Bullet Point Update

It's been over a week since I've written a post, but things have been pretty busy around here. Really though, isn't that how it always is??? Here's what's been going on in our neck of the woods:

• Potty training is actually going very well! Yayyyyy! I can happily say that all poop is now going in the toilet from BOTH kiddos. It was the best gift I possibly could have been given for my birthday, which marked day one of Ayden getting all poop in the toilet or potty seat. Rylee's been golden with poop for months now. We still have occasional pee accidents, but even that is much, much better right now. The biggest problem we are having is at nap time. Rylee won't keep a pull-up on at nap time to save her life. She takes it off and then proceeds to pee the bed. The last time I tried putting her down for nap with undies on instead, she intentionally peed in them before she ever even went to sleep. And she has a damn potty seat IN HER ROOM that she could use! I'm at a standstill with knowing what to do with her and am pretty much resigned to just having to change and wash her bedding every day. Ayden has been doing pretty good at nap time, with occasional accidents while sleeping. He also has a potty seat in his room, which he uses almost daily at nap time.

• Last week I had a girls night away from home! It was only the second time I've spent the night away from the kids since they've been born, and the first time was two years ago! This girls night was with a group of ladies that I came to know online through an infertility Facebook group. Everyone from the group is from Oregon, but I still hadn't had a chance to meet any of them in person until last weekend. I've "known" these ladies for several years, but now I can actually say they are real life friends too.  It was glorious to spend a night away, not having to be responsible for everything at home and being able to sleep uninterrupted. I'd love to say I slept in, but my body betrayed me in that department. I woke up at 6AM!!!

• My favorite Aunt D (who you always see comment on my posts) came to visit and spent two nights with us this week. She lives a few hours away from us, so we don't really get to see her very often. I love when we have a chance to visit. We always have LOTS to talk about and I can tell her anything. She helped me unpack and hang all my pictures on the wall. I debated just leaving them packed since we will hopefully be buying a house in about 9 months, but I'm so glad we got them hung. Our house actually feels more like a home now.

• On Tuesday we had our Halloween party at the Community Playgroup we are a part of. The kids got to dress up in costumes, paint pumpkins, eat lots of goodies, and came home with little trick or treat bags filled with fun stuff.

Ayden enjoyed painting his pumpkin for about 4 seconds.
Rylee was a little Picasso and could have painted for hours.

• Watching our twin friends in the afternoons has been going very well. Ayden sometimes struggles with sharing his toys and there have been a few tug-of-wars, but overall, the four of them play well together. They are all loud and full of energy, love to listen to music and dance, chase each other around the kitchen island endlessly, play dress up with the gazillion hats we have, and pretending they are puppy dogs.

Aren't they the cutest!??!?

• Ayden and Rylee both have been sick with colds for a little over a week now. I've been busy wiping lots of snot, and reminding them to cover their mouths when they cough. I took Ayden to the doctor on Wednesday morning because his cough had gotten pretty bad and he wasn't sleeping very well at night. I suspected that it wasn't a necessary trip to the doctor, but I took him just in case I was wrong. Turns out I was right, and it's just a cold that needs to work it's course. His ears had a little fluid build up, but weren't infected.

• Today we attended our first carnival. Ayden and Rylee got a little taste of trick or treating, and played a few games. We could have done a haunted house, but I opted out since I had the kids there by myself (Tony got invited at the last minute to go to the Beaver football game with a friend) and they're a little young yet for that I think. I let them have a sucker while we waited to see our friends there, but I ended up taking them after only a few minutes because Ayden turned into a slobbering, sticky mess. Fortunately, taking them into the bathroom to wash their hands distracted them enough that they weren't too mad about me throwing their sucker away. Why are bathrooms so fun for toddlers? It was a pretty tiny carnival, and we managed to do everything in about a half hour so we didn't stay too long. Ayden got bored quickly and was not happy that I made him wait to eat more candy till we got home. Even though we didn't stay long, it was still a fun adventure and the kids LOVED dressing up in their costumes (Chase and Marshall from Paw Patrol) again.

The few minutes they got to enjoy their suckers.

With our twin friends.

• Our Halloween festivities will continue tomorrow with a local trunk or treat event. On Monday, Rylee has an eye appointment up at OHSU. Her pediatrician noticed at their 2.5 year check up that her left eye might not be tracking as well as it should, so we are getting that checked out. Tony got the day off work, so he'll be making the trip with us. It's about a 2 hour drive from our house. The staff there all dresses up and they encourage the patients to as well since Monday actually is Halloween. Afterward, we will be stopping by a few family and friend's houses on our way home to trick or treat and show off their costumes.

Montana Aftershock

Holy cannoli, he called. My exact thought at the time was actually HOLY SHIT! On Wednesday night as I was making dinner, my phone rang. I looked and saw that it was a call coming in from Columbia Falls, MT. I assumed that it was Baby Sis and got excited that I was getting an unexpected call from her. And then I answered...

