December 24th, 2011 by Busy Mommy

Nolan is just a little over two now, and I am getting comments literally every single day now, mostly while at the park, from adults observing Nolan and being really impressed by how well Nolan talks.  What mother wouldn’t be glowing inside with joy to hear that?  I really don’t want to be one of those mom’s that thinks her child is the most intelligent amazing creature on the planet and make other people feel bad, so I try not to make a big deal out of it, but I sure do love to hear them say that!  Makes me feel like we’re doing something right.  I don’t know if it’s the fact that we don’t have a tv, or his personality, or a combo of both, or the fermented fish oil, the reading, all the adult conversation he’s around, or something else we’re not aware of.  Either way I’ll just be thankful that he seems to enchant so many people an makes me hope as an only child he will be able to make friends easily as he gets older.

It certainly is fun to hear all the things he repeats of what we say, and other phrases I’m sure he’s picked up from the rest of the family.

“I’m a gonna show you….” “I’m a gonna….”

When asked if he needs to go pee-pee- “no, I’m fine.”

Tried to get out of going to bed for the night by coming out of his room and saying to me “I’m…..feeling good!” while shaking his head yes up and down.

Today, coming out from his nap that he hadn’t taken yet with his diaper in hand, being silly, “take off that diaper!”

While pulling someone’s leg and dragging them along, “C’mon!  I show you…..”

When he asks for something that he can’t have yet, etc. he has a variety of suggestions in response: “maybe soon,” and “soon, soon,” and “maybe later maybe later,” and “another time another time“.A common thing to hear him say while reaching up to you, “up and kisshug!”

While playing with my computer keyboard, he waves his hand in a circle over one area of the keyboard and says, “somewheh somewheh.” (somewhere) This is of course what I do when i’m trying to teach him a certain letter on the keyboard and try to give him a hint where it’s at- I say “it’s somewhere over here…”  So funny to see him copy that.  Also, “i show you i show you!…the letter b.”

Recently he has started saying “this is mine, this is mine” a lot and both Ben and I don’t care for it so we’ve been saying, “don’t say that, it really doesn’t matter whose it is.” So then he says, “Don’t say mines….don’t say mines”

The way he says “fo Nolan.”  I wish I could describe how it sounds- he just says it this super cute way.“I want to help.”

I recently suggested that we try to talk to Nolan more about the things we like about him and what good things he did that day.  So tonight while putting him to sleep, Ben said to Nolan, “I really like how Nolan likes to help and that he’s outgoing and likes people.”  Nolan replied, “Yeah my name’s Nolan.  I like Nolan too.”

While stamping and shaking his body in minute movements when we do something for him he wanted to do on his own: “Do it da-self!! Do it da-self!”

Nolan was playing with 2 other young boys and their Dad at the park while I sat at the picnic bench.  After awhile I walked over to collect him to go home.  The Dad said, “you’re son is cute….we know that he’s Nolan and he’s 2.  He made sure we knew that.”

“I’m twoI’m two yeahs old.” (two words together not a mistake).

After his bible study this week from the bible story book where they read about Samson and Delilah, he called Grandma to tell her about how he was learning to use the toilet.  In his words, “I go peepee…..like delilah!”

During that same bible study while reading about Joshua and marching around the City of Jericho, Ben said, “they blew their horns and then they shouted “…….”” Nolan knows what they shouted! He pipes up with: “Goodbye moon!” (From an Owl story that must have some similarities in the picture or something).

He has been making up all kind of his own “lyrics” if you will, to melodies of songs he knows.  He just starts singing a tune, and out pops all kinds of families names, objects and actions.

We were recently trying to break him of his habit of messing with his belly button all the time, and so his take on it was “neva neva touch ya belly button“.  Then he started expanding on this thought and saying “neva neva touch ya leg…..neva neva touch ya back.“  Sigh.  Sometimes I guess we don’t do a very good job of getting our real point across.  Been having to back track and fix that one.  But it was hilarious hearing him say that- the idea of it being wrong to touch your own leg- even now as I write this I’m cracking up again.  Man kids are so funny without even trying!!

December 24th, 2011 by Busy Mommy

Newsflash: Nolan and I have officially started an unplanned potty training period.  I say unplanned because I’ve had it in my mind to pursue at some point the next couple months, but was hoping to wait till after a tax filing that’s due January 16th as I have what seems like myriads of transactions to enter into quickbooks, not to mention a lot of other things too.  I say Nolan because he’s really the one who initiated it.  I’ve kind of been waiting for him to be ready and lead the potty training way.  I know some people think that’s stupid and that no child will ever be ready on their own- saw a lady on youtube with a published book talking about that- well, maybe not their kid- but Nolan is different.  He has a very independent nature that makes him want to be like us and learn how to do things on his own the way it’s supposed to be done.

