Happy Holiday!

That's just plain fun to say in mid-May. I may I add that it's unreal it's mid-May (actually late May) already? Wow.

Avery. Potty training successful as far as pee is concerned. I shared that on Saturday she pooped in the motor home (sorry Grandpa, but we were thrilled). On Tuesday she had a poop accident, and with it came a pee accident - the first in a LONG time. I think that was due to pushing with the poop and all, who knows. Anyway, I made her clean herself up after the poopy accident which she thought was fun. Sigh. I also told her that we are DONE pooping in our panties. No more. Poop is for the potty and that's where it will go. She agreed, and on Wednesday she pooped in the potty, unprompted. Exciting $hit, I tell you!!! And today she has thrown up her entire lunch of mac and cheese. That was pleasant. She's not feeling well, bad cough, etc.

Speaking of not feeling well, Declan. Little bugger has his first ear infection. He's been sleeping through the night since he was 7 weeks old and the past 1.5 weeks he's been up by 5am or so, creeping closer to 4am some mornings. No fun when we've been so spoiled. He had his 4 month check up yesterday and I mentioned he wasn't feeling well, and he had a temp of 100.0 and the red eardrum. So he's on his first round of antibiotics. The appt went well though overall. He's 16lbs 9oz and 25.5 inches long. No problems growing. :)

Caden. Big boy is winding down his final year of ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education). He will be a Kindergartener in just a few months! On Wednesday we had his transitional IEP meeting - he's moving out of the early childhood services/therapists and moving on to the school-aged folks. It's bittersweet. Some of these people have been coming to our home and have known us since Caden was 6 weeks old! But it was a great meeting. We found out who his K teacher will be (2 huge thumbs up) and his special education teacher will be (another round of thumbs up). Everyone was excited to have Caden and to share in the planning for his transition to K. We are excited for him, and I know he'll have a wonderful year!

We're camping this weekend. No way, no tents. We're using Grandpa and Grandma Barbie's motor home. We'll be camping with my parents and brother, and my other brother and SIL and all the nieces and nephews. It's always fun, and we're going to make the best of it, even with the rainy skies and frigid temps. Kids never seem to care, right? We're really looking forward to camping this year because both Caden and Avery now know how to ride tricycles!!! A whole new world has opened up to them now, and it's very exciting.

Have a blessed and fun holiday weekend!

Doing great!

She hasn't had a pee accident in ages. Pooping is still hit or miss, mostly miss. She likes to sneak it in after bedtime when she has a diaper on. However, on Saturday night we were at Grandpa and Grandma Barbie's motor home at the campground and she pooped in the motor home (yes, on the toilet)!!!! Maybe we just need to camp all the time.

Four days...

of zero pee accidents! We are not quite there with the pooping, but she is SO AWESOME at the peeing thing! She has to announce that she has to go (wonder where she gets that need to be HEARD from, lol) but after that it's off to the races!

Day 7 - no accidents, pee-wise

So these updates are getting shorter. And you may be tempted to be upset about that. But remember one thing - I am not getting paid for your entertainment so unless you are prepared to send me cash to blog more, then you're SOL. Whew, that felt good.

And you know I was joking, right? Cuz next I am going to have SOMEONE email me and say, "Was someone truly upset at you? Are you mad or something?" No, I was joking. A funny. A ha-ha. That sorta thing.

Ok folks, day 7 and no pee accidents once again. Avery had the pleasure of going to Aunt C's house today and while she didn't pee there she DID try which was very big of her. And then she was with her adopted grandma all afternoon and peed TWICE for her!!! So far, that's the only other person she has gone potty for besides mommy. I'm so proud!!!!

Tonight she had a poop accident tho. I think she tried to take it out of her panties and put it into her potty to show me she had succeeded (she's been promised another family trip to the park if she poops on the potty, which she is vehemently opposed to) but that God, with me again as usual. It fell on the floor and she didn't want to touch it, so she had to confess. HA HA!!!! But still, no pee accidents 2 days in a row folks! Send this girl some cash (but address it to me, she'll never know).

