The Bassham Blog

My camera is broken on my iPhone, so I haven't been able to take many pictures lately. Until I figure out what's up with that, I figured I could give an update on Rhett's potty training.

So, his progress slowed a little bit during the summer because he was home all day with Daddy and we weren't pushing him to stick to a potty schedule (which is what it takes to get them jump-started, we've learned). As soon as he got back to school in August, his teacher said he was ready and wanted him to come to school in his big boy underwear the next week. I won't lie, I thought she was stupid and didn't think he was ready to take away the pull-ups safety net, but who am I to worry about what she has to clean up.

Not surprisingly (since he rocks at most everything he tries), Rhett took to potty-training in a big way this time and since he was at school on a regular schedule, that teacher has all of the kids going like clockwork. It's kind of amazing.

We kept up our end of the bargain and continued keeping him in big boy underwear at home although I won't lie, there were days that I just KNEW he was going to pee all over the couch or the carpet as soon as I left the room. And guess what, he has, but I'm so proud of the little guy for trying so hard. The stickers are still a huge hit and he will proudly wear stickers up to his elbows all day.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes. We've already had a moment where I had to let him pee in the grass at a football game and he was adamant that his underwear had to be around his ankles before he could pee. That makes it a little more obvious to the people around us, but whatever. He's a champ :)

Warning: if you don't want to read about potty training, you should probably stop here.

So, Rhett is interested in potty training, but only sometimes. Some days, he'll stay dry all day and can't wait to get stickers every time he pees in the potty, but then the next day he's happy to sit in a wet diaper all day if we let him. I really don't want to clean up accidents if we put him in big boy underwear, so we're not taking him out of his pullups until he's ready. And until he's 3, I'm not going to stress about it.

The big hurdle has been going #2 in the potty, so we promised Rhett his very own Woody doll (or "Woody dog" as he calls it) from Toy Story if he would do the deed. Little did I know, the Woody doll is sold out in most stores right now, so even when Rhett held up his part of the bargain (twice!), I had to offer him other prizes. He didn't understand that the full set of Toy story action figures we got him was to replace his Woody doll (or maybe he did and was playing dumb), so he continued to talk about getting a Woody doll.

After a lull in progress, I agreed that it was time to offer up a Woody doll again and Rhett was excited to get his way. This past Sunday, Rhett did his part right before bed, so while he was sleeping, I called 6 Targets and Walmarts in the area before I found one (Amanda, I should have sent Donnie out the day you emailed me!). Donnie thought it would be fun to put the Woody doll in Rhett's bed so he saw it when he woke up. I thought that would be really freaking scary, so we set the doll on the couch for him to find when he woke up.




Proof that Daddy is a complete sucker for this kid, check out what Daddy added to the Woody Doll:


We'll see how potty training progresses!

A few months ago, Donnie's cousin Ryan asked us if Rhett would be the ring bearer in his wedding. My first response was, "Um, you're crazy." because although he is a very sweet and easy-going kid, he's still a 2-year-old boy that doesn't always follow direction when you need him to. The family assured us that they would be happy with whatever Rhett ended up doing and just wanted to have him part of the day, so we agreed to let him do it.

We talked about it with him a few days prior, but we didn't want to make too big a deal of it and make him nervous. I was excited to see my little guy in a tux and he didn't disappoint. Here's a pic of him trying it on.


I wasn't there to see him trying everythnig on, but Donnie said he was excited to try on his "new clothes" and "new shoes" but pitched a fit when he had to take them off.

Friday morning, I took Rhett to get his hair trimmed while Donnie finished up some last minute errands before we hit the road

A before shot (man, he really needed a haircut!):


This place is great because they have a Lightening McQueen car for Rhett to sit in and movies on the TV. He was happy!


Friday night's wedding rehearsal was rough. I think Rhett was wound up from traveling all day and wasn't ready to listen and stand still. We discovered candy was the secret to getting him down the aisle, so we gave Donnie's cousin Chris (the best man) a lollipop to hold and would have Rhett walk down the aisle towards him. By the end, Rhett was at least running down the aisle to get his candy and then running to me at the side of the church. We called that good enough and headed to the rehearsal dinner which was at this neat French restaurant they rented out for the event. Donnie's aunt surprised Rhett with the cutest football jersey that read "Ring Bearer" across the front, and the groom personally picked out this awesome submarine toy for Rhett. You could tell they really spent the time picking out the perfect gifts for him, and I was really touched!

