So, we are still going at the potty training thing. I'm not expecting it to be a one day we wake up and start going on the potty type of thing. He is getting better for sure. Today he was not falling asleep for his nap so after about 30 minutes of him in there talking and playing and jumping around I came in to see if I could calm him down. He immediately said "potty" and so I went and got his little potty, took off his diaper and he immediately peed. He stopped and so I had him pee some more. I have decided that I'm only going to give him one M&M per potty "session" (he usually pees about 2-3 times per session). The other night I gave him three M&M's and he woke up three times that night. Not cool.
Right now he seems to be refusing to nap. I think it's partially the rash he has on his leg (something on his inner thigh we found last night, it looked pretty painful), partially the teething he has been doing, partially the M&M I gave him before he went to sleep, partially the juice he had with his lunch... Sometimes I feel like an idiot mom because I get things wrong a lot. I laid him down too late yesterday, so today I laid him down super early, I think both times backfired on me. Times when I'm like, why do I give him M&M's, I should probably give him something without caffeine in it if we are going to potty train before bed. I yell at myself in my head a lot.
Being almost 32 weeks pregnant I have found that I am also VERY tired. Today I fell asleep on the couch while reading to Levi, I have totally been dragging everywhere I go. Tasks often feel mammoth to me. So this afternoon when Levi told me he had to go poopoo I decided I would get him his book and he could read while sitting on the potty. (Again, this was postponing nap time, I didn't care at that point) so while I was waiting for him to go I laid down on the floor next to him and fell asleep. I'm the pregnant, narcoleptic, potty-training mom. Thankfully he didn't get up until he peed. The next thing I knew he was standing there saying "oooh, oooh, potty?" and holding the insert to his little potty. I immediately snapped out of dream world and helped him carry his three drops of pee to the toilet. At that point I didn't care if he had to go poopoo, he was going to put on a diaper and go to bed.
You know you are pregnant and potty training an almost two year old when you fall asleep while he is on the potty.
Lord, help me.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Conventional Potty Training
Okay, so I just had to update this thing.
I've been toying with potty training for a while, doing sort of a part-time thing, getting warmed up to the potty, we have had the M&M's on the bathroom counter for several weeks, I kept telling Levi that if he pooped or peed in the potty that he would get one. Whenever I told him about this all he heard was that he would get M&M's. I think he totally missed the pottying thing.
Well, we have had some breakthroughs the past couple of days. He has definitely shown me that he can, in fact, hold it. I've seen him stop his pee mid stream and then a few minutes later pee on the carpet, so, yes, he has control. A few times I have put him on the potty and we got lucky where he peed. I think this started to re-enforce the idea that if he goes on the potty he will get an M&M. Or should I say "emems" as he calls them.
Every child is different, each of us are created in our own unique, special way. Levi likes his privacy. Yes, he will run around the house naked and laugh, that's not a problem, but he does not like to do his business in front of other people. Specifically me. So I have been setting him up with a book on the potty and I tell him to sit and wait here until I come back. I leave for a few minutes and he is usually standing up and pointing to the potty by then saying "oh, oh" or "potty?" And sure enough, there will be tee tees in the toilet. So, we make a big deal and say "yaaaay" and dump it into the big toilet, wash it out, flush the toilet and get an "emem" we talk about what color the emem is and how he did such a good job by peeing in the potty.
This morning I left him to do his business and I was in the next room when I heard him say "poo poo!" (you have to understand at this point, he hasn't pooped in the potty since we EC'd forever ago, and he definitely doesn't remember that. I wasn't sure if he would be okay with going poop on the potty because some kids are nervous and prefer to go in their diaper, so this was completely unexpected.) Sure enough, I came in and found his poop. We were so excited and got the wipes and wiped off and then dumped it and flushed it and he got TWO emems. It was a good day.
Now, this potty training thing might look like a breeze for me right? Maybe you are a young mom and it looks impossible. Well, this is my problem I am running into. He has so much control that he will go a little bit, get me and we will celebrate and get our emem and everything's great. But then he will want to go again. Okay, you can try again now. And then he goes again. Hm, okay, you still get the emem... but then he wants to go again, and then he pees a third time. Each time it's a little less... but I'm starting to see a little manipulation here... how do I get him to empty his full bladder so that he's not stopping himself six times while going to the bathroom just so he can get more "emems" ?
One thing I do know, I have a very smart and crafty little boy.
I've been toying with potty training for a while, doing sort of a part-time thing, getting warmed up to the potty, we have had the M&M's on the bathroom counter for several weeks, I kept telling Levi that if he pooped or peed in the potty that he would get one. Whenever I told him about this all he heard was that he would get M&M's. I think he totally missed the pottying thing.
Well, we have had some breakthroughs the past couple of days. He has definitely shown me that he can, in fact, hold it. I've seen him stop his pee mid stream and then a few minutes later pee on the carpet, so, yes, he has control. A few times I have put him on the potty and we got lucky where he peed. I think this started to re-enforce the idea that if he goes on the potty he will get an M&M. Or should I say "emems" as he calls them.
Every child is different, each of us are created in our own unique, special way. Levi likes his privacy. Yes, he will run around the house naked and laugh, that's not a problem, but he does not like to do his business in front of other people. Specifically me. So I have been setting him up with a book on the potty and I tell him to sit and wait here until I come back. I leave for a few minutes and he is usually standing up and pointing to the potty by then saying "oh, oh" or "potty?" And sure enough, there will be tee tees in the toilet. So, we make a big deal and say "yaaaay" and dump it into the big toilet, wash it out, flush the toilet and get an "emem" we talk about what color the emem is and how he did such a good job by peeing in the potty.