Day 6 - NO ACCIDENTS

You read that right. No accidents. YAY Avery!

Day 5 - Happy Mother's Day!

Hope all of you wonderful mommas had a wonderful day! Ours was good. Caden was scheduled not to go to church what with the puke fiasco last night, but James said the FIT he threw when James and Avery were getting ready without him was tantamount. So Caden went. I stayed home with Declan because I was going to stay home with Caden and Declan and I couldn't get ready in the amount of time....

So on to potty training. It was a pretty good day but a few accidents. James put Avery in a diaper for going to church. Maybe that wasn't a good idea, not sure. She came home and within 5 minutes she was poopy. No shocker there. So far, we've had zero poopy success.

We put panties on her (she always always fights us on this, any tips? We get them on her, but she "doesn't waaaaaaaaaaaaaant!" them on!!!) and headed to my parents' for Mother's Day lunch. Hours later, we were going to head over to James' parents, and told Avery she had to pee before we could go to "Grandpa and Grandma Barbie's" house (guess which grandma has barbie dolls at her house? YEP! James' folks). Potty success! Off we went.

Spent a few hours there and then headed home. Avery had gotten a sucker from Grandma Barbie and I told her she could have it if she peed. Peed again! Poor girl - Caden gets the sucker with no pottying at all. No fair. We hung out for a while upstairs and then came down to get some supper. After coming downstairs she tells me she needs a towel to wipe up her legs. Uh oh. Yes, she'd peed again, no warning at ALL. And then it got close to time for bed and she's in a diaper and in dreaming-land! More tomorrow...........

Day 4 - and what a day it was!

This is gonna be as short as possible because I am TIRED.

7:30 - we all leave for my parents' so I can go garage saling with my mom and my dad will watch the 3 kids. Ave hasn't peed yet and says she doesn't have to. Diaper was wet overnight, but not soaked. By 8 my mom and I are out the door and hitting the sales....

10am - we're back and Avery still hasn't gone. She tried for grandpa but "no water came out". We decided to all go to Des Moines so I told Avery she HAD TO put her pee in the potty so we could go. By 11am she had GONE and everyone was so proud!! We were on our way to Des Moines. I decide she will stay in panties.

2pm - we're in Menards (like Home Depot) and Avery has to go. She signs "potty" to me and so I take her. After one failed attempt, we go again, and she GOES!!! On a big potty in a community bathroom!!!!!!!!!!!! She goes a lot!!! We are so proud.

5pm - we're in the restaurant and Avery doesn't want to get into her highchair. VERY strange. And it dawns on me - she doesn't want to sit because she's wet or poopy. She admits to being poopy, so James takes her to the bathroom with the already prepared change of clothes (thank goodness for Gymboree and their mix and match stuff - we only have to change bottoms!). They're back and we start eating.....

we're getting close to being finished (except for me and James because we've been up and down 300000 times for demanding kids and crybaby Declan) and Caden starts to vomit. And he pukes, and pukes and PUKES for the next 2 solid minutes. It's INSANE. POOR BABY!!!!!! So we finally get that all cleaned up and everyone goes out except me and James who try to finish up eating.....

7:15 - back at my parents and getting everyone ready to head home to their own homes. I wasn't inside the house, but apparently Avery peed on the floor there. Lots of chaos going on. We head home and she tries to go on the potty once again, but "can't". So now she's in a diaper and in bed....

Today wasn't super successful, but we were busy and in lots of different places. So all in all, it was good for day 4! I'm just amazed at how infrequently she goes....

Let's hope tomorrow is more low-key. Happy Mother's Day to all the awesome mothers I know!!!

Day 3 - poor Caden!

