Organized Chaos

Thursday 29 November 2012

I've tasted it all....

When I saw this weeks topic I almost fell out of my chair in fits of laughter (thank God for arm rests!). My mind immediately began throwing out ideas at the speed of light of all the things parents would be able to hand out!


I knew my list would be slightly less interesting as I am a very I try to be organized!

As mothers we quickly learn that EVERYTHING must be tasted by our littles. Apparently one cannot truly know an object unless it has been in ones mouth.

I think every one of my sons stuffed animals have been in my mouth at one point. He has shoved countless cars, blocks, and bath toys in between my tightly pursed lips. His laughter as he wins this game is beyond heart pleasing.

If he is unsure of the taste of anything, Mommy is the expert. This has led to many mid-dinner discussion gags. This is what happens when little is sitting in their stool eating as you and Papa are deep in discussion. In true little fashion they need your attention now and are asking that you taste something. Not wanting to loose your conversation you lean slightly and open your mouth for them to insert the necessary object. You are quickly aware that this is not only a combination of the foods given to said little but it is nicely sauced in their saliva because well how else could you properly taste unless you were tasting EXACTLY what had been in their mouth!

Two other things I never imagined in my mouth but made it before was toes and bum! There is nothing like a babies toes! Kisses are necessary! A toddler as well thinks it perfectly acceptable that you must kiss away the boo-boo on his toes as well as on his arm! Secondly irresistible is a new born bum! It is perfectly acceptable to need to give it a kiss or two in the first week!

However with this all, there is one story that comes to mind. It is my best and most memorable pre-parenting lesson. This is something I had to learn the albeit stupid but hard way.

Just over a year before I got married, my youngest brother was born (yes we are 18 years apart in age!). I was in love from day one of course and spent every second I got with him making sure he was laughing!

One lovely summer afternoon when he was about 6 months old, I got the joys of playing with him!

Bouncing was the game of the day! Sit on sissies lap and bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

The laughter flowed out of him like waters from a mountain side waterfall. It was ceaseless. His face lit up!

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.

Dad comes around to tell me that little had just had a bottle about half an hour ago.

Silly teenage girl thought ‘that’s 30 whole minuets! What does that have to do with me now?’

Bounce. Laugh. Bounce. Laugh. Bounce. Laugh. Laugh!

Silence. Weird face.

Just as I opened my mouth to call out for my dad in fear I’d broke the baby, it came.

It was hot. It was sour. It was….milk.

Straight from littles mouth into mine!

30 minutes!! Why didn’t my dad just tell me this could happen!?!?

Dad laughs. The family laughs. Little laughs.

I drink 2 cans of coke, brush my teeth, and still remember the taste today!

This and many more amazing topics found on Theme Thursdays!




Shana

Week 37

I can not believe I'm posting week 37! These last couples of weeks are dragging on and on for eternity but when I look back on the whole scheme of things, well this pregnancy has flown by!
At this point I am desperatly regretting the decision to work so far into my pregnancy. I would love to be at home right now. Everyday by noon I can barely keep my eyes open and am worried about not having rested at all before LJ is born.
I really can't imagine that within the next 3 weeks I will be holding my second little blessing from God and that my Lil Mister will be a big brother (I'm scared to death!). But all will fall into place and as we settle into our new home, I'm excited and ready to take this next step as a family!

Total Weight Gain: 61kg (+17 kg)
This week, Baby is: ????

How far along? 37 weeks, 4 days (Kind of…so we think…guestimate…)
Due date: 6-18 Dec 2012 :-/

Total weight gain/loss: I lost 2kg of my hard earned weight. I am not happy about this. BUT I do remember loosing weight right before I went into labor with Liam as well.
Maternity clothes?  Ah heck...I only have a week and a half left at work then I can wear sweats at home all day! I figure I've made it this far...I'm holding out camp!

Sleep: ZERO....I have forgotten what this is! The contractions wake me up every night and by the time I get back to sleep Lil Mister wakes up!

Best moment this week: Moving into our new place! It is a bitter sweet move because I already miss seeing Ma everyday but I'm glad to be our little family again!

Food cravings: Not actually. I'd eat cereal all day though! (I never knew I could get Fruit Loops in South Africa!!)

Movement: Very VERY low! It feels like he is clawing his way out!

Symptoms: I have a chest infection...but that really isn't pregnancy related! It just needs to go away or I'm going to cough the baby out!

Labor Signs: Contractions are RIDICULOUS! OMW...I can really remember how labor was now!

Stretch Marks: nope and we’re working hard to keep it that way!

Swelling? Gone down tremedously!

Belly Button in or out? It is most definitely out!

What I miss: still breathing! haha

Feeling toward Pregnancy: Excited and ready to be done!

What I am looking forward to: knowing I'm never going to have children again! I love my boys, both of them already, and wouldn't trade them for the world. But I've got the whole been there done that attitude towards pregnancy now and have no desires to relive it a 3rd time!

Milestones: Nothing so much unless you count the Braxtons coming from my back now as a milestone! ;-)

News: Did you read that one about Brittany Spears admitting she shaved her head whenever ago because of fearing she'd fail a drug test?...oh not that news okay yea there is nothing news-y about the pregnancy right now!

Shana

Wednesday 28 November 2012

The Sauce of Bad Habits part 3

Disclaimer: Please take a moment now and vacate the premises of my parenting kitchen if you are in anyway allergic to obscure parenting thoughts, bullshit, venting, or overall fed-upness. (And yes that is my new word!) No children were harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally in the process of this parenting kitchen experiment!

If you're only joining me now....check out part 1 and part 2!! It's a great sequence...you know 1..2..3...you get the picture!

Step 3) Thicken your liquid and spice mix to create gravy like consistency…

This liquid will make it so you need to thicken the sauce. Your thickening agent is a DIRECT result of your liquid. Therefore, we add to the removal of teats the concept of potty training!

I CANNOT and WILL NOT have two children in nappies 24/7! Call me lazy but I was one of those moms that a second child was a far future thought process. So God hit me with the book on this pregnancy! I am so excited and grateful as Lil Mister will have a brother and friend for life. However…

Two in nappies is not part of my vocabulary and not a concept I am keen to have a blog about!

Yet, as long as Lil Mister keeps drinking from that dang teat all night, I can’t get him out of nappies at night! If you’ve been following the last couple of weeks you will surely have read about the preparations for potty training here or here.

This thickening agent needs time to simmer. Once added to the pot of bad habits it will take over every thing else! You will forget you have a bitter spice of co-sleeping or a liquid of teats about to boil over. You’re main focus will be getting that wee into a potty and rewarding for doing so!

I’m prepared mentally for the simmer process. Lil Mister is progressing well at home with potty and seems to be making a new friend in the implement!

I am not prepared to still be getting up twice a night to change bedtime nappies! I know…I know! I must be patience but that bank account is almost empty! (See part 2)

The poo in the potty and the dry nights take a while longer….but it will NEVER happen if I keep giving him a teat.

