Road Trippin'

We went to Kansas City this past weekend. It's about a 7 or 8 hour drive, longer with stops. It feels even longer with a baby. Levi's not a terrible traveller, but he gets tired of the car just like the rest of us. Usually during those trips he reaches his breaking point during the last hour or so. He vocalizes his discontentment to the rest of us.

Okay, so EC-ing on the trip up actually went WONDERFULLY. That morning before we left I put him on the potty and he peed. He had already had his poop in his diaper that morning, so that was over with (one a day for little buddy). We got in the car and headed to Russellville to pick up Kelsey. It takes about an hour and he was awake but happy during that time. In Russellville I nursed him and then took him outside to pee. We were at Kelsey's dorm and so I just took him over to the side and he peed right there in the grass. It was like he was holding it because I took his diaper off and cued him and a few seconds later a little stream of pee came!

Our next stop was in Fayetteville to add my brothers and sister-in-law. We stopped at Chic-Fil-A and I tried to potty him in the bathroom but he just wasn't ready I guess. So after we ate I took him out to the van and nursed him. He just had a diaper and t shirt on and there was a patch of grass so after he was done I let him play in the grass for a minute. Then it occured to me to check his diaper, dry. Hmmm, so I pulled it aside and cued him right there in the parking lot on the patch of grass. Yes, there were cars driving by (I wasn't really thinking about that at the time) and yes, his little stream of pee came out. :) And yes, my family watched from the restaurant. When I proudly came in with my little boy and his dry diaper they were all shaking their heads at me, but secretly laughing I'm sure. I really don't give a care.

Our third stop was at a gas station with a Denny's. I quietly took Levi to some bushes far from the public eye and cued him again. He peed yet another time. My son is amazing. He kept his diaper dry for most of the trip! We probably only used about 4 diapers that day, are you impressed? You should be.

Well, for the rest of the four day trip he did not go once outside or inside regardless of my coaxing. I take that back, I think he did go once when we were outside. But for the most part I missed most of the time. That was fine because all the people and we didn't take his potty (it's getting too small and he usually pees out of it instead of in it, I'm gonna buy a new one on Friday). Besides that my family kept telling me that I was teaching him to just pee anywhere. Well, I don't really think so because he pees on the potty at home, I was just using the convenience of the great outdoors and avoiding the nasty gas station bathrooms that smell funny anyways... who would really want to use one of those things anyways? I'm always standing over the potty and holding him thinking, "this is not natural at all, why am I doing this?" He likes being outside in general anyways and if it keeps him from sitting in a wet diaper in the car all day I don't really care.

So, that's my road trip story. I hope you all enjoyed it. :)

Okay, I think I figured out how to do the link :) I'm seriously computer illiterate but here goes

video

We had a poop on the potty this morning! I have decided to try a sort of new approach where I take him to go whenever I go. Especially for pees I think it helps him to hear me going ... TMI, I know, I'm really sorry, but that's just the truth. We talk about going pee pee or poo poo in the potty and that's where it belongs, I praise him for having a dry diaper, one afternoon we used the same diaper and he kept it dry the entire time, we just took it off to pee pee and then put it back on when we were done.

I was encouraged by this video I found on Elimination Communication.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQk74whCabE


I pretty much love their accents, I am not an "attachment parenting" gung ho believer, but I thought it was interesting that she timed her baby's pees. I never really thought of that, so I've been trying to take him about every 45 minutes (when I can remember, and I don't stress over it) and just try to keep in communication with him.

By no means is this process perfect, but it's slowly teaching me about his needs in that area.

Levi will be 11 months on Saturday. Craziness.

Oh yes, and I want to recommend watching the movie "Babies" It's pretty awesome, especially if you are a mom. I'm hoping to comment on it more later. For now I gotta go.

Happy ECing!

