In the past four days, Ellie has pooped in her panties a whopping 7 times. You have GOT to be freaking kidding me. The first one or two we tried not to make a huge deal of, or put to much focus on. Everyone in the family had the stomach flu except Ellie (I lost an impressive 6.5 pounds in 24 hours . . . it was just that fun of an illness.) Maybe she was feeling a bit lost in shuffle. But things have returned to normal, but the accident situation has most definitely not. We've tried to be consistent. We've made her help clean up, explained how she needs to get to a potty quicker, but she's shrugged it all off with a "I don't care" every single time. We've increased the consequences. Friends have gone home (Annie has got to leave with them), naps have been taken, time outs have been instituted, extra chores have been added (to earn the money to replace the pairs of panties that I have just thrown away, 'cause I'm pregnant and there is only so much I'm willing to do to save a pair of underwear), and Annie has got to go out while Ellie's had to stay in after yet another accident. I've laid out the consequences ahead of time, and when she's had another accident I've followed through. She seems completely unfazed and completely unaffected by the whole situation. She is obviously making absolutely no effort whatsoever to use the toilet, and seems to have no intention too. How exactly does one get through such a situation with their sanity intact?
Seriously, y'all . . . hit me up with your potty training wisdom. What have you done when your child has regressed at potty training? Please tell me it didn't last forever.
At least we're all feeling better. This would've been a lot worse if this was going on when we were all so sick. Of course, I'm still tired and drained (which is making it harder to stay patient with the whole potty situation), but really, that is pretty much Ellie's fault too. The kid likes to wake up 4-5 times a night lately. She's teamed up with Isaac though, he wakes up 2-3 times, and that way they can cover an entire 8 hour night of potential sleep, breaking it conveniently into short hour long bursts of sleep for Mom and Dad. All night long. The first night I wasn't puking all night, I was woken up at least 7 times. That really helps you feel well on your way to recovery, let me tell you. Is it bad if I literally start having actual thoughts of, "I think my children may actually be out to get me . . . " That seems unhealthy. Possibly a bit unbalanced. But man, when Isaac's waking up at 4:30AM for the morning and Ellie's following an hour later, then between them I'm cleaning up multiple blown out diapers, multiple poopy panties, and rinsing out the tub with bleach and hot water for the SECOND time after it's been pooped in, all in one day, THEN they both blow off naps (despite Isaac waking up at 4:30AM, I mentioned that, right?!) . . . well then, it just seems like a big ol' conspiracy to drive Mom crazy (using mainly human waste, with a side of sleep deprivation, as their main weapons.)
In my fondest dream, I would sleep 8 straight hours, and wake up at 7:00AM. And nobody would poop on me all day. Ahhh, heaven.
Showing posts with label Potty Training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Potty Training. Show all posts
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Another Cupcake Breakfast (and Therefore Another Birthday)
Ellie's tribute from last year, since the laziness continues.
I took all kinds of pictures of the kids eating another cupcake breakfast, and opening presents, and Ellie riding her new tricycle and them making cupcakes -- but, Greg has the camera, and he's gone all day with the girls (went somewhere with his parents, but I'm not feeling so hot, so I'm home with Isaac), so I can't add pictures yet. I will though, soon. I just didn't want Ellie's birthday to go unmentioned. So, Happy Birthday Ellie! I can't believe you're three already! (Way weirder to me than Annie being five years old, for some reason.)
Ellie's been saying for awhile, she'd potty train when she turned three, so when I asked her on her birthday if we should get on her panties, she said, "No, Mom, I'll just wear a diaper. Thanks." "But Ellie, I thought you were going to wear big girl panties when you turned three . . ." "Well Mom," she reasoned, "I am not really that tall . . ." as she held her hand just above her head to indicate her shortness, and therefore, 'too-little-to-wear-panties-ness'. Sigh. :-)
I took all kinds of pictures of the kids eating another cupcake breakfast, and opening presents, and Ellie riding her new tricycle and them making cupcakes -- but, Greg has the camera, and he's gone all day with the girls (went somewhere with his parents, but I'm not feeling so hot, so I'm home with Isaac), so I can't add pictures yet. I will though, soon. I just didn't want Ellie's birthday to go unmentioned. So, Happy Birthday Ellie! I can't believe you're three already! (Way weirder to me than Annie being five years old, for some reason.)
Ellie's been saying for awhile, she'd potty train when she turned three, so when I asked her on her birthday if we should get on her panties, she said, "No, Mom, I'll just wear a diaper. Thanks." "But Ellie, I thought you were going to wear big girl panties when you turned three . . ." "Well Mom," she reasoned, "I am not really that tall . . ." as she held her hand just above her head to indicate her shortness, and therefore, 'too-little-to-wear-panties-ness'. Sigh. :-)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
One Year Already?
I had the random thought this morning, "I think I've been doing this whole blog thing for about a year now."
A quick search confirmed that I have in fact been blogging for exactly one year, today.
It all began with this short post about a 27 month old Annie's antics:
One full year later, and my blog post topic, before I'd even remembered the year anniversary thing, was also about potty habits. I lead an exciting and wildly varied life:
Potty training is going well. My one complaint would be my daughter's enormous bladder size and amazing bladder control. She uses the potty right before bed, then at 10AM, a good 15 hours later, I'm begging her to please go use the potty since I'm sure her bladder is going to explode any second. She just seems to have no need to use the potty in the morning. And it wigs me out more than it should. (My mother brain starts worrying about infections, and of course, her bladder bursting . . . 'cause ya hear about that happening all the time, right?)
So, sometimes my excessive worries get the best of me, resulting in less than stellar parenting, like first thing this morning . . .
"Hey Annie, if you go use the potty right now, I'll give you five mini M&Ms." Yep, bribery . . . to do what comes completely natural, and she's completely capable of doing unprompted. Good Mom.
"Hmmmm," she thinks, "Six M&Ms. No, wait, seven."
"Six."
"Nope, I decided on seven."
"OK, seven mini M&Ms . . ."
She thinks about this for a second, then says, "OK," and starts to walk away. When she suddenly stops dead in her tracks and turns and looks at me. "But not until after my spinning." Then she proceeds to spin in circles until she falls down. Then she walks into the bathroom and shuts the door.
~~
Annie's standing next to me asking, "What's today? Is it Tuesday? Sunday? Saturday? Friunday?" She's recently become quite obsessed with the day of the week.
"You mean Friday?"
"Yeah, that one?"
"Nope, it's Wednesday Annie."
"Oh, I didn't even realize it was that one! Can Lily play on Wednesdays? Does she have places to go on Wednesdays? Some people go to WalMart on Wednesdays you know . . . " I assured her we would go over and see if Lily can play on Wednesdays, and I didn't imagine they'd be at WalMart all day even if they did go.
A quick search confirmed that I have in fact been blogging for exactly one year, today.
It all began with this short post about a 27 month old Annie's antics:
So, I finally bit the bullet and created a blog. Which has left me wondering for many days, how does one begin a blog? Introduce myself, my kids, my family? Everyone who's gonna read it already knows us. Then, I had this exchange with Annie yesterday:
"Mom, I'm poopy! Change my diaper!"
"Oh, you have a poopy diaper?"
Annie, reaching her hand around, shoving her hand down the back of her diaper, then looking at me, says, "Yep, it's poopy. I checked."
That about sums it up . . . I'm raising a monkey.Annie - August 26th, 2008 & 2009
One year of bedhead going strong . . .Ellie
One year of near baldness . . .
Potty training is going well. My one complaint would be my daughter's enormous bladder size and amazing bladder control. She uses the potty right before bed, then at 10AM, a good 15 hours later, I'm begging her to please go use the potty since I'm sure her bladder is going to explode any second. She just seems to have no need to use the potty in the morning. And it wigs me out more than it should. (My mother brain starts worrying about infections, and of course, her bladder bursting . . . 'cause ya hear about that happening all the time, right?)
So, sometimes my excessive worries get the best of me, resulting in less than stellar parenting, like first thing this morning . . .
"Hey Annie, if you go use the potty right now, I'll give you five mini M&Ms." Yep, bribery . . . to do what comes completely natural, and she's completely capable of doing unprompted. Good Mom.
"Hmmmm," she thinks, "Six M&Ms. No, wait, seven."
"Six."
"Nope, I decided on seven."
"OK, seven mini M&Ms . . ."
She thinks about this for a second, then says, "OK," and starts to walk away. When she suddenly stops dead in her tracks and turns and looks at me. "But not until after my spinning." Then she proceeds to spin in circles until she falls down. Then she walks into the bathroom and shuts the door.
~~
Annie's standing next to me asking, "What's today? Is it Tuesday? Sunday? Saturday? Friunday?" She's recently become quite obsessed with the day of the week.
"You mean Friday?"
"Yeah, that one?"
"Nope, it's Wednesday Annie."