This morning I left him to do his business and I was in the next room when I heard him say "poo poo!" (you have to understand at this point, he hasn't pooped in the potty since we EC'd forever ago, and he definitely doesn't remember that. I wasn't sure if he would be okay with going poop on the potty because some kids are nervous and prefer to go in their diaper, so this was completely unexpected.) Sure enough, I came in and found his poop. We were so excited and got the wipes and wiped off and then dumped it and flushed it and he got TWO emems. It was a good day.
Now, this potty training thing might look like a breeze for me right? Maybe you are a young mom and it looks impossible. Well, this is my problem I am running into. He has so much control that he will go a little bit, get me and we will celebrate and get our emem and everything's great. But then he will want to go again. Okay, you can try again now. And then he goes again. Hm, okay, you still get the emem... but then he wants to go again, and then he pees a third time. Each time it's a little less... but I'm starting to see a little manipulation here... how do I get him to empty his full bladder so that he's not stopping himself six times while going to the bathroom just so he can get more "emems" ?
One thing I do know, I have a very smart and crafty little boy.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Is Levi taking a cold bath right now? Yes he is. The hot water made his "ouchy" hurt. So, I emptied half of the hot water and replaced it with cold water. And he's perfectly happy. Splashing, smiling, pouring water in and out of his boat, wanting to throw water across the bathroom. I just stand by and keep watch. I also keep watch for poop. He has pooped ... I think it's been 5 times today. I'm not sure if it's diarrea or if it's just teething. He's never pooped in the bathtub before, but that doesn't mean anything to me now, I'm always on the lookout, you can't let your guard down.
I think what we've been experiencing lately has just been teething. Hopefully not the terrible twos. I was just hoping that as I was starting the bath today. He has been so demanding this past week, so angry when he didn't get his way. We have had loud screams, hitting, throwing objects, kicking and just direct disobedience. Jesus, please help me. Please please help me.
It's difficult because you want to give them what they want. You want them to be satisfied, you want their needs to be met, that's your job as the mom. But when they are demanding and disobedient, when they complain and don't get their way... that's when you have to put your foot down. I realized today as I was emptying the bath halfway for the cold water that this is a war that goes on inside of me. The child needs a certain thing and you have to decide if it's worth it, if it is good for them, is there a good reason for this thing? And then you either tell them "yes, we can do that, let me serve you." or you can tell them, "no, that is not necessary" or "no, that is bad for you." This is the constant state of parenting. If i give in this one time I am at risk for having to give in forever. If I told him "no" for this earlier I need to follow through and discipline him. How do I discipline? Do I spank for this thing or just pull him aside and tell him "no"? Do I take that thing away?
Lately Levi has been spitting out his food. He takes a bite, chew it up and then if it is too much or he doesn't like the taste, he just spits it up. I tell him no when he spits it out, but this doesn't seem to make a difference. I have taken away the item of food or the drink that he is spitting out... so frustrating.
Yeah, so those are the things we have been dealing with lately.
I think what we've been experiencing lately has just been teething. Hopefully not the terrible twos. I was just hoping that as I was starting the bath today. He has been so demanding this past week, so angry when he didn't get his way. We have had loud screams, hitting, throwing objects, kicking and just direct disobedience. Jesus, please help me. Please please help me.
It's difficult because you want to give them what they want. You want them to be satisfied, you want their needs to be met, that's your job as the mom. But when they are demanding and disobedient, when they complain and don't get their way... that's when you have to put your foot down. I realized today as I was emptying the bath halfway for the cold water that this is a war that goes on inside of me. The child needs a certain thing and you have to decide if it's worth it, if it is good for them, is there a good reason for this thing? And then you either tell them "yes, we can do that, let me serve you." or you can tell them, "no, that is not necessary" or "no, that is bad for you." This is the constant state of parenting. If i give in this one time I am at risk for having to give in forever. If I told him "no" for this earlier I need to follow through and discipline him. How do I discipline? Do I spank for this thing or just pull him aside and tell him "no"? Do I take that thing away?
Lately Levi has been spitting out his food. He takes a bite, chew it up and then if it is too much or he doesn't like the taste, he just spits it up. I tell him no when he spits it out, but this doesn't seem to make a difference. I have taken away the item of food or the drink that he is spitting out... so frustrating.
Yeah, so those are the things we have been dealing with lately.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Potty Training... at 20 months
Well, we are doing potty training little by little. I have heard many people say either do it or don't do it, you will confuse the child... all that stuff. I'm ignoring advice right now. :) As usual.
It's not full our potty training because Levi can't talk all the way. He knows what the potty is. He knows what going tee tee is, I think he knows what poop is too. He knows he doesn't like diapers. But, I'm not sure he likes training pants that much either. I wouldn't like them, they are Walmart and the elastic seems too tight and rough on his skin... Might need to go shopping for some softer version.
So, I put him on the potty after he wakes up usually, he hasn't pooped on it yet, but he has peed a couple of times and he receives lots of praise when he does. Then he gets to help dump it into the big toilet and flush it. He usually tells it "bye bye" ... which is adorable if you could just hear it in his sweet little voice.
