Potty Training Update

So, we are on day three, and I must say that Owen is doing far better than I thought. We have had no accidents for the past two days! He even knew exactly what to do with his bm's (surprising to us because that was and still is a very hard thing for Micah.) He has stayed dry through his naps, so we have officially used only three diapers since Saturday (way to go Owen!) I am sure we will have set backs, but I think we are close to being able to try those cute little boxer briefs that await on his shelf. Right now, he is still wearing no pants in the house and diapers when we go out (just in case.) Next line of business: getting him off that potty seat and using the big potty.

Potty Training: Take One

So after receiving and reading some random Baby Center e-mail on potty training children under two, I decided this would be the weekend. We also had some encouragement from our pediatrician, who claims Owen to be a pretty verbal boy (communication is a key to successful potty training) and from Owen's never-ending attempts to be like his big brother and use the potty! Potty training is one of those things that is easy to put off: I mean who doesn't like the convenience of diapers. But since Owen was interested, I figured we would have to bite the bullet at some point, and I sure would like the extra $30 a month! So we have been talking it up all week and this morning, while I was still enjoying some "me time" I hear Matt, Micah, and Owen singing, congratulting, and talking about jelly beans. I quickly ran downstairs to discover that in less than an hour, we had success! Good job Owen! So, we continued on with our potty training Saturday: playing only downstairs, (hard woods make for easy clean-ups!) wearing no pants, (just Owen, we decided we could all keep our pants on) eating a yummy new snack-pretzel crisps, (buy one-get one free at Publix right now) and drinking lots of full strength juice and sweet tea. Micah enjoyed the festivities and helped tremendously in teaching his little brother how to use the potty. I really think this made it so much easier for Owen. We love you, Micah! Thank you for taking your role as big brother so seriously and helping us out so much! We called the day a success with three pee pees in the potty, only one accident on the floor, and two successful trips outside where he even pulled his shorts down. He ended the day with a temper tantrum, maybe his first real one ever. I guess all the excitement and frustrations of the day caught up to him. He was screaming over and over "more pee pees again" and hitting the floor, his own face, etc. Poor guy just got too overwhelmed and tuckered out. He is now power napping-we are going on four hours. I am interested to see how the evening fares.

Way Back Whensday (on Thursday)

Raechel, per your request, here are the belly pictures. An unexpected power outage last night prevented me from posting these pictures (certainly not the fact that I don't like to look at myself pregnant!) No really, as much as I loved feeling my boys move inside me, I can't think of a single thing I liked about getting huge, and I mean huge. I gained a whopping 42 pounds with Micah and close to that with Owen. It seemed to start from day one. By 12 weeks I was in maternity clothes and everyone would love to tell me how they didn't gain any weight until 20 weeks, or that "wow I was sure carrying a lot of weight around my hips and thighs." Ugghhhh! Needless to say, I wasn't the first time mommy who was snapping tons of pictures of my belly. I chose to not remember how fast I blew up. Matt did talk me into taking a picture the day or two before I had each boy so that I could have one to remember and, I guess, to show to the entire world. So here goes:

This is Micah. This shot was apparently the only one I would keep because I can't seem to locate any more. Oh, my was I uncomfortable at this point. Micah was stretched out so that his feet were always under my rib cage and his head was way down in my pelvis. I remember wanting to walk to help induce labor, but it was really hard to move much!



Here is little Owen. My belly doesn't look that big to be 40 weeks, but he was nestled way down in my pelvis and he was only 19 inches long. This was actually really good, because besides all the false contractions, those last couple of weeks were much more comfortable than with Micah. The downside (because his head was jammed up down there, he had tortocollis and still has a flat spot on his head where he refused to turn his neck those first couple of weeks. We had to do neck exercises and his neck is fine now-just still working on that head shape. Thankfully, he still has a rather large softspot (unusal for a two year old) so his head is still forming and reshaping. Bit of useless, but still neat information: Both the boys had ridiculously large soft spots covering almost the entire top of their heads. It was a little strange when I would feed them, and it would pulse with their heartbeats and look a little freaky.




Micah loved to kiss my belly and say "Hi baby Owen." He called him baby Owen until he was a year old!

There is Still Time

If you haven't already, consider popping a red envelope in the mail tomorrow. Or even better, just go to this website and you can sign up to have one sent.

No Nap Tuesday

So neither of my boys is taking a nap. It is my fault. I lazed around this morning drinking coffee, reading, straightening my room etc. and neither boy was up before 10. I guess the good news is early to bed! I also think we may be close to being able to let the boys share their room. I can't believe I am saying that. I know they will keep each other up late and wake each other up (no more enjoying those occasional mornings with only one boy). But, that is our plan-to move them in the same room, and I think it will be good in the long run.