You won’t get a sauce thick no matter how long you wait if you keep adding water to it! Cooking 101!

So I have to hit my Lil Mister with a double whammy. I have to take away the teat all together…..stop adding water to the mix!


Step 4) Add your ump….some chili

The only problem is that bitter spice, liquid, and thickening isn’t going to get you a beautiful sauce. You need to add something that will give it ump. You want to add flavor to a sauce. You want it to leave a nice feeling in your mouth. So we add some ass burning tantrums!!

Oh yea, imagine a sauce filled with Habanera Chili’s and jalapeño peppers. You won’t forget that too soon will you! Nope!

A tantrum is like a chili. Some degree of tantrum is an important developmental milestone for most children actually. It gives child and parents the time and circumstances to learn how to work through and communicate through unsettling situations.

It gives flavor all right….one that keeps on giving!

Lil Mister is at a difficult stage in development. And now cruel mommy refuses to lie with him every night, has taken away his teats…AND is making him sit on some weird contrapment and do his business!

Frustration is not the word. Verbal skills have not quite developed to the point of expressing anxiety towards the potty works or annoyance at the loss of his friend teat-tea. Therefore, we act out in the form of hitting, screaming, and running away. Tears flow like the Nile River and words escape that cause me to glare at Hubby Dearest in a menacing way!

This is where your sauce can become a huge, GINORMOUS mess. Like all chili’s you must only allow the exact right amount to be added. If it goes too far, it will result in you having to add more liquid. (You’ll give in and give him the teat to get some peace.) This liquid will mean more thickening. (More accidents and therefore more nappies at night!)

This process will leave your sauce bland and mean that you MUST add more bitter spice. (You’ll be so exhausted you won’t have the energy to fight the sleep and will end up sleeping the whole night in child’s bed or more detrimental….child will sleep in yours!)

All of which lead you right back to the beginning of this whole process…..

Join me next week for the last part in our Sauce of Bad Habits series!

Shana

Tuesday 27 November 2012

A Quickie

Oh that's right...
No Not THAT...
JEEZE get your heads out of the gutters!

It's been a busy weekend and I'm sick as a dog. (I don't really understand that statement!)
I have a lung infection...I'm 37 1/2 weeks pregnant...still working 10 hours a day (except today my boss sent me home!)
AND....

WE MOVED!! Oh yea...this will deserve a post all on it's own and I promise I will get one up asap!

I just thought I'd say take some time...peak around the archives!
Know I haven't left all of you just yet.
LJ is still refusing to make an appearance.
AND....

We are FINALLY on our own again! hehe

Despite coughing up chunks of my lungs...I'm giddy! ;-)

Shana

Monday 26 November 2012

Top Mommy Tips

One thing every new parent realizes very early on is that everyone will have an opinion about raising children or a piece of advice to give. I wish I could limit this to saying all other parents but no even people without children will bombard a new parent with their views and ideals.


Unfortunately, you’re given so much advice most of it gets lost in the euphoria of the ever approaching due date. After baby makes their big arrival the advice will continue to roll and get pushed aside to only be retrieved at that detrimental moment where you’ve tried every solution that you can come up with on your own!

As LJ’s due date approaches ever so quickly, I thought I’d piece together some of the best advice I’ve received since becoming pregnant with Lil Mister almost 3 years ago!

1) Have necessary medication on hand before baby is ever sick! No this doesn’t mean antibiotics and such prescriptions, but rather over the counter handy things. Before Lil Mister was born I was stocked with Panado, some Gripe Water and Milk of Magnesia, supplements for teething, rehydrant for if his tummy was runny and even suppositories. I had Detol and Savlon for cleaning the ouchies and plenty of earbuds and cotton wool. It seemed extreme but sure enough the first time Lil Mister got a fever it was in the middle of the night when everything was closed! I never was so thankful for such advice!

2) Give his bum air and cover! I’ve managed to only get wee’d on a handful of times. Of those few times only once was while changing a nappy (the rest was my silliness of letting him roam without anything on his bum!) I was told to undue the nappy, open it and then cover him over with it. I didn’t have to redo it but letting some air in is what would make him wee and covering him back prevented the Hollywood picture of the wee streaming upwards to me!

3) Sleep when he sleeps! I know this seems almost impossible with a newborn because the moment they sleep you can finally do a load of laundry, clean bottles, bath, or just have a cup of coffee! But…all of that can actually wait. You WILL learn to do this stuff with baby there as well! In the beginning, sleep any opportunity you get because no body, not even baby, enjoys a cranky mom and there will be lots of sleepless nights!

4) There’s no such thing as over prepared! Thinking of running to the grocery store just for milk so baby doesn’t need extra nappy, clothes, ect….WRONG! That one time you leave the house with nothing will be when baby gets a poo-splosion! Check out First Time Mom to learn about an emergency diaper kit. It is a great idea for those quick trips out of the house and keeps you from carting that huge nappy bag around! I cannot stress enough…ALWAYS BE PREPARED!

5) It’s never okay to let yourself go. Don’t all attack me at once! By no means do I think you have to be dressed to hit the runway with hair and makeup perfect all day everyday. It is unrealistic! However, even though you’re at home, you are going to feel SO much better if you just get yourself together. A quick shower is all it takes! Save the shaving and pampering for a night when Daddy can look after baby. But do something with your hair. If you want a pony that is fine, but at least do it right! Get yourself cleaned, teeth brushed, and showered. You will feel better if you feel good about yourself! MAKE TIME FOR YOU! Explain to Daddy that you need just one night to go take a bath, relax, SHAVE ;-), primp and pamper! He will be thankful too! Go get your hair done every now and then. Eat good and fit in some exercise! It all seems like so much but I PROMISE you’ll be glad you did it!

6) Just stop doing. As a new parent, especially moms, we find that there is so much to do! All the time. I wish I could say that goes away, but it doesn’t. As LJ approaches and Lil Mister grows ever bigger, I find there is more and more. Laundry gets more, dishes are more, the house is bigger, and the yard needs done. There’s bottles, and toys. There’s dinner and lunches. However, there is a child that needs played with! I still have to remind myself, that 30 minutes after Lil Mister is in bed is MORE than enough time to clean the kitchen because I can do it in peace. He isn’t going to remember Mommy didn’t do dishes before he was asleep. What he will remember is that I played cars on the dining room floor and loved EVERY second of it! He will remember I spent time with him and focused just on him!

7) Make your house baby safe not baby proof! Yes, the oven needs to not be able to be opened! But all the kitchen cupboards locked closed? Where’s the fun? Where’s the exploration? I got told move things high that baby can’t have and leave your Tupperware where he can climb into! Yea, I have literally spent hours over the last 2 years repacking those cupboards but he loves it! And he can’t get hurt. (okay once he got the sprinkles open and was on a major sugar rush but that too was fun in a way!) Tall bookshelves must be attached to the walls but instead of always rushing baby away from them, put books they can play with at their level. Dedicate a shelf to toys for them to explore! Don’t shut your house up. Just put up locking screen doors. You’re baby learns by exploring their environment. I hid toys and things inside my TV cabinet and rather put the wires away on a closet shelf! I put Lil Misters bottles at the bottom of the fridge and all the breakables at the top. Lil Mister has learnt independence and boundaries!

