Karina loves her toy trucks. She prefers them to all "girly" toys, and to stuffed toys (except Lambkin) as well. She really really loves the medium sized Chuck brand trucks. She has 7 of them, plus 5 of the smaller ones that her Aunt Danise gave her. Those are the babies. Anyway, when she started potty training, I gave her a truck for her first time doing each kind in the potty. One was a blue police car with red rims and a painted tongue in his mouth, and the other is a fire truck. Well, the police car is her favorite. I don't know if it's because it reminds her of the larger one at playgroup, or it's blue, or it has the tongue...I don't know. But his name is Red Wheels. (She also has a mail truck whose name is Hum. No joke)
Yesterday Karina decided that Red Wheels needed a bath. So she took him into the bathroom where she gets bathed, and proceeded to move through her entire bath routine, all in pretend mode. She put toys in the tub, shampooed and conditioned his hair, then got him out and wrapped him up in a towel and dried him off. She took him back to her room, put some lovely pink nightgown jammies "on" him (he doesn't really fit so she fakes it), and told him he could go watch Elmo. And that is her routine.
Next, she decided that Red Wheels needed to brush his teeth. We went into my bathroom, where, for some reason, I keep her toothbrush (I think because I brush her teeth the same time I do mine, so I guess it does make sense after all). She was allowed to have her old one to use on Red Wheels and I opened a new one for her (it was time). She needed toothpaste for him, so she was allowed to pretend with the "train" toothpaste and then with what little is left of the "pony" toothpaste (it's the kid toothpaste with Thomas the Train and My Little Pony, only she doesn't like the flavor of the Thomas one). She brushed Red Wheels's teeth and then he went potty in the toilet. She pretended to flush and had to put a piece of toilet paper in (I only let her have a tiny piece). Her favorite part was discovering that there is a tiny hole in the bottom of the truck, which she has decided is where he...um....goes. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.
At least she knows good hygiene!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Today Is Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day to any mothers who are reading this, or women who are mothery-types. Yes, I made up that word "mothery". It's not real.
I am so so so so so blessed to have my mom with me to celebrate this day, as well as my grandmother, who will be 85 this summer. I give my mom all the credit for any measly parenting skills I may have developed. My mom is so awesome, words can't describe it. Nevertheless, I'll try. She is really calm and patient. She is very understanding and empathetic, and she always knows just what to say to me to make me feel better about absolutely anything. She is also really funny, crafty, and a great writer. A lot of people don't know it but my mom was once a published (poems) writer. She let Karina play with a bunch of her dollar store notebooks (my mom and I both seem to collect notebooks and she has tons. She writes in hers, though!) and Karina brought some home. One day we realized Mom had been keeping a log, briefly, in one about rabbits in the yard. Even that was written very poetically. She just has a way with words. She raised me and my brother single-handedly, in spite of our unusual living conditions and having really barely any money for stuff. I have probably mentioned before, but for any new readers out there, I'll explain. My parents divorced when I was five and David was 2, and after leaving our house to move into these nasty apartments, my grandparents decided we should all move in with them. So we did, and that's where I grew up. My mom still lives there, and has never remarried. She is now beginning to care for my grandmother, who as I mentioned, is getting old. My mom gave up everything so David and I could have happy lives. We never knew until we were older that my grandparents would buy groceries for us. We never knew that living with my grandparents was because we were too poor to live any other way. And we never knew how much my mom hurt from the divorce until many, many years later. My mom is amazing.
My grandmother is pretty awesome, too. She met my grandfather in Scotland during the war, went on 3 dates with him, and then married him. She was 18. When she was 19, she was finally cleared to come over to the US, and did so on the Queen Mary (ship) by herself. It was a 2-week voyage. Amazing. She didn't go home for 20 years. She left school when she was 14, because that's what you did if you were poor in Scotland back then, and she went to work. Despite having much less education than many fortunate people, she was very smart, learned quickly, and got a job as a secretary at the school I attended for elementary and middle school. I don't know what, if any, jobs she had before that. She worked there until she retired, at which point the rest of the office staff realized how much work she had been doing and promptly hired two people to replace her. My grandmother, who I call Nana, has always been strong-willed and strong in general. As she's gotten older, this quality has faded, quite a bit in some ways. It's been pretty sad to watch this happen, although she is still in phenomenal health and can legitimately complain only about arthritis! Despite this, she is still funny and witty and still cooks dinner for my mom, and for all of us on Wednesday nights when I take Karina over there.