In hindsight, I should have known it wasn't Baby Sis since I have her number saved in my phone, so her name would have actually shown up instead. I never in a million years would have guessed that my dad would be calling. Of course I could tell that he was completely wasted, but that part wasn't a surprise at all.

He called to wish me a happy birthday, something he hasn't done in, ummmm, ever! He said that he wanted to call the day before (on my actual birthday) but didn't know if I'd be busy. Then he went on to say he wouldn't ever call on the day of, always the day before or day after, because he doesn't celebrate birthdays, or any holidays really. (He's Jehovah witness) We talked about Sis and Baby Sis's birthdays, and he said he plans to call them around their birthdays too.

He talked about how we had shocked the hell out of him, showing up on his doorstep when we visited. He said he has thought of us often over the years, that it took him 20 years to finally stop thinking about us every day. He said he just hadn't known how to get in touch with Sis and I. I could have called him out on that, because he really could have found a way if he really wanted to. He knows where our grandparents lived, a house that is STILL in our family. A house that my grandmother actually grew up in herself, so it's been around a very long time. We also have cousins from his side of the family that he could have asked, never mind the fact that his sister (who he lives with) knows how to find us on Facebook. I let that slide over though.

He also talked about my mom quite a bit. He said he owed her an apology. I asked him what he would say to her if he had the chance, what was he sorry for, but he wasn't willing to give any details. He just said that he would apologize. I told him I would pass the message along, although I don't know if I actually will or not.

The phone call only lasted for 9 minutes, so it wasn't very long, but I wouldn't have really wanted it to be any longer either. I was making dinner and the kids were being very loud at the time. Besides, I didn't really know what else to say. Before we hung up the phone, he said he had one thing that he wanted to ask. He wanted to know if I was Catholic. It seemed genuinely important to him, like it was something he'd thought about and wondered often (my mom's side of the family is Catholic). I told him that no, I am not Catholic. I'm not sure why I didn't mention that I was raised Catholic. It might have been because it seemed important to him, but more likely it was because I just really didn't want to dig into the details of my religious upbringing and current beliefs.

When I had the chance, I later messaged both my sisters to let them know he called. They were as shocked as I was! We had a really nice and much needed conversation that night. We hadn't all "talked" in awhile. Even though it was only a (private) Facebook conversation, it was still a soothing balm for each of us. It's hard not being able to see each other.

I'm still mostly neutral in my feelings toward my father, but it was still nice, and completely shocking, that he actually thought about me and took the time (or got the guts) to pick up the phone on around my birthday.

This Old Lady gets Older

Yep, this old lady just keeps getting older. Today is my birthday and I am now at the ripe old age of 42. Okay, I know that's not really old, but some days it does feel like it. Even the universe is trying to tell me I'm old. I got this email the other day...

Ummm, I'm not even single, let alone not over 50 years old yet!

If that email wasn't enough, I saw today that Luke Perry made the cover of AARP magazine just recently. Seriously though, if he's old enough for that to happen, it's a sure sign of me aging as well!  lol

Tony arranged for his parents to watch the kids this last Saturday so that we could have a little day date, which we haven't had in.... I honestly can't remember the last time. I don't think it's happened since we moved, so several months. First we had lunch at The Rock, which serves wood fire pizza. Then we went Christmas shopping, because we aren't sure we'll get another opportunity to do that together. That didn't take us very long because we already pretty much knew what we were getting and it isn't much. We're going with a few bigger items (tablets for their birthday and scooters for Christmas), and then mostly just stocking stuffers. We would rather sign them up for some classes (swim, dance, etc) than buy them more "stuff."

After shopping, we went and looked at new phones. We have both been due upgrades for awhile now, so we needed to figure out how much it was going to cost us. Tony is going to wait, since he doesn't actually need a new phone. I actually do need a new one soon though as mine has started petering out. Plus, the camera hasn't been working that great on it lately, and it's our only camera!

We finished our date by going to see The Accountant, which we both enjoyed. Seeing movies in the theater was something we did pretty often before babies, but it's not something we get to do very often now, so that was nice.

After that, we went back to his parents house and had a small birthday celebration. His mom made me a cake, they all sang happy birthday to me, and I opened a few presents.

Last night, Tony helped Ayden and Rylee make me a birthday cake. It was something he had planned on doing with them before he knew his mom had made me a cake. Ayden and Rylee are pretty much obsessed with cake and birthdays now. We had cupcakes at Community Playgroup last week for a little boys birthday, too, so now they are constantly asking for cake! Ayden keeps insisting that it is his turn to have a birthday. lol. I'm not sure if he'll be happy or upset when we go to his cousin's birthday party this coming weekend. Of course he'll be happy because, CAKE! But he might be disappointed that it's still not his birthday!

Making my birthday cake.