"Oh, I didn't even realize it was that one! Can Lily play on Wednesdays? Does she have places to go on Wednesdays? Some people go to WalMart on Wednesdays you know . . . " I assured her we would go over and see if Lily can play on Wednesdays, and I didn't imagine they'd be at WalMart all day even if they did go.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Liar, Liar, Pants of Fire (or, whatever)
It feels like the potty train at our house has derailed, and burst into spectacular flames as of late. Things had been going so well for so long, then it suddenly seems like Annie can't be bothered to stop whatever it is she is doing and make it on to the actual toilet in time. I've washed a lot of bathroom rugs lately.
Take today for instance, she actually only peed in the toilet one time. The rest of her potty breaks resulted in laundry and using the steam mop. So, I was suspicious when Annie came wandering upstairs this evening sans pants.
"Annie, where are your pants? Did you pee in them?"
"No Mom, I didn't pee in them, they're fine."
"Then where are they?"
"In the bathroom sink. I was just washing them . . . "
Sigh.
Take today for instance, she actually only peed in the toilet one time. The rest of her potty breaks resulted in laundry and using the steam mop. So, I was suspicious when Annie came wandering upstairs this evening sans pants.
"Annie, where are your pants? Did you pee in them?"
"No Mom, I didn't pee in them, they're fine."
"Then where are they?"
"In the bathroom sink. I was just washing them . . . "
Sigh.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Athletic Prowess
So, watching Annie climb onto the potty is terrifying. I can't watch, since I spend the whole time picturing her plummeting off the toilet onto her little head. She climbs up on to it, stands up, carefully walks herself around the toilet seat so she's facing the right way, then climbs down into a sitting position. It all looks fairly precarious to me.
Today as Annie was climbing onto the toilet before bath time, she made it clear the extent of this athletic feat when she exclaimed, "Mom, toilets are just like little rock walls!"
Today as Annie was climbing onto the toilet before bath time, she made it clear the extent of this athletic feat when she exclaimed, "Mom, toilets are just like little rock walls!"
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Rainy Adventures
So Greg was home sick today.
Which meant I either needed to leave the house, or spend the day glaring at him as he relaxed in bed and I cleaned up accidents and made meals. (I love him, and was sweetly doing the cold wash clothes, fresh water and hand holding last night . . . but once he's actually done vomiting and the body shakes have subsided, I kinda can't help but stare at him thinking, "Wimp. You've been asleep for 18 hours and haven't thrown up in 12. There are dishes to be done . . . " But, since I understand that he needs his rest, and I need to not start resenting his fourth straight hour of playing the Nintendo DS, the best bet is for the girls and I to find some out-of-the-house-activity to occupy us.) :-)
But then there's been the rain.
The nonstop, never ending, downpour that has made it nearly impossible to go to the park or even play in the backyard for nearly a week now. So, when my Mom called and told me she was supposed to go pick up my sister Talina from work and take her to the airport, I quickly volunteered for the job. Talina could leave work anytime after noon, and didn't have to be to the airport 'til after 3PM; and with the University Hospital, where she works, being practically right next door to the zoo, it seemed a pity not to stop in. So, Annie, Ellie, Talina and I went to the zoo. Despite the storm clouds and cold temperatures. And really had a great time. Around the time we were riding the carousel, the rains came. It was wet (and cold.) We decided to take refuge in the dry, warm, (smelly), reptile house. Where Ellie fell head over heels in love with meerkats. We killed some time, hoping that the rains would die down, but boy were we mistaken. The rain had picked up, and there were little lakes and raging rivers of water along all the pathways. I even think I started noticing the animals pairing off. We had brought in one umbrella. I proved to be a wonderful mother and sister, as I had Talina take Ellie and the umbrella and start the long trek back to the gate. Annie and I made a run for it. And got soaked. I tried using Annie as an umbrella, but she was an especially wiggly, giggly umbrella, and utterly useless in keeping my hair dry. We both utterly enjoyed splashing in puddles and getting wet. It's the kinda moments I sometimes miss out on, trying to be the 'Mom' and keeping everyone clean and dry and pristine. It made me want to go make a mudball or something. I loved just being silly, and wet, with my little girl. We eventually made it back to the van, and started the next leg of our journey.
Talina and I had googled 'cupcakes Salt Lake City' before leaving today. I've been wanting a good cupcake, and wanted to check out some of the places I've heard raved about online. So, we hit not one, but two, cupcake shops. The first was actually a regular bakery, and Talina, Annie and I split a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. Talina and I were less impressed. Call me crazy, but cupcakes should be sweet. Or at least flavorful, lemony, tart or something. We thought it was bland. Well, almost bitter, but mainly bland. Annie on the otherhand may still be off somewhere licking her hands, the bakery box, the cupcake liner, anything that has some chocolate stuck to it. Glad at least someone enjoyed the $3 cupcake. (Actually, when I ran into the bakery from out of the rain, and saw some of the prices, I almost turned around and went back to the van, but felt stupid just leaving, so ended up buying our most expensive, and least impressive, cupcake from that bakery.)
Our next stop was at Mini's Cupcakes. The rain had kicked it up a notch. Something I wouldn't have thought possible. So, I rushed through a downpour that would've caused Noah to have flashbacks. But, it was worth it, 'cause this one cupcake was a Madagascar Vanilla Bean cake with cream cheese frosting that I would've braved snow, sleet or hail for . . . and I used my own body to shield the precious cargo (i.e. the box with the cupcakes in it) and I arrived safely back to the van to my waiting sister and children. It's like 6 hours later and my shoes are still wet, and my hair is freakish in it's frizz, but those cupcakes were so good.
We still had a little time to kill, so we did a little shopping. Where Annie made up a new song, she loudly and proudly sang in the middle of the bookstore. It went something like, "We're going to the potty! Going to the potty! Mommy and Annie need to go to potty training!". Then, after several customers and employees got a kick out of my daughters antics, we headed out and took Talina to the airport, ditched her and started to head home. When Annie suddenly announced she had to pee. Now. We were just a few minutes from my grandparents house, so I told Annie we'd stop there. And then she proceeded to have a complete meltdown. She screamed that she wouldn't pee anywhere but at her own house, but I was trying to point out that we were still aways from home. And since I didn't want her to have an accident in the carseat, I stopped at their house anyways. She wouldn't leave the van willingly, screaming bloody murder the entire time I was carrying her into their house. Yeah, that's not embarassing or anything. Hello my grandparents neighbors! Anyway, so we get inside, I sit her down and try to 'talk' to her. I give her the following 'option'. She could go use the bathroom here, or we could take off her panties and she would have to wear Pull Ups for the rest of the ride home. I thought I had her over a barrell on this one, 'cause the kid has not worn diapers or Pull Ups since her birthday over three weeks ago. "OK," she said, taking off her pants and panties right there in my grandparents frontroom as her tears magically ceased, "give me the Pull Ups." Crap. That didn't work. But then again, nothing would get peed on, so it wasn't a total loss. (Note: Peeing at Grandma's or Great Grandma's bathrooms, no freaking way. Peeing in gross gas stations restrooms, grocery store or Walgreen's bathrooms, totally cool. Weird.) We stayed and played at my grandparents house for awhile, before getting a call from my sister Talina at the airport that she had not gotten on her flight (stand by), and could we come pick her up. She promised a Cinnabon for my efforts, and I got there as soon as I could, exclaiming it was the best souvenir I've ever received from someone who didn't actually go anywhere. (It is still in on my counter though, waiting 'til later. I have basically had like 2 and a half cupcakes already today.) At this point though, Bangerter heading South was a complete nightmare, so my genius idea was to head way west, and head South on 8400 West. Of course, I don't really know where I'm going up by the airport, so I hopped onto I-80 Westbound (hoping I'd somehow, magically, hit 201 that way. You do not hit 201 on I-80. Which makes sense if you think about it. Which I obviously didn't.) So, we headed West, until I was pretty confident the only option was to turn around, head down Bangerter and find the actual 201 onramp, and not the fabled one we'd left civilization in search of. But then at the exit we took, it really looked like if we just headed South, we'd end up where we wanted to be. So, we headed South. Even once we were no longer on actual pavement, we just kept going South. Annie thought this was the coolest thing, loving the bumps and the mud, exclaiming, "Our van is getting so dirty!" At one point we were like, "Hey, look, it's the backside of the dump!" Then we followed a truck that was covered in mud, and swerving to hit all of the puddles, until we made it back to 5600 West. Just a minute or two from where we'd started this adventure 20 minutes ago. It was a more scenic route though. And Annie liked the seagulls. And we did eventually get home (after one, possibly two, more wrong turns on my part, but I'm not admitting to that.) It was a fun day, and by the time we got home after 6PM, Greg had even gotten up and showered (and nearly finished his Zelda game, from the looks of it.) The girls were wiped out, and ready for bed. All in all, a good day.
Which meant I either needed to leave the house, or spend the day glaring at him as he relaxed in bed and I cleaned up accidents and made meals. (I love him, and was sweetly doing the cold wash clothes, fresh water and hand holding last night . . . but once he's actually done vomiting and the body shakes have subsided, I kinda can't help but stare at him thinking, "Wimp. You've been asleep for 18 hours and haven't thrown up in 12. There are dishes to be done . . . " But, since I understand that he needs his rest, and I need to not start resenting his fourth straight hour of playing the Nintendo DS, the best bet is for the girls and I to find some out-of-the-house-activity to occupy us.) :-)
But then there's been the rain.
