On a roll!

We just might be on a roll here folks! The boys are both starting to enjoy using the potty and they are really trying to go more! Conner celebrated his second night in a row of success!

After Conner peed in the potty and we got done cheering, Ben took off up the stairs saying "I pee more! I pee more!" Nothing like a little competition between brothers... I wanted to get Conner on video tonight, but Ben would not start reading bedtime stories until he had a chance to make a video too! He celebrated his 4th evening of no accidents tonight!

Hopefully the excitement sticks and we can spend less and less time in diapers!

Another Success Story...

Ben had another successful potty night! I could hear him upstairs in the bathroom with Nick and after he was done and Nick cheered for him, I heard Ben say, "I get candy!" He was pumped...

Conner Update...

Conner is doing a little bit better. I am still adjusting his medication daily, but he is having less seizures so that's always good. The concern is that the seizures are lasting longer than they used to. There will be more med changes in the next couple of days so hopefully it won't hit him as hard as it did last week. We'll just have to see... On the bright side, he is getting some of his energy back. I haven't heard my little guy giggle so much in quite a while. What an angelic sound... I would give anything for us to wake up tomorrow and learn that there is a miraculous cure for epilepsy, but since the chances of that are slim to none, keep my guys in your prayers...

On a Potty Note...

Potty Update: Conner AND Ben both used the potty last night!!! They told us that they had to pee, went up the stairs, and did their business. We were all very excited! (Conner had two accidents later in the night, but I'm focusing on the positive for now...!)

Conner greatly enjoyed his M&Ms after his successful potty trip!



I caught Ben as he was leaving the bathroom. He was all smiles and, of course, asked for his M&Ms!

Christmas carryover...

Over the weekend, we got to got to Charles City to celebrate a late Christmas with Nick's family. It was very fun and the guys loved getting more presents...



Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Hedlund got the great grandkids Iowa shirts! The boys were thrilled and loved walking around screaming "Hawkeyes!"

The whole fam...

Jennifer was taking orders for what we wanted to eat... It was very cute!

Then Ben decided that he wanted to be like Jennifer so Uncle Bill found Ben some paper and a crayon and Ben walked around taking our orders right along with Jen!

We also got to go swimming at the hotel that night! Ben and Conner loved the water! It was really the first time that they enjoyed it so much and Ben is still telling me "I love the water and I love swimming!" We will definitely have to go swimming again soon. Everytime I mention swimming, Conner will move his arms like he is swimming! It was very enjoyable to relax and watch the kids have so much fun!

Still....

We're still here... just wanted you to know...

It's been a long hard week watching ConMan adapt to med changes. We haven't taken too many pictures but we're good...

Enjoy the Moment...

If there is one thing that I know I need to do more of it is "enjoying the moment." When all the stress and the worry starts to bring me down, all I (should) need to do is look at the two smiling faces that hardly ever leave my side...





I need to throw myself into the moment, put on a smile to match, and mean it...

Just watching them... is one of my favorite things in this world. I really need to do it more often!

Suckers!

Check out these suckers!!!





After a long morning spent contemplating what the future will bring I enjoyed a (much needed) nice afternooon with my boys as they enjoyed their candy. I even got flowers from my husband today... Nothing like candy and flowers to remind me that life is pretty good right now...

Epileptologist?

Did you know that there is such a thing as an epipleptologist? I didn't... until we needed one. Conner's epilepsy is very different from Ben's and it isn't being controlled by his medications very well so we went to the University of Iowa to try to get some answers and a new plan. We got both... but it's hard to describe the visit as good or bad... Conner does not have one of the more severe syndromes that I was afraid of. However, the likelihood that he will simply grow out of this, is pretty low. He might always have these absence seizures... It makes me worry for him in the future. Will there come a time when he wants to get his drivers license and I have to tell him "no" because of his epilepsy? How about when he wants to play football but can't because it's not safe for him? What will I do when he comes home from school upset because kids are making fun of him because of this stupid disease? I hope that I never have to answer any of these questions. I hope that my babies can both lead long and happy lives without worrying about any of this... We have had the deck stacked against us before and somehow we managed to get through. Somehow everything turned out all right. This leaves me asking the question... How many miracles does one get in a single lifetime?

Bonus!

Well, we got a bonus morning together today due to the weather! We have kept very busy...

I have been busy making favors for the boys to take to school on Friday for their half birthday. Ben made use of the scrap paper...



I told Conner to pose for a picture. This is what I got!



By mid morning, I was getting pretty tired of the "indoor behavior" so I decided to try my luck outside... They loved playing in the snow! Ben kept yelling " I love the snowing!!!"



Conner really liked falling into the snow... until he got some on his face. He recovered quickly though!



Ben wanted to pull Conner on the sled for a while...

Not a bad way to spend a morning!

Hmmmm...

The "underwear project" resumed tonight thanks to the efforts of Nick. No accidents.... and no potty usage... hmmmm

Potty Break...

Check out our awesome castle!



The funnest thing about organizing the play room is that 5 minutes after I have found a place for everything, they manage to drag it all out again in record time...



We are taking a break from the potty today... I know... I know... it's important to stay consistent but I am choosing to focus on my own sanity this morning...

Potty Progress?

Last night's "underwear project" was a bit confusing but it gave me a little glimmer of hope that Ben and Con will actually (someday) be potty trained...

Conner had one accident in the kitchen, and as he realized what was happening, he began crying... It was very sad for him that he had not made it to the potty. However, this is the child who still screams "no" and smashes the lid down on the potty about half the time so....

Ben had an accident on the carpet about 5 minutes after the diaper came off and the undies made their first appearance of the day. About a half hour after this, he ran over to the stairs and yelled "potty" but did not make it up to the potty in time so Mommy had to clean the carpet on the stairs... Then he had to pee again and made it all the way up the stairs but couldn't hold it long enough to make it down the hall. This last one was kind of Mom and Dad's faults though because we didn't move fast enough... we didn't think he actually had to go that time... we were wrong...

We have a potty in the living room (easy access) and one upstairs in the bathroom. I know the one upstairs is further to trek, but last night that was what Ben preferrred to do. So, the Resolve carpet cleaner has gotten a lot of use, but maybe we are starting to get somewhere... or maybe I am just feeling exceptionally optimistic today...

The "Underwear Project..."

I am trying really hard to recommit myself to potty training two 3 year old boys... So my plan is for them to sport their big boy undies at least part of every day this week. (By the way, our week didn't start until Tuesday!)

Tuesday: Ben - 2 accidents on the carpet... Conner - 1 accident on the kitchen floor... The potties remain in their same sad state... UNUSED!

Wednesday: Ben - 1 accident on the carpet.... Conner chose to hold it all night...

I'm losing steam, but I purchased more new undies for the guys today so we are ready to try again tomorrow! Ugh...

Bigger?!

I'm not sure if it's the new year, the new clothes, the 7 a.m. wake up time, or simply my imagination... but my boys looked really big today...





Back to school today... I cannot tell a lie... I enjoyed and made good use of my two "off" hours this morning, but I did miss my guys...

Happy New Year!