Monday, August 17, 2009

Another successful day

Woohoo!  Another full accident free day.  Rebecca took herself to the bathroom to poop twice today.  Woohoo!

Of course, after the visit, she came streaking out of the bathroom looking for poop-presents.  We've gotta work on her follow through before September.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Twenty four hours of success!

Yesterday Rebecca performed flawlessly.  She wore the same underwear all day long, going to the bathroom a whole bunch of times.  Most impressively, both times that she had to go poop, she took herself to the bathroom and called out that she pooped in the toilet after she was done!  Hooray!  Rewarded her with a Disney puzzle.  (Got 8 of them in a box for $15)  We'll wean her off the bribes soon, once we're getting consistent success.

Today also went well, not 100%, but I won't bore you with details.

Next up, wiping ourselves after poops.  Following that, it's trying to go through the night in underwear.

I'm starting to feel more confident about kindergarten next month.  :)

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Now it's straight hair


Also, unrelated to parenting.

This has nothing to do with parenting


Rebecca wins a potty incentive

She told me she is a potato doctor, and she "fixes" the potato lady.

Fancy hair for Becca too


Notice Lucy standing on a dining room chair (again!!!)

Never leave home without your T-Rex


Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Success on the toilet front

So today Becca had a little accident on the sofa.  I was a little miffed.  I sent her to the bathroom as I cleaned the mess and told her to strip down and sit on the toilet.

After she had a pee she started to get up and in frustration I told her to sit on the toilet until she pooped as I didn't want her to put on underwear to just have another accident.

I asked her repeatedly to try to poop as I cleaned up.  I was a little more persistent than usual.  She pooped.

She then asked for help wiping up, and then wanted her 'present'.  She has several rewards up on the medicine cabinet above the toilet.  She chose a Tinker Bell story book over Mr. or Mrs. Potato head and a My Little Pony unicorn.

This evening when offered the poster from the Tinker Bell book, Rebecca asked that it be put up in the kitchen beside her potty success chart.  "For poops."

I'm crossing my fingers that this is the start of a trend.

It's really real

Sometimes when I read other Mommy blogs, I am amazed. These women sound so capable and on top of it all! Is it really real? Or, is it the face they want to present on their blogs? And why am I reading the maternal adventures of some stranger halfway around the globe anyway? I admit, there is some comfort in knowing someone else is sharing my experiences, even if I will never meet them. I think it is impossible to write for a blog without some awareness (however small) of your audience colouring your creative act. For my own part, I try to be conscious of my own acts of editing - but generally it is to avoid sharing those moments that are too boring to relate, or too fleeting to signify much. The point is - if this blog has ever been useful to someone else, it's not been in those moments where I am praising Rebecca's puzzle completion ability - but rather describing my efforts to curb her head-banging tendencies etc. I intend to try harder (when I have the opportunity to post), to be really real.
Lucy has become obsessed with a sequined blue hat. I don't know how it happened or why, but she insists on wearing the thing at all times - on the change table, at the dinner table, in bed. I know when she wants it on, because she grunts at me, points to the hat and says hat. She gets frustrated if, when she puts it on her own head, it is not properly oriented. So often, I must fix the hat for her. Every time I place it on her head, she makes a happy scrunchy face, followed by a grin of insane happiness.
While she may insist on covering her head, she certainly has no interest in any covering of her backside.
Every day for the last week and a half, Lucy strips in her crib. Her PJs - no matter how elaborate, no matter how many snaps and buttons - come off, and her diaper does too. She frequently tries to remove the diaper just after I've put it on her. I'm sure you can imagine the kind of problems this tendency has engendered. There is something that really gets you down about a baby with poo all over her feet, bouncing up and down in her bed. There is also something that really gets you down about having multiple rounds of "elimination laundry" during a day.
For some reason, despite being almost completely toilet trained, Rebecca has gone through a mini-regression in the last week. There have been accidents on the floor. She stands there with me, in front of the puddle, and still tells me that she didn't pee. It's annoying to be given a bald-faced lie, but I can only think it's because she is worried about the consequences of the truth. Our policy has always been that "accidents happen, and that's o.k.". We are trying to be good coaches and focus on the positive. But I suppose the difference between our exultant hurrahs for success and the neutral (and sometimes forced) "it's o.k.", is obvious all the same. I was on my hands and knees wiping up the mess with towels, when Lucy fetched a towel and joined me.
I had a peaceful evening with Rebecca. Before Lucy was born, on nights when Greg was working, Rebecca and I would have a lot of peaceful evenings of togetherness. We would do some puzzles, do some chores, read some books, have imagination play. Tonight, once Lucy was asleep, Rebecca and I had a lovely time together. At one point she looked at me and said "Mommy, where's your tea?". I said "I don't have a tea right now". And she said "I'm going to make you a tea". So she went and got her entire Princess tea set and served me "tea". Tea was cheerios in a Sleeping Beauty teacup, with a spoon in it. Best tea I ever had.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Sleeping Beauty Bicycle Fun

Happy Birthday Greg!

I gave Greg the ultimate gift for his birthday...
I let him sleep in and nap at will the whole day long.
And I took care of all dirty diapers, and accidents.
That and an iPOD makes for a happy man.
Naturally, the ladies also bestowed copious hugs, kisses, and cuddles.