Budding Artist

Look who has discovered the joy of a blank piece of paper and a crayon.  He loves it.  He can't get enough.

And when I tell him it's bath time, he just brings his paper and crayon with him.

School Begins...

Here is miss Ada on her first day of school.  She was so eager.  So excited.  So sure that she would love school so much.

Things didn't quite go as planned.

I have the class of four year olds at CC.  Which means that for most of them this is their first experience with a classroom setting, other than Sunday School, or other settings which probably lasted, at the most, an hour.  At CC, the students are in their classrooms from 9:15-12:00.  (We have a fifteen minute large group opening).  And Ada and I got there at 8 am to get the classroom ready.  After about 30 minutes in the classroom, I started to "lose" the students, including my own child.  At one point, when Ada was supposed to do her "presentation" (the students do a short presentation every week so that by the time they graduate high school they are very comfortable speaking in front of people--you can imagine what this looks like in the 4 year old class), but she didn't want to present, she just lost it.  Tears streaming down her face, declaring that she is hungry, she wants to go home, etc. etc. I asked another mom (the moms are in the classroom with their children) to take over, and Ada and I had to step out in the hall to have a little chat.  I really didn't think she was going to be able to get it together.  In her defense, I think she was in change overload.  She had spent only two nights in the new house after being gone for a week, the day before we had begun keeping a friend's little boy, and now she was in her first day of school with her mom as a teacher, and she just had a meltdown. She pulled it together, and we managed to finish the day.

Yesterday, her second day of class, went much, much better.  I think since each of the students now knew what to expect, things naturally went much better.  And Ada even managed to present (though she was barely audible as she talked about her family).  I am crossing my fingers (and praying lots) that each week will get better.

As far as school at home, it is going well.  I just have to figure out a routine for us.  We are managing to fit in school each day, but I wish we had more of a set schedule.  I have found that I can keep Ada's complete attention for 20 minutes and after that the information is in one ear out the other.  So, we are doing school in 20 minutes increments through out the day--for now.  I assume that as she gets older, the time she can pay attention will increase.

Through CC, we are covering Latin, Math, English, Science, Geography, History, and History Timeline (which is separate from history).  On our own we are doing a phonics program.  Though that make look like a lot, most of that is just a sentence that Ada has to memorize each week.  Or, for Latin, just a few words.  It is the grammar stage--so Ada is learning the "grammar" of each subject--the building blocks, so to speak.

For example,  week 1, Latin Prepositions--Ada learned four latin prepositions, I would say the latin word, ex. apud, and she would say the English word--with.  And that was all we did with Latin.  This week she is learning three Latin conjunctions.  For History, English, and Science she memorizes a sentence each week.  So, it's really not that time consuming.  Phonics is the most time consuming at this point, but to me, also the most important--because if she can't read, it's going to be hard for her to learn ;)  So, I am being realistic with myself, since she's only four, and our two goals for this year are that Ada learns to read well and that she learns to be disciplined and work hard.  She often says she doesn't want to do school, and I want her to learn that it is a good, God-honoring thing to work hard even when we don't feel like it.

And, on a funny note, Ada loves doing her history sentence and timeline cards.  She can spout them out, no problem.  I say, "tell me about Columbus" (last week's history sentence), and she says, "in 1492, Columbus made the first of four trips to the Caribbean on three Spanish ships named the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria." No problem.  Her English sentence however, she never gets it.  She doesn't like doing it.  It's work to get through it each day.  Sad day for this English major mama.  She doesn't like English!!!  How can this be?!!!  But, it's fun to see that already she is loving History.

Okay, I could go on and on about school, so I will stop there.  If anyone ever has any questions about CC or the classical method, I would love to share more info.  I believe so strongly in the classical method, so if anyone is on the fence, I would be glad to persuade you ;)

As for John, he is loving trains and stacking cups.  That is what he spends hours on each day--playing with his trains and cups.  He has started taking a train with him everywhere--one in each hand, and I already have visions of a train themed second birthday.  What could be more perfect for a little boy?

He continues to be so moody.  


I was just looking at this on google reader, and I realized that blogger had left off an entire paragraph of my post.  I didn't mean to end the post with such a negative view of John.  Bless his heart.  He is moody, but I also talked about how I know God has given him many strengths and how I am praying that God would show me how to encourage those strengths and not let John's melancholy tendencies define him.  Anyway...I just wanted to clear that up ;)

Praises, Praises!!

I cannot say enough about how well everything went today with John's tear duct probe, the "official" name of his surgery. 

