We've had a lot going on lately. I feel like I could've made that statement every single day for the past 11 months... but it is so true. So here are a few updates, purely for my memory's sake and to help me organize my thoughts.
Sickness:
This week, I woke up to the most horrid smell. It was coming from Isla's room and it was so bad that I gagged multiple times. She was laying in a pool of vomit and diarrhea. Then when Adia got it a few days later, one instance happened to be on my lap. Let's just say that I honestly could've wrung out my undergarments with vomit. Before I had children, I saw these pictures of little girls with their blonde ringlets, coordinating wrinkle free clothing, and their mom with a six pack of abs and a business suit. Then, I had real children... not ones in magazines... rather, ones who are lucky to have on a shirt without a ketchup stain, who vomit down my torso, all while my wrinkled oversized khakis hang around my much softer mid section. Since mid-December, I have had a sinus infection, a stomach virus on New Year's Eve, and the flu. Adia has had the flu and a stomach virus. Isla has had a respiratory virus, the flu, and then a stomach virus. Micah has had 2 stomach viruses and the flu. Holy cow. I don't know how working parents do it when they have more than 2 kids. Between all of our sickenss, we've had to take so many sick days. It's been really hard. I can't imagine if we had 4 or 5 kids and all of them were taking turns vomitting while Micah and I would be trying to take sick days to stay home with them. It's been hard, but we've gotten through it and it simply reminds me to be thankful for the overall good health that we do have. These sicknesses, though annoying and uncomfortable, are just temporary. Praise Jesus for a healthy family and the loads of hand me downs we receive from family friends so that we don't have to worry so much about all of those ketchup stains.
Potty training:
Dare I say it? I believe Adia is almost completely potty trained. I say almost because she sometimes still has a hard time getting to the potty in time when she has to go #2. She's had several successes, but she still does have an occasional accident with #2. We decided 2 weeks ago to potty train and we haven't looked back. I know every kid is different, but here are some tips that helped us. (Disclaimer: the information below is mainly for me so that I can remember what I did that worked with Adia when it is time to potty train Isla in about a year.)
1. Look for signs to show when she's ready. I read that if they are able to hold it for several hours at a time, wake up from some naps or wake up after a full night's sleep and are still dry, and if they are showing some interest in going in a potty, then these are all signs of readiness. Adia showed all of these signs.
2. Don't give up - even if she shows resistance. After day 1, I wanted to cry. I thought we'd maybe started too soon (she was around 25-26 months). She had multiple accidents and would not go #2 all day. I was determined though and practiced a lot of patience. I sat her on the potty every 30 minutes to an hour. She resisted and cried several times. I would let her get off the potty and then we'd try again a few minutes later. We repeated this all day and it was miserable. On the 2nd day, she had 2 accidents. She had 3 on the third day, and 0 on the 4th day. On the 5th day, she had 1 accident. Other than during 1 nap last weekend, she hasn't had any #1 accidents since.
3. Potty eggs! The girls' babysitter is a mother of 6 grown adults and has been watching children out of her home now for over 30 years. She definitely knows a thing or 2 about potty training. She gave me the idea of putting some easter eggs in a bowl where Adia could see them and filling each one with different little surprises. We'd put 1 or 2 M&M's in one, some stickers in another, a couple of marshmallows in one, Fruit Loops in another, and so forth. Each time she went potty, she'd get a potty egg. She couldn't open it until she went. She loved trying to guess what was in each egg and it was like a little surprise for her each time. She loved it and once she got used to going to the potty regularly, she didn't ask for them anymore. I haven't filled a potty egg in several days. Today makes day 14 since we started potty training, so I think it's safe to say that she doesn't need them anymore.
4. After about 4 days, I never had to set Adia on the potty to remind her to go in the potty. She just started telling me when she'd have to go.
5. Letting her pick out her own panties really grabbed her interest. She tells us all the time, "I can't get Dora wet," or, "I can't get Dora dirty."
