Month 5: Things are about to change...

So we've been pretty busy the last month. Bryce was a monkey and a monster for Halloween. We had a parade at daycare and also went trick or treating around our neighborhood. Landon really enjoyed knocking on the door and getting candy Bryce was happy to sleep in the stroller. Bryce also chose to go to bed in lieu of carving pumpkins with us this year.

"So how does this Halloween thing work brother?"

We also had Uncle DJ's wedding on November 3rd so we traveled to Durham, NC. They were married in the Duke chapel and it was a beautiful wedding. We are so excited Aunt Krysta is now officially part of the Reeves clan! Grandma and Grandpa Reeves were so nice to let us have the hotel room across from us so we had a lot of time together. In addition to being the ring bearer the highlights of the weekend for Landon was wearing his cowboy boots like grandpa, running back and forth from one room to another, and eating at McDonalds. Bryce loved being held by Grandma and many others throughout the weekend. He is definitely a ladies man.

2 things that are new for Bryce this month are that he can roll over from tummy to back (back to tummy is sooooo close) and he now chooses an object to grab or follow closely with his eyes.

In thinking of the blog for this month I also couldn't help but think that this was the last month Bryce will only have milk (with a little cereal) and it was also the last month that Bryce would not be able to sit up on his own.

I can't wait to see Bryce begin to show his personality even more but I am really enjoying snuggling with him so much and would be ok if we could pause thanksgiving break for a just a little while. He is so sweet and I definitely think he is more of a mama's boy than Landon was. It's also great to watch the boys interact more and more with each other. Bryce LOVES watching Landon and Landon loves to make him laugh.

Below are the 5 month photos we tried to take of Bryce. I love that Landon insisted in being in most of them.

"It's Go Time..." said Landon.

As a parent we think of all the things we want to teach our kids but rarely do I think of all the things I will learn from them until after the fact.

Potty training had crossed my mind a few times over the past two months but Landon had shown no interest and quite frankly we were "busy." I thought maybe over the Christmas break we would tackle it but it still was something I was dreading. In addition I was certainly not planning on starting the week after we had been out of town, with David traveling, and all of my quarterly meetings and reports due. So when Landon began saying he wanted to get underwear and use the potty I really wanted to say no, not now, I don't have time but I knew I couldn't do that.

So here is how we jumped in....last week David left for a week long business trip and on day 1 Landon begins talking about wanting underwear like the boys at daycare. He went once during the day at daycare so that night I took him to the store. When we got home he played around in the kitchen naked for almost two hours and just before bed went once. The rest of the week Landon showed no interest at daycare but would want to hang out on the potty sometimes at home as I was trying to get the daily evening routines completed and prepare us for the next day. He went pee a few times here and there.

When David got home we decided we would give it a try over the weekend. I bought rocks, stickers, and a Nemo toy at the dollar store. I was not very excited about it. Diapers were easy. I could go wherever whenever and didn't have to worry about making a mess in public. I loved and hated the idea of not going anywhere all weekend while just imagining how many loads of laundry and how messy it was going to be.

Saturday morning arrived and it all began...the timer was set for 10 minutes. We would put Landon on the potty. Nothing happened the first few go arounds and then he went! The only tears shed were because 2 cocoa krispies fell out of his hand into the potty and we would not let him take them out to eat them. It was shortly after that we had 3 accidents in a row and I really questioned whether or not we were crazy but we started it and couldn't quit now. Then WALA! Landon got it and began to get the gist of this whole thing. It's been 5 days now of lots of singing, dancing, and celebrating as he now goes #1 and #2 in the potty, has taken 3 trips out of the house to the store, a trip to church, and 2 days of daycare all with no accidents. Daycare started no diaper at naps and he is even dry through that. The 10 minute timer is gone, he tells us when he has to go and he even told me to go away tonight when he had to go to the bathroom. I cannot believe we have just passed a HUGE milestone! 

My advice to parents is this...
1. The kid needs to be ready.
2. The potty that sings when they go is awesome!
3. The potty chair turns into a campground. You eat, play, and watch the iPad all while on the potty!
4. One pack (7) of underwear is not enough.
5. As you treat them for going treat yourself to something as well.

I hesitated sharing this story because I know there are many parents out there who may not like us after hearing how easy this has been for us but I have learned so much. Landon once again has taught me its not all about my plan and that sometimes you have to let things happen how they are meant to be. I am so proud of him that he did this all on his own. I love that I find myself learning more about me everyday through him and Bryce.