**10 points to anyone that knows what the baby is from on Tony's shirt!**

Then today I was blessed by a ton of texts, Facebook messages, and a few cards in the mail. I have been feeling pretty lonely, and sad not to have close friends, but I have to say that it was nice to feel special and loved at least for today! It was a pretty great day overall. Ayden even gifted me with getting all poop and pee in the potty today! Woo-Hoo! That was soooo not the case yesterday! We almost made it all day without any accidents from either toddler, but Rylee decided that just couldn't happen and peed in her undies and on the floor at the end of the day. Sigh. Oh well. I'm just very excited I didn't have to clean poo out of pants today! Happy dance!

Microblog Monday: Pumpkin Patch

Two weekends ago, we went to a Pumpkin Patch (or two). To kick the kids into gear getting ready, we told them we were going to see some pumpkins. Rylee has said a few times since then, "let's go see some pumpkins!" I guess that means she had fun! Actually, it was a pretty wonderful family day, despite spending WAY too much money at the first pumpkin patch and not really getting anything for our money. Tony reminded me that it didn't matter if it wasn't a great pumpkin patch we chose to go to, because the kids had fun and that's all that mattered!

Sitting on the tractor was fun!

The hay ride was pretty silly, because the guy kept stopping to try to sell us stuff from his farm: Christmas trees, turkeys, cows, pigs. The kids enjoyed seeing the animals, but didn't like that their ride got interrupted so many times. We didn't get a family picture of the day, but we got a few selfies!

They're cute even when they have dirty faces!

Picking out their pumpkins.

They also had pony rides at this place, which Rylee REALLY wanted to do, but it would have cost us another $10 with over an hour long wait, and they had all the kids wearing helmets. We weren't really keen on dishing over more money for such a short little pony ride and having our kids put on helmets that literally a hundred-plus kids before them had on their heads. Besides that, Ayden would have lost his marbles having to wait in that long line. We decided to try another pumpkin patch instead.

At this one, they had a story read to them, played in/on the hay maze, and picked apples.

Overall, it was a great day! If October wasn't such a busy month for us, we would probably try to find another new place for us to try out.

If you'd like to learn more about #MicroblogMondays or read more posts from other bloggers, click here.

Montana: Part 2

Part 2 is a little lot harder for me to write. How do I put into words what it was like to see my dad after having no contact for 30 years? A man that has shown no interest whatsoever during that time.

My parents divorced when I was 5 years old. I believe we only had two visits with him immediately after they split. I remember sitting at a coffee table and coloring at his house. I remember (the best a 5 or 6 year old's memory could be) it being awkward and like he didn't know what to do with us (Sis and I).

At some point, he moved back to Montana. We never saw him again until I was 11, when he came back to Oregon and took us on the infamous camping trip. That was when we met Baby Sis. I was terrified for weeks prior to that camping trip. I was afraid he was going to kidnap us and never take us back home. I don't know why I had this fear, other than the fact that we really didn't know him very well. The two most vivid memories I have of that camping trip are being afraid we'd never see our mom again, and that Baby Sis cried pretty much the entire time. lol

When I graduated from high school, I mailed him a graduation announcement. When I got married, I sent him a wedding invitation. I never expected, or even wanted him to come, but I thought it was at least a way to let him know what was happening in my life. He never responded to either one.  It was at that point that I pretty much wrote him off, and it really never bothered me that much. I don't know why, other than maybe it's because my grandpa and uncles were such a big part of my life and filled in that missing link.

My grandpa and one of my uncles, my godfather, walked me down the isle.

The biggest reason for our trip to Montana was to visit and get to know Baby Sis. Another big draw for me was that I have always wanted to see where the paternal side of my family is from, and where my dad has lived all these years. While I've never felt a part of me was missing by not having him in my life, I did not want to leave without at least attempting to see him. I didn't want to go home with possible regrets, knowing that we were right there! I also wanted to know what he had to say for himself for the lack of contact all these years.

The three of us girls decided not to give him any notice that we were coming. Despite living only a few miles apart, Baby Sis has also had very little contact with our dad over the years, seeing him only a few times. We knew that we had to show up fairly early in the morning to catch him before he got drunk. We also knew the likelihood of catching him at home would be high, because he rarely goes anywhere.

We left all seven kids at home with the guys, and us three sisters drove to our dad's house. All three of us were shaking with nerves. When we knocked on the door, nobody answered at first. After several minutes, he opened the door, looked at us, and asked, "what can I help you with?"

I responded, "well, we are here to visit you."

At that point he invited us all in and we sat in his living room, along with his sister, who he lives with. It was awkward, with choppy conversation and nobody quite knowing exactly what to say. He was stone cold sober. He was full of excuses why he hadn't contacted us over the years. He didn't know where we lived, not good on the computer, doesn't like talking on the phone and not very good about writing, yada yada yada.

Sis and I gave him our addresses so that he couldn't use that as an excuse anymore, fully knowing that we would probably never hear from him again. He already knew where Baby Sis lived and had her phone number, but never reached out to her either.

