Month 36: Happy Third Birthday! – Day 1068 to Day 1099

Compare to Sister’s Blog: Month 36: Happy Third Birthday!

(2015 — My apologies to my readers. This was supposed to be set on auto-publish months ago.)

1/22 Thursday Day 1068

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

We’ve had a lot of snow and Grandmama had to cancel her appointment, or rather they cancelled her surgery even though she was already there because they were short staffed. The bizzzard had really thrown everyone off. Daddy Man is concerned about the roof and says we are probably going to have to have someone rake it, or he’ll have to do it himself if it is going to be too expensive. He’s raked off the shed already, but the garage and house need some attention and we don’t have a roof rake.

This is going to be the last month for daily diaries for this blog I think. February 22 is Mini Moose’s third birthday if you can believe it. I have been spending a lot of time on the new blog to write about more diverse topics since this one is nearing the end of its life. Mini Moose doesn’t even tell me he has to go potty anymore unless we are out and he can’t take himself, or if he is really sleepy and isn’t thiking on a full brain. He’s even started to bring me back his pants to put on. He’s tried to put them on himself with hilarious two legs in one hole. I suspect he can put on a lot of his clothes himself, but lacks the desire to do so. One day he came up with is boots on to my surprise and announced (naked except for said boots) he was ready to go out. How he put them on himself I have no idea, but this goes to show that what kids are capable of even if they don’t tell you!

I haven’t made an ultimate decision about this blog though I might open it up to more of a Q and A format interpersed with some updates of the Minions. I’ve also been dabbling in fiction writing again and maybe this is my last shot to aim for that dream.

1/23 Friday Day 1069

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/24 Saturday Day 1070

Night EC: No night pee!

We are expecting more snow. A lot of it and it looks like my class might get cancelled again.
If I don’t get back to some adult interaction I might really lose my marbles completely.

1/25 Sunday Day 1071

Night EC: No Night pee!

1/26 Monday Day 1072

Night EC: No Night pee! Yay!

Yep. Cancelled. This is going to be one tight semester but we can work on it. I tried to contact my students but only six of them got the message. With all this technology you would think it would be eay to contact people!

1/27 Tuesday Day 1073

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/28 Wednesday Day 1074

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/29 Thursday Day 1075

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/30 Friday Day 1076

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Daddy Man tells me that we are most definitely expecting more snow. Monday into Tuesday.
Seriously? The snow is already above the kids’ heads.
Enough already!

1/31 Saturday Day 1077

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/1 Sunday Day 1078

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/2 Monday Day 1079

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/3 Tuesday Day 1080

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Will this semester never get started! The third cancellation in a row! I’ve had to request time scheduled for Spring Break and Patriot’s Day in April just to be sure we have enough class time!

2/4 Wednesday Day 1081

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

At this rate I will never get to work!

2/5 Thursday Day 1082

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/6 Friday Day 1083

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/7 Saturday Day 1084

Night EC: No night pee!

2/8 Sunday Day 1085

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/9 Monday Day 1086

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Luckily it was a holiday today because I’m snowed in again.

2/10 Tuesday Day 1087

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/11 Wednesday Day 1088

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/12 Thursday Day 1089

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Daddy Man brought home Valentine’s Day early because he was afraid it might be impossible do go anywhere on Valentine’s Day since another storm is brewing. It also means that for the second year in a row we are going to miss my twin neices birthday because it was scheduled for the fourteenth. I am so done with this winter.

2/13 Friday Day 1090

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/14 Saturday Day 1091

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Happy Valentine’s Day from under way too much snow! These storms are just getting ridiculous. We all have cabin fever too.

2/15 Sunday Day 1092

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/16 Monday Day 1093

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Well, finally the semester can get started. Since I’m teaching only one night a week, I’ve been off an extra month! I feel so out of sorts and just way off schedule. It’s going to be a rough semester for sure.

2/17 Tuesday Day 1094

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/18 Wednesday Day 1095

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/19 Thursday Day 1096

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/20 Friday Day 1097

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/21 Saturday Day 1098

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

2/22 Sunday Day 1099

10985334_10203104256516814_5222371288368952664_o Happy Third Birthday to my sweet little boy!

I can hardly believe my Mini Moose is three. You, my little one, have changed so much in such a short time. I hope you still enjoy those delicous, warm cuddles for years yet even though I know that the days of me carrying you on my back are numbered. I will miss it very much! Even if I may complain daily that you are always underfoot asking for “teckmenup” (pick me up, which sounds a lot take a nap), I love it. You still have that baby giggle and all of us love to draw it out of you.

We are now quite sure that you are a lefty since you kick and throw left handed, though your writing hand is up for debate. While your sister is athletic in terms of raw power and strength in climbing and gymnastic, you’ve inherited a more calculating approach where you trade force for accuracy. When you were two you were kicking a soccer ball while running, and now you’ve discovered net aiming. Watch out for your sister and her power kicks. While she may not make contact as often, once she does the ball will line drive to your head. I’ve also noticed your abilities at T-ball. You take time to aim and make contact with the ball 75% of the time, though they don’t always go very far. Your sister goes for the power swings that miss 75% of the time, but the balls tend to go far and hard; I wouldn’t stand near her when she’s swinging! The tricycle still gives you trouble, but I think by the end of this summer you’ll be racing down the driveway. You’ve already taken to your three-wheel scooter to the biggest slope on the driveway so you can fly down and go “faster”. I should have know you were going to be a speed lover ever since we first put you on a swing before you could walk and could hardly get you off of it from then on.

Your hair. Can we talk about that for a minute? It’s all business in the frong and a curl party in the back. You’ve got my hair just like your sister. Not much of it, but what there is is wild. I know I might get flack for not cutting your hair, but I just love how it matches your personality because you do have focus that then bursts into wild abandon once you have made your decision. You do what your sister wants a lot of the time, you follow her everywhere, and get distressed if she goes somewhere without you, but you have no trouble making that terrible noise to make her stop doing something you dislike. Can we go one day without you two fighting!? Of course there is a lot of hugging, kissing, and affection, too. You do care when the other is hurt though sometimes it is hard to remember between the rows.

You love cars and planes and trains and balls. And it also pleases me to see that you love books and that you care for the baby dolls. Your sister at times tries to take all of the Little Ponies and you let her know that you aren’t standing for any of that! You love building things as much as the demolition now. You get this pleased look on your face when you’ve figured out a puzzle you couldn’t do yesterday, or put the wood tracks together without needing help, or when you figured out the Penguins of Madagascar pattern puzzle for the first time all by yourself without needing to ask for your sister’s help. You do say “heppa me” a lot when you need it, but sometimes need to be reminded that you can do it yourself if you work at it. You are more of a cooperative mind than an independent one right now, so you need a nudge now and then to remind you what you can accomplish on your own. While your sister had to do everything herself with a very loud, “Me do!” even before she could, you are quite different. While you can do a lot on your own, you prefer assistance until you decide out of the blue, “I do this self.” A phrase you learned from your sister that you use on yourself generously is, “I super strong!’

You are very much into role play with toys lately. You give them voices with your new vocabulary explosion. Speaking of new words, you get very frustrated with us if we can’t figure out what you are saying in your elaborate sentences. You might be the only toddler who say “Yesh” more than “No” simply because you seem to be praising us for correctly puzzling out what you are trying to communicate! Along with your new words, you have new awareness of the world around you. Suddenly the alphabet song interests you, the automatic lights in the car suddenly appeared, the decals on the bedroom ceiling beg a “what’s that?”, how lincoln logs work challenges you, a better understanding or crayon color vs pressure has changed your artistry, how electronic toy buttons interact with the special attachments keep you occupied with testing, the way puzzle pieces fit one way but not another confounds you, the way water behaves in the sandbox vs the tub gives you hours upon hours of experimentation fascination, and even which sled moves fastest on the snow has gotten your attention.

You are concerned when others are hurt and get confused if another child on the playground hits you. You stand there with this look on your face trying to puzzle out what just happened. Interesting enough both you and your sister defend yourselves but don’t hit back, but when it is you against your sister someone ends up getting hit during the wrestling match. Perhaps one day you will explain it to me. Then you’ll explain to me why you insist on carrying balls and trucks up the ladder with one hand. Are you trying to give your parents a heart attack. Do you know how hard it is to sit on my hands sometimes when you are doing all those primate climbing experiments!? I draw the line at leaping into brush from rocks — though I think you learned that lesson quite well on your own last October. Pointy sticks near your eye don’t mix. I do have to admire that when you fall, you pick yourself back up and keep going. If it is a bigger hurt you come to me with a cry asking for a hug and kids and a cuddle, then you tell me you are better and you run off again. Never let anyone tell you that you are taking too long to decide you are ready to take on a new challenge, or to shame you for deciding the risk isn’t worth it. And never be afraid to cry or to admit to being hurt.

Remember, that there are no such things as boy toys or girl toys. Play with the toys you want regardless of color. Don’t be afraid to walk away from those who would tell you other wise. Be bold and strong, sweet and considerate, adventurous and confident, curious and calculating. Above all, I hope you remember to be happy and carefree even when the world wants to rain on you. Get out there and jump in some puddles.

10985334_10203104256516814_5222371288368952664_o
2/22

Happy Third Birthday to my sweet little boy!

I can hardly believe my Mini Moose is three. You, my little one, have changed so much in such a short time. I hope you still enjoy those delicous, warm cuddles for years yet even though I know that the days of me carrying you on my back are numbered. I will miss it very much! Even if I may complain daily that you are always underfoot asking for “teckmenup” (pick me up which sounds a lot like take a nap), I love it. You still have that baby giggle and all of us love to draw it out of you.

You love cars and planes and trains. And it also pleases me to see that you love books and that you care for the baby dolls. Your sister at times tries to take all of the Little Ponies and you let her know that you aren’t standing for any of that! You love building things as much as the demolition now. You get this pleased look on your face when you’ve figured out a puzzle you couldn’t do yesterday, or put the wood tracks together without needing help, or when you figured out the Penguins of Madagascar pattern puzzle for the first time all by yourself without needing to ask for your sister’s help. You do say “heppa me” a lot when you need it, but sometimes need to be reminded that you can do it yourself if you work at it. You are more of a cooperative mind than an independent one right now, so you need a nudge now and then to remind you what you can accomplish on your own. While your sister had to do everything herself with a very loud, “Me do!” even before she could, you are quite different. While you can do a lot on your own, you prefer assistance until you decide out of the blue, “I do this self.” A phrase you learned from your sister that you use on yourself generously is, “I super strong!’