8) Keep your camera available and charged! You won’t get baby to do it twice! Don’t glue the thing to yourself but keep it somewhere central where you can grab it in an instant. You can never have too many photos! You’ll love that you captured that moment and cherish all the photos in between!

9) Don’t loose sight of who you are! You aren’t just a mom now! You’re still a wife, finance, girlfriend or whatever. You’re still that DIY crafter, musician, or intellectual. You are still you! There are boundaries….the girls who are in the club 5 nights a week after baby is born…personally I find it crossing the line. But if you are a social person, then make some time to socialize! Get together with girlfriends and have some alone time! If you love your job as an accountant, then go back to work! We all make sacrifices and you must decide which ones are worth it and which ones aren’t but always keep yourself. If you liked doing your makeup and wearing heels before baby, then do it! Make it work! Make it you! You’re adding a new title but not taking away yourself!

10) The last tip I was given about being a new mom is probably the best! Listen to your own intuition! All of this that I’ve given you as well as what others will tell you is advice. Strictly that. There is no set right or wrong necessarily and you must travel your own path. Yes, we’ve been there and experienced a lot of the same things but our children, husbands, and families are different! We can’t tell you what choices you must make. We can only be there to support you and cry with you during the trials and rejoice during the victories! Trust yourself and do what you think is best and right for you and your child! If it doesn’t work stop and find a new path! Never be scared to admit you made a mistake. This parenting thing doesn’t come with a handbook, but then again the child part doesn’t either!

Friday 23 November 2012

Friday Check back

Well another week has come and gone and in true fashion for my family it has been far from boring!

I don't talk alot about personal things on here but I have to take a moment and...
PRAISE GOD!
Hubby Dearest got a new job today! He has been working this whole time but we wanted him out of the emergency service industry where he can work set hours and just be at home when he is at home! Sure enough he went for an interview on Tuesday and they offered him the job today! I'm am so thankful at the moment for this!
ALSO!! We are moving!! YAY!!! You'll hear a lot in the upcoming weeks about my frantic attempt to get everything settled with LJ just around the corner and still working full time...but then what would Organized Chaos be without a little bit of, well, chaos!?!? My work has helped us find a 2 bedroom house that is reasonable. I am so blessed to have such a caring boss and his family to be such wonderful friends in God! I truly love them all! I can not express my gratitude to him and his family!

So if all goes well and I can finalize everything today, then we'll move over the weekend! Again to be on our own! I will miss being in the same house as everyone and the early morning teas with Ma, but we need to be our own little family now and prepare for LJ! I am beyond excited!

In other news, potty training is a big hit in our house! Lil Mister seems to have taken quite a liking to it! I've also been busy preparing for a new me. I have a lot coming up after LJ is born between work and getting back into training and I'm excited to share the ups and downs of it all with all of you!! I know you're excited too! We're still busy working on that dang sauce of ours! But it looks like we're fighting an uphill battle! I hope you join in next Wednesday to hear more juicy ingrediants!

You should really take a look over >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>here! And here! And HERE!
Otherwise just check out the buttons on the side over there>>> to see some awesome hops going on this past week!!

Enjoy your weekend!
Shana

Thursday 22 November 2012

Vacation Disaster

I laughed when I read this week’s topic! How strange it seemed to me. Here’s the thing. You’re going to be shocked at what I have to tell you. You won’t believe you’re reading this correctly. I am a person who LOVES to travel. I dream incessantly about traveling the world. I fell in love with Julia Roberts in Eat.Pray.Love and would drop everything to take my family on such a trip!
However, I’ve never been on vacation!

That’s right. I said it! NEVER! Okay, when I was little we took a few trips to see my family in Georgia and I spent weeks every summer riding around in my dad’s semi as we traveled across the states. But these weren’t vacations really! As I got older, I planned my trip, but then ended up moving here instead and got married! So that definitely can’t fall under the disaster category!
Instead though I will tell you about the most memorable trip I have with my dad in the semi! This particular trip will be a story I tell my grand children. It constantly reminds me of what it was like the first time I experienced a life so vastly different from my own!

When in the trucking business there are times in which involve a lot…I mean a ridiculous unimaginable amount of time sitting around and…waiting. You drop a load and travel to a truck stop and wait for your next load. There are times where you receive you next load before you’ve even dropped the one you’re carrying but other times you just sit!
This particular day was a sitting day! Luckily joining us at the stop was Jeff, Scott, and another driver I’d never met. Truckers develop a keen friendship with each other and my dad was always good at maintaining these friendships. Jeff, Scott and my dad drove together a lot and always had a great time!
We all piled into my favorite truck stop, Gateway, in St. Louis. We ate breakfast, checked about a load, mused over the stores, and proceeded to the arcade! Further proving my point that boys don’t really grow up!
After 3 hours of gaming, we ate lunch and checked about loads again. Still….NOTHING! Now my little 8 year old self can only stay busy so long. The men decide a nap is in order for the after noon because if we do get loads now it will be a long drive!
Killing hours on end in a truck stop is only so entertaining and for the guys who do it on a daily basis, each stop begins to be the same!
After about an hour of rest, we get the call! This was before cell phones were really popular so we all rush into the building and hit a pay phone! I remember prancing anxiously as I built up excitement towards hitting the open road again!
We get our load details and the men plot the route. One problem….the dispatch must have made a mistake. The town isn’t even on the map. Spelling must have been wrong!
Phone again. Nope that is the town. It is on the map we must just check closer. Soon enough we find the little dot. It’s there and we’ve never heard of it!
But we’re ready to go! So we pile in and hit the road.
5 hours later we see a sign. This is suppose to be it but wait….there is NOTHING! I’m not joking. The old saying ‘a one horse town.’ This was it. This is what all the stories are based on. At the very bottom of Tennessee, is a one street town.
We drove straight through it looking for the town. We turn around. Nothing like seeing 4 18-wheelers driving up and down a mile strip!
We stop. I  need to use the bathroom. And I’m hungry.
We ask a local police officer who is parked in the parking lot across from us where we can get a bank. He points at the local grocery store.
That local police officer was the ONLY officer. Yea it was that small of a town! Not even a deputy!
This ‘grocery store’ wasn’t much bigger than your average McDonalds. The bank was inside and it also operated as the gas station!
After walking around looking ridiculous (and probably what felt like agonizing hours of complaining from me!) we asked the only employee in the store where we can find an atm.
She stared at us as if we were aliens and then proceeded in her very movie like southern accent to ask “Is that one them machines what you put money in and it give you a card?”
Stunned my dad finally informs her it is the other way and that you put a card in and you get money.
Her response you ask…well…
“No we ain’t got nothing that fancy ‘round here. Hey, yall must be from New York or something!”

