Teacher's Pet(s)

Last week, Jojo and Gaby started their first year of preschool.  Jojo is with the two-year-olds and Gaby is with the four/five-year-olds.

They have backpacks, snack bags, and lunch boxes to bring each day.  I'm glad they only go twice a week. 

When I dropped them off at their classrooms, Gaby looked at me wide-eyed and said, "But I don't have any friends."  By the end of the day he had made some friends.

I dropped off Jojo at his classroom next, and while he was distracted playing with toys I left.  One poor mother was sobbing as she left.  I felt like crying, too.  But I also had a "party in my tummy" (as my nephew Anthony would say) -- I had time to breathe and get things done at home.  I now have a few free hours to study, clean house, or have a chat with a friend. 

Mike, Christian and I picked up the kids later.  Gabriel came running out and said excitedly to all within earshot, "Mommy! Mommy!  I was good today; I didn't say bad words and I didn't have to go to the principal's office!"  Christian had had a serious talk with Gabriel earlier at the bus stop; he let Gaby know what to expect at school and went over some of the rules with him.  I think Daddy had also given Gaby a stern warning, too.  When we picked up Jojo, we found him standing by the doorway, glaring at us.  He said, "You. Left. Me. He-ah."  His teacher told us he had been happy earlier, though.

Today was their second day and Jojo didn't even blink when I left.  I told him goodbye and said I'd be back soon to pick him up.  Then he ran off to play with toys.  Gaby also had a good day at school.  He tried to make a boomerang (this month they're studying Australia), but it really doesn't look like one.  He must have inherited my artistic abilities.  Gaby decided it's a truck without wheels instead and that's a pretty accurate description. Today Jojo's teacher said that Jojo covered his ears when a little girl in his class was crying.  He does not like loud noises (like Gaby).  She asked me to warn him about music class as the teacher will be playing the piano on Wednesday.  We're going to try pullups and potty training soon, and I'm so glad his teachers will help. Oh, the agony!

Blase big brother at little brother's game.

They learned how to throw the ball in.

He learned to aim for the goal.

Gaby and Christian also started soccer last week.  Gaby had his first practice and game on Saturday.  I love when they play soccer at his age! Sometimes goals are made for the other team, and the kids all run in clumps.  One thing they practiced is spacing, but it didn't always translate on the field.  Gaby was excited by the cheering and waved at Daddy while he was running on the field. Gaby's team is the Dragons and Christian plays on the Blue Magic team. 

Potty Protest

Everyone knows that our middle child, also known as weasel tot #2, is a handful. But this time Gaby, urine big trouble. He's been marking his territory and leaving his mark wherever he goes.

For the past several months we've caught Gaby peeing in various places besides the toilet. It's been frustrating to say the least! Mike caught him about to pee in Aunt Patsy's closet on her new carpet a few months ago.

I became upset when I noticed the stench besides Christian's and Gaby's beds recently and it reeked of pee. Could Gaby have done that I wondered? It was too late to find out unless he was caught in the act. My mother also noticed some yellow stains behind a chair in the study room and behind her night stand. These are just a few examples of what we have noticed lately.

On Sunday I trimmed some bushes outside and as I was admiring my work I noticed a little boy's bottom through the branches of a bush, right next to the sandbox.

I ran back outside and caught Gaby peeing by the bush. Luckily, he hadn't urinated into the sandbox.

"Gaby, why are you not using the potty?!" I asked/yelled.

Gaby replied, "I forgot." This seems to be his standard reply when he is caught.

And last night as he changed into his pajamas I reminded him to use the bathroom before bed. Did he do that? No. When I was distracted by Jojo I caught Gaby in his closet. He quickly ran out when I found him there.

"What are you doing, Gaby?" I asked.

"Nothing," he quickly said and off he ran.

I took a closer look and noticed a wet keyboard toy and wet carpet! Oh. My. Gosh. Steam came out of my ears and Mike took over.

Mike and I began to think about it and we know that Gaby seems to really be bothered by the flushing sound. Many times we find surprises in the potty and we have had to remind Gaby to flush. I guess he knows better than to go #2 anywhere else. His right ear tube is also coming out of his ear drum and the sounds could be a little louder than normal, too.

Gabriel's new instructions are to NOT flush the toilet and to let one of us know so we can do it for him. If this doesn't work I will have to find a Potty Whisperer.

Now these adults should know better! They actually contacted the TV station to protest the lack of port-a-potties at a local park by allowing them to film footage of their potty breaks.

I Yike the Way He Yaks

This fall I started the speech-language pathology program at UNM and I'm taking three courses: Intro to Phonetics, Phonological Disorders of Children, and Language Development. It'll be a long road to completion of a Masters in SLP. What I especially am interested in is how children develop language/reading skills because of the different stages that each of the boys are at. Gabriel has by far the most interesting vocabulary and it is changing as he grows up (that's part of the reason I blog!). For the longest time he would say 'mocoyo' for motorcycle, and I continually have problems understanding what he is trying to say because of his lisp and way of speaking. Sadly, Christian usually has to translate for pathetic me. Every time we view videos of babies and toddlers speaking in one of my classes, I marvel that I have three little case studies right in front of me. Gaby still pronounces the /l/ sound like /y/ as in "you".

The other day my parents took the kids to McDonald's to play while Mike and I went out. We were in serious potty training mode for Gaby last week so that he could begin preschool this week. Unfortunately, I had to pull him out of his class because he is not "fully potty trained" as required . I'll live.