You are concerned when others are hurt and get confused if another child on the playground hits you. You stand there with this look on your face trying to puzzle out what just happened. Interesting enough both you and your sister defend yourselves but don’t hit back, but when it is you against your sister someone ends up getting hit during the wrestling match. Perhaps one day you will explain it to me. Then you’ll explain to me why you insist on carrying balls and trucks up the ladder with one hand. Are you trying to give your parents a heart attack. Do you know how hard it is to sit on my hands sometimes when you are doing all thos primate climbing experiments!? I draw the line at leaping into brush from rocks — though I think you learned that lesson quite well on your own last October. Pointy sticks near your eye don’t mix. I do have to admire that when you fall, you pick yourself back up and keep going. If it is a bigger hurt you come to me with a cry asking for a hug and kids and a cuddle, then you tell me you are better and you run off again. Never let anyone tell you that you are taking too long to decide you are ready to take on a new challenge, or to shame you for deciding the risk isn’t worth it. And never be afraid to cry or to admit to being hurt.

Month 35: Easy Peesy – Day 1037 to Day 1067

Apr22

Compare to Sister’s Blog: Month 35: Beach Trifecta

DSC_0033 (28) 12/22 Monday Day 1037

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

It will soon be time for this blog diary to come to an end since we are really at the end of this potty journey. I’ve considered Mini Moose done for quite a few months since the poop was under his control. He may never fully be able to go the whole night without a pee which is not unusual. I often get up to go myself. The key point is that he is still waking up to go potty and our accidents at night are rare. I still expect some to happen from time to time over the next few months

12/23 Tuesday Day 1038

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

12/24 Wednesday Day 1039

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

It has really been unseasonably warm and I can’t rememer the last time this time of year when you could practically go outside in shorts. Well, some people around here I’ve een in long shorts, but the rest of us are in pants and light sweaters. After the kids were asleep Daddy Man and I finished wrapping the Santa Gift (Rockenblox that Itty Bitty asked specifically for) with special paper and a gigantic fancy bow. I stuffed the stockings and put the British Christmas Crackers on the tree (I am so excited about these little things. They should be way better than cracker jack prizes and I am a fan of the cracker jack). I put a santa tag with everyone’s names on them in gold ink because it was my Santa Gift. Yeah, I asked Santa for presents. He’s progressive and uses Amazon to ship. I also made a huge gift tag for the Frozen Jeep gift from us and Daddy Man’s parents to go with the big bow. Daddy Man spent a couple of days putting it together and sticking on the stickers. The kids will have a blast with it this spring.

Santa is also left a mess of magical glitter dust from the downstairs chimney, up the stairs and all over the tree. Yeah, I know how to do the Kringle right.

12/25 Thrusday Day 1040

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Merry Yulmashanakwanzaa! We opened gifts in the play room and it is a disaster area, but I think fun was had by all. Then the whole family: me, Daddy Man, kids, brother in law, and Grandmama moved to grandmama’s house for the second set of present spoils at her house. We stayed for dinner. The kids pretty much passed out when we got home after they ran around like crazy people for an hour.

12/26 Friday Day 1041

Night EC: 1 night miss (twice) and 1 morning catch

Mini Moose was quite disturbed at being soaking wet twice in the night. I am not surprised at this since it was a long day and he slept hard. I doubled up his training pants just in case and that helped keep the bed dry!

12/27 Saturday Day 1042

Night EC: 1 night miss and 1 morning catch

12/28 Sunday Day 1043

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

12/29 Monday Day 1044

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

12/30 Tuesday Day 1045

Night EC: No Night pee!

12/31 Wednesday Day 1046

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Yes the kids stayed up very late tonight to ring in the New Year. I encourage it and even poked Mini Moose awake a couple of times so he wouldn’t miss it. We spent the night in watching way too much TV and eating take out. We rang in the new year and then went to bed thirty minutes later.

1/1 Thursday Day 1047

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Happy New Year! I cannot believe that it is 2015 and I feel like all the time is the world is just passing us by. I say this and I let the kids watch old Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman VHS tapes all day. That’s hardly being productive or making use of our time!

1/2 Friday Day 1048

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/3 Saturday Day 1049

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/4 Sunday Day 1050

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Mini Moose and Itty Bitty have been absolute BEARS. I am losing my mind and yelling every day; I don’t want to be a yeller but I can’t seem to STOP. They seem to fight over everything and I am stressed about money and its just not good to have all this happening when stuck in the house. This cabin fever is a horrible thing.

1/5 Monday Day 1051

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/6 Tuesday Day 1052

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/7 Wednesday Day 1053

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/8 Thursday Day 1054

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/9 Friday Day 1055

Night EC: No Night Pee!

1/10 Saturday Day 1056

Night EC: No Night pee!

1/11 Sunday Day 1057

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/12 Monday Day 1058

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

I think both the kids are in some major growth spurts and mental development. Mini Moose is suddenly talking in more elaborate sentences (though I can’t understand most of it) and his memory is sharper. He’s developed a new sudden interest in puzzles. Itty Bitty has some new fine motor control skills she’s been showing off with scissors and drawing and coloring (she can now color in the lines and she was surprised that she could). They are still both at each other’s throats too which is not making for a harmonious household with Dragon Yeller Mommy.

1/13 Tuesday Day 1059

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

I’ve been trying to make a little money through some online review writing and some survey work, but it is very slow going and I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere. I can make a little more doing another text based service, but the kids distract me so much that it is hard to concentrate on that kind of work when it has to be so precise. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I know that I am tired of being in a money crunch. Though we aren’t wanting for anything, there is still stress of not being able to set aside money. I’ve done a lot of smart shopping, saving on gas, cooking everything from scratch. I don’t even buy coffee two days a week anymore, I’ve been brewing it at home.

1/14 Wednesday Day 1060

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Today. I might eat my children.

1/15 Thursday Day 1061

Night EC: 1 night miss and 1 morning catch

1/16 Friday Day 1062

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

1/17 Saturday Day 1063

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Let it snow. We are in a blizzard zone. As if we aren’t cooped up enough. Itty Bitty did go to dance class today and she continues to love that and she and her dad will likely go skiing afterward. She definitely is the outdoors type. I decided not to take Mini Moose because he doesn’t have equipment and he gets very mad if he can’t do what his sister does. I also don’t ski so I would be of no help to him anyway.

1/18 Sunday Day 1064

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Happy 42nd Birthday Daddy Man! This year I had to redeem myself from the Marble Cake Disaster of 2014, so I and my little sous chefs baked from scratch chocolate cake and frosted it with homemade chocolate butter creame and chocolate ganache. While this project wasn’t without its hair pulling and near disasters it did come out delicous and beautiful and we presented it to Daddy Man very pleased with the result.

I also made some fantastic English toffee bars. That, however, didn’t go as smoothly the first attempt. There is a patch of burnt molten sugar outside of the back door. Nothing my grow in that spot for a few years since I am sure it charred right through the slush and to the ground!

1/19 Monday Day 1065

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Snow Day!

It was a HUGE brain burst for the kids and we are in the tail end of it. I’m exhausted and twitching from the lack of sleep. Mini Moose, aside from the puzzles, is also now much more adept at using computers and touch pads. He’s very good at turning on the Rokenbok vehicle and manipulating it much better than he did when they kids first got it for Christmas. He remembers sequences and can follow three and four step instructions. He’s also learned the art of stomping feet and protesting his displeasure with more vigor. His vocal chords can now peel the paint off the walls with it’s shrill.

MiniMoose Wordisms:

I do this self!
I helpa you momma peas?
Shista get out!
Go upstairsh/downstairsh.
I crying, I sad!
Vroom Vroom cars on puta, dad? (Can I watch cars on your comuter Dad?)
Angee Berd (Angry Birds)
No Nebba! (No never!)
Powpoo Gos (Power Puff Girls)
Keyfo (Clifford the Big Red Dog)
Monsta (Monster)
I no wike it. (I don’t like it)
I bruff teef (I want to brush my teeth)
Heppa me yucky (Help me floss my teeth with this dental flosser that gets yucky and goes in the trash when I’m done)

1/20 Tuesday Day 1066

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

My first class of the semester got cancelled yesterday due to the obscene amount of snow we got. I also cancelled Itty Bitty’s second dentist appointment because the weather seems so iffy right now.

1/21 Wednesday Day 1067

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Month 34: Practically Predictable – Day 1007 to Day 1036

Apr21

Compare to Sister’s Blog: Month 34: Unperfect Practicality
Month 35: Look Mommy, No Seat!

11/22 Saturday Day 1007

Night EC: 1 night MISS and 1 morning catch

Yeah, I missed it. He even rolled off the flannel “fail safe” I lay on the bed so the sheet got wet. Luckily, I also put a flannel failsafe UNDER the sheet for just such an emergency. Yeah, I tossed the soggy pants, left the boy nude, threw a towel over the wet spot, and went back to sleep. It was 3AM. Momma ain’t getting up more than necessary at that hour.

It happens once in a while. Not a big deal! The sheets needed washing anyway, this was just an additional incentive.

11/23 Sunday Day 1008

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/24 Monday Day 1009

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/25 Tuesday Day 1010

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

It is probably going to snow a LOT tomorrow. I went out and got the kids holiday clothes (12 bucks each! SCORE!), but the selections were pretty slim for Mini Moose. He got a nice white button down, and Itty Bitty got a off-white sweater dress. They’ll be squeezing their feet into their almost outgrown dress shoes (they take them off anyway, so it isn’t like they’ll be wearing them for long). I got a last gift for my twin nieces for Christmas since this is the Thanksgiving year. It was a pretty nice day, but it took forever…FOREVER…to find anything suitable for a good price. The selections for boy’s wear is abysmal.

I’ll be passing along Itty Bitty’s old party dresses to my little nieces. It is just a little sad that I won’t be using them again, and there is no way Itty Bitty can squeeze herself into them. My Brother1 want a Lemon Meringue pie, so I’ll

And the sibling fights continue. If anyone wonders why it takes ages to actually post up anything, it is because they are usually fighting at my feet and I can do little more than take a few minutes at a time to even jot down a quick entry much less upload.

11/26 Wednesday Day 1011

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

My brother requested that I bring a lemon merengue pie for Thanksgiving. So…I made one from scratch. That’s right people. The crust from scratch, the lemon cream done in a double boiler with real lemons, and real merengue. Oh…it was so beautiful! So beautiful that I got cocky and made a chocolate pie from scratch using the rest of the pie dough. I couldn’t get that darn chocolate cream to thicken! And when I finally got it to the right consistency I forgot to strain it. I am pretty sure it was tasty, I didn’t get to actually have some, but a chocolate pie should be smooth not with little tapioca sized lumps. Considering that my sous chefs aren’t the most helpful or experienced, I managed to not mess up too baddly.

