I took the last week in July off, with two goals - #1 was to get Gavin potty-trained, and #2 was to RELAX! I was completely dreading potty-training, because he was completely uninterested in sitting on the potty, and I thought it was going to be the hardest thing I've ever done. In anticipation of this being the week, I had read every article and book that I could find on the topic, and even purchased a "Potty Scotty" doll (which was luckily never needed!) But I'm happy to report that I highly underestimated Gavin's drive and internal motivation! I think there's something to be said about waiting until a kid is ready to potty train, because this couldn't have been any easier! We started on Thursday, when I told him that it was going to be "no pants day" (for him only) that day. He totally bought into it, and ran around in just his t-shirt all day (both inside and outside!). We talked about having to sit on the little potty chair if he had to go, and he was soooo proud of himself when he actually produced something while sitting there. I didn't even have to nag him as much as I thought I would to get him to sit on there multiple times throughout the day. It was only when we put his shorts on and I hadn't asked him to go for a while that he had an accident. And then another. But all very manageable. He wore a Pull-Up to bed that night, but woke up with it completely dry. Day 2 (Friday), we decided to venture out of the house to a friend's house. It was a nearly 40 minute drive, and I should have insisted on him sitting on the potty right when we got there, but he was so excited to play with Jack's toys that he refused to go in the bathroom. Unfortunately, he had another accident while sitting on Jack's bike (luckily, Jack's mom was very understanding!). There were a couple of tiny accidents the next few days, but he got really good at telling me when he needed to go quickly.
On Monday, we had "Mommy and Gavin Day" - I thought it was going to be spent at home, really hammering in the potty-training concepts, but since he had gotten the hang of it so fast, we planned an outing. Brought Hallie to Debbie's house, and Gavin and I headed to Como Town/Zoo. We arrived promptly when they opened at 10 am, and since we were among the first families there, Gavin got to take many solo trips on all of the rides (he measured in at 37" - just enough to clear the 36" height restriction - phew!). I was once again surprised at how independent he's getting - he didn't ask me to ride on any of the rides with him! He did, however, make sure to keep me in his sight and smiled, waved and said "Hi Mommy!" every time he passed me! It was pretty darn adorable! After a while, we headed over to the zoo part and checked out some pretty awesome animals. Gavin seemed to like the monkeys best this trip. Then, of course we had to go through Como Town again on the way out, so we stopped and did about 5 more rides (thank goodness for the unlimited ride wristband!). That evening, after picking Hallie up, we went out to Nana & Bumpa's. We were all swimming, when Gavy said "I have to go potty." I looked at my dad, and he said "Take him over to a tree." So, we did and Gavin successfully peed outdoors for the first time. He ran back to the lake and announced "I peed on a tree - just like a monkey!" Ha!
Tuesday was "Mommy & Hallie Day" but unfortunately, when you have a 2-nap-a-day'er, there isn't a whole lot of flexibility! We woke up and played for a little bit at home, then Hallie went down for her morning nap... I had to wake her in time to make it to brunch with Auntie Marin, Great Grandma and Great Aunt Esther (good times!), and then by the time we were done with that, she was ready for her afternoon nap! Then, as soon as she she (we) woke up from that nap, it was already time to go pick Gavin up again! She kind of got ripped off this time around. Sorry, kiddo - I promise I'll make it up to you! :)
Here is a pic from the day - she got a bag of Cheetos out of the pantry and wheeled them in her little stroller all the way over to me to open them, then wheeled them all the way back into the pantry to enjoy them by herself!
After those fun 2 days, Wednesday was "Mommy Day" - hair appointment and relaxation.... ahhh. See pic below for how it turned out.
That evening we all went over to Nana & Bumpa's again, and after saying goodbye to Daddy, the kids and I slept overnight. It was fun to hang out without feeling rushed to get home, and wonderful (for me) to get a full night's sleep (thanks to Nana & Bumpa, who woke up twice with Hallie!)!
We woke up late on Thursday, and headed to Teddy Bear Park for a couple hours, then out to lunch. And that afternoon we went to a little block-party-type event that our realtor was hosting, and Gavin got to enjoy the bouncy house and his first ever Sno-Cone! Good times all around!
Friday was another busy day - Grandpa Pete was picked out of his BAJ (Born Again Jock) team to throw out the first pitch at the Twins game, so we headed out to the Metrodome for all of the pre-game hoopla! We had to stop at Target that morning to pick up a baseball glove and ball for Gavin, in case we saw any Twins to get autographs from! We had a great time watching Grandpa's buddies play their annual softball game on the outfield prior to the pro game, and Grandpa did a great job throwing out the first pitch. Afterwards, he, Gavin, Eric & Peter got their picture taken with the mascot, T.C. - I think that was the highlight of Gavin's evening! We made it through about 8 innings of baseball, and left with the Twins up 4 - 3. While we were walking out, we heard the Angels score another run, so they ended up going to 11 innings and losing! Glad we didn't try to stay until the end! Oh, and we didn't get any current Twins' autographs, but we got both Roy Smalley and Paul Molitor to sign his ball!
I love this pic of Hal and Grandpa!
We went to the Washington County Fair over the weekend, but not much else! Both kids loved the ferris wheel!
All in all, it was a wonderful vacation - success on both the potty-training (I am so proud of my big boy!) and relaxing fronts! I can't wait to do it again next year! :)
Oh, and here's a couple more random pics from a night at Grandpa's!
Cousins:
Grandpa, Auntie Mar & Aunt Bette:
A "people tower" with Grandpa, Gabriella, Gavin & Uncle Peter!
And all of the kiddos watching Daddy mow one afternoon:
