As the Potty Turns

Well, we have reached the end of the first month of potty training, and Luke is pretty close to 100% on peeing in a potty. We've had 2 or 3 accidents in the past five days. But pooping, ah pooping is an entirely different issue. We are weaning Luke off any prizes or rewards for peeing (which is not hard since the rewards were never compelling enough to make him pee) and I'm trying to remove all the truck stickers that have been placed on my toilet seat.

Since rewards weren't overly compelling for peeing, I don't know how they're going to work for pooping, but I am still trying to hold out some "Big" rewards there.

It was really fricking hard, the potty training, and my advice to people starting out would be that you will get through it. And you have to be ready for it.

And also, why the hell do they put the characters only on the REAR of the toddler underwear? Luke insists on putting them on backwards so he can SEE Diego and Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen.

Eating Together

In case you are capable of ignoring the non-news, the 'experts', whoever they may be, are constantly telling us that we all need to SIT DOWN and EAT WITH OUR KIDS. I do try to do this, sort of, with a toddler and an infant. The problem is that by the time I get to the SIT DOWN part I'm so exhausted from getting the food and cutting it and cooling and "Mama I want wawer! In a glass!" that I just plop down and pull out something to read while I eat.

I don't think this is what the experts intended. But really, the talking is starting to exhaust me hourly.
(After I hang up the phone in the car)
"Mama, who were you talking to?"
"Grandma"
"Why were you talking to Grandma?"
"Because I like to."
"Why do you like to?"
"Because I love Grandma."
"Why do you love Grandma?"
"Because Grandma is nice"
"Why is Grandma nice?"
"Because she loves us." (screw the circular logic here, I was TRAPPED IN A WHY LOOP!)
"Why does she love us?"
"Lord only knows, kid, Lord only knows."

(pause)

"Why does Lord only know?"

Screwed Second Child

When you have a *ahem* demanding first child, the second child is automatically screwed. It has been noted many times lately that Courtney is plopped into the center of some active playgroup or class and basically permitted to fend for herself. Trooper that she is, she does fend well. There are no tears from her as Luke whines or is dragging me somewhere or vice versa.

Right now we are taking one music class that is age appropriate for both of them. 3 - 42 months, the brochure says! Three! Through 42! Bring your babies! And your toddlers!

Except this is the second session we've done the class and I've only seen one other sibling set in the classes. Oh wait, two, but a twin-set doesn't really count. They're ALWAYS going to be able to be in the same class.

And right now our class is predominantly babies. 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 13 months. Lots and lots in that group. Maybe one two year old. And that's a mild mannered girl two year old.

And Luke. Luke who runs around the classroom in a giant circle, rolls around the middle of the class and generally pays little to no attention to the class. Courtney even goes trudging off in a crawl to see what's going on while these other babies sit happily by their mommies.

WTF is wrong with these other kids?

So today I had to pick up and leave in the middle of the class because Luke was simply not listening and I had HAD ENOUGH. I didn't feel judged at all, I still feel my response was appropriate, but yet, I still felt like turning around and pointing at all those little Stepford babies, waggling my finger and threatening "YOUR DAY WILL COME!!"

Stairs Up!

Guess who can crawl up the stairs now??? The only one who used to NOT be able to. I found out when I left her at the bottom to put something away upstairs and saw her up the landing and heading up the main flight.

CRAP.

Potty Training Sucks It

This has been a long long, looong week. BUT! He is starting to get it and woke up at 3:30 AM wanting to pee on the potty! AND DID! I hope it was a light bulb moment...please?

My Babysitter is Sucking It

The potty training thing? SUUUUUUCKS. So far we have had approximately 2.5 hours of sitting on the potty today and zero success on the pee and poop front. Dude, how long do I have to do this? Seriously, how the hell to I get him to pee? I've tried running water in the background, and pushing liquids (which doesn't work, he's at a set happy level of liquid intake and no, he would not like more). He just needs to pee ONCE and have some success I think...

Anyway, the kids are being absurdly cute, with Luke reading books to Courtney right now. Which leads to the point of my babysitter - AKA the TV - biting the big one. I was all worried maybe 1-2 months ago about Oh No! He Is Watching Too Much TV! Except now I can't get him to sit still for 35 minutes so I can work out. Dude, go rot your brain!

Obviously, I am the complainy sort.

Pee

So I am more intensively trying to potty train Luke. In the midst of Courtney trying to pull herself up on the toilet (I don't care how clean it is, I don't want my infant pulling herself up on the toilet) and Luke crying about sitting or standing on or near the toilet, I may or may not have shouted SERENITY NOW!

May. Or may not. Take your pick.

I keep hearing about children who willingly sit on the potty. Or who just up and trained one day. This is not my child. Today we went to the Target clearance section and picked up a big truck that's hauling four other trucks - this is his potty prize. When he pees on the potty, he can have one of the small trucks.

He's never peed on the potty. In fact, he will pee in his pants/pull up/diaper five minutes after he sat on the potty. Either he's not ready, or he's evil.

Right now, I'm voting evil.

This is probably the one parenting task I'm most dreading, which really puts it all in a happy light for Luke, too.

He says 'I don't know how to pee on the potty!'

I KNOW, kid. You have to LEARN to get the truck. That's the POINT.

He screams.

More greener

Okay, I've been slacking on the Be More Green thing. Kermit really had a point. I have been taking my tote bags to the stores, but plastic bags are still accumulating in my house. I think that really drives home the point for me - even though I am actively trying not to bring more bags in, they're still making their way in. And of course, we're still using cloth diapers, and now I'm trying to potty train Luke (let's just say he's resistant) so that would cut down on a lot of laundry but not necessarily water use (I don't think that If-It's-Yellow-Let-It-Mellow is a good thing to teach a three year old.).

I really want a compost pile, but starting one in January in the midwest doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do.

And since I'm trying to FINALLY lose the weight (I like the weight=IQ thing from Lynne, but I don't know my actual IQ. It would be interesting if that were true though, and we could identify the really stupid people by their weight.) I think it may be time to get more organic.

Trader Joes here we come.