11/27 Thursday Day 1012

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Happy Thanksgiving! Actually, it is Merry Thanksmas or Happy Chrisgiving. We combine holiday visits and alternate each year, and so exchange Christmas gifts at the same time . This year it was turkey day away, and yuletide at home. A icy snow storm made us late and we didn’t arrive until 1pm. Since they eat earlier we didn’t get to have dinner with everyone, but on the other hand there was more room to be had at the table! We ate more dessert than food (except Daddy Man who had equal indulgence of food and dessert). My brother was pleased with the pie, though it wasn’t nearly as beautiful as it was yesterday. Merengue shrinks and weeps a little, so it really should be served right away. We decided not to stay overnight this time since mom’s house is not really set up for children. Space is filled up with nice things, and not a whole lot of floor space for four grandchildren under the age of 6. Mini Moose and Itty Bitty enjoyed playing with both uncles and their aunty very much. Mini Moose added a very exuberant “Unco” to his vocabulary, and managed to sweet talk UncoR out of his phone so he could watch toy car videos on it. UncoE was busy with his twin offspring, but did get much lovin’ from the little. The kids fell asleep on the way home and it was a blissful, peaceful drive home.

We forgot to bring leftovers home … again.

11/28 Friday Day 1013

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Grandmama came by to visit today and we were still in a bit of post-holiday dessert crash. Lazy doesn’t even begin to cover it.

11/29 Saturday Day 1014

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Daddy Man’s brother UncoB and his long time girlfriend AuntS. came buy and the kids were beyond delighted. They each got to occupy their favorite. Itty Bitty had AuntS occupied showing her toys, games, music, art supplies, puzzles, and dress up costume. Meanwhile, Mini Moose latched onto “UncoB” (saying his name so wrong, yet so right) and had him building car racetracks all afternoon. They had quite an elaborate setup going on that took up the entire playroom. When Itty Bitty emerged with her captive, all four of them were very busy with improving the set with more track and the addition of leggo buildings. Oh, they had a grand time. UncoB hadn’t yet had the pleasure of having a niece or nephew choose him above all and keep for themselves since Itty Bitty was rather sweet on AuntS if she was around.

11/30 Sunday Day 1015

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

We went down the street and picked out tree from a local family owned business. It’s a good thing we don’t put a tree topper on the trees because it is touching the ceiling. We need a robust tree because we don’t want the cats to climb up in it, so we always get a pretty hefty Frasier Fur. We need to let it rest and fall into place before we decorate it. The kids are excited!

12/1 Monday Day 1016

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Itty Bitty and Mini Moose got a brand new micro-drifter stuck in the tree base. It’s a big deep base and even with my long fingers I couldn’t get it out. Daddy Man wanted to leave it in there to rust, but I told him it was brand new (got on clearance the other day…and that price was hard to beat!) and I wasn’t about to let it sit in there. We got it out, but Daddy Man was not pleased. The tree ended up very crooked, but by mutual unspoken agreement we left it as is for the moment.

My sticker on my Jeep expired yesterday so I had that done and it passed! It lives another year! My only complaint is that it wasn’t making that noise it’s been making. I can’t have any mechanic check out a noise that isn’t being noisy. It was warm today, so it seems to get bad when it is cold. I hope it isn’t something serious. I really want it to hold on one more year.

12/2 Tuesday Day 1017

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

The tree is cursed. The 300 light string we’ve used for years has finally kicked the bucket. Half the lights won’t light, and some of them look fried out. I put out all the Christmas decorations instead and took down the few Halloween items that were still up. This i the earliest I’ve ever had everything out!

12/3 Wednesday Day 1018

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

I know I haven’t spoken much about EC lately, but…there is really nothing of note to say! Mini Moose takes himself to the bathroom and I rarely bother putting his pants back on since he’s happy without. He doesn’t use the little potty unless the big toilet happens to be occupied so there is very little for me to do, except wipe a messy butt. Sometimes he asks me to take off his pants if he’s in a hurry. He’s talking more and communicating with longer and longer sentences. He certainly won’t let his sister have her way nearly as often as he used to. The screeches of protest during their daily squabbles are wearing on my nerves.

12/4 Thursday Day 1019

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Tree is still crooked.

12/5 Friday Day 1020

12/6 Saturday Day 1021

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Santa pictures! Itty Bitty was all over Santa like crumbs on a beard. Mini Moose on the other hand was not so enamored and insisted I stay. I had to sit with them. But luckily I am experienced and I wore coordinated clothing and did the “Parent Lean Back” with the boy perched on my knee as close to the Man in Red as possible. We got big smiles and a great shot! Mini Moose even was relaxed enough to want to touch Santa’s beard! Not only did we get good pictures with their cute coordinating matching blue outfits, but I ordered 100 postcards from VistaPrint for $20.00 (which includes shipping) after I did some photo magic with picmonkey. Regular postage is very expensive, so last year I sent out post cards for half the price of regular stamped mail.

Doing things early seemed to be going well!

Until Daddy Man got home we straightened out the tree, and opened the new string of 200 LED lights and …they didn’t work. I tried for two hours to make it work. Nope. The tree really is cursed! He had to go back out, return the defects, and took his chances at another store. We finally got the new lights put on and the ornaments. Tree…done!

Oh, one year I was so sad because I thought we weren’t going to have a tree. It was 2008, if I recall. On Christmas Eve Daddy Man went to Home Depot and brought home a tree on his way back from work. It was THE best bouquet I’ve ever gotten!

12/7 Sunday Day 1022

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Grandmama gave me the gift of the Nutcracker. I don’t know if this a tradition everywhere, but the Nutcracker Ballet is very popular this time of year. Mini Moose was too young to go, so it was just Me, Grandmama, and Itty Bitty. I think Itty Bitty was a little young for it too since she was quite fidgety and impatient. She didn’t really know the story, so after the first half hour of dancing she had her fill! She did get through the whole thing, and there were a LOT of children there. I bought a very reasonably priced keepsake paper doll book that turns into a stage, and a very overpriced Mouse King stuffed toy for Itty Bitty, and a surprise keepsake ornament for Grandmama.

Speaking of gifts. Itty Bitty is very keen on giving everyone gifts this year, and it seems like she has tapped the National Bank of Grandmama! So next weekend they’ve made plans to shop and bake cookies! Ah, to be young again.

12/8 Monday Day 1023

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

12/9 Tuesday Day 1024

Night EC: No pee until the morning catch!

Yeah, I’m surprised! I even woke up in a panic and offered. I got lip for my troubles. I was wary about the no pee, but went with it.

12/10 Wednesday Day 1025

Night EC: No pee until the morning catch again!

Twice in a row. I’m trying not to get excited. Mini Moose didn’t wake me up, so I woke him up to offer at our usual 2-3am window and I got a rather firm refusal.

12/11 Thursday Day 1026

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

And that’s that. Back to routine! That’s okay. I’m not upset, just hopeful. I am just spoiled. Helping Mini Moose pee at night is insignificant and not at all hard. I’m just getting lazy!

12/12 Friday Day 1027

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

12/13 Saturday Day 1028

Night EC: 1 night MISS and 1 morning catch

Yeah, it hasn’t happened in ages, but we had a miss. I rolled out of bed to go spend some time with Daddy Man and when I got back he was soaked and still asleep (with his butt up in the air). He usually calls me if I’m not there to take him potty. I was quite surprised! Luckily, I didn’t get so cocky as to leave him not on top of our flannel wee-wee pad so it was easy to fix.

Little guy needs to top sucking down all that water before bed. Have I mentioned that Mini Moose is obsessed with having other people feed him this month? Yeah. Totally Baby Led Weaned and he suddenly doesn’t want to feed himself! I vacillate between complying and saying “Sorry, you’ll have to feed yourself” because I refuse to eat my food cold and sometimes I’m just in the middle of something. He’s even had Itty Bitty feed him to her utter delight!

Sister was with Grandmama all day. After her ballet lesson, they went gift shopping, then made cookies. We then all met for dinner. While she was away and Daddy Man was with Mini Moose I wrapped all the gifts! Early streak continues! I am totally a last minute wrapper. Usually Christmas Eve or the day before that. My mom has hers all wrapped in July (and I am not exageratting).

DSC_0039 (34) 12/14 Sunday Day 1029

Night EC: 1 night MISS and 1 morning catch

Two nights in a row! This time it was because I missed the signal. Wow. You know, I bet this strange happening might be the clue to future changes coming ahead for night EC. He went those two night in a row without peeing and giving me attitude about offering.

Do I dare to hope? Hey is capable of going to the bathroom alone at night, but he’s just so groggy that I just help him pee in the cup since it is just faster and easier. He’s even gotten down off the bed himself and gotten the cup. I don’t let him do that alone in the dark, because sometimes even I miss it if I’m not careful. Penises tend to stick out at an angle that requires some aiming!

12/15 Monday Day 1030

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

A pretty ordinary day. Wake up. Squabble. Eat. Squabble. Annoy Mommy. Laugh. Squabble. Snack. Nap at 3:30. (and I ordered Itty Bitty to take one because she was just off the wall). Daddy Man came home the usual time and asked if we were going ot the gym since we haven’t gone for two weeks. I said yes, only because the kids get to run around a big kid gym for 1-2 hours while the parents work out in the adult gym. I had not actual motivation to actually exercise. Especially since we’ve slacked off and I have to start over again. I’m doing the couch25k series (Couch to Five Kilometers — because we Americans do everything with American measurements except for things like races for no apparant reason other than that’s how we do it). Week one of the series is a 5 minute walking warmup, 60 minute run, 90 minute rest, and repeate the run rest 8 times. I did this before our Wedding back in 2007 and was running one mile non-stop. As a non-runner that was a HUGE accomplishment for me. And on a very happy note, I got my two class appointment next term/semester. Not as good as getting three, but better than one or none!

Itty Bitty Wordisms:
Knucklecracker = “Nutcracker”
Smoovie Maker = “Smoothie Maker” but actually a “Blender”
Organment = “Ornaments”

Mini Moose Wordisms
Pidermayne = Spiderman
BareBare = Care Bears
Fanta Cwash = Santa Claus
Effant = Elephant
ShistaWhaYou!? = Sister, Where are you!?
Whatchumakin?= What are you making? (learned from Itty Bitty)
Teef Shiney? = Are my teeth shiney? (learned from Itty Bitty. When she says this if she is asking if she’s brushed long enough)
Opee Pinits?= Open presents? (no, not until Christmas!) Response with pout: Awwwww!

12/16 Tuesday Day 1031

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

12/17 Wednesday Day 1032

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

12/18 Thursday Day 1033

Night EC: No night pees!

12/19 Friday Day 1034

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

There is really not much to report. Mini Moose takes himself to the potty and I often find his pants in strange places since he’s discovered that he can kick them off of an ankle. He’s still not much interested in putting them back on, but he at least is taking himself. He uses the potty signal to tell me he needs to go, but little by little he’s starting to go without announcing it first. I’ve seen him just emerging from the bathroom and perhaps saying “I pee.” I have also seen him suddenly jump up from playing to make a mad dash for the facilities doing the potty signal on his way.

