Blankie crisis averted

If you have spent any time with Jacob in the last year, you know that he has a favorite blanket. He absolutely cannot go to sleep day or night without it. I'm not sure how or why this particular blanket became "the one" but it did, and now we hold on to it as if it were made of pure gold. Mark and I have had many "what if" conversations about blankie disappearing and we really don't want to know the answer to that. A long time ago, I went looking for a duplicate blanket just in case and couldn't find it anywhere. I knew I had received it at one of my baby showers in the Fall of 2006 and it was from JCPenney, but whenever I went to a JCPenney and looked for it, I could never find the same one. I even scoured JCPenney outlets in case they carried products from past seasons without any luck.

Today I had a disappearing blanket scare. Jacob and I went out this morning to the post office and then to a morning playdate. When we got home, it was nap time so we went upstairs and jumped into bed to read books and sing songs. He immediately asked for his blanket and I realized (or thought) we had left it downstairs earlier in the morning. I went downstairs looking for it and could not find the darn thing anywhere. I checked the car thinking maybe we had taken it out with us and it wasn't there either. I looked in every room and started panicking. I came back upstairs and told Jacob I couldn't find it and asked him if he remembered where he had it last and he just had a meltdown right then and there. Mind you, he was tired because it was nap time, but I knew I was in a severe danger zone. Where was that blanket?! I felt so bad for him and frustrated at myself for not keeping a better eye on it. I asked him if we could sing songs and go night-night and he just kept saying "NO! I want my blankie!!! Blankie mommy!" I decided I'd go through the house one more time to see if I missed it before. Sure enough, I went to the back of our bedroom closet and there it was (it's a Texas master closet folks, and it's huge, and I had no idea he had taken it all the way to the back of it and left it there earlier that morning.) Ugh, what a relief! I came upstairs with blankie and it didn't take but 2 seconds for Jacob to fall asleep. He was so happy.

After this episode, I knew I had to take action and find a duplicate blanket just in case this ever happened again. I looked at the tag and it was barely legible after all of the washing over the last 2 1/2 years but it said "Bright Future" on it. I started searching the internet and could not find the same Bright Future blanket. I used all kinds of search words to find it..."Bright Future blanket", "Bright future JCpenney blanket", "Bright future multicolor baby blanket", etc. It wasn't until I searched specifically on "Bright future plaid pastel blanket" that a posting from ebay appeared and I found a woman on ebay selling the exact same blanket!! SCORE. It was the only one I could find anywhere so I grabbed it.

Hopefully this will keep our blanket anxiety to a minimum in the future. Oh the things we do for our babies...

Jacob with his blankie at 5 months (notice how blankie always appears with paci):



Jacob with his blankie at 11 months:



Jacob with his blankie at 14 months:



Jacob with his blankie at 18 months:



Jacob with his blankie at 21 months:



And the blanket I found on ebay (yay!):

The things that make a 2 year old laugh

Jacob has a bunch of these little toy Tonka trucks that have hard hats on them. He loves to find all of the trucks with the hats and line them up on the floor. The first time he really noticed that there was a hat on the truck, he said "Momma, the truck has a hat on" and I said "He does! Isn't that SO silly!" and we got a good laugh out of it. Now he loves all the trucks with the hats.

See exhibit A:



I took Jacob to get his haircut today and when we pulled into the parking lot, I pulled up next to a Papa Johns Pizza Delivery car. Jacob looked over and said "Momma! The car has a hat on! Look! The car has a hat on it like my truck! THAT IS SO SILLY!" and he literally started laughing so hard he almost fell out of his car seat. He thought it was the funniest thing he's ever seen!

See exhibit B:



I can see where he noticed the resemblance. You really needed to be there, b/c he's had me giggling about it for the last 2 hours.

By the way, happy 30 weeks! 10 more weeks to go!

