Cabin fever hits again

Approximately 3 weeks ago, Cole had tubes placed in his ears and he did wonderful. He actually slept through the night 3 or 4 times following that which he had never done. He was much happier and just acted like he generally felt better.
Well, the luck couldn't last too long. The poor kid started feeling crummy again about a week ago. He has spent the last four days crying from dawn to dusk, especially if I leave his sight. He literally goes from smiling one second to screaming the very next. He is unsure of what he wants. We ended up going to the pediatrician yesterday and got him put on antibiotics, so let's hope he gets back to feeling better soon.
The many phases of Cole:

happy



not happy



happy



not happy





Chase has decided to go on a wild streak and act like he is going on 13. Common words out of his mouth are "No" and "But, I don't want to." This does not settle well with me. He has spent many moments in his room and/or time out recently. Of course, no matter how much he misbehaves, he is still so darn cute! Between the two of them, I will be totally gray by 2008!









John is generally really good about helping me out in times like these by taking Chase out for a bit, or taking both boys downstairs to simply be boys and give mom a break. However, we had a DUSTING of snow come through Kentuckiana which meant John got called in at 3:30 am this morning to begin salting the lots, roads, and sidewalks of his various accounts. He did not get home until 10:30 this evening. So he was gone for 17 hours for less than an inch of snow while the boys and I had a less than ideal day. We had toyed with the idea of going out to eat for my birthday but the reality of that happening just wasn't there.

One positive side of having a sick kid is Cole napped a great deal today. While he napped, Chase watched more television than a 3 year old should be allowed to watch in one week (I did manage to nap a bit on the couch while Chase watched tv). times like these, you just have to let the battles go! We can only hope that Cole will get to feeling better quickly and that John will get to remain home all day tomorrow.

Here is a cute video of my little drummer boy during one of his better moments:

I have arrived!

Well what can I say I have arrived.
Many people moan and groan and dread the day that they may need to purchase a mini van due to a growing family. I guess I am one of the rare individuals who actually looked forward to the day that I would need one and would be able to get one. Well, that day has come. After hours of research on the net, many phone calls, many test drives, anda regected offer, we finally purchased a 2002 Chrysler Town and Country Limited Edition.
Financially, we decided we could get the most for our money by purchasing either a Chrysler or a Dodge Grand Caravan which are in essence the same vehicle. I found a great dela on one that was located in Cincinnati, so John, Cole, and myself headed to the dealer to check it out. I instantly fell in love! I wanted power doors because of my back, but other than that my only other request was captain chairs in the center to try and avoid some brotherly fights down the road. This van has more than I could have hoped for. It has leather seats, (which is great for bad backs because you slide out of the vehicle), dual climate control, power sliding doors, power liftgate, and all kinds of fun little gadgets and hiding places.
I also love that I sit so much higher now.
As I drove around the "Ville" the other evening with John listening to Michael Buble (http://www.michaelbuble.com/) while in my mini van, I had to announce that "I have arrived!"
Here is my new pride and joy:

The Saga continues

Well as we previous blog pointed out,we started the potty training journey here in the Wall household. Chase has come quite a ways, but still has a ways to go as well! He has graduated to the "big boy" style of standing while urinating. He has also accomplished the feat of announcing when he has the urge to urinate. This is such a relief, asking a 3 year old to "try" every 30 minutes gets old fast!
Now, as far as the poop end of the deal...not so good. Chase is terrified of going poop on the pot. Let me take you back in time. Months ago when Chase first wanted to explore the world of toilet training, he asked to poop on the potty. Of course I allowed him to do so. Being a curious 3 year old, he wanted to see what happened as the poop came out, so he looked into the potty as it dropped. This caused a slight splash of water to hit the poor kid in the forehead. He immediately burst into tears and has been terrified ever since. Do you blame him?
So, now when the child needs to go poop, he will hold it for days on end until he becomes so constipated that he is in tears. He is currently on prescription laxatives that would cause any normal adult to have a spell much like a scene from "Dumb and Dumber" or "Along Came Polly". They do nothing for him. We have started restricting his dairy intake and he regularly gets apple juice. I have even changed the majority of our diet to fresh fruits and vegetables with added fiber (thank you Amber for the Fiber One tip, they are awesome!). I now make a fresh fruit smoothie almost every morning to help with his fiber intake. Still, no success. When he does finally go, it usually has to be while wearing a Pull Up. I read this is fine for his situation, but how and at what point do we break this?
On a lighter note, Chase loves all the cool new briefs and boxers he has acquired. However, of course he has to be different and likes to wear them backwards from time to time so that the character is in the front. If you invision a young boys pair of briefs, this generally results in a painful looking wedgie.
Exhibit A:






Silly boy. So please, if you have some secret to getting a 3 year old to poop in the pot, please, please, let me know!
Thanks!