12/20 Saturday Day 1035

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

12/21 Sunday Day 1036

Night EC: 1 night catch and 1 morning catch

Finally, After Five Long Years…

Feb4

The problem with this blog and http://eliminationcommunication.wordpress.com blog not showing up in the WordPress reader has been fixed! It seems that I may have been posting too consistently back in the day for a very, strange, unknown topic and I got flagged as spam for both blogs!

I know it has been a problem. I just couldn’t find a solution, was unsuccessful in getting help, and gave up. I purchased a domain name for my new blog http://www.laissezfairelife.com, and an opportunity came up and the problem got fixed in twenty minutes.). You can now also follow The Other Side of the Moon and Pottytunities for Two on Bloglovin.

Thank you for following and for your patience over the years!

Month 33: Me Do This – Day 976 to Day 1006

Jan28

Compare to Sister’s Blog: Month 33: No Problem, I Got I Covered

Rear mounting helps the boys aim.

10/22 Wednesday Day 976 (32 Months)

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

There is getting to be very little to say these days on the state of affairs. Being a butt wiper after a poop just isn’t that blog worthy!

10/23 Thursday Day 977

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/24 Friday Day 978

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/25 Saturday Day 979

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

It’s been a rough month, but it seems like we are coming out of the end of it. Between the leaves…oh my goodness…the LEAVES. Will it never end!? And the body restructuring going on with the littles, I am not sure where I am, who I am, and what year it is. Even the cats are keeping a wide berth.

I couldn’t find a Velma outfit for Itty Bitty that was her size. I did manage to find a red floral skirt that I can turn inside out to make solid red. I had to go searching in the “boy” department to find an orange sweater. I couldn’t find orange socks ANYWHERE. Luckily we have red socks and Itty Bitty can wear her black dress shoes. We had some old 3D glasses that kind of look like Velma’s specktacles. I will put Itty Bitty’s hair in a faux bob after I straighten it a bit with a flat iron and it will look Scoobtastic.

10/26 Sunday Day 980

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/27 Monday Day 981

Night EC: No night pee! 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/28 Tuesday Day 982

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/29 Wednesday Day 983

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/30 Thursday Day 984

Night EC: 2 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Velma and Scooby!

10/31 Friday Day 985

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Happy Halloween! The Scoobies are ready! Daddy Man is supposed to be Shaggy but didn’t buy any acceories. He did wear a green shirt and khaki’s, though Itty Bitty and I agreed that the green shirt wasn’t green enough! I was pinkified with my wig, heavy makeup, flower child inspired design on my cheek, and I even had fake lashes! Itty Bitty looked just like Velma and I even put on fake freckles. Mini Moose wanted hiss face done too, so he got a Scooby inspired face paint to go with his costume. We makde a last minute addition to his costume. Daddy Man opened an old cereal box, turned it inside out, scrawled “Scooby Snaks” on it — and that was Mini Mooses’ trick or treat container! The boy wouldn’t let it go even when it got heavy. I was holder of the pillow case for holding the excess loot.

It was a brisk night…a little cold but clear. Itty Bitty refused to wear pants or a jacket over her costume, so I just layered extra shirts under the sweater and made sure he knee socks were pulled high. Some people knew we were Scooby and the Gang, and others took a while. Are we really that old!? Yeah…we are.

Much candy was collected for Daddy Man and I to loot later. Muahahahaha.

11/1 Saturday Day 986

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

It is now November and since it is clear that we don’t have any Day EC issues worth mentioning at all, I’ve cut down our daily report to nights. Even that is pretty routine. Dull dull dull…is what we want though! Most of the time now, I don’t even know when Mini Moose has gone potty, since he doesn’t need to tell me unless he’s having a problem, or we are out and he can’t go by himself. He prefers to rear mount the toilet still, so he’s usually without pants since that is easiest for him. It’s not that he can’t take his pants off, it is just more convenient. He can’t put them on yet, though if they are already on he can pull them up. Somtimes when Itty Bitty is going, Mini Moose will decided it needs to be a joint effort. I really don’t like cleaning out the Little Potty when that happens! I really could just put it away, but it doesn’t hurt to have it out. We don’t use the little potty at night, we are still using a jumbo, plastic soda cup for night pee. With a boy, it is really easiest and less likely to miss fire! Mini Moose has tried to pee himself in a cup on his own, however, he has not yet learned the utmost importance of aiming first (he aims when he uses the big toilet, but forgets elsewhere)! He does like to empty it too, though, I (being a tired parent, recovering from a double growth spurt of a five year old and 2.5 year old) don’t encourage it — I’m just tired of cleaning the backsplash on toilet.

I still have Mini Moose in his Imse Vimse training pants at night just in case of a miss. I do put him in traning pants under his clothes, not because of mishaps (which don’t happen anymore), but because they fit him well and they aren’t good enough to pass on to anyone else. Several of them, after two rounds of EC, are getting holes! I can put him in regular underwear with confidence, just trying to get as much life out of these as possible!

11/2 Sunday Day 987

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/3 Monday Day 988

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

How does Mini Moose aim in the toilet? Does he stand? No. He sits facing the toilet with his legs straddled wide, both hands holding him steady, leans forward so he can aim, and pees free style. He’ll even do a number to this way, but he prefers to face the proper direction for that.

11/4 Tuesday Day 989

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/5 Wednesday Day 990

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/6 Thursday Day 991

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/7 Friday Day 992

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/8 Saturday Day 993

Night EC: 1 night miss (I was really out of it) and 1 morning catch

Dear Mini Moose…I would appreciate it if you switched to a verbal, “I have to pee,” rather than crawling on my face and sreeching as your potty signal. Thanks.

11/9 Sunday Day 994

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/10 Monday Day 995

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Mini Moose almost lost an eye!

All I wanted to do was…rake…again. It was a nice day. The kids were at each other’s throats. So we went outside. It was okay for about an hour, then I moved down the driveway while the kids were playing with their trikes. The area I was raking was not an area with much visibility and had a lot of debris. I don’t mind the kids climbing on rock and things, but we have an area for that where you can actually see where you are going. I had JUST finished telling the kid, “Not safe over there. Not for climbing!” A few seconds later, Mini Moose decides to jump off into a ground cover, and pops back up with a bloody eye! My heart was in my throat! I tossed the rake, leaped over debris, scooped up the boy, called the girl, ran into the house, and applied ice.

After the initial adrenalin rush, I could see that he was a very lucky little boy. Half an inch higher and he’d have been blinded. It wan’t bleeding much and he gouged out some skin, but I now know why our eyes are set inside bony sockets that protrude! He stopped crying after three minute, and after five minutes acted like nothing happened except for wanting ice on it and asking to nurse. Instead of going to the ER, I took him into the peditrician’s office. We still waited an hour and a half, but that is way less than we would have been at the ER. By the time we were seen, the swelling was down a bit. The eye itself was undamaged. The doctor said a stitch wouldn’t help the flesh injury, and to just leave it alone. We got some topical antibiotic prescribed that he said we probably wouldn’t need.

What is it with this boy and his eyes!? This is the second eye injury, and I think it is the same eye!

11/11 Tuesday Day 996

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Day 2: The swelling is mostly all gone today. The injury is scabbed over and look ugly, but is already healing fast. I put some of the ointment on it today because he was touching it with a finger, and some vitamin E oil. I doubt it will get infected, but toddler fingers are dirty beasts.

We stayed inside and played with play doh. I am just not up for going out. I’m more shaken about yesterday, while the kids are back to normal.

11/12 Wednesday Day 997

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Day 3: The eye is healing really well, and I swear that this lucky little bug is probably not even going to scar!

11/13 Thursday Day 998

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Day 4: Everything is going well. Healing fast, no sign of infection, no swelling. Kids are fighting again. More leaves fell.

11/14 Friday Day 999

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Day 5: Scab fell off and bled a little. It look like little more than a scratch. “Boo-Boo eye” will soon be an after thought.

11/15 Saturday Day 1000

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Day 6: Happy 1000th Entry! Wow. What is there to say, except I think it is time to think about starting another blog that isn’t dedicated to …output. I can’t believe I’ve been doing diary entries about EC for FIVE years now and only had each child in a diaper for a year or less! It doesn’t seem like it has been that long, yet, Itty Bitty is five years old. Wish I had something profound to say. How about: “In your face, critics!”

11/16 Sunday Day 1001

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Day 7: Eye looks great, the second scab over is also healing well.

11/17 Monday Day 1002

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

Day 8: He picked his eye and left fresh skin exposed. THAT might scar. If he had left it alone, it probably wouldn’t have at all. We’ll see in a few weeks. But for now, I consider it fully healed.

It was a groovy Halloween this year.

11/18 Tuesday Day 1003

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/19 Wednesday Day 1004

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/20 Thursday Day 1005

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

11/21 Friday Day 1006

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch

New Directions

Jan19

Greetings from 2015!

A big thank you to all of my followers and those of you who have been with me from the beginning five years ago. When I wrote my very first blog dedicated to Itty Bitty’s EC journey, I never thought even two people would bother looking at it, much less generate a very respectable number of intimate followers. Even when WordPress stopped showing it in the feed for some reason, many of you followed it on Facebook instead. This blog has a spotty upload history! I always had those notes laying in the wings, but never seemed to have the time to upload as often as I had planned! I am rather proud that I managed to keep a daily log for the entire journey, even though at the end there wasn’t much to report. Another big update is coming soon.

I appreciate that you have stuck in there. However, Mini Moose is coming up on three years and I just like his sister, my roll in their potty adventure has long since been a fraction. He will soon no longer need my help with anything at all. Three years is about the upper limit of the topic for us! Alas, there will be no future spawn to discuss an EC journey.

As I mentioned in my mad ramblings before, I am beginning to transition to a new, more general blog focusing on more topics of interest to me, Amazon reviews (good and bad), domestic tips, and other opinionated musings at Laissez Faire Life which has it own Facebook page. A few people now and then ask me about accessory recommendations and I am putting together reviews and lists of such products, that I will add to this blog and it’s sister blog as they come up. I may in the future, open up Q & A posts or more opinion pieces depending on what the fates throw my way.

I am turning 42 this year and I want to take a new approach to writing by focusing on broader topics, and even to feel my way around Review writing. As the children grow there is more time to take for myself. I hope you will join me this year in a new direction!

Month 32: Whatever She Can Do I Can Do – Day 948 to Day 975

Dec15

Compare to Sister’s Blog: Month 32: Itty Bitty Role Model

Happy Birthday! The cake gave mommy some trouble, but rainbows make everything better!

9/21 Sunday Day 947 (31 Months)

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Happy Fifth Birthday Itty Bitty!

