My Officially Potty-Trained Toddler

Man oh man, have I been waiting on this!! Sawyer Grace is officially potty-trained and it feels so good!! It was more hard work for her Momma & Daddy than it was for her! Ha! Now she goes days without accidents and takes naps in big girl underwear and hasn't had any accidents during nap so far. She wears a diaper at night, but so far she gets up when she needs to use the potty and her diaper has been dry. We're just giving her a little while to adjust, but we're probably about to take the plunge and just put her in her big girl undies at night, too! She is super proud of them and prefers them anyway.

Sawyer wants to do everything herself in the bathroom from getting on the potty to washing and drying her hands. She is super independent and very proud of it. 

Good job, baby girl! We are so happy we don't have to spend $40 bucks a month on your diapers! ;)

11 Months of Dayton

My baby is only 1 month away from turning 1. I truly can't believe it. If I think about it too much I will get sad, so I'll just dive right into the last month :)

This month he learned to:

say "ma ma" !!!

say "uh oh" - it's the cutest of his 3 words :)

waves (some of the time)

walking behind a push toy!! We are so close to full on walking!

Firsts:

6th tooth came in on top (now he has 4 on top and 2 on bottom)

first vacation (at the cabin in OK)

Trick-or-treating/Halloween! He dressed as Mickie Mouse :)

His favorite things this month:

Momma

Daddy

Big Sister

his cousins!

Soothie paci

jumperoo

his sister's toys

balls

being tickled

being thrown in the air

Things he hates this month:

his car seat

diaper rashes--the poor kid gets them often and they are horrible!! :(

His sizes this month:

9-12 months or 12 months

size 3 diapers

size 2 shoe

New places this month:

The cabin in Oklahoma!

Favorite pictures from this past month:

first costume :)

showing off his 6 new teeth!

first camping trip!

A Little Gem

I am sitting down to write my second-to-last paper of my entire masters degree. I literally only have 3 classes left until graduation. I cannot believe it. I've been reflecting on the last 3 years a lot lately as I try to wrap my head around the thought of being done with school and being a certified counselor. It feels surreal.  The other day I had a client say, "Man, you've done a lot for your age!" When I thought about that statement it started to kind of click, "wow, I'm 27, I have 2 children, I taught 3 years of 6th grade, worked an internship at a psychiatric hospital, interned at a private practice, and now about to graduate with a job lined up and ready to go! It feels like a whirlwind!!!" 


I found something today that made me look back at the progression of my career…

During my first semester of student teaching at A&M (Fall 2007) I wrote down 10 goals that I wanted my students to learn from me or feel. It did not have a lot to do with the content I was teaching, it was more things like… Feel valued, worthwhile, and accepted by me. Feel heard by me. Feel safe in my classroom. Feel like they can come to me when they need help regarding school, friendships, and stuff at home.

I kept this piece of paper in my desk all 3 years that I taught and looked at it quite often. I kept it right on top of a stack of papers inside my top drawer. I probably saw that paper almost everyday. Right now its packed up in a box in the attic and it will come down if I ever decide to teach again. That's not out of the realm of future possibilities. I loved teaching, actually. It was pretty hard to give up that part of my life, but my babies are for sure worth it. 

Anyway, at the end of each school year I gave my students a series of questions and told them they could keep it anonymous. I wanted them to let me know if I had made them feel heard, worthwhile, accepted, safe, etc. (I also asked things like "Did you ask for tutoring and/or receive extra help if you struggled…did you feel that enough technology was used in our classroom…stuff like that). I kept their answers and reflected on them many times. I really wanted them to have a good experience and hoped that the next year I could make it an even better one. 

Today I was going through my recently fixed laptop (I overloaded it with too much junk to the point that it wouldn't turn on, so we had to have a friend take the hard drive out and remove 25 gigabytes of pictures…Yes, I admit I am a pictureholic. I need help.), and I found a little gem. It's a picture of one of the papers that a student had written (2009 school year). I took a picture of it back then because it was so sweet and it made me smile. It had the same affect on me today as I read the answer to #10. "She could've been a counselor! :)" The question I asked the class was "Did you feel like you could talk to me about your problems with school, friends, and/or home?"

