Jellybean Bribery

UPDATE------ The phone just rang a little while ago. It was the sweetest little voice on the phone. He said, "Mommy.....I have to tell you something! I pooped on the potty!!!!!" He was so excited. And I have to tell you, I nearly jumped out of my chair doing a happy dance of my very own. He enjoyed two jellybeans for his success and seems awfully proud of himself. Way to go buddy! Who knew motherhood held such joy.....over poop.

The moral of this morning....never underestimate the power of a jellybean.

Over the weekend I was quite pleased to find Starburst jellybeans at the grocery store. This time of year is right up my alley--- marshmallow peeps and Starburst jellybeans rank high on my list of things that make me happy. So I was sure to put a package of both into the cart on Saturday morning. Joshua, it seems, shares my love of jellybeans because when I got a few out after lunch, he just HAD to try them. And he loved them.

We all know I'm not ashamed to use bribery in parenting. I'd prefer to call it "persuasion", but really, let's call a spade a spade. It's bribery. I manage to results, folks...that's just all there is to it. I believe I've shared that potty training is not really something that Joshua is showing great interest in. I know it's early still, and I know that, especially for boys, it's better not to push them before they're ready. So we haven't been. We're still taking him to the potty frequently, encouraging him to tell us when he needs to go, but not making a huge production out of it at this point. My ultimate goal is this spring/summer, but introducing the concept can't hurt at this stage.

So, since M&M's are a huge no-no with the allergy issues we have, I've been looking for a little reward that might generate interest. And the jellybeans have it. You can almost set your watch to Joshua's first dirty diaper of the day after his breakfast, so I thought we'd give it a shot. When he woke up, I told him that he could have two jellybeans if he pooped in the potty after breakfast. The whole time he ate his pancakes, he was telling me about how excited he was for his jellybeans. I don't yet know the outcome, but he was perched on the potty when I had to leave to come to work. If nothing else, he at least tried.

We'll get there...although I may need to stock up on Starburst jellybeans before the Easter season is finished to be sure we have enough to make it!

"Mommy..........MOMMY!"

Here are a few happy pictures from Friday morning, which unfortunately the day (or weekend) didn't allow me time to share with you. So I hope you enjoy them.

Now, let's get back to the business of the "Mommy.......MOMMY!" that I heard over the monitor at 1:37 am. I might add that this is after I had already been awake two times to visit the little girls' room between 10 pm when I went to bed and when this little voice shouted to me as if there was a crisis. As it turns out, there was a crisis. When I got to Joshua's room and scaled the gate at his doorway (oh how interesting THAT is going to get as the belly grows), our conversation went something like this:

Joshua: "Mommy?"

Me: "What?"

Joshua: "Mommy?"

Me: "What Joshua?" (I don't know why we do this multiple times. But it's a new trend.)

Joshua: "Mommy, can you please help me find my sock?" (The ACTUAL words he spoke.)

Me: "Sure." (I'm secretly hoping that he'll smile once I locate and put on his lost sock, roll over and go to sleep. I act like this is the first time I've met with him in the middle of the night. Who am I kidding?)

Joshua: "Mommy, while you're here..." (I kid you not, this is what he said!) "Could you please read me a book?" (He says it so sweetly, because he knows he's pressing his luck.)

Me: "No. We do not read books when it's sleeping time. Lay down and go to sleep."

Joshua: Tears ensue. Large ones.

Me: "Everyone we know is asleep right now. Nana and Pap. Grandma. Aunt Libby and Uncle Zig and Baby Brooke. Sydney. McKenna & Cooper. Baby Lila. All your friends from music class. Everyone's asleep. You need to go to sleep too." It's never too early to start working peer pressure into his psyche is it?

Joshua: The tears get bigger, as if to say, "Nice try Mom. But I'm not buying it." We move into the category of hysterics and I cave. Call me a wimp if you want.

