Speaking of Potty Issues...

So far potty training little man is going pretty well! He is about 3 1/2, and we had a "trial" start several months ago, but he must not have really been ready, and I was pretty lazy about it.

I just wasn't (and still am not) ready to go all out and put my furniture and carpets at risk ;) I don't want to spend my days cleaning pee off of everything - so...

We were managing OK the first time we tried. If I got him to the potty he would always go. He would never initiate it though. Then one day I caught him mid-poop and scooped him up and took him to the potty chair. Major trauma. After that, every time I would ask if he had to go to the bathroom he would say "maybe tomorrow" or "maybe later." And if I tried to force it, he would get upset. So I left off for a while. I thought I would wait until the summer or at least warmer weather and let him run around naked, I'd heard a few people say that worked well..

But then the husband got on my case about him not being potty trained. So I started talking to little man about it every time I changed his pull-up. I was halfway thinking about just putting him in underwear and seeing if that worked (a few people also suggested this method). But then again, the thought of having to clean up... not appealing.

Last week I started telling him that he could get a treat (his favorite candy bar in mini sizes) if he used the potty chair. Nothing the first day. Then the second day, after telling him everytime I changed his pull-up... out of nowhere he said "I can go potty and get a kitty-kat" and ran to the bathroom and went!

But then later that night I started reconsidering the treat method... It was bedtime, and he had obviously just gone potty in his pull-up when he wanted some candy. He said again "I can go potty and get a kitty-kat" and ran to the bathroom. We sat there forever. He was bound and determined to go. After 30mins I tried to get him off the potty chair. "NO! I GO POTTY AND GET KITTY-KAT!" He cried and cried and got all worked up. And I felt so awful. Of course I didn't give in and give him one, he didn't go. And that would have defeated the whole purpose.

The next day, as soon as he woke up he remembered and said "I go potty and get a kitty-kat." And he went. And he did this all day, every time he had to go to the bathroom! He only went in his pull-up at naptime! He did this for 2 days straight! I thought it was quite the success.

Then, the next day... 2 things happened. #1 he pooped in the potty!!! I couldn't believe it. He said he had to go and was in there forever. When I went to check on him he said he pooped, but I assumed he meant pee (for some reason he says he pooped when he has peed). So I was so surprised to see he actually pooped! I've heard that boys are hell to get to poop in the potty.
So anyway, #2 he got up at naptime and said he had to go potty and get a kit-kat. Well he went. My husband was on vacation and at home, and said that little man had to wait until he woke up from his nap to get his candy for going potty. After that he went in his pull-up until bedtime. I was really pretty upset about it. But I'm not going to go against my husband in front of the children like that. So... grrr... Was re-thinking the whole treat method yet again. And I was feeling all bad about it again. I don't care if it was naptime. I would have given it to him. You have to be consistent with these things. You just can't make a promise like that and then change the rules.

Then to make matters worse, the very next day my husband declares that little man is getting too many treats and now he has to go potty 3 times before he can get his candy. He did make a little chart and put it up in the bathroom and explain it to little man. I'm just not sure he really gets it. Well, its apparent he doesn't get it when the first two times he peed the next day he wanted his kit-kat and was really disappointed and threw a fit when we tried explaining to him that he would have to go potty 2(1) more time(s). He finally managed to go 3 times (after going several times in his pull-up). But the days prior he was going at least 5 times in the potty, and his pull-up was dry almost all day.

I guess we'll give it a few more days and see if he gets it or see whether it has deterred him from his progress...

Participate in the Potty Time Tuesdays at Healthy Moms! If you are in the process of potty training, or starting to think about potty training, she's having a contest this week to win a potty training kit from Baby Signs.

Tinkle Tinkle

Years ago when I was working on my BA, I did a field school. I won't go into details about that - but the wife of one of the instructors was doing the cooking and such, so she was there with her two youngest children. They had a trampoline in back and her daughter was always trying to get all of us students to jump on it with her. Someone suggested that the wife go jump with her daughter... her response was "I can't possibly do that - I've had 3 kids and I would end up wetting myself."

Of course at the time I thought it was a complete cop out.

Now? I would have to agree and empathize. I'm 27 weeks along with my 3rd, and every time I cough, sneeze, bend over, or exert myself in anyway-- sure enough a little tinkle...