The nonstop, never ending, downpour that has made it nearly impossible to go to the park or even play in the backyard for nearly a week now. So, when my Mom called and told me she was supposed to go pick up my sister Talina from work and take her to the airport, I quickly volunteered for the job. Talina could leave work anytime after noon, and didn't have to be to the airport 'til after 3PM; and with the University Hospital, where she works, being practically right next door to the zoo, it seemed a pity not to stop in. So, Annie, Ellie, Talina and I went to the zoo. Despite the storm clouds and cold temperatures. And really had a great time. Around the time we were riding the carousel, the rains came. It was wet (and cold.) We decided to take refuge in the dry, warm, (smelly), reptile house. Where Ellie fell head over heels in love with meerkats. We killed some time, hoping that the rains would die down, but boy were we mistaken. The rain had picked up, and there were little lakes and raging rivers of water along all the pathways. I even think I started noticing the animals pairing off. We had brought in one umbrella. I proved to be a wonderful mother and sister, as I had Talina take Ellie and the umbrella and start the long trek back to the gate. Annie and I made a run for it. And got soaked. I tried using Annie as an umbrella, but she was an especially wiggly, giggly umbrella, and utterly useless in keeping my hair dry. We both utterly enjoyed splashing in puddles and getting wet. It's the kinda moments I sometimes miss out on, trying to be the 'Mom' and keeping everyone clean and dry and pristine. It made me want to go make a mudball or something. I loved just being silly, and wet, with my little girl. We eventually made it back to the van, and started the next leg of our journey.
Talina and I had googled 'cupcakes Salt Lake City' before leaving today. I've been wanting a good cupcake, and wanted to check out some of the places I've heard raved about online. So, we hit not one, but two, cupcake shops. The first was actually a regular bakery, and Talina, Annie and I split a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. Talina and I were less impressed. Call me crazy, but cupcakes should be sweet. Or at least flavorful, lemony, tart or something. We thought it was bland. Well, almost bitter, but mainly bland. Annie on the otherhand may still be off somewhere licking her hands, the bakery box, the cupcake liner, anything that has some chocolate stuck to it. Glad at least someone enjoyed the $3 cupcake. (Actually, when I ran into the bakery from out of the rain, and saw some of the prices, I almost turned around and went back to the van, but felt stupid just leaving, so ended up buying our most expensive, and least impressive, cupcake from that bakery.)
Our next stop was at Mini's Cupcakes. The rain had kicked it up a notch. Something I wouldn't have thought possible. So, I rushed through a downpour that would've caused Noah to have flashbacks. But, it was worth it, 'cause this one cupcake was a Madagascar Vanilla Bean cake with cream cheese frosting that I would've braved snow, sleet or hail for . . . and I used my own body to shield the precious cargo (i.e. the box with the cupcakes in it) and I arrived safely back to the van to my waiting sister and children. It's like 6 hours later and my shoes are still wet, and my hair is freakish in it's frizz, but those cupcakes were so good.
We still had a little time to kill, so we did a little shopping. Where Annie made up a new song, she loudly and proudly sang in the middle of the bookstore. It went something like, "We're going to the potty! Going to the potty! Mommy and Annie need to go to potty training!". Then, after several customers and employees got a kick out of my daughters antics, we headed out and took Talina to the airport, ditched her and started to head home. When Annie suddenly announced she had to pee. Now. We were just a few minutes from my grandparents house, so I told Annie we'd stop there. And then she proceeded to have a complete meltdown. She screamed that she wouldn't pee anywhere but at her own house, but I was trying to point out that we were still aways from home. And since I didn't want her to have an accident in the carseat, I stopped at their house anyways. She wouldn't leave the van willingly, screaming bloody murder the entire time I was carrying her into their house. Yeah, that's not embarassing or anything. Hello my grandparents neighbors! Anyway, so we get inside, I sit her down and try to 'talk' to her. I give her the following 'option'. She could go use the bathroom here, or we could take off her panties and she would have to wear Pull Ups for the rest of the ride home. I thought I had her over a barrell on this one, 'cause the kid has not worn diapers or Pull Ups since her birthday over three weeks ago. "OK," she said, taking off her pants and panties right there in my grandparents frontroom as her tears magically ceased, "give me the Pull Ups." Crap. That didn't work. But then again, nothing would get peed on, so it wasn't a total loss. (Note: Peeing at Grandma's or Great Grandma's bathrooms, no freaking way. Peeing in gross gas stations restrooms, grocery store or Walgreen's bathrooms, totally cool. Weird.) We stayed and played at my grandparents house for awhile, before getting a call from my sister Talina at the airport that she had not gotten on her flight (stand by), and could we come pick her up. She promised a Cinnabon for my efforts, and I got there as soon as I could, exclaiming it was the best souvenir I've ever received from someone who didn't actually go anywhere. (It is still in on my counter though, waiting 'til later. I have basically had like 2 and a half cupcakes already today.) At this point though, Bangerter heading South was a complete nightmare, so my genius idea was to head way west, and head South on 8400 West. Of course, I don't really know where I'm going up by the airport, so I hopped onto I-80 Westbound (hoping I'd somehow, magically, hit 201 that way. You do not hit 201 on I-80. Which makes sense if you think about it. Which I obviously didn't.) So, we headed West, until I was pretty confident the only option was to turn around, head down Bangerter and find the actual 201 onramp, and not the fabled one we'd left civilization in search of. But then at the exit we took, it really looked like if we just headed South, we'd end up where we wanted to be. So, we headed South. Even once we were no longer on actual pavement, we just kept going South. Annie thought this was the coolest thing, loving the bumps and the mud, exclaiming, "Our van is getting so dirty!" At one point we were like, "Hey, look, it's the backside of the dump!" Then we followed a truck that was covered in mud, and swerving to hit all of the puddles, until we made it back to 5600 West. Just a minute or two from where we'd started this adventure 20 minutes ago. It was a more scenic route though. And Annie liked the seagulls. And we did eventually get home (after one, possibly two, more wrong turns on my part, but I'm not admitting to that.) It was a fun day, and by the time we got home after 6PM, Greg had even gotten up and showered (and nearly finished his Zelda game, from the looks of it.) The girls were wiped out, and ready for bed. All in all, a good day.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The Problem with Potty Training
So, we were just leaving Walgreens. Greg isn't feeling well (self-diagnosed swine flu), and the girls and I had left him to sleep while we went to buy him various drugs. The torrential rains were coming down. I ran the girls out to the van . . . threw Annie in her door, ran around and got Ellie strapped into her seat, then rushed back to get Annie all fastened in, then dove in my door. I was pretty wet, my hair a complete loss, but we were in and could head home. Until I heard my new least favorite phrase while out in public, "Mommy! I have to pee! NOW!" Crap.
Sooooooo, I jumped out of my seat, opened Annie's door, unfastened her carseat, ran around and got Ellie unstrapped and out, then ran back to Annie's side where, by now, she had climbed down out of her seat (heaven help the fool who tries to help her in or out of her carseat), grabbed her by the hand and made a mad dash through the parking lot back into the Walgreens. The lady who'd minutes before checked us out gave us an odd look, until I asked her where the restrooms were. Then she laughed and pointed them out.
Which leads to my least favorite outing activity . . . holding Ellie in one arm, resting her on my hip, while I one handedly try to get Annie situated on a public toilet. The mere thought makes me a little queasy. But, we're getting better at this, and I can now fling her onto a toilet seat using only my one hand and gripping under her arm. (Washing hands is even trickier, but there is no way I'm setting Ellie down on a public restroom's floor).
Anyway, so I now have Annie sitting proudly up on the toilet seat, and we wait. And wait. And WAIT.
'Til Annie suddenly pipes up, "Hmmm. I guess I don't need to pee anymore."
Sooooooo, I jumped out of my seat, opened Annie's door, unfastened her carseat, ran around and got Ellie unstrapped and out, then ran back to Annie's side where, by now, she had climbed down out of her seat (heaven help the fool who tries to help her in or out of her carseat), grabbed her by the hand and made a mad dash through the parking lot back into the Walgreens. The lady who'd minutes before checked us out gave us an odd look, until I asked her where the restrooms were. Then she laughed and pointed them out.
Which leads to my least favorite outing activity . . . holding Ellie in one arm, resting her on my hip, while I one handedly try to get Annie situated on a public toilet. The mere thought makes me a little queasy. But, we're getting better at this, and I can now fling her onto a toilet seat using only my one hand and gripping under her arm. (Washing hands is even trickier, but there is no way I'm setting Ellie down on a public restroom's floor).
Anyway, so I now have Annie sitting proudly up on the toilet seat, and we wait. And wait. And WAIT.
'Til Annie suddenly pipes up, "Hmmm. I guess I don't need to pee anymore."