Last night I put him on the potty for a little while. I don't ask him if he has to pee as much, I just say, "Now we're going to sit on the potty." Because usually he replies "no" to any question at all. It's his default. Also, I've heard some kids just don't want to stop doing what they are doing so they just hold it in. I want him to know that he HAS to sit on the potty sometimes and at least try. This is what we do, this is part of being a human being. So he sat on it for about a minute or two, played in the shower curtain, tried to get up and play in the bathtub, we talked about how when you have to go poo poo you have to push it out, we talked about going tee tee. Finally, there was nothing so I said, "Okay, I guess you don't have to go" and I let him go. Of course then I was lazy and didn't put a diaper on him. I like to let him run free sometimes because I feel like it's good for his skin. He loves it too :). Of course about ten minutes later I caught him peeing on the carpet. I don't think it was on purpose, it just sort of surprised him. He looked at me worried and I said, "whoops! We don't tee tee on the carpet, we go on the potty." So I took him to the potty and he didn't have to go anymore. Then I cleaned it up and we talked about how if he needs to go he can tell mommy and I will take him to the potty.
I never get angry at him or spank him for going on the floor. I don't stress out if he's not going on the potty. It's all just a trying game. We talk about everything. We talk about how we won't have to weary yucky diapers if he will go tee tee on the potty and how we will get to wear big boy pants like daddy when he stops going in his diapers. (He wants to be like daddy SOOO badly and it's adorable).
Yep, so that's my story.
It's not full our potty training because Levi can't talk all the way. He knows what the potty is. He knows what going tee tee is, I think he knows what poop is too. He knows he doesn't like diapers. But, I'm not sure he likes training pants that much either. I wouldn't like them, they are Walmart and the elastic seems too tight and rough on his skin... Might need to go shopping for some softer version.
So, I put him on the potty after he wakes up usually, he hasn't pooped on it yet, but he has peed a couple of times and he receives lots of praise when he does. Then he gets to help dump it into the big toilet and flush it. He usually tells it "bye bye" ... which is adorable if you could just hear it in his sweet little voice.
Last night I put him on the potty for a little while. I don't ask him if he has to pee as much, I just say, "Now we're going to sit on the potty." Because usually he replies "no" to any question at all. It's his default. Also, I've heard some kids just don't want to stop doing what they are doing so they just hold it in. I want him to know that he HAS to sit on the potty sometimes and at least try. This is what we do, this is part of being a human being. So he sat on it for about a minute or two, played in the shower curtain, tried to get up and play in the bathtub, we talked about how when you have to go poo poo you have to push it out, we talked about going tee tee. Finally, there was nothing so I said, "Okay, I guess you don't have to go" and I let him go. Of course then I was lazy and didn't put a diaper on him. I like to let him run free sometimes because I feel like it's good for his skin. He loves it too :). Of course about ten minutes later I caught him peeing on the carpet. I don't think it was on purpose, it just sort of surprised him. He looked at me worried and I said, "whoops! We don't tee tee on the carpet, we go on the potty." So I took him to the potty and he didn't have to go anymore. Then I cleaned it up and we talked about how if he needs to go he can tell mommy and I will take him to the potty.
I never get angry at him or spank him for going on the floor. I don't stress out if he's not going on the potty. It's all just a trying game. We talk about everything. We talk about how we won't have to weary yucky diapers if he will go tee tee on the potty and how we will get to wear big boy pants like daddy when he stops going in his diapers. (He wants to be like daddy SOOO badly and it's adorable).
Yep, so that's my story.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Learning things about Levi
I was going to post something that Levi did on Facebook, but then I realized that it would be too long. Then I remembered I have this blog :)
Some things he's been doing:
Today he used a level (the tool you use to make sure something you're hanging is level) as a push toy. He was just pushing it around the house, back and forth. He likes to push things, especially long things. Brooms are a favorite as well as mops, rakes, long sticks in the front yard...The other day he was pushing a paint roller around (minus the sponge thingy) I don't know what is so fascinating about that stuff, but it is to him.
I am realizing more and more that he needs physical touch. I will be trying to cook dinner or just get ready and rushing through... and he is at my heels crying for me to pick him up. Sometimes I just have to go sit on the couch with him and just hold him. He loves to be roughed around and tickled. It's like it just satisfies him or something. After we hang out for 5-10 minutes he seems to be fine. He just was needing to be touched, played with, loved on.
An annoying thing lately is just the fact that he poops a ton. He eats a ton and therefore of course poops a ton. Maybe like 4-5 times a day. An irritating facet to this is that I'm rotating cloth and disposable diapers so that I can use a rash cream for his rash we are fighting. It seems that he likes to poop the most in his cloth diapers. Are you kidding me?! Not only do I have to wipe and clean it all up but I have to go rinse them in the toilet too. That would be why I would want to potty train early. I put him on the potty every once in a while, I ask him if he's going poopoo when I can see him grunting. He doesn't really care. He hates having his diaper changed so I try to explain to him we won't have to do this if he will learn to go poop and pee on the potty. He doesn't understand yet. I'm not pushing anything or worrying about anything, I'm just going to keep my eyes open to when he will be ready.
There's my update! Hope y'all enjoy
Some things he's been doing:
Today he used a level (the tool you use to make sure something you're hanging is level) as a push toy. He was just pushing it around the house, back and forth. He likes to push things, especially long things. Brooms are a favorite as well as mops, rakes, long sticks in the front yard...The other day he was pushing a paint roller around (minus the sponge thingy) I don't know what is so fascinating about that stuff, but it is to him.