It was one answered prayer after another.

At one point, when we had been on the road for 50 minutes but were only ten miles down the interstate and all routes to the hospital were blocked by wrecks, things were looking pretty grim.  Seriously, I was on the verge of tears at the thought of having to reschedule everything--the pre-op appointment, the three days of eye drops, care for Ada, Scott's day off of work, etc. etc. etc.  But after a few phone calls back and forth with Children's, the doctor said, "come on, it's not a problem," and I was RELIEVED!!!  THANK YOU, LORD!!!  At that point I had to immediately repent for a terrible attitude because I had been seriously questioning what the Lord was doing.  Yes, me of little faith, always.  (And had we had to reschedule, obviously it wouldn't have changed God's sovereignty and goodness in those details).

Anyway, John was a trooper throughout the entire procedure.  Not only was he not upset about no food or drink, he was in a surprisingly good mood.  Seriously, he thought it was a party.  He didn't even fuss when we were in stand still traffic.  God's doing?  I think so.  He loved the surgery center with all of it's fun toys.

in the waiting room when we first got there--party number one

And in our pre-op room, party number two.  This guy was living. it. up. 

This basketball goal was the biggest hit of all.  It has second birthday present written all over it!!

Everyone at Children's was WONDERFUL, to say the least.  They were all so conscientious (I think that's the word I am looking for).  From the specific toys in the waiting rooms to the lack of waiting, to their willingness to answer any and all questions.  I was IMPRESSED with how everything went. 

I have to say that John in that hospital gown was just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.  He was so short in it.  So funny.

Do you see the mark above John's right eye?  Just to make sure they get the right one.  And his little hospital band around his ankle.  And do you see the bags under my eyes?  They've been there for, oh, about 3 1/2 years, and they aren't going away any time soon.

And here we are, post-op, when he was finally able to have something to drink and eat.  He scarfed down an entire bag of pretzels, and then he was begging for something else to eat. 

The only bad parts of the whole day were when I had to take John back to the operating room, and they put the mask on his little face to put him to sleep.  He was looking at me and crying so hard, and, of course, there was nothing I could do.  I felt a little emotional when it was time for me to leave the OR and the doctor (whom I LOVED) shook my hand and assured me that he would take good care of my John. 

The other bad part was when John was waking up.  He was a little bit hysterical, which they said was normal.  He was thrashing around and was a bit inconsolable.  The nurses asked me if he was a "breath-holder," and, of course, we said that he was.  They said, "we thought ya'll seemed really calm about his response to the anesthesia.  We assumed ya'll were used to this type of behavior."  Plus, he kept trying to hold his breath.  When the nurse was walking us out, she said, "bye-bye, you little breath-holder." 

Really, I am blown away by how well everything went.  THANK YOU, LORD!!!  Thank you, Children's.  Thank you!!!!

Thankful. #s 81-90

Multitude on Mondays.

I love that title because, really, it is a multitude, isn't it?  A multitude of things that God is doing and giving and gracing right here in the everyday.

81.  Mom, safely here on a Sunday night, to watch miss Ada while John has his procedure done.

82.  Again, my mom, in a matter of minutes, straightening up my room, which has threatened to bury itself in a mountain of "stuff."  (as always!!)

83.  Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, so glad it's just a short drive away.

84.  A fridge stocked so full I can hardly shut the door.  The pantry is the same way.  

85.  My comfortable, warm bed that I get to climb into every night.  Think of those who don't have this.  Think of it.

86.  South Point PCA, our church.  We have found a home there.  

87.  The women in my discipleship group, who let me unload every Thursday night.  And then they kindly speak truth in the face of my junk.  It's life-changing in the simplest of ways.

88.  A day spent in Birmingham with college friends, talking motherhood and marriage and life after Auburn--celebrating a new life that is on the way.  (Amanda, I am stealing this picture off of your blog.  I hopes that's okay).

89.  A unexpected trip to Big Blue Bagel, right there in Birmingham.  Crazy, really.

90.  The strange pain in my arms, back, and neck--a side effect of the skin "condition"--is GONE.  The vitamins perhaps?  I am relieved, to say the least.

And we would greatly appreciate your prayers in the morning as we head into "the city" to have John's eye fixed.  (So excited to finally have it done).  The part I am dreading the most is a morning spent with a hungry, thirsty John.  It seems like torture to not be able to give him any food or drink.  And of course I pray that the surgery is completed with no complications and that it WORKS.  Please, Lord, don't let us be that 10% that has to have further work done.  It's never fun to have your child given anesthesia, but I am also thankful that he won't feel a thing.  I will be back with an update tomorrow afternoon.  Bless his heart, my little John-John.