Monday, June 8, 2009
More Conversations with Imaginary People
"Hi, Doh doo? Yeah, hi, this is Annie. Yeah, is Iah there? Oh great, yeah . . . Oh hi Iah! How are you doing? Oh good. Good. Yeah . . . oh sorry, I can't talk, I'm on the other line. OK, talk to you later! Love you! Bye!" Why call just to tell her you have to go because you're on the other line . . . it's like a ploy to prove her popularity among the imaginary crowd or something. :-)
Then a minute later, "Hi Iah, it's Annie again. Yeah, it is so great to see you. Um, yeah. I was calling, I want to know if you and Doh doo want to go in the van with us to the store. You two can sit together, in the middle, and I will sit in my seat, and Ellie will sit in the other seat. Oh, yeah? Great! See you soon!"
On the sleeping front: Annie refuses to sleep in her princess bed now, for the last several days. The new bed. We bought for her birthday two weeks ago. That she loved more than life itself. She's told us that her bedroom just "isn't princess-y enough". So, obviously she needs to sleep on her bedroom floor, rather than in her princess bed, with princess bedding, princess pillows, princess dolls and a princess canopy. Obviously. Sigh. Stubborn little thing.
On the potty training front: Things had been going really well. But, as will happen, Annie had an accident. The really gross kind. But, being the resourceful little thing she is, she got disrobed and into the bathtub without any help from me. Which isn't actually a good thing, since I now have to bleach the heck out of my entire bathroom, especially the tub. Ewww. But, while in there, I could hear her talking to herself . . .
"That is not good Annie. Not good. It's rude even. Mommy is going to tell you that we don't poop in our panties. We should be bigger. This is miserable. Miserable. Princesses don't poop in their panties." I almost felt like I needed to go in there and cheer her up and keep her from getting too down on herself. When I talked to her about it later though, she seemed to have gotten herself out of the shame cycle, flippantly informing me that she's pretty sure she will stop pooping in her pants when she's a little bigger, like 8. That's reassuring.
This accident was a little disheartening, since it's the second in as many days. We only had one accident all of last week, and then she peed (at dinner) at Grandma & Grandpa's house yesterday, then this today. I was really shocked when she had her accident at someone else's house, it was very unexpected since she's shown such promise away from home . . . she's asked us to find her a bathroom at stores, even while driving, and LOVES using the potty at my Mom's house. She informed Greg and I, as we were cleaning her up in their bathroom, that she refused to use the potty at Grandma Ruth's house, and "will only go potty at our own house!" The problem here was we were both pretty convinced she wasn't 'done', and worried about her having another accident. I explained firmly that if she wouldn't use the potty where we were, and had another accident, she would have to wear a diaper whenever we left the house. She cried and cried and whined and whined and insisted she would only use "my own potty at my own house!" I think my in-laws probably thought we were beating her in there. Eventually, she calmed down, but despite spending a good 10 minutes on the potty, did stick with it and refuse to pee. Of course, this all just meant that on the drive home we had to pull off the freeway and find a gas station for a potty break. Sigh. Really, really stubborn little thing.
On the adorable front: After getting out of the tub (so that I could bleach the grossness out of it), Annie went into her room to get panties and an outfit. But what she came back with made me laugh. "Mommy!" I heard her excitedly shriek as she came crashing into my bedroom. "Mommy, look, my baby and I are matching!!!" And there she was with her My Little Pony baby, in cute little winter hats (and nothing else). She was so excited, gushing, "It's like we're twins!" Sigh. She may be stubborn, but she endlessly delights and amuses me.
Then a minute later, "Hi Iah, it's Annie again. Yeah, it is so great to see you. Um, yeah. I was calling, I want to know if you and Doh doo want to go in the van with us to the store. You two can sit together, in the middle, and I will sit in my seat, and Ellie will sit in the other seat. Oh, yeah? Great! See you soon!"
On the sleeping front: Annie refuses to sleep in her princess bed now, for the last several days. The new bed. We bought for her birthday two weeks ago. That she loved more than life itself. She's told us that her bedroom just "isn't princess-y enough". So, obviously she needs to sleep on her bedroom floor, rather than in her princess bed, with princess bedding, princess pillows, princess dolls and a princess canopy. Obviously. Sigh. Stubborn little thing.
On the potty training front: Things had been going really well. But, as will happen, Annie had an accident. The really gross kind. But, being the resourceful little thing she is, she got disrobed and into the bathtub without any help from me. Which isn't actually a good thing, since I now have to bleach the heck out of my entire bathroom, especially the tub. Ewww. But, while in there, I could hear her talking to herself . . .
"That is not good Annie. Not good. It's rude even. Mommy is going to tell you that we don't poop in our panties. We should be bigger. This is miserable. Miserable. Princesses don't poop in their panties." I almost felt like I needed to go in there and cheer her up and keep her from getting too down on herself. When I talked to her about it later though, she seemed to have gotten herself out of the shame cycle, flippantly informing me that she's pretty sure she will stop pooping in her pants when she's a little bigger, like 8. That's reassuring.
This accident was a little disheartening, since it's the second in as many days. We only had one accident all of last week, and then she peed (at dinner) at Grandma & Grandpa's house yesterday, then this today. I was really shocked when she had her accident at someone else's house, it was very unexpected since she's shown such promise away from home . . . she's asked us to find her a bathroom at stores, even while driving, and LOVES using the potty at my Mom's house. She informed Greg and I, as we were cleaning her up in their bathroom, that she refused to use the potty at Grandma Ruth's house, and "will only go potty at our own house!" The problem here was we were both pretty convinced she wasn't 'done', and worried about her having another accident. I explained firmly that if she wouldn't use the potty where we were, and had another accident, she would have to wear a diaper whenever we left the house. She cried and cried and whined and whined and insisted she would only use "my own potty at my own house!" I think my in-laws probably thought we were beating her in there. Eventually, she calmed down, but despite spending a good 10 minutes on the potty, did stick with it and refuse to pee. Of course, this all just meant that on the drive home we had to pull off the freeway and find a gas station for a potty break. Sigh. Really, really stubborn little thing.
On the adorable front: After getting out of the tub (so that I could bleach the grossness out of it), Annie went into her room to get panties and an outfit. But what she came back with made me laugh. "Mommy!" I heard her excitedly shriek as she came crashing into my bedroom. "Mommy, look, my baby and I are matching!!!" And there she was with her My Little Pony baby, in cute little winter hats (and nothing else). She was so excited, gushing, "It's like we're twins!" Sigh. She may be stubborn, but she endlessly delights and amuses me.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Annie Tales
Annie constantly cracks me up . . . but I realize that I record fewer and fewer of these stories. I think it's 'cause as she gets older, they are more accurate and dead on, therefore adorably precocious, but not quite the laughable verbal gaffes of toddlerhood where she was mixing up words, mispronouncing them, or skewing their meaning . . . or just realizing their meaning for the first time, making some big dramatic 'connection'. She still does and says a lot that makes me laugh, makes me proud, and makes me smile at her own unique view of the world she lives in.
After a month or so of refusing to say prayer at bedtime, Annie finally decided it was her turn again. And Annie prayers always end up making me smile. Annie started off normally, thankful for the day, her family, for the fun times we'd had . . . then she started talking about going to Grandma & Grandpa's that evening (while Greg and I set out on an actual date, dinner two days after my birthday and two days before his, we just split the difference and did one big birthday dinner). "Thank you we got to go to Grandma's house. And thank you that I was such a big helper, and helped with my little sister, and was such a good girl. Thank you we got to see thunder. (I was proud that both Greg and I held our tongues and didn't correct that to 'hear', something we'd both been doing all evening as she'd been telling us about her adventures.) Thank you we got to see lightening. Thank you we got to see storm. Thank you that we had dinner with Grandma and with Grandpa. Thank you Mommy and Daddy came home to Annie and we saw outside. Thank you we saw dogs! The little puppy was so cute! Thank you we had so much fun. Um, thank you we went on a walk. Um, thank you we went to Grandmas. Um, well I guess that's the whole story. Amen."
Another Annie story, from this morning.
I had informed our potty training dynamo (who has not had an accident in three days! Even at night!) that she couldn't eat breakfast until she used the potty (making me nervous that we were going on better than 12 hours now since she last used the facilities). She grudgingly agreed, while following me down to our main floor, when she suddenly perked up, "I'll use the bathroom down here!" (Our small half bath on the main floor, by the front door.) "OK, Annie, that's fine."
"We should get a bathtub for this bathroom! Why don't we go to the store to get a tub today?"
Wanting her to kinda think this one through on her own, I mentioned, "We could do that, I guess, but I'm thinking a bathtub might not work in there . . . what do you think?"
After a few seconds, "Oh, I guess that it is a small bathroom."
"Yeah," I said, "I don't think a bathtub would fit in that bathroom."
She nodded, then left me in the kitchen making toast while she headed off to use the potty. A minute later, while in using the bathroom herself, she loudly calls out, "I guess it would have to be a really little one," then added excitedly, "like for my dolls!"