Operation Potty Train: Day 3 - the Final Day

Yesterday marked Day 3, the final day of the 3 day potty training program. I mentioned that Jacob woke up slightly wet at 5:45 in the morning so we didn't start off completely dry but it was still a good start to the morning since he came downstairs and told us he needed to go. We were feeling brave, so we took Jacob to breakfast at Panera in his big boy underwear (well, we put shorts on him too). :) :) We weren't gone long, so he didn't actually have to go while we were out but it was still a good test for us. We are proud to announce that Jacob stayed dry the whole day without any accidents and told us each time he needed to go use the potty.

The only hiccup we ran into was Jacob's need to go #2 on the potty. He hadn't gone all morning (and he usually has a bowel movement first thing in the morning) b/c he was "scared" to go on the big potty. He told us numerous times that he needed to go, but then when we'd put him on the potty he'd say "nope, no poopies" and jump off. The book says not to force it, so we just let him wait it out. We gave him some prunes to help the "movement" along and Mark put him down for his nap. Shortly after, Jacob started crying and said he needed "to go poo on the potty". Mark took him to the potty and just kept saying encouraging things (that's my super husband!) and said he'd hold Jacob's hand the whole time. Sure enough, Jacob finally pooped in the potty! The pride on his face was just priceless. He immediately had to run downstairs and tell me what he had done. We were so proud of him! So, now that we are over that hump, I'm hoping that he won't have such a fear of going #2 on the potty. The rest of the day was great and he stayed dry all day long (even through a trip to Target and Subway) and told us whenever he needed to go.

He went to bed normally last night around 8:15 pm and unfortunately, we heard him at 5:30 this morning. I'm not sure what to do when we hear him so early now. He knows to wait until the light turns green on his clock (at 6:30 am) before he can get out of bed, but if he wakes up and needs to go, he shouldn't have to hold it and wait. He wasn't crying -- he was just playing in his bed so I was hoping he just woke up early and would call for us if he needed to use the potty. Sure enough, at about 5:45 am he started calling "Mommy/Daddy, I need to go poo poo!" I shot out of bed and ran upstairs but I had already missed the window. He was dirty but he wasn't super wet, so we went straight to the potty and he peed on the potty there. He probably woke up and needed to go but was holding it which I feel horrible about. I'm not sure how to handle this piece of the puzzle, so I'm going to use the "mentor support" from the author of the book and post a question on her website.

Otherwise, I would say that Jacob is completely day-potty trained and the book kept to its promise. In fact, this morning, I took Jacob to the Doctor (b/c now he is coughing and sneezing -- I'm just spreading my illness around!) and then we went to Walgreens to pick up some medicine. At Walgreens, he told me he needed to go and he went on the potty at Walgreens which was our first test of being out in public and him needing to go. I really am amazed at how well he's done. I know there will be accidents...and night time is going to be harder to master, but I am just so excited about the progress he's made in just a few short days. We have a few challenges ahead of us -- a long car ride to Houston coming up this weekend and a plane ride to Chicago next Thursday so we are hoping/praying that Jacob continues down this path of success!!! I certainly will never underestimate his ability to learn new things in the future. He continues to astound us with how flexible and understanding he is when it comes to change. This is only something we can hope for with Baby #2!!!

This ends my Potty Training play-by-play. I promise that I won't be talking about pee and poop in every post going forward! In fact, take a look at our adorable little man laying with his Daddy yesterday on the couch. There is just something so incredibly stinking cute about the two of them, isn't there?! Jacob has become QUITE the cuddle bug and Mark and I are eating it up. When we sing him songs before nap and bedtime, he'll take our arms and wrap them around his little body. If we move an inch, he'll pick up our arm and drape it across his body, just the way he likes it. Now really, does he have to turn into a man someday? I certainly wouldn't mind him staying this way forever.

Operation Potty Train: Day 2

As I posted earlier, Day 2 of potty training started on a high note because Jacob woke up completely dry. We were so excited! Unfortunately, I was going on the 6th day of being sick with what I thought was just a common cold. My coughing and wheezing had gotten so bad that I woke up at 3 am having trouble breathing so I knew I had to go see someone (even though I should have listened to Mark and gone to the Doctor when he told me to a few days earlier). So, first thing in the morning, I went to urgent care and found out that I have bacterial bronchitis. They put me on antibiotics, an inhaler and cough syrup with codeine and told me to drink lots of fluids and get lots of rest so that this doesn't turn into pneumonia. I certainly don't want to go there!! I called my OB and he says baby will be fine with these meds and the important thing is just getting better. Unfortunately, all this means is that poor Mark has felt the brunt of the potty training effort since I have been, to an extent, out of commission. And he has been such a GREAT sport about it!!