Man! It's like this girl could see into my future. When I read this today I just thought it was so neat that something I am doing 4 years later is something that a 12-year-old girl thought I'd be good at when I taught her in the 6th grade.

Of course her note on the back was the best part. "Mrs. Coats, you are my favorite teacher. When I'm 50 I believe I'll still remember you. You really are awesome. -Ale"

I tell you what, those kinds of notes and words of encouragement from a kid is THE BEST PART OF TEACHING. I know my teacher friends will agree. When it clicks with a student and you see that you were apart of helping them--it's all so worth it. And the best part is that, while confidential, I still get to experience that in counseling! I'll never be able to post a note from a client on the internet or show a friend, but helping a person out and getting to see that moment where they've just seen something in a new light is so exhilarating. I love it. In a lot of ways teaching is what has brought me to counseling and I couldn't be more grateful for that experience. 

Thank you, Ale, for your sweet words. They still make me smile today! 

2.5 Years of Little SG!

Sawyer Grace is halfway to 3 and I can't believe it. When did that happen? She is now 36" tall and weighs about 25 pounds. She is mostly 2T clothing and wears pullups during the day and size 3 diapers at night (same size diapers as Dayton since he was 7 months old)!

Most people say "they are so sweet with a spunky streak," but with Sawyer we think it's the opposite. This little girl's got sass and I'd say she's spunky with a sweet streak. ;)

She's super, super verbal and says almost anything and will repeat us constantly. I've already learned that I need to watch what I say...including the attitude in which I say it. She's super perceptive and will notice if I am in a bad mood or not happy.

Sawyer loves school and has lots of friends there! She does so well there. She loves to come home telling me all about her friends, her teachers, and the buggy rides she took! She also loves telling me about Stretch-n-Grow and songs and toys and games she plays. This month's shape is a circle and she has been drawing them like crazy at home. So fun to see her learning. Her teachers tell me all the time that she is so nice and sweet and friendly at school. I've asked them multiple times if they ever have to correct or discipline Sawyer and they've pretty much responded that she's perfect...so I guess she's saving all of her fits and tantrums for us at home...and believe me, there are plenty! ;)

Sawyer has gotten more and more smitten with her little brother. She wants me to go get him as soon as she wakes up in the morning. She likes to play in the same room with him and wants to interact with him. She gives him hugs and kisses and tells him "good job, bubba!" when he does something she deems good. Ha ha!

I thought this would be a fun age to do an interview with Sawyer. The first time I tried asking her more than 3 questions in a row she ran away from pretending to be an airplane so I had to wait a while for a better attention span. ;)

Interview with Sawyer at 2.5 years old....

What's your name? "Sawyer"

How old are you? "I'm 2 years old. 2." (while holding up 2 fingers)

Where do you live? "Sawyer's at Rockwall"

What do you like to do with mommy? "don't know, momma, I don't know." When I explained to her what I meant she said "I play with Momma."

What do you like to do with daddy? "play with Daddy!"

What is bubba's name? "zero" (She got his name confused with his age) When I asked again she said: "Dayton!"

How old is Dayton? "zero" (and she makes a zero with her hand)

What do you like to do with Dayton? "I play Bubba"

What do you like to do at church? "play at church!"

What do you like to do at school? "play at school!"

What color do you like? "red and blue"

So as you can see, the common theme is playing. :) She hasn't gotten the art of answering questions down yet, but she sure can talk a lot without being prompted. Ha ha! I love my big 2 1/2 year old.

10 Months of Dayton

I love this stage! Dayton is a bundle of energy, but still winds down to cuddle when he is sleepy. This month Dayton had his first big bout of sickness. A mysterious virus that gave him 5 straight days of 103 degree fever. I was so happy when it finally broke and he was back to his normal, happy-go-lucky self!

Here's the latest on my little man…

This month he learned to...

"dance" to music - it's super cute :)

say "da da" !!!! so fun!

