Today is a special day! Hooway (as Jane says)!!! Today is potty training day--or Potty Boot Camp. Or at least we are giving it a whirl. I've been wanting to try for a while but a steady stream of ear infections, antibiotic induced unusual BMs and yeast infections, we've had to put it off for some time (seems like a couple of months or so...)
So far, it seems to be going well. She's understanding the concepts well enough, but we'll see if she has the attention/focus to recognize she has to go... we're taking a lunch break at the moment, and this Potty Boot Camp thing is pretty intense so we'll see if I have energy to post tonight in more detail about it all or not.
Ra! Ra! Hoowah! Goooooo Potty!
Second Child
|
My sister asked me today if I ever felt bad about the difference in energy or excitement I feel with this pregnancy over my first one. I didn't have an answer for her but I've been thinking about it in the back of my head all day. Here's my answer (and remember I'm a middle child):
With my first pregnancy, I was so ignorant and so naive, and yes crazy excited. But I was also more focused on me--I was pregnant, I was feeling like _________, etc. And I was doing so much research to prepare for pregnancy, labor, and birth. I didn't have any idea what it was like to love a daughter. With this pregnancy, I've been amazed by how much and how quickly I've already started to bond. I've done the pregnancy thing, it's old hat now, and it seems like I'm more focused on this child than my own stuff. I have a context and a knowledge I didn't have before. And my heart is now "used" and instead of fresh off the parent lot. It's been a huge comfort when I start to freak out about how in the world I'm going to parent two of them. This baby will mean more work and worry, but also so much more joy, you know, once she's sleeping through the night ;-)
It's also been really fun to share it all with Jane, in what limited way I can. Yesterday we made up a Big Sister song she can sing to the baby (we've been reading a I'm A Big Sister book for a while now). Really simple and to the tune of Frere Jacques:
Baby Sister, Baby Sister
I Love You! I Love You!
I'm your Big Sister. I'm your Big Sister
I'll take care of you. I'll take care of you.
and we sang it and I helped her rub my belly and she got such a sweet serious look on her face and kept asking to sing it again ("gen?"), and tried to sing the "I Love You" ("ah lulb oo") part and even asked to sing it today before her nap. I think something connected a bit for her and it was really neat to watch. Families rock!
With my first pregnancy, I was so ignorant and so naive, and yes crazy excited. But I was also more focused on me--I was pregnant, I was feeling like _________, etc. And I was doing so much research to prepare for pregnancy, labor, and birth. I didn't have any idea what it was like to love a daughter. With this pregnancy, I've been amazed by how much and how quickly I've already started to bond. I've done the pregnancy thing, it's old hat now, and it seems like I'm more focused on this child than my own stuff. I have a context and a knowledge I didn't have before. And my heart is now "used" and instead of fresh off the parent lot. It's been a huge comfort when I start to freak out about how in the world I'm going to parent two of them. This baby will mean more work and worry, but also so much more joy, you know, once she's sleeping through the night ;-)
It's also been really fun to share it all with Jane, in what limited way I can. Yesterday we made up a Big Sister song she can sing to the baby (we've been reading a I'm A Big Sister book for a while now). Really simple and to the tune of Frere Jacques:
Baby Sister, Baby Sister
I Love You! I Love You!
I'm your Big Sister. I'm your Big Sister
I'll take care of you. I'll take care of you.
and we sang it and I helped her rub my belly and she got such a sweet serious look on her face and kept asking to sing it again ("gen?"), and tried to sing the "I Love You" ("ah lulb oo") part and even asked to sing it today before her nap. I think something connected a bit for her and it was really neat to watch. Families rock!
Poop
|
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's gross. I know. I've been dealing with it for a while now, but this new antibiotic (or something) is throwing Jane's bowels out of whack and is taking my level of experience with this substance to a new height.
It was so bad that yesterday I had to take a picture of it and send to Eric because there was just SO MUCH of it--filled her diaper and was coming out of all ends except the top--and I knew he wouldn't understand or believe me unless I documented it. There was so much of it, it got in her socks. (this was the third poop of the day) And after I got her cleaned up (it was bath time!), I got to spray out the diaper, which took almost as long as cleaning up Jane (one of the few times I have wished I wasn't doing cloth). In the meantime, the pasta burned on the stove.
At least Jane has been helping me lately, today she pointed out when the overflowing diaper came out on the rug she was playing on...the pie I was making at the time suffered no ill effects, thankfully.
Anyway, it's strange the things that make up this mommy life and yet are just part of the job.
It was so bad that yesterday I had to take a picture of it and send to Eric because there was just SO MUCH of it--filled her diaper and was coming out of all ends except the top--and I knew he wouldn't understand or believe me unless I documented it. There was so much of it, it got in her socks. (this was the third poop of the day) And after I got her cleaned up (it was bath time!), I got to spray out the diaper, which took almost as long as cleaning up Jane (one of the few times I have wished I wasn't doing cloth). In the meantime, the pasta burned on the stove.