Following this is two hours of rocking and reading to try to get this small little person with a stubborn streak that rivals NONE to close his eyes. He was tired- yawning in fact- but would not give up. Meanwhile, going through my head in the midst of Dr Seuss are things like, "If only he would go to sleep now, I might actually get an hour of sleep before I have to get up for the United Way meeting at 5:00." And..."Oh my word, I'm going to puke from the movement of the ROCKING CHAIR for crying out loud. This is NOT the time for night sickness to kick in. Work with me Baby!" And..."Just how do I propose that we're going to make this work in another 32 weeks when there is a screaming newborn with legitimate needs AND a screaming banchee of a toddler who will wake up at the slightest noise? OK genius...how's THIS going to work?"

I finally closed my eyes again around 3:30 and did, in fact, make it to the United Way meeting on time. Joshua was still asleep when I left at 7:00. Our late night meetings generally make for good reading material, but they're kicking my butt and have been for the past....oh......two years plus. If only the next one would be a good sleeper....that's my fervent prayer.

Let's give this a try...

And there you have it, my friends. One blobbish looking photo of the second love of our lives. Looks just like me, doesn't it? (Careful!)

Updates...Grab Bag Style

I find myself with a few extra minutes this morning (well, not really extra, but I'm choosing to blog over choosing to do the laundry or empty the dishwasher). I never did get around to posting an update yesterday, which I had intended to do. It was one of those days at the office.

Thanks to so many of you who remembered that yesterday was our first doctor's appointment and sent messages wishing us well. It's official---- Joshua's brother or sister has been confirmed by someone who has degrees and tons of experience with this kind of thing. We had an ultrasound yesterday and the baby is looking "blobbish" as can be, which they say is quite normal at 7 weeks and 2 days. We were measuring right on target for an October 6th due date. Options are being discussed for VBAC vs repeat c-section and the doctor seems supportive either way. We did have some talks about how they handle a laboring VBAC mom, and it seems pretty restrictive. One hour of not dilating a full centimeter and you've earned yourself a trip to the OR. I'm not sure I'm up for that kind of pressure--- especially knowing how non-responsive my body was to every type of labor inducer the hospital had last time. But we'll see. The doctor said that if we choose a repeat section, he'd probably schedule for September 30th. (I'm pretty sure Libby has already called off of school! HA!) Everything was good with me, aside from my blood pressure, but that had to do with the mean people who called and yelled at me all afternoon leading up to the appointment. Our very sweet nurse even noted that on the chart. We're scheduled for another ultrasound on March 12th to check growth and dating. And Dr. Miller said that the baby will resemble a baby a bit more by that time as well. I'll try to post a scanned copy of yesterday's ultrasound photo later today. That may require technical expertise that I am lacking, but I'll do my best once I get to the office.

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In Joshua updates, we're mastering a few pretty notable skills. (Remember...I'm a first time mom...it'll be interesting to see if these things wow me again the second time.....although I'm betting they will.)

He loves to play Candy Land! This is a child after my own heart. That was my favorite game as a kid (right up there with Hungry Hungry Hippos which we were never allowed to play because my Dad was always asleep after a police shift and let's face it, that game is LOUD!) Joshua gets a little bossy, but is catching on to the game and knows about taking turns. I consider that a victory with a two year old.

We've been working on him learning to dress and undress himself. It's not been pretty...but he's showing some signs of progress. This week he has managed to get his pajamas on with just a little assistance and, the big news.....he's put his socks on all by himself.....and even the right way. He gets so proud of himself and says, "Mommy, I DID it!" as if he's conquered Mt. Everest. It's so much fun to watch them figure out new things. I have to give Joshua credit on persistence. Although you can tell he's getting frustrated when something doesn't work on his first attempt, he just keeps plugging away at it until he gets it. If only potty training would be going as well.

He has also learned to, pretty successfully, walk down the stairs unassisted. Now, don't get me wrong, we're always right with him, but he can hold on to the railing and handle the steps without me having to have a panic attack about him falling to his death. I'm thinking this one will be important to master prior to October when I'm not likely to be able to lug Josh and the baby down the stairs on either hip.