I am realizing more and more that he needs physical touch. I will be trying to cook dinner or just get ready and rushing through... and he is at my heels crying for me to pick him up. Sometimes I just have to go sit on the couch with him and just hold him. He loves to be roughed around and tickled. It's like it just satisfies him or something. After we hang out for 5-10 minutes he seems to be fine. He just was needing to be touched, played with, loved on.
An annoying thing lately is just the fact that he poops a ton. He eats a ton and therefore of course poops a ton. Maybe like 4-5 times a day. An irritating facet to this is that I'm rotating cloth and disposable diapers so that I can use a rash cream for his rash we are fighting. It seems that he likes to poop the most in his cloth diapers. Are you kidding me?! Not only do I have to wipe and clean it all up but I have to go rinse them in the toilet too. That would be why I would want to potty train early. I put him on the potty every once in a while, I ask him if he's going poopoo when I can see him grunting. He doesn't really care. He hates having his diaper changed so I try to explain to him we won't have to do this if he will learn to go poop and pee on the potty. He doesn't understand yet. I'm not pushing anything or worrying about anything, I'm just going to keep my eyes open to when he will be ready.
There's my update! Hope y'all enjoy
Thursday, April 21, 2011
A difficult day.
I hate it when I mess up Levi's naps.
It was all my fault. I didn't feed him enough. I left him with my husband who wasn't feeling very well and he didn't know Levi's schedule and didn't feed him enough and laid him down for a nap too early (any mom knows the consequences of laying a child down for a nap too early: they don't sleep long enough!) and then when I came home he had a terrible diaper rash (should not have put him in his cloth diapers, should have kept slathering on the nystatin and desitin).
Twice I tried to lay him down later that afternoon. Twice I failed.
I am so tired. I'm tired of dealing with a whiny, fussy little boy, I'm tired from all the other stuff in life that is stressing me out, I'm tired of the rain, tired of having to plan and fix dinner, I want to go to the prayer meeting tonight, but Levi for sure won't last...
It's me, it's me, it's me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.
I feel like I'm hanging by a thread sometimes. The schedule is off and I'm annoyed at everyone. I'm discouraged from some interactions with other believers today... believers? I hate it when that happens. How does that happen? I want to be renewed.
I am weary.
Please help me Lord, I know that You can give me the strength. I know that Your will is perfect, and if that is to stay home with my little boy, then that's okay.
Jesus, I am in your hands. My family is in your hands. Help me to have an eternal perspective.
It was all my fault. I didn't feed him enough. I left him with my husband who wasn't feeling very well and he didn't know Levi's schedule and didn't feed him enough and laid him down for a nap too early (any mom knows the consequences of laying a child down for a nap too early: they don't sleep long enough!) and then when I came home he had a terrible diaper rash (should not have put him in his cloth diapers, should have kept slathering on the nystatin and desitin).
Twice I tried to lay him down later that afternoon. Twice I failed.
I am so tired. I'm tired of dealing with a whiny, fussy little boy, I'm tired from all the other stuff in life that is stressing me out, I'm tired of the rain, tired of having to plan and fix dinner, I want to go to the prayer meeting tonight, but Levi for sure won't last...
It's me, it's me, it's me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.
I feel like I'm hanging by a thread sometimes. The schedule is off and I'm annoyed at everyone. I'm discouraged from some interactions with other believers today... believers? I hate it when that happens. How does that happen? I want to be renewed.
I am weary.
Please help me Lord, I know that You can give me the strength. I know that Your will is perfect, and if that is to stay home with my little boy, then that's okay.
Jesus, I am in your hands. My family is in your hands. Help me to have an eternal perspective.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
A change in direction
I have wondered if I should shut this blog down since I'm mainly focused on my other one... But I kind of feel like I could just turn this one away from stories about me trying to do early potty training into just a blog about my little boy and mothering and stuff like that.
I think I will. I will probably include poop stories and things like that, but they will be less of a focus.
The changes in Levi's personality have been really interesting. I want to always be a student of my children and allow them to change. I don't want to pigeonhole my kids. I feel like sometimes I was pigeonholed into a certain role in my family. I think I went through changes in my life, I see how my siblings went through changes and I feel like my parents didn't adjust to them.
Okay, so I thought Levi was going to be really gregarious and outgoing. When he was 8-12 months he would go up to anyone, he was always smiling, always liked to be around people. He would always wave goodbye, etc. Well, now he will not go to anyone. He is so shy toward others and possessive of me or Ben or his grandparents, it's kind of embarrassing. He doesn't wave bye bye anymore, just sort stares blankly at them. People try and try to get him to smile. He will smile after a while, but it will be a hard-earned smile.
He's totally fun with me and Ben and people he knows. He likes to laugh and play, but outsiders wouldn't think so. He occasionally flirts with people at the grocery store or someplace when we are out and about, but it seems like it's just a random thing. I'm hoping this is all just a phase. The doctor said he would be shy and that I need to keep working on getting him out. So that's what I'm trying to do, but it feels like forever right now.
Words he can say: dada and mama. "poon" for spoon. shoes. "nana" for banana.
Whoops, gotta go, Levi is awake :)
I think I will. I will probably include poop stories and things like that, but they will be less of a focus.
The changes in Levi's personality have been really interesting. I want to always be a student of my children and allow them to change. I don't want to pigeonhole my kids. I feel like sometimes I was pigeonholed into a certain role in my family. I think I went through changes in my life, I see how my siblings went through changes and I feel like my parents didn't adjust to them.