I am still exhausted and we didn’t finish cleanup from yesterday. We took Itty Bitty out for her birthday breakfast and just pretty much stayed close to home. It rained all day with a lull in the afternoon and the the kids enjoyed playing in the warm puddles.

I wonder how many years of puddle splashing she has left? Of course, I hope she puddle splashes as an adult! It can be really hard to keep that little inner child sparked.

Itty Bitty you are growing so fast. Every so often I catch a glimpse of my little baby, and I miss the smell of your bald head. Sure, sometimes it smelled like armpit, but I could still get a great whiff of that baby perfume. You are so affectionate and headstrong. I am sorry if some days I feel all touched out, and aren’t as free with my hugs as you. I am sorry if sometimes I demand too much quiet or just can’t answer one more question. I don’t want you to stop asking questions or to stop challenging me, even when I raise my hands in exasperation. The world is still all new to you, and you haven’t yet grown tired. Though I know that I should try to see the world through your eyes, this Mama Bear just wants to curl up and hibernate for a while!

Know that I miss your noise when you aren’t near. Miss the questions once I’ve had my half hour of recharge time. I love your persistence and passion. Yes, I see how much better you are drawing cats and people. Yes, thank you for getting the laundry. You may not lick the window! Wow, look at how easily you can do a flip now! No, I don’t want help eating my piece of birthday cake. Thank you, but I don’t want to listen to that song a 61t time. Please, do not jump on my foot! Do not tie that around the cat! You’ve called me twenty times in sixty seconds, WHAT!? Yes, I love you too.

9/22 Monday Day 948

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

9/23 Tuesday Day 949

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Happy 62nd Birthday to my mom.
Itty Bitty did something stranger today…she fell asleep next to me on our cuddler loveseat and took a nap while Mini Moose didn’t take a nap! Wow. The party must have taken a lot out of her and she needed to reset.

9/24 Wednesday Day 950

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Mini Moose has been continuing his trend of solo pottying. He sometimes dissapears to go on his own, though he still usually announces to me before he goes, and often returns to give me the usual status report.
Oh, and I realized that I totally flaked forgot to put out the homemade onion dip and carrots for the party. Guess what we are eating?

9/25 Thursday Day 951

Night EC: 1 night miss, 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Making giant bubbles!

9/26 Friday Day 952

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

9/27 Saturday Day 953

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Daddy Man took me out for a birthday dinner to the place they all went to on the fourth of July when Mini Moose was sick. Yay! It was so good. The specialize in wings and specialty sauces, but everything we ordered was good. Even the coleslaw! I had myself a birthday cocktail. I should have had two. Mini Moose was napless today so he was really antsy, but we managed to hold it together, but we didn’t get to have desert. It was okay though because I was way way over full.

Oh…and…by the way Mother Nature…thank you for the monthly gift. It was really, really unnecessary though.

Happy Birthday to mommy!

9/28 Sunday Day 954

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Happy 41st Birthday to me! The weather is gorgeous, if a little hot. Summer decided to come back and say goodbye to me one last time. *sniffle* Thank you Summer, that was very thoughtful.

9/29 Monday Day 955

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Grandmama and a very good friend came by today and we hung out and had some Mommy birthday cake that Grandmama brought over. I even go to blow out candles. Yay!
The kids and I showed them how we make gak/slime with borax, pvc/elmer’s glue, and water. That kept the kids occupied for two hours while the big folk got to watch a football game in peace.

9/30 Tuesday Day 956

Night EC: 1 night miss and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/1 Wednesday Day 957

Night EC: 1 night miss and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

We are having trouble with the middle of the night pee. Thankfully it isn’t a big gusher, but still getting kicked from a toddler who is half asleep with damp pants doesn’t put me in the rainbow zone.

10/1 Wednesday Day 958

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Mini Moose, please, maintain three points of contact at all times!

10/2 Thursday Day 959

Night EC: 1 night miss, and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Managed to keep the kids occupied for hours with the slime and Itty Bitty was doing one of the craft kits she got for her birthday. Breathing room is good.

10/3 Friday Day 958

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/4 Saturday Day 959

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

These new brain the kids are growing ar really killing me. I may not survive the ordeal. Restless nights, the fighting, the naplessness, the fighting, the crazy. I want my babies back!

Mommy is having a small heart attack.

10/5 Sunday Day 960

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

It seem like Mini Moose has the poop well in hand now. We have no issues any more even with pants on, though it is easier for him without pants. He can take them off on his own, though he usually comes to give me the potty signal and says, “Poot!” I take his pants off and he goes running. Sometimes, instead, I’ll say, “You don’t have to tell me, take off your pants, go go go!” And shoo him off in a hurry. If he remembers he takes his pants off first before running, though usually they end up around his ankle as he shuffles. Once in a great while, the get to destination first, then remove them. No matter how it starts, he inevitably ends up pantsless. “I fush?” Is is finishing question if he wants to flush, though usually doesn’t wait for an answer.

Now if he can just hold his pee all night, we’ll be golden.

"Look how high I am! I can do it Momma!" Yes, I can see that you can.

“Look how high I am! I can do it Momma!” Yes, I can see that you are several feet above the ground.

10/6 Monday Day 960

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Can we have one day where you two aren’t fighting!! Gah. Please finish this double growth spurt and brain burst quickly. Please. I am begging.
On top of this rewiring, Itty Bitty informs me that she doen’t want to be a pony for Halloween, but wants to be Velma. I went to the store to buy her new pant because she’s outgrown all but two pairs in a week! While I was there I happened to see a Scooby Doo costume for Mini Moose so I bought it. Last one in his size! I was going to go for more of a Superhero costume like Super Why to echo Itty Bitty’s two year costume a Detructo Girl. There were no Super Why cotumes and ALL of the other superheros had gigantic fake muscles and they looked weird. I couldn’t find a Daphne costume for me, so I’m going to groovy up as a hippie and be the “guest star”. I even got a pink wing and a pink/purple gogo dress (I’ll be wearing pants). I don’t do pink, so this costume is way out in left field for me. So…now I have to find a Velma outfit.

Mini Moose has suddenly burst out with new vocabulary, phrase, and sentences. So I was right. New brains. The fights between he and Itty Bitty are the direct result of new awareness. They also play together with imaginative play complete with dialog, so it isn’t all conflict. Just…a lot of it.

Exhausted.
Yin and Yang.

Mini Moose Word Burst:

YouheppaMe = You help me.
Eyeheppayou= I’ll help you.
NoIwannadatone = No! I want that one!
Disonenaynay= This one nay-nay. (says when he wants to switch nursing sides)
EyingAqueen! = Lightning McQueen
IckHips! = Chick Hicks
DaddyPudaVroomVroomCah= Daddy, play vroom vroom cars on your computer
Puda = Computer
Idoewandit = I don’t want it.
Eye-doe-no = I don’t know
Wook Wook a circle! = Look Look (I made) a circle!
Pwayne = Plane
Wook it waining = Look it’s raining.
Shirt off = Shirt off (to match the pants that are already off)
Shirt peez = Put my shirt on please
Dis one = this one!
I’m shad! = I’m sad!
Dat/Dis/It hebby = That/This/It’s heavy.
Nonono Waitda second = No, no, wait a second.
Where’s Daddy? = asks when he forgets that it isn’t the weekend.
Daddy adda work? = Is Daddy at work?
Take it = (Minni Moose enjoys giving orders)
PayDoe = Play Doh
Why? = (so many why’s…let me count them)
Pieda = Spider (pretty much any multi-legged critter. “I think that’s a tick, honey.” Pause. “No! Pie-da!”)
Pieda Mane = Spiderman
Housh = House
Top it! = Stop it! (often said to his sister)
Outshied = Outside
Oh Man! = (I think I say this a lot)
Hrmph = (crosses his arms with displeasure and snorts this sound through his nose)
Momma, Yucky poot! Heppa me. = (a plea to help me whip his bottom free of a particularly grueome poo)

Mini Moose still says: MauMau for Micky Mouse. But has stopped saying “Shoom-Shoom” for airplane. *sniffle*

10/7 Tuesday Day 961

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Itty Bitty’s brain has been rewired too. She’d been doing well with number for quite a long time (counting 100 and above, adding, subtracting, using the simple abacus), but suddenly out of the blue she’s started doing low number multiplication, and has a better understanding of even and odd numbers. “Momma, four is an even number because you can make two groups of two. And six is an even number because you can make two groups of three. Three is an odd number because you can’t make two even groups.”

I was quite surprised with the length of the profound utterance. She still has a little trouble with counting because occasionally brain cells go on the fritz and she forgets the repeating pattern (particularly with the teens). She also still has difficulty saying “fifteen” as it comes out sounding like “fifty”, even though we know what she means.

I guess it is about time to start teaching her how to count money, and explain that the number of coins isn’t the amount of money you have! I also should get back on track with letters and sight words…I’ve been rather neglecting that part of our play to learn.

10/8 Wednesday Day 962

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/9 Thursday Day 963

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment during day, a mishap with daddy in the evening (oops!)

10/10 Friday Day 964

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Mini Moose is obsessed with cars. Particularly Lighting McQueen. Obsessed. It causes so much strife with his sister that I’ve had to put away most of the cars and limit them to a few at a time just to keep them reeled in and encourage mor cooperation.

10/11 Saturday Day 965

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/12 Sunday Day 966

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Happy 91st Birthday Great-Grandma!

10/13 Monday Day 967

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Hello. My name is Mommy and I’m a yeller.
I don’t want to be a yeller.
I don’t like to yell.
I can’t stop yelling.

Can I get just FIVE MINUTES alone to PEE without there having to be an argument, crying, and a crash of some sort!
I’M SELLING YOU ALL TO THE CIRCUS!

10/14 Tuesday Day 968

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/15 Wednesday Day 969

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/16 Thursday Day 970

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/17 Friday Day 971

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/18 Saturday Day 972

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/19 Sunday Day 973

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/20 Monday Day 974

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

10/21 Tuesday Day 975

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Month 27: One Catch at a Time – Day 787 to Day 816

Dec15

Compare to Sister’s Blog: Month 27: Making Strides

The “rear mount”

4/22 Tuesday Day 787 (26 Months)

Night EC: Same. 2am and 6am.
Day: No misses.
Poop: 50/50

Routine is what we like to see with Elimination Communication. Just part of every day life. Brush teeth, fling clothes, empty out every toy, hug sibling, annoy sibling, hug sibling again, sit on sibling, eat, and potty. However, it doesn’t make for very exciting diary entries.

4/23 Wednesday Day 788

Night EC: Big 6am pee
Day: No misses.
Poop: 50/50

4/24 Thursday Day 789

Night EC: Same. 2am and 6am.
Day: No misses.
Poop: catch!

