Potty Training

I have to say without a doubt this day has been my most dreaded by far...the day we begin potty training. I don't really know why I feel SO anxious about it other than I really don't want to damage Mason by being too tough or too easy. You know, the whole anal-retentive or anal-expulsive thing! But when your 2 year and 7 month old says "I pooping" and then kicks you out of his room and then comes out asking to have his diaper changed, you know it may be time to start the potty training. I must admit that I am also nervous because I have researched way less for this event than I have for anything else we've done as parents. But we have delved head first into this thing. We took Mason yesterday to pick out a potty chair and big boy underwear. He choose the Elmo potty and Sesame Street undies. He was very excited when we got home to sit on the potty chair and press the Elmo face to hear him talk. But he didn't really "use" it as much as he did explore it. But today he sat down with a book on the potty chair and pooped in the potty for the first time! We were all very excited! We had told him that if he used the potty that he would get a piece of candy (a total bribe, I know). So once we cleaned it all up, he picked out a lemon sucker as his candy choice (thanks Uncle Dan and Aunt Krysta). We are hoping to have him using the potty regularly in a few weeks-basically incorporating it into his routine. So you can pray for us that we get this done soon without too much hassle. Not only will he feel better, it will save us a lot of money on washes and diapers!!

Visitors, visitors, visitors

Apparently the birth of a new baby makes people want to jump on a plane and come visit:) And we had a steady stream of family in to meet Willow, play with Mason and catch up with Dave and I. It was so great to visit with everyone and it sure has gotten quite since they all left. My parents were here when Willow was born and stayed for about 10 days after her birth. The last weekend they were here my brother and his family drove in from Vegas to visit for the weekend. It was so much fun having all the family together, even if it was just for a couple days. We hung out and ate together, let the kids play and had some family photos taken. Then they all left and it was quiet for a couple weeks. Then Dave's mom, sister and niece flew out for about 10 days in early July. Dave and I were so excited because we haven't seen Ellie since she was a baby! She is big one year old now and had lots of fun with her cousin Mason. Of course, they fought over toys every so often. Mason tried to open her birthday gifts and then wanted to play with them even though it was for younger kids! But overall they played well together and had fun getting to know one another. We spent most of our time here at the apartment or at the hotel but did make it to the beach one day. It was a good visit, a good time of catching up. So they flew out Tuesday night and Dave's brother and sister-in-law flew in Wednesday morning. They stayed for a week. We had a blast with them and Mason couldn't have been more in his glory than he was with his Uncle Dan. They took him all over the place and spoiled him with attention and love. They went to the zoo, the kids museum, the park and the mall/farmer's market. It was great for us as I had an appointment with my midwife and the dentist while they were here. All in all, our time with the family was fun and helpful. Now, we get to travel to Michigan to see all of them. It should be interesting to see how we're going to see everyone in 6 days. I can't wait to see ALL my nieces and nephews and I know they're excited to see their cousins. That is it for now. Hope to see you Michiganders in a few weeks!

More about our daughter

Thought that we'd throw a few new pictures up of the bigger and badder Boston's. We have a friend who is a great photographer and she did some family and newborn pictures for us. My parents and my brother and his family were all out visiting us and the new baby. It was the perfect time to have some family photos taken so I will include one of my beautiful family as well. Look how big my niece and nephew are getting! The only ones missing are my older niece and nephew, who were in MI. So, without further ado, here they are.