Lately, we have embarked on a new season of parenting. My boys are ganging up on me :) They encourage each other to throw blocks down the stairs and cackle as they crash below. I want to blow my top, and unfortunately I have :( I am remembering that they are boys, and it must be so fun to watch those toys fly down and crash against my floor!-- I am still not okay with that game. Micah tells Owen what to say, and Owen is a parrot. So far, this has only been funny things and caused no real harm (except during church service), but I can only imagine what Micah will instruct Owen to do in the near future. Owen has hit the two's in full force. He wants to be independent by trying to do everything by himself. He gets very sad when I forget to let him "help" me, and he gets very frustrated when he just can't get it himself. He is also trying to learn independence from me as well as learning that we are different and that I am the authority. I know this is confusing for him, but it is still hard for me to take it when he is mad at me or when he takes his frustrations out on me for no apparent reason. Hopefully some of his moodiness will subside when his next set of teeth are finally in. I can hope right ;)

On a happier note, we have created a "Morrison Family Dance CD" with some oldies but goodies. I think it is hilarious to see what each boy has chosen as his favorite song. Owen loves "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane and Micah is loving "Two Princes" by the Spin Doctors. I have got to capture some of their most recent dance moves and sing-along attempts to share! Happy Tuesday.

Very Insightful

"The bad news is: Dada has to work today. The good news is:
Jesus died on the cross for my sins!"--Micah Knox Morrison

My Little "Gentleman" Bug

Micah had an Ugly Bug Ball at school on Wednesday to celebrate the close of their bug unit. All the children dressed as their favorite bug (I was pulling for a bumble bee, but he insisted on a lady bug) and the day was full of festivities including a parade and fun bug snacks. Here is a picture I snapped when I picked him up. He had a very fun day (I think it had something to do with the chocolate spiders they had for snack time as he couldn't wait to tell us about them!) He was sure to inform us that "don't worry, they will NOT bite you. They are just a snack, not real spiders!"

Way Back Whendsday

My friend Raechel had this idea over on her blog. I thought it sounded great to relive some memories, and I too find it hard to post with no words. Thanks Raechel for a great new idea! So her goes a couple of cute "way back whens" of the boys.


Micah at 1 month. This is one of our favorite early pictures. Look at those seer sucker shorts and those adorable feet!

Micah at 7 months. I love this one because of his big eyes and pouty mouth.
Owen sleeping at two months. This baby loved to sleep! He looks so peaceful.

This is Owen at three months watching Micah play outside. I posted this one because it is so funny for me to remember Owen this way. This is how he spent month 3-6: laughing in his bumbo! Check out that mohawk!

A Really Great Day

Yesterday was perhaps one of my favorite parenting days. The boys slept in, Matt brought me coffee in bed, we lazed around a bit getting dressed and eating breakfast. Then, while Matt and I were packing up lunch, we watched the boys play together on our back deck. They were squealing in delight and laughing at each other. It was music to our ears. They have only recently, in the past couple of weeks, started initiating play on their own and continuing it. Before, it was always at our prompting and refereeing! Once lunch was packed, we headed to our new favorite park: Burns park in Kingston Springs. It has a great playground, a pond, a walking trail and lots of trails in the woods along the Harpeth River. We all had a blast getting some sun, playing on the playground, running in the soccer fields, eating a picnic lunch, taking a walk, and later a hike. The boys loved exploring and were both sad to leave. I think we will become frequent visitors this Spring though! I thought I would post lots of pictures to try to show you what fun we all had.

Some Meal Ideas

Well, it so happened that last week I was making a quick trip to the grocery while the boys were napping (it was one of Matt's early days). I timed it so that I would just get home in time to make dinner. We were planning on turkey burgers because it felt great outside and we could use the grill. Well, lo and behold, I get to the checkout with my basket full and realize I don't have a wallet. They won't take a credit card over the phone, so I had to leave all my things behind and head home empty handed. Not only was I angry because I wasted precious napping hours getting absolutely nothing accomplished, I also felt overwhelmed at the thought of feeding my family. I really couldn't think of a single thing I had to cook. Matt suggested we go out, but I was bound and determined not to waste our weekend treat on my own forgetfullness. So, I came up with this:

1 box of pasta (doesn't matter what kind, we had the end of 3 different boxes!)
1 can diced tomatoes
frozen peas (I just add these to the pasta water at the very end to dethaw)
chicken tenders from the freezer (ours were the Tyson southern style)

I cooked the pasta, added the peas at the end, tossed in some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and minced garlic, S&P, the tomatoes and plated it up. I cut the tenders up after they baked said amount of time and placed them on top. Then, I gave it some fresh grated parmesan cheese and called it dinner. Owen and Matt ate two bowls, and I must say I think I will add it to our family favorites list!

I stole this next one from Rachael Rae

Sausage, Peppers and Onions Stoup

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds hot or sweet bulk Italian sausage (You can buy turkey or chicken to save some fat)
  
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 to 4 cubanelle peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (I used green bell because I had them already)
  
• 2 medium-large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 (15-ounce) cans or 1 (28-ounce) can crushed or diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, torn
• 1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in deep skillet, add sausage and brown a few minutes then add garlic, peppers, onions and cook until soft, 6 to 7 minutes more.

Deglaze pan with a little vinegar, stir in stock and tomatoes and reduce heat to simmer, cook 5 minutes more then stir in parsley and basil and serve with cheese on top.

I bought a sourdough boule and we dipped it in the soup- delicious!

Hope you have a chance to try some of these easy, family friendly meals. If your kids don't like the looks of peppers and onions, try an immersion blender to puree them into the soup! I also dropped cubes of bread into Owen's soup to soak up the liquid; it made it much easier for him to eat and less messy.