And this is where my trip went very sour. Between 5 of us we managed to get $20 out of the trucks in change! Hardly enough to eat dinner on. Even better was that we only off loaded in the morning! And there wasn’t a restaurant or a place in sight with a public bathroom. Where’s the southern hospitality?

Needless to say we made it through the night, although I’m pretty sure I thought I was dying! We left in such a hurry the next morning and never looked back! I’ve never seen my dad drive so fast to a truck stop! Breakfast never tasted so wonderful!

This topic came from Theme Thursdays!!
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Shana

Week 36...counting down

I'm still working until December 10. But a countdown has officially started! I'm ready to meet our new addition and to be honest I'm over the pregnancy! :-/ Sadly, I've unpacked my hospital bags! :-0 I know right??!! But it is because I decided I needed to make sure EVERYTHING had been washed and ironed before LJ's arrival. So now we battle to put it all back together haha

Total Weight Gain: 63kg (+17 kg)

This week, Baby is: 2.8 kg

How far along? 36 weeks, 4 days (Kind of…so we think…guestimate…)

Due date: 6-18 Dec 2012 :-/

Total weight gain/loss: +1 kg

Maternity clothes? I got a great present in the form of vouchers at my baby shower! Hehe So I used it for some baby stuff but bought some nice black shorts (to the knee kind) that I can wear now and after and a black tube top maxi dress!! I love them! They are both great for afterwards too! Still not in the maternity section though…so it doesn’t count ;-)

Sleep: Non existent…period

Best moment this week: In the past 7 days…having a surprise baby shower!! ;-)

Food cravings: Salad and FISH…oh my word I’m begging Hubby Dearest to go fishing and bring home some bass I can bake or catfish to fry up!

Movement: So so busy especially at night!!

Symptoms: I have this weird pain in my upper legs….and back…going to have a lot of back labor!

Labor Signs: Braxton’s are coming at regular times each day.

Stretch Marks: nope and we’re working hard to keep it that way!

Swelling? It’s getting very bad in the evenings. I think I sit too much at work!!

Belly Button in or out? It is most definitely out!

What I miss: Being able to breath!!

Feeling toward Pregnancy: anxious…I guess I’m getting to the end right?!?

What I am looking forward to: Soaking up some summer sun with Lil Mister and LJ.

Milestones: I’ve packed!! Okay there are a few last minute things I need to throw in but yea…I’ve packed! Yay!!

News: There really isn’t much news….other than the weather which is that someone opened a window to hell and forgot to turn on our aircons!!

The LISTS are back this week because I got so much stuff at the shower!!

GENERAL NEEDS

4-6 Tommy Tippee bottles
 Dummy
Toweling nappies
 Hats
 Bibs
 Socks
 Stage 2 diapers
 Stage 3 diapers
 Wet wipes
 Breast pads
 Aqueous cream
 Baby powder
 Baby oil
 Bum cream
 New monitors
 Nipple cream
Face cloths
 Pharmacy stock (Panado, tissue salts, boscopan, telements colic drops, gripe water, milk of magnesia, ear buds, cotton wool, )


****Things I’d like to have*****

New breast pump
 Stoppers
 Microwave sterilizer
2x more blankets
 2x more receiving blankets
 New nappy bag
2x new towels


0-3 MONTHS
 Coming Home Outfit
 2x summer jammies

3-6 MONTHS (this is where I gave a lot of Liams stuff away!)
 12x vests (4 long sleeves) (I got 2!!)
4x cotton pants (with feet)
 2x summer jammies
 4-6x T-shirts
 3-5x Rompers
 3-5x Onesies
6-12 MONTHS (this is a season change from winter to summer for us! 3 months in each season)
 2x Winter jammies
 3x summer jammies
 2x jackets
 4x cotton pants
 3x shorts
 2x long sleeves
 6x short sleeves
 12x vests
 2x Rompers


Shana


Wednesday 21 November 2012

The Sauce of Bad Habits Part 2

Disclaimer: Please take a moment now and vacate the premises of my parenting kitchen if you are in anyway allergic to obscure parenting thoughts, bullshit, venting, or overall fed-upness. (And yes that is my new word!) No children were harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally in the process of this parenting kitchen experiment!


If you are just joining me now, please take a moment and check out part 1 of The Sauce of Bad Habits! It is juicy, exhilarating. It is an adventure in your mouth….oh, it makes sure you aren’t lost today!

Let me now explain the steps to creating the sauce….

Step 1) Allow for spices to dry out…place in pot
Refusal to sleep on own….resulting in bitterness of parents due to lack of rest

Lil Mister needs to be coaxed to sleep each night. We co-slept as an infant because it was nice and mommy worked full time! Then we moved into our own crib.

This took weeks of transition. It was a lovely hair pulling experience. We were in a flat and I promise the birds didn’t even stick around when hearing the blood curdling screams. I think the people next to us wanted to report us for abuse!

Maybe Lil Mister is paying us back for this time!

While in said crib, we eventually learnt to fall asleep on our own. (Again we resorted back to the cry it out. I’ll admit I’m weak and it broke my heart but I’m not abusive and therefore Mommy needed to walk away!)

Then we learnt to climb out and got moved to a big boy bed. This was at the same time as we moved in with the in-laws. So two big transitions resulted in us being a little lenient on the climbing out of bed. Said leniency caused Hubby Dearest and me to take turns “putting” Lil Mister to bed. In reality this means lying with him until he sleeps.

Lil Mister is now in his own room. However, we must still lay with him until he sleeps. THIS MUST STOP!! We both work full time and love EVERY minute we get with Lil Mister but bedtime is the ONLY time we have for each other and to do things around the house!

Let’s be real here, with an infant coming along…how can we put two to sleep with me breastfeeding as well! I’m not up for it! I need both kids (insinuating that I will not be making the same mistakes a second time!) into good sleep habits so I can give necessary attention to all three men in my life!

So now…we break the habit. It is resulting in longer periods of time between going to bed and actually sleeping. It is also exhausting the patience bank. However, it must be done. I feel that 22 months old and in a big boy bed equals old enough to fall asleep by ones self.

Routine is the key. We bath, then eat dinner, then play. 19:45 we give kisses to everyone and head to room. It is then story time, tea time, and lights out. Mommy or Daddy stay in the room but NOT IN THE BED….

I’m counting the days until I can kiss him goodnight and go do dishes before 9pm!!

This process is now 20 days from hitting a year since we first transitioned to crib….this sauce takes some brewing. Allow for a slow simmer of emotions to develop including but not limited to anger, self pity, worthlessness, hopelessness, feeling as if you are cruel to child, and loathing of partner.


Step 2) Add liquid to spices and turn up the heat…

The second ingredient is a teat. Oh yes, that wonderful thing that used to work like a mute button! It now creates the liquid (literally!) in your sauce.

