Should be Sleeping

It's 1:00 AM. Easy is gone on a fishing trip. I don't sleep much when he's gone. I'm just about tired enough to turn out the lights and sleep on the couch. I'm weird, I know.

Anyway...things are definitely looking up in the PT department. I would say that about 50% of all output is making it into the potty. Afternap today she wore the same pull-up until bed and she went TT 3 times - once at church, once in the car potty in the HEB parking lot, and again before bed. So....let mes just say thank you to those of you who continued sending positive thoughts. And thank you Graggie for staying positive while you had the Duchess. I feel pratty confident that when the fall semester starts she'll be wearing panties to pre-school. WooHoo!!!

Speaking of the fall semester, things are starting to take shape. I'm working on my schedule and it looks like I'll be just as busy as last year. The biggest difference is that we won't be dealing with the process of getting Tripp's diagnosis. He's going to be in a great program this year and will go to school "all day every day." It feels weird to know he'll be away from me that much, but I know it's what he needs. And if I'm honest I have to say that it will be a much needed break. To know he is well cared for and being pushed to learn and grow in his academics and social skills will be, well sort of a relief. I won't be keeping P&E this semester, but God replaced them with A&O, so it looks like I will have a pretty similar schedule to last year. I'm trying to get geared up for it all, but it just seems like there is SO much to be done and I can't really do any of it yet. Most of requires funds that simply don't exist. A decrease in income (no babysitting or Sonshines school over the summer) and an increase in bills (Childcare and "private sector therapy") has left us strained.

Amidst it all though I am reminded of God's great love. He has always provided and continues to do so. On the way to LBC Wednesday I prayed that he would help me find a way to replace the income I had for watching P&E last year. In a matter of hours he had given me A&O and answered their mom's prayer for a job that would be a better fit for her family. So as I sit here, wishing I could go get in bed and sleep peacfully but knowing that instead I will sleeping restlessly on the couch I really don't care so much. In the morning I will wake up and God will still be providing. I might be tired, but I will do my best to follow His lead. So for now I say good night. I'm sure you are all already sleeping well so enjoy your sweet dreams and don't judge if I need a nap tomorrow.

Progress, What Progress?

So after that amazing Thursday things have gotten pretty messy with the Sweet V. She had two #2 success on Friday at home plus a handful of nasty accidents. Saturday - no success and she left to go to my folks for the week. Mom has been diligent and kept her in panties, but I think she's about to give up....and I don't blame her. V has had not 1 single success since she left on Saturday. My poor mom has hardly even gotten to enjoy her visit because of all the focus on the potty. We are very confused.

She shows all these signs that she's ready. She stays dry through nap. She sometimes stays dry overnight. When she goes TT in her pull-up she takes it off and puts it in the trash. She tells us she needs to go potty - sometimes before, usually after shes's gone. She doesn't want to wear the pull-ups most of the time. She's had success on the potty. Yet we seem to be getting nowhere.

Here's the thing....I'm not sure she has figured out yet how to make herself pee. The 3 success she's had were late in the day and I think we just timed it right so that it was just coming out at the right time. She'll sit on the potty and try to poop then 5 minutes later pee a lake in the floor.

So now I have a dilemma. Do I persist in this endeavor or do we pack it in and wait until the Christmas break. I realize that I think in my head that we are behind schedule because Paris was in panties before she hit 2. Vivie is clearly not Paris. If we keep trying at this it wil be very burdensome and probably very confusing. Several days in the week she would have to wear a pull-up to attend the various activities she goes to. Tuesdays she has camp from 9:30-1:30, Wednesday is LBC which we could try in panties, but that's risky and then there is Bible class that night where they prefer that they come in pull-ups until they are truly trained. Thursdays she goes to Erika's all day and I promised I wouldn't send her in panties until she had 3 straight accident free days. So, we'd be left with Mondays, Fridays, evenings, and weekends - except church time on Sunday when we'd be back in the pull-up. So the questions remains, is it even worth trying to continue? I don't know the answer.

I keep reminding myself that if we pack it in and wait until Christmas she'll really only be 2 1/2 and probably more ready. I mean, really, it's not like she's heading to kindergarten tomorrow or anything. I just don't want to loose. I want to win this battle now. But at what cost - my sanity? my carpet? endless pairs of cute little panties? Would I really be giving her power by putting it up until Christmas? Would it make it harder in the long run? Or is it that she isn't really ready yet? I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!

Help - advice is officially being requested. Please leave me comments.

Progress, I think

So here I am, several days in and my spirits are coming back up. After those successes on day 1, Vivie woke up on day 2 and said no. She went into camel-mode and only TT'd twice the whole day. No success at all. Then came Wednesday. I had decided that my only chance of convincing her this is for real was to keep her in the panties no matter what. So, off we went to Ladies' Class in panties. She didn't have a TT accident, but she did go hide in the playhouse and do her other business. Nice.