Overall, it was an awkward but good visit. Baby Sis and Sis got to get things off their chests that they had always wanted to say to him. My curiosity over where he lived and what it would be like to see him was fulfilled. He had very little to say, but his sister filled in all the awkward gaps. She talked a lot actually, mostly all about pretty mundane stuff, but it did fill in the awkward silences.

We ended our visit by getting a picture with him, which I am glad about. He is the connection between us three girls. He told us that he would like to see us again before we left Montana. We still had a few days left of our trip, but didn't make any plans for that to happen.

After leaving his house, the three of us went to a park to take a deep breath and talk about our visit. Our emotions were pretty raw at that point. I had never really thought I'd ever see my dad again. I'm still kind of in shock that it actually happened.

We saw him on the Wednesday of our trip. On Thursday, he called Baby Sis and asked if we'd come visit again before we left. He said that we had shocked him with our visit and that he had felt like he was going to have a heart attack the whole time, that his heart had been pounding the entire time we were there. He told her that he had thought he would never see Sis or me again.

Our plan was to head for home on Friday afternoon, but the three of us decided we would go back for another visit Friday morning before we left, because who knew if we'd ever get the opportunity again. This time, he was well into his cups when we got there. He said he had gotten drunk so that he could be more himself during our visit. It definitely did help him to talk a hell of a lot more.

We all asked a lot of questions, trying to get to know him, and to learn more of what happened between our parents. Baby Sis was only 5 when her mom and him split up, just like I had been. Early on in our visit, we asked his version of what had happened between him and my mom, he inadvertently said some pretty hurtful things about Sis. He said that they had never planned on having kids so close together. There's five YEARS between us!!! He said that they had talked about giving her away, and he said that if it hadn't been for her, they probably would have stuck together.  What the bloody hell!?!!

My sister has always felt his absence way more than I have. She craved a connection with him and only wanted to know she was loved. I was so angry on her behalf to hear him say these things. I piped up and said, "well that's not very nice." Sis started crying.

Once he saw her crying, he started backtracking and saying that we misunderstood what he was trying to say. He said that wasn't at all what he had meant. It upset him to see her crying. He apologized and gave her a hug. Things ended up getting smoothed over, but it definitely left a damper on the rest of the visit.

We asked questions about his time served in Vietnam. We knew that he had fallen in love with a woman over there, and rumor had it that he had another daughter with her. We learned that the baby was not his, so no, we did not have another sister somewhere out in the world. We also learned that he had overdosed on heroin while in Vietnam, and they had sent him to Germany to get cleaned up. I have always known he was an alcoholic and smoked a lot of pot. I didn't know he had also been heavily into heroin and cocaine.

He drank a few more beers while we were there during this visit. He told us several times that he was "a bad, bad man."

I can remember a few things from when I was a kid and my parents were still together. My mom said that I had adored him. I remember him having tea parties with me. I remember dressing up wearing his work boots. I remember him playing with me when I was little. I asked him what his favorite memory was of me during that time. His answer was that his favorite memory was before I was even born. It was when he found out he was going to be a dad for the first time. I'm not going to lie. I was disappointed that he couldn't even come up with an actual memory of doing something with me, you know, when I was actually OUT of the womb.

He did say that he had received my wedding invitation. He said that he had really wanted to come but he had just started a new job and couldn't get the time off, and that he didn't have the money. Ummmm, I would have died if he'd actually come to my wedding. I hadn't sent it to him with the intention of actually WANTING him to come, but just as a way to say, "hey, here I am and this is what's happening in my life!" I had never even known for sure if he'd ever gotten my graduation announcement or wedding invite, so it did make me feel better that he at least acknowledged getting the invite. Although, it would have meant a whole lot more if he'd maybe sent a card or something at the time to just say congratulations.

Several times throughout this visit, he asked me if I was going to cry. It was almost as if he wanted to see that emotion from me, like he wanted me to cry. Sis had cried at the start of our visit when he said those hurtful things, and Baby Sis got a little teary a time or two. He kept looking at me and asking if I was going to cry too, right up to the moment we said our goodbye's. The funny thing is that I wasn't even remotely close to crying while we were there. I rarely ever cry in front of anybody. That's not to say that I don't cry, because I'm a huge sentimental sap and cry all the time. I just don't generally let people actually SEE me cry. That could be an entire blog post all by itself!

While I don't have any deep rooted feelings for the man that is our father, both Sis and Baby Sis do. His absence has been a bigger hole in their hearts than it ever was to me. They both craved a connection with him. They both can still say they love him. I definitely can't say that. While I don't feel any love for him at this point, he is still the man that gave me life. He's the person that gave me my freckles and the reason I'm not very tall. I may not love him, but I am still interested in him. He's still capable of making me feel turmoil as I sit here and write this.

