The Baby Blog

He did it! He has started to use the potty! yippy...

The Method
Because pull-ups never work in potty-training (it still absorbs and acts like a diaper), I just stuck my boys in underwear and let them experience the wrath of wet/dirty underpants! A bit cruel maybe... messy, HELL YEAH. But it works!

However, Mio has always had sensitive skin. He gets allergic reactions/rashes to soap other than Dove, has ecsema (like his daddy), and gets rashes when he has diarrhea (sp?). So with this method (getting all wet in his pants) he developed a pretty bad rash.

With a little cream, lots of washing in the sink, and some benedryl (which is a whole other fight), he has finally done it! Now, he won't let you help him get on the seat, even though he still needs some help pulling down the pants. But he mounts himself up facing the toilet!! Quite a sight if you ever get a chance!

We even spent hours shopping at Toys R Us for his reward!
Note: TRU in Vallejo and Fairfield are closing so EVERYTHING MUST GO, even the fixtures!!! Fairfield is transforming to a Babies R Us (finally, now that I don't need it!), and Vallejo I guess is closing for good!

The ultimate result
He is now enrolled in Pre-school!! There is an opening waiting for him on February 1st. He will be my third person to make me carpool (not that I will arrive to work on time, anyways), and he will be in the same school with his KUYA! The best part... IT'S MUCH CHEAPER!!!

We will finally get to save more money, hopefully to go towards our Netherlands trip (I am not missing this tour!) and possibly buy me some more new work clothes! I think it is time to seriously update!

Anyways, there are still some little backward steps we are facing ... for some reason both boys decided that this week is "pee-pee on mommy & daddy's bed" time. Since Wednesday we have been battling overnight leaks... And not just the little leak over the side of the pants... We are talking full on "I was dreaming like I was in potty" wet! I don't think I have enough sheets to handle this kind of stuff!

I am exhausted at work right now... wasn't it a short week? Why does it feel sooooooo long?!

Well, the Spring semester is in full force. Last Friday we had our semester jump start event called All College Day. It is the campus' official Welcome Back, and cheer you up for the start of a new semester. It was actually quite fun this time around. Little did I know that later that afternoon, Mr. & Mrs. Mathmajor had their little girl!! Congrats!

Then with a extra day to get ready... we stayed home and relaxed. But I really felt the morning madness when we got ready for school on Tuesday! AJ has been on vacation for about a month. So, yesterday morning I was running around trying to figure what I had to do:

*this doesn't happen every night (thank goodness) but I woke up at 3am to change Mio because he had pee-pee'd all over the bed. I forgot to change him out of his underwear before bed, and sure enough I paid for it! But before I went back to sleep, I decided to do laundry?!
1. wake up, get myseld ready (depending on time that will determine how well I fix my hair)
2. get damoomoo up and in the shower
3. I put on make-up, etc. while damoomoo gets AJ up
4. I head downstairs to make lunch & my coffee (but for some reason I was running around the kitchen like a madwoman just to get it done!)
5. Load up the car with our essentials and the kids (but we couldn't find AJ's shoes!) Since I used a different purse over the weekend I had to make sure I moved all my keys and work stuff over, too!
6. Kiss everyone goodbye and sit in traffic!

Then once I get to work, EVERYONE is on campus early so I have to park in the far parking lot. Not a good day to wear my nice pointy-toed shoes! My feet hurt from walking to and from different offices! I was glad to get home

This past weekend Likha performed at the Children's Amphitheater at the Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. We left Thursday evening from Freakmont and drove in 4 mini-vans equipped with walkie-talkies. We arrived at 2am with no room reservations due to a "major" oversight. Things were negotiatied and squared away, and we there we were at the Omni Hotel in L.A. NICE!

Too many started to go wrong that week with the van, and by the time Thursday night rolled around, Damoomoo figured out that he might not follow us after all. He stayed behind with the boys. I was a bit sad to not at least have my hubby with me, let alone my rugrats! I slept each night with a pillow on my snuggled against me on my left (just how Mio would be if we were all in our bed) I even woke startled when the pillow fell of the bed! I called as many times as I could (at least 4 times each day) until my phone just crapped out on me! That really sucked!

With an early morning start and many practices we headed to the theater. At first we were quite disappointed because of it's really small floor and cement colosseum-like seating. But when the actual performance came around... it was actually quite awesome. I asked drama queen before our first show to make sure I didn't have any boogers in my nose, cuz the audience was that close!

The highlight of my trip was being able to see my Ate' and her family. Since they are in West Covina I don't get to see them very often. Then when they visit it's for a special occasion, and they still have to see other relatives. They may be in the works of moving back to the bay area... I just hope it really happens! My godson is soooo "madaldal", and the younger boy looks so much like our younger brother, Patrick when he was a baby.

I drove the last four hours of our trip back. Which may have set off the back pains I am now suffering through! I called in sick yesterday, and still have a sort of limp from the on-going pain in my lower back and hip areas. I believe it is my sciatica, and possibly a general muscle sprain in the lower back. I feel so old!

Well, back to work I guess!

Since vacation started, Nala, the class hamster has been our new housemate. She is practically family, but just sits there until night time when it time to chew on the cage!!

Last Sunday we decided to all sleep downstairs in our family room until...
I felt something run across my chest and then heard little scratching sounds on the pillow! I freaked out and woke up damoomoo. "There's mouse in our house. It just ran across me. I never thought they would be so bold!"

After explaining to him what happened we gathered the kids, our blankets, and our pillows and moved to the bedroom. Damoomoo returned downstairs to see if he could find the mouse. Instead he saw Nala running across the room! She finally escaped from her cage.

And it's not the first time.
She has escaped from her cage several times at the school, each time we place her in her temp cage while we clean the big one, and once while we were driving home! AJ's teachers had to tape up the cage door because of her disappearing acts. Damoomoo put those plastic fasteners that he uses for his cords to the door instead and taped all the openings on the top of the cage! She is one strong hamster.

We had left a bowl of her food in the hallway which I found completely empty by this morning. And before we fell asleep last night I had damoomoo leave her cage downstairs with the door open... Sure enough there she was in her bedding! So now our housemate is safe, looking a little skinnier, but still in the house!

Today was our first day back from the break. Campus is empty enough for me to get the "pimp parking" (as Weekender would describe). But it still requires somewhat of a walk, which is okay considering I need to lose some of the holiday weight!

Students are returning just as eager to register for classes, or clear debts/pre-requisites before the official start of instruction. What doesn't help is not having faculty around to clear up some of the issues (no offense MathMajor!) And there are still a lot of people who extended their vacation time!

But my first day was filled with moving offices! My predecessor has retired and I claimed her workstation. It's awesome because it is out of the President's "Suite" (away from the chaos and characters of that office) and into a little more "visitor friendly" office. The best part is that the computer is faster, and I have a color printer (ink jet, but who's getting picky!) that I don't share with anyone else in my office. I have a little corner with a huge window with a view of the hallway, but it beats the cubicle I was in before.

With a little more privacy you'll probably see more updates! Well, must get back to work... need to catch up on all the papers I didn't read over the break! shhh don't tell anyone!