This step must be done first but allowed to sit while you work on other factors. Each time you will be tempted to add the removal of teat to your sauce…you will need to wait as some other age appropriate transition is happening (see previous ingredient!)

Lil Mister almost refuses, blatantly, to give up his teat.

Please do not think I am a heartless mother. I watch my child on a daily basis drink perfectly from a cup. One in every 20 cups results in something being spilt and 9 times out of 10 he has spilt on purpose! He has his own cups and has no quarrels with using them. HOWEVER….

He still wants that darn teat at night….nap time….when watching TV…if he sees it…thinks about…or hears the words bottle, teat, tea, or anything that sounds like that!

I recently bought the last stage in the Advent sippy teats. Check them out…I like them! He drank from the stage before just fine. He drinks from his Tommy Tippee Sippy. He drinks from a straw!! But these things are like the devil right now!

He honestly runs from the bottle if I put them on!

I’m exhausted as I enter the last weeks of my pregnancy. I am still working 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. I still do my things at home. I WANT TO SLEEP AT NIGHT!

Therefore, I keep giving him the dang teat! I put that stupid thing back on his bottle and let him go happily into dream land. I can’t stand the idea of staying up all night for however long trying to wean him!

These teats means that he continues to drink at night. Drinking at night will lead to needing to wee. This wee is an EXCESSIVE AMOUNT of liquid! I’m talking a week could fill the Nile River! Imagine Niagara Falls meets Victoria Falls cascading down the Appalachian Mountains into my child’s nappy! Okay this is a little much but you get the picture!

Join me next week for part 3!!

Shana


Tuesday 20 November 2012

The New Me....

If you haven't known before, I battle right now with a motivation issue. This stems from my feeling helpless about my physical health with pregnancy beyond making sure I'm doing everything for baby!

When I fell pregnant….


Okay I have to stop myself right there. We don’t really fall pregnant now do we? I find this statement hilarious because whenever I say it or hear it I automatically envision Hubby Dearest literally falling on top of me while I’m cleaning the kitchen or something and bouncing up like a cartoon as my belly suddenly protrudes through my clothing ripping it like the Incredible Hulk!

When I became pregnant with Boetie I thought for numerous reasons that this was the worst possible timing! However I quickly came over that as I knew I was blessed by God to be expanding our family!


This is me 2 months before moving to SA at 115lbs!

Pregnancy though put a major damper on my fitness plans! I’ve never been a particularly big girl. Meaning I’m barely over 5 foot and managed to keep an average weight of 115 after high school. In school though and for a while thereafter I was very active. I ran or went to the gym daily. I was in dance and soccer in school. I loved my body.

When I moved to South Africa though, things took a bit of a dive. I gained quite a bit of weight in a very short time period. In the first four months here, I jumped up to around 155 lbs. On such a small frame this was a tremendous amount!
But I didn’t regain my healthy lifestyle.


On my wedding day just shy of 150lbs
In America I drank a lot of coffee. Black coffee though. Occasionally with dessert some cream and sugar. But all day long just black. I drank about 4L of water a day as well. I was active and made a point to get in at least 30 minutes a day. On top of that I taught PE for an elementary school twice a week (which involves a lot of running too! They sit if you sit!). AND I was a waitress. This was on my feet a lot and surprisingly it helped me with my lifestyle.
In South Africa, I drank a lot of coffee. A lot of sugar, milk, instant coffee. I stopped drinking water almost completely. I was going to the jol’s a lot with Hubby Dearest. I NEVER did exercise..unless my new Hubby counted ;-). AND I spent most of my day at the crèche where I was working…sitting!

The food also made a huge difference. I LOVED the food here. I ate like crazy! I’d sit and eat two plates of food the size of Hubby Dearest’s plate. Most of this food was in the form of red meat too. I ate mostly chicken and fish in America. But here, I maxed on red meat like I’d never tasted anything so juicy in my life!

I think you’re getting the picture…

Lovely South African braai vleis!!

So now what does all of this have to do with now?

Just before becoming pregnant with Lil Mister I began losing weight again. I had cut down my portions and was back to working in restaurants. Plus my metabolism had begun to finally adjust to all of the changes. I dropped down to about 132. At the end of my pregnancy with Lil Mister I had only managed to reach 141.

This was okay though because Lil Mister was a healthy guy coming in at a whopping 7.9 lbs!

In January '12 at my skinniest...97lbs
After Lil Mister I dramatically lost weight in the same fashion I picked it up. I wasn’t trying at all but my body decided to go extreme in the other direction. I wound up sitting at 97lbs 3 months after giving birth. The dramatic weight loss made breastfeeding impossible.
Finally a year later I begin to get my health back in order. Realizing that weight gain wasn’t going to happen like it did before; I knew I had to do something. I started planning family meals. I had to start eating balanced meals 3 times a day.

I also started working out again. Best of all I started RUNNING!

I loved it and was doing very well! It gave me something to chart and track. I could see and feel my improvements each week.

Then morning sickness hit and it was a complete road block.

Now I’ve done well to keep myself some what active this pregnancy and am so relieved to say that I’ve finally hit my goal weight at about 141 again. After pregnancy I would like to get to an average between 115-120.

The biggest thing is getting myself out there and moving post pregnancy!

To do that I have to get my mind in the right place. As I said, I wasn’t extremely unhealthy by any means but I believe as a woman YOU have to be happy with yourself. This is especially important being a mom and a wife. My child can quickly see when I am not happy with me and I do not want him to grow up aware of this. If I am not happy with me then I must change me. It is really that simple. I want to live a healthier lifestyle.

So here is my go to 5 steps for getting myself motivated for post-pregnancy training!!

1) Plan, Plan, and Plan: No I do not think that my plans are rigid and going to be effective immediately. I’m aware that things may have to change a little bit. But the best way to keep myself motivated is to work out a workout plan. I’ve looked into cross training that I’ve done before and mapped out a rough draft of how I want my training to go. Any moves that I can do now from those workouts, well I do them now! I’m mentally aware of what I plan to do in what time frame and I’m introducing my body to this plan as well!
I’ve also started getting together a healthier menu. I want to breastfeed Boetie and train for my first half so I need to have a very balanced diet. But I have two other men (Lil Mister counts as a man if you knew his personality!) in the house to feed. Meals need to cater to all and still be healthy for all!

2) Stay involved: I can’t run a marathon right now! I know many women who did run through most of their pregnancies. I shamefully regret not being one of them, but that doesn’t mean I should exclude myself from the fitness world! Every time I read about another mommy runner hitting a PR or see another runner cross that finish line after a long road I cheer for them. I soak in their excitement and emotions. I store that for later when someone will be cheering for me. I stay up to date on what is going on. I read, blog, watch, and listen for any news on people, gear and races! The more involved I am the more excited I am for afterwards!

3) Talk about it: I don’t hide my dreams or goals from friends or family. I hound my husband constantly. Look at my workout tracker I’ve created. Listen to what I read about the Comrades. These races are these months. I start training again on this date. I’m positive they are all sick of hearing about it but it keeps it a part of my mind and heart. If you can, find a partner who is willing to do this with you! Hubby Dearest has agreed that if we join a gym then he will gym with me! That is a great motivation because it is like a date night!

