our first and failed attempt potty training part 1

So help me, if one more person tells me that my son is too young for me “to be trying to potty train him”, my head is going to explode into 87 bajillion tiny pieces.I am not the one wanting to potty train. Please believe me, I did not initiate this. Sure, I bought some potties from Ikea and a book or two about how big boys put their poop and pee into the potty, but that’s about it.And then one day he started telling me before he needed to poop.For the most part, we use cloth diapers (although this summer we have earned a whopping D- in that department, road trips, vacations, and general laziness, then whoops! Will you look at that? We just went through an entire Costco case of ‘sposies. ::hangs head::) which I think has helped a lot in the self-initiation of potty training. A soiled cloth diaper is just not as comfortable as a soiled disposable diaper and I think OBoy caught on to what was up down there because of that.Alright, so the poop thing happened here an there, but really my arms are full of baby these days, so I wasn’t really chomping at the potty training bit. Until one time, when OBoy told me he had to poop and I ignored him.::lalala fingers in my ears I don’t have time for this right now thankyouverymuch::Until he had to just put it in his diaper out of necessity.O, the mother guilt. My kiddo had figured out that he doesn’t want to put his poop in his diaper and I was not proud or encouraging or helpful. Oooooo, the guilt.And so it was that after feeling like a right proper wench for doing what I did, I decided that OBoy deserves better. He deserves for me to help him learn what he wants to know. He deserves to be encouraged and supported.{{Even about pooping.}}To test the waters, I checked out a book from the library called “How to Potty Train your Kid in One Day”. HA. HAhahahahah. One day. I read it with a few truckloads of salt grains, because if there’s anything parenting has taught me it’s that the books are FULL OF IT, especially the ones that make promises. But it WAS helpful for breaking up all of the skills involved in training – pulling down and up pants and undies, washing and drying hands, wiping, flushing, etc. – things I’d never really considered. It’s just all about getting the P&P where it needs to go, right? I also read an extensive article online about the “three day” potty training method. This one was more my style, so we made plans to do that soon, but in the time being, we began to work on those skills.We started having OBoy wipe himself when we were changing his diaper. We started letting him flush after we went potty. We started having him pull up and down his pants. We spent a LOT of time talking about diapers and potties and undies and where things are supposed to go. I bought a couple kiddo books and checked out others from the library about big boy potties.Then, one Saturday two weeks ago we finally dove into the potty training deep end.And it sucked.Like, really, really sucked.We followed the three day training model where you basically put potties all around the house (no, seriously, we own 5 potties for such a time as this), take off the kiddo’s pants and diaper, and WATCH HIM. Watch him watch him watch him while pumping him full of liquids, liquids, and salty snacks so he’ll drink more liquids. Then, when he starts to go, you rush him to the nearest potty and try to get some in it. Eventually he comes to associate what he now sees happening with the feeling that it’s about to happen. Sounds like a hoot, right?{just drawing with chalk… pants-less}So it’s 9am and we’re drinking and watching, drinking and watching. Then it’s 10. Drinking, watching, snacking, drinking. Then it’s noon. Watching, drinking… you get it. Then it’s 1:00 and we admit defeat, put a diaper on him, and lay him down for nap.ONE O’CLOCK! NO POOP OR PEE IN A 4 HOUR PERIOD, and a very well hydrated 4 hour period no less. DanO and I followed that kid around like secret service agents and nothing. Not a drop.He did of course, soak his way clear through his naptime diaper, though. {{Surprise!}}DanO and I were so beyond frustrated. How are we supposed to be reinforcing something so that he learns it when it only happens once in a blue moon? Frustrated parents do not good potty trainers make, so we threw in the towel. We did! We said forget this, he can be in diapers until he’s 10 or figures it out on his own because it’s not worth the amount of anxiety and frustration that we just felt.To be continued…{{because really, no one wants to read 1,000 words about potty training in one sitting, plus my “poop” quota for the day has been met and exceeded.}}

holly wales..

seeing as i am a typical new englander and all i can do is talk about the weather i thought i'd post holly wales graphic images of wintery landscapes. aren't they lovely? oh what i wouldn't do to be inside one of those toasty little triangular bungalows, sippin on some coca...oh, sorry i'm fading out over here. not only is holly incredibly talented, she's also a real hoot and a holler. here's part of her artist bio:

holly wales, one-time bicycle connoisseur,spends her time gallavanting about the countryside and contradictingherself at will. she can often be found 'midst the drizzle and thesleet in a london tea-haus drawing pictures and leaving them behind forthe amusement of deaf german tourists.