After a month or so of refusing to say prayer at bedtime, Annie finally decided it was her turn again. And Annie prayers always end up making me smile. Annie started off normally, thankful for the day, her family, for the fun times we'd had . . . then she started talking about going to Grandma & Grandpa's that evening (while Greg and I set out on an actual date, dinner two days after my birthday and two days before his, we just split the difference and did one big birthday dinner). "Thank you we got to go to Grandma's house. And thank you that I was such a big helper, and helped with my little sister, and was such a good girl. Thank you we got to see thunder. (I was proud that both Greg and I held our tongues and didn't correct that to 'hear', something we'd both been doing all evening as she'd been telling us about her adventures.) Thank you we got to see lightening. Thank you we got to see storm. Thank you that we had dinner with Grandma and with Grandpa. Thank you Mommy and Daddy came home to Annie and we saw outside. Thank you we saw dogs! The little puppy was so cute! Thank you we had so much fun. Um, thank you we went on a walk. Um, thank you we went to Grandmas. Um, well I guess that's the whole story. Amen."
Another Annie story, from this morning.
I had informed our potty training dynamo (who has not had an accident in three days! Even at night!) that she couldn't eat breakfast until she used the potty (making me nervous that we were going on better than 12 hours now since she last used the facilities). She grudgingly agreed, while following me down to our main floor, when she suddenly perked up, "I'll use the bathroom down here!" (Our small half bath on the main floor, by the front door.) "OK, Annie, that's fine."
"We should get a bathtub for this bathroom! Why don't we go to the store to get a tub today?"
Wanting her to kinda think this one through on her own, I mentioned, "We could do that, I guess, but I'm thinking a bathtub might not work in there . . . what do you think?"
After a few seconds, "Oh, I guess that it is a small bathroom."
"Yeah," I said, "I don't think a bathtub would fit in that bathroom."
She nodded, then left me in the kitchen making toast while she headed off to use the potty. A minute later, while in using the bathroom herself, she loudly calls out, "I guess it would have to be a really little one," then added excitedly, "like for my dolls!"
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Stop the Train, I Wanna Get Off!
So, I'm decidedly not a fan of potty training (I'm sure that's normal though). I mean, sure, the end result will be well worth all that we're going through right now . . . but I look at that box of diapers in the closet and think, "Am I sure we don't just want to wait awhile longer?!" Although, that's not really an option anyway. Annie is done with diapers. Several nights back, as we were getting ready for bed, she told me, "I'm three now Mom, I don't wear diapers anymore." And ever since then, we've been all-panties-all-the-time. Which has meant more laundry and nagging on my part. But a sense of accomplishment on maturity on her part. So I guess that wins out. She's only had one accident at night this week, which has amazed me. But, I've decided I am not a fan of the 3AM potty break. It's worse, more exhausting, then night time feedings were, by far. It's out of bed and having to be aware enough that we don't end up covered in pee. Washing hands and getting all situated in bed again. At least one of us has to be fairly awake to accomplish this all. And then there's the matter of getting Annie to sleep again. Y'all know the nightmare that is Annie's sleep. Well, it's only mildly easier to get her to sleep again in the middle of the night. She had a full on meltdown for Greg a few nights ago, and I think it was a half hour from the time she woke up 'til when she went back down (and her screaming woke up Ellie in the process.) I fared a bit better last night, but ended up falling asleep on her bedroom floor next to her bed for awhile, to assure that the Ellie-waking-screaming didn't happen. I would pay that kid money to just wear diapers during the night again, so we could all just sleep. But, I guess if I want her potty trained by Kindergarten, sacrifices must be made.
And as much as changing dirty diapers sucks, there is nothing that compares to the awfulness of changing poopy clothing and underwear. Ewww. I swear, it's worse than throw up. I've thrown away underwear twice this week. I sit there and stare at them for awhile, thinking, "Clean this out, or pay a dollar for a new pair?" My frugal side doesn't stand a chance against the stank. Ugh.
But, we're pushing forward. I mean, the kid is three now, I wouldn't want to wait much longer anyway. I guess it's just time to pay the piper. As long as I don't mention it, suggest anything or offer support, she even does really well on her own. Just don't try and get involved . . . I swear that's when the revenge peeing happens. (How dare I suggest trying to sit on the potty for a minute when we're leaving on a long walk and it's been 6 hours since she used the bathroom last?! What was I thinking?!)
I think we're closer than I realize. I look back at this whole week and realize she hasn't had a diaper on the entire time, and really how few accidents there has been (she's even played at a friend's house for 5 hours without any problems), and I start to realize we're really on the cusp of something. I just wanna be there already. Seems like we've been riding this train forever, and I just wanna reach the destination already.
A little blast from the past . . . here's pictures from when Annie first got her little potty. Back in February. Of 2008.
And as much as changing dirty diapers sucks, there is nothing that compares to the awfulness of changing poopy clothing and underwear. Ewww. I swear, it's worse than throw up. I've thrown away underwear twice this week. I sit there and stare at them for awhile, thinking, "Clean this out, or pay a dollar for a new pair?" My frugal side doesn't stand a chance against the stank. Ugh.
But, we're pushing forward. I mean, the kid is three now, I wouldn't want to wait much longer anyway. I guess it's just time to pay the piper. As long as I don't mention it, suggest anything or offer support, she even does really well on her own. Just don't try and get involved . . . I swear that's when the revenge peeing happens. (How dare I suggest trying to sit on the potty for a minute when we're leaving on a long walk and it's been 6 hours since she used the bathroom last?! What was I thinking?!)
I think we're closer than I realize. I look back at this whole week and realize she hasn't had a diaper on the entire time, and really how few accidents there has been (she's even played at a friend's house for 5 hours without any problems), and I start to realize we're really on the cusp of something. I just wanna be there already. Seems like we've been riding this train forever, and I just wanna reach the destination already.
A little blast from the past . . . here's pictures from when Annie first got her little potty. Back in February. Of 2008.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Growing Up
Now that Annie's three, we've collectively decided it's time to board the Potty Train again. The first full day of this was met with mild enthusiasm by Annie. The problem with mild enthusiasm, is anytime something comes along that warrants more enthusiasm (neighbor kids playing out back, tricycles or butterflies), the potty thing becomes a mere after thought. And something's gonna get peed on. So, we had mild success matched with our mild enthusiasm the first day. The second day was about the same. My carpet only had to be shampooed once, which was nice. Then last night, as I was getting Annie ready for bed, she commented, "No diapers Mom, I'm three now. I'll wear panties to bed now." Crap. We hadn't come up against this one before. I didn't want to discourage any initiative she was taking, and yet, I didn't want a ton of laundry in the morning. In the end, my desire to build her self confidence and independence (and wanting her potty trained one day) won out, and the kid went to be in panties.
And at 5:30 in the morning, she called me into her room, we walked her sleepy self into the bathroom, she peed then went back to bed. Both her and the bed were perfectly dry in the morning! Huzzah! I'm so proud of my little girl.
Although, my Mom so sweetly rained on my parade this morning when she commented, "That's great! You know, you were night trained by two and a half . . . it was a whole 'nother year before you were potty trained during the day." We're just gonna hope that for once my eldest daughter decides to be a little less like her obstinate, independent, difficult child mother, and more like her sweet, mild mannered, docile father who loved to please others and make his parents happy. One can hope, right?
And so far today, the potty training thing is on track, so who knows? Maybe it's starting to take . . .
Yesterday I was out pulling weeds while Ellie was napping, and Annie was riding her tricycle. Annie was watching me, at first with mild then building to intense interest. Finally she asked, "Mommy, what are you doing?" "I'm pulling weeds," I grunted, while ripping out some grass looking thing who's weeds were half way to China. Annie observed for a minute, then asked, "Can I try?"
I told her which ones she could pull, and she happily went to work taking the heads off of various weeds that's roots are laughing evilly because they've lived to see another day. Several times during this, she'd suddenly gush, "Thank you Mommy! Thank you!" Um, sure kid. If you clean your room and make your bed tomorrow, you can help me unload the dish washer!
If only I can find a way to keep this level of interest in weeding in the future . . .
Today we had Annie and Ellie's annual check ups. Both got a clean bill of health.
Annie's asthma medicine is being scaled back a dose (yay!) since her symptoms have pretty much disappeared. Ellie's skin is being watched though, since yesterday when her face touched the grass she broke out in a little red rash all over her forehead and cheeks. That kid has some seriously sensitive skin . . . we try to avoid using wipes, and will rinse them out as much as possible when she has even the little redness or she breaks out into horrific diaper rashes. Discussing the family history of asthma and allergies, the doctor kept shaking her head and muttering, "Oh my . . . oh my." Then she offered, "I'm so sorry." Kinda to be expected though, we did genetically screw our kids over with all the allergy and asthma genes floating around in our family. My sister gets bit by a bug and swells up into something resembling a Klingon, and Greg's sister is allergic to her own sweat. Then add in my asthma and allergies, Greg's excema, both family histories of severe seasonal and food allergies, and our kids didn't really stand a chance of getting through this life without using more than their fair share of tissues and Zyrtec.