Seriously, last night I guess I was trying a little too hard to fart and totally started wetting myself! I know, TMI!!! I had to run to the bathroom. Thank God I was at home! Of course I do not hang out trying to fart in public or anything. Though, certainly, if I have to fart and am in public, I try to do so as discretely as possible. (Which is a lot easier when you are shopping with a bunch of kids!) I learned that from my first pregnancy. When you are pregnant and try to hold it in, its just not good at all. It ends up building up until you are completely miserable and have to take drastic measures. Seriously, at one point in my first pregnancy, I had my husband timing my gas pains! ;)

Anyway, back to the bladder issue.... So when that lady said that she couldn't jump on the trampoline because she would wet herself after having given birth to 3 children, I thought of my mother. My though process went something like this: OK, well, my mom had 5 kids and she would probably still jump on a trampoline. She never mentioned that having so many kids made her lose her bladder control.

But then after further thought... my mom was always wetting herself! She had to pee all the time! Whenever we were going anywhere, she would pee before we left and then have to go really bad immediately when we got to wherever we were going. And several times, she actually wet herself on the way there or on the way home!

So now I'm terrified. We live out in the middle of nowhere, and the drives to get anywhere are full of nothing. There's no place to stop to go. And the shoulders are pretty non-existent here. They aren't even big enough to pull your car completely over. I've thought about the issue quite a bit with potty training. I know the day will come when my son has to pee on our way somewhere. And there is really no place to stop once you leave the closest town (30 miles away).

I hate to admit it, but I did actually wet the car once. And I immediately thought of my mother. I wasn't even pregnant, and I only had given birth to one chld at that time. It was right after we moved up here to the middle of nowhere. I went to town and had to pee on the way home... I tried really hard to make it, but nope.

Anyway, these days my mother's lack of bladder control is no longer quite as funny :)

Its Done

I managed to follow through with my haircut. And it looks good :) Its a little short, but long enough that I can still pull it back.

And what did my husband think of it? He hated it at first. Mostly because of the way the lady had combed it when she was finished.

Here's how it all went down. I walked in to a salon that a couple of my students had recommended. They had time for a walk in :) There were 3 ladies there, and none of them were the lady that my students had recommended. There was a younger lady there then one that was maybe a little older than myself and then one that was much older. Of course I was thinking that I did not want the older lady to cut my hair because I needed some good advice about a haircut... and wanted the stylist to do what she thought would look good... and I just didn't have faith that the older lady would have a clue about what was in style or whatever...

Of course I got the older lady. And she was fine. I got a decent haircut after all...

I didn't say anything to the hubby about getting a haircut... so we picked him up from work and he didn't notice right away. But in the middle of talking about something he looked at me and had a disgusted look on his face and said "what did you do? Get a haircut?" I said "What you don't like it?" He started saying it was worse than before the cut and then said we would talk about it later - since all the kids were in the car.

Later he said that he hoped that Tweenie didn't hear. The stupid thing about that is I think the whole "bag lady" comment about my hair was done in front of Tweenie...

Anyway, he didn't like that it was still in my face. The sides are still a bit long, and it was combed so that the sides were framing my face... and he didn't like that. Oh well. I think it looks good :) I'm beyond caring what he thinks of my hair. But he is over it and agrees that it looks better than it did - as long as I don't comb it so that its in my face.

Haircut?

Nope. Not today. I chickened out. Well, not so much chickened out, as talked myself out of it.

I had all the intentions of getting my hair cut today. I bundled the kids up at 7:30am this morning to take my husband to work so I could have the car. Of course I told him I needed to go to the store... I waited around until my mom called at 10am (an every other day ritual)... and while I was talking to her, my husband beeped in and said he needed me to bring him some tylenol... grrr... anyway, so I got ready, got the kids ready... dropped off the tylenol. By then it was 11:30.. I thought, well, the kids can have their lunch a little late...the haircut shouldn't take more than 45mins or so... Of course I hadn't called to make an appointment or anything, assuming they take walkins. And I'm sure they probably do. But as I was passing the place I realized that I really had to pee. How's that for an excuse? As if they don't have a bathroom or anything ;)

