Potty Training has officially begun!!!!

Cole's first week of school went very well. I am sure though that if you ask Cole how it went his reply would be different. He is adjusting well and hasn't been kicked out yet. He seems to be a different person at school. I stalk him through the windows and he sits at his chair and eats his snacks, goes to the rug to join the other children when asked, he plays on the playset and I was wondering if we enabled his behavior, er rebelliousness at home. Then it dawned on me that it's a new place and soon he will be the little terror we have come to know and love.

It has been a very busy week for Cole, full of new things. We have started the potty training, which I kept putting back because I thought it would just happen on it's own. Seriously, don't laugh, I did think that. Anyway, it didn't so I had to take it into my own hands. Friday I went and bought him some little boy briefs, "chones", as we call them in Spanish. We walked into Wal Mart and I told Cole we were going to buy some chones for him. "I like chones" he said over and over and over again as we walked through the store. 'That's what you say now buddy.' I was thinking.

We got home and I put them on. Gave him the whole speech about going in the potty like a big boy, blah blah blah. He was humored by the new chones and ran to sit on the couch to watch cartoons. 'Not the couch' is all I could think. That's when it struck me that perhaps I should have never fought him all those times he wanted to eat on the coffee table. I could contain the messes. Fine, whatever, let's get it on with the potty training.

I ste the timer for every 15 minutes. Every 15 minutes I would ask him if he wanted to go potty, pee-pee, poo-poo. "No, I don't wanna go potty!" he would yell.

He was playing at his easel and not 2 minutes after the timer went off and I asked if he wanted to go potty (to which he replied no)I heard a spill on the floor. I jerk around and Cole smiles and says "Mommy, I go pee-pee".

So perhaps the timing was just not right, on his part or mine, but there is a silver lining. It was on the tile!!!!

So I took him to the toilet and he finished there. We're all still trying to get the hang of this potty training business but it's hit or miss right now. Sometimes we get it and sometimes we don't. Fun stuff.

tick tock

There were many reasons why we decided to put Cole in school. The first, for social interaction, the second, so I can get a few hours of uninterrupted work done. Now I don't know what to do with myself. I get up and get my purse about 20 times because I want to go and "peek" in on him at school. Then, I put it down, will myself to wait, and then just stand there. Where do I start? I sit, I turn the monitor back on, and then I stare. Cant' remember where I left off. I miss him terribly.

I am not making very good use of my time without him and I hope that changes soon. It has to right? It is just the cutest thing to see your little baby playing with other kiddos, sitting at a table eating his snack, curled up in one of the teacher's laps....if there were chairs for the stalking parents I would probably stay there all day. But after a while your neck starts hurting from having to crouch to peek in between the sill and the curtain that you have to leave. Then there's the constant bobbing up and down when your child moves in the direction of the window. It sounds crazy, I know, but I assure you that I am not the only parent that does this. In fact, they practically all do. You can tell the 2 year old class, it's the one that has lingering parents all day. Actually, there are two classes but it seems Cole's class has the neurotic parents. Did they peg us at registration?

Anyway, the mommies and daddies all know each other now, we are a team.
"S is looking this way E, duck!"
"You can look J, she turned away."
"It's ok, N has stopped crying, you can relax a little."
"Is Cole still crying?"

Super funny stuff. I am actually only blogging because I am watching the clock tick by before I pick up Cole. tick tock, tick tock....

Oh fuck it, I'll just linger and watch. Why not, all the other parent's are doing it???? See you there honey!

My name is Cole Eggleston

Perhaps I should've mentioned that the best Father's Day gift really truly came from Cole. Aside from saying Happy Father's Day, he also said his name. What's a proud Papa to do but videotape it:

Cole's first day of school

Today was Cole's first day of pre-school. We had so much time to prepare and stil did not. Of all the days for Cole not to want to wake up in the morning,m he chose today...when we had somewhere to be. Naturally.

He wasn't grouchy when I woke him up but I had to give him extra kisses and hugs and tickles to get him up and out of bed. Finally, it was the offer of a gummy bear vitamin that did it.

