Adventures in Potty Training

Exciting times in the Lewy land….  

Project Potty Training is about to commence!

My mom got an adorable Cars potty chair for Jaxon for Christmas. We knew at 18 months it was too soon to introduce the idea of potty training, especially to a boy. So, we just let him use the chair as a toy for a few months before moving it to the bathroom and showing him the intended purpose. It has a lid that closes so it can double as a stool. Perfect for a 3’ kid who loves to play in water. It has a button that you can “flush” after doing your business. It is a “vroom” sound like a racetrack.  So fun!

About a month or so ago, I bought Jaxon training pants – really thick underwear. I just put them in his room and didn’t make a big deal about them. Jaxon has been very aware of when he is “going to the bathroom” and lets us know. Weirdly though, lately, he doesn’t want us to change him. I am not exactly sure what that is about, honestly, I wonder if he is sick of sitting still for the diaper changes!

Last night, Jaxon was in the tub and mentioned he had to go potty. Normally, he just stands up and pees. But, he told me this time. I asked if he wanted to use the potty and he said “yes”! I helped him out, put his chair in front of the toilet for him to climb up and helped him steady himself on the toilet. He was a tad nervous, then relaxed a bit and peed! It was only a dribble- but the look of excitement that washed over his face… one of the most incredible moments I have ever witnessed as a mother (yet, of course). He was SO proud of himself. I don’t think he could have been more than me, though!! He started calling for him grandma and when she came him he yelled “I peed in the potty!!” What an incredible moment!

We called daddy at work right away and told him the news, too. Pure excitement! Amazing!

I had purchased chocolate coins a few weeks ago that look like “gold debloons” from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. I went in and grabbed one and explained that because he did so great with peeing in the potty that I had a surprise for him. Another beautiful look of awe washed across his face when I handed him the coin. These are the moments in parenting that make everything worth it!!

This weekend we are going to go get him a special potty insert (he will pick it out) and a container (treasure chest) for his trinkets and gold coins for going potty. Once he is trained and no longer in diapers, we’ll trade in his treasure chest in for a prize.

This is a big project to undertake, but so very important. I hope to have him potty trained by Christmas. I am thrilled at the idea of having one child out of diapers before the next arrives! Even if only for a few months- that is so worth it!

Yay Jaxon!!

Xoxo- LadyLewy

Time Management during 2nd Trimester

When you’re pregnant, you know that your first trimester (unless you are super lucky) is going to be a doozy. The surge of hormones, fears, excitement, nausea, and utter exhaustion (for seemingly no reason at all), are like a tidal wave. You do get used to it, but you usually will have a projected “end date” for when normalcy might return and you can settle in to your new world while busily preparing for new baby. And, for STM (Second Time Moms) like myself, helping to introduce the idea in to your toddler’s world that someone new will be joining the family.

A light at the end of the tunnel has been my saving grace since I found out I was pregnant. Being pregnant with an active toddler is a beast! In the early weeks when exhaustion and nausea were ruling my world, the best thing I could do to get through the day was stay hydrated and eat every few hours to keep “morning” sickness at bay and nap whenever humanly possible. I kept telling myself ”only X more weeks and you’ll feel human again”.  In fact, I secretly began a countdown. I knew by the end of August, my tummy would return to normal and my energy would slowly start to ramp up again. Ugh, I was wrong!

My doctor ordered some blood-work to rule out some possible medical reasons for my exhaustion, but I am pretty sure that I just have to accept it; this is life and my energy is not coming back!  

They say every pregnancy is different and that couldn’t be more true for me! This is my 3^rd pregnancy at this gestational age (I carried Mason until 20 weeks) and neither Mason nor Jaxon was like this one, at all! Morning sickness was only for a few weeks and never as bad as I have had with this baby and I had the typical Trimester 2 return of energy, nearly on the mark!

Since 2^nd trimester energy surge has not arrived, and probably wont be, I need to make some changes and some plans (I know, not like me at all…lol).

Time management is one thing that will be super necessary for me to supercharge and make a priority right now for the next few months.

Checklists are one thing that will help immensely. Literally seeing items ‘come off’ the list gives me a sense of accomplishment and can reinforce a burst of energy when I want to crash and sleep. We all know that I am a fan of lists. Stress List, anyone? I love making lists, never in any particular order, and then going through to prioritize, and then knock them out! I LOVE to cross something off my Stress List!

Another helpful and time saving trick is meal planning! I have begun shopping at Fresh & Easy again because they have great items that are portion controlled for lunch, easy and healthy meals to heat up for dinner and great snack options. They may be a tad more expensive, but you’re paying for convenience and packaging. At this point, I am good with that! It also will help with our budget! That is another post, for another day…

With Jason working 6 days per week and it being anyone’s guess as to whether he’ll be home at or around the time he’s supposed to each nigh, I have to plan around this carefully. I schedule all my appointments for Wednesday because that is his day off (guaranteed). So, I get whatever appointment I have scheduled handled without worry that I won’t make it to Jaxon’s daycare by 5 to get him, and it gives me a little break from him. I love that kid, but he is an endless ball of energy and it makes my pure exhaustion seemingly double, at least.