But, Mark did inform me that the only accident Jacob had all day yesterday was when he went #2 in his underwear. He admitted to us that he's scared to go poop on the potty so this is something we're going to have to work on. Outside of that though, he consistently tells us when he needs to go to the potty and goes without any accidents! This is great progress!

Last night, before bed, I asked Mark what the chances were of Jacob waking up dry again (as I was very skeptical). He said "60 percent". Ha. So, you can tell we weren't fully convinced that this nighttime potty training would be as successful as daytime. Well, at 5:45 this morning (45 minutes before his green light comes on indicating it's time to get up), Jacob came downstairs and was a tiny bit wet. Mark went back up with him and took him to the potty where he went on the toilet and then Mark put him back in his bed. I was surprised to hear that his bed was completely dry, so we think he woke up and had to go, but couldn't wait for the green light, so he came downstairs to get us. What a smart kid!!! Unfortunately he didn't go back to sleep but he and Mark laid in his bed until the green light came on at 6:30 am.

I would say Day 2 was another success! Day 3 is going very similarly but I'll post about that tomorrow so that I can give a full report. Some of you who read this blog have asked about this program and how it's going, so I am trying to include details so a) I don't forget when it's time to potty train #2 and b) to help you guys out as well!! Please wish us another great day and dry night tonight!

I promise to post more fun blogs in the near future. :)

Operation Potty Train: Day 1

A few weeks ago, Mark and I decided that we were going to start potty training (seriously) very soon and knew we had to have a plan of attack. I'd heard about the success of this 3 day potty training book and decided to purchase it online. Mark and I both read it cover to cover (yes, I have a super supportive husband!) and decided to start this weekend since we had no big plans.

The gist is this: At the beginning of Day 1, you commit to not using diapers ever again. (The author is pretty hard core and tells you to throw all of your diapers out, but I am certainly not that brave. Our diapers never saw our trashcan.) Then, you put big boy underwear on your son and make a big deal about how much of a big boy he is and you take him to the potty and tell him that from now on, he needs to keep his underwear dry and only go pee/poo in the potty. For 3 days straight, you are not allowed to leave his side. When you see that he is about to go, or has an accident, you immediately rush him to the toilet. And for 3 days straight, you have to tell him every few minutes "Tell Mommy/Daddy if you need to go potty, okay?" or "Don't forget to keep your big boy underwear dry!" to continue to remind him to be aware of when he has the urge. When he goes on the potty, he gets a reward (in our case, M&Ms).

Yesterday morning, Jacob was super excited about wearing his big boy Diego underwear. He sported them around the house proudly. Sure enough, a little time goes by and he has an accident in our room, so as soon as he started to go, I ran him to the potty and let him finish there. Then we just reminded him that when he needs to go, he has to tell us so that we can take him to the potty. He had another instance like that when we were in the living room and once again, I just took him straight to the toilet and let him finish there and reminded him to tell Mommy when he needs to go. A few hours later, he did just that! He grabbed himself and had a look of panic and I took him straight to the potty and he held it and went there! The day was filled with successes like that (although he doesn't yet understand his urge to go #2 -- which unfortunately went right onto Diego's head on the underpants). At night, the book says to limit the drinks they consume a couple of hours before bedtime and make sure they go potty right before bed. You keep them in their underwear EVEN AT NIGHT and expect to be changing sheets/clothes in the middle of the night. We had extra sheets, underwear and pajamas set out for the night for when this happened. Mark and I were *super* skeptical. He went on the potty right before bed and Mark put him down at 8 pm as usual.