Without a doubt, I can say that I'm glad that I got to see him again. What I can't say for sure is how I feel about that visit. If we had left it at just the first visit, I could say that it was awkward, but overall a good visit. After the second visit, I left with a feeling of distaste. I'm mad that he hurt Sis so much, when all she'd ever wanted was a relationship with him. I also saw firsthand what a drunkard he is. However, due to his loose tongue from being drunk, we did learn a lot more about him and were able to fill some gaps in our own history.

When it comes down to it, I'm just so incredibly thankful that he wasn't in my life. With the amount of drinking he has always done, and the drugs he had so heavily been into over the years... With my mom also being a drug addict (clean now for many years), I can only imagine the kind of childhood I could have had. I have a renewed appreciation for my mom's family and the normalcy they brought to my life. I will forever be grateful for them being there for Sis and me when our parents weren't.

Microblog Monday: Our Crappy Morning

So many of my posts these past few months have been about my potty training woes. Well, as a stay-at-home-mom, that seems to be what my life is revolving around these days.

We are entering week 3 of potty training with Ayden. He has been doing very good when naked and goes in on his own almost every time to pee. Poop has been a work in progress, but yesterday he actually did go in all on his own, unprompted, and pooped. Hip hip hooray!

So this morning I relaxed my guard. I went into our master bathroom to take care of my own business. Of course Rylee and Ayden both had to follow. On his way in, Ayden said "sorry Mommy," which I assumed meant he peed a little on the carpet. Sigh. When I asked him if he peed, he said yes. I told him to hurry to the other bathroom and finish.

When I walked out of the bathroom, I discovered that he had actually pooped. It looked like one of them had stepped on it. Bigger sigh. When I got to the living room, I found Ayden covered elbow to toe in poop, and it was all over one of his blankets. I got Ayden to the bathroom and instructed Rylee to stay out of the poop. Thank God she listened. I got him cleaned up the best I could, then got them both into the bathtub. I can't give one a bath without the other. Then I mopped up both the bathroom floor and the entire living room, because don't forget, he had stepped in it...

Once they were out of the bathtub, I turned on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for them, so they would be occupied enough for me to scrub out the blanket and throw it in the wash, and then scrub my bedroom carpet.

It was literally a crappy way to start a Monday morning.


*If you'd like to learn more about #MicroblogMondays, and/or read more posts from other bloggers, click here. 

Day in the Life: Fall 2016

I've missed the last few DITL link ups with My Life in Transition due to moving. We seriously were moving during BOTH of the last two link ups.  How crazy is that?!!?? If you'd like to participate, you can click here for the link.  The deadline is October 16th.

This is our Day in the Life from Tuesday, October 4, 2016.  It was a doozy.

Tony: 43 years old
Me: 41  years old (but only for another few weeks)
Rylee: 2 years, 9 months
Ayden: 2 years, 9 months
The Girls (our twin friends): 3 years old

12:11am - Ayden starts fussing.  After a few minutes, I go in and cover him up.

12:22 - Rylee calls out "Mommy, Mommy!"  I take her to the bathroom but she doesn't pee. Her pull-up is wet, so she probably just woke up as she was peeing.  I get her back to bed.

12:25 - I lay back down on the couch, where I've been sleeping recently because I've had a bad cough.

12:35 - Rylee calls out again, saying she has to go potty. I take her in, but I'm not very happy about it since we JUST went through this routine. She trickles out a tiny bit and then I get her back to bed.

6:11 - I hear Ayden waking up.

6:25 - I hear Rylee stirring.  I go push their doors all the way open (they had been cracked open just a little) and say good morning.  I take Ayden's pull-up off. Rylee goes in to sit on the toilet, but has already peed in her pull-up.  We take it off.

Rylee repeats over and over "watch Mickey Mouse," until I get Mickey Mouse Clubhouse going on the t.v.  Then she repeats "milk" several times.  Each time, I answer her, saying "I'm working on it." I get the clean sippies out of the dishwasher and fill them half full with milk.  Once they have their milk cups in hand, the process starts over again with her asking for Kix cereal.  It's exasperating how she continues to ask/demand for these things until she finally has what she wants.

Watching Mickey Mouse, eating dry cereal.

Throughout all this, I'm watching Ayden grab his butt.  I know he has to poop and I try to get him to sit on the potty seat. He refuses and gets upset when I prompt him, so I let it go. I continue to keep an eye out for said poop though.

7:05- Tony comes out of the bedroom showered and dressed for work. He gives the kids a hug, makes his coffee, warms some turkey sausage and has a bowl of cereal. I take Ibuprofen for my headache.

7:25- Tony leaves for work. Ayden is still grabbing his butt. Then he sits on the potty seat and actually poops in the potty!!! Hallelujah! Today is the first time that ALL of the poop goes in the potty seat, and not half on the floor first.

7:35- I clean the potty seat.  I despise doing it, but we made progress this morning with not having to clean it off the floor and his fingers.  One step closer to the actual toilet!  Hooray!

7:57- Get breakfast ready, warming up the leftover oatmeal and turkey sausage.

