C

Thank Goodness No More Threes! A Birthday Interview

May 16, 2013 Leave a Comment

A couple of days ago, Miss C turned 4! Hooray! As you can tell by the title of this post, I am relieved that I no longer have three year olds in my house. Whenever people say that the twos are “terrible,” I heartedly disagree. For you see, the threes are where the “terrible” parts truly start. In their twos they might get warmed up but once they hit their threes they are running at full speed. At least this has been the case for my two girls. So yes, it is good to be FOUR!

In order to celebrate C and her birthday, I asked her some questions like I have done with her sister on her birthdays. I have delayed doing this for C until she got old enough. Well, I think four was as good a point as any to start!

Mommy: What is your favorite color?

C: Purple!

Mommy: Who is your boyfriend?

C: Davy! (a little boy from her preschool)

Mommy: What is your favorite food?

C: Marshmallow Cheerios

Mommy: What is your favorite thing to play with?

C: My dog named SnuffleBally (well-loved stuffed animal)

Mommy: What do you want to be when you grow up?

C: A Firefighter

Mommy: What do you like to play with at school?

C: Food Ice Cream – not the real one!

Mommy: What do you like about being 4?

C: Being a big girl!

Mommy: What don’t you like to eat?

C: Eating chicken when it’s not chicken nuggets

Mommy: What don’t you like?

C: Washing my hair

Mommy: Why?

C: Because I don’t like bugs

Mommy: What do you like to play with your sister?

C: Play in her bedroom.

Mommy: With what?

C: Her animal chickie

Filed Under: Birthday_Interview, C Tagged With: birthdays, Fours, Interview

Sometimes My Life is an Abbott & Costello Skit

May 6, 2013 2 Comments

Today is a beautiful Spring day in Chicagoland. After eating some lunch, I asked C (M is at school) if she would like to go for a walk. She replies that she would like to go to “Grandma’s Park” in her wagon. She also decides to bring her stuffed animal, SnuffleBally and a small library book. She tells me she wants to sit in the wagon (it is a two seater Radio Flyer) on the side that is not by the handle. “I want to see you, Mommy” she says. So off we go.

It is a lovely walk. C is talking/reading her book to her doggie and I am getting some good exercise pulling her along. I think I know what she means by “Grandma’s park” (we have four parks within walking distance from our house) so I start walking towards that one. Well, as we approach the park I think is “Grandma’s Park” she starts complaining to me that this is NOT “Grandma’s Park.” Even though I thought this would be it because it is the closest to Grandma’s house, I was wrong. So I ask her where Grandma’s park is. She says it is on “Busy Street.” I am starting to get frustrated. “There is no street called ‘Busy Street!'” I reply. She starts pointing towards the other park, so off we go.

As we approach the next park, I ask her if this is Grandma’s Park. She replies yes. Hallelujah I asked her why this is Grandma’s park. Is it because Grandma took you here once? She doesn’t really reply. A mystery. We continue walking towards the park. She then notices babies and/or toddlers at said park. As I am about to pull the wagon into the park she tells me in an anguished voice: “There are babies there. I don’t want to go here.”

So. Yeah. We finally get to “Grandma’s Park” and what do we do? We turn around and head home. Of course we do.

Just so happened to get this book at our local library this morning…

Filed Under: C Tagged With: adventures, my life is a book sometimes

Potty Training: The Ongoing Saga

April 18, 2012 Leave a Comment

So we are still in the midst of potty training (as I suspect we will be for quite some time). I have tried very hard to just stay calm and not push it if C doesn’t want to sit on the potty. We have ventured out of the house on many occasions and have had only one accident (and that was outside at the park while her sister played soccer). Today she went the entire day with no accidents but also absolutely nothing in the potty! I swear she holds it until she has that diaper on for nap and bedtime! We are now considering getting her into her big girl’s bed (she is the crib right now) and then taking away all diapers. I know it will be messy for a while then but I don’t know what else to do. She is so stubborn.

The funniest thing she does when she has a pee accident is that she will stand very still in one spot and place her hands over her eyes. It is as if she is saying “I can’t see you, so you can’t see what I have just done!” I find it always good to have a sense of humor as a parent and I think I am trying to use it now more than ever!

Thanks so much to all that have voiced concern and offered words of encouragement. I deeply appreciate it. This too shall pass and then we will be on to the next challenge — getting rid of the pacifier!