Here's the shocker: Would you believe that kid did not have ONE accident all night long and woke up DRY?! We heard him at 6:30 am and I ran upstairs to see what kind of mess we were looking at and everything was DRY TO THE BONE! I was shocked! This kid always wakes up with a VERY full diaper. Sure enough, he sat right on the potty and went for the first time in the morning. Can it really be this easy?! Or are we in a honeymoon phase?!

We are so proud of our little guy and the way that he listens and follows directions. I think it truly helps that he is excited about going on the potty and always has been..but it still amazes me that he catches on to things so quickly. I know we haven't mastered potty training yet by any stretch of the imagination, but I will take this success as it comes!

Dora the Explorer Live!

There is no mistaking the fact that Jacob's all time favorite show right now is Dora the Explorer. He LOVES Dora. In fact, earlier today in the car he said "Mama, I want a Dora toy. I love Dora toys." I don't know what it is about that silly girl, her triangular haircut and purple backpack, but the kids adore her.

We've been wanting to take Jacob to one of those live shows where he can see the characters in person singing and dancing on stage. I REALLY wanted to take him to a Wiggles concert but we will be in Chicago the weekend they are here in Dallas. So when I learned that Dora was coming, we jumped on it. We didn't even tell Jacob that we were going to see Dora until Saturday morning because I didn't want to have to hear about it for weeks before the day actually came. He seemed excited when he found out we were going to "see" her at her "house" as opposed to on the TV. When we got there, he couldn't WAIT to get to our seats.

As soon as the characters came on stage, Jacob's face lit up. He sang the songs and interacted with the show (jumping when they said jump, answering when they asked questions, etc.) He was totally into it. He just sat on me and Mark's laps the whole time and didn't want to move!

We will definitely be going to more of these types of shows. We all had a great time!

Parks, parks and more parks

It seems like Jacob and I are headed to some sort of park almost everyday. Unfortunately, most of them are "indoor parks" where we can play without dying of heat stroke. Today we met our Friday playgroup at the Choo Choo Station inside the Grapevine Mills mall. This place has a cute little train they can ride every 10 minutes, 2 play areas and TONS of Thomas the Tank Engine wooden train track sets the kids can play with. Jacob was more interested in rolling his trains around on those train tracks than he was in riding the real train!

The best place to go outside though is a Splash Park, and Jacob is a big fan of this one in Cannon Park. He's always tentative at first and won't go on the splash pad with all of the spraying fountains unless he has my hand (or unless I am carrying him), but after a while, he musters up the courage to run through the sprinklers on his own. And how exciting it is when he does it all by himself!









The whole family went to the Safari Park last weekend. It's a cute indoor place with "wild animal rides", a play structure, a choo choo train and a mini golf course. I'm not a fan of giving Jacob a long metal stick to swing around (especially with other kids close by), so we had to watch him carefully. Mini golf is still a few years down the road in my opinion...









Too bad this came out blurry :( Would have been a great pic!

I passed!

I had to take a glucose test on Monday that screens for gestational diabetes (GD). Apparently, some women develop diabetes during pregnancy because their insulin production changes. My doctor in San Francisco wondered if I had GD when I was pregnant with Jacob in Chicago since he was such a large baby, but they never tested me back then. Since he was concerned, I was totally stressing about this test. But I just got word that I passed!! I guess the Broxtermans just make large babies (Nanny can attest to this!) I am so relieved as I don't know how I could handle a strict diet for the next 12 weeks.

Speaking of diets, my Doctor also informed me that I had gained 8 pounds since my last appointment (4 weeks ago). His exact words were "Um Angela, we like to see a 1 pound per week weight gain...not a 2 pound per week weight gain." Thanks Doc. I was already stressing about the monumental change my body has made in the last 8 weeks or so. It's like the baby just exploded! For some reason, with this pregnancy, I did not start gaining until very late and all of a sudden, my body is making up for it. I'm still on track to gain in the normal, healthy range (of 25 - 35 lbs.) although, admittedly, it will be in the upper end of that range. But, I think I need to start laying off the sweets!! Jacob and I have been going on 45 minute power walks in the neighborhood very early in the mornings, but it's getting harder and harder to convince him to get in that stroller when he knows he's stuck there for a while. And he seems to have lost interest in the scenery (after seeing it all the time) and playing our tried and true game of "tag the fire hydrants". I guess I need to come up with a new route -- and a new game.