8:05- Turn the t.v. off and get the kids to the table.  Rylee happily sits down, but Ayden throws a fit about it.  I finally just said, "fine. Don't eat." He sits on the couch and "reads" a book.

8:16- Rylee's taken only one bite of her sausage and refuses to eat her oatmeal.  She gets down.

8:20- They are both very whiny. They have colds, so I know they don't feel the greatest. I wipe their noses and we have some cuddle time on the floor, taking a few selfies. That always makes them feel better!

8:30- I warmed up some more sausage for myself. Rylee eats one and tries to take the other and give it to Ayden, who doesn't want it.  He is happily distracted by trying on one of his daddy's work shirts.  She gets seriously pissed at me because I have the nerve to eat the sausage she was trying to give him (that I had warmed up for ME).

Angry Rylee

"I'm Daddy!"

8:36- Ayden finally sits down to eat his oatmeal.

8:45- Get Ayden dressed. Then the three of us have a cuddle and tickle party.

8:50- They both want more sausage, so I warm some more up.

8:55- Get Rylee dressed and comb her hair.  Then I give them both some Hyland's Cold' n Mucus medicine.

I debate whether or not we should attend playgroup today, and decide we probably shouldn't because of the amount of snot I'm wiping and the coughing they are doing.  Also, Ayden isn't fully potty trained yet, so that makes me nervous. He does great while naked now, but hasn't mastered it with pants on yet.

9:02- Rylee finally sits down to eat her oatmeal. I get them both some juice (a tiny bit of prune juice mixed with mostly water). Rylee gets a half dose of Miralax in hers.

9:12- Ayden tries stealing Rylee's oatmeal.  I give it back to Rylee. Then I send a group text to a few friends from our Community Playgroup to let them know we aren't coming.

9:17- Rylee declares she is done with her oatmeal and asks for a refill of juice. I fill her cup with water (no more juice) and then wash both their hands and faces. After that, they play in the living room for a bit.

9:24- Rylee asks for me to dance with her, so we dance. I have to take a momentary time out to become a mommy mechanic and fix a tire on Ayden's UPS truck.

9:35- Rylee insists that she needs "pretties" in her hair. I do her hair and put a bow in it. While doing this, Ayden comes in without his pants on, which means that he peed in them. Rylee has to look at her pretty bow in the mirror. She also gives herself kisses in the mirror.

9:45- I go in search of Ayden's pants and to assess the mess. I find them in the dining room, along with a giant puddle covering half the floor (okay, maybe not quite half, but it was a lot). I get the paper towels and start cleaning it up. Ayden walks through the pee. I yell at him to stop and sit down where he was so he wouldn't continue tracking pee footprints any further! He cries because I yelled. I handle the accidents fine, but I don't handle the playing in it and making bigger messes very well at all. Everyone calms down and then I have Ayden help me wipe up the mess. Rylee gets mad because I won't let her help. I get it all wiped up, then carry Ayden to the bathroom to wash his hands and feet. I go back for his pants, only to find that they aren't very wet. He must have started peeing in them, took them off, and then finished on the floor. Sigh.  He's never done that before. Usually after piddling a little in his pants, he goes and finishes on the potty seat.  Not this time!

They play while I mop up the dining room. Then they fight over a toy. Ayden somehow hurts Rylee during this exchange and she cries. I ask Ayden if he hurt Rylee and he says yes. He sits in timeout and now they are both crying. I'm about to lose my mind.

Ayden apologizes to Rylee and they hug it out. Then they beg to watch t.v. I know they aren't feeling well, so I give in and turn on the Cars movie that Ayden asked for. Rylee wants Mickey Mouse, but I say no because she got to pick earlier when they first woke up.

10:23- Rylee gets her thumb stuck in a car, and I help her get it out.

10:25- They split a Kid's Clif Z bar and I eat a Zone bar.

10:30- Rylee asks for more snack, so I peel them a couple cutie oranges.

10:36- I empty the potty seat, get new pants out for Ayden and socks for both of them. Then I get myself dressed. I was going to wear a new pair of leggings, but find that I bought the wrong size and they don't fit. I find something else to wear, brush my teeth, and fix my messy bun.

10:50- Rylee tells me she peed on the couch. Great. This is her first accident in over a week. She hasn't even taken her wet pants off and doesn't seem to care. She proudly tells Ayden that she peed on the couch. This makes me pretty angry. I am grateful that I've had the couch cushions each covered with a trash bag and then a blanket thrown over the top, in preparation for any accidents during potty training. I cleaned up Rylee, and threw the blanket and other laundry in the wash. Then I wiped down the plastic covered couch cushion.

11:23- Finally take them outside to play for a little bit. Not as long as I'd hoped, but it's necessary for all of us since we didn't go to playgroup.

Getting their boots on

11:48- We're back inside.  I start making lunch. Ayden sets up his dinosaurs to say cheese and have their pictures taken.

