Potty Training and Blueberries...what?
I'm really going to try to blog more, I am, I really am. You know how you have that one thing you really, really love to do, but just never, ever get to do? Writing is mine. So, on the Today Show, they are doing a 30-day detox, giving something up. Me? I'm not giving up, I'm adding something. I am going to really try to blog more. I'm not going to say that I'll do it every day, but I think that my problem is that I go on and on and on...and on. If I can just quickly get to the point, write short pieces, not a novel each time, my goal of writing more may be more realistic. Writing is so therapeutic to me. I recently removed someone very close to me from my life...I wrote her a letter putting it ALL out there, but I'll never send it, but oh my gosh, did it feel good! It was closure for me, and I hardly think about her anymore! Anyway, here's to writing more, chronicling our lives more, as that was kind of the purpose of this blog, and making more time for something I love so much.
That being said, I have a draft of a "novel" on potty training that I promise to someday post, though all of our children may be in college at that point. So, for now, here's what's up with potty training the Puppy! Shit (no pun intended) just got real here over the last few days. We bought pull-ups, bought a new Potty Watch since the older two boys used the first one and it was sad, corroded, dirty, etc.
You can order a Potty Watch here. You can also get them in different colors (pink, green). I love the Potty Watch, and as I said, both of the older boys used it. They liked wearing it, The Puppy doesn't. But he will carry it around and lay it nearby. You can set the watch to go off every 30, 60, or 90 minutes. It lights up and plays kid songs like "London Bridge" and "Are You Sleeping". You can hear it pretty far away. Right now, we have it set for 30 min. I told my friend yesterday that it's almost more for me than for him. It's amazing how quickly a half an hour goes by when you're busy or running around. Every 30 min, no matter what, we take Puppy to the potty when that thing goes off. Sometimes he goes a lot, sometimes he trickles. Point is, he goes. I can tell he is trying, he is pushing, he's learning the feeling and what he's to do. We say things like "tell your body to pee!" and he'll say "pee, body." We started this hard-core (and I say hard-core, because we've been leading up to this for months, as you'll see if I ever finish my older post) training last Saturday. Great day as we had a million places to be...but we did it. I think it's important for them to learn early on that there are potties everywhere and we use them. So at a friend's picnic, he peed on their party. At our niece's birthday party, he peed on their potty. Now, here's the cool thing about boys opposed to girls when it comes to PT'ing. They can pee outside pretty easily! So, we may or may not have peed in a bush, too.
With my boys, I learned early on that it seemed better and easier for them if I just started off by holding them up and letting them go straight into the potty. I learned this because with Snip, after weeks of frustration, first-time-at-its, etc. He finally said to me one day "Mumma, can I just pee standing up like Da Da?" Yes, he spoke like that at 2 yrs. old. From then on, he did it. So, with Puppy, as with Snail, he has always gone with one of us holding him up, except for pooping.
So, the hard-core stuff is happening. I've got my weapons of choice. He gets a "pop-pop" if he poops....
and he gets to pick something out of his special bucket if he pees. Usually its a Rollo. For some reason, they're his favorite "candy". Though he loves Hershey's Kisses and jelly beans, too, which he calls "fruit".
And of course we make a huge deal out of every single time he goes. So most of the day there's this.
But yesterday, I was in the bathroom, and he came RUNNING in, pull-up was not on, and he stood there and said "Mumma! Poop!". For a split second, I thought "oh my GOD, there's poop somewhere on the new carpet. Shit. But, not 2 seconds later, "PLOP". A gigantic turn, right there on my bathroom floor. And 3 seconds later, Puppy was sitting on the little potty going to town, smiling as big as the sun. I screamed and yelled for his brothers to come (to not step in the poo, but to look in the potty! We all were screaming and yelling and poor puppy was just sitting there. The look was one of "well, ya, isn't that what I'm supposed to do? So, I got him cleaned up (as well as the floor). But the point is, he got one of these yesterday.
.jpg)
Woot woot! Even surprised me as I thought we were far from this.
OK, confession. As we were all screaming in the bathroom at Puppy's success, I was definitely crying. I am trying to hang on to diapers? Why!? Because this will be the end...the end of babies in my home. There are so many more amazing times to come, but to think this time is almost at an end, yep, makes me sad.
Yesterday we also got to spend some time with one of my BFF's and her daughter. Her daughter is a little less than 5 months older than Puppy. Of course we've already decided they will be married one day. She is gorgeous and so smart and so sweet. Anyway, we all decided to go blueberry picking. What a great day for it! We ended up with about 5 lbs of blueberries.
I love that we have these places so close by. I have never been blueberry-picking before. It was so fun! And the talking and laughing that was going on while we were picking was something money can't buy!
Isn't she gorgeous!?
she's one of the most amazing, strong mummas I know....proud to call her one of my BFF's...just love her and I'm so proud of her.
My friend and I both decided after only about 1/2 hour that telling these two
that they could try a berry was probably a mistake. They each ate way more than they
picked, as you can see here....
What a great way to spend a summer afternoon!
P.S., yes, the Puppy did pee, every 30 minutes, in the middle of the blueberry field.
Then, The Big Dog and I got to have a fun date when we went on a yearly dinner date with some of his company's clients. A yummy dinner (I wanted to take a picture of the fillet, veggies, and blue cheese potato salad, but it was kind of not appropriate. The presentation was amazingly beautiful!) at a local place, Green Gables. Their food is farm-to-table, and amazing. The building is old and rustic, the grounds are amazing. It's actually my favorite spot to do pictures of families and kiddos!
We stayed for the play Funny Money, which was absolutely hilarious....I was crying. If you are local and get the chance, head over for dinner and play. You won't be sorry!
Bye for now, and here's to hoping I can keep this up for a while...a new take on writing, on blogging...doing what I really love!
0 comments