I'll work on the picture, and maybe one of Joshua if he's feeling cooperative when he wakes up. Which is.......NOW. I just heard him sigh over the monitor like, "Where is that Mommy? It's time to get this day started!" So off I go. Glad we had a few moments together this morning. This is WAY more fun than laundry.

A Special Message...

... to Aunt Libby! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Joshua worked very hard at our little picture this morning to make sure Aunt Libby knows we're thinking about her today. He suggested that we make her a cake with gooey icing, but we didn't really have enough time to accomplish that before I left for my first appointment this morning.

There were a lot of really happy things to mention about yesterday, so I'll get right to it.

Amazingly, Jason and I got to sneak away in the middle of the day and have lunch together...at a restaurant...without Joshua...and without any other official event that we are attending for an organization one of us is affiliated with. I can honestly admit to all of you (because you know me and love me regardless), that the last time Jason and I have been out together to eat without any of the above mentioned circumstances was last year about this time when Jason cooked up a scheme to whisk me away to the Carnegie House in State College for a fancy dinner, wine and quiet conversation. This time wasn't quite so over the top. Jason had yesterday off because of the holiday and had been studying for his big exam coming up. He took a break and we went to Vic's Pub for a nice lunch together. It was wonderful.

Then, after work, I was in the midst of the Manic Monday rush to get Joshua to music class and it turned out that Joshua had convinced his Daddy to come along with us. He was so excited that Daddy came along. Lucky for Jason, there were a few other Daddies there yesterday so it wasn't quite the Mommy-overload he might normally have endured. A very fun time for all of us.

Last evening things went into meltdown mode a bit, but by the speed with which he fell asleep last evening, I'm chalking that up to him being over tired. He's probably still making up for being sick last week.

And speaking of that, I have one little silly story from our escapade last Thursday night. I believe both Joshua and I finally fell asleep for a solid chunk of time between 4 and 6 am on Friday morning. At 6 I heard Joshua whispering to Bear. He said, "Bear...when Mommy wakes up, I'm going to ask her to get me my water. I'm so thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirsty." That's when I got up. Poor little guy knew I was tired, but his thirsty outweighed my exhaustion by a long shot. Too funny.

And now, it's on to the business of the day. Happy Birthday Aunt Libby. We love you and can't wait to see you soon.

Recovery...

A few quick pictures of our little buddy all recovered, smiling and weed-wacking. I sure do love seeing him healthy and happy instead of the view I had Thursday night.

This was a before shot on Thursday night. Jason and Joshua were wrestling around and I was busy snapping pictures (what else would I do?). It's amazing that it went from this to the far other extreme in a matter of hours. I have an awesome picture of him hanging upside down that for some reason, my camera and my computer do not wish for you to see right now. Maybe tomorrow.

I'm noticing from so many blog entries right now that so many of our little kiddos aren't feeling the best right now. Here's to hoping they're all much better very soon. And if yours isn't sick...count your blessings. It's no fun for anyone.

More to come this week. Now that I've dug out from being out of the office on Friday and everyone is officially paid, I should be able to squeeze in a post each day. Don't hold your breath, but I'll do my best.

Happy Monday everyone. I'm off to music class with my favorite singing partner. We'll see how we do...

The Glamorous Job of Motherhood

Of all the adjectives I might choose to describe the job of being a mom, glamorous isn't one of them. Suddenly, in the last 24 hours, multiple conversations with multiple other mommies who I trust and admire suddenly have rushed to the surface. I sort of feel like I've been set up, if I'm being honest.

Yesterday, on a drive home from Harrisburg for a compliance exam I had to take, Lindsay and I had a conversation about how UNglamorous pregnancy is. How UNglamorous delivery is. How UNglamorous those early weeks with a brand new baby when your body is completely and totally out of whack are. Linds, I'd like to add a line to our conversation.

Let's talk about being a vomit catcher.