4) Schedule: Especially when you have young children it can be very difficult to just ‘squeeze’ in that run. Schedule time for your workouts. Speak with your spouse, partner, or someone who will be looking after the children. Set a time up each day in which you will run/gym. If you don’t make time for it, the time will go without it. I have already stressed to Hubby and family how important this is to me and that Hubby and I must work out a schedule!

5) Set goals: This I think is my biggest motivator. I have already planned my first 5k and am waiting for races schedules for next year to begin planning the rest of my progress. My largest goal is to run the Comrades in 2016. Yea, that is 3 years from now but it is also a 90km race! I need some time and training. But every step leads me closer. So…set goals. Say you want to be running this far in this amount of time. Be realistic…i.e. my first 5k is 4 months post birth. Unrealistic would have been a half marathon or scheduling my 5k only 4 weeks afterwards! Setting goals gives you something to work towards!

Will everything work out as planned? Probably not. My plans are more of guidelines. But this is where I am. I’m focused. I’m staying involved. I’m planning, scheduling, and dreaming everyday of achieving my goals. Now we play the waiting game. I will keep you updated on where everything is and as soon as my training starts I’ll make sure you are bored glued to your screen to know each pain, cry, tear, and triumph this body and mind of mine accomplishes! We’ll see after Boetie is here how it all goes!

Monday 19 November 2012

Excited about...poo

Excited about…POO!!


Oh yea! I’m excited about some poo. When it is in the potty that is and not on the tiles around the pool!!

Lil Mister has done SO SO amazing this weekend. I would never believe that I’ve only been potty training for two weeks!

I got home late from Hubby’s work Friday but he had done very well at school and even came home from school in his underpants!! YAY…at least that is one battle down! It wasn't so bad because while Hubby was working I got some great photo's of the storm moving in!

Saturday he asked for his potty the moment he woke up! He sat on it and watched some cartoons while I debated whether I truly wanted to get out of bed! Next thing I hear is ‘Momma, poo poo!’ And sure enough he had done his business in the potty! I squealed with delight and immediately woke up Hubby. He obviously was not so impressed at being waked up before 7 am on a Saturday to be told about such things!

Afterwards we proceed outside. Coffee and some tea and another go in the potty! He’s getting very good about asking. This time he comes to me to tell me he will pee pee in potty and then runs (literally at sprint like speed for a 22 month old!) to the potty in the bathroom.

Now, Lil Mister has learnt a new trick. He will ‘uit gooi’ his own potty. He takes his inside part from the potty goes to the big toilet and throws in it. Then he flushes and is very proud of himself! At least he is helping out! He also is starting to get used to washing his hands EVERYTIME! This makes me a proud mommy!

The washing the hands is especially fun for him because I got this awesome gift at my baby shower! It is a automatic soap dispenser. Lil Mister loves that Mommy doesn’t have to give him soap anymore. He runs his hand under and out it comes!


After this we had to put a nappy on to go to town and Lil Mister was passed out before we got home!
We spent the rest of the afternoon being extremely lazy and swimming in the pool! It was GREAT!


We had plans for a braai with Mr & Mrs P that night and overall I would say the potty was successful there too! He had a couple of accidents outside but was very good about asking Papa to take him to ‘pee pee on grass’. He even did his business in the BIG BOY toilet that night!! (Imagine a cheesy grin from this Momma!)

Sunday we ended up staying home because Lil Mister had woke up just before midnight at the braai and only fell back asleep around 2am! Tired is an understatement! The screams evoked from him not getting his way and pure exhaustion Sunday morning could have woken George Washington from his grave! Eventually Hubby Dearest and I took a drive with Lil Mister to get him to nap.

BIG MISTAKE! Lil Mister took about an hour and half nap yesterday morning and nothing…I repeat NOTHING the rest of the day. At 7 pm last night he falls asleep between Papa and Oupa while talking to them!

Only one accident really yesterday and that was Mommy’s fault. He did ask to pee pee in potty and I was just too slow! I could tell he wasn’t impressed with me either!

I only had to change his nappy once in the night verses the normal two times! He’s going dry longer. We got two potty’s in this morning before school and made it to school with no accidents!

I know we have a long road ahead of us. But I feel that we deserve to pat ourselves on the backs! My goal is to have the potty training well ahead before Boetie (LJ) comes in the next 3 ½ weeks. I figure the six weeks I will be at home will give us a good amount of time to work out all the kinks and I will have a potty trained kid by the time he returns to school! (Cross your fingers!)


So what do I think has been the overall keys to success???

1) I didn’t read a bunch of books! I read maybe 2 or 3 articles on line but otherwise just dove in. Every child is different and what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for others! When I was pregnant I read EVERY piece of information I could and when things didn’t go the way the “experts” claimed I freaked. This particular extravaganza I have been much more relaxed.

2) Take away nappies. I cannot stress this enough. Explain to your little that they are a big boy/girl and that they don’t need nappies anymore! The only time Lil Mister is in a nappy right now is when he sleeps or if we will be in town for more than 20 minutes. If we are at friends or in the car he is in his underpants. In and out of nappies confuses their minds. Nappies are for DUDU time ONLY!

3) Praise, squeal, jump, clamp, sing, or whatever it takes to make sure your little knows how proud you are when they do use the potty! At first it was just us getting excited that he’d sit. Eventually they come around. Make sure they know they’ve done good!

4) Don’t punish when there are accidents! Don’t even let them know you’re frustrated! It makes it so much harder! They will make mistakes but they already feel bad themselves (they really do! Lil Mister says sorry each time!). Only praise…no punishment!

5) Do it in the warm weather where you can spend lots and lots of time outside. Take a potty outside too! They wee less in warm weather AND the mess is easier to clean up. When they’re playing is when they forget the most.

6) Ask them constantly. I’m talking every 15 minutes I’m asking Lil Mister if he wants to potty. Eventually he says yes. Leads for less accidents because I’m constantly putting it on his mind.

So yea…that is it. I’m a proud mommy today! Are any of you potty training? Have you potty trained? What’s your top tip?

Shana

Friday 16 November 2012

What you have missed!!!

I just thought I'd give a little update on this past week!!!
We've been quite busy in the Scott household and being that it is grapes season work is CHAOTIC to say the least! But in true blogger fashion I've managed to push a few out here! This week:
The Sauce of Bad Habits
Training and Changes
Theme Thursday Link Up

I'm working on a button but I can't seem to figure out how to get that thing loaded with a little grabby box!! Any one out there know how??

Oh...and I've finally created a fan page over at facebook! Check it out here!

Otherwise stay tuned next week for some more attempts at organizing my life and a lot more chaos!! (Oh and a surprise baby shower!!!)

