potty training

having fun with his potty

example of Joey saying "I'm ready"


Joey is 16months old. at 14months old he started to consistently take off his diaper and pee on the carpet/tile/toys/whatever was there. I bought him a little potty to get used to and now he's consistently keeping 4-6 diapers dry per day. So I've done some reading in an attempt to catch up to Joey's willingness to learn more about getting rid of diapers.

I feel like I've read the spectrum of potty training theories to come up with my own. From the 'wait until the child is 3 years old and meets all of these signs' as found in the Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day to the ultra hippie Diaper Free book learning about the world of EC (elimination communication). What a huge spectrum! from stickers, charts, and rewarding your child with candy for a poop to never putting a diaper on your infant.
Alan and I think we've found a tactic and theory that's working for our family. It has nothing to do with 'training', that's not the right word. More like we found the right form of encouragement for Joey and his pee-pee. I guess you would say we lean more towards a late start EC that I learned more about in this diaper-free book. Goals for encouraging pee-pee in the potty: Learn to love sitting on the potty, Learn to relax on the potty (we read books), predict typical times when Joey pees and poops, never putting any pressure on Joey to pee in the potty, no scolding Joey for not peeing in the potty (even when he pees on my carpet), and being attentive to Joey's communication to us that he has to pee especially taking him to the potty when he starts tugging on his diaper. I do not agree with excessive praise towards peeing and pooping in the potty. Examples of excessive praise: giving him candy for peeing and pooping, singing and clapping while watching poo get flushed down the toilet, a sticker chart...it gets so complicated when a normal behavior gets lavish treatment. The best example of why not to do excessive praise I read somewhere is learning how to use the potty is like learning how to feed yourself. Even though the baby/toddler is feeding themselves, they still need assistance preparing food and monitoring food intake; just like learning how to use the potty, assistance with clothing and monitoring the process is still needed. Don't get me wrong, we make going to the potty fun; but my son is not getting an M&M for every bowel movement. I guess I could rant some more, but I will restrain.

He pees right when he wakes up from the night or a nap, so we ask Joey to put his pee-pee on the potty. When he starts tugging at his diaper, we take him to the potty. We try to teach him the ALS sign for toilet as another way to communicate with us. We give him a cue word when he's peeing: 'PSSS', and he repeats it when he's peeing. He typically poos right after breakfast and after lunch. We like 'helping' empty the potty and flushing the toilet, and then enjoy washing our hands together. I would call us "part-time late-EC'ers". We have not successfully used the potty outside the house, but he has peed on his new babysitter's floor when she took off his diaper to check to see if he was wet. Joey is trying to tell us he doesn't like peeing and pooping on himself.


Joey showed us he was ready and we are trying to listen.

poppers and peppers

last night's supper...UH-mazing!


Creamy Chicken Enchiladas and as always I can never follow a recipe. My version was 4oz cream cheese, shredded baked chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, dried cilantro, and shredded Monterrey jack cheese creamed together and rolled into flour tortillas and covered with shredded cheese. Heated in the oven 350 for 20minutes.

Now I want to try different variations to this...creamy steak with Monterrey jack cheese, I also want to try shredded squash inside the enchiladas....

The other new recipe I tried was some poppers based off these poppers. I used steak pieces, green peppers, and cream cheese inside a crescent roll. 350 for 10minutes. Delish!!! The possibilities are endless for new combinations...

playdough

Joey loved poking and pressing his little fingers into this new texture. I made Koolaid Playdough for Joey. Out of the 4 different colors (red, blue, green, yellow), he liked the red the best. My favorite is listening to the noises he adds to any activity.

weaning

great breastfeeding blog

I am in LOVE with nursing my active toddler. I am SO thankful God has provided my family with the financial options for me to have a break from working in order to nurse my toddler.

breastfeeding myths make me laugh.

Baby Joey will be 16 months soon. Having Joey 'self-wean' and cut out his own nursings at his own time. Currently, he asks for breastmilk sometimes after falling or making an ouchy, sometimes before his one long nap, most times before bedtime (but never falls asleep attached anymore), often once in the early morning hours, and when hurting. This is a dearly loved time with him.

The kicker is I will need to return back to work before Joey is going to be done weaning himself. My heart is torn. Every feeding has become more precious. The middle of the night tap and grunt, tugging on my shirt, the foot in the face as he tries to get closer to me, the little finger tracing the circle around my belly button....really weaning started when I gave him solid food at 7 1/2 months. This will just be another curve in the road of our breastfeeding relationship.

God has perfect timing and I need to have faith that weaning my child will be in God's timing too.

sweet potato pancakes

I found a recipe for Sweet Potato Pancakes and *had* to try it.
the original recipe went something like this (as I am frustrated that I can't find the website/blog): 1/2 cup baked sweet potato, 1/4 coconut flour, 3 eggs, cinnamon, 1/2t vanilla; use coconut oil to fry in pan

Here's what I ended up using: 1 1/2 sweet potatoes (closer to 2/3 cup baked and smashed), 1/4 cup unbleached flour, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/4t cinnamon, 1/2t vanilla. made them in my non-stick pan. OMG! So delicious! Joey ate almost 4 pancakes with a side of peas, applesauce, and cottage cheese. They were so sweet and were perfect with a bit of butter.

The batter makes them a smidgen too dense. Next time I make them I'm going to thin the batter down more with milk and turn them into crepes!!! add a bit of butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar...!!!! Can't wait to get some more sweet potatoes.

baby photos

I finally got a baby book done for Joey.

The best part is it was a buy 1, get 2 free deal. Saving money always gives me a little high.

pool on the farm

every 50 acre farm needs an in ground pool; or at least I'm glad my parents think so. going to share some photos and videos of our fun week at "grandpa Joe's"




Joey loved watching Grandpa Joe mow the yard on a tractor and loved being pushed around on his tractor


we also liked learning how to jump in the pool.


but didn't like when mom wasn't with me in the pool, but Joey was still cute!



we got our volleyball on.


Emily played so much volleyball that as she was sending a volley back over in a game with 10 year old, her wedding ring flew off over 10feet. The ring was found 2 days later past 6 feet of pool decking, past 4 feet of river rock border, past the black vertical aluminum fence, and into the grass. So thankful the ring was found!

We have a little water bug forming and love my Joey.