Reading, Potty Training (or lack there-of), Funny Pics and a Birthday

Some of this is so overdue, but such is life! I will begin this post, long as it will be, by informing you Aubin started to read! Granted, not real reading where you sound out the word or anything, but word recognition read. Chris and I could hardly believe what was happening when Aubin chose to let us in on his secret, but once we snapped out of it, we were so very surprised and proud. One of Aubin's favorite books for a while now has been "Hurry! Hurry!" A book his Grandma picked up for him at a book fair. We have long known that the reason it is one of his favorite books is because it's very simple, and it's repetitive. When reading it to him, you could tell he was trying to follow along and had figured out that everyone used the same words, at the same times when reading it to him. So late Friday night (3/ ) I was getting ready so we could go out to dinner with some friends when Chris called me in Aubin's room. "Listen" he said. So I did. To my utter bafflement, Aubin was reading the book to Chris. "Hu-wee! Hu-wee! Toming, toming...." And on it went till he almost reached the end of the book. If he skipped a page, he went back. These were words we didn't know he could even pronounce, and it was clear he actually recognized the words, he didn't just have the order memorized. I was very impressed. Aubin was very proud of himself and tickled that we were so taken with him. So all weekend we happily listened to Aubin reading, and turning the pages. I haven't gotten it on video yet, but I'm going to try to! It's just so much fun! That Aubin sure is full of tricks.

On to the next installment. Potty training. The thorn in my side. I have known that Aubin was ready for potty training for quite some time, but I just wasn't ready to commit myself to doing it. However, I realized that I was probably being selfish and that I might actually miss out on my window of opportunity with him by procrastinating any further. So I finally, somewhat reluctantly, made the plunge. We already had some Pull-Ups and some "big boy undies", but I almost instantly ditched the undies as I knew Aubin's most likely way of figuring this whole thing out was just to soil himself. Messy work for me unfortunately, but he wasn't gonna learn nothin' with Pull-Ups. So our first solid day of training came last Thursday (3/25), and he donned just his undies for the entire day. Okay, except nap time because sleep potty training is something different altogether. And sometimes mom needs a break too! So, this is how a typical conversation about going potty goes in our house:

Me: "Alright Aubin. Now if you need to go pee-pee or poo-poo, you tell mom before you have to go and I'll take you to the potty, okay?"

Aubin: "O-thai!"

Me: "No going potty in your undies, only in the potty. Okay?"

Aubin: "O-thai!"

Then, after much asking and checking in to see if he needs to go, to which he inevitably answers "no" very quick and succinctly, I hear "pee-piew?" "You need to go potty?" "O-thai!" And then as he stands, I see that he has already gone to the bathroom in his undies and on the carpet. Oh joy. We still run to the potty, take off his undies, and sit him on there in the hopes he will go again. He doesn't. That's how every day has gone since we've begun this journey. I feel it's great that he recognizes he needs to say something and needs to get on the potty, I only pray, and plead, that he gets the whole saying it before it happens thing SOON!



We took a bit of a break from the potty training over the weekend as we had church, and Saturday we decided to visit Carmel for my birthday! It was just kind of a last minute thing (well, as far as I knew at least). We wanted to get out and do something fun, and since my birthday was actually on Monday when Chris is gone all day and we can't really go do anything, Chris decided Saturday was my day. I've been wanting to explore Carmel more for some time, so we packed up the diaper bag with the essentials (including Pull-ups!) and headed out for some fun. The weather was PERFECT. It was bright and sunny, 68 degrees, and beautiful. I get hot really fast when I'm walking around, so for me the breeze and tiny bit of chill left in the air was just what I wanted. If you have never been to Carmel, you have to go. It's charming, completely romantic, and wonderful scents fill the air wherever you go. Whether it be the food from the amazing restaurants and cafes, the huge eucalyptus trees, the ocean or the beautiful spring flowers, it is truly an aromatic experience. It seems like everywhere we went Chris and I were exclaiming "that smells SO good!" Needless to say, we got hungry relatively quickly. First we stopped at the beach for some wiggle time for Aubin.




I was so pleasantly surprised by our experience at the beach. We were relatively unprepared for a beach day. We had no towel, no buckets, no shovels. That said, Aubin was squealing and laughing at all the "puppy(s)!" The sand is so white, and so soft. The ocean so blue. But make no mistake, the water is absolutely FREEEEEEEEEEEZING!!!!!! After a couple quick tries, Aubin decided to forego the ocean tide and stick to sand and sticks. I was so happy to just sit and relax! Usually I'm so preoccupied by where Aubin is, what he's doing, what he shouldn't be doing. I mean the kid is hardly ever still, and you don't even realize just how much of a toll it takes on you until you are able to sit still.... And not worry. The whole time we were at the beach, Aubin sat and played happily right next to me while I sat and lounged. It was glorious!!! It was one of my favorite parts of the whole day. We definitely need to go back and bring some toys. I mean, we were there for at least an hour with no other distractions. Can you imagine the possibilities if we actually brought some toys for him? Seriously, a little piece of heaven for a very tired mamma.

This is the actual beach we were at. Pretty nice, eh?

This is the only picture I could find on the Internet of the inside of the restaurant. It really doesn't do it justice.

