John Paul found my nursing cover in a pile of things we hadn't been using and decided to put it on.  Then he wanted something to nurse...  So he happily got the baby doll out of the toybox and held it up to his bellybutton under the nursing cover for a little while.  He turned around and said, "Nurse? Ceciwia?" I told him no, Cecilia can't nurse from him because he can't be a mom, but maybe he'll be a dad someday. 

So we talked about the things daddies do for their babies - he decided that he would like to give the baby a bath, just like Dad.  So I told him to take the baby to the sink in his toy kitchen. 

Let's just say, it's a good thing he's not going to be a father anytime soon!

First he shoved the baby's face under the faucet and pretended to pour water on the baby's head for a while (baby has no name, by the way).  Then he needed soap, so I gave him some pretend soap (made out of air...).  He took it and rubbed it all over the baby's face, then smushed the baby so that its whole body was in the toy sink.  Then he ran to the middle of the room, lay down on the floor, and closed his eyes for a few seconds before going back to get the baby out of the sink.

Thank goodness that's not how bathtime works!

Potty mouth...

Okay, before my adoring public (oh wait, my mom and sister...) gets annoyed at the lack of posts, I have to let you know that the camera battery is dead and we don't know where the charger is.  So the posts will be a lot less fun for a while because they'll mostly be text-only.  And let's face it, you probably just skim the text and read the captions under the pictures, like me!

So John Paul has been potty trained (not counting naptime and nighttime, which are not even short-term goals right now...) for almost 2 weeks now - we've been going out with just underwear and haven't had a single accident (knock on wood!)!  He is VERY pleased about this - he loves his "cool" underwear and he REALLY loves using the potty in new places.  That's honestly his favorite thing about leaving the house now. 

Yup.  Potties.  We tell him where we're going and he immediately starts talking about the potty they'll have there.  Then he starts talking about ALL the potties he's used.  "Nature center potty!  Waymond (St. Raymond - they're on a first-name basis) potty!  Howwy Spiwit potty!  Store potty!  Westauwant potty!!!"  Etc.  We went to a one-hour concert at school and he used the bathroom three times.  But hey, it's better to be over-enthusiastic than a pants-wetter, right?

One of the nice things about him being potty trained is that he poops a lot less often (this paragraph is about flatulence and feces - skip ahead if you're eating!).  The not-so-nice thing is that he's REALLY gassy because he's holding it in.  And the gas smells like poop.  So for about an hour before he poops he smells like he pooped in his pants.  And I'm constantly checking to see if he did, but no, he didn't.  Not even once.  He just has NASTY farts.  But since he's pretty much continuously vile-smelling, I can blame any of MY gas on him :P

He is also VERY excited every time he uses the potty at home.  For a while I had to remind him to use the potty, but now he's almost entirely self-guided.  Problem is, as soon as he gets the urge, he drops his pants.  WHEREVER he is in the house.  And then waddles over to the potty, pants around his ankles, pants and underwear often falling off as he crawls up the stairs to get to the potty. 

Since I can't take pictures, here's what you can imagine it looks like...

But then he's SO excited when he's all done - "A BIG bit of pee!" or "Just a wittle bit of pee." or "I pooped AND peed!" or "Just a wittle turd." or (my personal favorite) "You did NOT have a wittle turd!"  For some reason he can only refer to himself in the first person when he manages to poop.

And he's excited to tell everyone he knows that he wears underwear now.  He spent a good portion of Mass last Sunday saying, "You're weawing UNderwear!"  Which I'm sure prompted many of the ladies around us to check and make sure their skirts were properly adjusted...  Of course, he's also very excited about anything that happens while he's wearing underwear.  "You farted in your underwear," he says, matter-of-factly.  I promise, that time it really wasn't me...  Or "You did NOT pee in your underwear!"

And that's a (almost) 2.5-year-old giving you his perspective on being potty trained.  You can tell our lives are exciting!

Hidden Pond

Not gonna lie, I thought John Paul was likely to jump into the pond when he begged us to let him out of the stroller so he could "climb."

But he was perfectly content throwing dead leaves into the water and watching them float away.

And, of course, posing for cheesy pictures with Mom!

But how much longer am I really going to be able to make him dress like this?  Gotta get the pictures while I can...

And gotta take advantage of the beautiful "January" weather we've been having!  Sure it snowed on Monday, but this weekend was gorgeous!

Piano time

Cecilia and Dad start out having a fun time together while John Paul plays next to the piano.

But someone just can't be left out of the fun!

So we make it a trio, rather than a duet...

And then the third runs off to do her own thing.

Reading to TWO

Cecilia brings me her book of choice:   "The Saving Name of God the Son" (it's a children's book, I promise...).  She climbs into my lap and I start reading...

Lap count:  1 child

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word - who was with God and who was God - "

John Paul comes over, interested...  He leans against my side as I continue reading...

"became flesh..."

I turn the page, pulling John Paul onto the other half of my lap.

Lap count:  2 children

"and dwelt among us.  The Son of Man come down from heaven, to serve and to give his life..."

Cecilia starts climbing off my lap, cheese slice in hand.  John Paul moves over so that he's sitting right in the middle.

Lap count:  1 child

"as a random for many.  For in him was life and the life was the Light of men:  a Light to the Nations shining..."

Cecilia's cheese is crumbling on the floor and she circles around me, trying to get back into my lap.  John Paul objects to me turning the pages and rips the book out of my hand.

"a Light to the Nations shining..." 

Cecilia steals the book back and John Paul is distracted by the cheese crumbles on the floor.

Lap count:  1 child.

"in the darkness.  Behold, he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  Anointed by the Spirit..."

"He is the Beloved Son, calling the Bride to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb; giving to her the most previous gift, his Body and Blood,"

John Paul turns back to the previous page.  "Thaaaaaaat's?" he asks obnoxiously.  "That's a picture of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus."  "BATHtize?  WONG!  BAPtize is a word.  BATHtize is NOT a word."

"sacrificed... on the wood of the cross:  Our Lord Jesus Christ!"

"AND they HIT him!  And they KIWWED HIM!!!"

Cecilia rips the book away and skips several pages, then demands to nurse.  She nurses for a few seconds and then walks away, done with nursing and also with reading.  John Paul takes the book away and reads it to himself on the floor.  Apparently I am unnecessary.

Lap count:  0 children.