There are other mother figures in my life, who I won't go into detail about because let's face it, that's just too much. But I will name them: my Aunt Betty, Danise-my best friend and a more contemporary model for me of a wonderful parent, Kelly, teachers, Wendy a former youth advisor from when I was in youth group, and I'm sure many others who have influenced me in countless ways. Plus, I have Karina, who is so awesome, I still don't know how I ever wound up with her as my child.
I am one lucky mother.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you, once again. I hope that today you will not only take time to be appreciated, but also to think about and appreciate other women in your lives who helped you be the wonderful moms you are now.
I am so so so so so blessed to have my mom with me to celebrate this day, as well as my grandmother, who will be 85 this summer. I give my mom all the credit for any measly parenting skills I may have developed. My mom is so awesome, words can't describe it. Nevertheless, I'll try. She is really calm and patient. She is very understanding and empathetic, and she always knows just what to say to me to make me feel better about absolutely anything. She is also really funny, crafty, and a great writer. A lot of people don't know it but my mom was once a published (poems) writer. She let Karina play with a bunch of her dollar store notebooks (my mom and I both seem to collect notebooks and she has tons. She writes in hers, though!) and Karina brought some home. One day we realized Mom had been keeping a log, briefly, in one about rabbits in the yard. Even that was written very poetically. She just has a way with words. She raised me and my brother single-handedly, in spite of our unusual living conditions and having really barely any money for stuff. I have probably mentioned before, but for any new readers out there, I'll explain. My parents divorced when I was five and David was 2, and after leaving our house to move into these nasty apartments, my grandparents decided we should all move in with them. So we did, and that's where I grew up. My mom still lives there, and has never remarried. She is now beginning to care for my grandmother, who as I mentioned, is getting old. My mom gave up everything so David and I could have happy lives. We never knew until we were older that my grandparents would buy groceries for us. We never knew that living with my grandparents was because we were too poor to live any other way. And we never knew how much my mom hurt from the divorce until many, many years later. My mom is amazing.
My grandmother is pretty awesome, too. She met my grandfather in Scotland during the war, went on 3 dates with him, and then married him. She was 18. When she was 19, she was finally cleared to come over to the US, and did so on the Queen Mary (ship) by herself. It was a 2-week voyage. Amazing. She didn't go home for 20 years. She left school when she was 14, because that's what you did if you were poor in Scotland back then, and she went to work. Despite having much less education than many fortunate people, she was very smart, learned quickly, and got a job as a secretary at the school I attended for elementary and middle school. I don't know what, if any, jobs she had before that. She worked there until she retired, at which point the rest of the office staff realized how much work she had been doing and promptly hired two people to replace her. My grandmother, who I call Nana, has always been strong-willed and strong in general. As she's gotten older, this quality has faded, quite a bit in some ways. It's been pretty sad to watch this happen, although she is still in phenomenal health and can legitimately complain only about arthritis! Despite this, she is still funny and witty and still cooks dinner for my mom, and for all of us on Wednesday nights when I take Karina over there.
There are other mother figures in my life, who I won't go into detail about because let's face it, that's just too much. But I will name them: my Aunt Betty, Danise-my best friend and a more contemporary model for me of a wonderful parent, Kelly, teachers, Wendy a former youth advisor from when I was in youth group, and I'm sure many others who have influenced me in countless ways. Plus, I have Karina, who is so awesome, I still don't know how I ever wound up with her as my child.
