potty update

I've been meaning to post an update on our potty training situation a couple weeks ago but then life got in the way! Work has been extremely busy and has even led into most nights with Kindergarten seminars, parent workshops, a drama work shop, PAC meetings... Phew, so glad that last week was over as I was just about getting sick. Luckily the bug only lasted that night as I really had no time to get sick. With potty training in full swing, my parents moving in, my aunt and uncle from out of town were flying in for the weekend for Baby Cole's "moon-yoot", there was just no time for any down time. So, what have we been up to since the beginning of the month...we went ice-skating, we invited Connor and Jacob along with their parents for a breakfast and then a baking cookie activity. It went as well as can be for an adult led activity for toddlers. All three boys had different interest in the process; Connor liked looking at the cookies in the oven, Jacob seemed to enjoy eating the uncooked dough, and Matthew just liked to eat the icing and the cooked cookie! Can't wait for the next activity! Then we were off to the Pumpkin Patch with the whole school. We got lucky as it had rained heavily the night before but there was no evidence of it the day after when we were picking out our pumpkins. Matthew was uber cute when we placed his empty bag down on the ground. We told him to pick one pumpkin and put it in the bag. He must have chosen four small pumpkins that were around the bag and thought it was clean up time! This weekend we carved one of the pumpkins. Matthew was not impressed with getting the seeds and gunk out. I asked "what should we name him" and Matthew replied "Cheese!" So "Cheese" the pumpkin it is! I think it's because of his great big smile - great carving skills, daddy! The cooking class that I signed up for started this past Friday. James had the day off too so we made it a family day. The class made potato cheese muffins infused with eggs. The kids took turns beating the eggs and mixing the ingredients together. Matthew tried twice to eat what was being mixed when it was his turn to mix but fortunately daddy was on the ball to stop him in time! Then my aunt and uncle came in that night but Matthew had already gone to sleep and wouldn't meet them till morning. Matthew slept in! I actually woke up naturally before he did! What a great sleep! We all went for dim sum and met up with my other aunt and uncle and cousin Lana (along with her hubby and two kids) at Kirin (City Square one). We went there because there was trick or treating in the stores starting at noon so it was perfect timing after filling our bellies with greasy chinese food! We bumped into Jen, John, and Jacob there, as they had the same idea. Too bad we didn't stay longer as we missed them and didn't get a photo op with the two boys. We had to go home to nap him as we had Baby Cole's moon dinner that night. Matthew had a nice long nap and was ready to party and he did till 9pm! He was super awesome all through dinner and afterwards. He ate lots and partied hard. My Uncle Roger took a picture of him pretending to smoke a cigar. It was pretty cute but wrong at the same time! He's starting to understand how to entertain people. If he gets a positive reaction from you from what he's doing, he pauses and does it again and again until the reaction from you dies down. Pretty darn cute! So the potty training update: I have to admit that I'm pleasantly surprised how great and quick it's been going. He barely has accidents at home and at school. He's still learning to push his penis down when he goes. When we were first training him, whenever we were out he would sometimes have an accident. Now, it's getting better. At first he was scared of public toilets especially the ones with automatic flushers. Now he's gotten more comfortable with them and will go and sometimes will ask to go. I think in the next month it will go even better where he'll start telling us he needs to go when we're out instead of us reminding him. Like at home, he either tells us he needs to go or he just goes. Matthew's phrase of the month is: "Owie, owie. I need a band-aid!". He keeps showing me this tiny little speck that could be mistaken for a mole and saids he needs a band-aid. His new obsession is dump trucks. He still loves his trains but when we're in the car or about to get in, he'll ask for dump trucks and get super excited if he spots one.