We got home, she flooded the floor. Later in the afternoon she did the dirty business again so I stood her in the bathtub, turned on the cold water and used a pitcher to rinse her off. She did NOT like that. Somehow she stayed dry all the way through Bible class that night and then final went in the potty when we got home.

Today was similar. She gets the poop thing better than the TT. Here's the really good part though. We left the house this evening about 5:30. While we were out at my parents' lot doing some measurements for their house she TOLD ME she had to go. I got out our trusty little car potty and she put the dirty business in with no problem. After that she lasted through Wal-Mart, Sam's and HEB. While Easy was loading the groceries into the car I had her sit on the car potty again and.....she TT'd!!!!! I'm thinking this is progress. She didn't fuss or complain. She saw me get the potty, she said "go potty", and then she actually went potty!

So, I'm sticking to my guns and she's staying in panties. She leaves on Saturday to go on her first Graggie/Dadoo vacation. Poor them - they'll have to stick to my guns for me! I know Graggie is on board though so it will all be fine.

Thanks for all the encouraging comments both here and in person - you sweet friends are what have helped me stay the course. In a few short months I won't even really remember what it's like to have to change diapers all the time! Hey Sherri - could you do that hip swirl thing for me?!?!

PT, Round 2

Well, we started potty training with Vivie yesterday. For those of you who read on a regular basis, you may recall that we tried this back over spring break. She wasn't ready. I think we'll get it done this time though.

Day one stats:

#1 - 6 out, 1 in
#2 - 1 out, 5 in

Now, I look at thses numbers and I think - Seriously, who poops 6 times in one day?!?! I'm not going to complain though. Th majority of that went in the potty. If I had to choose between changing/cleaning TT panties or poopy panties, I'm gonna pick TT everytime.

I was very pleased with the 1 TT in the potty. It was after naptime (which she stayed dry through by the way) and it was a serisouly big TT. I swear you could see a light bulb go on over her head while she was doing it too. The weird part is that she didn't pee again at all the rest of the day. Weird little child.

Anywho, please send positive thoughts and if your willing to pray for potty training, please do. Perhaps you could just pray for my sanity. Tomorrow is the only day this week we will be leaving the house so I imagine my mind will start to go about noon on Thursday. Wish us luck.........

In the Back

My sweet Paris has turned 6 years old. She has 4 (!) loose teeth - the four right in front. Chances are good she will start first grade looking a little silly with no teeth in front. It is very weird to have a 6 year old. Somehow it just sounds so much older than 5.

Anyway, we have had a lot of fetivities surrounding her b-day. We started out the whole process by having her make a guest list. Yikes! There were 25+ names and she wasn't even including some of our close family friends! So, we made a new plan. We decided to have two parties. One for Paris' friends and one for family and "our" friends. There would be kids at both parties so I thought it was a good plan. I had her cut down the "friends" party list to 12. I think 6 made it. That was a good manageable number. That party was the Saturday before her b-day.

On her b-day we had big plans. She was to have an ealry breakfast with her Daddy at Denny's, then MOPO time while her siblings were at school including lunch at Chuck-E-Cheese's, then her butterfly friends were coming over from 3-5 for a fun day, and lastly - her favorite babysitter was coming over and bringing her tiny little dog as a treat. It didn't quite work out like that though. We needed to take Nana to the doctor, and wound up putting her in the hospital that day. The lunch and butterfly stuff got canceled completely. She did have breakfast with her daddy, then got to spend practically all day with some of our family friends - which included lunch out at Chili's, and then Miss Ashley came over and brought Bitsy. It wasn't what we planned, but it was a great birthday!

This past Sunday we had the family/close friends party. We wound up with almost no kids there. The R & J families couldn't make it. I wasn't to worried because I knew that the H family was coming and that's 4 kiddos right there. Then the phone rang. One of the H girls was sick. "Just bring G out and drop him off" I pleaded. I couldn't stand the thought of Paris being the oldest child (by 2 years) for the whole day. So G got to come. Now, Paris and G have an interesting relationship. We carpooled this year and they became fast friends. G is 9, Paris is newly 6. Listening to these two talk is hilarious. They can be having two completely different conversations and somehow they know what's going on. They are brutally honest with each other, but each considers the other a very special friend. When our cat Samson got really sick Paris told G to make a card for her (no, she didn't ask, she told) and he did. They traded little trinket toys on a weekly basis. And when they were both tired they yelled at each other. It was fun watching their friendship grow. All that to explain that it was important to both of them that G get to be at the party.

So................knowing how bluntly they communicate.....................here's the best quote of Paris' entire birthday week extravaganza (this story came to me via my big brother who witnessed the interaction).

Paris & G were playing in Tripp's room (I think). G had a toy home depot drill. You pull this string and then when you push the point in it makes drilling noise. He pulls the string and proceeds to "drill" into Paris back. Paris turns around and says very matter of factly:

"G, I've told you before. I don't like to be screwed in the back."

Well said my precious princess.