Thursday 15 November 2012

One Lesson...Theme Thursday

This topic took me a little off guard. I was prepared for another humorous teeth grinding topic like the last couple of weeks. However, this was more personal. This topic was more real. This topic was hard!

The thought of one…ONE…specific and singular concept was a little daunting. There is so much I want my boys to know! There are so many beliefs they need to be aware of. How do I choose one? Is there one concept that could cover such a vast amount of necessary knowledge?

I’m entering panic mode!

Then it hit me like a speeding bullet! It was like a gigantic light bulb being turned on. I think my face literally lit up at the moment!

It’s actually quite simple. (Say thank you since Thursdays are a double post day for now!!)

If I could make sure that there was one lesson impressed on my children that they knew without a doubt, it would be that they must make God the center of their lives.

If God is at the center of their lives, their hearts, and their minds, then everything else will fall into place. They need not worry about the future because their futures lie with God. They will begin their days, end their days, and live their days in prayer.

Although there are so many concepts I will still want them to know; by making God the center of their lives then they will be involving all of these. Sexual purity and the necessity of it in their hearts is founded in God. Teaching them about jealousy is founded in God. The need to be understanding and love one another is founded in God.

Every moral and value that I hold dear in my life and in my family is founded in the Bible and is part in the whole of having God as the center of my life.

So…there it is! It is a short and actually very simple concept. My children must create a foundation of God as the center of their lives….

Now comes the hard part. Living a life myself that teaches them this!

This post is part of Theme Thursday. Go check it out...all the cool ones are! ;-)


Shana

Week 35...

Total Weight Gain: 62kg (+16 kg)
This week, Baby is: 2.4 kg

How far along? 35 weeks, 4 days (Kind of…so we think…guestimate…)
Due date: 6-18 Dec 2012 :-/

Total weight gain/loss: +1 kg

Maternity clothes? No…I don’t think I’m going to make it until the end either. Especially since I’m working until the end! I need to get like maybe one pair of pants!

Sleep: Non existent…period

Best moment this week: Getting the bags packed…finally!!

Food cravings: Still salty and fresh!! Bring on the raw tomato and avo with salt and pepper!

Movement: It seems like he has turned with his back to the right now because all the movements have swapped sides.

Symptoms: hmm….back pain! And very fierce contractions!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Stretch Marks: nope and we’re working hard to keep it that way!

Swelling? It’s getting very bad in the evenings. I think I sit too much at work!!

Belly Button in or out? It is most definitely out!

What I miss: wearing a swimsuit!!

Feeling toward Pregnancy: anxious…I guess I’m getting to the end right?!?

What I am looking forward to: Soaking up some summer sun with Lil Mister and LJ.

Milestones: I’ve packed!! Okay there are a few last minute things I need to throw in but yea…I’ve packed! Yay!!

News: I will NOT be going for an induction unless medically necessary. I really like my gynae but I know that God knows best. I shouldn’t rush things or try and fit them into my idea of a plan. If I am meant to have Daya deliver my baby then LJ will come before or after he is on leave. Otherwise I pray that God gives me whatever I need (patience, strength, understanding, ect) to like the gynae that does deliver LJ. I pray that God calms my spirit. All is in His hands.


I’ve removed my checklist for this week. I will only post it on the weeks where something changes. Otherwise I will post a link to the previous post with said list in case you’re curious as to how we’re coming along. I suddenly realized that I have less than 5 weeks left and there is so much not done!! Oh My WORD!!! Check my list here!



Shana

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Wordless Wednesday

Hmm...I thought it'd be fun to jump on this meme....

So here is my week in pictures! ;-)

The Sauce of Bad Habits part 1

As new parents we experience an entirely different world from what we previously knew.

For some couples, the road to children has been a joyous process. It was a decision well thought about and planned. They waited expectantly for the day that they would learn of their little ones life. The day finally arrives and is surrounded with much hoopla and extravagant emotions. Much of which couples already having born such offspring remember and wish very dearly to warn congratulate the soon-to-be’s!

For others, it comes as a shock. Children may have been something that was spoken of as a possibility in the near far future. Some out there are single moms or even single dads! Others are blessings by God providing homes to children who otherwise would be without! Whatever the circumstances are that brought on the pooping, weeing, crying bundle of joy; we are all in the same boat.

As your offspring grows, you are showered with loving advice from others who have walked the path before you….oh who am I kidding? You are bombarded with hundreds of “experts” opinions and other moms and dads "experienced advice" all while being forced to assume your child must fit into a specific category or “box”.

Let’s face it. Ladies (and gents!) our children don’t necessarily fit into any form of category. Take my son, for example. When ever we go into town, I am always stopped and told how gorgeous and well behaved he is. I say thank you and try to act as if I’ve never noticed. In reality I’m thinking to myself, why can’t he be like this at home?!? Instead, he is throwing toys, jumping off of anything he can get onto, and trying to get onto or into the rest! The teachers tell me he bit a kid! And a typical Saturday consists of two baths and a swim because he can’t stay out of the mud….or was that just dog poop….NOOOOO!!!

All of this is part of growing up! That is all fine and dandy with me. I take no thoughts to heart if my son needs a bath for the third time today because friends have “popped in” to say hello and we are far from presentable! He’s a boy is what I always tell myself. (I also secretly glare at them with my fatal evil eye for having just come over unannounced and swear to myself that they must accept that I have a child and this is the way life is! Just wait until it's your turn!)

There are factors that I didn’t think about though. And through all the loving advice I’m given nothing is preparing me for dealing with facing these obstacles with my child. I am finding it increasingly exhausting to remind people of the common sense fact that Lil Mister is not the same as anyone else’s children!

If they’d pause for a moment and listen to themselves give “advice” they’d realize that they contradict themselves every second sentence in any case.
"Kid 1 was potty trained at 18 months. Kid 2 was a little less interested so I had to do a, b, or c different and Kid 2 was finally off diapers by 3! Definitely do it this way!”
“With girl I breastfed exclusively and that is the right thing to do. Oh no, I didn’t breastfeed with boy for so long because he had teeth early and it hurt.”
These examples could go on, but I won’t get detailed into the reservoir of parenting must do’s and don’ts I have stored from people over the last almost 3 years. Basically, from the day you tell anyone..ANYONE you are pregnant you are opening the flood gates to the River of Baby Knowledge.

But now I sit, with #2 almost ready to make his appearance and I have a very large dilemma on my parenting plate. This dilemma boils down to a very basic, bitter, and overall ass burning sauce. The sauce of bad habits!

Disclaimer: Please take a moment now and vacate the premises of my parenting kitchen if you are in anyway allergic to obscure parenting thoughts, bullshit, venting, or overall fed-upness. (And yes that is my new word!) No children were harmed physically, mentally, or emotionally in the process of this parenting kitchen experiment!

For some parents, what I am now viewing as bad habits for my nearly 2 year old is far from concern in their eyes. Call me whatever you want but to me….well it’s time for Lil Mister to start becoming a Lil-big Mister. I don’t want to rush his growth. I just want need him to start doing things a little more ….independent. (oh my I feel the evil mother eyes on me now!)

