, and that once Matt was trained during the day, he never had an accident during the night, and that when Kyle was around 6 or 7, I told him he wasn't going to wear diapers to bed anymore (even though they were wet every morning), and from that night on, he never wet the bed. But that's it. I'm guessing it wasn't easy, but maybe like childbirth, I've forgotten just how "painful" it was. lol

Day one with Evan:

I put the thick, big boy underwear on him this morning after he woke up around 7:30.

Around 8:30, I started taking him to the bathroom every half an hour. He protested, but the Elmo potty seat helped distract him a bit.

I poured the warm water.

Nothing...until 11:00....he clapped, smiled; I clapped, smiled. And I thought to myself, "Look how long he can stay dry-- 3 and a half hours!" Well, no. First, he didn't drink very much in the morning.

To sum up the next hour, he went pee 3 or 4 times---the first unscheduled time he had taken off the underwear, and I saw him looking down there. As soon as I saw a single drop, I said "no" and rushed him to the toilet. He went a little. He then went a couple more times--a little each time--in big boy underwear. Sigh.

We'll see how it goes. I definitely don't want this summer to become a stressful time. I'm thinking I'll buy some pull-ups to take some of the pressure off of following him around, although I'm fairly certain he won't want to keep those on.

Besides the fact that I'm on summer vacation,

part of my reasoning for doing this is that he doesn't like to keep a diaper on...especially when he goes to bed. I have to put the diaper on, a pair of underwear over that, and then a onesie to keep him from taking it off. And during the day, he'll often take it off right after he wets in it, or like the other day, poops in it.

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It's been absolutely lovely having Chelsey home for the past month. In just a short time, she has taught Evan where his hair, ears, nose, teeth, eyes, belly button, elbows, fingers, knees, toes, and "tooshy" are! After we ask him where they are, he'll point to them and then say them fairly clearly.

His favorite is his tooshy.

He gets on his hands and feet, sticks his tooshy up in the air, and says "tooshy." So funny. Sometimes when we ask, he starts to point to the wrong body part, but then catches himself and corrects himself. Funny again. Yesterday, I grabbed the camera to try to record this, but he had been doing it a while, so his "performance" was a bit week. I'll try again when he's refreshed.

The Magic of Trains

What is it about trains?

When Evan and I went for our walk yesterday, we heard the train coming so we diverted off our usual path to go and see it. He doesn't like loud noises (that's an understatement), but, of course, this was a train--exceptions are made for them!