Griffin Ryder Mayo has arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Griffin Ryder arrived at 3:17 pm on Thursday, April 16th at 3:17 PM. He weighed 7 lbs and 4 1/2 oz and is 20 1/2 inches long. He is perfect and healthy!

Baby Griffin


Love this picture of Daddy and Griffin


Dr. Dunn, my OB with Griffin and I after the delivery



Awww.....love this pic! Daddy, Carter and Griffin



Mommy, Daddy and Griffin...we need to get a whole family shot including Carter








Carter's potty breakthrough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have been attempting potty training for some time now with Carter. We introduced him to the potty chair very early and we have all the videos, books, etc. Once he showed an interest we did all the things we were supposed to do in terms of helping him use the potty. I read all the books, we never pushed him, and we basically just allowed him to attempt it when he felt ready.

Well, we hit a wall around the time he hit three. Carter loved watching the videos, reading the books, he even took his stuffed bear and put big boy underwear on him, had him sit in the potty chair, wiped his bottom when he was through....everything, step by step. But, when you asked Carter to sit on the potty we all got a big, fat N-O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He did not want to sit on the potty. He did not want to wear big boy underwear. He did not want to wear a pull up. We had to reward him for just sitting on the potty without doing any "business". Eventually, though, he wouldn't even do that.

The other day we were, very positively, attempting to get him to wear big boy underwear and he was in tears. We didn't know what to do. He knows everything he needs to it is just a matter of his CHOOSING to do it.

Everyone had told us that eventually he would do it. I had to keep telling myself that he would be potty trained...everyone is, right? And so would he. I figured that one day, he would just sit on the potty and go......and guess what??????????????

HE DID!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the cute story of how Carter peed in the potty for the first time.

Carter asked to watch his Elmo Potty video (for the umpteenth time), I did not give it a second thought. I was busy in the kitchen preparing lunch when I saw Carter attempting to take his diaper off like a pull up. I helped him out because the one thing he will do is run around naked, which we have heard helps with potty training too. I went back to doing what I was doing and next thing I know Carter comes in the kitchen completely naked, and very pleased with himself. Of course I ask him if he needs to go pee pee, as I do most days, just because you never know, he might. He shakes his head "no", then "yes". But he wants me to stay in the kitchen. I ask him if he needs any help and he points his finger at me and says, "go, mama", pointing to the kitchen. He did not want me anywhere near him.

Well, I am quite intrigued at this point so I go into the kitchen and listen and watch him. In my mind I am thinking this is too good to be true. He is not actually going to go potty....I peeked around the corner and he was in the bathroom. Then I saw him sit, not in his potty chair, but the toilet. I picked up the phone to call Greg. I was whispering as not to disturb Carter or to let him know I was watching him. He stands up and appears to be playing with his cup we use for bath time. My hope starts to dwindle.

Then I saw him get back on the potty. I am giving Greg the play by play. He gets down and starts to stand at the potty (just like daddy). Carter gets very excited. He comes out to tell me he has peed. I start looking for evidence and have to admit it was very hard to find. I could see he had played in the water a bit, but I couldn't tell if any of the water on the toilet or floor was pee. He kept pointing to the toilet showing me where the pee was, he said, "it go, right in there" I was encouraging him anyways. I looked at the floor and in the toilet, desperately searching for something yellow and not clear. Then, I found it!

The drop of yellow pee on the rim!

That was all it took. I put Greg on speaker phone and we acted as if Carter had just won the World Series or some other amazing feat. Carter was so happy and pleased with himself. I didn't care if it was a dribble.....it was PEE. It was something. Then, Carter seemed to think he had more pee in him.. and he did!!!!!!!!!!!!! And this time it was a stream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!! I still had Greg on the phone and we played it up big. Carter was so excited!!!!!!! After he was done, we put sticker upon sticker on his chart. We reward in this house for pottying and I gave him the choice of a cookie or M & M and he chose cookie. With cookie in hand, he went back to the bathroom. It's like he couldn't get enough. I asked him if he wanted to tell Grandma Mayo and he shook his head "yes". I called Grandma Mayo to continue the applause and positive reinforcement. I asked if he wanted to call Nana..."no, not yet". Carter continued to pee, hit and miss, for a few more minutes. I am washing the rug right now. LOL! But who cares, it's PEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never been so excited to see pee on the floor in my life. And the fact that he was skipping the chair all together and went straight to the pot! Yay!

I won't continue to bore you with all the details of our potty training day, but he is now napping with a pull-up on!!!!! I am not too worried about him peeing through it because he has been sick and hasn't had that many fluids so it's not a typical "soaker" of a day, if you know what I mean.

I know this is just the beginning and there will be many set backs. But he is doing it. He really WILL be potty trained! I just can't believe it!

I just hope Carter doesn't mind this being posted all over the Internet one day. While on the phone with Greg I actually said, "why don't I have the video camera on????" Like that is something he is going to show his girlfriends one day. I am sure he will be very thankful there is no video of his first pee in the potty. ha ha.

I have plenty of blackmail in other pictures to be shown to the public one day, preferably at his rehearsal dinner before he gets married....which is a very, very, very, long way away. Long ways away!

Thanks for reading this. I am one proud mama right now!