Saturday afternoon, we took Rhett to the church early for pictures. He refused to get any of the formal pictures with the bridal party, but I'm hoping the photographer got some good ones of him with the groom.

As soon as we got there, Donnie and I double-teamed Rhett with the training. Donnie's family continued to promise us that he would be perfect no matter what which helped, but I still had a bad feeling he was going to knock someone over during the ceremony.

Here are a few pics from his practice runs. You can see Coach Bassham in the back coaching him down the aisle :)


He made it down the aisle and to his lollipop. How cute is that jersey?!


Showing off his prized lollipop


About an hour before the wedding, we got him into his tux for pics (that he refused to take).

Here he is outside the church, still with that darn lollipop:




Not listening to me:




Ignoring the camera:


Pretending to smile:


FINALLY looking at me!


And looking away again:


Cooling off waiting for the ceremony to start


Getting his corsage from Mamaw:


Don't let this sweet face fool you. He's about to climb under some furniture




Playing outside again


Mr. GQ


Mamaw taking Rhett to get his picture taken


Playing hide and seek with Daddy (he's counting in this pic):


When the wedding began, I took my spot at the front of the church and gave Chris, the best man, a fresh lollipop. Donnie was at the back with Rhett and was going to send him my way. When it was time for the flower girl to start walking, Rhett refused to walk with her, but when Donnie said that meant he would miss out on the lollipop, he took off running down the center aisle, passed the flower girl, and ran right up the steps to Chris. He grabbed his lollipop and stood there for about 10 seconds until the bride started walking down the aisle.

We hadn't had the chance to practice this part, so he thought he was supposed to run back down the middle aisle to Donnie at this point. In doing this, he would have to run right past the bride walking down the aisle with her dad! Luckily, I foresaw what was running through Rhett's head and was able to snag him before he got too close to her.

I carried him over to the side of the church and put him down while the minister was giving the opening prayer. Rhett caught sight of Donnie at the back of the church and began running to him screaming, "I did it, Daddy! I did it!!". Even though he was yelling in the middle of the ceremony and had only lasted on the steps for 10 seconds, I don't think I've ever been prouder of our little guy. He did what he came to do and he realized what a big deal it was. I am so proud to be his mommy :)

I know I haven't blogged in a few months, so get prepared for a big 'ole posting of Rhett pics. These are for you, Elliott :)

Rhett and his first toy gun


Rhett and his favorite blankey from Aunt Ellie. He loves to drink his milk and watch TV in the morning while he wakes up


Rhett found some of his old toys and dragged them out to play with. He climbed into his old exersaucer and played forever. Check out those long legs!


Rhett and his best buddy Reid playing with chalk on the back patio


Silly boys and their buckets




I love how Rhett has grabbed Reid's hand in this one






I put some clothes on Rhett a few weeks ago and realized I have a picture of him in the exact same outfit from 12 months prior. Here's the most recent pic:


And here's the pic from 12 months ago. Isn't it amazing how much he has grown??


Granna and Grandpa came into town to buy a pontoon boat for Donnie's pond. Rhett has called the boat his own


Signing his name to the boat :)


Checking out the boat with Daddy


While Grandpa was in town, we got the tractor out and let Rhett drove all over our front yard. He's still learning to steer, so it takes a few people to keep him out of the street!








Playing games with Daddy


Another pic with the favorite blankey


Driving at Gatti Town


Cheesy grin


My hearts

Rhett continues to surprise and delight us every day with the things he has learned and says.

- He's obsessed with giving kisses but if you don't kiss him right on the lips, he'll grab your face and try to line up your lips with his. This usually makes me start laughing which makes him all the more intent. Last night, I felt like I might get smothered while he gave me hugs and kisses but I'll take it as long as I can get it :)

- Rhett really enjoys school and usually runs right into class after giving me a big hug. The other day, I gave him a hug, watched him run off to play with his friends and after chitchatting with his teachers, I started to leave. I heard Rhett start to scream from across the room, and when I turned around, he was racing back towards me with a mad look on his face. He got up on his tip toes and gave me a huge kiss (on the mouth-see above) and then was happy to run back to his toys. It warmed my heart that a kiss from Mommy was all he needed to start his day off right.

