Watch Out!

Caroline is potty training!  This week has been full of interesting surprises.

Monday:  We start potty training. We went to Wal-Mart on Sunday and got Caroline some fun panties, stickers, and M&M's.  She was somewhat excited.  The child is ready to potty train.  She will tell you when she has gone; she can take her diaper off; and she can easily get her clothes off/on.  I have a timeframe before I go back to school and would really like to make some progress then.  So we waited until this week to give me a bit of time in my recovery and to get back from a trip.  I still can't lift the kids, but she can pretty well manuever on the big potty and definitely her little potty.  Okay, so back to Monday.  First thing in the morning, excitement of putting on panties, sticker chart, etc,etc.  The excitement was one-sided...she could careless.  Force the panties on and 8 accidents later, she waits until I run an errand and pee-pees on the potty for Tommy that evening.  Fun day.

Tuesday:  After much conversation Monday evening, we started to wonder if we were trying too hard, too soon, etc.  Tuesday morning, Caroline gets up and pee-pees in the potty first thing.  Mid-morning, she TELLS me she needs to potty again.  This continues all day and even poops on the potty as well!  Only one accident all day.

Wednesday:  Same thing.  Telling me she needs to potty and pottying.  We have a small potty that sits on the ground that she pee-pees in.  When she tells me she needs the big potty, I know what to expect.  No accidents all day.  She has even been napping in panties.  She wears a pullup at night, but is still dry in the morning.

Thursday:  So far...as I was typing this, I heard a loud sound.  Caroline had woken up, gone to the bathroom and pottied in the little potty.  She decided to try to empty the little potty in the big potty....now, imagine the loud noise. Yep, nice early morning of cleaning the bathroom floors.  Oh well!  Just thrilled she's catching on.

Here's our proud little girl in BIG girl panties!

  
And yesterday we had adventures too.  Caroline was mad...oh she was mad.  Jack apparently got too close and got his face too close.  She poked him in the eye.   After watching it a few hours, his eye didn't get better and was bothering him.  We headed to the pediatrician where they did a dye test and used a blacklight to show the nice scratch right on the front of the pupil of his eye, a corneal abrasion.  So now we have our own Captain Jack.  He'll have to wear the patch until this afternoon and hopefully, that will be enough.

And since Jack was posing, Caroline posed too.  Check out the chocolate ring around her mouth.  Yes, she gets some chocolate after pottying.  Maybe that's why the success!  I'll take it though!

What a Heart

We've had many a conversations about Jack's heart in this house over the last almost 5 years.  I knew this little boy, who was diagnosed with an ASD/VSD at 2 weeks old, would be a fighter.  I clung to Jeremiah 29:11- "I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  And Jack continues to amaze us!  Who would have thought that this little boy:

would become this big boy?

And look at that scar!  It looks amazing.  Jack notices it now.  He knows that is where the doctors fixed his heart when he was a baby.  Speaking of those doctors.  We saw Jack's WONDERFUL cardiologist, Dr. Hirsch this week.  I can't say enough wonderful things about him.  I hope that no one else has to see a pediatric cardiologist, but if ever you do, this man is great.  He has shared some dark days with us and seen us at some rough times, but now, it is so wonderful to be able to share all the great things that are going on for Jack.  This checkup was the first that we have had in 2.5 years.  And, since all is great, we don't have to return for 3 more years!

But besides just growing up and getting physically bigger and stronger, Jack's heart is growing another way.  He's becoming so caring and compassionate.  He helps Caroline and is concerned about her.  He is thoughtful and tries to help out.  But I really saw a glimpse of this sweet heart this week.  Jack is going back to school 2 days a week while I continue to recover (it is good for all of us...he's loving it!).  His teacher asked Jack how I was doing after my surgery.  Jack looked at her and told her with tearful eyes "My mommy, she just hurts so bad."  He was really upset and concerned about me.  I hate that he sees me in pain, but it is so sweet that is he concerned and sensitive.  I know Tommy loves how Jack's a bit of a momma's boy.  I'll take it a few more years, right?

