The Drama continues....

We continue to potty train. And I am starting to lose my mind a little. He has number one down pat. Not an accident in over a week and wears gonchies to bed and wakes up dry. But we are struggling a bit in the other department. It involves me putting him on the toilet and leaving the room, listening to the following for the next half hour...

It begins with "I'm done", 0.2 milliseconds after he's on.. And continues with..

"Can I have a chocolate bar?"
"I need a drink of milk"
"Can I have the iPad?"
"Can I please just poop in my shorts?"
"I just accidentally peed on the floor"
"I need a blanket"
"I don't even want a toy"
"Please save me Mommy"

After all this, it ends with him unrolling the whole roll of toilet paper then hopping off the pot. He comes to find me (trying not to lose my mind), and asks "are you mad, Mommy?"

I'm not mad. Just figuring how much extra it's going to cost to pay off the preschool teacher to change his shorts.

Cake!

I love to bake. That might be an understatement. When I am not spending time with family or working, I am in the kitchen baking something. It's genetic I think. My Grandma is a fabulous cook and baker, and passed her passion to her daughters, who passed it to me, my sister, and cousins. And now I am passing it to my son? We'll see..

Baking became more than a passion but a necessity when Griff got diagnosed with allergies. No longer could we pick up a loaf of bread or grab some doughnuts on the run. Everything he ate had to come from my kitchen or one that someone was conscious of what ingredients were in what. And it's still that way.

Growing up, my mom made all our birthday cakes. Before Griff I had never made one. The week before Griff turned one, I found out he was allergic to milk, eggs and nuts. And I was determined to give him a birthday cake. I found a recipe off the Internet, a football cake pan and went to town. It was as hard as a rock and tasted like sandpaper. Awesome. Round two went slightly better and I made a lion cake. Everyone politely had a small piece so that I didn't feel too bad; but let's just say there was room for improvement.


(Doesn't look like he liked it very much!)

Cody has eight siblings and Griff is one of twenty cousins so I had to be a fast learner in order for him to be included. I started volunteering to bring the cake for each family birthday which some months is a full-time job! As I researched more and found a vegan (no eggs, no milk) recipe that worked, I was in business!

Now I love it and someday would love to have a cake shop of my own. Here's some of my cakes I've made...





And here is Griff's first cake creation! Auntie Julie gave us the egg cake pan for Easter and I let him decorate it solo. He squirted half the icing directly into his mouth, and piled the other half onto the cake. And when he was done, we put candles in it and sang "Happy Birthday" to him, even though his birthday was in March :)

Crazy Biker

Well, the sun was shining all day and my little guy wore his bike helmet from the moment he woke up till he went to bed..

He got a brand new Buzz Lightyear bike for his third birthday on March 11, and had been anxiously waiting for the snow to melt so he could try it out. He made his maiden voyage on the weekend, and we haven't been able to get him off.

On Sunday, he could peddle a couple times but then would trip up and stop. I haven't been going out much as I have a broken foot, but thought I could keep pace with him today when I agreed to go out with him so he could ride his bike. Overnight he learned how to cruise on his training wheels!



A toddler with no fear + new bike + mom with a broken foot = GONG SHOW.



I managed to catch up with him at each manhole as we went down the street, because he would have to stop to inspect the water flowing and had to "gas up" his bike.

He looked back at me twice to make sure I was still scrambling behind, then both times proceeded to hop the curb and roll his bike. But knew he couldn't cry as this might mean he had to come in. Instead he dusted off his mud pants and hopped back on.

Another thing we need to work on is his dismount. When he sees something of interest, instead of braking he puts his feet on the ground and slides off the back while the bike continues on down the road.

Our bike ride got cut a little short due to a broken foot and crazy peddling. He got to go out again after supper with his Dad. And was in bed sleeping by seven. Which is unheard of. I see a lot of biking in his future :)

Allergy Free Easter Treats

Ever since we have realized that Griff has allergies, I have been obsessed about making sure he feels like he isn't missing out or isn't included. This was all in vain up till about a month ago. Before that he was too into whatever toy he was playing with and VERY easily distracted. Lately this hasn't been the case.
At my Grandma's house last week Griff spotted Easter jelly beans and instantly wanted one. Badly. And I had to say no because there wasn't an ingredient list on the jar. He cried. My Grandma felt terrible. And the alternative treat that I always have handy wasn't going to cut it. He cried for a few minutes and I thought about doing the same ( I know, all over jelly beans??), Then I told him that he couldn't because we didn't know what's in them and they could potentially make him sick. Repeating this a few times (plus the loonie my Grandma gave him!) seemed to work..
Needless to say at my Grandma's birthday this week I think I tried to fix the issue prior to it occurring. I offered to make the cake. Now which Grandma do you know that doesn't LOVE Lightning MCQueen Cupcakes?? Every Seniors dream I'm sure! My Grandma is a good woman.






So, Easter is coming and those who have kids with allergies know that the usual Mr. Bunny chocolate isn't safe. My mom found an awesome website, www.guardianangelfoods.com . Based out of Quebec, they ship allergy free treats safely across the country for every occasion. I totally recommend them!

The Joys of Potty Training..

Griff starts preschool in September...hopefully. One of the requirements is to be fully potty trained. I am currently home from work for four weeks with a broken foot so I figured there was no time like the present. The process started over a week ago and until this morning I wasn't sure he was ever going to get it. I had tried everything but he didn't seem to be catching on. I thought. Every time I see Griffen needing to use the washroom I take him where he proceeds to cry, tell me he's scared, etc. I believe him and that's when it all begins. We have tried the iPad, reading, toys, and bribes but it hasn't been getting us anywhere.

Griffen's nanny, Ofelia came to live with us over two years ago when he first got diagnosed with allergies. I had originally planned on putting him in a dayhome while I was at work, but he was only one year old and I was concerned about him being around milk, eggs (he was allergic to eggs at the time), and nuts. So we decided on a nanny instead. Which was an awesome decision.
He loves her dearly and apparently listens to her better than me...
She came into the washroom this morning while Griff and I were having a potty training "discussion". He was crying and I was stumped. She informed me that two days ago, while I wasn't home Griffen told her twice he had to go number two, and went independently without an issue. Hmmmm. That changes everything. She also told me that for weeks now he tells her when he needs to pee and rarely has an accident. Awesome.

Apparently Cody and I have been played like a fiddle by our three year old. Including two trips to Walmart for spaceships, downloaded itunes movies, treats, and the list goes on. So the game plan has changed. If he can do it for his "YaYa" (that's what he calls her), he can do it for his Mommy. I'll keep you posted:)

Snake for Supper

Tonight as we were making supper, I asked Griffen to ask his Dad to "check on the steaks". He did as he was told no problem. As we were sitting down to eat, he said "Yum, this is good snake". Peanut/Dairy free snake. Delicious. So cute.

First Post Ever!!!

Well, here we go..

I have been thinking about doing this for a long time. And reading tonnes of other blogs. So today is the day. I am making my first post.

My first thoughts for this blog began when Griffen had just turned one and was diagnosed with a nut, egg, and dairy allergy. I was floored. And stressed. If I had actually gotten it together to begin my blog, it would have been much different than now.

Griff still has allergies, only to peanuts and dairy now, but life is much different. I have since returned to work, and learned to manage his allergies, keeping him safe and happy. I have my days, and he has his. But we are learning... and not just about his allergies.. but about raising a three year old boy in general!