Day 5 - Potty Training Owen...

~Elizabeth Stone~
"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

The above quote reminded me of my day today. 

Owen has not pooped for 5 days now. 

5! 

Ah!

  

I know that some kids have gone longer than 5 days. 

I knew that it was medically ok for Owen to go longer than 5 days.

But, he was miserable.

He couldn't last another day, I just knew it!

I just needed to wait, and he just needed to not be afraid.

 All day today Owen has told me when he had to pee.

VICTORY!
He has that down :)

 He has the BEST bladder control I have ever seen!
He literally only pees 5-6 times a day.

After nap, Owen was a miserable little dude.
His will was breaking down.
His fear was staring him in the face.
I was so sad for him.

He did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, he did it!

It took nearly 2 hours of me walking him around the cul-de-sac,
him trying, crying, hugs, prayers, reassurance, more walking, lots of tears,
and then finally, he did it.

He was so relieved and very proud!
With a huge smile he waved bye to the poo as he flushed.
I was screaming and dancing.
I was praising him and telling him he was such a BIG BOY!
8 pez candies & 2 stickers for his poop train chart.

He called Daddy at work and proclaimed "I big big big big boy!"
:)


The rest of the day was awesome.
Owen is getting it and I am so proud of him!
I am praying that he poops tomorrow and the next and the next!
For now, we'll take this one flush at a time ;)



The battle is far from over!
The next 2 months is ALL about consistency.
Ethan never regressed or relapsed, praise the Lord!
The method we used teaches them to have ownership of their own bodies -
venturing outside of the home to go to stores, church, Grandparents homes, etc.,
are all challenging for new potty trainers -
but we are going to have to leave the house one day! Haha.

For more information on the method we have used to potty train our 1st & 2nd children,
click here: 3-Day Potty Training


If you have been traveling along with us on this journey, please keep praying for Owen!
Thank you!!! Hugs,
Janiene

Day 4 - Potty Training Owen...

Yesterday was Day 4 of potty training my little Owen.

He is every bit of his first and middle name...
Owen: young warrior
Franklin: freedom, free man

We love the way God made him, every bit of him,
but we also constantly ask the Lord for wisdom on how to get through to him! :)

 We had a good day.
He is getting it, slowly.

All morning I told him to tell me when he needed to pee.
He had an accident in the morning and I caught him and ran him to the potty.
He finished peeing on the potty.
Changed undies and gave him a treat for going on potty.


He did not want a nap so that made for an emotional evening -
but I won't get ahead of myself...


All afternoon I gave him lots of juice and water.
I let him play in the water at the kitchen sink for an hour.
He needed to pee twice during that time!
He was playing and then started to pee a little, caught it, looked at me and said "Pee Mommy".
We went to potty, success!!!!!!!!!
new undies
5 m&m's for telling Mommy!


A little later, still playing with water at the sink, I walked into the laundry room for a moment and Owen came to find me. He pointed to his undies and said "No Pee Mommy."
We went to potty and he peed.
His undies were a tiny wet.
The best part about this time was that he caught himself, got off the chair, came and found me,
and then peed on the potty!
YAY!
1 mini peanut butter cup (he calls them big candies)


Still no poo
But, he said his tummy hurt. I asked why his tummy hurt. He said, "I have poo in my tummy."
I asked "How are you going to get the poo out."
He said "I not gonna get it out."
I said, "OK, well if you decide to poo, let's do it on the potty."
:)


Bedtime 8pm

Checked on him at 10:30 and he peed


Checked on him at 2:30am and he had peed his bed a little
Changed sheets and pjs -
told him to keep bed dry and if he needed to pee to get up and go to potty


he woke up at 7am, dry


i'm trying to see when he is needing to pee at night and I will have to start getting him and taking him pee at those times. he stops drinking juice at 5pm and still peed in his sleep last night.
it's a learning process, that's for sure :)

Over-all, a good Day 4!

Day 3 - Potty Training Owen...