My Cuddle Bug

Life has been chaotic lately, but John-John doesn't care.  He says, "as long as I can sit in mom's lap, hold my blankie, and chew on my thumb, then life is grand..."

He is my precious little cuddle bug.

And it's Friday...

It's been a week. 

Life has decided to throw us some financial curve balls.  Life?  God, in His sovereignty is more accurate, I'd say.

But anyway, it's just been a car's in the shop, expenses adding up, stuck in the house, raining outside kind of week.  And, in the midst of that, my discipleship group is reading Trusting God by Jerry Bridges (love it and him!!), and it turns out, surprise, surprise, that God uses these situations to help us practically learn His word and, you know, sanctify us.

I am memorizing Philippians 4:4-14 for discipleship group (we each pick a verse/verses to go with our accountability question, and my question has to do with anxiety--shocker, right?)  So, intellectually, I have been saying out loud and in my head over and over, "Rejoice in the Lord, always, again I will say rejoice..." but this week, God said, "Rejoice in me always--like when your car is in the shop for the second week and you are climbing the walls and the rain keeps pouring and you want to scream--again I will say, Rejoice."  I didn't always have the best attitude this week, I confess.  In fact, at times, my heart was looking rather ugly.  But at the end of the day, I really, really mean it when I say, I want His will.  Whatever that is.  That's what I want.  No matter how uncomfortable; I want His will.  Because isn't that really the safest place to be?  Smack dab in the middle of God's will.  I think so.

So that was our week, and I haven't blogged because the blogging wouldn't have been pretty.  And now I have two parenting questions.  Advice, anyone?  Please?

First, dear, sweet, stubborn, baby John has decided that he will only eat toast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and yogurt, which I mentioned a couple of posts ago.  I mean, he is also willing to eat cookies and goldfish and things of that sort, but of the things that I am willing to give him, He will eat toast, PB and J and yogurt.  I have tried avocado, strawberries, cantaloupe, grape tomatoes, bananas (which two weeks ago, he loved), lima beans (which he finally ate some of the other night), pinto beans, black beans, green beans, carrots (has willingly eaten these before, as well), eggs, and the list could go on and on.  He refuses.  I get frustrated, I am trying to force the food into his mouth because I know if he tries it, he will most likely continue to eat it, but I can't get him to try it.  He holds his lips closed as tightly as possible, turns his face away, and hits the high chair.  I have also tried just putting things on his high chair so that he can feed himself.  He just throws the food onto the floor if he doesn't want to eat it.  It is making dinner time quite stressful for me.  And as I have mentioned before, control is one of my idols.  And in motherhood, this often looks like me trying to make sure I am doing things right, and checking off all the boxes.  So I am feeling fairly stressed over the fact that John is getting no fruits or vegetables in his diet.  None.  I feel okay about the yogurt and the sandwiches because I give him Yo-Baby organic yogurt with plenty of probiotics, and I only give him 100% whole grain bread with no high fructose corn syrup and natural peanut butter.  In other words, I am trying to "follow all of those rules," but no fruits or vegetables.  What do I do?  And his being in the 9th percentile, makes me even more want to make sure he is eating plenty of the right foods and gaining weight the way that he is supposed to.  So...I just wonder if there is a way to make this less of a battle.  Will he outgrow this or will I be doing mealtime battles for the rest of his childhood? 

This is getting so long, that I think I will stop the post here without going into the Ada bedtime issue.  I'll save that for another day. 

But I really would love some advice or even a reality check when it comes to John's eating habits. 

p.s. I should add that John does eat other foods, like graham crackers and goldfish and cheerios, mainly to maintain my sanity and keep him from screaming.  He also eats the free cookie at Publix, so I willingly confess that my kids eat lots and lots of junk, but I try to make sure that the majority of what they eat is healthy, energy providing stuff.  And I should add, that I have even tried going back to baby food since he was willing to eat fruits and vegetables in that form, but of course he doesn't want baby food now.  So, that's where we are, and I am sort of throwing my hands up in frustration.  I am considering buying pediasure or something of that nature just to make sure he is getting the proper nutrients, even if they are artificial.

John Update

Note:  There are pictures in this post, but they are not showing up.  Scott is making me get off the computer now because it's bed time, so hopefully I will discover the problem tomorrow.

