Poop in the Potty and No Sleep for Mommy

Just some things happening lately:

Gabe has finally begun pooping on the potty. HALLELUJAH!!! I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the potty-training tunnel. Let me say, it has been a long, dark ride. Not to mention smelly. I am tired of buying two sets of diapers -- it's costing us a fortune! Gabe has also developed a bit of eczema, which is quite unusual at his age according to the doctor. Sam is covered in the stuff, but Gabe's skin has been beautiful ever since he got past the baby acne stage.

Back on the potty-training front, we have been bribing Gabe heavily to get him to do the deed on the potty. Initially, we agreed on a specific toy he would get if/when he did it on the potty for the first time. Since that point, he earns a dollar for each successful deposit, and he saves up for other toys on his wish list. Well, he set his little heart on a General Grievous action figure (back to the whole Star Wars obsession). Needless to say, the day he finally earned the requisite amount of money to purchase the latest in his bevy of bad guys, he was beside himself with anticipation. We put all his money in -- what else? -- his small, tin Darth Vader lunch box (he has a larger, soft-sided D.V. lunch box that he takes to school). We got our shoes on, got the baby strapped in to his carrier and headed to the car. I checked to be sure Gabe had his money, and he answered in the affirmative. As we backed out of the garage, I asked one more time just to be safe, and he then told me he had left the money in the house. So, I retrieved it and then we were finally on our way. During the 3 to 4 mile trip to Wal-Mart, he must have asked me about seven or eight times where we were going and if we were going to get General Grievous. Of course, in my sleep-deprived fog, I somehow managed to miss a turn and had to take the long way to the store. Maybe I was subconsciously trying to increase his anticipation. At any rate, Gabe's excitement got the best of him at one point, and he spontaneously yelled out, "We're comin', Genral Gweebus!" As we entered the store, he told the greeter we were coming to buy General Grievous, and then he repeatedly asked me, "Where's Genral Gweebus?" until we reached the toy section and he ran to the rack that held his prize. I was dreading that the store might be out of this particular action figure, but I finally found the only one at the very back of the very top rack. When it was time to pay, we went through the self checkout, and I held Gabe up so he could scan the box and then insert his money in the slot. He was so proud of himself and so in awe of this toy. When we got home, he wanted to call his Aunt Sara to tell her about it. Now, the kicker to this whole story is that he managed to lose the thing on the very same day that he got it. Fortunately, it turned up later. He had stuck it into the spokes of Van's bike, but I, of course, did not see it at the time because I was so infuriated at the fact that he had somehow, in a matter of moments -- with me three feet away -- managed to completely cover his hands with bicycle grease. When I finally discovered the trapped toy the next day, he too was a bit on the greasy side but no worse for the wear.

We are really beginning to see Sam's personality, and he is all over the map. He ranges from squealing with delight to screaming in ire. I think I have previously referred to him as my little boy banshee (would that be a ban-he?), and the name is holding true. Just a little glimpse of life with our 5-month old: he went to bed at 9:00 last night, woke up around midnight, again around 2:00, again around 3:00, and then 3:30 (Between those last two, Gabe visited our room asking for his lamp to be turned off, and a bout of stomach cramps sent me to the bathroom.) Now, I'm not sure if Sam's eczema was bothering him or if he was hungry -- or a combination of the two -- but I was unable to settle him and just had to put him back in the bed, close the doors and hide under the covers while he cried -- no, screamed -- it out. After 15 minutes of that insanity, I went back in and gave him a pacifier, and he slept for an hour before we repeated that cycle all over again. Finally, at 6:30am, Van got up and fed him. So, today I purchased some rice cereal and we fed Sam his first solid food. He took to it like an old pro. Hard to believe this child was underweight just a month ago. I think he has packed on about 2 1/2 pounds since then. We put him down around 8:00 tonight after his little feast, and if I had a brain in my head, I would be in bed too. Here's hoping I get an hour or two of uninterrupted sleep tonight!

Just Gabe and Me

OK, so today is my 8th wedding anniversary, and I should really be upstairs spending time with the wonderful father of my two boys, but I have to take a few minutes to reflect on the day I just spent with Gabe. He is on Spring Break from preschool this week, so I am trying to do some special things with him during his vacation. Today, I dropped Sam off at Mimi's house so that Gabe and I could spend the day alone together. The plan was to check out Imagine It!, which is the children's museum in downtown Atlanta. Someone suggested that we take MARTA, our city's slightly deficient rapid transit. It sounded like a great idea since it would save me on parking costs as well as the hassle of trying to figure out where I was going in downtown traffic. Little did I know that the train ride would actually be the highlight of the day. From the moment we stepped on the train platform until we returned to the car about 5 hours later, Gabe was an absolute bundle of frenetic energy. I have never in my life seen such unadulterated glee exuding from one person for such a long period of time. It's no wonder he crashed in the car on the way home around 5:00pm and didn't even wake up for dinner. He must be utterly exhausted. I was reminded of the days in the latter part of my pregnancy with Sam when I was doing my best to savor the little time I had left alone with Gabe. I couldn't figure out how in the world I was going to love two boys as much as I loved one. I was sad to know that it would never again be just Gabe and me. Today I realized that although those moments may not come as often, they will come, and they will be every bit as special if not more so. The funny thing is that I planned this day because I thought Gabe needed it. Turns out I did too.