holly recently designed a print for early griffin, mentioned in a post last month, which is brilliant. class of 72 isa limited edition print which recreates a yearbook that somebody took amarker to. (my sister, brother and i did this to my mom's yearbook. she wasn't that stoked. surprise!) make sure to check out holly's other images. she's got a lot of great images on her site as well as some pretty sweet duct tape animal sculptures.

stephanie dowell. part one..

once stephanie dowell moved to austin, tx she was forced to experiment w/ all sorts of different mediums after leaving her oils and canvases behind in a storage unit in portland. having worked mainly w/ oils since she was only a wee five year old, stephanie began to experiment w/ all sorts of mediums. stephanie employs everything from glitter pens, metallic pencils, pearlescent inks to colored pencils and water colors. she's been having a grand time sorting out her process w/ her latest work. she draws, scans, tweaks in photoshop, then draws some more, scans them again, photoshops a bit more and then repeats the process til she's happy w/ her images. what has emerged are adorably forlorn electro kitties, flourescent mazes and acid trip landsacapes. a little bit reminiscent of the black velvet paintings i so badly wanted by bff's older brother douglas to win for me when i was 12, i can't help but want one of these images for my bedroom. oh but wait! stephanie is also a super talented photographer...just check out the post below.

to my three-years husband

Our marriage is still first and foremost about each other, but I have to tell you what an honor it is to share my heart with you in a new way now: to love you through our son.Our relationship is growing with us and our family. We have worked harder, dug deeper and loved stronger this year than either of the previous. It has been a difficult, powerful, and incredible year filled with change and growth. Through these challenges and by His grace, may we grow together into the likeness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.I love you,Allison

amy sacksteder..

i recently saw amy sacksteder's work in the spetember/october issue of new american paintings. i texted her name to my email address, googled her, found her website and contacted her as soon as i got home. the above painting entitled in all sincerity really caught my eye, there's a patience and frenetic energy that co-exists calmly. it's clear why amy was accepted into the prestigous publication. she has some solo shows coming up, check out her site for more information and to see older work, new work and work in progress.

in all sincerity, detail.

Reader LOVE Jessica Robles..

Jessica Robies sent me an email recently introducing herself that was so short and sweet. I try and look at every link I am sent. I may not always respond, but i always look. I was immediately captivated by the drawings cataloging her shoes and the one line anecdotes that go along with them on Jessica's flickr page. She's a clever girl who can draw with super cute taste in shoes to boot. (Ugh, no pun intended. I swear!)

red booties, little swords and colorful tears..

matthew feyld has instantly become one of my favorite artists of late. his drawings and paintings are whimsical and colorful, yet have a sort of bittersweet under tone, which always appeals to me. his images remind me of this book that was read to me as a child, but for the life of me i cannot place the name or anything really other than that the main character was a sad boy w/ a pointed head who lived in the woods. i googled it and everything; pointed head, sad, children's book. nothing.

feyld's characters are men w/ bulbous heads (w/ beards, i'm a big fan of the beard), bears, rabbits, and birds. they are usually carrying sticks or swords. prancing or running in tights w/ little booties, usually red. his attention to detail is what i really like.there is so much fine detail around the actual faces of the characters, each exhibiting really subtle expressions of hope or sadness. many of his subjects have colorful tears running down their cheeks, little crosses on their foreheads, lots of detail around the eyes, rays shooting from the booties. you can see the care and hard work in each and every piece.

so far this is what i have found on him as in terms of his bio...

"Matthew Feyld, Saskatoon-based artist, is a lad who grew up with abirth defect that made his head swell unbelievably. This happened atthe worst times possible: during show and tell, at the science fair, onhis first date... It happened from stress. He found that keeping calmhelped his head stay normal and drawing, painting, scribbling was hiscure. His work is almost voodoo to keep his swollen head fromreappearing. It recreates his greatest fears: beady eyed monsters withgiant balloon heads fighting off the world in tights."

so cute. funnily enough it just reminds me more of that children's book i cannot seem to remember.

although unemployed, i am saving for a piece of his. yep. i'll subsist on beans alone if i have to.

you can see his stuff on flickr or check out his blog.