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!