Okay, so I thought Levi was going to be really gregarious and outgoing. When he was 8-12 months he would go up to anyone, he was always smiling, always liked to be around people. He would always wave goodbye, etc. Well, now he will not go to anyone. He is so shy toward others and possessive of me or Ben or his grandparents, it's kind of embarrassing. He doesn't wave bye bye anymore, just sort stares blankly at them. People try and try to get him to smile. He will smile after a while, but it will be a hard-earned smile.
He's totally fun with me and Ben and people he knows. He likes to laugh and play, but outsiders wouldn't think so. He occasionally flirts with people at the grocery store or someplace when we are out and about, but it seems like it's just a random thing. I'm hoping this is all just a phase. The doctor said he would be shy and that I need to keep working on getting him out. So that's what I'm trying to do, but it feels like forever right now.
Words he can say: dada and mama. "poon" for spoon. shoes. "nana" for banana.
Whoops, gotta go, Levi is awake :)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Things lately
Brushing Levi's teeth is hilarious. He leans back and closes his eyes and lets me just brush away. Then he takes the toothbrush and looks in the mirror at himself as he brushes.
This morning as I was cooking us some eggs Levi was in his high chair and all at once just yelled "Dah" at the top of his lungs. I almost jumped out of my skin.
Levi's favorite thing is to go outside. He goes and gets his shoes, comes and sits on my lap and lets me put them on him. I have an amazing little boy.
Today as I was wiping him up after breakfast he took the washcloth from me and started wiping his face. He is so smart.
The best part is when he says something "blah dah, baba..." and has the most intent look on his face as he is telling me this important thing. I SO wish I could understand these little deep thoughts he is thinking. I love it.
I never knew being a mom could be this amazing.
This morning as I was cooking us some eggs Levi was in his high chair and all at once just yelled "Dah" at the top of his lungs. I almost jumped out of my skin.
Levi's favorite thing is to go outside. He goes and gets his shoes, comes and sits on my lap and lets me put them on him. I have an amazing little boy.
Today as I was wiping him up after breakfast he took the washcloth from me and started wiping his face. He is so smart.
The best part is when he says something "blah dah, baba..." and has the most intent look on his face as he is telling me this important thing. I SO wish I could understand these little deep thoughts he is thinking. I love it.
I never knew being a mom could be this amazing.
Monday, March 7, 2011
A Funny Story
Sometimes Levi just amazes me with the way he picks up on things.
And sometimes it just makes me laugh.
Last night Ben went out to get a movie for us. I was getting Levi ready for bed and was taking my time getting his clothes on him after his bath. I like to let him run around without a diaper for a little while. He has recently learned the word "no" and says it in a very deliberate way. I was changing his crib sheets, thinking, "I really need to get a diaper on him, he's probably about to have an accident." I got distracted and was doing something in the hall bathroom when I heard him saying "No no no." I thought, oh no, he's probably tee tee-ed on the floor. I came into his room where he was and looked all around. He was getting something off his shelf as he was saying "No no no." He got a cloth diaper (which I usually get when he has peed on the floor) off the shelf and was toddling into our room, still saying "No no no." Then it became clear to me what he was doing and I followed him into our bathroom where he got down on the floor and started wiping up the place where he had peed. The poor little fella was trying to clean up his own mess! He was telling himself no, I just couldn't stop laughing. Maybe this is counted as one of the joys of EC'ing your child. :)
I have a precious little boy. All the ups and downs and silliness. I'm sure we're going to have to have our carpets steam-cleaned someday, but I don't care, he's way better than any stupid carpet. :)
Oh yes, and he has been peeing on the potty occasionally. I'll be interested to see if I have totally ruined him for potty training or not. Who knows. I'll love him either way though.
And sometimes it just makes me laugh.
Last night Ben went out to get a movie for us. I was getting Levi ready for bed and was taking my time getting his clothes on him after his bath. I like to let him run around without a diaper for a little while. He has recently learned the word "no" and says it in a very deliberate way. I was changing his crib sheets, thinking, "I really need to get a diaper on him, he's probably about to have an accident." I got distracted and was doing something in the hall bathroom when I heard him saying "No no no." I thought, oh no, he's probably tee tee-ed on the floor. I came into his room where he was and looked all around. He was getting something off his shelf as he was saying "No no no." He got a cloth diaper (which I usually get when he has peed on the floor) off the shelf and was toddling into our room, still saying "No no no." Then it became clear to me what he was doing and I followed him into our bathroom where he got down on the floor and started wiping up the place where he had peed. The poor little fella was trying to clean up his own mess! He was telling himself no, I just couldn't stop laughing. Maybe this is counted as one of the joys of EC'ing your child. :)
I have a precious little boy. All the ups and downs and silliness. I'm sure we're going to have to have our carpets steam-cleaned someday, but I don't care, he's way better than any stupid carpet. :)
Oh yes, and he has been peeing on the potty occasionally. I'll be interested to see if I have totally ruined him for potty training or not. Who knows. I'll love him either way though.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Weaning
My goal for breastfeeding was a year. I wanted to make it that far at least. From there I would decide if we needed to continue. I must say, I have loved it. It was best in the winter time when we could snuggle and keep warm together. I also felt like my immunities we protecting him from getting too sick during those winter months.
