Potty Training: What Motherhood is All About

We are day two of official potty training. Amidst moving and having a new baby, you could argue that right now is a terrible time to potty train, but Hyrum was ready. So what do you do? You take him to the store to pick out his big boy underwear and let the fun begin. 

I know I may sing a different tune three days from now, but I've really enjoyed this stage of life because of the mothering moments it has provided me. 

1. Sitting on the bathroom floor holding Lindi and singing homemade "You can do it!" potty songs while Hyrum sits on the potty. 

2.  Sighing in relief when an accident happens on the tile as opposed to the carpet or couch. 

3.  Hyrum's giggle when he successfully pees in the potty. 

4.  Throwing him in the bath because all three pairs if training pants are wet and need a quick hand wash. 

5.  Having a little brother who is a perfect example of "embracing the underwear."

6.  Calling Dad to report that he peed in the potty. 

The point is, if you can be patient and see potty training as a series of mothering moments, instead of perpetual accidents, it may become a phase of life that, someday, you will miss. 

For Your Viewing Pleasure

My sister caught this lovely snippit of Hyrum this weekend.  I'm in love.

The New Normal

At one point in the last couple of weeks, I asked Husband how long we had to be in survival mode before the new normal kicked in.  His wise response was that I would probably wake up one morning and realize we'd been in the new normal for a while.  I remember thinking, "Oh please! Don't let today be the new normal."

Before Lindi arrived people would talk about the transition Hyrum would have to make, but no one really talked about the transition I would have to make. I figured, "We've done this before! It'll be a piece of cake this time." It is not a piece of cake. 

It is hard. 

But, now that we're nearing one month, I think we can say that we've entered the new normal. (If anything can be normal as we pack up and move...) The new normal doesn't make any of it much easier, but now we know what to expect and things have become manageable instead of out of control. There are still moments when things get a little hectic. Three poopy diapers back to back to back amidst a lot of angry crying can be a little wild, but hey! I'll take three poopy diapers over a poop 'splosion. 

Besides, being the mother of two beautiful, funny children is totally worth it. Hyrum cracks me up nearly every day and I can't believe how smart he is. And every time I look at Lindi I can't help but wonder how we got lucky enough to have two blue-eyed children.  

Motherhood is the best!

Welcome Lindi Beth Brown

This post is an obligatory picture overload post.  But how can you post about the birth of your second child without having too many pictures?  It doesn't help that we had a camera, three iPhones, and two Galaxy S3s to capture her first day here... It is also a little overdue, but I am just now finding some semblance of order in my life.

On June 15th I was two days overdue.  This little baby was never going to come.  Then, sometime that morning I thought maybe, just maybe, I was starting to have contractions.  Nothing regular, nothing strong enough, but maybe...

It came time for Husband to head to work.  He asked me if he should go or stay.  I wouldn't give him an answer.  I wanted him to stay because my deepest darkest fear was sending him to work, going into labor, and not making it to the hospital in time.  At the same time, he had limited leave from work and I didn't want to waste 8 hours of leave on some "maybe" contractions.  Since I wouldn't decide, he did.  He was staying home from work.  I was a little upset.  But, we decided to make the most of his "day off."  We dropped Hyrum off at Grannie and Pops' house and went out to tour model homes at Eastmark.  Needless to say, Hyrum had a good time.

As we toured the houses, my "maybe" contractions turned into real contractions.  They became stronger and more regular.  We pulled out the handy dandy iPhone app and started timing them around 2:30pm.  We kept touring houses...stopping to breathe through contractions as needed.  Finally we decided to look at two more homes.  The saleslady asked when the baby was due.  Two days ago.  She was very excited when we informed her on the way out that we were headed to the hospital.

We made one last stop at Grannie and Pops' to say bye to Hyrum, feed Tony, and get laughed at by my sisters when I got hit with a long and hard contraction.  On the ramp from the Loop 202 to the 60, I decided I was getting an epidural.  We took the classic "We're finally here!" photos even though I was absolutely miserable.

The triage nurses were working fast.  I was dilated 5 1/2cm, 90% effaced.  I think they knew as well as I did that my 9 hour labor with my first child meant this one was coming quick.  My epidural was waiting in the labor and delivery room.  As soon as it was in, I was feeling lots of pressure.  Sure enough, my water hadn't broke, but I was 10cm, 100% effaced.  The doctor, Dr. Kudlinski was on call, was twenty minutes away. When the nurse called to update her she asked, "Is this the same patient you just called me about?"

Baby waited for the doctor, but four or five pushes later we had a baby girl!

Lindi Beth Brown was born at 5:16pm. 8 lb 15 oz!  19 3/4 inches long. Holy smoke!  We had a baby girl!4

Hyrum adores Lindi.  He kept saying "Baby!"  When she cried, he proudly announced that she needed a diaper change...

We're so grateful for our healthy, happy baby girl.  We are now a family of four!  I like that Husband refers to Lindi and I as "the girls" and I can refer to him and Hyrum as "the boys."  Life is good.  More to come...eventually.