- WARNING-GROSS POTTY TALK AHEAD. STOP READING IF YOU DON'T THINK TODDLER POOP IS FUNNY. Potty training is going pretty well with Rhett. I'm 100% sure he knows how it all works, but he's not going to be potty-trained until he feels like it. Since I'm not pumped about washing dirty clothes (since let's be honest, I'll just throw them out), I'm fine with waiting until he's ready. The other morning, Rhett's teacher was excited to tell me Rhett had almost poo-pooed in the potty the day before. When I asked her what "almost" meant, she informed me that he had lined his poop up on the shelf above the toilet and proudly showed it to the teacher when she checked on him. I thought this was hysterical because it sounds just like something my smart ass kid would do. Luckily, his teachers are amazing, and after bleaching his shoes and washing his hands, were proud to tell me his accomplishment.

That kid makes me laugh :)

Now that Rhett is learning to talk more and more, he comes up with the funniest phrases. Well, maybe they're just funny to me, but I figured I would put them on here since I never want to forget what he was like at this stage :)

- The other day, I was talking to Rhett about his name and I told him his real name was actually Rhett Bassham. He thought I said Rhett Batcave and when I tried to correct him, he got very upset. He ran to Donnie saying "Rhett Batcave! Rhett Batcave!" but there's not much Donnie can do about his own name :)

- The same day, I asked Rhett what he wanted for dinner. His reply? "School bus"

- Rhett's school sends a sheet home everyday that lists what Rhett ate, how many diapers or potty visits he had, what they learned, and how long he naps. Normally, Rhett naps a full 2 hours at school every day. A few weeks ago, his report said he didn't nap at all, but the teacher did sweetly note that, "Rhett laid on his nap while everyone else slept and sang songs to himself"

- As I think I've mentioned before, Rhett loves to say "Hi Mommy" over and over in the car to keep your attention. It really doesn't get old for me and I'll usually answer with, "Hi Pumpkin" in reply. Lately, that makes him very angry and he'll retort with "No Pumpkin! Rhett!" like I don't know what his name is :)

- For a few weeks, Rhett got on a kick of watching Planet 51 Starz On Demand (on a sidenote, I adore On Demand for kid shows. Rhett can watch the same show whenever he wants without commericials. Brilliant.). This cartoon has an astronaut and Rhett is enthralled with this guy. He points him out every time he shows up, so when I asked him one night what he wanted to be when he grows up, I figured he would say Astronaut. Very seriously, he told me he wanted to be a "gucky" which means "duck". The next night, when I asked him again if he wanted to be a ducky when he grows up (so Donnie could hear it too), he said "No, two guckies". So, Rhett now wants to be 2duckies when he grows up. Not sure how that's going to work but I won't smash his hopes and dreams :)

- As Rhett is getting older, he's getting more opinionated about what he wants to do, which means getting him ready for school each more is a flash back to Debate class (which I never took, unfortunately!). He started screaming the other day because I made him get into his carseat, and when I started laughing (because he sounded like a little girl) he said with disdain, "Not BUNNY, Mommy." So, apparently, it's not funny when he screams but his reponse made me laugh even harder.

I love that kid :)

Being a teacher, Donnie is always off for the holidays, and I took off the week between Christmas and New Year, so we had plenty of time to relax around the house and spend time together. I wish I could say we got a lot of things done, like organizing closets, unpacking bags, and visiting friends, but between my sinus infection and Donnie's sinus/upper respiritory infections, we were pretty lazy. And looking back, it was probably the best thing for the 3 of us just to sit instead of run, like normal :)

After Christmas, we let Rhett open all of his toys and really play with them, since there wasn't much time for that while he was opening everything on Christmas Day. Here's some pics from that fun...


Watching TV. Still in the same shirt from Christmas day :)


Showing Mommy his gymnastic skills from gym time...


One night, we decided to do "make your own pizzas". Here he is working on his masterpiece. It cracked me up because he HAD to take off his shirt to work on his pizza :)


Sprinkling on the cheese...


I was impressed with how well Rhett sprinkled on his toppings and he was so happy with his work, he ate most of his!

Some pics from around the house. As you can tell, I don't always force the kid to wear clothes if we're hanging around the house. I choose my battles :)

Helping Mommy pick up around the house (or play with wrapping paper rolls)...






Lounging on the couch with Mommy. He HAD to have his fire truck while we watched Fireman Sam...


Adding Elmo into the mix...


New Year's morning with Mommy on the couch...


Getting comfy...


And out on the couch at 10am. When Donnie picked him up to take him to his bed, he didn't even open an eye :)




Making funny faces at the dinner table...




Rhett's cheesy grin. What a ham...


Cracking himself up...




So, the break was wonderful and we were able to recharge for the new year. Happy 2011 to each of you!!