At least Jane has been helping me lately, today she pointed out when the overflowing diaper came out on the rug she was playing on...the pie I was making at the time suffered no ill effects, thankfully.
Anyway, it's strange the things that make up this mommy life and yet are just part of the job.
Pre-Spring Break Trip
|
Jane and I got to spend some time with Eric's family in Ft. Worth at the beginning of March. Unfortunately, our trips there have been few (like 2) and far in between. Eric wasn't able to come with us this time and Jane sorely missed her daddy. Here she is with Grammy (pronounced "Bagky" by Jane)
And with Aunt Kathy (or "Apby" or "Happy" to Jane). Jane really took to her Aunt Kathy and was always on the lookout for her to visit.
And Uncle Alex. Jane mostly said "ahh" for Alex, although right now she's saying "ahhx." And towards the end she would get really grinny and shy and almost flirty when she'd see him plugging away on his computer.
No picture with Grampy, he's a busy guy! But we did get a shot in the awesome yellow towels that Jane thought were the best towels ever!
Overall, it was a great trip. Jane and I enjoyed going for walks everyday in our shorts and t-shirts (Texans thought we were crazy, I'm sure. But anything above 55 degrees IS shorts weather...) and it was nice to let Jane get to know her Ludlow family a little bit. Hopefully our next trip won't be a whole year away.Jane was pretty much an angel on the plane, even on the way back (when she'd started an ear infection and I didn't know it yet). I was pretty blessed to have such a good lap-child since my lap is pretty much gone these days.
Another Ear Infection
|
Seriously. You'd think I'd get better at listening to my gut and knowing that something isn't right with my daughter, something is bothering her... like when Jane doesn't want to be put down EVER...this is the 3rd one since November. If she gets anymore, especially with spring here (did I mention the snow is nearly gone???? woo hoo!) we'll go see an ENT and check out her adnoids.
Hardened Momma
|
Jane has been sitting in the pac n play in her "room" (i.e. the walk-in closet) at Grandma Ludlow's for the last hour and a half fighting her nap. Mostly she's been whine-crying, but she's also been howling, jabbering about butterflies, claiming she's hungry and listing favorite foods, saying she's sorry, singing, calling out every name she knows (although what help 2 year old "Doo-ah"would be, I have no idea), and trying out differenet vocalizations of "no!" Daddy wouldn't have made it through such antics to its eventual realization--a nap (I think she just started snoring...) but that old soft momma wouldn't have either.
And so today, I proudly proclaim my hard-won hardened mommyhood.
i.e. I have the confidence in my own judgment and intuition to not give in when I know what is best, at least today...
And so today, I proudly proclaim my hard-won hardened mommyhood.
i.e. I have the confidence in my own judgment and intuition to not give in when I know what is best, at least today...
Chillin' in Texas
|
Jane and I are spending some time with Eric's family in Ft. Worth and we are really enjoying ourselves. Although, "chillin'" feels a bit disonant. It's somewhere around 60-65 degrees outside, and yes there's a March breeze, but MAN does it feel great, not "chill" at all (that corn was for you, sweety!)
Jane was amazing on the plane and pretty much the whole trip here. Turns out the playlist of youtube videos I made was plenty to occupy her attention. She was so excited to go on an "ahpahtupa" (that's seriously how she says airplane) and enjoyed waiting in the airport and watching take offs and even enjoyed ours to some extant.
She's done really well here at Grammy's (or "Baggy's") house. For the most part, though, she wants me in the room with her at all times. That gets a little wearing. Good thing I've got nothing else to do, right? We all know how having nothing to do is good for my soul...found an old favorite quote about creativity today--goes something like creativity is the attempt to avoid boredom.
I did well on the flight, too. In fact, I was shocked by how well I did. I only had some pretty minimal pain. At any rate, being able to come here has been a blessing and so was the process of getting here.
Jane was amazing on the plane and pretty much the whole trip here. Turns out the playlist of youtube videos I made was plenty to occupy her attention. She was so excited to go on an "ahpahtupa" (that's seriously how she says airplane) and enjoyed waiting in the airport and watching take offs and even enjoyed ours to some extant.
She's done really well here at Grammy's (or "Baggy's") house. For the most part, though, she wants me in the room with her at all times. That gets a little wearing. Good thing I've got nothing else to do, right? We all know how having nothing to do is good for my soul...found an old favorite quote about creativity today--goes something like creativity is the attempt to avoid boredom.
I did well on the flight, too. In fact, I was shocked by how well I did. I only had some pretty minimal pain. At any rate, being able to come here has been a blessing and so was the process of getting here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