Spacing out my chores throughout the week or actually scheduling myself a night off, meal planning and following my Stress List are all really good ways to keep my work load under control and allow me enough time to rest.

We all know I am a planner,  I just have to adjust my plan for this pregnancy! Regardless of nausea or energy, I am beyond thankful that this baby is healthy- I know I say it often, but my first baby and my last pregnancy weren’t. So, having a healthy baby truly is a blessing and something that I am so thankful for, no matter how crappy I may feel!

We have some more changes coming (remember the theme of this blog?), so stay tuned….

Xoxo- LadyLewy

September Check-In

Here is a little update on life in the land of Lewy…

Jason is back at Momentum, thankfully, and doing well. He has been given more duties and has opportunities to go into management. Best of all, he is only 15 minutes from home now. Such good news considering he is close to Jaxon during the day, if needed and will be super close for when baby arrives. Regardless of where he is, he adapts to the environment and has such good character and personality that he connects and makes clients out of strangers. I am so proud of him!

Jaxon is so smart! He talks so well, learning new words seemingly every day and we have full on conversations with him. Coherent, intelligible conversations. It’s adorable and exiting. We really haven’t broached the subject of baby again with him, we have plenty of time, although since I am showing now, I am waiting for the questions to roll in. I think he will be an excellent big brother. But considering how darn loved and spoiled with attention he is, I think it will take some adjustment.

I am officially 4 months pregnant, 16 weeks now. Baby is the size of an avocado and the best purchase for a pregnant mom with previous losses is a Sonoline B home fetal Doppler. Since I don’t feel baby yet (well, I do- but so few and far between that I don’t really count it yet) I can plop that wand on my tummy at night, hear his/her heartbeat and sleep peacefully. I am showing now- I have a decent bump going. I think it is safe to say that I look pregnant and no longer question if I had too many donuts and beer. My energy level is not what it used to be, at all, and I am pretty bummed about that. No matter what time I got to bed at night (which has been earlier and earlier lately) I don’t seem to get enough rest to feel like I can take on the world. Since I have several weeks into the 2^nd trimester, I have basically accepted that I am not going to get my energy back this time.  My morning sickness (LMAO- all day sickness) is much better, but still hanging around. At this point, I don’t expect it to go away either, but I am truly thankful for those days when it stays at bay or just barely shows up.

Maxi skirts and linen pants are my best friend right now. Oh, and yoga pants. Love yoga pants! I am all about comfort and haven’t even attempted to try to reason with my fashion sense. I have scarves and sweaters tucked away for fall and winter seasons- so, I will worry about my prego-fashion at that point and focus on staying comfy and cool for now. Although, I have gotten compliments recently on my outfits, so I guess I am doing something right!

I am utterly thankful that I am experiencing my 1^st and 2^nd trimester during summer and early fall because the heat is awful and I could not imagine being 7-9 months pregnant right now! Ugh! I give tons of credit to all the ladies that do it- I am thankful for my early summer baby and my current pregnancy with a Spring baby!

I will have many more updates over the next several weeks.

Xoxo- Ladylewy

Baby #2: First Trimester

If you saw my recent post, you know that we are excitedly expecting Baby #2!

With Mason, we let the world know within a week of the positive test. With Jaxon, we announced after our first ultrasound (and confirmed heartbeat and due date). We never revealed our 3rd pregnancy to most people, and not at all to Facebook or any other social media site because we lost the baby prior to the first ultrasound (I have posted about our loss).

With this baby, we decided to take a step back from our "open book lives". We chose to keep our pregnancy a guarded secret for a while this time, to ensure we are expecting a healthy baby. Since I had my 12 week scan and baby is doing great, we felt like it was time to let the world in on our wonderful, little secret.

Here is a little recap of my First Trimester with Baby #2...

Jason and I had been trying to get pregnant with #2 since July 2013. Tuesday, June 24th, in the evening after a brief conversation with my mom, I got a thought in my head... I decided on a whim to take a test. Whaddya know? It was positive! Honestly, I didn't believe it and told no one. The next morning, I took another test to see if I was crazy, and the positive popped right up. There was no question- we are expecting! I told Jason that afternoon and my mom and grandparents that evening. Everyone was thrilled.

Due to my loss in January, I was cautiously excited. Actually, not a very fun feeling. I wanted so badly to scream from the mountains that Jaxon was going to be a big brother, but considering our first pregnancy ending in devastation and the last pregnancy essentially ending as soon as it began, I was very tentative.This is NOT normal for me, so the last several months have been a challenge!

When we went in for our confirmation ultrasound on July 22, I was supposed to be 7w 3d (based on LMP...sorry, TMI) and was hoping to hear that baby was measuring close to that. I was thrilled to hear a strong heartbeat and learn that baby was measuring exactly where he/she should! I could feel the knot in my body slowly unwinding.