"Motherhood is hard work. It is repetitive and often times menial. Accept it. Rejoice in it. This is your toil. Right here. Those are their faces. Enjoy them. The days of your life are supposed to be full of things like this. But joy is not giddy. It's not an emotional rush - it is what happens when you accept your lot and rejoice in your toil. So rejoice in your children. Look them in the eyes and give thanks. You will not even remember the work of all this planting when the harvest of joy overwhelms you."

My friend posted this on Facebook this morning.

God's timing in always perfect!

I love this quote. My friend did not know who originally posted this quote. 

If by some crazy coincidence, you are reading this blog and you are the one that wrote the quote above, message  me! I want to talk with you and thank you for bringing Mommyhood into such a great godly perspective :)

Today with potty training has been hard. 

The hardest of the 3 days, by far!

Owen started to whine around 11pm last night. He had a fever :(

He complained and wanted to pee

At 2:30 I checked on him and he was miserable

He kept telling me to snuggle him, so that's what I did.

I think the beauty of this method of potty training is the undivided attention that I can give him!

We are bonding and I am enjoying this sweet time. 

So we snuggled for an hour and I could feel him breathing and resting.

There really is nothing like a sleeping child in your arms.

One of my absolute favorite things in life!

Owen slept from that point on till morning.

When he woke up at 7:30 he did not want to pee

By 9:30 he still hadn't peed

10am we did painting and art time at the table

I was reminding him to tell me

When I ran to get the paint (literally 30sec) I heard "No Pee Mommy, No PEE!!"

I ran in and he was wet and crying

I took him to potty and was telling him I was proud of him for telling Mommy and that I was so sorry

for being so far away that I couldn't help him.

He cleaned himself, we got new undies, and then we resumed art time

I kept telling him to tell Mommy when he needed to pee

He stood up, snuggled into Auntie Riss and said "No pee Mommy!"

We went to potty and he peed

2 cookies!

More juice

And waiting...

11:45 - Lunch time

Owen starts to tell me "No Mom, no. I sit on your lap Mom."

I asked him if he needed to pee and he crosses his legs and says "No pee Mom".

Seems to be the pattern for him.

We go to potty, he gets on and pees.

He also shows signs of wanting to poo but then starts crying.

I tell him not to cry, it's ok! He is a BIG BOY and he can tell me if he needs to poo later.

He is fighting the need to poo today.

1pm - Naptime 

I snuggle with him in his bed until he is relaxed.

He did not want to pee before his nap.

We prayed and told God about our morning and asked him to bless this afternoon.

So, I am resting in the Lord and gaining from Him the strength and determination to keep going!

3:28pm-

OK! I am sitting here about to write more and my eyes fell upon the time stamp 

from when I posted earlier today...

 For those who know (and those who are just learning this about me), 11:11 is a very special time for me. It is a time that I see whenever the day gets rough, my circumstances are trying or even when things are great! It is a special thing between me and my God.
My labor with Owen was amazing, until I got to the hospital.
Let's just say it was scary and we feared a few times for my health.
When all was said and done, little Owen was born at 11:11 - coincidence, I think NOT!
Time fails to share all the ways God has shown himself strong, loving, active, present, in control, etc., through my seeing 11:11.

Seeing 11:11 today was just what I needed!

God's encouragement that He is what I need and He is very present!

The rest of the day went ok...

We were playing outside with bubbles and he started to go a little
so we ran to the potty and he peed on the toilet
He was very happy to pee on potty
2 m&m's
new undies and I reminded him to tell Mommy when he needed to pee

Bedtime routine...
Did not want to pee before bed
I reminded him that he is a BIG BOY and he needs to keep his undies dry

When I got home from my ladies Small Group I checked on Owen and he had peed a little in his bed
We cleaned him up and at first he was really sad but I gave him a hug and told him he was still a BIG BOY and that he can try again.

Good night little Owen - Mommy loves you so much - even though you are stubborn :)

Day 2 - Potty Training Owen...

I'm tired

I have a chestcold

With me not being at my best, God sure is gracious!

Owen is doing an awesome job

6:50am - I woke Owen up and took him to potty

He was dry!

2 cookies

7am - Chocolate milk & snuggles on couch watching Martha Speaks

Reminding him every 2 min to "Tell Mom if he needs to go pee or poo."