Here are the ingredients to this sauce which is causing so much panic:

Needs to be coaxed to sleep
Still wants to drink from a teat ALL THE TIME
Said teat causes for a dip in the potty training department
TANTRUMS…
Becoming proficient in a particular brand of French….no not the Paris kind
Completely UNWILLING to detach from 24/7 attention

Please join me next week as we turn up our stoves and delve into the step by step process of making The Sauce of Bad Habits (part 2).


Shana

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Little Things....

It’s the little things.....

A while back I was so blessed to read a post from MCM Mama Runs. She took some time to remind those of us following her that it is the little things that tend to make such a big difference in our lives.

As I draw ever so near the end of my pregnancy, I have a lot of coals on some never ending fires. I find myself stretched thin between work and chores at home, family time, social time, and personal time. I seem to get lost in the post it notes and day journals that I’m not noticing the little things that are making me smile. So without further ado…..

Little things I’m thankful for each day….

The way Lil Mister calls out ‘Momma’ in the mornings before climbing out of his bed
The late night cups of coffee with MIL while the house is asleep
Morning sunrises as I get an early swim in
Feeling LJ move each night as I say prayers
Sisters and friends in God who bring light on the cloudy days
Fresh fruit and plain yogurt
Friends and co-workers who are believers and live a life dedicated to God whom I can look up to
The ability to take a photograph each and everyday
My husband’s strength and perseverance in tough times
The blessing of working on a farm and being able to watch the circle of life as our products plant, grow and harvest
The stillness as a summer storm breaks through the night sky
Evening walks with Lil Mister as he points out each new thing he has learnt
Having a job I enjoy and look forward to going to each day (and co-workers who make it even better!)
Technology that lets me stay in touch with family
Laying my head on my husbands chest
The joy on Lil Misters face when he goes ‘wee-wee in potty’
In-laws who stand by us through everything
Soaking my feet in the pool at night
A birds chirp in the morning….
The never ending love of God…
Baby kisses and ticklish toes…
My family
Shana

Monday 12 November 2012

Training and Changes

First off you will notice the blog has a new look! Don't worry it's still me! Just a new look! I'll be adding some new features over the next couple of weeks too. All is just preparing for me to be awol for a couple of weeks after LJ joins our world!!
November 4, 2012. That was the day. It was decided. Mommy and Daddy had had enough. We were….we were….POTTY TRAINING!


Okay this past week hasn’t been so bad. Poor Lil Mister had a bit of a tummy bug last Wednesday and had quite a few accidents and therefore we resorted back to nappies for the day. (I’m not a fan of washing poo out of underpants so there is NO WAY I expect it from the crèche either!) Otherwise we’re doing okay. He just doesn’t want to sit on the dang potty! He will wee in the grass with daddy (and in the bath :-/ NOT WITH DADDY!). But that potty is just not something he wants to sit on! I’m considering taking the middle part out that sits on the toilet and trying that. Maybe he’ll like it more…feel more like a big boy! I don’t know at this point. He sits when he wants too. We try placing it in front of the tv…that keeps him still for oh two minutes! Toys distract him long enough to get a good sit but he just doesn’t wee then!

Wednesday morning he started to go on his bedroom floor! I ran like lightening to him with the potty and we got about half in the potty. I screamed for excitement therefore Lil Mister also screams! He points at his potty and claps his hands! I’m not sure if he got it or if he was just happy that I was happy. Whatif as long as he starts to understand that going potty in his potty equals GOOD! Ha-ha!

Here is my problem with the whole potty training extravaganza. Lil Mister is in said crèche because of his wonderful teacher (read a little about her here). She is only working half day at the moment because she is also prego! The mornings usually go pretty great. I send two nappies to school. One is for nap time. I send the extra nappy incase he decides to make a poo. He actually comes and asks you to put a nappy on so he can poo! Yet everyday when Hubby Dearest picks Lil Mister up from school he has a nappy on with his underpants OVER it! W-T-heck is wrong with the afternoon people?

Thursday it wasn’t even one of Lil Misters nappies! This makes absolutely no sense because he had a clean nappy still in his bag! Are they just too ignorant to go take a nappy out of Lil Mister’s own bag? The nappy he had on was SO full that all the gel stuff busted out all over Hubby Dearest’s bukkie. It was like a blizzard of wee soaked snow globe flurries! I can literally imagine the stuff belting out the lyrics to “I want to break free” as they scurried across the seats and onto the floor board.

After that, Lil Mister’s bum was a shade of pink that closely resembled my cheeks after shoveling the snow from a driveway! I was am furious! I asked the owner of the school Friday morning if the afternoon people are just too darn lazy to deal with potty training. They’re busy undoing any work we are accomplishing! I know he goes on the ground! We JUST STARTED! He isn’t so sure and if you don’t take him to the potty he isn’t going to get his jolly playing self up and walk there!

Hubby Dearest picked Lil Mister up 2 hours early Thursday as well. I said to Hubby Dearest I think they’re using other kids’ nappies every afternoon! Because we only send one extra and they don’t want to send him home in a soaking wet nappy and clothes. I would freak (like I’ve done now!). Therefore they use someone else’s and then change him into his just before Hubby would normally come! I’m ready to have a mental breakdown at this point.

I don’t like mopping up the wee either. I don’t like scrubbing all of the clothes. (Ma helped me on Sunday and it still took us over an hour to wash all his stuff! We do wash his by hand!) I mean really they could be thankful that a 22 month old child at least has enough sense to tell us he wants to poo! If they’d listen to him then they wouldn’t have to clean those underpants! Put a darn nappy on the kid if he wants to poo and then take it off. How hard is it?

Lil Mister will be attending a new school next year. The age requirement is two. They are a pretty strict school. They have high standards! They will make sure Lil Mister is potty trained but I’d like to walk in there like bam spanking darn good mom with a two year old who is well on his way to being fully potty trained! This is a pretty formal school setting. He will be wearing uniform from three years of age. I’m excited for this school and their curriculum! I don’t want to explain that the previous school f……screwed up any hopes of potty training by complete confusing the wiring in my child’s head!

Sunday he did the majority of his business on the ground outside. Lil Mister spent the entire day (when at home…I did dress him for church!) in the nude. We played safari, swung on the tire swing, and swam twice! There was too much going on for him to manage the potty I assume.

There is hope however! This morning as we are getting ready for the day Lil Mister comes to the potty and stands there. He asks me to take his nappy off and then does his business in his potty! I was extremely proud of him! He of course looked at me like I’m crazy. I guess the excitement is starting to wear off a little.

So for now, I look forward to a pee filled week. I’m sure I will wash the carpet more than once, do a ridiculous amount of laundry, and slip into a coffee induced coma as I suffer nightmares of another nappy bomb! (I’m considering restricting liquids but dang if it isn’t already 37 degrees C!) At least I know the grass will be getting watered ;-)

Wish us luck!

Shana

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