Dear Levi,

I am so sorry about today. Mommy thought that you were dropping a nap and so I pushed you all the way until 12 when you were probably actually ready to go down at 10. Of course since you were overtired you only slept for an hour and then woke up. Daddy and I hoped you would fall back to sleep and so that's why we let you cry in your crib before we came and got you. I'm sorry you felt so fussy and had a sad afternoon. I'm sorry that we had all that nursing and you still couldn't get a nap in. I wish I could have some how communicated to you that you would have been so much happier at the picnic if only you had slept more in the afternoon, but of course, we already discussed how that was mom's fault. You are my first baby and I don't always get everything right. I am so sorry, but that will probably be the story for you for the rest of your life.

With all my heart and love,

Mommy

P.S. Would you mind letting us know when you are about to poop? Especially if we are about to put a clean diaper on you or something like that?


Yes, today was rough. I take full responsibility. I delusionally thought my 10 1/2 month old was dropping down to one nap after he didn't sleep all that much on Thursday or Friday. I threw all my mommy sense out the window and purposely ignored Levi's sleepy signs only to have him crash at noon and wake up a mere hour later. By the time we got to bedtime and a much-needed bath he was hysterical. Usually he gets excited and happy about bathtimes but this time he cried as we were filling up the tub, cried as I put him in it, cried as I poured water over his head, cried as I shampooed his little head, ... well, you get the picture. Relief finally came when it was time to nurse and then he was out 15 minutes later. What a relief.

So, I think I'm not gonna try to drop a nap unless he's ready. I think I'll know when he's ready and he'll let me know.

Being a mom is tough, and I'm sure I've just started scratching the surface.

EC update: put him on the potty twice today and got half a pee. I can't remember the last time he pooped on the potty... I was so sure he was pooping on it today. It was so disappointing to take him off and see a little tee tee drizzle. It's often tempting to give up, but I sort of feel like it would be stupid to give up and not try it at all. If anything, we are just going to scale back. I think that always gets us back on track, just stepping back and not taking ourselves too seriously.

Happy EC'ing everyone!

Children are a blessing from the Lord. Been thinking about that a lot lately and how it's not always automatic that we will be blessed with children. It's not "as soon as we stop using birth control" though, it is for some people, like a dear friend of mine. But there are other dear friends who have been trying for a while. I'm careful when I talk to them because I know that they are longing for what I have been blessed with. The thought sometimes crosses my mind, "what if Levi is the only child God chooses to bless us with?" How weird is that, that my fears of not being able to conceive again would already start when he is only 10 months? It's possible. Sometimes I wonder if I'm pregnant, I've taken a test recently and I wasn't, just so everyone knows :) ... and we're still nursing, so that could be why... Also, there's the factor that Levi was a C section baby and what that could mean for future babies, those little fears... I hate them, and why do I think of them? The one thing that I know is that God is good. There is enough to worry about today, Levi is enough children for me to handle today, to love today, I will run my errands, teach my piano lesson, prepare dinner and that will be enough for today. I am not to worry about tomorrow and what it will bring, it is in the Lord's hands.

Okay, this is supposed to be an EC blog right? Well, Levi's been sick lately and he's sleeping long for his nap, this is good, it's why I'm posting. We have missed many of his recent poops, so when I put him on the potty this morning I thought, "why try?" It's really a battle to get him to sit still, we are singing and clapping hands, I get toys and he still wants to crawl off. This is against EC rules, but sometimes I hold him on it, just for a little bit, make the noise, sing a quick song and then let him off. He needs to understand that he has to sit still on it if only for a few moments. Well, in those moments this morning he peed. It was as though he was holding it and I gave him permission, or maybe reminded him to release it. He had been diaper-less on the changing table and he could have done it then, but no, he waited for me. So maybe that was the little bit of hope that I needed.

I'm thinking we need to invest in a bigger potty though. He seems to be getting to big for his "little potty" But I'm trying to hold out for a Baby's R Us mailer where they will give me a discount or something. I'm a rewards member and I'm hoping they'll send me something soon. :) Is there someplace cheaper I can get a potty? They are about 30 dollars at Baby's R US. I want a Baby Bjorn potty too, none of those Dora potties or Thomas ones, just a simple one that is easy to clean.

Anyways, those are my thoughts this morning. I hope y'all have a wonderful Wednesday.