Filed Under: C, Parenting, potty_training

Tales from the Toilet: Potty Training Day 5

April 14, 2012 1 Comment

Relax. Take a deep breath. I am constantly telling these words to both my girls. I have even heard the two year old tell them to her seven year old sister when she (Miss M) was upset. Today I took my own advice. And it was a much better day. In fact it was the best day of the week.

We ran lots of errands. Ate at a restaurant. No accidents. The best part? Poop in the potty! Cheers were made and happy dances performed.

So we are getting there. I am learning the less I talk about it and the more relaxed I am, the more relaxed C becomes. Baby steps.

Who knew that a toilet could teach you so much?

Filed Under: C, Parenting, potty_training, toilet

Tales from the Toilet: Potty Training Day 4

April 13, 2012 1 Comment

I really don’t know how much longer I am going to be doing these daily posts. One of my friends has already referred to my blog as “your potty blog” so that might be a sign that I may have to tone it down a bit. : )

Anyway…today’s word is Frustration. My girl she is a stubborn one and one that has no problem poopin’ on Dora (or whatever else character she has on her underwear). She did that not once, not twice, but, yeah, three time’s (a lady — not really).

We did leave the house today and had no accidents while running a couple errands. So there’s that. Perhaps C will be one of those kids that has no problem when she is at school (in the way of accidents, etc.) but at home will be another story. Or she could be like Miss M, who I swear only pees twice a day. Bladder of steel, that girl.

It has been a long day and I’m tired. But I have not given up. I can be just as stubborn as my little friend C can be. I have been given good advice from a couple good, trustworthy friends and I intend to use those tactics tomorrow. No more iPad on the potty. No more asking “do you have to go potty?”

Frustrated but resolute.

Filed Under: C, potty_training, toilet

Tales from the Toilet: Potty Training Day 3

April 12, 2012 Leave a Comment

“Do you have to go pee?” I can’t tell you how many times I asked this question today. Did she ever answer me with a yes? Good gosh, no! Patience…patience.

Two accidents today. Both times when she deliberately left my sight and went to “hide.” What frustrates me the most is that this kid KNOWS what she is doing. Patience….Patience.

She did poop in the potty twice but I think that was just because I caught her in the act and rushed her to the toilet. I did give her some stickers, though, since the poop did go into the potty. Patience. Patience.

I repeatedly have asked her “Where does the pee go?” and she replies “In the potty.” Side note: tonight when I asked her this question in front of her dad, she replied “On the refrigerator!” Wise guy.

Kinda feel like I am stuck like in the Groundhog Day movie.

Patience.

Filed Under: C, potty_training, toilet

Tales from the Toilet: Potty Training Day 2

April 11, 2012 1 Comment

Today was pretty much the same as yesterday. C was very willing to sit on the potty, especially if she got to play with the iPad! Despite sitting on the potty for numerous times and for very long spurts (sometimes 15-30 minutes long!), she never went. Frustrating! She only had one accident and that was in the afternoon. In the morning, she held her pee until she got her nap-time diaper on.

So here we are. She does not self-initiate to go to the toilet at all. I continue to watch her like a hawk and attempt to get her on the potty as much as she is willing and is possible.

The journey continues….

Filed Under: C, Parenting, potty_training, toilet

Tales from the Toilet: Potty Training Day 1

April 10, 2012 Leave a Comment

Today was it. The first day of no more diapers. To be truthful the diapers are still here for naps and bedtime, but that is all. I don’t really have an approach or method. Just good ole “you are almost three and you need to not be wearing diapers anymore” philosophy. So we did it.

How did we do? Two accidents, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. No actual pee, etc. in the actual potty. Some tears and lots of iPad watching on the toilet.

C was clingy this morning. You could tell she was sad about not having a diaper. As my mom said she was mourning. I don’t know if I would go quite that far, but this kid does not like change. So it is probably a little of it. After her nap she was not too pleased about having to wear underwear again. But didn’t fight me when we put the underwear on.

Biggest accomplishment of the day: C actually sitting on the big girl’s toilet. Before today she would only sit on her little potty despite picking out an insert for the regular toilet. Today the little potty was gone so she had no choice. She clung to me the first time we sat on it but by the second time she was sitting there with no problem.

Funniest moment of the day: After she sat on the potty for the first time this morning, C tells me “I go to preschool now.” (She has been told that once she starts going on the potty she can go to school like her big sister). I explained to her that first she has to actually GO in the potty and also that school doesn’t start until after summer but maybe she can take a class in the summer. She was kinda disappointed at this news.

Stay tuned for what will be, I am sure, an exciting week….

Filed Under: C, potty_training, toilet