He's now 15 months and the weather is warmer. I had once thought that maybe we could make it to 18 months, but I think I'm about done. I want to be able to go on an overnight camping trip, I want to not have to wake up at 5:30 for a feeding, I would like not to have to wear a nursing bra. Too much information, I know. The problem is that Levi is not done. Several times a day he asks to nurse and often cries when he doesn't get to. Depending on the time and moment sometimes I give in. I realize that weaning is not a cold turkey thing, it's a process.
The Dr said that we would just drop down to fewer feedings (less than three a day) we do about two or three and then one day he would reject me. So far this has not been the case. He also said that I would be sad. I don't think I will be though. A lot of moms have told me that they miss nursing their child and for sure I enjoyed it very much and I am thankful we were able to... I don't take that for granted at all. But I think I am ready to move on to the next phase of life. :)
How is it that I thought weaning would be this easy, care-free process? I sort of had a picture that one day my supply would go down to nothing and Levi would just be okay with that and we would move on with our lives? Did anyone else have problems weaning? What was your experience with all of this? Some moms say they ran out of their supply too early? What happened with you? Does anyone have any tips in this area?
He's now 15 months and the weather is warmer. I had once thought that maybe we could make it to 18 months, but I think I'm about done. I want to be able to go on an overnight camping trip, I want to not have to wake up at 5:30 for a feeding, I would like not to have to wear a nursing bra. Too much information, I know. The problem is that Levi is not done. Several times a day he asks to nurse and often cries when he doesn't get to. Depending on the time and moment sometimes I give in. I realize that weaning is not a cold turkey thing, it's a process.
The Dr said that we would just drop down to fewer feedings (less than three a day) we do about two or three and then one day he would reject me. So far this has not been the case. He also said that I would be sad. I don't think I will be though. A lot of moms have told me that they miss nursing their child and for sure I enjoyed it very much and I am thankful we were able to... I don't take that for granted at all. But I think I am ready to move on to the next phase of life. :)
How is it that I thought weaning would be this easy, care-free process? I sort of had a picture that one day my supply would go down to nothing and Levi would just be okay with that and we would move on with our lives? Did anyone else have problems weaning? What was your experience with all of this? Some moms say they ran out of their supply too early? What happened with you? Does anyone have any tips in this area?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Levi is sick and nothing is right.
The good side to sickness is that he just wants to be held all the time. This is also the bad side. He also wants to nurse for what feels like FOREVER to me. It feels like he ALWAYS wants to nurse. I'm thankful that we are still doing it because it allows me to pass on immunities to him. Yes, he is 14 months and I'm still nursing, but I'm planning on weaning him soon. After he gets over this coughing and cold mess I think we will begin the weaning process.
He has been peeing on the potty quite a bit lately and I'm pretty amazed at how often he's been able to keep himself dry. With the sickness, however, he has been less of an EC'er as we all would if we were in his shoes. :)
The good side to sickness is that he just wants to be held all the time. This is also the bad side. He also wants to nurse for what feels like FOREVER to me. It feels like he ALWAYS wants to nurse. I'm thankful that we are still doing it because it allows me to pass on immunities to him. Yes, he is 14 months and I'm still nursing, but I'm planning on weaning him soon. After he gets over this coughing and cold mess I think we will begin the weaning process.
He has been peeing on the potty quite a bit lately and I'm pretty amazed at how often he's been able to keep himself dry. With the sickness, however, he has been less of an EC'er as we all would if we were in his shoes. :)
Saturday, February 12, 2011
a new trick
Here's something I have learned this week. I don't know if this is okay or not, but when I put Levi on his potty I have his little space heater blowing hot air on him as hard as possible. He almost always pees when I do this. It's like the warmth helps him or something. This afternoon his diaper was almost completely dry when I took it off of him. Then he peed a lot.
Still don't know what to do about the poops though.
Yeah. That's my story
Still don't know what to do about the poops though.
Yeah. That's my story
Thursday, February 10, 2011
And we are back on the saddle
I've been meaning to post this week. I thought EC was done. Or maybe we were taking a long break. Then, last week I put Levi on his potty and praised him just for SITTING STILL. I was like, "Yeah Levi! Good job!" and then we sat there for a minute and he peed.
He's done it a few more times. He always pees while watching the bath fill. (Ben and I laugh that it's probably the excitement and the sound of the water combined, he just can't help himself and he makes a little puddle in front of the tub. At least it's not IN the tub). So this week I got a brain and put him on his potty while it filled and he, amazingly, peed. We haven't had any poops yet, but sometimes he lets loose of gas when he's sitting on it, so I think that helps.
It's a continual learning and growing process. These past 14 months have gone by so quickly, I thought the potty training process would feel longer. But I think because of all the changes he's gone through: sitting up, scooting, crawling, walking, and a million other things, that potty training hasn't felt like a big deal.
So there's my story for this week. Just watch, next week will be NOTHING. :) But such are the ups and downs of parenting, am I right or am I right?
He's done it a few more times. He always pees while watching the bath fill. (Ben and I laugh that it's probably the excitement and the sound of the water combined, he just can't help himself and he makes a little puddle in front of the tub. At least it's not IN the tub). So this week I got a brain and put him on his potty while it filled and he, amazingly, peed. We haven't had any poops yet, but sometimes he lets loose of gas when he's sitting on it, so I think that helps.
It's a continual learning and growing process. These past 14 months have gone by so quickly, I thought the potty training process would feel longer. But I think because of all the changes he's gone through: sitting up, scooting, crawling, walking, and a million other things, that potty training hasn't felt like a big deal.
