I was reading back over my post, and I realized how negative I am! I am going to make an effort to blog about the good things in my life too! There are so many great things that God has blessed me with, and I feel like I sometimes over look those good things.
On that note, I just wanted to say how incredibly blessed I am that I get the opportunity to stay home with my kids. I take that for granted, but I truly love it! Its not always easy, but its benefits out way the challenges. I will probably need to be reminded of this in 2 months when I have two year old and a newborn, but I still think it will be worth it!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Potty Training Hell continues...
Okay so I lied,potty training continues. I stopped pushing Coen to use the potty, but if he asks to go I'm taking him. On Tuesday we woke up and Coen told me he needed to use the potty so I humored him. He sat on the potty for like 2 seconds and then asked to brush his teeth. I give him his toothbrush and left the room to get a clean pull up. I walk back into the bathroom and find a puddle of pee on the floor. Coen informs me he used the potty... not quite! He was too busy brushing his teeth to be bothered with sitting on the potty , or even aiming in the general direction of the potty. So I cleaned it up and PATIENTLY explained to Coen he needed to peepee IN the potty. Coen gravely nodded his head and agreed with me in a way that indicated he too thought puddles of pee were a serious problem.
Fast forward a few hours... Coen had a great swim lesson, we came home and he ate all of his macaroni and cheese(and even asked for seconds). By now Coen has asked to sit on the potty several times with no success. After lunch I called my sister and was talking to her about my potty troubles, when Coen declares he needs to go potty. I roll my eyes and walk him to the potty. I sat in the hallway on the floor talking to my sister and waiting for Coen to finish when he screams "PEE PEE"! Coen used the potty! Sort of... He was sitting on the potty but was a little off target. But thats okay! He went pee pee in the potty! I cleaned up the mess and praised him and we put stickers on the chart! I told him everytime he went potty he could put a sticker on his chart. It was great! I felt victorious!
Well, Coen didn't want to put his big boy undies back on, and I didn't want to chase after him so he streaked around the house while I continued to talk to my sister Christy(We had a lot to catch up on). A few minutes later I couldn't hear Coen running anymore and began to get concerned... but not enough to get up...it had been a long morning. Well I heard Coen walking slowly down the hallway. He had something all over him. I thought "No it can't be...he wouldn't have...". I ask Coen what he had smeared all over him, hoping it was food, or dirt, or anything except for what I was thinking. Coen had a disgusted look on his face and all he said was,"Stinky." So I asked him my dreaded questions: "Coen is that POOP on you?! WHY is there poop on you?! WHERE did you poop at?!" I had my motivation to get off the phone. I slowly walked down the hallway to the bathroom hoping I would find "stinky" in there. No such luck. I continued into the living room where his potty chair was. Nope nothing in there. With urgency I ran into the kitchen.. NOTHING! That left one room left to check, the only room in our house with carpet, the den. Sure enough I turned the corner to see(and smell) the pile of stinky along with a puddle of pee. He had tracked it all across the room. I took my poop covered child and put him in the shower. I cleaned him up while asking one question over and over again, "WHY?". I was more talking to myself than actually asking Coen. The only thing I could think about was the fact that he had been sitting on the toilet for 30 minutes less than 5 minutes before... and he pooped on the CARPET! He just kept saying "Sticky!" I cleaned up the poop on the carpet the best I could and called my husband. I told Coen to please leave the room, because Mommy needed a minute by herself(for his safety). There was nothing my husband could physically do for me at that moment and I'm sure he was incredibly thankful that he was 15 miles away at work, but I just needed to tell him what happened and see if he knew WHY it had happened. He didn't have the answers I needed. The fact that we steam cleaned our carpet that night made everything better. But I keep wondering to myself,"Did Coen think pooping on the carpet would earn him a sticker?" I don't know, but I do know that I wasn't cut out for this potty training thing.
Fast forward a few hours... Coen had a great swim lesson, we came home and he ate all of his macaroni and cheese(and even asked for seconds). By now Coen has asked to sit on the potty several times with no success. After lunch I called my sister and was talking to her about my potty troubles, when Coen declares he needs to go potty. I roll my eyes and walk him to the potty. I sat in the hallway on the floor talking to my sister and waiting for Coen to finish when he screams "PEE PEE"! Coen used the potty! Sort of... He was sitting on the potty but was a little off target. But thats okay! He went pee pee in the potty! I cleaned up the mess and praised him and we put stickers on the chart! I told him everytime he went potty he could put a sticker on his chart. It was great! I felt victorious!