I was scheduled to come back in 2 weeks to check growth and we learned at that appointment that baby was measuring ahead! S/he was already measuring 10 weeks at 9w4d- not that big of a deal, really, but when measurements are key in the first trimester, those few days did make a difference for some of the screenings that I had to schedule - immediately!

After speaking with Genetics, we learned that we are not in danger (or in any higher danger than anyone else) for chromosomal abnormalities. Mason's disease was so very rare that they cannot even compute what the chances of a sibling having the disease would be. Thank GOD! I am officially "Low Risk" and can continue with my pregnancy like normal and participate in only the screenings that I want without suggestion.

I was so thankful to have the month of July off because the minute everything sunk in- I was nauseous nearly 24/7, exhausted (especially running after a toddler!), headaches were often and I was always starving. Plus, I got some time to plan for baby since Jason and I will be moving into the garage after we make our "garage master suite". Our current room will become the nursery.

Now that I am back to work, I am heading straight into busy season, we'll go in to the Holiday season, then I will spend January and February preparing for my leave and one last big test before maternity leave. I have quite a bit of work to do in the next 5-6 months before baby is due to arrive!

We opted only for the Nuchal Translucency test: that is a 12 week Ultrasound coupled with a 1st Trimester and 2nd Trimester blood draw that computes (accompanied with maternal age and familial history) the likelihood that our baby will have Down Syndrome, Trisomy 13 or 18 (both fatal), Spinabifida or other neural tube defects. This is where we learned Mason was so sick. A fatal heart defect was the first indication that something was wrong. Thankfully, we also learned during this ultrasound, with Jaxon, that he was totally healthy, had a perfect heart and was a boy! Normally, they are done in the 12th week, but I wasn't able to schedule mine until mid-13th week and he had a growth spurt just prior...so he measured 15 weeks exactly and his boy-ness was obvious.

After learning all was well, I told my co-workers the news. Their reactions made my heart swell. I felt SO loved! And know my baby is already loved. They didn't even care about the timing (I've already mentioned that I will be gone during a major portion of testing and will not return until the following school year (if at all). I will have a sub, so testing issues may press on all of them a tad this year). They're all awesome!

We announced on social media on Sunday 8/31 and the well wishes and love from everyone was beyond overwhelming!

Now that I have entered my 2nd trimester, I am enjoying a tad more energy and I suspect that will continue to increase over the next several weeks. The nausea has decreased a bit, but is still there and many other indicators have lightened up a tad. All in all, I am thankful for each and every symptom - it reminds me that I am pregnant and my baby is healthy and growing. I wouldn't care if I was hunched over a toilet all 9 months to bring a healthy baby home in the end. Although, that image is certainly not ideal!

More updates to come!

xoxo- Lady Lewy

Lewis: Party of 4!

Jason and I are extremely thankful and thrilled to announce…

“This Lewis family is expanding and making Jaxon a BIG Brother! We are expecting baby #2 in early Spring!”

I have just entered my Second Trimester. All seems to be going well and baby is healthy! We are over the moon excited, and so thankful that we are finally able to make Jaxon a big brother.

Here is the announcement that we posted on Facebook over the Labor Day weekend.

Here is Jaxon in the shirt we got for him to make the announcement. The smallest size I could get was a Youth XS and it was too big. He was NOT thrilled and kept yelling "too big"!! So....we opted for Plan B (above!). I think it turned out really cute anyway!

I can remember, nearly 10 years ago, when Jason and I first started dating and the writing was on the wall that it was “for forever”. We would talk about our future and discuss how many children we wanted. It was always three, God willing. I wanted two boys and one girl, but bottom line, I wanted healthy and would be perfectly content with 3 of whatever! We waited for several years before beginning the journey and even though we had a few bumps along the way, I think our family is shaping up beautifully!

We kept this pregnancy a secret this time and it was kind of fun! Normally, I have a big mouth and blab to the world the minute the stick pops up two lines…but this time, I kept the news to myself and husband, mom and grandparents. Once we had a strong heartbeat on the first ultrasound, we let some of Jason’s family in on the secret. I also told my closest friends and cousin. But still, we kept the news to ourselves.

After our 12 week scan indicated baby was healthy and right on track, I let my boss and co-workers know. Maternity leave is going to be a little tricky given that a large chunk of my testing duties will fall into the late Spring timeline and I won't be present. I will be leaving for the remainder of the school year in late February. But, everything will work out just fine and I am not worried and, I refuse to.

Here is baby’s first photo (ultrasound at 7w3d) and then another ultrasound shot at the NT scan at 12 weeks! I am in love already!!

This is a wonderful time for my family and I couldn’t be more thankful that God has blessed me with the ability to have children! While we may go through bumps along the way, I do understand how lucky I am to be able to get pregnant and carry my own child. That is truly a gift! Every child is a gift!

Xoxo- Lady Lewy