Calvin's Potty Training Adventures

I was sooo nervous to start potty training Calvin. Why? I guess I thought it would be a huge fight between parent and child to get him to do it. So I prepped myself with supplies before we started:

books about going potty in the toilet

a little toilet just for Cal

a box of CapriSun juice

stickers

m&m's

and a handmade chart

A week or two before we started potty training, I read him books about going potty in the toilet to help prep his mind for the idea of trying to go on the toilet. I looked up amazon reviews about which books are the best for potty training boys these days. These were the top three books: 

I loved The Potty Book for Boys by Alyssa Satin Capucilli. It goes through the whole experience of wearing diapers, trying to go in the potty, having accidents, and picking out underwear at the store. I especially like how it talks about feelings and that it's okay to have accidents as long as you keep trying to go in the potty. 

Calvin loved the book Even Firefighters go the Potty by Wendy Wax and Naomi Wax. It goes through different characters (fireman, policeman, baseball player, doctor, astronaut, etc.) showing what activity they are busy doing. They all take a break from what their doing to go to the potty. On each page there is a flap designed like a bathroom door that Cal can open and see the character in the bathroom. 

With both of those books combined, I think it helped Calvin understand the step-by-step process of going potty as well as the importance of taking a pause in whatever your doing to make sure you go to the potty when you feel like you have to go. 

The third book, Pirate Potty by Samantha Berger wasn't that impressive to me or Calvin. The setting and wording was in pirate lingo which made it fun but unrelatable for Calvin. I wouldn't recommend it.

POTTY TRAINING TIME!!!

Once all the diapers were used and gone out of the house, we started potty training the next day. I planned it that way so I didn't have the temptation of reverting back to diapers if it was going poorly. When Calvin woke up I told him, "Oh no Calvin! All the diapers are gone!! No more diapers. Where are you going to go pee?" He looked at me with an adorable concerned face, took a moment to think and said, "Hmmm...potty!" YES! I was so glad he came to that conclusion on his own. I showed him his little potty that he could use. I explained to him that each time he goes pee in the potty he would get a sticker and an m&m. Cal was really excited about that. So I gave him as many CapriSun juices as he wanted (so he could feel the urge to pee more frequently) and kept his bum naked (so he didn't have to worry about pulling clothes down yet...just focus on getting to the potty in time). 

Calvin did great! Day 1 and 2 were learning experiences, but overall he got the hang of it. 

Calvin was excited about his new potty. He wanted to sit on it and read his potty books :)
Initially, I kept the potty out in the main kitchen/family room area so that he could visually see where he had to go and he could get to it quickly. 

We made sure he went to the potty before he went to bed hoping to encourage him not to pee while he slept. But he still wore "pull-ups" at night just in case.

I noticed he was having stage fright about going #2 in his potty. So I thought watching a movie while sitting there would help him. Nope! He just watched a movie.

After a week of keeping the potty in the main kitchen/family room area, he was ready to move his potty to his bathroom. He liked the idea of having his own space and being able to help out with the clean up.

In this picture below, Calvin is telling me to take a picture because he's a "big boy." I was so proud, he went straight to the potty when he woke up. But he had to bring his comfort items: Snowflake and Pillow.

Lately, since he's so good about telling us that he needs to go potty NOW. Thanks to Dad, he's even mastered going pee on a tree when toilets aren't available.

I'm so grateful Calvin was so excited and ready to be potty trained :) That made my life a lot easier. Thanks kid!

A day at the Zoo!

Grammie Bean came to visit! Yay! Calvin's favorite adventure with her was our trip to the

  Phoenix Zoo.

On the morning of, we met up at my brother Chris's apartment to eat breakfast and depart from there to the zoo. However, I forgot to pack SHOES for Calvin (strike 1). But I remembered sunscreen, snacks, lunch, a change of clothes, diapers, wipes, water bottles, toys, books, his favorite blanket, Hobbes...doesn't that matter? Nope. I still failed.  So, because of my lapse of judgment, we made a quick stop at a nearby Walmart for some Calvin size sandals.

We arrived at the zoo and I realized that I didn't pack Calvin's STROLLER (strike 2). I panicked. But my Mom reassured me that the zoo probably has strollers we can rent for the day. She is so wise. 

Calvin had the BEST time running around the zoo (not really using the stroller after all) and looking at all sorts of animals. 