Anyway, I figured with the timing - the kids were bound to get hungry and ornrey... and just the thought of having to pull the stroller out of the back of the car, get them all loaded, and hope to hell they weren't complete and total monsters at the moments I couldn't do anything about it... And having to pee was just the excuse I needed. The bathroom there was likely to be small and in the back, wouldn't be able to pull the whole double stroller into the bathroom with me, and if I left the stroller outside the bathroom door, someone was likely to come talk to the kids and that would have done it for baby girl. She's going through this really shy phase. If anyone talks to her it totally freaks her out. She is fine to talk to other people, watch them and interact with them until they say something right to her... That happened at my last Dr's appointment. I left them in the stroller right outside the bathroom door while I did my urine sample... and I could hear her get a little fussy because I wasn't right there. One of the nurses tried comforting her and that just totally sent her over the edge and into hysterics...

Don't you just love the way I talk myself out of things? ;)

So anyway, long story short ;) didn't do the haircut thing today. I still have another chance - I might go do it tomorrow morning. I'm keeping tweenie out of school because we have to take the dogs into the vet in the afternoon and I need her to help out (2 dogs + 2 little ones = disaster in the making)...

I still haven't decided whether to bail out and just get a trim... or get it cut short, or somewhere in between: where I can still pull it up if I want to... I hate making those kinds of decisions.

Oh well. I guess we'll see whether I actually go through with it tomorrow or not.

Men and Hair...

Have you discovered that most men will say they like their women with long hair? I think most men I've dated have been of that opinion.

I think I'm going to go chop all my hair off.

And here's why. Yes, it has to do with revenge... vengence, whatever you want to call it...
Of course my husband likes my hair long. But he likes me to wear it up. He says I look unkempt with it down. So then, what is the point of having long hair??

I like to wear my hair down. I hate having to pull it back all the time. And especially if I've just washed my hair I like to wear it down. I have horribly thin hair, so (to me) it only looks good down during the day that I've just washed it... otherwise I almost have to wear it up - otherwise it looks like I have bald spots in the back...

So anyway, last weekend we were out doing some shopping and I was wearing my hair down with a hat. My husband actually told me that I looked like a bag lady and he was embarrassed to be seen with me!

I decided right then and there that I was going to go out and get my hair cut. Short. I guess we'll see when I actually make it to the salon if I go through with it or not... not sure if vengence is really worth it ;)

Let's Take a Nap!

Well, I somewhat followed April's advice from my last post.

Yesterday, I put little man down for his nap as usual. And I turned everything off except for the radio (turned down)... and of course, he got out of bed and came to lay on the couch. He was being quiet, and I just didn't have time yesterday to do the whole lay him back down 20 times thing, as I was busy figuring out mid-term grades for my students that had to be turned in today...

And wouldn't you know it... 10 minutes later he was crashed out! No fight!! I guess my philosophy from now on is going to be, as long as he's being quiet I'm just going to leave him alone! :)

And yesterday, I not only finihsed figuring my mid-term grades for 35 students, but also cleaned the bathroom and got the dishwasher unloaded! ;)

Things with baby girl were going pretty good up until last night. 4 or 5 nights in a row she went to sleep in the playpen without major fuss. The first night she fussed a little, then laid down and went to sleep. The next few nights we had to evacuate the living room and turn everything off because she was crying and getting mad. Last night... she was crying and fussing so we turned everything off again and evacuated the living room... but she kept it up. She got progressively more hysterical and ended up working herself up so much that she threw up all over in her playpen!! Score for baby girl. Will have to start from scratch again tonight... Grrr.

In other news, Tweenie is attending her first school dance tonight! Its a St. Patrick's day dance, not one of the big deal ones (I don't think those start until HS and she's only in 6th grade). She's been asking about it for a couple of weeks now, and I've put off giving her an answer... I finally told her to ask dad the other night. I just wasn't sure whether we should let her go or not. Neither of us went to a dance until 7th grade... Of course when she first started mentioning it I was thinking, new dress and all that, but of course its just a casual dance. If they wore green they got a discount on the admission... Anyway, to make it easier for us to say yes she begged a ride home from a girl she rides the bus with. I called her mother to make sure it was OK last night and finally told Tweenie she could go. She was so happy and giddy all night! She even took a shower without having to be told! And this morning I could hear her singing in the bathroom while she was getting ready for school! :) It feels good to do something that makes her happy. Maybe if we let her do things like that more often she will change her attitude.