So there's my story for this week. Just watch, next week will be NOTHING. :) But such are the ups and downs of parenting, am I right or am I right?
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
I started a new blog about my life. I just thought My EC Experience is soon coming to an end. Now that Levi is 14 months, he's not that into the potty. He's very distracted by his new ability to walk and all the things in our house that he can discover. I have a feeling he will be an outdoors man because he LOVES to be outside. He will literally go and stand at the door and scream for us to let him out. I tell him he needs to put on his shoes first, and a coat, so he is very agreeable as I put those on (because he knows what's coming) and I let him out.
Anyways, we still have potties throughout the house, and I will continue to talk to him about going on the potty, but right now he is anything but interested. Maybe I need to pick up my book again. Maybe I have lost hope? I'm not sure.
I will update if anything happens. :) Thank you to all my faithful readers.
My other blog if you would like to "follow" is www.new-mercies-jody.blogspot.com
Anyways, we still have potties throughout the house, and I will continue to talk to him about going on the potty, but right now he is anything but interested. Maybe I need to pick up my book again. Maybe I have lost hope? I'm not sure.
I will update if anything happens. :) Thank you to all my faithful readers.
My other blog if you would like to "follow" is www.new-mercies-jody.blogspot.com
Friday, January 14, 2011
Diapers, diapers, diapers :-(
Well, if it's ever not been official, it's official now. I hate diapers. I really and truly hate them. I don't know how I would live without them, but I still have a strong distaste for them. I know, I know, it's something that you just have to live with... what would we do without them? They make our lives so much easier, I can go to the grocery store without worrying if Levi will pee on the fresh produce or make a mess in the cart. Yes, they are cleaner in a way, but yesterday... well... Let me just tell you.
Usually Levi just poops once and whatever. Usually I'm pretty aware of what's going on, or I check him often, change him often. Yesterday I lost my brain. I seriously don't know where it went. I went to my mom's house and he had pooped in his diaper, for the second time that day... so surely he was done. (We are rarely EC'ing these days and I'll explain why in a minute). Towards the end of our visit Levi was definitely showing signs of sleepiness, so we rushed home to get to bed. I didn't even think of checking him. I nursed him and tried to put him down but he woke up as soon as I laid him in his bed. Oh well, usually it's just a few cries and then he is out. No, he cried and cried. I kept thinking, "Surely he'll go to sleep in a few minutes." Then he would be quiet for maybe 5-10 minutes, then cry for a few minutes, then scream, but usually he cries the hardest just before he drifts off as if to say, "I'll give one last strong effort before I give up." But this time he didn't drift off back to sleep. (Another side note: I wish I had a video monitor and could see if he really went to sleep or was just sitting quiet and awake in his crib.) Okay, so in the end he didn't sleep at all. I got him up and it crossed my mind to change him but for some reason I didn't. I had dinner to fix, stuff to clean, he seemed okay. I thought his random times of being upset were from his teething he has been doing lately. Well, here's the terrible part, it was 6:30 after we had eaten and everything, we were sitting there, playing with him, watching him play and I realized I hadn't changed his diaper since about one. Yeah. One o'clock. Five and a half hours he had been sitting in, get this, poop. I wanted to cry when I opened up his diaper. Just that guilty feeling and then everything making sense as to why he wouldn't go to sleep, why he was so fussy... His little bottom was red and you could just tell he had been sitting in it for a while. Ugh. It wasn't really stinky, so I had no idea. Now I'm going to be paranoid about checking him.
Okay, we are not EC'ing as much right now for several reasons:
- It's cold, we are all wearing more clothing and which makes it harder to strip down and take the diaper off and get on the cold potty chair. Those little snappy things that snap under his crotch don't make things any easier. But I snap them so he can be warm, otherwise his little belly gets cold.
- He just started walking and could not care less about the toilet. He's so busy exploring and loving this new walking phase that he gets pretty upset when I put him on it. So I think it's best if we back off right now. That way he won't have negative associations with the potty. We still talk about it when he is pooping and mommy and daddy have an open-door policy when it comes to going to the bathroom (I'm sure y'all really wanted to know that, didn't you? Yeah. :))
-The coldness is not conducive to any diaper-free time. It's cold on his little bottom when he runs around without a diaper on. Plus those little t-shirts get wet whenever he pees and I'm not into changing his clothes 3-4 times a day. Not cool.
Okay, just as another side note, as I was washing dishes today and brooding about diapers I will just list off another few reasons to dislike them:
- They are hazardous to the environment, I think it takes about 700 years for one to bio-degrade.
- They remove any awareness of the child's wetness when they pee
- They cost a lot of money. The cloth diapers we use were about 18 dollars a piece, but I found that I am actually SAVING money by using them because the average bargain value diaper is about 20 cents. If I use each diaper 100 times I will have made my money back. But then I need to also factor in the cost of detergent and water... The average person spends about $2500 on diapers in the first two years of their child's life. That's ridiculous. (I do use paper diapers when we go to the nursery or when I remember and bring him to grandma's house, I buy a $10 package of them about every 3 weeks or so.)
- They hold the poop next to your baby's soft, new little baby bottom. I think that might be the worst part for me. We struggle a lot with diaper rashes and sometimes I've realized that my sweet boy is in a bad mood because his skin is hurting him.
Okay, that's my whole rant and rave.