8:30am - He touches his undies and says "No Pee"

So we walked to the potty and he sat and peed

Seems I have figured out Owens' way of telling me he has to pee

"No Pee" :)

9am - He is showing signs of wanting to poo

Told me "No Pee" so we went to potty and he sat and tooted, then told me he wanted down

I reminded him how good he was doing and let him put a sticker on his "Dry Undies" chart

 I told Owen to tell Mommy when he needs to poo

I am praying he learns this today! I hate cleaning undies - bleh!

We are sitting & watching a movie

Owen has his juice and crackers

I have my iced coffee and my Bible

 just waiting...

Here is the hardest part of this method (for me anyways): seclusion.

A friend called me last night to ask if I could help her with something,
and I had to decline.
I hate declining.

Then, another friend called me today to ask if I could help with something,
and I had to decline her as well!
I really hate declining.

But, I will trust that the time that I am retracting in to serve my family,
 and get Owen potty trained,
is the Lord's idea of choosing the "good part" & that this is my 100-fold!!

Owen really has done amazing with peeing.
Still waiting for him to poo, but Ethan didn't go until the 3rd day when I potty trained him.


My friend suggested I have a Mommy List on the wall too.
Every time I succeed with potty training Owen I put a sticker on it
and then I get a treat too! I like that idea :)
I think my treat will be to leave all the kids with Chad and go have a Starbucks and read/journal.
Ahhhhh, that would be the perfect treat!
:)


1pm - Owen peed before his nap
2 m&m's
snuggle time in bed & read a Curious George book
(thanks Dad & Joan for the awesome collection of Curious George books -
they are amongst the boys' favorite books to read!!)


Now it is 1:45pm and everyone in the house is asleep, even Chad.
Can I sleep, nope! I had too much caffeine this morning. Doh!


Perfect quiet time to study and write...

Ok, so Owen does not pee very often.
It is making it very difficult to really train him.
He pees every hour or two, even with juice galore!


2:40pm - Owen woke up from nap dry
peed on potty & got a cookie


5:30 - Owen looked down and then looked at me.
He started a tiny bit and so we ran to potty and he peed
2 m&m's
New undies & a happy 2yr old!


7:30 - Bath
Peed before bath
Tried after bath but no go
Read a few books, sang songs, prayed
Tried pee again but no go
Good night little Owen!
We'll see how the night goes...

Day 1 - Potty Training Owen...

This will be a progressive blog post today...

I will check-in and update through the day...

I need this so I don't go insane - It will keep me focused on the purpose and end result of all this madness...

Owen woke up at 7:30

We had breakfast - A yogurt, banana, blueberry protein smoothie

Owen threw away all of his diapers & said bye-bye to wearing diapers

He put on "big-boy undies" and excitedly said "I big boy now!"

At 9am he was playing and started to pee so we ran to the potty and he finished on potty

He got lots of praise and 2 M&M's for peeing in potty!

I say "Tell Mommy when you need to go pee pee" like a million times a day

Teaching him to tell me when he needs to go rather than me directing him to potty

This teaches him to know the sensation and that he is in control of his own body

Worked great with Ethan, we shall see how stubborn Owen is

Owen is definitely more emotional that Ethan

10am - Went pee again, caught him and we ran to the potty where he finished
2 cookies and a happy Owen
New undies
Now, every time I tell Owen to tell Mommy when he needs to go pee pee or poo, 
he repeats "Go pee pee" and "Go poo poo". 
We'll see if it clicks by the 3rd day!
I can get there....it is only 72hrs...
:)

12pm - While playing in the toy room Owen stopped, looked down, then looked at me
We ran to the potty
Success! Dry undies and peed on the potty.
2 m&m's and a very proud 2yr old!

1pm - Nap time!
Took him pee before nap - this is one of the few times I will suggest peeing
 Ava did not want to nap so I have been up with her. 
Now, everyone is sleeping and I will crash too.


3pm - Owen awoke and was dry! 
Happy shouts and dancing!!
Sticker on the dry undies board and 2 m&m's
Pee pee in potty and ready to start the afternoon


4:45pm - Owen looked at me, looked down and said "No pee" 
We walked to the bathroom and he sat on potty and peed
He may have the words wrong but he is doing it right!!!!
5 m&m's and a screaming happy Mom!!
Big smile on Owen's face
Dad gets home and Owen runs to him and says "Go pee pee - Big Boy!!!"