Today's walk provided a little more excitement than usual. We were cruising along the sidewalk when the cutest little tiny bunny jumped out in the path. He continued to bounce next to us for about 10 paces and Jacob was just beside himself. "I want to grab him! I want to hold him! I want to love him!" Poor kid. I had to explain to him that wild bunnies don't like to be grabbed...or held. Maybe loved -- but that bunny was too dang fast for me to catch. That's for sure.

Monkeys!

The baby's room is coming along so I thought I'd post a pic. I still need to get drapes on the windows, but I love our monkey walls. :)

A Jacob Funny

I hope you don't find this inappropriate to post. Unfortunately, our poor son may be mortified years from now that I post some of these things he says. After his bath tonight, I was drying him off and he looked down at his chest and said "Mommy, what's that?" (pointing to his nipple). I wasn't sure if this body part had a kid-friendly name, nor did I have the creativity to come up with one, so I said "Jacob, that's your nipple." To which he responded "Mommy, I want to take it off" as he pinched at it and tried to yank it right off of his body. I winced, (as a pregnant woman, watching him do this was pure torture), but then I started cracking up. I said "Jacob, you can't take it off. It's part of your body. That will hurt!" After pinching and pulling at it a few more times, he started to believe that I was telling the truth. And the laughs keep coming...

Paradise Pond

I joined the GCS (Grapevine/Colleyville/Southlake) Mom's League a few weeks ago and was invited to join a Friday playgroup whose kids were all born in 2007. Two of the mothers are pregnant with their second so it's a good fit for us. I've really enjoyed meeting and talking to the other mothers in this group and look forward to getting to know them better. We've only made it to 2 playdates so far, both at a place called Paradise Pond. We love this place!!! Let me tell you why...

1) It's indoors (it's over 100 degrees everyday here people. We don't go outside anymore unless it's 8 am or earlier)
2) It's got little play areas with all kinds of themes. One play area is all cars and trucks, one is a grocery store, one is all legos, one has dinasours, there is a dress up room with all kinds of costumes and play clothes, they have a baby roller coaster, jumpy house AND a large climbing structure. There's even more stuff I'm not thinking of right now!
3) It's clean (which is more than I can say for a lot of indoor playgrounds)
4) It's open from 9 am - 11 am. Perfect timing for Jacob and I as we are up at 6:30 am and he naps at noon. After playing here, he is totally ready for his nap b/c he is exhausted!
5) It's $1.00 per person (ONE dollar!!! In San Francisco, this place would have cost us $10 each!)

Anyway, our playgroup met there yesterday and since Grandpa was here, he tagged along. The unfortunate part about the large climbing structure is that there is one particular place where Jacob gets stuck and can't continue to climb. A couple of weeks ago, I had to ask other older kids to help him up and one time, had to go in and rescue him myself. But once he got to the top, he would slide down the large, windy slide by himself without any problems.

Yesterday, for some reason, he was scared to go down the slide alone. Let me tell you, this slide is FAST. It's a large tube that winds around in circles and at the very end, it's raised about 2 feet off the ground. Kids come flying out of that thing at outrageous speeds and their butts land right on the mat underneath with a big SMACK! I don't blame him for being scared -- even if he did do it by himself a couple of weeks ago. Jacob would get to the top and then start climbing down by himself, crying the whole time b/c he REALLY wanted to go but was scared. Grandpa decided to help Jacob up the climbing structure and go down the slide with him. I was waiting at the bottom and I told one of the moms next to me that I was "more worried about my 63 year old Dad coming down that thing than I was for my 2 year old son." Sure enough, seconds later, they both come FLYING out of that hole and my Dad lands right on his butt and bounces with Jacob in his arms. You should have seen their faces. I literally fell over on the ground and was laughing so hard I couldn't control myself. Tears were pouring out of my eyes. Jacob LOVED it. He jumped up immediately and ran on to something else while I was on the ground laughing, not able to give my Dad a hand up. Poor Grandpa. You better believe they didn't go up there again.