12:05pm- I try to get Ayden to go potty before sitting down for lunch, but he refuses. He just wants to take his pants and socks off. Rylee goes potty though.

12:10- They finally sit down at the table for pb & j and green beans. Rylee coughs and accidentally drops her plate on the floor, scattering her green beans all over.

12:20- I hold their milk hostage until they eat their green beans. I win, they eat their green beans. They win, they get their milk.

12:25- Get them cleaned up. Ayden goes potty on the potty seat, but has bad aim and some accidentally goes on the floor. He says "sorry Mommy," while rubbing his foot back and forth through the pee. I get him and the pee cleaned up, then empty the potty seat.

12:30- Brush their teeth. Rylee goes poopy in the big potty. They both get pull-ups for nap time.

12:44- Get them both tucked into bed.

12:46- Rylee yells at me to come put her baby's hat back on.

12:48- Rylee starts crying for me to come fix her pillow (the case is coming off). I fix it, and then tell her I won't be coming back in again.

12:51- I hear Ayden out of bed. I go tuck him in again and sing to him. Although, I'm pretty certain it's a futile attempt because he hasn't napped in a full week, since the day we started potty training.

12:55- Take the clothes out of the dryer and transfer the load from the washer to the dryer. I fold the clean clothes.

1:00- Sit down with a giant bowl of Chocolate Brownie Thunder ice cream at the computer and wallow in my misery that Ayden won't nap anymore. I read through several reviews on a couple different sites, trying to decide where to buy Ayden and Rylee's Halloween costumes from.

1:45- Placed the order for their Chase and Marshall costumes (from Paw Patrol).

1:52- Got Ayden out of his room since he wasn't going to sleep, so I could get him dressed before the girls get here. He played while I tried to pick up a bit.

1:55- Ayden decides to "help" me do the dishes.

2:03- We run around the big island in between the living room and kitchen, playing chase.

2:17- Rylee wakes up. Get her to the potty, but she'd already peed in her pull-up. Take that off and get her pants back on.

2:23- Take the clothes out of the dryer and throw them on the bed. Then I put the clean blanket back on the couch.

2:25- Rylee needs some cuddles.

2:30- The girls are here to play.

2:39- Rylee requests I turn on music so they can have a dance party.

2:55- Ayden has a little pee accident in his pants. I try to get him to finish on the potty, but he doesn't. I put new shorts on him.

3:02- Snack time! Apple slices and string cheese.

Best of friends

3:10- I get them each a small cup of water. Ayden plays with his and spits it out on the floor. I give him a towel to clean it up.

3:18- Try to get Ayden to go potty, but he only sits for about 4 seconds. We then get his hands washed.

3:20- Wash the girls' hands.

3:23- Rylee finishes her apples, goes potty, and then washes her hands. Then they all play together. Ayden has a rough time sharing his toys today.

3:30- I put clothes in the dryer.

3:35- Ayden pees in his shorts and then refuses to sit on the potty. I put new shorts on him and clean up the floor.

3:40- We all read a book together.

3:55- The three girls have a potty party in the bathroom. When they are done, Ayden finally goes potty too.

4:03- We read Llama Llama Hoppity-Hop a few times, acting out the actions of hopping, jumping, stretching, clapping, etc.

4:10- I break out the Color Wonder markers and paper. They all want me to draw them dinosaurs.

4:20- I try to escape to the kitchen to start dinner.

4:28- They all decide they're done drawing.

4:38- Discover Ayden without shorts on again. He only dribbled a tiny bit in his shorts this time and he finished on the potty! Of course, he then played in the pee that accidentally got on the potty seat. He was mad when I made him wash his hands. Put new shorts on him.

4:43- Back to making dinner.

4:44- Break up a fight over a toy.

4:50- Ayden goes to time out.

4:59- They get a second small snack of veggie straws and raisins.

5:15- M arrives to pick up the girls.

5:21- They leave.

5:25- Dinner (Chicken Burrito Bowls) goes in the oven and I get rice cooking on the stove.  

5:33- Rylee has to go potty. I get back to the kitchen to find the rice boiling over.

5:42- The three of us have a tickle party.

5:48- I finish making dinner.

5:55- I tried to keep Rylee back from the oven, but she doesn't listen and burns her fingers (not bad.  It was a closed oven door, but it was enough to startle her and probably hurt a little). I run cold water over her fingers.

6:00- Ayden dribbles in his shorts just a tiny bit and he takes them off. He finishes going potty on the big potty.

6:03- Daddy's home! He puts a baseball shaped ice pack on her fingers, which brings on a meltdown because Ayden wants the baseball.

6:12- We all sit down for dinner. Ayden refuses to sit at the table at first, but he finally does. Only, he has to sit by Daddy instead of in his own chair.  We all LOVED the dinner. It was my first time making it.

6:25- Ayden and Rylee get applesauce and some milk. Tony cleans up the dishes and starts the dishwasher. I start putting dinner away.