Anyway, besides the triple threat of allergies (asthma, excema and allergies) plaguing the kids, everything else went really well. Ellie played Patty Cake with the doctor, and Annie showed off her address and phone number reciting skills (now including an area code!) to the nurse. Ellie was smaller than I'd expected. She's felt heftier lately, even looking chunkier. So I was kinda surprised when she weighed in at only 17 lbs. 1 oz. (3%). She's over 27.5" now though, leaving her in the 10th percentile for height. And in true bobble head fashion, her head is a whopping 83rd percent.
Annie weighed in with a fairly average 31 lbs, putting her in the 58th percentile. Her height is up to the 15th percentile, at just over 35 inches (which we already knew, since 35 inches is what it took to get her on the Matterhorn.) Her weight is falling on the charts a little each time, and her height is gaining (up from 9% just a little while back). The doctor said it looks like she's 'growing into her build,' and will probably reach a good equilibrium in the next few years. She's already growing out of the toddler look so much . . . she still has the baby fat in her face and belly, but I can't believe how much she's thinning out, as she's out there running around like a little person, and not a toddler.
They both got shots, but did really well with them. It was awful holding them down while they got repeatedly poked, but I think we're all already starting to block it out . . .
And at 5:30 in the morning, she called me into her room, we walked her sleepy self into the bathroom, she peed then went back to bed. Both her and the bed were perfectly dry in the morning! Huzzah! I'm so proud of my little girl.
Although, my Mom so sweetly rained on my parade this morning when she commented, "That's great! You know, you were night trained by two and a half . . . it was a whole 'nother year before you were potty trained during the day." We're just gonna hope that for once my eldest daughter decides to be a little less like her obstinate, independent, difficult child mother, and more like her sweet, mild mannered, docile father who loved to please others and make his parents happy. One can hope, right?
And so far today, the potty training thing is on track, so who knows? Maybe it's starting to take . . .
Yesterday I was out pulling weeds while Ellie was napping, and Annie was riding her tricycle. Annie was watching me, at first with mild then building to intense interest. Finally she asked, "Mommy, what are you doing?" "I'm pulling weeds," I grunted, while ripping out some grass looking thing who's weeds were half way to China. Annie observed for a minute, then asked, "Can I try?"
I told her which ones she could pull, and she happily went to work taking the heads off of various weeds that's roots are laughing evilly because they've lived to see another day. Several times during this, she'd suddenly gush, "Thank you Mommy! Thank you!" Um, sure kid. If you clean your room and make your bed tomorrow, you can help me unload the dish washer!
If only I can find a way to keep this level of interest in weeding in the future . . .
Today we had Annie and Ellie's annual check ups. Both got a clean bill of health.
Annie's asthma medicine is being scaled back a dose (yay!) since her symptoms have pretty much disappeared. Ellie's skin is being watched though, since yesterday when her face touched the grass she broke out in a little red rash all over her forehead and cheeks. That kid has some seriously sensitive skin . . . we try to avoid using wipes, and will rinse them out as much as possible when she has even the little redness or she breaks out into horrific diaper rashes. Discussing the family history of asthma and allergies, the doctor kept shaking her head and muttering, "Oh my . . . oh my." Then she offered, "I'm so sorry." Kinda to be expected though, we did genetically screw our kids over with all the allergy and asthma genes floating around in our family. My sister gets bit by a bug and swells up into something resembling a Klingon, and Greg's sister is allergic to her own sweat. Then add in my asthma and allergies, Greg's excema, both family histories of severe seasonal and food allergies, and our kids didn't really stand a chance of getting through this life without using more than their fair share of tissues and Zyrtec.
Anyway, besides the triple threat of allergies (asthma, excema and allergies) plaguing the kids, everything else went really well. Ellie played Patty Cake with the doctor, and Annie showed off her address and phone number reciting skills (now including an area code!) to the nurse. Ellie was smaller than I'd expected. She's felt heftier lately, even looking chunkier. So I was kinda surprised when she weighed in at only 17 lbs. 1 oz. (3%). She's over 27.5" now though, leaving her in the 10th percentile for height. And in true bobble head fashion, her head is a whopping 83rd percent.
Annie weighed in with a fairly average 31 lbs, putting her in the 58th percentile. Her height is up to the 15th percentile, at just over 35 inches (which we already knew, since 35 inches is what it took to get her on the Matterhorn.) Her weight is falling on the charts a little each time, and her height is gaining (up from 9% just a little while back). The doctor said it looks like she's 'growing into her build,' and will probably reach a good equilibrium in the next few years. She's already growing out of the toddler look so much . . . she still has the baby fat in her face and belly, but I can't believe how much she's thinning out, as she's out there running around like a little person, and not a toddler.
They both got shots, but did really well with them. It was awful holding them down while they got repeatedly poked, but I think we're all already starting to block it out . . .
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Happy Birthday Annie!
I can't even believe my baby turns three years old today. It's gone by so (too) quickly. Sometimes I think, "She's still such a baby, I can't believe she's three." Then other times it's like, "She's practically a little grown up now, why isn't she in Kindergarten yet?"
Here's some pictures of her on various May 19ths:
2006 -- She's an awfully beat-up-lookin'-baby :-) The first picture is the first one ever taken of her . . . the next two are in the nursery.
2007: My Baby is One! I was actually shocked looking at these pictures how much curl she had . . . I didn't remember this much curly hair, and when I'd been looking at pictures recently, I hadn't seen pictures of the back of her hair. It makes Ellie's seem bone straight in comparison! From the front their hair isn't that much different . . . Annie's is just a bit longer and thicker, and has more 'flip'. But from the back, I was so surprised to see that Annie had a full little head of curls!
2008: Second Birthday. Her birthday party was actually the next day, and I was giving birth to Ellie, so I don't actually have more pictures. This was at night, right before bedtime, when Greg and Uncle Cody were putting together her train set. Ellie was due two weeks later, but about an hour after we took these pictures my water broke, and all I could think was, "NO! They can't have the same birthday!" Luckily, labor didn't start for a while, and I had Ellie the next morning.
2009: Third Birthday! These are from like 3 minutes ago . . . Annie finally woke up (at 8:40! That's like a full hour and a half later than normal. And the shocker is, Ellie just woke up too (and she usually wakes up even before Annie). It's like it was my birthday! I took some pictures of the sleepyhead waking up. Wow, she's so grown up now! She looks like a kid, not a toddler anymore. The good news is she informed us last night it's time to be potty trained, "Because I am going to be three now. A big girl."
Here's some pictures of her on various May 19ths:
2006 -- She's an awfully beat-up-lookin'-baby :-) The first picture is the first one ever taken of her . . . the next two are in the nursery.
2007: My Baby is One! I was actually shocked looking at these pictures how much curl she had . . . I didn't remember this much curly hair, and when I'd been looking at pictures recently, I hadn't seen pictures of the back of her hair. It makes Ellie's seem bone straight in comparison! From the front their hair isn't that much different . . . Annie's is just a bit longer and thicker, and has more 'flip'. But from the back, I was so surprised to see that Annie had a full little head of curls!
2008: Second Birthday. Her birthday party was actually the next day, and I was giving birth to Ellie, so I don't actually have more pictures. This was at night, right before bedtime, when Greg and Uncle Cody were putting together her train set. Ellie was due two weeks later, but about an hour after we took these pictures my water broke, and all I could think was, "NO! They can't have the same birthday!" Luckily, labor didn't start for a while, and I had Ellie the next morning.
2009: Third Birthday! These are from like 3 minutes ago . . . Annie finally woke up (at 8:40! That's like a full hour and a half later than normal. And the shocker is, Ellie just woke up too (and she usually wakes up even before Annie). It's like it was my birthday! I took some pictures of the sleepyhead waking up. Wow, she's so grown up now! She looks like a kid, not a toddler anymore. The good news is she informed us last night it's time to be potty trained, "Because I am going to be three now. A big girl."
Monday, April 27, 2009
Quick Trip on the Potty Train
I was listening in as Annie was in the bathroom (we're on a 'I'm wearing panties' kick today). As she emptied her little potty into the bigger toilet, I heard her sing her own little song . . . you have to imagine a very peppy tune (at the end of the song it morphed into something that may be more familiar to those who spent anytime in an LDS Primary):
"We put the pee pee in the potty! We wipe the pee pee off us but we gotta be careful, 'cause pee pee and poo poo are the kinda stuff you never want to touch! Then you have to wash your hands! Never touch pee pee or poo poo, at home, at school, at play."