I find myself at home today unexpectedly because I spent the night serving the duty of the above. Joshua seems to have come down with the nasty stomach bug that is floating around. And boy do I wish he hadn't. I believe we may have slept for a combined hour or two all night in between episodes. Jason had to srub the ottoman of the rocking chair at one point (SpotBot to the rescue). A load of blankets and pajamas went into the washer at an ungodly hour, and it included our beloved Bear which sparked a whole different dramatic outburst. It is 12:30 and I am sitting in my pajamas without even having brushed my teeth this morning. My clothes may have throw up on them still....frankly, I don't want to know. I'm hesitant to use the time while Joshua is sleeping to jump in the shower for fear the sickness may start all over again and I wouldn't hear him needing me. So.......this part is also NOT glamorous. Not even a little bit.

We've been throw up free all day today (Thank God for answered prayers), but Joshua isn't feeling much like eating. He is drinking a good bit, so I feel like we're lucky in that regard. He was exhausted WAY earlier than normal and fell asleep before I was even half way through The Lorax. Poor little buddy. Hopefully he'll feel a little more like himself when he wakes up.

I think I'll be waiting until Jason gets home to jump in the shower so that I can feel a little more like MYSELF.

Anticipation

Upon waking from his nap on Sunday afternoon, Daddy greeted Joshua with his firetruck tent in the living room. You can see its size...not huge, but good enough when you're two. However, I'm sorry to say that there are no pictures of ALL THREE of us in the tent at the same time. That must have looked awfully silly.

The pictures above and the title of my post really have little to do with each other, so I figured I should warn you not to try to connect the two. We all have enough on our minds without those kinds of stresses, don't we?

It's safe to say that I've always been one of those people who almost enjoys looking forward to something as much as I enjoy the thing itself. Examples: Thursday is my favorite day of every week. Why? Because I love that feeling of anticipation in all of the plans for the weekend, anticipating a few family days without the hassle of balancing our other responsibilities in the mix. I've always loved Christmas Eve, because of the anticipation of Christmas morning and all that means to me. (It doesn't hurt that we also get to spend time with about 30 of my favorite people on the planet at our family party and eat a boat load of food.) I love preparing for parties, holidays, time with friends, etc. And that's, I think, why pregnancy seems to hold such allure for me. It's the anticipation of having a front row seat to God's most precious miracle playing itself out right in front of us. And the fact that he blesses us as moms and dads to experience it the way we do is nothing short of amazing to me.

I've been keeping my big mouth shut about the wonderful news we got a few weeks ago at least on the blog because there were still a few people who didn't know yet who have told me that they follow the website every now and again. I figured I owed it to everyone not to share this kind of news on our blog. But now that the beans are officially spilled, I thought it safe to share some thoughts about the great anticipation I'm feeling.

The idea of being a mom to TWO children, especially when Joshua still seems like he needs us so much, frankly scares the daylights out of me. As a few weeks have passed, that deer-in-the-headlights terror seems to be fading a bit and I'm coming out of the fog of disbelief. I know that God gives us more grace and more strength when we need it. (I'm thinking this may come in to play in those wee hours of the morning when I have a screaming newborn...AND a screaming toddler who has been awoken by his screaming brother or sister.) But in all seriousness, as I've thought about it, I've come to the realization that sharing a bit of our attention will be a good thing for Joshua. Right now, he's the center of our universe, and he knows it. It'll be good for him to have a year or so before he goes to preschool to experience one on one life with a sibling. It'll be challenging, but it'll be an amazing blessing. I don't remember being scarred for life or hurt when my baby sister came home...in fact, I remember that being one of the proudest days of my life. I very proudly took a picture of my sister with me to nursery school to show her off to all my friends. I'm hoping Joshua will enjoy it as much as I did.

