Accident-Free

Yesterday we finally closed on the loan to remodel our house. It has been a very, very long road to get the loan thanks to all the recent changes in the market, but we finally succeeded. There weren't any "accidents" but it wasn't without some serious last minute kinks, but we were able to handle them and walk away with the construction loan we needed.

The contractor dropped off his equipment this morning and when Grayson and I got back from playgroup today, it looked as if he had already started working on tearing down the shed. The shed is going to be replaced with a two-car garage. This is where we'll keep Dominic's Jeep and all our yard equipment. It will also have a second floor for storage. Here's a picture of the original shed:
The house will also include a two-car garage, plus we are building off the back and adding a second story. Here's a picture of the current house:
I will start adding pictures to dotphoto soon just like I did for the basement, so people who are interested can watch the progress. I'm excited, but I'm also very nervous. This house was built by my parents 50 years ago. All of us grew up here and now I'm making some major changes. I know it is going to be worth it and we're also trying hard to include parts of the original house in the final plans, but I'm still anxious about the whole thing.

In other "accident-free" news, Grayson went without any potty accidents on Sunday - this was even with us going to church. He's doing a really great job so I guess he was definitely ready! Yesterday we were out on the road most of the day and the poor boy asked to go to the bathroom a couple times while we were in the car, but there was no place to go, so I'm going to invest in one of those portable potties for kids. Hopefully that will help with our long car rides. We have a pretty busy week ahead of us, which will allow for some great pictures (as long as Grayson cooperates), so I should have a decent update sometime soon.

We're Surviving

One puppy almost completely house trained, one who isn't at all, and a toddler who is being potty trained. Right now I feel like my life is all about "going to the bathroom." What fun. But, we're surviving.

Grayson is doing much better than Melah who is insistent on not going outside. Grayson's mornings go very, very well, but after nap he starts to go a bit downhill. I really think it's the use of his diaper during nap time. I was always worried I was going to send a mixed message this way and I think he's picked up on that, but I keep trying to reiterate that diapers are for sleeping and he needs to use the potty when he's awake.

I'm actually trying to remember what else we've done this week to share with you, but I feel like it's been all about the potty training.

I guess the other "big" thing is that I'm also working on Grayson's birthday party. He's really interested in dinosaurs (for those of you who know me from childhood, you'll remember this was a big interest of mine as well) so we decided to make that the theme of his party. I've been enjoying it. I have even tried to find some of my old dinosaurs. So far I've only found three stuffed ones - I think the rest are gone.

Hopefully the planning will continue to go well. I really feel like I'm just constantly on the go, but then when I look back on the day, I feel like I haven't accomplished anything. I guess that's how it is with Stay-at-Home Moms sometimes. There are days that feel like you've reached new heights and days where you feel like you're just surviving.

New Things to Share

Well, Dominic and I did it again. We got another puppy. After the loss of our last dachshund, Marie, our new puppy was all alone and we could tell she was lonely. Plus, we always knew we wanted to have two dogs at a time and I knew I always wanted to have a dachshund. So, last week we did a little research and found a few breeders in the area who had some available. That is how we found Melah. She is one of the most beautiful red dachshunds I've ever seen. Where our previous reds had black highlights, Melah has white, so her red coat is much lighter. She also has a red nose, which is just adorable. Sookie and Grayson are both happy to have her in the house.

As for the other piece of news, Grayson has decided he wants to be potty trained. This has actually been going on for months, but I kept putting it off because I thought he was too young. Well, this past weekend he stayed with his Aunt Maria and proved he knew what he was doing. He regularly asked and used the potty without any problems. So this week we've started potty training officially. Today he has been in "big boy" underwear and we haven't had any problems. I guess we'll see how it goes!