5:30pm - Bathtime - took him pee before bath

6:50pm - He looks down and tells me "No pee" 
7pm - Looks down again and says "No pee" and I look and he started to pee so I ran him to toilet and he peed on toilet
Yay Owen!

Now we are waiting on the poo, which he keeps telling me he doesn't need to go, but I know he does!
The waiting game...not my favorite game...
:)

After the boys went to sleep I needed an hour alone, in my bed, with blankets piled on top of me, quiet, eyes closed, to recover from the stress of the day! Whew! It just takes so much focus and consistency to potty train in 3 days!
I said "Tell Mommy when you need to go pee" literally every 2 min.
By the end of the day Owen would run away from me saying "No look at me Mommy." 
Hahaha

He is stubborn and emotional - but also wants so badly to get this.
 He loves the praise and the bragging rights he earns when peeing on the potty.
He is asleep now, diaper-less!

The night is young and he is bound to pee...
All learning opportunities!


Tomorrow is a new day! 

We shall see if he get's this like his brother did.


Thank you Lord that your mercies are new every morning - Great is your faithfulness!

Fun on a Sunday

Owen wanted to get in Ava's crib to snuggle. How cute is that!?

A lesson on density...

A lesson on air pressure...


A bow cuff bracelet for my niece...

As seen on Pinterest... 

Source: jensownroad.blogspot.com via Janiene on Pinterest

Love Day

Happy Love Day! 

I have always loved Valentine's Day.
When I was single, I would make cards for all my friends and send them in the mail. It is always fun to receive mail, and even better to know you are loved!!  

Well, on Valentine's Day 2003, Chad Bishop called me and asked me out on our first date. We both knew that night that there would be no other love for us that could compare to one another. He is an amazing Valentine and I am always loved & cherished by him.

What a gift God gave me in my wonderful husband!

Today Ethan, Owen and I had fun learning about Love. We talked about God's love for us and how we should love one another like God loves us. 

Their future wives will appreciate all the ways I teach them to love on the ladies in their lives, hahaha...

O loves to cut!...

Fine motor skills...Gluing beads onto the heart...

Ethan doing a great job gluing the beads to the heart...

Valentine's cards & money from Grandma & Papa Bishop
(thank you!)...

Owen "reading" his Valentine's card from Grandma & Papa Bishop (thank you!!)...

Ava's Valentine's card from Grandma & Papa Bishop :) 

All our fun Valentine's crafts and cards. We had a fun day of learning about God's Love & using glue, glitter, beads and scissors!

Happy LOVE Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us." 1 John 3:23-24

Christmas, in February!

Let me just start by saying - 
Thank you Aunt Charlie! You are an amazing blessing to us!!!!

Today we received the BIGGEST, most exciting UPS package! 

The boys squealed with delight when they saw the package...

Packing peanuts are a thrill for a kid! My livingroom looked like a blizzard hit it. Opening the box was definitely fun! Wow!! LOOK at ALL the boxes (and this wasn't even all of them)!!
And she wrapped each one! How fun...

Oooooooohhhh, he is so excited! Sketchers!!! 
Ethan LOVES shoes...

Awesome shirt Ethan!...

Owen's new shark shirt and baseball cap (which he did not want to take off before bed)...

A Dooney & Bourke handbag! 
Thanks Aunt Charlie!!...

OK, I admit it, I am a sucker for a man in a jean jacket!
Ethan, you are a stud and you look so handsome!
(This jacket fits him so great Aunt Charlie!!!)

Ethan and Owen fight over who gets to wear the red nascar pj's you gave them last time. Ethan's turn tonight!...

The raincoat is amazing!! It is so nice! Ethan needed a new raincoat and this one is amazing!...

The vest is double-sided and perfect for both boys!

I am always (ALWAYS) amazed & blessed by all the beautiful things you send us. Thank you Aunt Charlie for loving on us through these wonderful UPS packages!!