Now you might be tempted to think that Avery has somehow turned potty training into a war against Caden, or somehow peed on Caden, or something like that. But you would be wrong. Let's talk about our sweet firstborn for just a sec before we move on to miss thang. Caden fell at school this morning and crashed foreheadfirst into the cubbies/lockers - and is now the proud owner of stitches. Leave it to Caden to get the first stitches in this family. (We won't talk about how many stitches James has had in his life, but Caden's the first in our little family.) He is SUCH a trooper too. I wasn't able to go to the ER with Caden and James (remember, I watch my neice a nephew and there was no more room in our little car, an no carseats....this HAD to happen on a Friday) but James said he was such a good boy. Certainly didn't LIKE it, but was good. He has to have them removed in 4-5 days so I'm sure that'll be a trip. His teachers felt so bad, bless them. He doesn't have the best balance and they had just come inside from the playground. It had been raining and his shoes were wet and there's tile in front of the cubbies...and the rest is history. I have taken a pic and will edit to get that up in a bit. He's now home with us of course which makes the craziness here all that much more crazy. So what do I do? I blog. Giving my COMPLETE attention to the children. Hey, in my defense, the 2 year old and 3.5 month old are sleeping.

Speaking of editing, I edited yesterday's post to update how the evening went for Avery.

And we come to today. Day 3. Avery wakes up with her eyes GLUED SHUT from matter. She's got allergies kicking her heiney. So I think, "great, she's going to be in NO mood" but I pressed the issue anyway. Her diaper was wet but I told her it was time for panties, and that we were going to go bye-bye to a few garage sales so she needed to put her pee in the potty before we went. That child sat on the pot for 30 minutes before finally going. What gives? I mean, sometimes I can barely make in into the water my pee rushes out so fast. It's like my urethra (sp? who knows?) sees the toilet and just let's 'er fly. Not Avery. Good grief. Oh wait. She also hasn't given BIRTH 3 times. I forgot about that.

It's no wonder the kid talks all the time. Back to the point Tena.

Ok so she peed and we left. During our outing the fiasco with Caden ensued and the garage sales were a TOTAL waste of time, but it was good practice for Avery to stay dry. And she did. And she STILL hasn't peed and it's 1:30. I cannot BELIEVE how long she can hold it. Do I worry about that? And no poop yet either. She's an every day girl and she hasn't gone since Tuesday. Sorry Avery sweetie, but yes, I am posting this for all the world to see. You don't care right now...you will care in a few years but by then I will have stopped sharing your potty experiences, and if I haven't then the rest of you will have to hold me to keeping quiet. Speaking of keeping quiet, good heavens, I've run off at the mouth/fingers again.

So yeah. It's 1:30 and although she tried for 30 minutes while I was preparing lunch we still don't have pee. Hopefully soon! This morning at 11:15 she said this: "Mommy, I have to pee." And she walked herself to the bathroom. But she wanted the toilet in the kitchen because she wanted to assault me with her barrage of words for the next 30 minutes.

And now she's "washing" her cousin's hair. I gotta go.

UPDAAAAAAAAAAAAATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2:20. I hear the toilet flush and Avery is cheering for her cousin (too hilarious because E is like - what's the big deal? I've been peeing on the potty for a year now, sheesh). Not 5 minutes later I hear the toilet flush again. And Avery comes BUSTING out of the bathroom - "I did it mommy! I did it, and put it in the big toilet, and it's going bye bye, wanna seeeeeeeee??" and sure enough, the little potty was wet!! She DID it, completely on her own, without telling me or me prompting her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE again - she went once more before bed! Today was 100% successful!!!

Day 2 - success and then not so much

I'm just going to give a brief synopsis, mostly for Avery's benefit later on when I show her how headstrong she really is.

7:15am - wake up, diaper is wet (but not poopy, I was WRONG), panties go on. Some resistance but mommy's not taking no for an answer.

10am - dancing and holding herself has begun. Refusal to sit on potty.

10:45am - mommy enforces a "you will sit on that potty until you are DONE" rule and Avery is sobbing, but sitting. Mommy is sitting next to her in the chair (we are in the downstairs living room) and periodically getting up to attend to Declan and other things.....

