Potty Training, etc.

The past week at our house has gone by quite fast. Dan took Colby to get the staples removed Thursday evening, which went very well, thankfully. The places where the staples went into his head left little red dots. So, when he was going to bed he asked if he should put a towel on his pillow, in case it bleeds. Kind of precious, thoughtful, but also maybe seeking a little more sympathy.

I went to buy Colby's uniforms to start Kindergarten & had him try them on - wow, he looks so grown up and handsome.

Isaiah has decided that he likes to go to the bathroom in the potty! This is wonderful and a bit scary at 19 months old. So, I'm in a bit of a dilemma... Do I try to potty train him in the next 3 and a half weeks, being out of town for a little over a week of it, or do I wait until way later after I'm recovered from the back surgery?... I welcome and ask for any advice on this subject. It's wonderful that he knows what to do when he's on the potty, but he has a challenge that he can't even pull his own pants down! Yesterday afternoon Dan, Colby & Todd (Dan's best friend) were swimming in the back yard. We joined them outside & eventually Isaiah was naked playing in the water on the sidewalk around the pool. He just squatted down & did his business (1 & 2) on the sidewalk! Thankfully it wasn't messy, if you know what I mean. He's happy to perform on the toilet, even up to 4 times a day so far! But, I don't know if he's really ready to be able to tell me when he needs to & make it there in time... So, please let me know your thoughts!

One more challenge with Isaiah. He is going through what I hope is a phase of hitting people whenever he doesn't get his way, or just for the fun of it. The teachers at mother's day out are not too happy about it! We are really working on trying to stop the behavior at home, but it sure is a challenge! It's interesting and amazing that each child poses a different challenge. Thankfully my others weren't bitters or hitters, but my sweet Isaiah is both! He's stopped biting, but is now hitting quite often. I'm trying to stick to the Love and Logic approach and put him in "bedroom time" using empathy whenever it happens, but I don't know if that's really working. I don't think spanking is a solution because then when he hits, and me "hitting" him back with a spanking shouldn't resolve the problem! I would also appreciate any grand ideas on this subject too!

I can't believe it's already August... time has completely flown by this summer!

Abigail attended a very short ballet class this summer. I went to her last class where they performed what they had learned. It was quite impressive, since she attended only 3 classes! I'm going to try and figure out how to post a video soon so you can see her. She is getting so grown up and has many moments of being very precious. We just came back from a baby shower that we attended together. She had so much fun handing the presents to the mother. Thankfully she was very patient and kind in front of everyone! I am so thankful for those moments of preciousness from her! It's hard to do, but it is wonderful to be able to have special time with each child alone.

Unfortunately, when we came home I noticed she felt pretty hot. I took her temperature & it's 102.8! She went down for a nap, going to sleep in only a few minutes, which is very abnormal for her. So, she's for sure sick! I really hope it is a very short-lived sickness, as we have many plans for the coming few weeks!

I hope everyone has a wonderful couple of weeks left of summer! Enjoy it!