Updated...finally!

Whew...great track record I have going. I guess I could use giving birth shortly after my last post as an excuse, but now it's time for recommitment.

Ben is 6 1/2 weeks old today which is hard to believe. The time has gone quickly, yet it seems like forever (in a good way). This will be a quick post tonight since I'm coming up on his bath and feeding time. More to come and with pictures in a future post.

Things I'm thanking God for tonight:

• Chubby baby legs (why is chubbiness a desirable quality for babies but not adults?)
• 2 1/4 kids potty trained (Brie's done, Reese is there except for night time, now Luke is there except for nap and night time, and of course, Ben is just at the beginning of his diaper journey)
• Clothes lines
• Naps
• Zucchini (I shredded the equivalent of 25-26 cups of the stuff today...bring on the zucchini bread!)
• Indoor plumbing, particularly toilets, concealed sewer systems and doctors who know better than drain your blood to cure you (we've been reading some books on the Middle Ages as part of my experimenting with homeschooling. For any of you ladies who wear platform shoes - be thankful it's for fashion's sake and NOT because you need to navigate human waste and you walk through the streets)
• A husband who's rediscovering his youthfulness by growing facial hair
• A God who will not leave me as I am and is patient with me as He grows patience in me

Two Down (almost) and One to Go

For awhile now Brie has been completely diaper-free - yahoo! She made the decision herself that she wanted to be a "big girl" 24/7, and with some careful monitoring of intake/output on our part, she accomplished her goal.


Reese has entered the potty zone during nonsleeping hours. To celebrate his first day accident-free, Dave took him to buy some big boy underwear - SpiderMan, Cars and Diego were the pick of the day. True to Reesie form, once we started putting him in underwear, he quickly decided it was much better to use the potty instead of the alternative. He's an expert now and even remembers to wash his hands...two or three times...90% of the time. Lately, we've cautiously gone on errands and other trips without the safety net of the diaper and he's handling that well, too. I think we're close to napping sans diaper but probably have a while to go before he's completely free of them.


It's made such a huge difference in the Fuzzi Bunz laundry and of course the time spent changing the diapers themselves. Maybe I'll get a little more nostalgic about not changing diapers once Luke is about done with them, but for now I'm enjoying this stage of growth. I think it's exciting for Reese (and Brie) too, to see the progress their making.

Just like his...grandfather

Monday was warm here so we took advantage of the great weather to accomplish two goals...work on the garden and move Reese closer to diaper-free days. Goal 1: met. Goal 2: not so much.

Our pediatrician had suggested that on warm days, we let Reese run outside with a long T-shirt and no bottoms to encourage him to be more sensitive to the need to use the potty. I decided to try a T-shirt and loose fitting boxers (the idea is so that he is "free range" because snug fits encourage continued use of the diaper). Reese enjoyed the freedom. So much so, that at one point he disappeared behind the house only to return clothed in his birthday suit. He couldn't quite understand why this was unacceptable attire for the front of the house. While he didn't quite streak down the street with only soap bubbles for apparel, he still gave the neighbors an eyeful. That Reesie!

We finally convinced him to keep his drawers on and compromised by letting him be without a shirt.

He never did use the potty, but chose to water the sidewalk instead. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to let him play with the garden hose while trying to change him. I guess, when you're wet, you're wet regardless whether it's with water or pee!

Sorry, no pics of Reesie streaker. :)