Earlier today, Annie was playing on Disney's website. I noticed it was the Disney site when I kept hearing familiar Disney characters calling her by name. Apparently, it had asked her to type in her name, which she apparently can do no problem, and since then the computer was calling her Annie. The monkeys on the site then asked Annie for the email address she wanted to send her the virtual postcard she'd just created to . . . at this point, Annie called me over, "Mom! I need to ask a grown up for help with this part!" By the time I got to her, she'd already typed her own name in the first line where it asked for a name. Except that it said, "annie2". I asked her why she had a '2' on the end. She looked at me like I was stupid and replied, "Because I'm two years old Mom." Oh, of course. Just call me Hilary29. My favorite part though, was on the next line it was asking for an email address. Annie pointed out that she didn't know what an email address was, but she'd already typed in the first 3 numbers of our street address in the box. We ended up having to have the 'you don't ever share your personal information with people online . . . even 'Ooh' and 'Ahh' or other Disney characters' conversation a lot earlier than I'd ever imagined. "OK Mom," she responded, "we'll use your email address then." Ha.
We then went back to the beginning of the postcard making process so she could show me all the options she'd had. Back on the first page again, she exclaimed, "I used the rectangle one . . . I hadn't realized there were FOUR shapes to choose from!" I hadn't realized she now used the phrase "I hadn't realized!"
"We put the pee pee in the potty! We wipe the pee pee off us but we gotta be careful, 'cause pee pee and poo poo are the kinda stuff you never want to touch! Then you have to wash your hands! Never touch pee pee or poo poo, at home, at school, at play."
Earlier today, Annie was playing on Disney's website. I noticed it was the Disney site when I kept hearing familiar Disney characters calling her by name. Apparently, it had asked her to type in her name, which she apparently can do no problem, and since then the computer was calling her Annie. The monkeys on the site then asked Annie for the email address she wanted to send her the virtual postcard she'd just created to . . . at this point, Annie called me over, "Mom! I need to ask a grown up for help with this part!" By the time I got to her, she'd already typed her own name in the first line where it asked for a name. Except that it said, "annie2". I asked her why she had a '2' on the end. She looked at me like I was stupid and replied, "Because I'm two years old Mom." Oh, of course. Just call me Hilary29. My favorite part though, was on the next line it was asking for an email address. Annie pointed out that she didn't know what an email address was, but she'd already typed in the first 3 numbers of our street address in the box. We ended up having to have the 'you don't ever share your personal information with people online . . . even 'Ooh' and 'Ahh' or other Disney characters' conversation a lot earlier than I'd ever imagined. "OK Mom," she responded, "we'll use your email address then." Ha.
We then went back to the beginning of the postcard making process so she could show me all the options she'd had. Back on the first page again, she exclaimed, "I used the rectangle one . . . I hadn't realized there were FOUR shapes to choose from!" I hadn't realized she now used the phrase "I hadn't realized!"
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Back on the Potty Train
So, we bought Annie some cute chocolate little bunny candy, because she informed me we needed to buy her some 'potty candy'. She's pretty excited now to use her potty and get an Easter treat for her success. So excited in fact that the kid has peed FOUR times in the past half hour. I think she has better bladder control than anyone I know! And she's well on her way to quite the sugar rush . . . we may need to rethink the rewards system . . .
She came out of her bedroom this morning on her 'cell phone'. She was just chatting away, and when I said, "Good morning baby," she held up a finger and shushed me. (It was kinda rude of me, trying to talk to her when she was so obviously on the phone.)
When she was (finally) done, she informed me she'd been talking to Iah, Doh-doo and their Mommies and Daddies. Approximately three seconds later, she suddenly ran to the top of the stairs and yelled, "Iah? Is that you? Mom, Iah's here! Yay!" I asked where Doh-doo was, and she informed me that he was at work. Of course. I keep forgetting these imaginary friends are much older than here . . . what with their cars, jobs and marriage.
She came out of her bedroom this morning on her 'cell phone'. She was just chatting away, and when I said, "Good morning baby," she held up a finger and shushed me. (It was kinda rude of me, trying to talk to her when she was so obviously on the phone.)
When she was (finally) done, she informed me she'd been talking to Iah, Doh-doo and their Mommies and Daddies. Approximately three seconds later, she suddenly ran to the top of the stairs and yelled, "Iah? Is that you? Mom, Iah's here! Yay!" I asked where Doh-doo was, and she informed me that he was at work. Of course. I keep forgetting these imaginary friends are much older than here . . . what with their cars, jobs and marriage.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Slight Miscommunication
So, I think we may have had a communication misfire at some point concerning potty training at our house. I just had the following conversation with Annie:
"Mom, are you dressed?"
"Yep, I'm ready."
Staring right at me, "So, you have pants on? And a shirt? [pause] A diaper? [uncontrollable laughter]"
"You're silly. Mommies don't wear diapers."
"I won't wear a diaper when I'm three!"
"That's right, you'll wear panties."
"I won't wear a diaper, I won't wear pull-ups, and I won't wear panties."
"No, Annie, you will wear panties."
"NO, I will be three! I will not wear panties!"
"Annie, you won't wear a diaper anymore, so that means you'll get to start wearing panties instead."
"NO! I will be three! I won't wear diapers, pull-ups or panties!"
"Sweetie, if you don't wear diapers anymore, what are you going to wear?"
"Just jeans."
So, at three it's apparently time to go commando. I hadn't realized we were trying to wean from all forms of underwear, I just thought we were trying to phase out the disposable kind!
"Mom, are you dressed?"
"Yep, I'm ready."
Staring right at me, "So, you have pants on? And a shirt? [pause] A diaper? [uncontrollable laughter]"
"You're silly. Mommies don't wear diapers."
"I won't wear a diaper when I'm three!"
"That's right, you'll wear panties."
"I won't wear a diaper, I won't wear pull-ups, and I won't wear panties."
"No, Annie, you will wear panties."
"NO, I will be three! I will not wear panties!"
"Annie, you won't wear a diaper anymore, so that means you'll get to start wearing panties instead."
"NO! I will be three! I won't wear diapers, pull-ups or panties!"
"Sweetie, if you don't wear diapers anymore, what are you going to wear?"
"Just jeans."
So, at three it's apparently time to go commando. I hadn't realized we were trying to wean from all forms of underwear, I just thought we were trying to phase out the disposable kind!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
If it's Not One, It's the Other (Or Both)
So, I was up half the night with a coughing, hacking, wheezing, sniveling kid. Not Ellie though. Annie seems to have caught it. And with her asthma, the cough is like 1000 times more exaggerated than even poor Ellie's cough has been. Annie kept waking up after horrendous coughing fits and just screaming for Mom and Dad. Then when one of us would go in, she kept asking (between sobs) for a "Bwah, bwah, bwah, bwah." Sometimes while pointing at something she desperately wanted, but that I couldn't see (like, as in it didn't exist, nothing was on the middle of the blank wall she was sobbing and reaching for.) Being that this is my (highly) verbal child, I kept checking for a fever to make sure she wasn't delirious or something. It was so weird, and I still have no idea what she was asking for or looking at. Kinda freaked me out. She is completely coherent this morning though, so I'm forcing myself to assume we're just dealing with a bad cough and bug, and not some form of neurological damage (shouldn't have watched "House" before bed.)
Annie was making me laugh at breakfast this morning. She just talked the entire breakfast to Ellie. Like non-stop flow of one-sided big sisterly conversation. It held explanations for the world around them, advice on handling various situations, and amusing anticdotes about favorite cartoon characters. At one point, while they were happily playing, I took the opportunity to go use the little girls' room, and I heard Ellie start to fuss and Annie enthusiastically reassure her, "It's OK Ellie. Mommy just had to, um, go take care of something." Then after a few seconds, like once she decided it was socially appropriate or something, she added, "Ellie, Mommy just had to go pee. She'll be back soon, it's OK. It doesn't take that long."
This also reminded me of last week when we were at WalMart and Annie happily applauded and loudly exclaimed, "Good job Mommy! You peed! You are such a big girl now! Ellie, Mommy peed! Good job Mommy!" She was so proud. I was slightly mortified. People give you very amused looks when you walk out of a WalMart bathroom stall after your two year old has congratulated your bladder control.
You think all of this potty enthusiasm would translate into some potty training success. But no luck. I'm thinking of attempting it again right before Kindergarten . . .
Annie was making me laugh at breakfast this morning. She just talked the entire breakfast to Ellie. Like non-stop flow of one-sided big sisterly conversation. It held explanations for the world around them, advice on handling various situations, and amusing anticdotes about favorite cartoon characters. At one point, while they were happily playing, I took the opportunity to go use the little girls' room, and I heard Ellie start to fuss and Annie enthusiastically reassure her, "It's OK Ellie. Mommy just had to, um, go take care of something." Then after a few seconds, like once she decided it was socially appropriate or something, she added, "Ellie, Mommy just had to go pee. She'll be back soon, it's OK. It doesn't take that long."
This also reminded me of last week when we were at WalMart and Annie happily applauded and loudly exclaimed, "Good job Mommy! You peed! You are such a big girl now! Ellie, Mommy peed! Good job Mommy!" She was so proud. I was slightly mortified. People give you very amused looks when you walk out of a WalMart bathroom stall after your two year old has congratulated your bladder control.