6:35- They beg for a bath. Daddy takes over bath time duties while I take a toddler break. I fold the laundry and put it away, then continue putting away the dinner leftovers.

7:02- They are out of the bath and Tony gets their teeth brushed.

7:06- Time to pick up toys! Ayden fights doing this, so it really turns into a chore. Rylee pees on the floor. Tony cleans it up.

7:10- Story time with Daddy. Rylee picked Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

7:15- Ayden goes potty while Tony helps Rylee put on her nighttime pull-up. I get Ayden into his pull-up. We all say our bedtime prayers in Rylee's room. Then they give each other hugs and kisses, while tackling each other to the bed. I go tuck Ayden in while Tony tucks Rylee in. Then we switch and I say my good-nights to Rylee. She requests that I sing to her and then asks me to repeat the song several times.

7:22- I walk out of Rylee's room and start clearing out some cupboard space by removing the crib sheets that they no longer use. Tony figures out how to turn the temp down on our water heater, something that has needed done since we moved in here.

7:25- Rylee calls me in. It takes me a few minutes to understand that she is telling me that she spit up and it's all over her hands. We get her hands washed and I try to find whatever else she spit up on. Her precious lovey blanket that she HAS to have. I rinse the spit up off of it and explain that we need to wash it. I have her throw it in the washing machine so that she will hopefully understand that it's being washed. I clean spit up off her baby as best I can. I also find spit up on her quilt and pull the sheet off for safe measure. Then I take her potty again before tucking her back in bed.

7:32- Get the rest of the dirty laundry that can be washed with her bedding and get the load started.

7:40- I collapse on the couch to make notes for this blog post and to catch up on Facebook.

8:19- I go into Rylee's room again. She's been calling me pretty much since I left her room. I put her pillow case back on. She goes in to go potty, but she's stalling and doesn't really have to go. She gives Daddy kisses.

8:22- All tucked into bed again. I sit back down on the couch.

8:24- Rylee cries out like something is seriously wrong. I go in and all she wants is the damn fan turned on in her room. Exasperated, I turn it on and say goodnight again.

8:25- Back on the couch.

8:33- Rylee cries out for a tissue. I go in to help her blow her nose. She wants her lovey blanket and I explain that it is being washed. As soon as I leave her room, I go put it in the dryer. I fold the clothes that I had to take out of the dryer.

8:45- I think she's actually going to sleep now, so I go in and take my shower.

9:12- Do a little more kitchen clean up. Check dryer to see if everything's dry, but the lovey blanket is still pretty damp. I set the dryer for another 12 minutes, then sit down to edit pictures from the day and check all my Facebook notifications from the day.

9:50- Ayden starts crying. I wait a minute, but then go in. I make sure he's covered up and rub his back a few times. He settles down and goes back to sleep. Take Rylee's lovey blanket out of the dryer and take it in to her so it'll be there when she wakes up.

I guiltily grab a bowl of ice cream because it feels like the longest day ever. This is why I'm 50 lbs overweight!

11:00- Check on the kids one more time.

She squinted when the flash went off, but didn't wake up! Phew!

I remember I need to download the day's pics to the computer. My phone/computer is stupid and won't recognize any pictures I take for downloading, if I don't do it the same day. I sit down to do this, but then end up looking at all the pictures for way too long.

11:55- I finally go to bed!

*This seriously was the longest day ever to do a DITL of! If you actually read through the whole thing, I commend you.

Microblog Monday: New "Job"

Today I started a new job, if you can really call it that.  As of today, I will be watching our twin friends for a few hours every afternoon, Monday through Friday.  My friend, M (their Mom), and I were texting a few weeks ago, and she was telling me how her childcare was not turning out to be very reliable.  I told her if she ever ran into an emergency, I would be happy to watch her girls.  We continued texting back and forth, and before we knew it, we were making arrangements for me to do her childcare!

When I found out that she only needed someone for a few hours everyday, and that she would pay me what she was paying the other gal, it seemed like a no brainer! It's a win-win for all of us!  Ayden and Rylee will have a built in play date everyday with their best friends, who we hadn't really been able to see very often because of busy schedules. I will get a short visit with M everyday when she picks up her girls.  Yay for actual adult conversation with a friend! I will make a little extra money for our family. They will have reliable childcare, allowing them to work their full time jobs without having to worry about being late to work or getting off early because their other gal canceled at the last minute more often than not. Dad works swing shift, so he drops the girls off at 3:00, and Mom gets off work at 4:30 and picks them up around 5:15, which is why they only need a few hours of childcare each day.

Our first day went perfectly!  One of the girls had a slight meltdown about 5 minutes after their dad dropped them off, but she had no problem with letting me comfort her and soon, they we were all happily playing.  I was a little nervous that I was nuts for taking on 4 toddlers all at once, but they were kind and didn't all gang up on me.  At least for today....

Building a "giraffe"

Enjoying a snack together.

*If you'd like to learn more about #MicroblogMondays and/or read more posts from other bloggers, click here.