So off we went to school. He walked in and saw the trucks and we said goodbye and kissed him. We walked out the door, peeked in the windows and by that time he was crying...hysterically. We watched a while and as other parents started leaving and their children started crying, we felt better.

We went home only to return an hour later to "check" on him. They were at the playground and it was ard to get a good look without blowing our cover. So we went to the truck and got Will's binocs and we went back and stalked our son. He was fine, sitting in the lap of Miss Jennifer, one of his teachers.

But at pick up time he was sooo happy to see us but he didn't want to leave but he had a tight grip on my hand. He said he had fun and that he wanted to go back tomorrow. He showed me his ladybug stciker and he was all smiles all the way home.

The video is of pick up time.

Happy Father's Day Will!!!!

Now, proud as I am of Will's Father's Day gift, it was not what I had originally intended to give. But as I was gallivanting about in San Antonio with dear long time friends, I perhaps did not have time to finish, er, begin his wonderful gift.

It was supposed to be a hardcover book completely done by me with at least 20 pages, custom cover and all.....nonetheless, it didn't happen. Mind you this was also supposed to be Mimi's and Nana's Mother's Day gifts and they are anxiously awaiting theirs.

But what I did get Will was this collage, aka storyboard, that I also sell on my website. It is a 10x20 double matboard. Neddless to say, Will loved it. I mean loved it. (Can you hear me singing that all opera-style?-cuz I am)

Just wanted to let you catch a glimpse of Will's Father's Day here in the Eggleston home. Must go now and get crackin' on some albums.....

Happy Father's Day all you daddies!!!!

P.S. You can get your own custom storyboard or collage from Chic Farm Designs!

pick up your clothes

I was sitting with my knees on the chair and my elbows on the computer, surfing the net. Cole walks in and gets on the chair with me. He points to my big ol' booty sticking out in the air and says "Mommy, pick up your clothes" and he pulls my jeans up. Will and I look at each other and Cole is irked that my jeans are still low and he says again, "Pick up your clothes", he pulls my shirt down to cover my back (aka possible crack) and says "Good boy Mommy."

Sew Reversible

I don't know where I found the time, nor the energy, but I did,...and I have the proof. That's right, it's one apron, not two. I made a reversible apron.

Now if only I could get myself to wear this new piece of art!

Supermarket Sweep

I was looking at some no slip hair bands and when I turned around to put them in the basket, I noticed Cole had been doing some shopping of his own.

I cannot believe that I get this kind of entertainment for free. Motherhood is wonderful!

Powder Room

Recap of the last week here in the Eggleston home...

cramps Friday and Saturday, s-u-c-k-e-d!
Sunday, felt muuch better so I worked
Monday, went for a visit to San Antonio to see my friends, The Kellys
Tuesday, was supposed to work on Will's fabulous Father's Day gift,...did not...it will not arrive in time, shit, shit, shit
still Tuesday, Cole and I spent 3 hours at the pool,...so much fun!!!! Miss Cam, and Little Sir Peyton were great helps (aka babysitters). Cole wanted nothing to do with me. I layed out a little and floated in the lazy pool. Used SPF 4, so I can tan you know. Did I? No, but I burnt the hell out of my back. It will look fab in a few days, if I live through the pain long enough. My legs, still the same. Seriously, what does a Mexican girl gotta do to get a tan?????
Wednesday, woke up and came home early enough to take a nap. walked into Cole's room and was greeted by Sunday's mess....



So this is how it all played out:
I was in the computer room working on a birth announcement. I heard clattering and noise in Cole's room. He was in there, I had an idea what he was doing but I was enthralled in the design process so I worked on. I called out to him, "Cole, you ok?" "Yes Mommy, I ok." he replied. I was fine with that. I had a feeling he was throwing his book on the floor. I finally finished my design and went in to check on my precious little angel. To my horror, I realized the noise he was making was the bottle of powder being flung many many times across the room. I didn't make a peep, I walked out to get the camera....

