Some cute Frank-isms

Frank is saying some of the cutest things these days.  Here are some of my favorites:

uh oh, spaghettios!

Fraaaannnnnnnk!  (He says this and smiles when he does something wrong).

Foot phone, Grambo! (or Nana, Papa, Allison, Tyler, Lindsey..a game Frank plays with him when changing his diaper).

No more monkeys jumping on the bed.

Ready, set, go!

Here comes the powder train.

I love you, Mama.

Bye bye, see you tomorrow. (as he picks up his basket and carries it out like a purse).

He calls his bathing suit his "swim-poop."  

My boys

I sure do love my boys!

Uno, dos

Frank has been counting in English for awhile now, but in the last few weeks he has also started counting in Spanish.  He loves to say the first few words of a song and then say, "Mama, sing it!"  And he started saying "Uno, dos," "Mama!"  So I wonder if they are teaching him a Spanish counting song at school?  He amazes me with all of the new things he learns each and every day.  His favorite songs these days are:  Old McDonald, One, two buckle my shoe, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Bingo, and Itsy Bitsy Spider. 

The new day care is going really well.  He is still upset when we drop him off most days, but he is always really happy when we pick him up, and he seems to be thriving and learning.  He will stay in this class until he turns two and then he will graduate to the next class.  I think we will start really working on potty training at that point.  He has most of the readiness signs, and we take him to the potty when he asks to go, and he has gone a few times.  But I don't want to push it, especially when they are not prepared to work with him at school yet.

Skip the Starbucks and support a Hero!

Skip the Starbucks and support a hero! The Bernardo Recovery Fund is partnering with Wish Upon a Hero for “Text to Donate Day” TOMORROW, August 7th. Tomorrow, text “HERO” to 80088 to donate $5 to the Bernardo Recovery Fund. All donations will benefit Monte and his family. Monte lost both legs and his left hand in an IED explosion in Afghanistan on July 4, 2012. Monte is a sergeant in the U.S. Army, and he was serving his second tour in Afghanistan when he was injured. Please spread the word about Monte’s story, and show your support for a true American hero!  This fundraising campaign will be tomorrow only!  Please spread the word and support Monte and his family!

Sailor suit photo shoot

Frank has a picture of himself as a toddler wearing the cutest little sailor suit.  His mom sent us the sailor suit, and we finally got around to photographing Frankie in the sailor suit.  Thank goodness we did it now, because it was almost too small for him!  He looked so cute, but he did NOT want to sit still to take pictures.  This is the best we could do...

Potty!

On Wednesday, Frankie's day care teacher told me that he seems to be ready to start potty training.  He apparently says "Frank potty" and pulls his pants down at certain times during the day.  He has also really been resisting diaper changes lately.  We have not done any sort of potty training at all with Frankie yet, other than letting him watch us go to the bathroom.  However, we bought a training potty and just set it up this week.  Tonight, Frank walked in the bathroom, said "Poop potty," and then proceeded to poop on the potty!  I am so amazed.  I was not planning to have to work on this for several more months, so I really haven't even read anything about it yet.  They told me at day care that they are not well equipped in his classroom to potty train, but that when he moves to the next class they will really start working with him.  I think we are going to just follow his lead for a while and see how he does.  I don't feel any pressure to have him potty trained quickly, but at the same time it sure would be nice to quit buying diapers! 

My "baby" is growing up so fast these days!!  He is extremely talkative, and he literally repeats everything we say, including short sentences.  Yesterday he repeated the "s-word," after Mama said it...oops!  Luckily he has not said it again since :) 

Shout out to all the single mamas out there

These last two weeks have been hard.  Frank has been in Washington DC with his brother, so I have been with Frankie on my own.  Frankie started at a new day care, so we have both had to adjust to a new place, new teachers, and new routine.  Throw a super crazy couple of weeks at work on top of that, and I have been living on the edge.  My skin is a mess, and I had to quit my super crazy insanity workout schedule (I am still doing it, just not every day like I was).  It is hard enough to be a working mother, but to be a SINGLE working mother is simply amazing.  I completely admire all of the women out there who do this all the time, often with no help.  Work finally slowed down a little bit at the end of this week, so I took Friday off for some "mommy time."  I have never done this before, and I often feel guilty if I do ANYTHING during time that I could be spending with Frankie.  But, I have to say, I loved having my day off.  I slept in, went to the gym, finally got the brazillian blowout I have been wanting to try forever, and just enjoyed taking my time and doing whatever I wanted.  It is literally the first time I have put Frank in day care when I did not absolutely need to and not felt guilty about it.  I think it is so easy to put pressure on ourselves as working mothers.  I know I do.  Even though I am not at home with Frankie all day every day, I am still his mama while I am at work.  I am still the person who takes care of him when he is sick, who comforts him when he is sad, who puts him to bed every night, and who teaches him the ABCs.

Frankie is at such a fascinating age right now.  He is so adorable and I love watching him learn.  These days he loves to play "Rosies," loves watching his "movies" on the ipad, and still loves the hose outside.  He is also at an age where he wants to do everything himself, and he is very demanding and exhausting.  I took him to Chuck E Cheese for the first time tonight, and he was all over the place.  He was running around, climbing on things, trying to play other peoples' games.  It was exhausting keeping up with him, but he had a blast.  We have enjoyed our two weeks together, but we are ready for Daddy to come home tomorrow!!