11:15 - still sitting, still sobbing. Mommy walks back into the room to HEAR the pee hitting the toilet. Taking her cues from Avery, who is still crying, mommy does not pretend she hears it and quietly sits down again. Lots of pee happening. Mommy still pretends she doesn't hear it and Avery asks for more books to be read to her (she's done peeing now, but still acting like she hasn't done it). 2 books are read and Mommy asks if Avery is done - she says yes and we have a quiet celebration. Avery doesn't like it when you get allllllllllllllllll hooped up and excited, so we get a sticker and get ready to go to McDonald's for a promised lunch!!!

12:30 - lunch is finished and Avery pees all over the kitchen floor. Thank goodness we have a concrete kitchen floor. Guess she wasn't totally done....

2:00 - potty dance again. After numerous attempts and lots of playing in the bathroom, mommy again instills the "no getting up until you're done" rule and she has gone again. Again, not very much but we still get a sticker!

3:20 - dancing again. I know there's more to come. Doesn't want to sit. "Caden and mommy are going to swing outside. If you want to come you'll have to put your pee in the potty first." Guess who just peed?

More later.........

UPDATE: We played outside for a while and came in to start supper.

5:20 - potty dance! She agrees to sit in the kitchen (James, Caden and myself are sitting at the table already eating) but the child WILL NOT SHUT UP while sitting there - no comments about where she gets the mouth from. Mommy enforces NEW rule - "no talking until you put your pee in the potty." It's a good thing she's a good listener. She pees, and joins us for supper.

Then daddy takes over for the night as I have to go to Vacation Bible School Registration Carnival for church. Avery gets a bath and ready for bed, which means naked and then diaper - THANKS daddy, for all the help with potty training. I bet she peed in her own bathwater. *snort*

Potty training? Or Mommy Training?

I have a new mission - to keep this blog going until Avery is at least married with one child who is of potty training age. We've been trying off and on with Avery to potty train for a while, but recently we gave up because we were getting NOWHERE and she was sooooooo upset by the whole process and I was getting soooooooo upset by the whole process and it was becoming ridiculous. So we quit. And I was good with that.

Lately, we've been talking about it again. Talking about getting a brand new (pink) Dora backpack so she can attend preschool, being potty trained so we can go swimming and take swimming lessons (in her brand new pink and white Gymboree swimsuit with a hot pink heart on it, woo hoo!), all those fun things that people get to do when they're potty trained. So yesterday (Tues) she was really talking a lot about it, so I decided to ask her if she would be ready to start the next day (Wed, today). She said yes. After picking myself up off the proverbial floor we agreed - no more diapers unless it's bedtime. And no, no naps in this house save for the tiniest one. Sucks, but it's what it is.

This morning rolls around and I get up to get Caden ready for school. Strangely, Avery is not awake yet. She doesn't wake until nearly 9am, and I assumed it was to avoid any talk of panties. But it seems it's because she has a snotty nose and major goopy eyes - ahhhh allergies. Anyway, I take her temperature to ensure that she is indeed feeling ok and at 98.0 I decide we're going for it. Tears from her. I think she was hoping for 102.4. I calmly explain again all the fun things we can do once she goes on the potty and she's ok with it. On go the Hello Kitty panties with bubble gum. Classic.

Fast forward to 3pm. Yes, 3pm and she still hasn't gone potty on the potty and has had no accidents. Bladder of steel much? She is now asking for a diaper. I tell her this means it's time to go on the potty and we have tears again (about 1 hour prior she'd asked for a diaper, I had said no, and she was fine at that time). And she becomes hysterical. Hello to the Avery we all know and love from previous potty training sessions. So after 20 minutes, I cave - sorta. I tell her she can have a diaper IF she sits on the potty with the diaper on to go pee. She sorta agrees, and I sorta change the rules up - I cut a HAUGE hole in the diaper (no easy task, hello absorbancy) before I bring it back upstairs to put it on her. She is still screaming this entire time, holding herself, the works. I put the diaper on her and force the sitting on the potty issue, and about 20 seconds later she has gone. However, she still doesn't realize that I've messed the diaper up. I have her stand up and she sees the pee in the potty and let me tell YOU, that does not please her. You'd think she'd be proud that there is actually pee in the potty and she didn't have to try, but nope, someone has double crossed her and you are now on her "naughty list." So, that didn't work out so well and the screaming crescendos. So I calmly and matter of factly tell her that we will NOT be getting any more diapers AT ALL and that diapers ARE for bedtime only.