XOXO,
Chad ~ Janiene ~ Ethan ~ Owen ~ Ava

Supersized Granny Square Snugglies

While crocheting granny squares, my boys both told me they wanted me to make them new blankets. So, I made a super sized granny for Ethan, and I am working on Owens'...

This morning I gave Ethan his blankie and he snuggled under it (and shared a corner of it with Owen) while watching Curious George. I love my boys!! :)

Anyong-haseyo

Anyong-haseyo!!!

Or, in English, How do you do!

Ethan started Tae Kwon Do this week and he is loving it!!

When he enters the gym he has to greet all his instructors with "Anyong-haseyo!"

His Grand Master Instructor is a woman so he has to say "Yes Ma'am" after everything she tells him to do.  Chad said that he needs to start saying "Yes Ma'am" to me now - haha :)

There is also a male instructor that helps and he has to say 

"Yes Sir" to him.  I love the respect for authority that he is learning.

We love watching him at class. Here are a few videos from Monday (his first day)...

playmates...

My Mom used to sing us a song each night before bed called "Playmate". I sing it to my kids too. Here is the song...

My kids have their own special playmates, Malachi and Kyla. Erin (their Mommy) and I have been friends for over a decade. It has been an awesome journey of friendship that has seen us through so much in our lives! We have kids the same ages and it is always fun to get together - they are all more like siblings than friends :)

Today, Kai and Kyla came to play. We had a great time! We started by playing with tubes that were taped to the wall. They had fun rolling balls and foam beads down the tube and watching them come out the end! Kyla would do a dance after the ball came out the other end (hard to catch the dance on film)...

 

 Kyla was talking to Owen on the phone. Then she called her Daddy, Kiera and God. She is so cute...

The boys ate all their lunch so they got a treat, ice cream cones!
Malachi and Ethan were cracking jokes and showing each other their blue tongues. Here is a side by side of their interaction...

Malachi built Dinosaur Land (as he called it). The big dino was the protector and ate anyone that tried to approach!... 

Thank you for coming to play with us today! :)

Some Cute Videos...

Following Ava while she explores...

Ava loves music and you can find her swaying and dancing all the time...

E & O practicing their cool skateboard moves...

E & O foot race! The difference in their running styles has always made Chad and I laugh. Owen is a force and the ground shakes when he runs! Ethan is light on his feet, agile, and so fast!

Ooh, hoo hoo! Money, money, money!

If you have ever seen Toy Story, then you will get my blog title for today. Mr. Potatohead says it in the opening scene of Toy Story :)

In Preschool class today we learned about coins. The boys learned that each coin has a name, an amount, and they are made of different types of metals. 

It was so cute to see Owen engage in this lesson and pronounce each coin's name 

(maybe I should be worried that he is taking such a great interest in a lesson about money...nah! Maybe he will be rich one day and want to support his loving Mother & Father).

We learned that the Bible has a LOT to say about money. We talked mainly about how even money comes from the Lord and we trust in Him and rely upon Him for everything.

The boys had to remember which coin went with each number (Owen just copied Ethan, haha). They thought it was so fun that I let them glue money to their papers (elmers glue - they peel right off!)...

Owen's is the blue paper - Ethan's is the red paper (that he wrote himself!!)...

After our talk about coins, we got the craft stuff out and had a blast! 

Owen picked the farm project and had a blast making a nice little farm with stickers...

Ta-da!...

My favorite detail is the rabbit that was hungry. Owen gave him carrots and corn. In Owen's scruffy deep voice he says "Mommy, rabbit so hungry." Hehehe, I love my little Owen!...

Ethan chose a mosaic craft...

 Great job Ethan!!!...

 Then we got the colander and steamer out and had a grand ol' time playing 

"snakes & worms in the hole" with pipe cleaners

 (yes, I made up the name - I blanked when Ethan asked me the name of the game so that was the best I could come up with on the spot...but they are boys and they loved sticking the snakes and worms into the holes)...

E cracks me up! I love this kid! These are his "worm glasses" :)

Ahhhh, they are going to get you!...

Believe it or not, this kept the boys busy for well over a half an hour!...

And, for fun, since you have read this far, 

I will post a picture that Owen took yesterday when he asked to use my camera :)