You think all of this potty enthusiasm would translate into some potty training success. But no luck. I'm thinking of attempting it again right before Kindergarten . . .
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Christmas Videos & Potty Updates
First . . . a quick potty training update for those of you the least bit interested in our ongoing saga. The rest of you should probably just skip ahead to the next paragraph. Anyway, my Mom had warned me about the ups and downs of potty training a strong willed child . . . seems karma is going to town on this one. :-) Potty training has always been mainly in Annie's hands . . . a mere mention of using the potty can cause huge tantrums, and she's a rather, um, independent child, so she's not only set the pace, but pretty much been in charge of everything. And several days back she woke up that morning and when I asked what she wanted on when she got dressed, she said a diaper. Each and every time we change her she picks whether she wants panties, diapers or pull-ups. She cycles through them depending on her moods, using mainly one form of butt-coverage one day, and a completely different one another . . . and I just let her do what she wants. Lately she's on more of a 'diaper' kick, although she will often take off her diaper to use the potty when she needs to, then somehow get the diaper back on all by herself. (She can also vindictively remove said diaper, poop on her bedroom floor, THEN put it back on. Good times.) Anyway, the whole 'whatever you're comfortable with' thing is cool with us. I'm pretty confident she won't still be in diapers in Kindergarten, and my life is a lot easier if she's not feeling the pressure (the one day she picked her diaper and I pushed the potty a little more than normal she peed on the floor three times and did the whole bedroom floor thing. It's like she was an angry puppy or something!), so diapers it is for now. One day, possibly even one day soon, she will be a panties-only kid, and I can wait patiently for that . . . or, kinda patiently at least -- patient in a 'I've resigned myself to this' kinda way. :-)
Anyway, this video was of Annie at Grandma Ruth's & Grandpa K.C.'s house on Christmas morning in her new princess gear . . . and a very snotty nose . . . Enjoy!
Here we are driving to Greg's parents house on Christmas morning . . . stupid snow storm made it the scariest hour of my life . . .
And yes, feel free to pity Greg that he has to drive so often with such a horrible backseat driver like me!
Anyway, this video was of Annie at Grandma Ruth's & Grandpa K.C.'s house on Christmas morning in her new princess gear . . . and a very snotty nose . . . Enjoy!
Here we are driving to Greg's parents house on Christmas morning . . . stupid snow storm made it the scariest hour of my life . . .
And yes, feel free to pity Greg that he has to drive so often with such a horrible backseat driver like me!
Public Announcements
So, today we attended Stake Conference with our girls. Before the meeting even started, Annie decided she needed to use the restroom, so her and I took off for a few minutes. Annie excitedly ran back to brag to her father about her success . . . ran so fast I wasn't able to stop her at the door to the room as I realized they were saying the opening prayer. I stopped just outside the door, but Annie was already half way back to our seats, enthusiastically shouting in the middle of the quiet room full of bowed heads, "Daddy! Guess what? I peed in the potty!!"
Friday, January 30, 2009
Annie & the Terrible Twos
The following pictures are to remind me how much I love this kid.
Even when she poured cup after cup of water smack dab in the middle of my kitchen floor. Peed in her panties three times. Left a giant pile of crap (literally) in the middle of her bedroom floor. And used a sharpie on multiple surfaces of our home.
Sure is cute though . . .
(And she hasn't taken up a vampiric life . . . the brown drool in all these pictures is caused by M&Ms . . . seriously, how much brown drool can two M&Ms make!?)
Even when she poured cup after cup of water smack dab in the middle of my kitchen floor. Peed in her panties three times. Left a giant pile of crap (literally) in the middle of her bedroom floor. And used a sharpie on multiple surfaces of our home.
Sure is cute though . . .
(And she hasn't taken up a vampiric life . . . the brown drool in all these pictures is caused by M&Ms . . . seriously, how much brown drool can two M&Ms make!?)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Proud . . . and Tired
So, Annie came into our room early, early this morning . . . sometime before 6AM. She had to pee, and was just informing us she was headed into the bathroom. Incredibly impressed that my two year old woke herself up to use the potty before morning, but couldn't help groggily thinking, "Kid, this is why you sleep in a diaper!"
Annie did go all day yesterday in panties without a single accident . . . and can surprisingly go like 4-5 hours between needing to use the potty (that last hour or two I'm a nervous wreck, just waiting for find a puddle somewhere). Still very stubborn though, I think anytime I gently reminded her about the potty, she held off another half hour or so before she would go and use the bathroom.
Ellie will probably end up crawling eventually. This week she finally decided that being on her tummy isn't complete torture. I mean, she still doesn't like it, and will roll over onto her back pretty quickly, but she has at least showed some indications that she 'gets' that this tummy thing will eventually lead to some form of mobility. If put up on her hands and knees, she'll bob around for a second or two, then lunge towards something she wants. Then roll over onto her back. She has even put herself from sitting onto her hands and knees a few times in the last few days, which is amazing progess for our tummy-hater. So, she may be mobile one day . . . at which point I will predictably complain, "Remember when you could leave her on the floor in one place and come back and she'd still be there!" (As I've been typing this, she actually just dived from sitting onto her tummy to get to some of Annie's playing cards to eat.)
Ellie is also becoming quite the eater. Not that you can tell from her still-shy-of-15-pounds body. She LOVES fajitas. Onions, peppers, chicken. You'd think the kid is in heaven. She ate twice as much guacomole and beans than her big sister the other day, and will chow down on raw tomatoes until I'm afraid she'll turn red. Paper is still her favorite though. Particularly playing cards and books.
She's getting awfully chatty lately too . . . babbling all through Sunday School AND Elders' Quorum Greg informs me. His favorite part is that it's becoming increasingly a very clear "da da da da da." Annie even commented this morning, "Mom, did you hear that? Annie just said 'DaDa!' We should call Daddy."
Oh, and on a personal note. Am I the only person who loves talking in Sacrament meeting? Like LOVES it? Seriously, it bums me out I only get to do it every few years. Greg and I spoke this last Sunday, me speaking 25 minutes of our allotted time, poor Greg getting to improptu butcher his talk down to five minutes. (I'd TOLD him to only plan on 5 minutes, but the silly boy (who should know me better by now) still planned ten.) I don't know what it is, but I totally look forward to it all week, and then feel like a complete ROCK STAR when I'm done. I love the accolades, the teary eyes complimenting me on a job well done, the handshakes, hugs and back pats. The whole thing. Rock Star! Yeah, I'm pretty sure my complete lack of humility about the whole thing negates any blessings I would have received for faithfully following through with my assigned task, but for now, I'm cool with that. (Rock Star!)
Annie did go all day yesterday in panties without a single accident . . . and can surprisingly go like 4-5 hours between needing to use the potty (that last hour or two I'm a nervous wreck, just waiting for find a puddle somewhere). Still very stubborn though, I think anytime I gently reminded her about the potty, she held off another half hour or so before she would go and use the bathroom.
Ellie will probably end up crawling eventually. This week she finally decided that being on her tummy isn't complete torture. I mean, she still doesn't like it, and will roll over onto her back pretty quickly, but she has at least showed some indications that she 'gets' that this tummy thing will eventually lead to some form of mobility. If put up on her hands and knees, she'll bob around for a second or two, then lunge towards something she wants. Then roll over onto her back. She has even put herself from sitting onto her hands and knees a few times in the last few days, which is amazing progess for our tummy-hater. So, she may be mobile one day . . . at which point I will predictably complain, "Remember when you could leave her on the floor in one place and come back and she'd still be there!" (As I've been typing this, she actually just dived from sitting onto her tummy to get to some of Annie's playing cards to eat.)
Ellie is also becoming quite the eater. Not that you can tell from her still-shy-of-15-pounds body. She LOVES fajitas. Onions, peppers, chicken. You'd think the kid is in heaven. She ate twice as much guacomole and beans than her big sister the other day, and will chow down on raw tomatoes until I'm afraid she'll turn red. Paper is still her favorite though. Particularly playing cards and books.
She's getting awfully chatty lately too . . . babbling all through Sunday School AND Elders' Quorum Greg informs me. His favorite part is that it's becoming increasingly a very clear "da da da da da." Annie even commented this morning, "Mom, did you hear that? Annie just said 'DaDa!' We should call Daddy."
Oh, and on a personal note. Am I the only person who loves talking in Sacrament meeting? Like LOVES it? Seriously, it bums me out I only get to do it every few years. Greg and I spoke this last Sunday, me speaking 25 minutes of our allotted time, poor Greg getting to improptu butcher his talk down to five minutes. (I'd TOLD him to only plan on 5 minutes, but the silly boy (who should know me better by now) still planned ten.) I don't know what it is, but I totally look forward to it all week, and then feel like a complete ROCK STAR when I'm done. I love the accolades, the teary eyes complimenting me on a job well done, the handshakes, hugs and back pats. The whole thing. Rock Star! Yeah, I'm pretty sure my complete lack of humility about the whole thing negates any blessings I would have received for faithfully following through with my assigned task, but for now, I'm cool with that. (Rock Star!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)