Well, Coen didn't want to put his big boy undies back on, and I didn't want to chase after him so he streaked around the house while I continued to talk to my sister Christy(We had a lot to catch up on). A few minutes later I couldn't hear Coen running anymore and began to get concerned... but not enough to get up...it had been a long morning. Well I heard Coen walking slowly down the hallway. He had something all over him. I thought "No it can't be...he wouldn't have...". I ask Coen what he had smeared all over him, hoping it was food, or dirt, or anything except for what I was thinking. Coen had a disgusted look on his face and all he said was,"Stinky." So I asked him my dreaded questions: "Coen is that POOP on you?! WHY is there poop on you?! WHERE did you poop at?!" I had my motivation to get off the phone. I slowly walked down the hallway to the bathroom hoping I would find "stinky" in there. No such luck. I continued into the living room where his potty chair was. Nope nothing in there. With urgency I ran into the kitchen.. NOTHING! That left one room left to check, the only room in our house with carpet, the den. Sure enough I turned the corner to see(and smell) the pile of stinky along with a puddle of pee. He had tracked it all across the room. I took my poop covered child and put him in the shower. I cleaned him up while asking one question over and over again, "WHY?". I was more talking to myself than actually asking Coen. The only thing I could think about was the fact that he had been sitting on the toilet for 30 minutes less than 5 minutes before... and he pooped on the CARPET! He just kept saying "Sticky!" I cleaned up the poop on the carpet the best I could and called my husband. I told Coen to please leave the room, because Mommy needed a minute by herself(for his safety). There was nothing my husband could physically do for me at that moment and I'm sure he was incredibly thankful that he was 15 miles away at work, but I just needed to tell him what happened and see if he knew WHY it had happened. He didn't have the answers I needed. The fact that we steam cleaned our carpet that night made everything better. But I keep wondering to myself,"Did Coen think pooping on the carpet would earn him a sticker?" I don't know, but I do know that I wasn't cut out for this potty training thing.
Monday, June 23, 2008
One of those parents...
Coen started swim lessons last week. It has taken every ounce of restraint I possess to not be an over bearing parent! Coen likes the pool but gets easily distracted by everything. He was getting out of the pool and running to find toys and floats to play with. I would firmly direct him to get back by the pool to wait for Ms. Cellie, his instructor. This never works for more than 2 minutes. There are two 2 year olds, two 3 year olds, and a 4 year old in his class so needless to say it is a hectic lesson. It takes a lot to get those kids reined in, and the 2 instructors do a great job making sure the kids are having fun. The first 2 lessons Coen spent more time out of the pool than in it(his choice). Let me just say we are paying $75 for these swim lessons. This is a huge factor in me not letting him wander around while the other kids are swimming. It feels like I sit there the whole hour telling him to get back by the pool. He's not scared of water, so I'm not a horrible monster, he just gets bored! I was worried he wasn't catching on as fast as the other kids, but he just has better things to do.
So today after Coen started asking to get out of the pool I went inside the house, and a miracle occurred! Coen started listening to his teacher! He stayed in the pool and stopped whining! I think the instructors felt more comfortable being firm with him when I wasn't there, and that's great! So apparently I am the problem... Am I becoming a little league mom? I hope not but I can understand those moms a little better now. I really have to keep myself in check so I don't start yelling things at Coen like,
He really did have a great lesson today! He learned how to kick across the pool using a body board. He put his whole head under water 2-3 times and didn't get upset. He really seemed to have more fun, because apparently I'm a killjoy.
So today after Coen started asking to get out of the pool I went inside the house, and a miracle occurred! Coen started listening to his teacher! He stayed in the pool and stopped whining! I think the instructors felt more comfortable being firm with him when I wasn't there, and that's great! So apparently I am the problem... Am I becoming a little league mom? I hope not but I can understand those moms a little better now. I really have to keep myself in check so I don't start yelling things at Coen like,
Get back in the pool! We aren't paying for you to play!, because I signed him up for lessons so he could have something fun to do with his friends. I just have to keep that in mind when he's being difficult at lessons.
He really did have a great lesson today! He learned how to kick across the pool using a body board. He put his whole head under water 2-3 times and didn't get upset. He really seemed to have more fun, because apparently I'm a killjoy.
Potty Training HELL!
When Adam and Eve got kicked out of the garden of Eden and Eve was cursed with the pain of child birth, I think God also cursed Eve with the terror of potty training. Coen(he is 2 1/2 now) has started to some show interest in potty training... ok, very, very little interest, but I jumped at the first glimmer of curiosity. I bought big boy undies, a big boy potty, a potty chart(with Cars stickers). Coen actually WANTS to sit on the potty...like every five minutes. I think he's confused about the process, that or he's humoring me. He uses the potty(in his diaper) and then strips down and gets on the potty. I've lost count of the number of diapers we've gone through today. He hates the undies, the potty, and I think he's been mocking my sticker chart. I'm giving up on potty training because I'm just not patient enough. I'm just going to wait until he starts begging to use the big boy potty and then he can have at it. There is no persuading Coen; he will decide when he's ready.
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