Potty Training

Our little guy is taking the process slowly. He is enjoying his exploration of the realm of bathroom behavior. While I find the process somewhat unnerving at times (I don't like cleaning up after the accidents, at this point washing his hands is the only consistent thing he does and water is so much fun for him!) None-the-less I'm more relaxed than I was with my girls. One new thing for me is He is calling the shots, I had no patience with my girls but I'm letting the process take it's course with him. I hear about the parents that say they do-it-in-a-day, I whinge! I finally grilled one of these proud mom's who said this and she admitted it's not that easy. Of course the child was trained but they were not totally done with their efforts to make it a lifetime habit.

Our little guy has not been dry through the night yet, there have been times he has gotten up and has not yet pooped so on the potty he goes first thing. He is so proud of himself. He loves to look down and say "poopy come out"... in a sing-songy voice. He pushes his belly as he smiles through his efforts. He is now trying to do the standing up gig to pee but it has not worked yet. His torso is right up on the edge of the potty so it's difficult for him to get through the process (he looks at potty chairs as undignified, he wants the real thing). We took a trip to MA a few months back and for a few days he was consistently staying dry. We took him to the potty often and we were able to stay with it throughout the day. I think he got bored. He decided to stop. It just wasn't fun anymore and he was forced to stop what he was doing to get to the bathroom. I decided to let him take a break. He wasn't in charge of those efforts and I'm not sure he was fully recognizing the "urge" or if we were just getting him there in time and he'd cooperate. Now the light is going on more in his eyes and he is feeling the process more.

There is part of this "training" I'm convinced that is meant to train the adults too. We are back to basics. We are having to learn patience again... figure out how to approach a new phase of our parenting skills (some parents approach the reward method or the holding back rewards for those times things don't go smoothly, also what about those obviously deliberate accidents that coincide with anger at mom and/or dad). There are those wonderful successes and the rite of passage as we watch our little ones suddenly master a goal and make the decision to move on into "big boy/girl pants". While it makes life a little easier it also has the bittersweet side when we realize that the evolution toward dating is that much closer. Egad!

Fish!

One of our new loves is our fish! Started with a couple little tropical fish that we planned on keeping in a bowl. When we arrived home I cringed thinking that they would die and really not thrilled with that thought I asked some "experts" how to keep them alive. Well the 98 cent fish plan went up several digits and we then had a 10 gallon tank, filter, all the salves and goo that keeps it clean, the tools for easy maintenance, rocks, nooks and colorful doodads to adorn the fish home. Of course then we needed more fish.

After getting 11 fish (one more than recommended for the tank) we lost almost all of them slowly. Got more and lost several of those. Finally I went to the store and asked what might be going wrong with the guppies. The Tetra's seemed to be doing alright but the guppies were disappearing. Yes, simply disappearing. We did find a few on the bottom or top of the tank floating but most of them were just... gone?! Someone said they had disintegrated somehow... others thought maybe they were sucked into the filter? Still other's said the tetra's may be eating them? So we don't know but we have theories.

Well as we were finally figuring out a plan to keep our new angelfish, the 3 tetras, 1 Pleco and 1 male guppy alive we got word that someone was needing to find a new home for a 29 gallon tank that had 3 cichlids (one gold and two convicts) and large pleco. I quickly asked if we may be that new home at the same time wondering if I had lost my mind. The woman had had these fish for quite awhile and the tank since she was in her teens. She was newly pregnant with her 2nd child and could not do the upkeep. Her pregnancy was a risky one and she decided to give her pets to us.

I brought the tank and the fish to our home. The tank needed a total overhaul. I emptied it totally and cleaned it thoroughly. Our new pets had to live in a bucket for a few days (I was told that they could live this way for up to a week). Fish back in their tank they have enjoyed being with us for the last month. No morbidity on the part of the fish and no problems on our end either. The kids have enjoyed the new tank. Our 10 gallon tank as well is maintaining it's status of life.

Believe me I never thought I would enjoy fish but they really are wonderful. I had thought about how relaxing a tank can be and all the joy of seeing these creatures, alive, in our home. I just didn't think it was something I'd put my soul into actually doing. Well we did. It's a blessing!

Life on the Ranch...

Well it's definitely summer now. We hit a couple of days with the 90's and into the high humid range. Very uncomfortable. I had to nearly pass out before it dawned on me that we needed a better plan to stay cool. Air conditioning is wasted effort for the few days of heat here so we use the window air conditioners. That works to a point. Then we finally got to the pool for the latter hotter part of the day and layed out "camp" for the night in the living room where it was cooler. More iced liquids and a few outings to cooler places during the week. On our 2nd trip to the pool I lost my shoes or more likely they were taken. I had them in a spot near my towel and then when I returned from the cool waters they were gone. I hope they turn up on our next trip in the lost and found.

We finally are done with dance for the spring. The girls had their play "Children of Eden"... then there was a dance recital for my oldest daughter and then my recital this last weekend. So much fun but alot of hard work. We were planning on taking a break this next fall from the theatre to explore dance classes and it was a fortunate decision since the Center for the Arts have their teachers moving to NY, heading to Broadway (Good luck Claire and Eric). As well the director decided to leave because of changes and budget cuts. The future of the kids theatre is uncertain right now although I know it will revive. We had taken a few dance classes already at another studio so we can fall in there with ease.

Now we have two weeks with nothing more then the bare necessities to tend to (but of course we are doing some fun things... going to the pool, grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, a few times to Star bucks and we got a couple more fish for the tank). If you go to Trader Joe's be sure to get the Brownie bites with sea salt and the Joe Joe's. Oh heaven on earth!

Coming up is two weeks of Theatre/Dance Camp for the girls, a trip to Hershey Park, a visit from "Bama" (my mother). We want to get to the Zoo in Washington, Aquarium in Baltimore, Science Center and a find something new to do. We've done all those things and love those places but we will certainly venture to a new place. Visiting with some friends is a must. I now am officially a grill girl who loves to cook out in the back yard. I cleaned that dirty thing up yesterday and I'm ready for more.

I wanted to say Thank you to Chad for publicly taking time to recognize our work as foster/adopt parents. It's an honor to all fostering and adoptive parents when someone recognizes even one of us. We are the lucky ones who have been graced by the beauty of each child in our lives but we do give our hearts to each little person who comes into our lives.

More later...