Happy Easter!

Nana got Super Dude and his Super Cousin caterpillars that changed into butterflies.  We set them free today!

Daddy, Super Dude and Super Uncle

dying eggs

adventures in potty training

"It's been said that adults spend the first two years of their children's lives trying to make them walk and talk, and the next sixteen years trying to get them to sit down and shut up.  It's the same way with potty training: Most adults spend the first few years of a child's life cheerfully discussing pee and poopies, and how important it is to learn to put your pee-pee and poo-poo in the potty like big people do. But once children have mastered the art of toilet training, they are immediately forbidden to ever talk about poop, pee, toilets and other bathroom-related subjects again. Such things are now considered rude and vulgar, and are no longer rewarded with praise and cookies and juice boxes. One day you're a superstar because you pooped in the toilet like a big boy, and the next day you're sitting in the principal's office because you said the word "poopy" in American History class (which, if you ask me, is the perfect place to say that word)."  
— Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants And The Preposterous Plight Of The Purple Potty People)

Super Dude has been exposed to the potty for a while and he loves it.  He's not afraid of it (whew!) and thinks that flushing and washing his hands are the best things ever!  The few times he has been successful, we danced and we sang...and he just laughed.  Best. Entertainment. Ever!  His preschool teachers told us that he's exhibiting the signs of "readiness" (whatever that means) and they've been working with him consistently on potty training.  The problem is....mommy & daddy. We're not consistent because we are clueless.  And if he's only getting consistency 3 days a week when he's at school, he's going to be in diapers until he's in high school.  From what I remember of my high school days, it's not cool (that's probably not even a cool word anymore) to wear diapers. 

If you search for "potty training" books on Amazon, you get 869 books; search for "potty training" in baby products, you get 1,214 items. What's a clueless parent to do? Why, turn to the blog of course!

Now's your chance to share your tips and advice.  SPILL IT!  Give us the secrets, oh wise ones. We're not afraid of a little self-humiliation or bribery, so don't hold back.   And if you peepee on the potty, you can have an m&m...oh sorry... got side-tracked for a second.

dude-isms

Now my mom-ma ABCs = now i said my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me

Uh-oh (followed by hysterical laughter) = the dude has taken off his diaper and is running around naked

Mommy pway = mommy please come in the playroom with me

Puh-puh = purple

PeePeePoo = Peek-A-Boo

Bye-Bye Crazy Hair = He says this each morning when we are combing his wild bed head

He can count from 1-20 perfectly, but when he sees 15 it's "five-teen" and 12 is "two-teen"

doctors and teachers and cookies...oh my!

On Friday, we had an appointment with Dr. H, Super Dude's surgeon at Duke.  In case we haven't mentioned it lately, we LOVE Dr. H.  He was instrumental in saving Dude's life - he performed Dude's primary diaphragm repair and the intestinal containment surgeries.  When we were on the brink of consenting to Dude getting a G-tube because of his feeding problems, Dr. H encouraged us to wait and give the Dude a little more time; he was right and saved the Dude from an unnecessary surgery.  It had been a year since we last saw Dr. H, so the visit was bittersweet.  

He thinks that Super Dude looks great and couldn't believe how tall he'd grown.  We've known the next surgery was necessary, so this appointment was short and sweet.  He told us what he'd do, we signed the consent forms and then he sent us to pre-op to get all of that done.  Dr. H was very amenable to having the ENT insert ear tubes during the surgery and said he'd contact the ENT to coordinate their schedules.  Now, we're just waiting on the phone call to tell us when to show up!  This surgery will last 2-3 hours and will involve creating an incision at the end of the last incision/scar, which will wrap around toward Super Dude's back and be about 3 inches long.  He'll be admitted and we're asking that people not visit as only 2 people are permitted in the room and that only leaves room for mommy & daddy!

After the surgical appointment, we had our first parent-teacher conference at Dude's preschool.  His teachers said they adore him and that he's a wonderful child.  He has a best bud in his class, and apparently the two can just look at each other and burst out in laughter.  The teachers gave us some tips on potty-training, which we hope to work on soon at home.  The only issue they have with Super Dude is that he sometimes steals food from his classmates at lunch.  I find this hysterical since he was tube-fed the first year of life, and we tried so hard, for so long, to just get him to eat ANYTHING!  

Tonight we made cookies and I let Super Dude help put the cookie dough on the cookie sheet.  I turned around to check the oven for a quick second and when I turned back around, the Dude was in the same exact spot, but there was a cookie on the sheet with a bite taken out of it!  Sneaky little monkey!