Potty Training - Day #2

It's below zero outside. The wind is howling. Why not potty train? I know it sounds like a non sequitur, but there's some logic behind my thinking. I'm sure there are tons of valid ways to potty train a child, and my general philosophy toward parenting is: "Do whatever is right for your child and your family." That being said, after some reading and a lot of discussions with my two sisters (who have eight children between them - seven of eight who are potty trained), I decided to stay home for the next seven to ten days (!) while we potty train.  That way I can avoid the use of pull-ups or diapers during the day.  Thus, the winter time is perfect - we can't really spend a lot of time outside and we're already relinquished to activities at home, so why not be productive with the potty training?

The Y has actually been using the toilet since she was about 18 months old. She started to tell us when she had to pee and poo at 12 months, so her pediatrician suggested we start putting her on the toilet before her shower. By the time Y was 18 months old, she peed and pooped on the toilet every night before her shower. So, the potty training has been going pretty smoothly - no fears about flushing or pooping on the toilet. She actually has a revolving stack of books by the toilet to keep her company. The only hick up in the training is that she doesn't want to stop playing to sit on the toilet.  So my solution has been to put her on the toilet (no questions asked) every 15 to twenty minutes.

The Y has a toilet seat that fits over the regular toilet seat.  It has her favorite sesame street characters on it: Elmo, Dorthy, Ernie, Rubber Ducky, Oscar, Slimy, and Cookie Monster.  She also has one of these:

I have to admit that I'm getting crazy staying at home. I never realized how much we value being out and about on play-dates, in nature, or even going to the grocery story! In an attempt to keep myself from going crazy we are working on a few projects - an alphabet book, baking, and I've been knitting some fruits and vegetables for the Y's shopping cart.



This is how she received her shopping cart on Eid morning. When she saw her shopping cart, she started clapping, screaming, and running around in circles. She'd been asking for a shopping cart for the past six months or so. But, it couldn't be any shopping cart. She specified that it had to be like the Trader Joe's one - "hard" and "silver." Basically she refused to have a plastic cart because as she put it, "those aren't real shopping carts." In the bottom of the cart you can see some knitted apples, lemons, and eggplants. While we chat in the bathroom while the Y "reads" and tries to poop, I've been knitting some pears to add to the cart. Hopefully I'll post a whole blog entry on the knitted fruits and veggies once they are complete.

I'm hoping that ten days from now we'll be pretty much diaper-free in our household. Now only if we can get through the next eight days without going crazy from cabin-fever!

Y's First Snow Adventure

The Y and I love, love being outside, but since we live in the upper-midwest, the we have limited time outside for three months of the year. I don't mind snow, but it's the wind and the frigid temperatures that keep us indoors. So on December 5th, when we had our first snow of the year, we couldn't help ourselves. We had to go outside and play. Y was bundled up in a long-sleeved undershirt, wool long underwear, a sweater, fleece, and snow jumper. Her legs were also layered: wool long underwear, fleece pants, legwarmers, socks, boots, and her snow jumper. Here she is trying to balance in the snow:



Needless to say, her snow outing was filled with laughter, excitement, and creativity. She built her first snowman, who she named Chasenall. Chasenall is also the name of a game the Y created where you run around in a circle with a ball of yarn trailing behind you, yelling "Chasenall! Chasenall!" She loves playing Chasenall with her Papa and Aunt. She wanted Chasenall (the snowman) to have a carrot nose and chocolate covered blueberries for eyes. After playing outside for about 45 minutes, the snow turned very wet, and it was getting too cold. After stripping off our wet layers, the Y enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate and a Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joe's cookie. (If you've never had one of a Candy Cane Joe Joe, you are missing out on a scrumptious treat.)



We have yet to experience another snowfall with actual accumulation because it's been too cold outside. But when the next snow storm comes (and I'm sure they'll be many more this winter), I know the Y will chomping at the bit to play outside, and I'll be right there with her!

Dreams and Poop - not Dreams of Poop

 Raising a little one is honestly the absolute pinnacle of a meaningful and fulfilling life-long job. I guess the reality is that the Y won't be "a little one" forever. Okay, if I'm going to be really honest (eeks!) the Y won't be "a little one" for much longer. Her second birthday is around the corner (less than a month away), and my husband and I often spend evenings looking back at the Y's photos from her birth. No matter how many times we look at the photos, we are thoroughly amazed at how much she's grown - physically and cognitively. She's her own person, with her own ideas and agenda. Yes, she's not even two, and she has her own agenda. She knows what she wants to get done and how to get it done. Aaah, the wonders of the growing and developing brain. Her growth is amazing, and we feel blessed to witness and be a part of it.

This morning, when the Y called out from her crib, "See mama!" that was Papa's cue to snatch her up from the crib. When he walked into the room, the Y did her usual happy dance around her crib. Marching around the perimeter of her crib mattress while her neenee cloth (sleeping cloth) rested on her shoulder, trailing behind her like a flag. (The reason I know this is because the Y has a video monitor in her room). En route from the Y's bedroom to our bedroom, I heard a lot of chattering between the Y and her Papa. (There's no video monitor in the hallway, so I had no idea what was being discussed. All I knew is that they were engrossed in a full on conversation.) Upon entering the room, after the Y bounced over to me for a hug and cuddle, her Papa let me know what they discussed. When he picked her up from the crib, as the traveled down the hallway, she said, "I want to see Mama in the kitchen. She's making mamosas." When my husband asked why she thought mama would be in the kitchen so early in the morning, the Y responded, "In my dream. Mama making mamosas downstairs." My husband responded, "You mean she's making samosas in the kitchen?" "Yes Papa. Making mamosas." So thus the little Y revealed her first dream. Dreams. I didn't even know that she knew what a dream was - I mean it's a relatively abstract concept. Yet she used the term "dream" in a very appropriate context. As my husband says, "I can see the wheels in her head turning." Thank God for the wheels turning...

From the cognitive, to the physical. When I say physical, I mean physiological. I'm talking about poop. Since the Y was about 15 months old, she started telling us when she was peeing and pooping. "I do poperly (properly) poo poo." So her pediatrician, Dr. Hall (who she calls Dr. Hallway), suggested that we start putting her on the toilet before her nightly bath. Like clockwork, before each bath, the Y does pee pee on her Elmo toilet (her toilet seat has Elmo, Dorthy, Ernie, Rubber Ducky, Cookie Monster, and cookies - which is sort of gross. Cookies on a toilet seat. Yuck.). This evening when she was seated on her toilet seat, I heard a few farts escape and echo in the toilet bowl. I asked her if she had to poo, and she said, "Mama it's just gas. Just gas." After chatting for a bit, I inquired about her status, and she didn't reply. Instead the Y had a look of intense concentration on her face, and before any more words could be exchanged, it happened. "Plop. Plot. Plop." Three plops in a row. With a huge smile across my face, it was like the Y could read my mind. She said, "I did a good job. I did it Mama!" She was so proud of her accomplishment, and I was in awe. No, she's not potty trained (not even close), but she did her first poop in the toilet. Three little turds. What a huge accomplishment for the little Y. I gave her a huge hug while she sat on the toiled, and showered her with words of encouragement. Before I could get even more carried away, the Y pointed to the toilet paper and stated, "That. Mama use that to clean me!"

The Y. What else can I say about our little Y? We love her more than words can ever describe. We love you Y. Always know and remember that. Always.