I asked the Lord, "Why? Why did you make this so hard? Is it because of the fall? Would we not have had this problem if it weren't for sin?" We live in a fallen world and so life IS hard, it just is. Maybe potty training is part of that. I keep hearing horror stories of the difficulties of it. I wonder what the other women of the world, who practice EC as part of their lives struggle with in regards to it. I wonder if they hate EC'ing as much as I hate diapers. Maybe they hate having to walk places as much as I hate having to strap my little one into a car seat. Maybe each country and each culture has it's own set of difficulties for a mother to walk through, to persevere through. I'm thankful that I have the future hope of glory and to leave all of this behind someday and live a life of peace with my Savior. May I always teach my children of this great God, always fix our eyes on heaven as we labor through this earth.
Usually Levi just poops once and whatever. Usually I'm pretty aware of what's going on, or I check him often, change him often. Yesterday I lost my brain. I seriously don't know where it went. I went to my mom's house and he had pooped in his diaper, for the second time that day... so surely he was done. (We are rarely EC'ing these days and I'll explain why in a minute). Towards the end of our visit Levi was definitely showing signs of sleepiness, so we rushed home to get to bed. I didn't even think of checking him. I nursed him and tried to put him down but he woke up as soon as I laid him in his bed. Oh well, usually it's just a few cries and then he is out. No, he cried and cried. I kept thinking, "Surely he'll go to sleep in a few minutes." Then he would be quiet for maybe 5-10 minutes, then cry for a few minutes, then scream, but usually he cries the hardest just before he drifts off as if to say, "I'll give one last strong effort before I give up." But this time he didn't drift off back to sleep. (Another side note: I wish I had a video monitor and could see if he really went to sleep or was just sitting quiet and awake in his crib.) Okay, so in the end he didn't sleep at all. I got him up and it crossed my mind to change him but for some reason I didn't. I had dinner to fix, stuff to clean, he seemed okay. I thought his random times of being upset were from his teething he has been doing lately. Well, here's the terrible part, it was 6:30 after we had eaten and everything, we were sitting there, playing with him, watching him play and I realized I hadn't changed his diaper since about one. Yeah. One o'clock. Five and a half hours he had been sitting in, get this, poop. I wanted to cry when I opened up his diaper. Just that guilty feeling and then everything making sense as to why he wouldn't go to sleep, why he was so fussy... His little bottom was red and you could just tell he had been sitting in it for a while. Ugh. It wasn't really stinky, so I had no idea. Now I'm going to be paranoid about checking him.
Okay, we are not EC'ing as much right now for several reasons:
- It's cold, we are all wearing more clothing and which makes it harder to strip down and take the diaper off and get on the cold potty chair. Those little snappy things that snap under his crotch don't make things any easier. But I snap them so he can be warm, otherwise his little belly gets cold.
- He just started walking and could not care less about the toilet. He's so busy exploring and loving this new walking phase that he gets pretty upset when I put him on it. So I think it's best if we back off right now. That way he won't have negative associations with the potty. We still talk about it when he is pooping and mommy and daddy have an open-door policy when it comes to going to the bathroom (I'm sure y'all really wanted to know that, didn't you? Yeah. :))
-The coldness is not conducive to any diaper-free time. It's cold on his little bottom when he runs around without a diaper on. Plus those little t-shirts get wet whenever he pees and I'm not into changing his clothes 3-4 times a day. Not cool.
Okay, just as another side note, as I was washing dishes today and brooding about diapers I will just list off another few reasons to dislike them:
- They are hazardous to the environment, I think it takes about 700 years for one to bio-degrade.
- They remove any awareness of the child's wetness when they pee
- They cost a lot of money. The cloth diapers we use were about 18 dollars a piece, but I found that I am actually SAVING money by using them because the average bargain value diaper is about 20 cents. If I use each diaper 100 times I will have made my money back. But then I need to also factor in the cost of detergent and water... The average person spends about $2500 on diapers in the first two years of their child's life. That's ridiculous. (I do use paper diapers when we go to the nursery or when I remember and bring him to grandma's house, I buy a $10 package of them about every 3 weeks or so.)
- They hold the poop next to your baby's soft, new little baby bottom. I think that might be the worst part for me. We struggle a lot with diaper rashes and sometimes I've realized that my sweet boy is in a bad mood because his skin is hurting him.
Okay, that's my whole rant and rave.
I asked the Lord, "Why? Why did you make this so hard? Is it because of the fall? Would we not have had this problem if it weren't for sin?" We live in a fallen world and so life IS hard, it just is. Maybe potty training is part of that. I keep hearing horror stories of the difficulties of it. I wonder what the other women of the world, who practice EC as part of their lives struggle with in regards to it. I wonder if they hate EC'ing as much as I hate diapers. Maybe they hate having to walk places as much as I hate having to strap my little one into a car seat. Maybe each country and each culture has it's own set of difficulties for a mother to walk through, to persevere through. I'm thankful that I have the future hope of glory and to leave all of this behind someday and live a life of peace with my Savior. May I always teach my children of this great God, always fix our eyes on heaven as we labor through this earth.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Naps
Some days I am convinced I know absolutely nothing about mothering.
Thought Levi needed to go down at 9 but then didn't fall asleep until 10:30 ... and now is awake at 11
And yet he is still such a good little boy.
Thought Levi needed to go down at 9 but then didn't fall asleep until 10:30 ... and now is awake at 11
And yet he is still such a good little boy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)