Potty Training

After two attempts at potty training I am now bound and determined to make it work this time... (my first two efforts were more trials to see how Jared did and if he was even close to ready... he wasn't!) I made up my mind we would start training again after labor day and I had no idea what to expect. But when we came home from a movie on Monday and got Jared ready for bed he ran around our front room without his diaper on and ran to his little toilet and said, "Potty" and sat on it and went! Chris and I looked at each other in surprise and I decided my timing would be perfect!

So as we started on Tuesday with this adventure I let Jared go around the house with just a shirt and nothing else on. I tried to keep him confined to the kitchen where clean-ups were more manageable but soon learned I would drive Jared and myself insane by staying in the kitchen all day. Jared right away told me when he had to go and in fact his first time going he went number 2!!! So all morning Jared would tell me when he needed to go and we'd run to the bathroom where he'd successfully go about 95% of the time. One time he brought me a diaper and wanted me to put it on. I instead tried big boy underwear. Well as soon as I put it on he wet his pants. I guess he doesn't really get the idea behind underwear and even if I explained it I don't think he'll get it. So for now I'll keep to the bare bum.

After his nap we didn't have as much success though. Jared first off didn't want me to take his diaper off and then for the first few hours he'd start going and then by reaction I'd yell his name he'd stop going look at me and then run to the restroom. By the time Chris got home Jared was back to telling me by himself when he needed to go. Then for about 30 mins he was telling me every 5 mins that he needed to poop. I'd run to the bathroom with him and he'd sit down and fart and say, "All done!" Not exactly productive but I guess he's getting the idea of holding back till he sits...

Today when he woke up he didn't want me to take off his diaper again. I had to distract him for awhile but he eventually forgot about it. For the first two hours he didn't do anything. I was getting really nervous and kept asking him if he had to go. I've learned not to push him and he'll let me know when he's ready, but I was nervous cause this was a new day and maybe he'd forget. Eventually I convinced him to try and he went. Feeewww. And later in the morning I heard him yell something and run away. I didn't think much of it but noticed he wasn't coming back so I went back to the bathroom and he was coming out. I asked him if he went potty and he said Yep! And he didn't just do number 1 but number 2 too!!! The only bad thing is as soon as he's done he jumps up from the potty and this time he hadn't quite deposited all of his droppings. Unfortunately I didn't realize he'd gone number 2 so I stepped in his little surprise, thank goodness only a little didn't land in the potty.

All in all I have to say I'm pretty proud of our little guy. Now I'm just wondering when I'll be able to take him out with underwear and not be worried. I think that will be a long time but I'm not sure how to go out with a diaper and still encourage him not to go in it. Hopefully we'll gradually adjust and hopefully we'll be able to get far enough along before the baby comes so he won't regress too much. If there's suggestions out there, I'm open to them!

Chris Look Alike

Due to popular demand from the masses... I am putting this picture up of Chris and his "look alike". It has been mentioned that he looks like the character Doug on Scrubs. What do you think?

Back in Provo, Four Year Anniversary

Our trip back to Provo was... crowded! But Jared was a trooper.

We moved in Tuesday and spent the better part of the week unpacking and organizing. On Wednesday we celebrated our FOUR year anniversary! Goes by fast. We did dinner and a movie while Jared stayed with his Aunt Ashley.

On Friday we moved Jared into a toddler bed. I was really nervous to ruin his sleep routine but he's done surprisingly well (knock on wood). I think he feels like it's still his crib and that he can't get out. It's been great. I'm just waiting for when he learns he can escape and open the door. One night I got up in the middle of the night and decided to check on him. He was in the middle of the floor. Not quite sure how he got there but he was sound asleep. I woke Chris up to see it and he moved him back to bed for me.

Playing with the Bingham Cousins

Jared had a few times to get to play with his cousins that are in Jerome (12 of them!) He loved the interaction and frankly I enjoyed watching him with them.

Lagoon with Meservy Clan

After Chicago we had a week to spend in Jerome with family till our apartment opened up. (We miss you Ereksons!!!) For the Saturday we spent it at lagoon with everyone of the Meservy Family except for Tyler, shucks! Jared and I couldn't do very many rides but we thoroughly enjoyed lagoona beach, the train ride, and carousel. He actually cried harder and longer when we took him off the merry go round more than he did when he got stung twice by a wasp. Below are pictures of our adventure!

Last Week of Chicago with the Binghams

Our last week of Chicago my parents and sister came out for a few days. We tried to have as much fun as we could but my sister Camille got sick for the first day and my mom felt ill the first afternoon as well. But besides the sickness we were still able to go to the Shedd Aquarium (Jared loved the fishes especially the dolphins), do an architectural tour,

shop on Michigan Ave (Magnificent Mile (Camie had fun trying on a materinty pillow, the pictures bad but I know she'll love me for it),
and go to the musical production Wicked!
Since it was our last week there my mom and dad took Jared home with them allowing us to drive our 29 hour drive much quicker with less stops. We took a detour to go and visit Nauvoo and Carthage. My little sister was able to go with us to these two stops and then after that we dropped her off at a friends house in Iowa.

We were really glad we took the detour to Nauvoo and Carthage. We didn't get to spend near the time we wanted to there, especially Nauvoo (I kind of wanted to get back to Jared). From there we drove straight until Wyoming where we took another detour to my brothers house in Pinedale. Beautiful country! We loved the mountains, the lake, and the tranquility that you could find. Unfortunately my camera batteries were dying so I didn't get to take many pictures. We appreciated Trent and Mardy's hospitality and it was fun to finally get up to their place and visit with them.