2 weeks

I am now 2 weeks post-op from my hysterectomy.  It's been a rougher and slower recovery than I would have liked.  Even though the doctor told me I would have restrictions, especially with lifting, I just assumed that I would be "not the norm" and be able to do things sooner.  Well, at 2 weeks out, I still can't lift more than a gallon of milk for fear of ripping things and setting myself further back in my recovery process.  That restriction will stay in place at least until my next checkup at the end of next week.  For anyone that knows me well knows that this sitting back approach and not being able to just do things is driving me up the wall.

Even though I kept my ovaries and still have my own hormones, my emotions have kind of gone crazy.  So, poor Tommy has seen more tears from me in these 2 weeks than probably during our entire 6 years of marriage.  A joke taken the wrong way, frustration with not being able to help, my mom leaving town, pain that makes me actually stop, etc, etc, etc might (and probably does) make me cry.

This week the kids and I have been on our own.  So far things are going pretty well.  Jack keeps asking how many more days until he goes back to school.  I think he likes the pace and activities and friends at school over Caroline and me...ha!  I'm not sure I blame him right now.  I keep reassuring him that we WILL get back to our zoo trips, aquarium fun, and playtimes before he knows it.  I just hope it is soon!  I have to kind of alternate days.  Like yesterday, we had outside water playtime, a short walk and then I was sore and bleeding by the evening.  That means, today is a lazy day.  Yes, it's naptime and we are all still in pjs.  A sonic happy hour run might be our excitement for the day.  Daddy coming home is always a fun time.  There's always outside time after dinner.  Like last night, building a new worm box, running through the sprinkler in underwear (Jack, not Tommy..oh, and we are THOSE neighbors that Caroline run through the sprinklers completed nekkid!), and planting some herbs from the farmers market in the garden.  Tommy has been wonderful through it all.

I have to rest though.  I have to heal.  I'm learning through this, but I'm struggling through some of it as well.

Enough about that....some pictures from the last 2 weeks...

Memorial Day Florence Parade...can't wait for it to start!

Caroline was content to watch in the shade and eat goldfish.

Jack did all the candy gathering.  This year he got picky and would only pick up the ones he liked.

Enjoying his hard work.

Look at those red cheeks!

Yes I made it to the parade.  At 6 days post-op, I was ready to get some air!

One of the new things for Caroline after this surgery was the change to a big girl bed.  I can't lift her in and out, so we had to set up her bed as a toddler bed.  A few nights her whole body, arms or legs have been on the floor when we go to check on her!

Fun with the water table.  I missed sunscreen just a bit around the tatoo and now that we took it off, he has a nice tan outline of it!

Yes, we do feed him

So fun!

Here's a few photos from my recovery days.  Tommy took Jack to the movies this weekend and what did they come home with?  Tattoos!  Both kids were so excited to put them on.  This was Caroline's first experience with a tattoo and she is NOT shy to share with you.  Her school teachers got a good chuckle out of seeing her on Tuesday as she whipped her dress up to show them.

Grammy came to help out this week.  Oh how wonderful!  She cooked and she cleaned and she changed diapers and everything!  Something about your mom that just knows what needs to be done without anything being said.  The kids loved it.  We made my first post-surgery trip to Target the other day.  Here are some pictures of what Caroline and her new baby doll.  She is SO selective with her babies!  It is so sweet to watch her put it on her shoulder and pat the baby's back.  She'll rock it and carry it around in the box we bought it in.  Isn't is something how those maternal instincts are there so early?  Jack didn't so much want a picture with his new car!

Surgery update: I saw the doctor yesterday and everything is healing as supposed to.  I still can't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk until my next appointment in 3 weeks.  I'm going crazy not being able to carry my share around the house.  We have been so blessed to have such wonderful help here with me.  My dad is here for another day.  Next week it is just me and the kids.  I'm thinking lots of movie days!  I still have yet to drive anywhere.  Hopefully that will be soon!