Teddy Bear Clinic

Every year the hospital puts on something called "Teddy Bear Clinic" for the kids. Basically, it's an event where your teddy bear is a patient and gets to go through all different "hospital" stations. The whole point is to make the children more comfortable with the hospital experience. So MacKenzie's and Mason's teddy bears had to have x-rays, immunizations, blood pressure checks, surgery, breathing treatments, and blood work. The fire department, police department, ambulance and pet therapy dogs were also there. However, the kid's favorite thing was the Med Trans helicopter. They got to see it land right in front of us and even got to sit on it. It was a lot of fun!

Clemson's Fan Appreciation Day 2009

We took the kids to Clemson today for Fan Appreciation Day. We knew it would be crazy busy...and it was! We had to pick and choose who we got autographs from, so we decided to get as many players as we could and Dabo's. The kids didn't know the difference between Spiller and some of the freshman. So, by doing that we got a good many autographs. We hate we missed Spiller and Ford, but oh well! Mason was completely mesmorized by the players. He thought it was the coolest thing that they signed his hat and football. He would just stand there and stare at them for the longest time...it was really funny! It took MacKenzie a little while to warm up but she finally got a few autographs on her hat, too. Jarrod and I were impressed with how nice all the players were. And of course, we loved Dabo!

Potty Training Update

Well, in less than one week, Mason is 95% potty trained!!! WooHoo!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! I bought a pack of diapers over one week ago, and I can honestly say that it will be my last! It's a little bittersweet, but I don't think I'll miss them! The only thing we haven't quite accomplished 100% is the poopy in the potty. That part was the hardest part with MacKenzie, so we'll see how it goes with Mason...

So, in my last post I said I would be the judge of who is easier to potty train...boys or girls. I say hands down BOYS!! Of course that may have something to do with Mason being the second child, but I honestly didn't do one thing different with him that I did with MacKenzie. I didn't push either one of them, I didn't try to start them before they were ready, and I rewarded them both the same. I think the biggest different between the two isn't the fact that they're boy/girl or first/second born, but it has more to do with their overall personalities.

You see...when Mason sets his mind on something he is determined to do it and to do it RIGHT. He is an "all or nothing" kinda kid. He is very determined and competitive which can be a good trait, but that also can translate to stubborness at times!! He also is a typical man and likes to be praised and rewarded for anything he does right. :) So, for him to get a Skittle every time he pees in the potty and for him to get all the attention means the world to him! MacKenzie on the other hand, is a little more laid back, a bit of a procrastinator, and has the mindset that she'll do things on her own time, at her own pace. You may think that is stubborn, too, but it's just not the same as Mason. She's just more free-spirited not necessarily stubborn. Also, the reward system didn't work with MacKenzie. I could have given her a whole pack of Skittles or even a new car, but that wasn't going to motivate her to pee in the potty. Instead, she had to be "punished" in some sense. I had to make her clean up her own mess, change her clothes, etc, etc when she had an accident. It was only after I started doing that when she began to get it.

So this experience has taught me a lot about my two children. As easy as it is to compare the two and treat them the same, it's much harder to treat them as two totally different individuals. I've learned what works for one, doesn't always work for the other. Just because one can do it in one week, doesn't mean the other one can. One may be great at one task and the other one may be great at a totally different one. No matter what, I love them both and I hope I can show them that love always!!

Potty Training - Take 2!

So, I just felt like I got finished potty training MacKenzie and now it looks like we're starting with Mason. I really dreaded it, and I wasn't going to force the issue with him at all. It was a long and painful process with MacKenzie...so the thought of having to do it again just gave me nightmares! They also say that boys are harder than girls, but I'll be the judge of that once this is all over. So far, I may have to disagree already. You see, MacKenzie never even went in the potty (not even once) until the day after her 3rd birthday. (Mason is just 2 1/2 now). And, that was only after we had a very long and direct conversation with the pediatrician about it. We worked all last summer and I honestly didn't think she would be able to move up to the 3-year old classroom because she wasn't potty trained. She would do well at school, but at home would still have accidents (and still does). And, I'm sure none of you will forget the horrible time I had trying to get her to poop in the potty! She would just cry and cry because she didn't want to do THAT in the potty. Still to this day, she'll have an accident here or there, and she still wears a pull-up at night which is soaking wet every morning. So you see, after my long battle with MacKenzie I had no desire to start potty training with Mason anytime soon.

But, on Monday Mason was running around naked while I was getting them ready for a bath. As soon as I started the water, he started to "go" a little bit, so I hurried him to the little potty. Sure enough, he peed for the VERY first time in the potty! I made a HUGE deal about it and told him he could have a Skittle for pee-peeing in the potty (that's how they "reward" them at school, so I have to be consistent). He was so excited and couldn't wait for Daddy to get home so he could tell him all about it. Although it was a big deal, I really wasn't expecting it to turn into anything major...just a first step in a very long process.

The next day, I did sent him to school with Lightening McQueen pull-ups just so they could maybe get him to go a few times. When I picked him up had gone 2 times at school. So, last night we went to Target to buy our very first pair of "big boy underwear". We got Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Spiderman. Mason was very proud of them and wanted to sport them around the house. He woke up this morning and peed in the potty first thing when he woke up, too! Now, I know we are no where close to throwing away the diapers and pull-ups yet, but this is definitely a step in the right direction! Please wish us luck as this potty training thing is by far the hardest thing I've had to do in parenting!!! :)

EdVenture

MacKenzie's class had a field trip planned to EdVenture in Columbia on Monday. But, early Monday morning, I got a text from MacKenzie's teacher that they weren't going to be able to go because her little boy got sick. Once we got to the school we found out that a few of the other moms were still going to take their children anyway, so I decided I would still go and take both MacKenzie and Mason. I'm so glad I did! We had the best time playing and hanging out with the other kids and their moms. Afterwards we all went and had lunch together at the Columbiana mall. The kids were exhausted and slept all the way home!!

This is such a cool place to take kids, and I highly recommend it. It's also much cheaper than the Greenville's Children's Museum. Although I haven't been to the new children's museum, I couldn't imagine that it would be any better than EdVenture. I think we're going to take the kids back this fall and go to the Riverbanks Zoo as well. We had a great time!