My Littlest One

I blinked and Grayson is now 8 & 1/2 months old!  Where did month 6 & 7 go?  Oh wait, I remember now, those were during the holiday season! 

My littlest one is growing up too fast.  He is on the fast track to catch up with Joshua and Saray.  He wants to be right in the middle of the action and so enjoys their presence.  He still squeals at the top of his lungs with glee and absolutely adores it when Saray or Josh play peek-a-boo or some other silly game.

Grayson is still army crawling around my house, yet to convert to regular, easier crawling; I have a feeling normal crawling isn't too far off.  Even though he simply army crawls, he can be quite fast!  One minute he is in plain sight, then the next he is gone, off exploring, even adventuring down the 1 step we have in our house.

I love this little one named Grayson, he adds so much extra joy to our lives.  I couldn't imagine our lives without him.

P.S. People ask if we'll have more kids.  To answer that question...God willing, yes.  When?  Not yet....gonna wait awhile.

If You Don't Suceed the First Time, Try Again

Six months ago we set out on a potty training journey with Saray and Joshua; Saray had some interest in it, but hit a wall shortly after having a big success.  I guess she wasn't ready.  Joshua had no real interest in potty training at the time.  And I had very little interest and time in cleaning up extra messes.

But, on January 10th I finally decided it was time, so I started potty training the twins, again.  Boy, has it been exhausting!   Adding a little more work to my already chaotic day, makes for a very long & tiring day. 

So far, Josh has peed on my couch, pillows from the couch, kitchen floor, carpet, and he has peed twice on our in-floor-dinosaur heater (while it was on - yeah, that's just gross.) He has also had some success peeing and pooing in the potty chair, about 8 times in about 5 days - not bad.  It's a good place to start. 

Saray, on the other hand, is really catching on; since we started on the 10th of Jan, she has only had one minor accident!  She has been staying dry from 2-3 hours at a time.  And if she does have to go, she tells us or answers yes if we ask her.  She even wants to wear underwear (last time she wouldn't look at them.)  She really enjoys the rewards program (special sticker on her potty chart & 2 Reese's Pieces). So, she is down to wearing diapers only at nap & night time.    Not bad, not bad at all.  Now we just need to work on her trying to put #2 in the potty chair...that will take some time, I'm sure.  But hey, I am happy with the success we have had so far.

Good Nite Moon

My children have always been early risers.  And I have always been one that likes to sleep in past 9am (well at least I used to be like this).   Anyway, almost 2 months ago I just couldn't put up with the fact that my kids were wide awake at 5am (sometimes 4:30am) and ready for the day.  4:30 and 5am is just far too early for me and them.  By 10am everyone was exhausted, included me.

I did some research and found an incredible clock for the kids...well it's not really a clock for them but it for us.  It's a moon by night and sun by day.  You set the time when the moon comes on (come on at 6pm, a hour before we put the kids to bed) and then it switches to the sun at 7am.   It has worked wonders!

Now the kids actually sleep in til 6am or later, and most of the time they play quietly until 6:50 or 7am.  When the sun "comes up" at 7am, Saray shouts "Momma, the sun is up!"  And that is when the day begins.  But if the moon is blue, and if the kids happen to wake in the middle of the night and absolutely need to be checked on (like someone is screaming bloody-murder, etc), we make sure we point to the blue moon and generally they quiet back down pretty quickly.  We try our best, especially now, to refrain from talking and eye contact (tip from "Healthy Sleeping Habit, Happy Child"). 

Anyway, it's a great tool, especially for kids that don't have a real idea on how time works and how to tell time when looking at a digital clock.  Plus, I get at least 4 to 5 days a week where I have at least 30-50 minutes to myself in the morning to have some time with God.   Yeah, so I don't get to sleep in anymore, but I do like the fact that I get to spend some time in the Word and with God, and I am not having to start my running after kids at 4:30 or 5am anymore.  There truly is a time for everything...including sleep and running after the little ones. 

(This clock may look big, but it's hardly bigger then a softball.)
We have it hanging on the wall so both kids can see it.  The only con about the "Good Nite Lite" is that it plugs into an outlet like any other night light, it doesn't have a normal cord like you would find on a lamp.  So we had to do a little "fixin'" to make it work for the twins' room.

Update 2/17/2011:  I got this through Amazon, type in 'Good Nite Lite' and it will take you to the right place.  It is a little spendy (close to $40), but my sanity was worth it...is yours?