What's Jayden Up To?

Staying home part time was one of the best things I could have done for me and for my family. I love being home with the kids and keeping house. I've even been doing a little bit of baking and I can't wait for the kids to be a little older so I can share kitchen & baking time with them. Here's a recent family shot.Being home more often has done wonders for my relationship with Jayden and I’m so happy for that. When Jayden wakes up in the morning, he comes running to our room and he used to ignore me and go straight to Daddy, but not anymore. Now, he smiles at me and comes over to my side of the bed. In the mornings when I get us ready for the babysitter, we always end up making some noise and Daddy wakes up to say good-bye but Jayden will have none of that. He makes sure to stick by my side so I won’t leave him behind. And when I do leave him home with Daddy, sometimes he follows me to the door and cries. I always spot his long sad face in the window, waving good-bye. It breaks my heart.

Jayden is growing and learning so much. He seems to be saying a new word every time I chat with him. It’s so great to be able to talk with him and to have him understand. It’s hard to keep it together when I tell Jayden to stop it and he responds with pop-it. He’s so darn cute. Jayden also mimics everything he sees us do. One day, I saw him take my slipper and hit the wall. I wondered why on earth he was doing it. Some time later, I grabbed a flip flop and squashed a bug on the wall. Eureka! Yesterday, we took a nap together and he even tucked his little hands under his chin, like mommy. It was so hard not to laugh.

We've had a potty chair in the bathroom for a while. About a week ago, he used it out of necessity and sheer luck. I’ve been trying to get him to use his potty ever since, but he boldly stated No! He would not use the potty and since that day he’s been true to his word. That doesn’t mean that Mommy has stopped hoping. When Jayden goes to bed and he’s desperate to get my attention, he says Mommy, ca-ca. Of course, I go get him and there’s usually nothing in his diaper. I then take him to the potty. He removes his pajama pants and diapers and sits down. A second later, he gets up and turns the ventilator on. A second after that, he closes the door. Yet another second after that, he gets tp. After about 5 minutes of this, I realize he is never going to go potty. He’s playing me. Back to bed he goes. Yesterday, I was trying to shower and he came to get me frantically calling out ca-ca, ca-ca. I fly out of the shower and take him to the potty only to find that he’s already gone. So much for taking a shower. He does love the Elmo Potty Time DVD. He watches it over and over again. Last night, I moved us all into my bedroom to settle down and signal that bedtime was nearing. He called out Elmo, Elmo, Elmo until I played the DVD. Now when he poops in his diaper, I always tell him he should tell mommy when he has to go poopy so he can use his potty like a big boy, like Elmo.

Here's my little man doing his favorite thing. Hanging out with the guys in the garage! He loves the ride on mower and most of his push toys are out there. Notice how red his cheeks are. He gets quite a work out when he goes outside. In fact, he came in with that black ring around his neck for the very first time. My baby is growing up!