Note 2x: This is Scott. LB granted me access to her blog so I could add pictures for her.  I thought while I was here I could use this opportunity to shamelessly link to my blog because LB has way more readers than me. You should read my blog too because it is amazingly hilarious. Also, I am very humble. Click here, please. I am also polite.

Note 3x: I love John, too. (This is still Scott.)

I realized that John's twelve month well baby visit passed by, and I never blogged about it.  (Which I like to do for my own records).

At 13 months, John weighs 19 lbs 1 oz, putting him in the 9th percentile for weight.  And he is 28 1/4 inches tall, putting him in the 11th percentile for height.  But his head wins, being in the 21st percentile.  So, it's official, we have small children.  The thing is, to look at John, he doesn't seem small to me.  He's solid.  Ada has always been so lanky, so it made sense that she was only in the 1st percentile, but John is a chunk of a toddler.  We'll see how it all plays out.  Bless their hearts.  That's what they get with a 5 foot tall mother.

Other than his eye, John is a healthy boy.  His tear duct is still clogged, so we do have to go see the pediatric optometrist to get that taken care of.  I am hoping that procedure won't be a huge deal.  I joked with my mom that for my children to be healthy, we sure do have to go to a lot of specialists;)  But...we are headed to the eye doctor this week, and John's eye will soon be clear and not runny.  (Take note all you female babies out there who have been a bit turned off by John's goopy eye.  We are getting that cleared up.) 

(never mind the dirty clothes in the middle of the kitchen floor.  Despite the appearance of this picture, my laundry is still under control.  The pajamas on the kitchen floor are a result of a rush to get the kids dressed and out the door for church.  All dirty and clean laundry is now in its proper location).

Things to note about John at 13 months (closing in on 14 months).

--he is officially weaned.  He breastfed for the last time last Sunday when I got home from my weekend in Birmingham.  We are now officially done.  I can't believe it, and it continues to be bittersweet for me.

--he is finally sleeping all night.  He cried for 1.5 hours the night that I was in Birmingham, and nothing Scott did would console him.  The good news is, it broke his habit of waking up at night, and he now sleeps all night.  If he does wake up, he only cries for a few minutes and then puts himself back to sleep.  It only took 13 months.

--He is a very, very physical and strong baby.  I constantly feel like I am in a wrestling match with him--getting him bathed, getting his diaper changed, getting him dressed.  Physically, he wears me out. 

--He is very stubborn and continues to have a temper (and to breath hold, which ends in his passing out).  His anger comes out in various ways--a stiff body and arched back, so that I can't hold him, hitting something--anything--very hard, and sometimes throwing something down with a lot of force. 

--Part of his stubbornness is coming out in his eating habits.  We have a show down every meal.  The only things he really eats are yogurt and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I am trying to feed him whatever the family is eating, including all fruits and veggies, and it is a battle of the wills.  Usually I give in because I am so frustrated and ready for dinner to be over.  I am not entirely sure how to handle this.

--He drinks almond milk out of a sippy cup multiple times in the day.

--He has very happy and fun moments.  He LOVES Ada.  Loves her, and squeals and laughs with her all the time.  He is beginning to warm up to people other than the immediate family, which is good to see.  He still strongly prefers me over anyone else.

--He doesn't say many words at all but lots of syllables.  The one word that he says over and over is Ada, but he says it about everything.  He constantly points to things and says Ada, so I don't know if he associates the word with the person, or it's just what he says.  He never says mama. 

--He loves his blankie, and when he is tired he likes to suck on it.  (kind of gross I know)

--His world mostly consists of Scott, Ada, and me, but he does stay in the nursery at church, and we often go to story time at the library.  Of course, he goes wherever I go, so the grocery store and such.

--His favorite activity is to put one thing inside of another, and I often find random objects in laundry baskets or drawers. 

--He is such a cuddle bug.  He would be content to sit in my lap with his blanket all. day. long.  My precious boy.

I am so thankful for my John-John.  I have a feeling that we have many challenges ahead based on what we have seen of his temper so far, but my prayer is that I would recognize all of his good and strong qualities and focus on those rather than the bad.  There is so much good that can come from a strong will, and I pray that John would come to know the Lord at a young age, and that God would sanctify John and take that strong will and mold it according to God's purposes for His glory!!  I pray nightly that early on John would love the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and mind, that God would protect John from idols, and that John's chief goal in life would be to Glorify God in all that he does.  I also pray for his wife.  That God would be preparing a little girl to one day be a suitable helper for John. I pray that she would come to know the Lord at an early age, and that she would embrace her role as a woman--as the encourager, the helper.  I pray that she would be a strong woman, who also loves the Lord with all of her heart, soul, and mind, and that together they would desire to pass that love on to the next generation and the next and the next and so on.