And I had fun playing with my Christmas present: Canon EFS 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS II Telephoto Zoom Lens

When I opened this present on Christmas day, Jake said something like, "Now you can take awesome photos of soccer games!" I haven't had the chance to use the lens for sports yet, but the Zoo was a great opportunity to practice.

I am super impressed with how much I could zoom in while maintaining the integrity of the shot. I'm in love with this lens.

Back to the zoo. First we visited the birds.

Calvin LOVED watching the fresh water otters swim and wrestle...

...He thought these otters were giving kisses.

One of Calvin's favorite words to say right now is "turtle." When we spotted these REAL LIFE turtles, he was so excited that he literally jumped for joy. As for me, they were the most boring animal we encountered. They literally looked like statues instead of real turtles.

Calvin got antsy to see the BIG animals. So off we went to see the giraffe!

Calvin was in awe at how big the animals were compared to his toys. He pretty much gazed at each animal like this until we pulled him to the next animal. If we didn't move him along, we would've been at the zoo for a week!

Then we got to see the BIG CATS!

Once he saw the sleepy lion, he was getting pretty sleepy, as well.

But then he heard that we were going to see the monkeys next, and he was up and ready!

This colorful monkey came right up to Calvin's face SUPER close. He LOVED it.

This monkey's face looks so odd to me. What an odd shape, right?

Calvin's favorite animal to see in person was the Orangutan. Calvin intently observed the orangutan:

swing from ropes, 

climb the walls, 

walk on all four limbs, 

pick at the bugs on his arm, 

and lick the bugs off the floor.

As we left the orangutan area, Calvin decided that he wanted to BE an orangutan. He crawled on all four limbs, tried to climb the walls, picked at his arms looking for bugs, and licked the pavement...all just like the orangutan. We tried to get him to walk, but he refused. He kept saying, "Monkey!"...he just wanted to be a monkey.

Eventually, Calvin became a real boy again and we were ready to go home. We wish we could have stayed to see the rest of the Zoo (all 125 acres) but Calvin was way too tired....as evidence by this photo below.

Overall, we had a great day! Thanks for coming down to visit, Grammie! 

Happy 28 months! ...the Canadian way. I think.

Somehow parents at the park with their kids have this unwritten rule: Chatting about each others kids is totally normal. I'm a new Mom, so I'm still getting used to parents/random strangers striking up conversations.

Today we were playing on the playground, feeding the ducks, and watching the golfers putt when a Canadian dad asked me, "So, how many months is your son?" Um....Months?! I haven't kept track. I literally had to use my fingers to help me get to the answer. Is that a Canadian thing to do? To keep track of toddler months, ay?

Anyway, Happy 28 months, Calvin! We celebrated by feeding the GIANT fish in the lake (because the ducks were already full) and running around the playground in circles (up the stairs-->down the slide-->up the stairs-->down the slide). You loved it.

Calvin moments to remember.

Here are a few Calvin moments to remember from 2012-2013.

Trying meat for the first time.

Screaming every time the vacuum was on. The only thing that soothed him was holding him while I vacuumed.

Entertaining Calvin with juice, chocolate, and the movie Cars while strapping him down for a hair cut.

"Folding laundry."

"Putting the dishes away."

"Taking out the trash."

Hating the snow from the first moment he touched it (refused to wear gloves). It took him 15 minutes to get dressed. And he lasted less than 3 minutes outside.

...Then needing hot chocolate to recover from the cold.

Freaking out about the "people" with no heads.

Shopping overload.

Aching for a nap after church.

Cheering for Mom on the sidelines during her flag football game.

Climbing out of bed and getting stuck in the toy dresser when supposed to be sleeping.

Kneeling for family prayer.

Making funny faces during General Conference.

Making a first marker masterpiece. With lots of juice and goldfish breaks.

Climbing on Justin's scooter and saying, "vroom vrooooom!"

Trying to grab the ball from Grandpa Scott.

Gambling at the Las Vegas airport.

...and getting caught by security for being underaged.
  

Being a goofball at Megan's wedding.

Trying to clean his face while fighting five adults. (Cleaning Calvin's face is always a battle.)

Joining Mom to do laundry at the laundromat.

...it was a few blocks away. We looked ridiculous.

Climbing trees with Daddy.

Messing with Dad's glasses on his shoulders. (Every time!)

Helping Dad cook.

Helping Dad cook with a more hands-off approach.

Comforting Mom after her trip to the ER.