After that, Chris said I could pick a place to eat lunch at. It wasn't an easy decision because every place we passed overtook my nasal senses completely with the delicious and savory scents oozing from their doors. It did help, however, that some places charged around $30 dollars a plate. Chris might have been up to spoiling me, but I can tell you that ain't happenin'! After much debate, and a few trips back and forth, I finally decided on the Piatti Restorante & Bar. They actually have one in Seattle, and I went there for my prom dinner my senior year. Each location's menu differs though. Immediately I felt spoiled. Chris and I couldn't help but laugh at ourselves because it was clear we felt like we were living another life for a day. Fancy shops, ritzy restaurants and the beach. Not really our every-day. It was such a treat though. Oh my. Piatti did not disappoint. It was one of the BEST meals I have EVER had. Chris completely agreed. This is what we had (this is mostly for myself, as a means of recording the day):

Chris chose to have a berry lemonade (delicious and fresh) with what they called the "Bianca" pizza rustica. It's a white pizza with made with a garlic butter sauce, mushrooms, caramelized onions, mozzarella cheese, pieces of prosciutto, all topped with arugula. I was very impressed with his choice, as I usually refer to Chris taste buds as "ghetto." This was no ghetto pizza. He was in-love at first sight. He loved it so much that he almost didn't finish it just so he could have left-overs to eat later! That's me, changing lives, one taste bud at a time. Haha! Just kidding! But in all seriousness, obviously my tastes are rubbing off a little. So proud of him.

I chose the Lime Ginger Julep. It was a mixture of ginger ale and lime juice with fresh mint leaves. It was very good, and very refreshing. Reminded me of a summer day in the garden. The mint was too much for Chris, which didn't surprise me a bit. In all honesty, I liked his berry lemonade better, but I always like to try new drinks when I can and it really was good. Then as my meal I chose the "Manzo" panini with Parmesan fries. Oh. My. Good. Golly. This sandwich was amazing. Period. The sandwich was composed of tri-tip steak slices, caramelized onions, fontina cheese, butter lettuce and spicy aioli. Wow. First of all, as the bread they used a seasoned pizza crust (homemade) which made the sandwich very light and full of flavor. The tri-tip was cooked to perfection and practically melted in my mouth. The onions were tender, juicy and sweet. And the spicy aioli along with the melted fontina? Heaven. I mean, I was heading toward full after not being able to stop munching on the fresh rustic bread and herbed dipping oil, but I could not miss one bite of that panini. The shoestring Parmesan fries were just as delicious. Perfect hint of Parmesan to crispy outside, soft inside, shostring potatoes. Can you tell I'm a foodie? It was one of the best days of my life. I'm not even kidding.

What was Aubin up to the whole time? He was a complete angel. I couldn't have asked for a better behaved kid. No coloring crayons or anything, but he happily munched on bread here and there with some sips of water in between. He turned down any offers from Chris and I to share our meal, but did accept some fries from myself. Aubin seems to have protein and carb days. It was clearly a carb day. But he was happy, maintained an appropriate noise lever, and didn't make a mess or tear anything apart. He was really quite perfect. I think we were all enjoying ourselves very much.



On our way out, Chris decided we must go back sometime soon to try out the other restaurant that lost in my dining debate. Gee. Twist my arm!

Again, if you are ever in the area you HAVE to visit Carmel. The art galleries, boutiques, eateries and local scenery will not disappoint. Most of the pictures I have supplied I stole off the Internet because I was really "smart" that day and left our camera at home. Nice. I did get some pics of Aubin at the beach with my phone though, and a little video that I'll post soon.



Later that night, my friends Lauren and Quinta came to kidnap me and take me for a girl's night out. We went to the mall, which closed at 7pm. What mall closes at 7pm? But it was just fun to be out and about and look at... shoes. Mostly we looked at shoes. And it was great. Then we headed over to Whole Foods for a failed attempt at finding a local brand of chocolates that I have been wanting to try. After that, we decided eating dinner was probably the best plan of action. We ate at the Lalla Grill. Again, another fine dining experience. Their menu is very eclectic and offers all kinds of cuisine. I ended up going with the Korean beef short ribs. Mmmmmm. Meat, roasted fingerling potatoes and herbed broccolini. Yum-my! Thanks girls for the great night out!

Side note- When we returned to my home, the boys were finishing up watching "Blades of Glory." Aubin was still awake and loving having an audience as he hammed it up. He ended the night by giving each and every one of us a hug and kiss on the lips. I thought Lauren and Quinta's husbands were going to explode from mortification. They both tried to placate Aubin with just a kiss on the cheek, but he wouldn't have it. He grabbed their faces, turned their heads, and laid a wet one on their lips. Chris and us girls were cracking up. In case you were wondering, they aren't daddies yet and it was a bit more than out of their comfort zone. They were good sports though... Not that they really had a choice.

As for the rest of this post, just enjoy the funny pictures of our busy bug. He sure keeps us laughing. He's SO full of energy and loves to dance and help around the house. Even if his idea of helping and our idea of helping are two different things. We feel so very lucky to have him. Enjoy!

Dancing

So excited and running in circles!

Beginning of a somersault.

What you find usually after Aubin stops making noise.

Or sometimes this. Notice the trend of pajamas being taken off!

Aubin decided to make a slide out of some toilet paper and his dad. Chris looks really amused, doesn't he?

The little rascal about to go again.

Fun times with toilet paper.