It's looking as though this little blessing will make his or her appearance around the beginning of October right before we celebrate Joshua's 3rd birthday. (I should note that we are the third baby that will be coming into the Richard family before Christmas---- we're joking already that we'll need a nursery to house all of the babies and baby paraphernalia at the family Christmas parties. Stacie and Noah will be welcoming a baby at the end of July. Cory and Shannon are due September 30th and us on October 6th. This is a little wild!) I'm still a little skeptical on the dating for us, but we'll have a better idea once we see our doctor on the 18th and can take a peek at an ultrasound. I'm six weeks along today, so although we have a long way to go, we're thankful for everyone's prayers for the baby. I'm feeling less than 100%, although it's all par for the course at this point. I've got constant nausea that escalates through most afternoons. The only way I can keep from losing my lunch (or breakfast, or supper) is to keep my stomach full pretty much all the time. Not good for the dieter, but I'd rather be fat than sick.

Joshua is quite excited about the idea of a baby coming to our house, although I'm not entirely sure he grasps the enormity of what's going to happen. Right now he's focused on picking a brother AND a sister (I keep explaining that we don't do things that way in our family, but he insists) and talking about all the things he's going to do with the baby when they come. I guess that's about all we can ask for out of a not-even two and a half year old.

Many huge questions remain that will take much thought and prayer. To find out the gender or not? (I'm pulling for a surprise and Jason is 100% NOT in favor of that at all. I may lose that one miserably because, frankly, it'll be hard to say "No, we don't want to know. when the ultrasound tech says he's got a clear money shot...especially when I know how badly Jason wants to know. And Libby too. Lib, you're doing jumping jacks at the idea of finding out, aren't you?) Repeat c-section or VBAC? That's a tough one for me because I know there are big risks involved here. But, I'm still convinced that my c-section had something to do with my inability to nurse Joshua and that's the one thing that traumatized me after his birth, but we'll see. I have a long way to go on that one. And names....oh my goodness the name debate. We didn't do well with this the first time. Hopefully this will be easier, although our discussions thus far have not ended in agreement.

So my mind is full. My heart is full to overflowing with love that I feel for this little person I've yet to meet. I just feel so blessed. I'm praying for a safe and healthy growing baby when we get to peek at him or her next Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for your prayers and your well wishes. And so we wait...and anticipate with great joy.

On my mind...

To me, the best part of blogging is being able to share exactly what's on my mind when the mood strikes me. And I love to read everyone else's thoughts as well. There's something very raw and real (and should I say, therapeutic) about being able to write down exactly what you're thinking about. So today, what's on my mind are these pictures. Of little teeny tiny Joshua. Since I only learned about blogging and got started when Joshua was almost a year old, there are all of these treasures of pictures from the first few days and weeks with him. And goodness do I love to reminisce with them. So, for me...at least right now...this is what's on my mind today. Enjoy our little buddy when he was.....well.....little.

And in one funny Joshua story from last night, we were doing stickers in this animal sticker book, and Joshua successfully pointed out to me (unprovoked, I might add) a camel and a chameleon. Because when you're 2 and you live in central Pennsylvania, you should definitely be able to spot a chameleon. My goodness.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Is this a guilty face or what? You may notice a bit of chocolate icing around Joshua's mouth.....might it have been from the birthday cake he "helped" me ice for Daddy last night? I believe more icing went on Joshua than went on the cake, but we had fun. Sprinkles and all.

So today is Daddy's Happy Birthday and Joshua has made a big production out of celebrating with him. He's made cards and signs on his easel. He's helped him unwrap his present and happily assisted in eating chocolate cake with "gooey icing" (as he calls it). He even "sang" to him last night/ Sadly, duty calls tonight and I won't be able to be home with Jason and Joshua for his actual birthday. I'll be at our United Way allocations presentations tonight until around 9, so we celebrated a day early with a pretty yummy dinner and some cake and presents.

Joshua was already asking me this morning if he could have more cake. After the sugar rush we experienced last night, I'm not sure that's a good idea....but we'll let that one up to the Birthday Man himself and see how brave he's feeling.

Happy Birthday Jason! We love you very much!

Makeshift Music Class...

So my profession got in the way of our music class fun last evening. Just as I was about to rush out the door to begin the Manic Monday pick up routine, I got a phone call about two accidents that had happened here in Lewisburg due to the icy roads. Our music class is located atop a huge hill that comes out onto the highway, so I decided not to risk a bobsled ride with Joshua that could end very badly if we didn't get good braking on the hill. When I got home, Judy had Joshua all dressed in his shoes and coat and hat, and I felt horrible disappointing him. The good news was that he was over it in a few minutes and we were on to something else.

