Potty Training Hell

I really didn't think that it would be this difficult. Raleigh has always been so smart and cooperative, I thought that he would just magically start going to the potty. Boy, was I wrong. He refuses most days to even try. We have tried using positive rewards as enticements, like, "Raleigh if you go peepee in the big boy potty, we will give you 10 M&M's", or "Raleigh, if you go in the big boy potty, Mommy will by you something at Target." Does this work? Not with my son. I wouldn't stress about it so much except for the fact that his diapers don't really fit him that well. I don't think that they are suppose to fit a 42 lb. boy. I'm just saying. So, new plan of attack. Negative Reinforcement! "Raleigh, no t.v. today until you go to the potty." Friday, when my mom was up I decided to instill this rule. That freaked him out, afterall, he is a movie buff. He finally went and sat on the potty, grabbed his PeePee and said, "Come on PeePee." It seemed to work! He went and then we let him watch 101 Dalmations. Saturday, Pappy and PJ came up to watch the boys and the new rule didn't really excite them :) It worked though, he finally went around 6:00 that evening. Sunday, he didn't go at all, so we didn't watch tv. It was actually very nice. Maybe it will take care of his tv habit as well. This may take a while...

Great weekend!

We had a great weekend! My mom spent the night Friday, Bryan and I went on a date Saturday while Pappy and PJ watched the boys, and we spent the entire day Sunday outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Back to work I suppose, but it sure was refreshing...

Touble maker or leader?

So, Raleigh is kind of like Elvis at his school. Every teacher knows him and it is kind of like walking with a celebrity when I pick him up. His teachers just adore him and he has always gotten positive notes everyday. Well, that changed one day last week. I picked him up and he daily sheet said under how was my day: "OK day. Getting kind of rebellious". Well, that was quite a shock. I thought, Huh, not my kid. His morning teachers are gone by the time I picked him so I was unable to ask what it was all about. A few days later, when Bryan dropped him off, he asked what it was all about. This was their story: It was music time and they put down red squares in a circle for the kids to sit on. They got everybody to their square and had them sitting just the way they wanted them. They turned to get the music ready and Raleigh yells, "Eberyboby, way down." So what did the 16 toddlers do? They laid down. I guess it took them a while to get them settled again. I think it is more a sign of leader than of a trouble maker!

When is the right time?

So I went against millions of mothers everywhere...I gave Hudson a haircut. Now, I realize that he is only 2 months old, but I think that the rules of not cutting baby's hair don't really apply when your child is born with a mullet. I have to say, I did a pretty good job. He is cute as a button!

Raleigh at Work!

So, my dad has instilled this amazing work ethic in Raleigh already and he is not even 3! He is so helpful and is always willing to give anything a try. Yesterday, my neighbor was outside trimming up the Palm trees in our close. Raleigh was playing with his son Fisher. When Raleigh saw Fisher's mom Tracy hauling branches to the road, you could see the sparkle in his eye. He immediately got off of his little car and ran to the branches. He hauled branches to the road until they were all gone, almost an hour. What a sweetie!

So, I really love life with a 3 year old . Raleigh knows exactly what he likes and dislikes. What he wants to do or not do. One thing he loves is t.v.! I am sorry to say, he has become quite the junky. Yesterday, Bryan and I decided that he needs t.v. detox. We explained to him that he can only watch one movie a day or 2 episodes of a show. He decided that he wanted to watch the Backyardigans after school. I was good and turned the t.v. off when 2 episodes were done. He was surprisingly OK with it. We later had dinner and did bath time and I wanted to have him bed by 8:00 so that I could watch the biggest loser. He crawled up in bed and looked at me with those big blue eyes and said, "Mommy, I want to watch Hooker Pan". (AKA Peter Pan) I explained again that we were only watching one a day and he had already met his quota. He responded, "But Mommy, I want to. Pweeeeese." I guess I am the one that needs the detox because I gave in, tucked him in and turned on Hooker Pan. How could I say no to that?

Well... I figured I would jump on the band wagon and give this a try! I have so much to share, I will just have to find to time to keep updating. As you know, we added a beautiful new baby to our family on January 1st. I have been blessed to be off with him for 2 months. Well, I had to go back to work 2 days ago. Needless to say, it was difficult. I had enjoyed getting up with Raleigh in the mornings and eating breakfast with him and sometimes walking him to school. Then I would spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon bonding with Hudson before I had to pick up Raleigh. Going back to work has not only taken me away from Hudson, but also from Raleigh. I am sure it will get easier as the days go on (my mom assures me). The lady watching Hudson is so sweet and is such a perfect match for us. I know we are doing the right thing. He has decided to start taking a bottle, so that makes it a little easier to leave him. The first day, he only drank one bottle. What a little booger! He is as stubborn as his Momma...