What a huge responsibility and privilege it is to be a parent.  How desperate Scott and I are for God's wisdom and discernment and direction.  We are so thankful for God's promise that He will daily provide what we need to raise these children to know and love Him and His Word. 

The End of an Era

Well, folks, I think that John is officially weaned.  I can't believe it.

Just this week I dropped the morning feeding, and I was only nursing him before bed each night.  Well, tonight I had a late night of tutoring, so I told Scott to try to put John down without me here.  Scott fed him a sippy cup of milk, put John in his bed, and never heard from him again.  So many mixed emotions, you know?

Mostly I am relieved that it was such a painless process.  And I am excited because I can now do so many things like visit my dear friend, Lindsay, in Birmingham, and hopefully soon each of my sisters in New Orleans and North Carolina.  It's freedom, you know?

But it's also a bit emotional.  I prayed and prayed and prayed that John would be a good nurser, specifically that he would nurse for a year.  My dear friends in my discipleship group also prayed for this the entire time that I was pregnant.  God provided in abundance, even after John was given a bottle for his 8 day stay in the NICU.  And, of course, with John making the switch to a sippy cup, I am also a bit emotional over losing my little baby boy.  (I don't mean really emotional; I just mean, like, "awww, my baby's growing up")

Anyway, I am doing the typical mom thing and saying, time is absolutely flying by.

But, I am thrilled over my scheduled trip to Birmingham for a much needed girl's weekend.  AND, this weekend, Scott and I are going on our first real date since John was born.  Again, a friend of mine from discipleship group has graciously offered to watch the kiddos while we go to dinner.  So...big things are happening around here.

And what is John eating now that he has given up the "liquid gold?"  Lots of things.

What you see above is John taking advantage of Ada's forgotten cheese-itz snack.  And, in the blue sippy cup?  Vanilla almond milk.  And the bottom picture?  A grilled cheese sandwich and a banana. 

He's my big boy.

My Little Man

(I actually wrote this yesterday afternoon, and I am just now posting it.)

This guy was my date for the day.

Scott traveled to Alabama today to pick up some furniture that we are "inheriting" from his brother and sister-in-law.  He is coming back here, along with his parents, tomorrow morning.  All along he planned to go without us, so that the kids wouldn't have to do that trip two days in a row.  Well at the last minute, Ada decided that she wanted to go.

This is a big deal for Ada in the face of all the fear she has been dealing with lately.  She rarely wants to be separated from me at all, so I was excited that she was eager to go with Scott.  Obviously, Scott is with her, and she is going to familiar place to be with family, but these days there isn't much that she is willing to do away from me.  Plus it's an unexpected break for me!!!  It's crazy the difference in having just John compared to Ada and John. 

It's been fun to have a little one on one time with John.  It has made me realize how most of the time, John is just along for the ride.  Today, I spent a lot more time than usual talking to him in the grocery store, rather than trying to corral Ada and all of her energy.  And in the car, instead of answering Ada's endless questions (which I love; it's just a fact that they are endless), I was having a little "chat" with John.  It's been such a treat.

It's the first time in a year that I have spent a night away from Ada.  The last time was when I was in the hospital having John, so it's a strange feeling to be here in the house alone (with John sleeping upstairs, obviously).  I think I am going to take full advantage and head to bed early.

Update:  Ada did great on the trip, hardly missing me at all, I think, and for anyone who is interested (family, a handful of loyal friends, maybe), she has now been off of miralax for several days and continues to have success on the potty.  I am SO THANKFUL for this because I don't like giving her all of that miralax.  Thank you, Lord, for answered prayer!!! 

John's Nine Month Appointment (at 11 months)

This post might be quite boring to most people, but I want it for "the records."

I took John for his 9 month appointment today (after many missed and rescheduled appointments--which is a story in itself.  The story being that I have to get it together).  Anyway...he is eleven months old, but today was his nine month appointment.

He looks great, according to the doctor.  No concerns, really.  His breath holding spells very much follow the pattern of normal breath holding, which makes them no less scary looking, but his brain and his heart have been thoroughly checked, and it looks like our only problem is a strong will:)  Which is good and bad, right?  He most commonly has the spells right now if I leave the room, and he doesn't want me to.  In fact, right when we got home from the doctor, I walked out of his sight for a second, and he immediately went into a "spell."  It's just John's version of separation anxiety, I suppose.  I try to let it run its course for the most part because the older he gets the more it will become a discipline issue.  The only problem is that when he has a spell, his body does go stiff, and he will fall to the ground, so this makes us nervous when he is on a hard surface.  I don't think he can hurt himself too badly on carpet. 