So we had our own makeshift music class last evening at home. After dinner, Joshua began serenading us with his guitar and his other instruments. I wish I had had the video camera handy for his drum solo---- it involved his maracas as the "drumsticks" and his sit-and-spin as the drum. Flash back to your childhood and you'll remember that there are two levels to the contraption, so he had a drum and a cymbal to play on. We nearly cracked up. Later in the evening, Jason got out his trumpet and let Joshua see that. He was especially happy to sing along and play his guitar while Daddy played songs on the trumpet. What a peaceful evening we had! But it was fun...Joshua must have told me ten times while he ate his Eggo this morning that he had SO much fun with the trumpet last night.

We improvised, but I think it worked out OK. Next Monday we'll take the instruction of the experts and head back with the other kids. Maybe this winter weather issue is why I've never had Joshua in the "spring semester" music class before.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

2:37 AM

At 2:37 am I heard Joshua saying, "Mommy......Mommy........Mooooooooooommmmmmmy?" over the monitor. And I knew there was no way that he was going back to sleep on his own. So rather than wait for the tears and drama to begin, I went over to his room and sat down on the floor next to his bed. And that's when he told me what he called me over there for.

Joshua: "Mommy, when I learn to pee and poop in the potty and we go to Disney World, I want to see the Little Einsteins too."

Me: "OK. It's time to go to sleep now."

And then he rolled over, closed his eyes and hugged Bear. He was snoring in about 2 minutes. Evidently that couldn't wait until daybreak.

One Nighter to Nana & Pap's House

It was a whirlwind Saturday trip to Lewistown, but Joshua and I had a really good time visiting with Nana and Pap, Aunt Libby, Uncle Zig and Baby Brooke. I still can't believe I allowed an entire month to go by since laying my eyes on my gorgeous niece, but it was wonderful to see everyone and spend a quiet day together.

Joshua and I got packed up and hit the road around 9 Saturday morning. Joshua enjoyed "Horton Hears A Who" on the way there and honestly didn't make a peep the whole trip, except to ask for a snack and to point out a gaggle of cows in one of the fields. I never dreamed we'd be "those parents" who allow their kids to watch DVD's on car rides, but I have to tell you...it's been a lifesaver. One trip down 522 with a hysterical toddler (or infant...we did that too) is one too many. We don't use it on short trips, but the hour + ones.....they qualify for additional entertainment privileges.

Soon after we got there, Pappy Fred and Freda popped in for a quick visit. That worked out great because Joshua had been asking me before we left whether or not we'd get to see them. Libby and Brooke arrived shortly after that and we settled in for a nice day together. We had some lunch, I marvelled at how much Brooke had grown in a month, and then we took a little road trip to Burnham to see Libby and Zig's gorgeous remodelling work on their kitchen. It's SOOO nice!

We did have some fun sharing a special surprise with Nana and Pap...more on that to come, I have a feeling.

Since Joshua is now too big for the crib, but too small to sleep unassisted in the big bed, I usually have to sleep in the bed with him. So that meant an early turn in for both of us, but I welcomed some extra rest. Joshua did his best to monopolize the entire BIG bed and I found myself on the edge with no blankets and one leg out of the bed most of the night. I have no idea how a 27 pound person can command an entire queen sized bed like that, but it also solidifies my absolute abandonment of the whole co-sleeping issue. It just isn't for me. Before six, I awoke to two wide-open eyeballs about a half inch from mine whispering, "Mommy? Are you up?" And by 6:20 we had given up on the hope of catching a little more sleep, so we got up, got dressed and went to talk to Nana and Pap downstairs.

We were home by 11 this morning, so we've been catching up with Daddy, unpacking and doing laundry ever since. We've got some yummy burgers to cook up on the grill for the Superbowl tonight, so we're all looking forward to that.

More tomorrow...