I’d say for a good month now I’ve been kind of prepping him- mentioning to him frequently that pretty soon he wouldn’t need diapers anymore, and pretty soon he would pee and poo in the toilet instead.  Pretty soon he would get to wear underwear like mommy and daddy.  I had already bought some and had them laying around and so he could see them.  Later both grandmas told me that he tells them the same thing I’ve been telling him regarding this when they change his diaper.  Cha-ching!!  Didn’t know it was really sinking in!

So even though the timing was probably the worst it could be, when Nolan got out of his bath the other night and didn’t want to put any clothes on, and then wanted to put his underwear on, I figured, eh, why not?  I didn’t think it would be good to start telling him “no don’t wear underwear….no don’t pee in the toilet…” just because potty training wasn’t fitting in my schedule just yet.  That would be one of the worst mixed signals a poor kid could get right?  So…we began- at 8pm on a weekday night no less.  He was so excited to be wearing underwear and really the enthusiasm has been going strong for 3 days now- he is super exuberant and vivacious- I think he feels very grown up and independent and that makes him feel good inside.  It’s pretty adorable.  And of course, the excitement is even greater since the grandmas’ bought him cooler underwear- who wants to wear plain green underwear when you can have Thomas the Train and Mickey Mouse printed on your be-hind.

So how has, not the decision to, but the actual potty training, gone so far?  Let’s just say so far you could say Nolan has completely and utterly spoiled me.  Especially compared to the tales I’ve heard.  We put on his underwear, and we are the computer for a bit.  I have been repeating to him a lot, “we never pee in our underwear, we never poop in our underwear, only in the toilet”- so of course he repeats it to me too.  Anyway- he was sitting on the computer chair and he started peeing, stopped himself and said “mommy peepee!” We headed to the bathroom and he finished in there.  I was so impressed that he was catching on that quickly!  He caught himself just a little into it a few more times, and after that he’s been runnin’ with the big kids!  The only major “trial” if you can even call it that is after washing his sheets and comforter 4 times when he peed all over in his sleep for a couple of days, I realized that he would benefit from a nightime and nap diaper for now- poor kid can’t control what’s happening while he’s sleeping!  But other than that, during the day he has been spectacular at letting me know when he needs to go- or if I don’t hear from him in awhile on that subject I suggest he try.  Then if he says no, I insist. 🙂

I have a smaller potty seat that fits onto our larger one that he is using at home, and a little potty chair that sits in my suv trunk perfectly.   It wasn’t ideal, but the first morning of potty training I had to go to Berkeley Bowl for groceries (remember this potty thing was totally unplanned- literally the minute he wanted to put his underwear I decided we’d give it a try)- he did fine the whole time and on the way home he said “mommy peepee please!”  I pulled over in a jiffy and he was able to use the potty in the car with no problem.  It was great!  I feel all set up for just about any situation now.  The only day that was a little discouraging was a day that I myself was feeling very tired and drained;  we were at the park and of course he was running and jumping around with the other kids there, so he just kept forgetting and I’d see him walking all funky with both pant legs wet all down the sides.   So we had to change his clothes three times.  But again- perfectly normal-  it was just me that was tired that day- if I was smarter I wouldn’t have included 2 hours at the park right at the beginning of his potty training- um hello, earth to mommy!!!

Today there hasn’t been any accidents at all, and he’s a happy camper.  I’m almost afraid to write all this- maybe it’s too good to be true that it would be this easy- maybe in 4 days the stars in his eyes will fade and the toilet and underwear in general will become something he wants to be done with and start peeing everywhere.  Well, even if there’s a few struggles, pee is sterile, so a few accidents won’t cause too much damage.

Maybe someday when Nolan’s 12 he’ll make me take this post down out of sheer embarrassment- I’ll probably have to abide to spare his feelings- but of course for me, nothing about Nolan’s growing up is embarrassing- it’s just adorable and such a joy to watch.

December 16th, 2011 by Busy Mommy

I’ve been keeping something from you.  I have another blog.  Dedicated to quilting.  I recently decided to change the scope of that blog and use it to include things like our hobbies, hiking, cooking, interesting research I come across, my projects, Ben’s projects, and just other things are that are less “nolan” in nature- it will be more a reflection of me.  So if you want to see what else I’m up to, you can follow my other blog too- the address is www.overallgirl.wordpress.com – here’s a quick screenshot of what the homepage looks like: If you noticed it, I have a scripture on the header that means a lot to me and i keep a written copy of it taped to my computer screen.  One thing Jehovah has used Ben to teach me is that it’s best to just get in there and do it- whatever the task that needs to be done- I used to procrastinate and worry and project about how overwhelming or impossible a job seemed, but Ben would just start hacking away at it, and in much less time than I thought possible, it was already done.  I have learned to get in there and do what needs to be done over the past 11 years of our marriage, and I’m a much more productive person as a result and experience a lot less mental anguish over projected difficulties that don’t turn out to be true.  This is one of the greatest gifts he’s given me and has been one of the best changes in my personality.