Anyway, while at McDonald's Gabriel told Grampa that he needs to go to the bathroom. When they entered, Gaby pointed outside the stall and told Grampa to wait there.

Grampa heard the toilet flush about three times and wondered what was happening. He asked him, "Is everything ok?"

No response. So Grampa cracked the door open and peeked inside.

Gaby was sitting on the commode with his eyes shut tightly and hands covering his ears. Apparently, each time he tried to move, the automatic flusher would go off.

Gaby told Grampa, "I don't yike it. It's too yowd!"

The Best Way to Find Out about a New Product: Have an Accident!

Mother's Day was great, yet a little eventful. Towards the end of the day, Jojo had a big fall which resulted in a gash on the head. I should've remembered Mike has a weak stomach as he handed me the poor bleeding babe. Mike did not do so well during my labor/delivery; He cheered me on from the headboard part of the bed and out of his mouth came one long sound, "Oohh...uggghhhh...whoa," as each bundle of joy made his first appearance in the world. I did not come close to fainting as I had with the finger incident a couple months ago. Of course, my dad was there to assist and that kept me calm. Did you know there is a spray-on (or paint-on) bandage product which holds wounds together? Kind of like Super Glue.

Christian enlisted Mama G.G. to go hunting for lizards in Yaya & Grandpa's yard.

There is Jojo with his bandage covering his "pupa" (poo-pah). The next day we went to the duck pond at UNM campus.
The boys fed the ducks some bread.
I sat in the shade to watch them. The sound of the fountain was relaxing until a certain thought entered my head.

Have I mentioned potty training Gaby? Well, it looks like he will not be potty trained by the time preschool starts. I've tried bribes, threats, cheering, and silly potty dances to no avail.

I leaned back to stare at the leaves above me against the wide blue sky and took a deep breath. Serenity now!

Yippee Skippy Weekend

I like Mike.

I like that he does not mind girl talk.


I like that he enjoys a margarita now and then.


I like that my friends like him, too. It was a fun weekend with friends.

We also had fun at our friend Princess' house; she makes the best curry hands down. The curry was just as delicious as I remembered after so many years! And we had a great visit, too.

Here's a recent photo of the youngest of Tanya's five children: Tristan. Isn't he scrumptious? I could eat him up just as I did the curry, eggplant salad, coconut salad, papadams (sp?)....

Potty training update: we're still training and keep missing #2-in-the-potty opportunities (he did it on the first day). Gaby's coming along, though. And I am sticking it out this time!

Here's the Poop Scoop

Update on Gaby's progress: he has piddled, he has pooped, he has had some misses, and some surprises left in his underpants. He is mostly doing very well and has gone on the pot sometimes without one of us to remind him to do so. Tuesday was a lost day for potty training as we had to leave the house a couple times to drop off and pick up Christian from preschool, which got us off track. A few bribes such candy & Pringles (trick: salty and sweet snacks, along with juice, good for loosening the bowels and making the deed happen faster) have helped -- thank you, Grandpa for bringing the reinforcements. So we continue onward on our quest to make the connection that toilet training is a forever thing. And one day he may learn to flush AND keep the lid closed AND be neat and wipe the seat, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

A Skittle for Your Piddle

Mission almost accomplished...#1 is done...#2 is due

One good thing about Gaby spending most of the morning on the potty....

Means he has no time to bury his little brother in toy messes.

My Sweetheart

Mike and I celebrated Valentine's Day by going to the movies and out to dinner with our friends Tanya and Darren. We saw 'The International' and it was eerily appropriate for what is happening in our strange economic times.

Since this year marks our tenth year of marriage in September, I would like to share a few (mushy) things:

1. I fall in love with Mike all over again when I re-read old cards and letters that he wrote; this is a good way to get out of a mind altering funk that I sometimes find myself in when I get annoyed by little things. You know what I'm talking about, girlfriends.

2. I fall in love with Mike all over again when he gets up early with the boys on weekends so I get a little extra snooze time. He gets up early anyway during the week, yet he does this for me. What a man.

3. I fall in love with Mike all over again when he spends time with the boys taking them on adventures, taking them out of the house so I can relax for a few hours, and when he wrestles & plays with them.

4. I fall in love with Mike all over again when he acquiesces to Christian's desire for Daddy to have a 'sleepover' in his room.

5. I fall in love with Mike all over again when he, by example, shows a steadiness, patience, and potty-free mouth (in contrast to me). And humor!

Potty training blues -- Jojo gets more use out of Gaby's underwear than Gaby does at this point!

6. In the end, love is all that matters in a relationship. There are ups and downs, unexpected occurrences, day-to-day blahness at times, and dizzying perplexities other times. Yet, marriage is so worth it -- all the work and struggles mean something.

My dad gave a very special speech during our wedding service, and I close with some of his words of wisdom: "We Christians identify marriage as Matrimony. It is centered around motherhood, the family. We never refer to it as the sacrament of Patrimony...So we can't let a young couple run off and start their own thing. We have to make a big deal out of it. We do that to let them know that what they are doing is the right thing, that it is good not only for them but for the rest of us. We need to see good marriages...I dare to look into the future, well into the next millennium when the term Y2K will be just another curious fact in Trivial Pursuit. In the year 2029, when they are celebrating their own 30th anniversary, and my grandchildren ask Elena and Michael how could they last so long. Michael might well say, 'Well, it's because marriages are made here on earth day after day,' and Elena might add, 'You know, it's like when you order chocolate and all they can serve is vanilla, you learn to make that work.'"