Firsts:

2nd tooth came in on bottom

3rd, 4th, & 5th teeth come in on top

His favorite things this month:

Momma

Daddy

Sawyer

his Soothie parcis

being tickled

jumping in the Johnny Jump Up and Jumperoo

Puffs

Things he hates this month:

being buckled into the car seat

diaper rash

teething

His sizes this month:

6-9 months

some 9-12 months

size 3 diapers

New places this month:

Gentle Zoo in Forney

Conrad's 1st Birthday Party at the Kirby's House

Favorite pictures from this past month:
cutie was hard to take pictures of this month--he was all over the place!

He loves the shower mat for some reason!

a little blurry, but a funny picture of him at playschool about to jump into the ball pit!

Klyde Warren Park picnic & splash pad day! :)

In Mimi & Poppy's treehouse with the cousins!

the morning he woke up with no fever after 5 days of 103 degrees!!

I was so happy I took a picture. :)

They love their chairs!

Messy, messy eater

I just love the overall-ed booty :)

Fun at the Gentle Zoo!

He loves his sister, especially when she's feeding him ;)

He's all boy for sure!!

10 months is such a fun age!!

9 Months of Dayton

9 whole months with my sweet baby boy! This month has been the biggest yet! This boy loves to do things in spurts.

Dayton's Measurements:

Birth: 7 lbs. 6.2 oz., 20" long, 13" head, 13" chest

6 days old: 7 lbs. 2.5 oz., 20 1/2" long

2 weeks old: 7 lbs. 14.5 oz., 20 1/2" long, 14" head

1 month old: 9 lbs. 6 oz., 21 1/2" long, 15 1/2" head

2 months old: 12 lbs. 1.5 oz., 23 1/4" long, 15 3/4" head

4 months old: 14 lbs. 5.5 oz., 24 3/4" long, 16 1/2" head

6 months old: 16 lbs. 7.5 oz., 26 1/4" long, 17 1/4" head

9 months old: 18 lbs. 9.5 oz., 28" long, 17 1/2" head

Percentiles:

20th percentile for weight, 40th percentile for height, 30th percentile for head

This month he learned to...

CRAWL!

CLAP!

PULL UP to sitting and standing (had to lower his mattress)!

Hold his own bottle...he did that like twice, ha ha

Firsts:

Got his first tooth!!

Overnight at G-Momma's House!

His favorite thing this month:

Momma :)

pull up toys

big sister

Daddy

the wagon

Soothie pacis

ice cream

Things he hates this month:

the car seat

diaper rashes

teething

His sizes this month:

6-9 months

a few 9-12 month things

size 3 diapers

New places he has been this month:

Dart Train to Mockingbird Station

Twisted Root

Playschool (Mother's Day Out)

Lake Pointe Church

Important events this month:

First day of Playschool :)

First overnight at G-Momma's

Favorite pictures from this past month:
Here he is crawling for the very first time!!

Remembering 9/11

I was 15 and sitting in biology when I first heard about the twin towers. We were actually listening to the radio when the second tower was hit and heard the terror in the radio announcers voice and I also saw it on my teacher's face. That is forever etched into my memory. So is the patriotism that followed in the next few weeks and months. Flags everywhere.

Tonight while I was on the highway about to go over the lake in Rockwall, I passed many people standing out in the heat holding American flags and waving proudly to all of us driving by. These people reminded me of the pride I felt after 9/11 when America seemed to suddenly burst into red, white, and blue and 'God Bless Americas.' I pride myself in being patriotic (so much so, that I tear up when certain songs play during a 4th of July fireworks display). Looking back, I think 9/11 is what shaped my patriotism. I'll never forget working at Chick-fil-A when 2 policewomen ordered and their meal rang up to $9.11. One of the women looked at her partner when she saw the total and said, "Oh wow. Let's take a moment." And they did. They stood right there in front of me with their heads bowed. I admired their respect. 

I'll also never forget people ordering "freedom fries" instead of waffle fries. Haha. That was a bit funnier to me, but I appreciated the sentiment.  Some of those things seem silly, but I'm sure we all have similar moments that we remember happening after 9/11. 

I'm thankful to these people who decided to sweat outside today and hold flags over the highway so I could be reminded to be thankful that God allowed me to be born in America. 

God bless America!