He weighs 18'9, falling in the 16th percentile for weight, and he is 27 3/4", putting him in the 18th percentile for height.  His weight percentile has fallen a bit, but the doctor said that is perfectly normal for a breastfed baby, so there is no concern there.  His weight percentile would be more accurate on an International growth chart, just not the good 'ole US of A's.  (which says much about the attitude towards breastfeeding in our country compared to other countries, but that is a whole other topic)

And for the big news....

John took five steps tonight!!!

I think Ada was the most excited of all.  She kept saying how proud she was of him, and she jumped up and down with true excitement as we watched him take the steps.  I am sure she is envisioning him finally running around and playing with her.

I think this is exactly the age that Ada started walking--right before her first birthday. 

Another funny John note...he had to get a shot today, and he didn't bat an eye over it.  Not only did he not cry, he did not even flinch.  It was so crazy.  It was the same nurse who witnessed a breath holding spell after one round of shots, so she was as shocked as I was that the shot didn't bother him a bit.  Again, Ada seemed to be the proudest of all.  She kept saying, "he's a tough boy.  I am so proud of him."  (We often tell her she is a tough girl if she falls down, and we know it didn't really hurt to keep her from getting upset)

So...there's our John-John. 

Oh yeah, one more thing.  Because it wouldn't be our John without a slight glitch, he does have to see a pediatric optometrist because his tear duct continues to be clogged.  I think there is some minor procedure that will take care of it.  It just always makes us laugh, and we tease him and call him a "drama queen." (as if he can understand us).  He just never has anything seriously wrong (praise the Lord!!), but there is always something that needs to be checked out. 

Saturday and John's Success

So...I wanted to blog about something other than the ongoing potty drama (which has reached an all time high today), and I realize that I haven't said much about this stinker lately, and we are having all kinds of success with him.

This week in the midst of potty training, I also tackled "operation wean John," and we have done exceptionally well with step one.

This week, I stopped nursing John before naps.  To give you a full picture of how much this guy has been eating, I have weaned him down to four times a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime, plus at least once in the middle of the night).  So, we have dropped two feedings--the feed-to-sleep at naptime feedings.  He only cried before the first morning nap, and after that he adjusted well to the new schedule.  Our next goal is to drop the middle of the night feedings.  He gets to keep the meal time feedings and bedtime feedings until his first birthday, and then we will begin dropping those one at a time, starting with lunch.  I am guessing bedtime will be the last to go, but we are weaning and that is a huge deal around here!!

Plus, all of a sudden, he is eating solid food like a champ.  Like a champ.  We have established quite the routine, every time he wakes up--in the morning, after morning nap (so lunch), and after afternoon nap (dinner) he gets to nurse.  Then, he eats a snack of baby goldfish or cheerios or, his favorite and what I feel the most guilt about, fruit loops.  He LOVES fruit loops and goldfish, and I have to give just a few at a time, or he will stuff his mouth until he is choking.  Then he eats an entire thing of baby food.  He does this three times a day.  It has only taken us eleven months to get on a feeding schedule;)  The goldfish and other finger foods have been a lifesaver for me because I am able to keep him occupied while I cook or clean the kitchen or whatever.  And he also drinks out of chews on his sippy cup while he snacks.  So...progress, right?

As for Ada...oh man, things are not good.  The fear has taken over to the point that today she cried and cried and cried while I left the house to run (for 15 minutes).  She was crying so hard over my leaving the house that she was shaking when I got home (I absolutely had to have the running break, though).  She then sobbed and sobbed while I took a shower, and not having a clue what to do during my afternoon tutoring session, I gave her permission to watch cartoons while I was gone (they have been taken away until we have potty success).  She still cried, but the cartoons kept her calm enough.  Things are not good (and this does not even include the insane freak out when I tried to take her to get her hair cut.  She ran from me, into a corner of the salon, where she curled up and screamed.  Needless to say, we did not get her hair cut).  So...we are just praying for some direction with her.  I have a hunch that many of these fears will be released once she uses the potty, but I honestly don't know how that is going to happen at this point. 

And now both the kids are in bed, Scott is watching the Falcons on tv, and I am about to go to Target just to get some time by. my. self.  Ada is my precious girl, but I am feeling a bit suffocated. 

And there's an update.