It was worth it to get it on camera. In the last few weeks I would give the powder a funny look... I would wonder if he was at that stage where it was appealing to throw it, or if he had passed it or if it was yet to come. I shrugged it off, and left it open, ready to use. The day had come I guess. Nonetheless, it was fun. and classic. I am still cleaning the powder.

still....Wait

Just last night I started getting the tell-tale signs that you know who would be visiting. You know, the dreaded aunt? For me at least, I dread her. Anyway, I withdrew a little from my family, I wanted to just crawl up into the guest bed and run over all the possibilities, was it that I needed more faith, Clomid, PreSeed, was it something in me, had I done wrong, was I a bad person, did I not deserve this.....

I had to make a very conscious effort, again and agian, to put these thoughts out of my head. I am trying to surrender all to Him, to leave it in his hands and sometimes I forget to do that. But last night, I did. Then this morning, as I was looking through my past posts, I found it:

WAIT
by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

Talking Back

Cole and I would occasionally watch a cartoon together and they ask you to interact. Mickey Mouse says, "Say it with: Mishka, Mooshka, Mickey Mouse." I was the only clown repeating after Mickey, Cole showed no interest in talking back to Mickey.

Just yesterday I noticed him talking to the Blue's Clue guy (who frankly I think is quite creepy-Cole thinks he's quite spiffy).

He was singing the Wonder Pets song: "The phone, the phone is ringing....". I was singing the stupid thing the rest of the afternoon too. Sooo annoying when you can't get a song out of your head, especially one you hear waay to often!

I suspect that on one of these cartoons, he learned to fish. He got this foam tube from an old toy from his baby days that was jammed into the garage (yes-the one we have been spending a lot of time in) and was going to make it's way into the trash. He snaked it before I could throw it out and he ran to the mailbox, ie curb. I ran after him yelling "get back here, not in the street!"

"I'm fishing mom!" WTF? Where did he learn to fish? He's standing on the curb dropping the foam tube into the street. He was really fishing! What an imagination! I wish I had gotten a picture to post but considering how close he was to the street I figured best just tell the story. Perhaps I can recreate the moment...

Thursday anticipation

I get super excited for Thursdays to come. Wednesday nights I usually run around the house "hunting" for trash just to fill up the trash can. Like really, I'll go into the garage and start looking at things and breaking down shoe boxes because when in doubt, throw it out! I have a fear of ending up with a trash can that can no longer fit the rest of my trash. Then what do I do? I may resort to walking around the neighborhood asking my sweet neighbors if I can dump in theirs. Haven't had to do it, hope I never do, but let me tell you that I have it in me.

How did I even get to talking about trash day? Oh yeah, that's right... Our current project is cleaning out the garage and there was...er,.. is a lot of trash in there. I started two nights ago and it is so sweet to be able to clean out the garage. We park our cars blocking the driveway so that Cole can play with all his outdoor toys while mommy cleans the garage and daddy works in the yard. It has been really really nice. The garage is about 3/4 done and it's kinda bittersweet. We'll park the cars in the garage but Cole will probably not have fun in the sun for a good while.

Ok ADD girl, focus...

So Monday evening we had pretty much filled the trash. You can imagine the anxiety this caused knowing I had 2 more days to go with nowhere to put the trash. Visions of me walking down the street with stinky trash bags ran through my head and I had a light bulb moment.

I called Daddy-O who quickly came to the rescue. My parents live out in the boonies and they don't have trash pickup they have to take it to a trash center (???). The awesome thing about this is that they are not limited to visits or gallon-age like us city-folk. So he had a trip to the trash and he took mine too.

Panic attack/neighbor harassment suit averted! Woohoo! -until next week at least:)

No Please.

Me: "Cole, do you want some pancakes?"

Cole: "No please."

Me: "Do you want pancakes or not?"

Cole: "Yes, I don't want no pancakes."

30 seconds later:

Cole: "Mommy, I want pancakes."