4/25 Friday Day 790

Night EC: 2am and 6am.
Day: 3 misses. Off day.
Poop: 50/50

Managed to book Mini Moose’s belated second birthday party at a local community venue. Better late than never I guess! It will be a Winnie the Pooh theme. I can seem to find any of that theme amongst the Spongebobs and Sophias, so I’m going to focus on the cake and make character ears for the kids. I got some good deals on party favors at Easter markdown (really, if you can Easter markdown is the best time to get cute party favors at rock bottom prices cheaper than the dollar stores).

4/26 Saturday Day 791

Night EC: Two usual pees.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: 1 catch in the morning, 1 miss in the late afternoon.

4/27 Sunday Day 792

Night EC: Two usual pees.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: 80% catch!

4/28 Monday Day 793

Night EC: Same. 2am and 6am
Day: No misses.
Poop: 50/50

4/29 Tuesday Day 794

Night EC: 1 big wake up pee around 6 or 7am
Day: No misses.
Poop: 90% catch!

4/30 Wednesday Day 795

Night EC: Missed one, caught one. I fell back to sleep the first time oops!
Day: 2 misses.
Poop: 50/50

Accursed poops. Half catch is better than a full miss though!

5/1 Thursday Day 796

Night EC: Back to the pattern 2am and 6am.
Day: No misses.
Poop: 80% catch

Mini Moose has been a huge crankopotomous. There are changes afoot for sure. Itty Bitty has been antsy to go outside, but the sporadic cold/rainy weather is getting on all our nerves.

5/2 Friday Day 797

Night EC: One big wake up pee around 7am
Day: 2 misses.
Poop: 50/50 If he would just give me more warning we would make it 100% more often!

5/3 Saturday Day 798

Night EC: Two usual pees.
Day: 4 misses. Wow. At least he brings me the wet underwear.
Poop: miss.

5/4 Sunday Day 799

Night EC: One big wake-up pee.
Day: 2 misses.
Poop: 50/50

For those new to the blog, understand that two misses is nothing. A pittance. Hardly even worth noting. I only mention them because I want people to know that EC is a process; it is not perfect. I don’t count the number of times Mini Moose pees in a day, but it is WAY more than twice.

5/5 Monday Day 800

Night EC: 2 catch at usual intervals.
Day: No misses.
Poop: miss

A big milestone happened today for Mini Moose! Normally when he signals to pee or poop (even if we miss all are part of the poop), I shoo him to the bathroom with a frantic, “Quick go to the potty!” or a “Shoo shoo to the bathroom!” or “Eeek…go go go!” And he makes a mad dash to the bathroom with me herding him like a sheepdog with her flock of one. Today though, I said “Go potty!” when he signaled and he ran off before I could herd him that direction! He then dropped his pants in the hallway halfway there, straddled the little potty, aimed and peed! He has pretty good aim for a short-stack. We almost had a mishap when he then emptied the potty in the toilet. No matter, the events occurred and that is huge. I don’t expect it to be consistent yet, but it is a start. I don’t mind being a kid-herder anyway.

5/6 Tuesday Day 801

Night EC: Same. 2am and 6am.
Day: No misses.
Poop: 50/50

Mini Moose and Itty Bitty were playing together when Mini Moose suddenly got up silently, strolled to the bathroom, (I followed him discreetly), peed in the little potty standing up taking careful aim, he then emptied the potty (making a bit of a mess), flushed, walked out of the bathroom and went to resume play. I guess there was some brain rewiring going on with the crankitude a couple weeks ago.

5/7 Wednesday Day 802

Night EC: One big wake-up pee.
Day: No misses.
Poop: 50/50 Curse the poop.

Mini Moose took himself to the potty twice today with prompting. “Go pee!” has been rewarded with the flinging of trainers and a trip to the potty. He won’t sit, but straddles it standing. He repositions and reaims if he misjudges.

5/8 Thursday Day 803

Night EC: Usual 2am and 6am.
Day: 2 misses in the morning.
Poop: catch!

I’m kind of liking the “Go Pee!” initiative, it is not always mess free however. Unless we are outside, then I can just tell him to go pee on a tree and he runs across the yard with a bare little bottom to find an appropriate place to mark territory.

5/9 Friday Day 804

Night EC: One big morning pee.
Day: no misses
Poop: 50/50

Happy Mother’s Day! I almost missed it. Where does the time go anyway!? I am so not ready for anything anymore. Got some flowers, cards, and Daddy Man is going ot cook out for me and his mom this weekend.

5/10 Saturday Day 805

Night EC: Two usual pees.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: 1 catch in the morning, 1 miss in the late afternoon.

5/11 Sunday Day 806

Night EC: Two usual pees.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: 80% catch!

Mini Moose is communicating a lot more, picking up new words and always asking, “Oowad Dat?” He will repeat new words if they end a sentence and it sounds like a bonafide question with a dash of surprise. I say, “That’s a stick.” and he’ll say, “Stik!?” He makes requests all the time for specific cartoons, “Rockee” (Little Einsteins) or “Ohnut (Octonaughts)” or “Osho (Special Agent Oso). He gives orders, “Sheet Down!”, “Go”, “No, stop.” or makes demands, “Wet go!” “Poomee down!” “Oh-gurr-p! (Yogurt)” “Mine!”, “Me Hahtit (give that to me I had it!)” Makes inquiries, “Bah-tin? Bah tin? (Where’s the remote control so I can press the buttons and turn the tv on.) Initiates games, “Hide Shhhh!” (Hide and go Seek) “Nose, Eye, Hay (hair), cheeks…” (Let’s play name that body part!)

Got to love the toddler-speak.

Itty Bitty has been singing…a lot. Like a lot a lot. Like…I want to put my head in a plastic bag stuffed with cotton wool a lot. I admire her memory, but after the 400th verse of True True friend or Let it Go…I’m done.

5/12 Monday Day 807

Night EC: Same. 2am and 6am.
Day: 3 misses.
Poop: 50/50

Despite the misses, Mini Moose will immediately come to me or Daddy Man to rememedy the situation — usually with soggy pants in hands. Mini Moose’s curly cues on his head are getting knotted and I actually have to take five whole seconds to brush them out.

5/13 Tuesday Day 808

Night EC: Big 6am pee
Day: No misses.
Poop: 50/50

5/14 Wednesday Day 809

Night EC: Same. 2am and 6am.
Day: No misses.
Poop: catch!

5/15 Thursday Day 810

Night EC: 2am and 6am.
Day: 3 misses. Off day.
Poop: 50/50

5/16 Friday Day 811

Night EC: Two usual pees.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: 1 catch in the morning, 1 miss in the late afternoon.

5/17 Saturday Day 812

Night EC: Two usual pees.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: 80% catch!

5/18 Sunday Day 813

Night EC: Two usual pees.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Miss.

5/19 Monday Day 814

Night EC: Same. 2am and 6am.
Day: 3 misses.
Poop: 50/50

Mini Moose still occasionally will use the little potty, but he has a clear preference for the big potty. It is funny, Itty Bitty was FAR more independent and delighted on getting on and off the big potty by herself, using and emptying the little potty by herself, and stripping her clothes off. Mini Moose had control of pee much earlier and he CAN get on the big potty and use the little potty…but he doesn’t have the intense “me do myself” drive yet. For him, it seems like he wants to prove to himself that he CAN do it, yet once he has mastered it he prefers to relinquish the sole control in preference over cooperation. If we are outside, there is no need for any aid when he can pee on the endge of the lawn on a tree, weed, or bush so I can just say, “Go pee on a tree,” and he dashes off. If we are in the house and I say, “Go potty.” He goes to the bathroom and waits for me.

Not the behavior I anticipated. Not that this is a bad thing. Not at all! Just an observation.

5/20 Tuesday Day 815

Night EC: 1 night pee, then the morning pee.
Day: No misses.
Poop: Miss.

5/21 Wednesday Day 816

Night EC: Same.
Day: 2 morning misses.
Poop: Miss.

Month 31: Le Streak Indépendante – Day 914 to Day 947

Dec15

A walk to see the sunset.

Compare to Sister’s Blog: Month 31: Veni Vidi Vici

8/22 Friday Day 913 (30 Months)

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

We are on an amazing streak! I don’t know what to do with myself!
If I could do a cartwheel I would. I’ll have to be content with the Snoopy Dance!

Amusements!

8/23 Saturday Day 914

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

Grandmama treated us all to a trip to an amusement park today! We rode on so many rides (Daddy Man went on the crazy Roller Coaster by himself. I don’t do coasters and he doesn’t do teacups so we’re square). The food was way over priced, but the admission was pretty reasonable with unlimited rides so it balanced out.

These were very fast! They both LOVED it and went on it two more times, willing to stand in line.

I was rather taken aback though when I paid for a stroller so that the kids didn’t have to exhaust themselves between rides with walking. The stroller rental was thirteen dollars, so I tried to give $23.00 so I could get a ten dollar bill back. I hand them the twenty, and was digging in my pocket for the three ones, “Hold on, I have three bills so you can give me a ten back.” and they said, “Sorry we can’t do that. We can’t make change.” I blinked, “Uh, I don’t want change, I just wanted you to give me back a ten instead of a five and singles.” You know, because usually it is better to keep the singles you have since they can dwindle pretty fast. They refused to give me a ten and referred me to customer service! I…I have no words that are kind.

The kids were exhausted by the time we got home, but we had no potty issues and Mini Moose and Itty Bitty were fearless riders of even the most surprisingly fast kiddie rides. Daddy Man will one day have steady company on his Roller Coaster rides.

8/24 Sunday Day 915

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

Itty Bitty tests out the new swim bubble with Daddy Man.

8/25 Monday Day 916

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/26 Tuesday Day 917

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

We seem to have cracked the poop! WOO HOO! Steady on Mini Moose, steady on!

8/27 Wendesday Day 918

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/21 Thursday Day 919

Night EC: 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses, except one when we were out and I forgot to pee him as soon as we got home.
Poop: Catch

8/22 Friday Day 920

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/23 Saturday Day 921

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

I really am going to miss Mini Moose’s little naked tush when he finally starts wearing pants all the time. I sometimes miss it when I realize that Itty Bitty hasn’t needed me for potty help for months — not since she was sick. She just takes care of herself. It is funny though when she suddenly runs by in panic to make it to the bathroom because she waited too long. Once in a blue moon she doesn’t quite make it. She tells me, then tosses her dirties in the hamper, and gets herself new underwear. It’s not that I miss poop patrol, it is that I realize that she hasn’t been my teeny little baby in such a long time.

8/24 Sunday Day 922

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/25 Monday Day 923

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

My moods have not been the best. As the kids grow, we are more and more on each other’s nerves, especially when in a big house they are up my rear end when I just need a few minutes alone to just center. The same go rounds every day are really getting old and wearing me down. Can we have ONE morning where there isn’t something unpleasant going on? Just. ONE.