6. She only wears a pull up at night. We call them her "night time panties." However, she has been waking up in the mornings completely dry, which makes me think she's one of those kids who can hold it all night too and we can just put her in panties at night soon.
7. When she did have accidents, we consistently repeated the same thing - "Pee pee goes in the potty," or, "Poo poo goes in the potty." We'd have her repeat it after us. We'd also set her on the potty immediately following an accident, just to reinforce the idea.
Having this kid trained is wonderful. I love not having to pay for diapers for her and I love that it's not nearly as messy. She is also one to get diaper rashes easily, so this has helped with that too.
Isla:
This girl is a determined little thing. She has the funniest little personality that I have ever seen in a baby. She loves to laugh and it takes nothing to make her giggle. As strong as she is, she is still so easy going. If she has something she's not supposed to have, I can easily distract her with something else. If her sister grabs a toy out of her hand, she rarely even flinches. She is extremely strong (both physically and in her determination), but she does not have a temper. She is not much on snuggling, although if she is really sleepy, she will let me snuggle her, but she always folds over on my lap in the most awkward position she can think of - which is a definite Isla trademark. We tease that she is going to eat her way out of her crib. She chews on it so much that it looks like a lion has been caged up inside of there. She doesn't cry much, so it's not because she is sad - it's just because she is teething and likes to chew on anything she can. She loves to do flips. She will get up on all 4's and put her head on the ground, ready for us to grab her legs for her and flip her over. Often times, she will wake up and I will go in her room to get her. As soon as she sees me, she does this and is ready for me to flip her so that it's the very first thing she does in the morning. She knows how to start her day. Isla waves, says, "Momma," "Da Da," and she attempts to say Adia. I don't even think I could write what it sounds like. She can clap and blow kisses, although the blowing kisses thing is more like yelling while she smacks her mouth with her little chubby hand. She takes around 3 bottles per day now, can hold them and feed them to herself, and has given up baby food completely. She only wants table food and she has never gagged. I tell Micah that it's because of all of the practice she's had with dog food for the past 7 or 8 months! She still sleeps around 11-13 consecutive hours every night. She sometimes goes through a little rough patch if she is teething. She is currently cutting 2 teeth at the same time right now. She already has 6, so these 2 coming in will make 8. When Adia was this age, she still did not have a tooth yet. Ha ha. Isla's is a daddy's girl. Nobody makes her laugh like he does. In all honesty, I often times think she prefers him. She prefers me when she is sick or sad, but sometimes, I think she prefers him to feed her table food, dress her, and bathe her. Adia is a mommy's girl and Isla is a daddy's girl. Isla is still crawling up a storm and the stairs have nothing on her. She cruises around furniture effortlessly and once she realizes how sturdy she is, she will be walking in no time. I have no doubt that she will be walking on or before her first birthday.
Adia-isms:
1. "Mommy, where's Isla? He's my best friend."
2. She sings, "Under The Sea" but sings, "Under The SEAT" instead.
3. "I'm gonna go to Miss Linda's house and play with my buddies." "Who are your buddies?" "Lucas and Mackenzie." "Is Sam your buddy too?" "Mommy, he's just a boy."
4. While I was using the restroom, "Mommy, are you going like a good girl in the potty? Such a good job!"
5. After falling, Me- "You're a big girl. You'll be ok." "No, I not!" "Do you need me to hold you for a second?" "No!" "Do you need a hug?" "No!" "Do you need a kiss?" "No! I just need chocowit!"
6. At a little girl's birthday party, "Do you want to go play with all of the kids?" "No, Mommy. I just needa take a nap." She slept for almost 2 hours in the girl's bed. She is sooooooo her father.
7. When asked how old she is, she always says, "I'm 6."
8. "Will you read just one more book just a little bit tiny?"
9. "Daddy, will you come dance wif me?"
10. After catching Isla splashing in the toilet bowl, "No, no, no Isla! Mommy, he's wiiiiiild."
11. After watching me put my makeup on, she held my face in her hands and said, "Oh Mommy... You look so much pretty."
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