Thanks for the laugh Dad. I'm still cracking up every time I think about it. He said to me "You need to send me those pictures." I said "Are you kidding me?! This one's for the blog!!!"

Jacob playing with the dinosaurs:



Coming down the bouncy house slide:



He's hasn't quite caught on to sitting on the bike and pedaling -- so he pushes it instead:



How sweet is this face?!



Grandpa and Jacob starting the climb:



Up and up and up...



This is where Jacob gets stuck and needs help getting up. I told you this thing was big!



Landing on their butts -- their faces were priceless!

27 weeks

It's hard to believe that I am 27 weeks pregnant today. Technically (well, according to Babycenter.com,) this is my last week of the 2nd trimester and I will officially begin the final phase of pregnancy next Tuesday. Overall, this pregnancy has been as seamless as the last, outside of a few more aches and pains this time around which I am going to fully contribute to my age. Or Jacob. Or, better yet, the way Jacob has aged me in the last 2 1/2 years. Mark and I are both way more exhausted these days!

The only thing that has been significantly different this time is the way I feel this baby inside me. I don't look as if I'm carrying low, but I walk around feeling like this baby could fall right out of me at any minute (TMI anyone?) I don't ever remember feeling that way with Jacob, nor worrying that gravity would have it's way with me. Maybe it's just because this is my second pregnancy and my body has already "paved the way" for this one so I can feel the sensation lower now. Who knows -- but I do have irrational fears that baby's little head is about to poke out before he/she/I am ready. I also feel this baby moving ALL. THE. TIME. I don't think he's ever resting, which makes me extremely nervous about his activity level when he's born. I love all the movements though -- even if it is a little painful sometimes.

I spent a few hours the other night going through Jacob's old clothes. What started as me wanting to sort out newborn and 3 month outfits turned into me going through all seven bins of his clothes and sorting them and re-packing them. I was hugely nostalgic when I was going through the clothes of his first year. It reminded me so much of Chicago. I would look at a pair of shorts and think "he wore that to the park the first time I put him on the swing" or "that was the shirt he wore in his first professional picture at 3 months old." I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. I always take for granted how fast time flies...

27 weeks pregnant with Bebe Dos:



27 weeks pregnant with Jacob:

4th of July Fun

Southlake held it's annual "Stars and Stripes" event on Friday, July 3rd full of outdoor entertainment, games for kids and lots and lots of food. I probably went a little "spirit overboard" because I was planning our outfits weeks in advance. I knew what Jacob was going to wear and then I found a similar t-shirt for Mark so I decided that Daddy and son needed to be dressed alike (I'm lucky that Mark is a good sport!) Unfortunately, nobody really makes 4th of July maternity shirts so I had to get creative. I decided to just buy a tanktop and decorate it myself. My "Made in America" shirt was a big hit -- I even got stopped to take a picture!!

Jacob had a blast at Town Square even though it was 100+ degrees. I swear that the heat has no effect on that kid. It amazes me! He loved running around, playing with his soccer and footballs, eating snow cones and seeing the fire trucks. As it started to get dark, we kept telling him the fireworks were coming and he was super excited. When they finally began, he was sitting in Mark's lap and the look on his face was priceless. He was smiling from ear to ear and kept yelling "Yay! Fireworks! Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, BOOM!!!!" While he loved them at first, anything can get old after 10 minutes and then he was ready to move on to the next thing! He really does have an endless amount of energy. We made it home around 10:30 pm and he finally fell asleep at close to 11 pm. I think that's the latest he has ever stayed up (3 hours past his bedtime). Mark and I were praying for him to sleep in the next day, but no such luck. Sure enough, at 6:30 am, he comes bounding down the stairs like his usual self saying "Mommy! Daddy! Green light!" (for those of you who haven't read the previous blogs, the green light goes on on his clock when it's okay for him to get out of bed). It still baffles me that late bedtimes don't translate into late mornings for this little man. He did take an extra long nap that day though which was needed for everyone.

Anyway, we had a great time officially celebrating (with fireworks) our 4th of July with Jacob. We can't wait to do it again next year!