When we got back to Jerome Jared didn't respond the way I thought he would when he saw us. We ended up being away from him for 5 days so I thought he'd run to us with open arms. He was excited but a little reserved. I think he was unsure if we'd leave again and didn't know what to do. It didn't take too long though till he wouldn't let us out of his sight.

While in Jerome we learned of Jared's new love... Cars!!! I've always had cars around for him to play with but I guess not enough. At Grandma Bingham's and Meservy's he'd always ask for cars and entertain himself for long periods of time. NICE!

We really enjoyed Chicago and time will tell if we end up out there. Chris received an offer to come back. Currently, we are in the process of deciding our future plans.

A Meservy Tour to the Windy City

White Sox vs. Blue Jays 4-3

Buckingham Fountain

The Meservy clan came to Chicago to visit the 26-31st of July. We really enjoyed having them just hope they enjoyed it as well. We spent lots of time eating out, going to ball games, seeing sites, visiting the beach, and enjoying each others company. By the end of the trip Jared had given grandma the name of Grammy and was able to say Ballie and Jordan's names. He didn't quite get grandpa but every once in a while would call him Grampy.

At the Beach!

Cubs vs. Phillies 1-4

Architectual Tour

Jared and Jackson

While in Chicago Jared and I met up with Jackson and his nanny one to two times a week. The two boys really get along, and I enjoy talking with Flor. These sequence of photos are of Jared and Jackson at the beach. It was a windy day so I wasn't prepared with his proper attire so he just wore a swimmer and tee shirt. One of the photos is of Jackson with sand all over his face. Jared had thrown some sand and the wind brought it back into his face. Jackson saw this and threw sand in his face to be like Jared. Needless to say he ended up with a lot more sand on his face than Jared did. But that's what those boys are about, doing what the other does and having a blast doing it!

Movie at the Park

Above is a firm event where we went to one of Chicago's parks (Grant Park) to watch a movie. The envrionment is really fun and casual. Lots of people come and sit and have dinner or whatever while waiting for the movie to begin. We had to leave a little early though since the movie didn't start till 9:00. The person with Chris is his office mate Grant who he's really enjoyed this summer and the other people are Derrick and his wife Beth another BYU law student.

That night was the only night we've really been out late in Chicago (at least for me) since Jared goes to bed early. It was really fun to see the city at night. It's really beautiful!

Fun Stories of Jared

I’m going to start this blog off with stories of Jared so I can make sure they are remembered:

Jared, when walking, likes to stand on objects (a crack, a leaf, dark spots, anything out of place) and say, “I stuck”. He won’t move until someone comes up behind him and pats him on the back and says, “beep beep!” It’s actually pretty cute but can be annoying when he does it every five feet when both your arms are weighed down with groceries! Jared has also tried this tactic on me by saying, “beep beep” when I’m standing still.

Jared quite expressional and has learned to copy words and expressions. Some of the latest:
The new baby has been sitting on a nerve every once and a while and this last week one time in particular was really painful and lasted for about 10 minutes. During that time I would use the walls to lean on and put my hand on my back to alleviate some pain. Apparently I must have been grunting/moaning too cause I heard Jared making weird noises and I looked behind me and he was taking baby steps with one hand on his back and the other on the wall.
One Sunday I after I was done bathing Jared I asked him to take out the plug. I was at the mirror doing my makeup and I hear Jared, “oh no!” I went to the tub and could not see his washcloth. I looked at Jared in despair put both hands to my temple and said a few times, “Oh my gosh Jared, oh my gosh” while shaking my head. Jared then took his hands in the like manner and repeated my sentence with a look of equal despair!
I learn a lot of things I do from Jared. We live on the third flight of steps and even without being pregnant and carrying a toddler it’s a workout going up the stairs. One day when we got inside the apartment Jared shut the door then immediately started breathing deep. I didn’t think I was that bad but apparently I breathed hard enough for him to notice. So that is now our ritual. Every time we close the door we both heave our sigh. I also must make a little grunt when bending over to pick stuff off the floor. Jared often when picking something up will make a little grunt as he stands back up. I know I’m missing things Jared has done but you get an idea of how much little kids watch and take in. Kind of scary sometimes!

Jared is also fascinated with bugs. He will touch anything when we’re out and about. Lately we’ve had some new house guests a mouse and ants. One time when we saw the mouse when entering Chris ran after it with the broom and Jared was right behind him trying to help him find it. Luckily the only killing Chris has had to do has been when Jared is asleep so he’s not able to see or touch it. But he has touched the ants numerously! He will go in the kitchen, lie down on the floor and stick his hands out and let the ants crawl all over him while he just watches. And he likes to follow flys around the house. One time one fly was not moving very much so I’d swing at it to make it fly. One time I was to accurate and killed the fly. Jared went and picked it up and tried to make it fly again and put it in the windowsill where it liked to hide. I think that’s the saddest I’ve ever been to kill a fly!

Jared also doesn’t mind eating off the floor. I was on the phone one afternoon and Jared was carrying a bag of gold fishes around. Well it was too tempting and he dumped it on the floor. I was out of reach since the phone was charging so I decided I’d finish the call and clean it up later. Well Jared wasn’t going to wait and he got down on his stomach and began eating the fishes off the floor without using his hands. The phone conversation ended soon after.

Last story for now. One time Jared hit me so Chris was trying to have him say “I love you mommy.” Every time he said I Jared would say “don’t” (when he hits we have him say I don’t hit). One time he finally said I and then Chris said Love and Jared immediately exclaimed, “Jared”. We got a good laugh and Jared thought he was funny too although he had no idea why.