I decide to calm her down by going outside to swing. Always a winner. We're good until about 5:30pm.....someone has to pee again and she's holding herself and starting to cry. Long story (about 15-20 minutes) made short - I physically held her on the potty in a sitting position until she stopped fighting me. Yes, 15-20 minutes worth AT LEAST or that and screaming - she was the only one screaming.......

You know what's so great about God? You ask, He delivers. I prayed for that entire time for patience, not to hit her, not to pinch her, to remember that she is just a child, not to not to not to not to.....and I didn't. I remained calm and matter of fact the entire time (no small task for me when it comes to Little Miss Strong-Willed and her daughter Avery, lol) and she finally just sat there. And a few dribbles of pee came out. And they were bloody and she said "OWIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE" amidst her screaming and I started thinking, "What have I done??? I have fully sent her to the ER over going pee on the potty!" She insisted that was all she had to do so I allowed her to get up, but since she DID pee some she got a sticker and she was proud. Not 2 minutes later she's finally sitting at the table to eat and she's sobbing for a diaper. I go to pick her up and she's screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" but I take her right back to the potty and sit her down. She doesn't fight me this time. Smart cookie. I sit right down with her and, even though she's crying, she does pee on the potty a decent amount. I can tell that's not all she has, but it's a good amount and again she says she's done so she gets another sticker! YAY chicka!!!

And then she goes outside with James not 10 minutes later and pees all over the seats in his pickup. Praise God for a 1988 falling apart rattletrap with a daddy who's always cool as a cucumber. We talk about how accidents are TOTALLY ok and I ask if she's ready to get into pajamas. Her response - "Do I get a diaper on???" How much you wanna bet she's poopy right now? Who'll give me $10?

My Space

I consider myself pretty computer savvy. James would tell you I spend nearly every waking hour online. Pretty much true, save for all the HOUSEWORK and CHILDCARE. *ahem*

A true friend is on My Space and has been bugging me to sign up. So I finally did, and I don't get it AT ALL. What on EARTH do you spend your time there doing??? I suppose that's the same question you could ask me of my Gymboree clothing message boards, but I actually have an answer to that - buying and selling clothes!

So Valerie, I love you, but you must help me make My Space into MY SPACE!!!!

Has it really been one month since I updated?

James and I went to Des Moines on Tuesday with Declan for a couple of appointments and then to do some shopping. We ran into a friend from high school and her husband and their PRECIOUS new baby boy (holy smack is he cute) and she teased me about nothing new on the blog. She was SO right. So, this is for you Alyssa - I promised!!!

It's Tulip Time in Pella right now. Yesterday was actually really nice, so we went up to the afternoon parade. Caden had to ride a float with his ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education) class which was just adorable. Lots of our neices and nephews were also in the parade so that was fun. Declan slept pretty much all the way through the parade, police car sirens and all (they "open" the parade but he was zonked). Avery loved the "marching bands" but kept her ears covered pretty much 100% of the time. She cracks me up.

On Fridays I watch my neice E and nephew D who are 5 and 2. I will also watch their older brother N during the summer - he's 8. It's really fun for me. They are super good and they keep my kids entertained! It's like E is babysitting for Avery....they play dolls all day and just generally love each other! The first Friday they were here was rough, but Avery has gotten over her naughties and now we all have fun!

Yeah, Tulip Time - I don't think we're going to do anything else because the weather is cruddy (rain, rain, rain) but we got to see the parade yesterday and ate some great food as well. So now we can just take it easy.

In other news, our tax stimulus check came into our account this morning. Wahooey!!!!! Front porch, here we COME!!!!