Hide Out

Ethan's favorite hiding place is in the triangle formed where the smaller couch angles out from the gate around my computer area to the brick fireplace. He goes back there when he wants privacy for things like, oh, I don't know, trying to open a medicine bottle he somehow filched from the counter, or opening up colored markers he just found, or perhaps even attempting to avoid going to the bathroom for potty-time by taking care of it solo...

Sometimes I'll notice him running back there and that's my cue to take him back for potty-training time, and other times I'll know it's time to check for stray silverware, permanent markers, or other contraband items. He gets suspiciously quiet every time he's hiding, too, which is a big red flag in itself. Still... if he just has to have a hidey-spot, I'm glad it's out in the main room and that he's usually a good sport about getting found back there. Now, if only I had my own hide-out...

Potty successes!

Ethan is finally starting to get the hang of this potty training thing... Tonight, for instance, he was in the bath and started passing gas, then looked up at me with this sort of pensive, thoughtful expression, as if waiting for something. I asked him, "Do you have to go poo-poo?" He replied, "Umm..." So I told him, "Why don't you try to go on the potty?" and lifted him up onto the seat. About 30 seconds later, he said "Mom, I did it." And he was right! I praised him to the skies, and he even got on the phone to tell Daddy what he'd just accomplished. He was so excited! He even got to wipe, and flush, and wash his hands just like a big boy. His big reward? Going through the car wash with Daddy tomorrow.

Later, he spoke on the phone with his aunt Fie (Stefanie) and told her the story as well. Then, after putting him to bed, he called me in three more times to help him get up and go potty on the toilet. He's so excited about it now, and I'm so proud of his efforts. Next step is that we'll have to make the bathroom more accessible so that he can get in there and do his thing whenever he needs to, with or without mommy being right there. I can't believe he's growing up so fast!

Accounting Attack

I have finally reached the limits of my understanding. This Accounting class has taught me that I'm not as smart as I think I am. I just can't seem to wrap my head around the numbers, the formulas, the ratios and calculations and percentages that seem to be hiding on every next page, multiplying in the dark recesses of the book and laughing at my inept attempts at comprehension. This reminds me of when I was taking chemistry, organic chemistry, cellular molecular biology, and other horribly difficult classes at CSU Stanislaus back in the late 1990s. I thought I wanted to be a botanist, because I'd had one great class with an excellent instructor who really encouraged me to live up to my potential... without knowing, of course, that most of my success in that class was due to the fact that so much of it was writing and drawing rather than math-related. Once math came in to the picture, as it tends to do when you're studying science, my goose was cooked.

So here we are, the succulent aroma of cooked goose once again wafting through the room, and all because of accounting. Who knew I'd get the same whipping by a math-based class twice in one lifetime? You'd think I'd have learned my lesson the first time!

Yet the show must go on. Time to carve up that goose and make a meal of it, then get back in the trenches and do my best to hammer this stuff into my brain cells. Eventually, I'll get it, right?

Right?

Snap to it

Ethan loves baked snap peas. He loves them with a passion usually reserved for M&Ms or soda, and he likes to share them with his toy trucks whenever possible. (The trucks don't seem to like the snap peas as much, for some reason.) They're one of the only vegetables he eats, at this point, so I'm happy to have at least one green thing going down his gullet. And they actually taste good, too! They even have "Caesar" flavored ones, which are quite tasty either straight out of the bag (his preference) or on salads. So I say munch on, little one! These critters'll do until you broaden your palate a bit.

Potty Training and Smiles

Started potty training in earnest today... and he's gone potty in the potty chair once already, and another time ran over to me saying "I'm wet, mom!" while wearing his Potty-Scotty underpants. I have a feeling success will be counted in these small victories for quite some time. Then again, it seems like a great day every time I see that smile, so who really cares about another clean-up on aisle 5? :)

Before and After Allergies

Ethan hasn't had any major allergy issues lately, but then we've had him on chidren's Zyrtec every day since the last episode. Just as a comparison, this is what he normally looks like.


And this is what happened within half an hour of getting that scratch on his arm outside in the back yard a month ago or so... here' s the scratch:


This photo didn't come out very well because the lighting was poor and we were stressing to get ready for the urgent care, but we started getting worried when we saw that his eyes were getting so swollen that he was straining to keep them open... and this is what started happening to his face:


What you can't see is that the whites of his eyes were bulging out enough to actually prevent him from closing his eyelids all the way. It was pretty scary... just hope we don't have to go through that whole thing again. Since that day he's had three or four minor incidents, but we gave him benadryl and eye drops and it went away within 30-40 minutes. Still don't know what he's allergic to because I can't seem to get an appointment with the allergist my doctor referred me to, despite multiple phone calls and messages. Today I'm going to dedicate myself to calling until I get through to someone; they're going to give me an appointment by 5:00 p.m. today, or I'm driving up there in person!

Sorry, crazy mom attack just now. ;)