I try so hard to use positive language and all that, but lately I just…Snarl. Really. It get’s to the point where you are so tired you just spew all the cliche negative barks: GET OFF YOUR SISTER’S HEAD! STOP TEASING YOUR BROTHER! PUT THE CAT DOWN! DON’T PICK YOUR BROTHER UP BY THE HEAD! BOY, BALLS ARE FOR OUTSIDE! THERE ARE 50 CARS, STOP HOGGING THEM ALL BOTH OF YOU! CAN I HAVE JUST FIVE MINUTES OF PEACE!!! GET OUT, GET OUT GO OUTSIDE!

Gah! Children for sale!

8/26 Tuesday Day 924

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/27 Wednesday Day 925

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

At night we still always do a catch in a pee-cup still. Much easier than the bowl set up we used when we were first starting out. No fuss and back to slumber in less than a minute. Most of the time he still has his eye closed!

Giddy-Up!

8/28 Thursday Day 926

Night EC: 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses, except one when we were out and I forgot to pee him as soon as we got home.
Poop: Catch

8/29 Friday Day 927

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/30 Saturday Day 928

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

Daddy Man told me that after he was done with his pit stop in the downstairs bathroom, Mini Moose decided that he too was going to pee into the big toilet standing up. Daddy man said he was barely able to reach standing on his tiptoes to pee into the bowl freestyle.

8/31 Sunday Day 929

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

9/1 Monday Day 930

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

Tasting the blueberries to be sure they are okay for picking.

9/2 Tuesday Day 931

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

Things are pretty on the potty front. I can now just tell Mini Moose to “go potty!” when he comes to me and gives me the “may-may” sound and potty sign. I don’t always follow him to the bathroom now, or I’ll just peek in quickly and leave him to it. He’s mostly naked so pants aren’t a problem. However, sometimes he has on trainers so I do have to remember to say, “Take off your pants.” or just “Pants pants!” if he is already rounding into the bathroom. He has found that his favorite way to potty now is rear mounting the toilet (facing the tank). I’m glad of it since if he does on occasion pee in the potty, he feels he needs to empty it (and he’s not so good about pouring without missing the toilet!). He comes back to give me a status report, “I pee!” or “I fush!” or “I poot” (I pooped). He’s been a bit of a bear lately, but we can now see through his vocabulary burst and control of more independence that he’s been growing some more brains!

9/3 Wednesday Day 931

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

You know, I am not sure if I can call poop “catches” anymore since I don’t participate actively in its deployment any more. He tells me, I direct him to scoot to the potty, and he takes care of business.

9/4 Thursday Day 932

Night EC: Miss
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful deployment

We had a miss last night because Mr. Independent decided that “Nyo! Nyo pee!” he has also been saying, “Nyo nap!” when I suggest it, but then five minutes later he’s crawled up on my lap asking for nay-nay then passes out cold. He just doesn’t have Itty Bitty’s Bladder of Steel so he needs to pee at least once no matter how much he protests. The waterproof trainer cover is getting a bit tight so I have been just doubling up his trainers in the event of a miss when both Imse Vimse trainers are dirty. He’s been really restless at night too. I think he’s teething those last two year molars on one side finally.

9/5 Friday Day 933

Night EC: miss
Day: No pee misses, except for a little damp mishap with Daddy Man when I was at work.
Poop: Successful deployment

Missed last night again. I was in a really deep sleep. On a brighter note, whether he has pants on or not doesn’t seem to affect our success rate anymore. The extra time he spent bottomless, for some reason, helped him to learn to signal before critical moment, and to hold it better. Go figure.

9/6 Saturday Day 934

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful deployment

Been working on Itty Bitty’s party. She’s been wanting a pinata for two years and I’m making one. A big one. Probably two big considering I’m a novice pinata maker. We’ll see how this goes. The things I get myself into sometimes.

9/7 Sunday Day 935

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

9/8 Monday Day 936

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

9/9 Tuesday Day 937

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

We are amazed at Itty Bitty’s growing strength with the trapeze on the play structure. She has also had a big spurt in understanding number relationships and has gotten more adept at subtraction and addition. She still tries to “count over” from the beginning to add, but there are times where she is using patterns. She’ll see a group of 8 and then 2 and just say 10, for example. She can count to 100 by herself (though she still has trouble with those teens) and with prompting can count higher. She recognizes the pattern of numbers most of the time, though once in a while she “loses” it. He fine motor skills have improved too. She can color within lines better, has finer control of a pencil when copying numbers, uses scissors with more refinement, and can use glitter and glue with control. We’ve tried some reading/phonetics but something isn’t quite clicking yet…but she is right on the cusp. She can recognize some sight words of course, so she just needs to find a connection to make it all click.

Itty Bitty still has wordisms:
Diamond room (dining room)
Bemember (remember)
Free (three)
Barm (farm or barn)

She is always asking me, “What’s that word mean?” Whenever I say a “big” word she doesn’t recognize.

9/10 Wednesday Day 937

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

9/11 Thursday Day 938

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Mini Moose still takes a late afternoon nap around 3:30pm like Itty Bitty did but…he also has been skipping a nap entirely once or twice a week now and then. Man…I don’t like it when he skips a nap! Today, I had had it with the two of them, and I made them both take a nap, which I normally don’t enforce naps. But I needed a nap myself, and it was one argument after another. No acknowledgement of hurts to each other, and increasingly dumb decisions about personal safety. I banished Itty Bitty to the floor bed in Mini Moose’s future room and told her if she didn’t take a nap, no TV with Daddy Man. (Yes, Yes, I know…but I was desperate). She tried a few times to pretend to sleep and come out and I’d just say, “I know you didn’t sleep,” and shooed her away. In about fifteen minutes she was out cold. Mini Moose gave me lip for a good ten minutes before he too passed out after nursing.

I got to have myself a much needed nap and quiet time. Ahhhh….Zzzzzzzzz.

9/12 Friday Day 939

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

9/13 Saturday Day 940

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Mini Moose has been a real grouch. Which means he fights with is sister, wakes me up for non-pee reasons, and just makes this horrid screetching sounds. Boy…you BETTER be up to doing something amazing soon or else I’m going to have to eat you or build a trebuchet and launch you into the woods. Every morning it is the same arguments at the exact same time with the two of them! And the groping…can…we…stop…the…groping! Put your hands down! That include your elbow, and the back of your head, and your foot, and your knee, and your forehead, and the back of your hand. GAAAAAHHHH!

I’ve turned into he world’s worst angry Mogre (mom ogre).

9/14 Sunday Day 941

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

9/15 Monday Day 942

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

The pinata I was talking about…is going to kill me. Why couldn’t I do something simple? No…it has to be Twilight Sparkle with a saucy tilt to her head and jaunty leg that is as big as Itty Bitty. Sheesh. I’m also making rainbow cake, rainbow cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes. It should go pretty smoothly with the cakes. My experimental batches went well and didn’t take long.

I can’t believe summer is almost over and my little baby girl is turning five. I feel like my life is flashing before my eyes.

9/16 Tuesday Day 943

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

9/17 Wednesday Day 944

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Can we stop the fighting kids or else mommy is going to lose her mind. No, wait, I already lost it! GROWWWWWWWWWWLL! I was so mad and done by evening that I left them both in the family bed with lights out for a couple of minutes. I let Her Royal Contraryness and His Royal Orneryness to stew for a while before I came back and turned on a light. I told them I was going to go sit with Daddy Man and if they left the room I was going to turn out the light again. They, surprisingly, stayed in the room playing with stuffies. When I came back Itty Bitty was passed out and Mini Moose was pouting a bit, but still playing quietly. Usually, I leave them with a movie when I do need to buy some time, but tonight they were so growl inducing I just blew my stack. Neither one of them gave me any lip when I carved myself out a spot on the bed. Mini Moose had nay-nays using proper manners and no groping attempts for once and fell asleep in five minutes.

9/18 Thursday Day 945

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Countdown to party. I have so much to do still!

9/19 Friday Day 946

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

I am so not ready for the party! Despite all my planning and starting early, I just think I need another week! I baked the rainbow cake which was surprisingly easy (yes, I had six cake pans on hand…don’t ask why). The rainbow cupcakes took a bit longer beacause all my pastry bags were too big and I had to do them by hand. The chocolate ones were okay, but the kids distracted my brain and I accidentally put in an extra egg so the texture was more fudgy than cakey. Itty Bitty’s costume is ready, I did her hair for tomorrow, got all her accessories lined up. Decorations are ready to go except for the balloons.

NEW DEVELOPMENT:
Mini Moose appeared early in the afternoon. I asked Daddy Man…”Hey, where is Mini Moose I though he was with you?” We had no idea where he’d gone off too and then we heard the toilet flush! I went upstairs to see what he was doing and the door was closed. He opens it and comes strolling out. “Did you go potty?” I asked. “Yesh, I poot.” I blink, “You pooped?” He nodded, “Yesh, I poddy I fush.”

Well just hit me with a stick and color me flabbergasted. That was out of the blue!

9/20 Saturday Day 947

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses (despite a lot of distractions, Mini Moose just deferred to GrandMaMa for any potty assistance required).
Poop: Successful Deployment

Party Day! Thankfully it wasn in the afternoon because…you know…not ready. I mean the piece de resistance (the stupid pinata) is done and look fantastic. I did the signs last minute this morning for the games/stations: Pin the Tail on the Pinkie with Applejack (a big banner deco that will be used as decoration in Itty Bitty’s room), Fluttershy’s Critter Toss, Spike’s Treasure Hunt, Rarity’s Boutique (face painting, mousestaches and pony ears), Derpy Bubbles (need batteries!!), and of course Rainbow Dashe’s Pulverize the Pinata, and Zecora’s Mystery Cupcake (I made one cupcake vanilla marble so whoever eats it gets a surprise). I made potty ears last night, which thankfully didn’t take that long. I just hot glued my finger’s a lot. The cutting and putting them on the hair clips and head bands was super easy. The dang balloons were giving me trouble and set me back time wise. The air compressor we have with the new attachments I bought for it worked beautifully, but the day was hot and gusts of winds blew down my big balloon strings and they kept popping as the morning warmed up. I had to re-tie them with proper string I managed to find and made more balloons. I finally got a handle on it, but then it was getting down to the wire. I went in to make the whipped topping for the cake…and that’s when things went south…

The test whipped topping whipped fast, easy and was perfect. Today it just wasn’t cooperating. I couldn’t get it to work. I finally had to just work with it even though it was really too soft, but it had to do. Then I messed up when I frosted the top layer with the wrong color and had to salvage and make it work. Then all the pre-made cutie mark candies I’d cut the other day were all stuck together! I had to bang out cupcake decorations in five minutes. Oh, it was getting to be a disaster. Guests arrived, the food wasn’t out. Daddy Man came in to ask if I was okay, “NO, I’m not okay!” He put some of the snacks out and a threw together a snack tray that I forgot to prepare in the morning, threw small apples and bananas in the bowls for the kids. Then I went back to that STOOPID whipped topping, smacked it together on the cake and cupcakes. The cake layers were starting to list to one side and I managed to balance them somehow. Shoved on halfassed decorations on both trying to cover the flaws. It totally did not turn out looking out the way it was SUPPOSED to, but it came out pretty decent. It was almost an hour after party time that I finally got out there and started the games, took pictures and video. Whew!

Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. The Pinata thankfully broke exactly when it was supposed to. Itty Bitty got hit in the head with the pinata stick…ouch! It was a big hit! The kids enjoyed the different games and stations. Treasure hung popular with the older kids and the critter toss went over really well with the little ones even though they all played them. The cake held up and didn’t fall over (well it listed a bit to the side when it was getting cut)! The kids were really, really excited that the cake was a rainbow and were cooing over the rainbow cupcakes. Nearly all the cupcakes were gobbled up. We had about half of a 8 inch cake left which isn’t bad considering about five adults declined cake entirely. Every kid went home with a prize and goodie bag. I didn’t put a lot of candy in the pinata (some smarties and chocolate crackles), mostly pencils, erasers, party noisemakers, some tops, glow bracelets, and some dissapointing slide whistles that broke before they even got used. Next time I’d go with plastic animals and more glow bracelets rather than cheap whistles. The pinata guts made a dandy fire too.

My baby brother, his wife, and their twin girls came and we all had a chance to chat and play after guests left. They ran into heavy traffic. Daddy Man made them steaks on the grill and the girls had a good time playing with party aftermath and the destruction that was in the playroom. The little kids at the party had come and gone in and out of the house and made a jolly mess. Itty Bitty, I am proud to say, made sure that “The inside toys stay inside, outside toys are for outside.” We have a HUGE yard that isn’t all connected together so finding small toys in all that is pretty much impossible. Thank you girl!

I am so tired. So…so tired.

The gigantic Twilight Sparkle Pinata.

9/21 Sunday Day 947

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Successful Deployment

Happy Fifth Birthday Itty Bitty!

I wonder how many years of puddle splashing she has left? Of course, I hope she puddle splashes as an adult! It can be really hard to keep that little inner child sparked.

Month 30: A Time for Change – Day 878 to Day 913

Dec15

Compare to Sister’s Blog: Month 30: Equinox

Hopscotching

7/22 Tuesday Day 878 (29 Months)

Night EC: 1 night catch, 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Miss. Mini Moose ended up with pants on and pooped in them in the evening. Daddy Man is dumbstruck.

We are just baffled at how having pants on makes such a big difference. With pants off if Mini Moose starts going poop he squeezes his cheeks together, gets an urgent look on his face, makes the potty sign, and says “Poooooop!” And we rush or shoo him to the bathroom. With pants on it is like the signal gets crossed and he stands there like a deer stuck in headlights. “I’m pooping…what do I do?…Shoudl I say something…?” And we all know how critical those seconds are, and there is not time for thinking only action!

7/23 Wednesday Day 879

Night EC: 1 night catch, 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

7/24 Thursday Day 880

Night EC: 1 night catch, 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

7/25 Friday Day 881

Night EC: 1 night catch, 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

7/26 Saturday Day 882

Night EC: 1 night catch, 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

Arobatics are no problem for Itty Bitty, and Mini Moose is a swing pro!

7/27 Sunday Day 883

Night EC: 1 night catch, 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

7/28 Monday Day 884

Night EC: 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

7/29 Tuesday Day 885

Night EC: 1 night catch, 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. Miss, forgot to take pants off!

7/30 Wednesday Day 886

Night EC: 1 night catch, 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

Well, it seems that the pants are the key. As long as I remember to take them off first thing in the morning, Mini Moose comes to us in plenty of time. He gives the potty sign with his high pitched “mAY mAY” sound, we shoo him to the bathroom, he toddler trots, we lift him on the toilet and leave him to it. He gets down by himself or calls us to help with wiping by saying, “Ah poobed!” He’s also started going longer between between pees, havin more “epic pees” and starting to go longer at night sometimes going 5-6 hours. He wakes up in the middle of the night to pee.

7/31 Thursday Day 887

Night EC: 1 night catch, 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

8/1 Friday Day 888

Night EC: 1 night miss, 1 morning pee.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Three Catches. No pants.

Sometimes we have the occasional miss at night when I am in the dream loopy state and notice the signs too late. The thick Imse Vimse trainers do an adequate job, but I only have two of those. When I haven’t washed them I double up Mini Moose in Gerber trainers (and yes, we use the pink ones too!). The waterproof cover is starting to get small on him I noticed so I don’t always use it. When we have a miss now, it is pretty big. I still have a our flannel wee-wee toppers on the bed just in case. Last night it was needed! Easier to change and toss than to deal with the whole bed. Yes, he goes right back to sleep because he’s used to it. We’ve done this since birth, so it’s just not that exciting for him to be awoken in the middle of the night. Once he can go all night without needing to pee it will be fantastic, but he may be like me and often have to get up to go unlike Itty Bitty who has bladder of steel. I was really night spoiled with her being night continent so early.

8/2 Saturday Day 889

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

8/3 Sunday Day 890

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

8/4 Monday Day 891

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. No pants.

8/5 Tuesday Day 892

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Miss. Forgot about the pants!

Yeah, I left Mini Moose in pants after an outing. It’s funny, we are fine when we are out and he is fine running around bare bottomed either naked or in a long shirt. The moment we are home and he has pants on, it’s like a switch goes haywire. “I’m pooping. I have pants on! What do I do!? I am still pooping. I’m POOPING IN MY PANTS! I don’t want to poop my pants! Panic. Wait…I remember now. If I tell mommy or daddy they’ll help me get to the toilet.” I imagine that must be his inner dialoge because by the time he gets to the signal it is too late and we miss part of the poo. We are spoiled parents and we don’t like missing even part of a poo. Older kid poo is not cute baby poo. It just isn’t! Frankly, it stopped being “poo” a long time ago. It’s $hit. Sure, it is funny when they try to walk with a load in their pants, but that’s where the amusement ends and the gag reflex begins.

8/6 Wednesday Day 893

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. (I don’t think I mentione that though he usually goes once a day, it is sometimes two or three times)

8/7 Thursday Day 894

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

Usually for a pee or a poop, Mini Moose will come to me or Daddy Man for assitance. He really prefers the big toilet. He likes the inserts, but he is big enough and strong enough to easily balance on the toilet with out it. He can sit forwards fine, but I usually face him backwards since I think it is easier for him to aim his penis that way because the toilet is wider at the back. Sometimes I do send him to the bathroom on his own, “Go potty!” If I don’t follow him he will use the little potty. He has found that mounting it forward facing it backwards works the best not only for sitting, but also for aiming. He does also like to stand up and straddle it to pee, but his aim is sometimes off, so that is my least favorite configuration. It is very cute to watch him try to fix a misfire. He CAN climb on the big toilet on his own, but it is a lot of effort and I don’t blame him for wanting to be lifted. He’s just not as much into the “me do” as Itty Bitty was at this age. Then again, she is also a far better climber than he is. Mini Moose is more of a runner. He also likes clothes whereas Itty Bitty prefers being in the buff. It’s not that Mini Moose doesn’t like to be nude, but he will ask to put on a shirt on his own while Itty Bitty was usually taking them off.

8/8 Friday Day 895

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/9 Saturday Day 896

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/10 Sunday Day 897

Night EC: 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/11 Monday Day 898

Night EC: 1 morning catch (If we have need for a night catch it is usually between 2:30 and 3:30am)
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/12 Tuesday Day 899

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

Happy 8th Anniversary Daddy Man! I got my favorite lavender flowers. I can’t believe it has been 7 years already.

8/13 Wednesday Day 900

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

Things on the EC front are obviously very routine and uninteresting. The poop was really our last conundrum. We don’t really mind that he needs to be naked. Less laundry, too. He’ll eventually get the hang of his pants and have the desire to take them off.

8/14 Thursday Day 901

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Miss. Curse the pants!

Itty Bitty and Mini Moose disagree over how to put together a floor puzzle!

8/15 Friday Day 902

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

Mini Moose is growing so fast. Still working on those molars and we know how much of a pill toddlers can be when they are teething. But now I can leave Mini Moose alone for short stretches outside with Itty Bitty so I can run into the house for a quick potty break. Itty Bitty looks out for him, but they will continue playing. And having a back door makes it easy to pop in and out. It’s nice not to have to be right on top of either of them to supervise. I can sit across the yard and do my own thing while they play together. Mini Moose and Itty Bitty have free reign to go in and out of the house (as long as they remember to close the screen so the cats stay in), and they have a very large wander radius of the yard being able to play on the driveway at their leisure. Mini Moose and Itty Bitty tend to stay in proximity. Often that proximity is right up my butt, but at least that means they aren’t going to run off right?

Mini Moose like Itty Bitty, now has carte blanche to wander the house even if I’m still in bed. He’ll go play in the play room, or hand me the remote control to watch a cartoon in the morning. I’ve heard him somtimes playing by himself in the playroom while I and Itty Bitty are still trying to catch sleep for up to an hour. Yesterday morning he even came back to bed, curled up, and went back to sleep. That’s a far better scenario than the one where he was enjoying lifting my eyelids and rubbing his head on my boobs like a suckling pig.

I guess I should mention too that he still nurses but I’ve had to drastically cut his demands to three times a day because it has been hurting and he’s been leaving teeth marks. I think my period hormones are messing with my supply and comfort. I have to be careful not to accidentally wean him, so I need to stay on top of refusing his requests. It has been really hard though. With Itty Bitty it was different because when he was born supply was abundant and he was generating plenty of oxytocin. Now that he is at that age and there is no new baby, he just isn’t creating that hormone rush like before. When women talk of nursing aversion, I think most of that has to do with lower oxytocin levels. Toddlers just don’t suckle like newborns…it is just different…and it is hard to explain how.

8/16 Saturday Day 903

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/17 SUNday Day 904

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/18 Monday Day 909

Night EC: 1 morning catch. Wow, that was big.
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch. We were panicked because we left his pants on, but we managed without incident. Pants off is still the way to go, but we can see he will eventually be okay with pants on too.

8/19 Tuesday Day 910

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/20 Wenesday Day 911

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/21 Thursday Day 912

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

8/22 Friday Day 913

Night EC: 1 night and 1 morning catch
Day: No pee misses.
Poop: Catch

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