I am one lucky mother.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you, once again. I hope that today you will not only take time to be appreciated, but also to think about and appreciate other women in your lives who helped you be the wonderful moms you are now.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Dinnertime Math
Yesterday at my mom's house for dinner, Karina was being her usual 2-year-old-picky self, and not wanting to finish her dinner. She wanted to get down and play more. So I finally said, "Eat three bites of ham and you can get down." She loves ham, so this wasn't any terrible thing. She began to eat the bites of ham as requested, with no complaint. Somehow the discussion turned to counting and numbers, and I told Mom that Karina knows a lot of numbers and we were counting. I think Karina was saying she had eaten 2 bites already or something. So we counted, 1, 2, 3. "What comes after 3?" I asked her.
"Down," she replied.
That girl is too smart for her own good.
"Down," she replied.
That girl is too smart for her own good.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Unexpected News
I just found out that our realtor, Pat, passed away in February. She had cancer, which I knew. We were friends on Facebook and I hadn't seen any posts from her in a while, so I went to her page, and it's just people leaving messages saying how much they miss her. It was so sad. Kind of shocking, too. I didn't expect that. She showed over 100 houses to me and Bill when we were looking for this one. Then, when the owners wouldn't or couldn't come down far enough to meet our budget, their realtor and Pat both took huge cuts from their commissions so that the deal could work. She was a really nice, thoughtful, and kind person. I know she had a son and husband who was devoted to her. We weren't close, but it's still such a downer and a shock to find out that someone you like and had any kind of relationship with has passed away.
This was a photo I took when we were househunting and looking at the house we actually bought. It's not a great photo of her, but it's what I have. She was just the nicest person. It's so sad.
Edit: Tonight, one of the HGTV shows had house hunters on who had seen over 100 homes. This type of situation always makes me think of Pat. Her brother replied to a message I left for the family on her facebook page, and told me that she passed away at home with family, and was comfortable and loved. I'm glad to know that she passed away peacefully, but she was only 51, and it is just so sad. My husband will be 51 this summer.
Edit: Tonight, one of the HGTV shows had house hunters on who had seen over 100 homes. This type of situation always makes me think of Pat. Her brother replied to a message I left for the family on her facebook page, and told me that she passed away at home with family, and was comfortable and loved. I'm glad to know that she passed away peacefully, but she was only 51, and it is just so sad. My husband will be 51 this summer.
Send some love
I don't know if any of you who read my little blog know about Shannon from Coupon Mommy of 3 and her daughter's battle with neuroblastoma cancer. Emily is 3 and having a hard time dealing with all that it entails. So are her parents, understandably so. If you feel it in your heart to do so, I think she could really use a little extra love today. You can go to her Caring Bridge site or her blog. Here are the links:
Blog
Caring Bridge
I think for Caring Bridge you might have to enter an email, but she posts the same thing on the blog site, so you can find it in either place.
I just feel so awful for them, as this is a pretty nasty form of cancer and it has really been taking its toll on the family and on Emily.
It would be so awesome if some of you wanted to just leave some encouraging or caring words for that family.
What they are going through just makes me count my blessings so much more. It could just as easily have been my own daughter.
Blog
Caring Bridge
I think for Caring Bridge you might have to enter an email, but she posts the same thing on the blog site, so you can find it in either place.
I just feel so awful for them, as this is a pretty nasty form of cancer and it has really been taking its toll on the family and on Emily.
It would be so awesome if some of you wanted to just leave some encouraging or caring words for that family.
What they are going through just makes me count my blessings so much more. It could just as easily have been my own daughter.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Gratuitous Cuteness
Just uploaded some pictures to my computer, so of course now you get to see some. I added some to my Yummy post and my Easter one, so if you want to (they are the most recent two posts, which is the only reason I didn't link them) you can scroll down and see them. I am actually in one of the Easter ones and I still like the picture ha ha!
We got Karina a swingset and were so excited when it arrived! Bill and David put it together (all but one part) that night, and Karina went out and tried it. She loved it!
Now if this isn't a cute child, then
this is!
And finally, I think Karina is going to be my fashion assistant from now on. When I was looking for some inexpensive sneakers, we went to Payless and Karina decided to try on some shoes.
Well there you have it! The latest round of photos from slacker me! And I just realized that Mother's Day is next weekend and I have N-O-T-H-I-N-G for my wonderful mom!!! Ack! Got to take care of that issue, pronto!
One day we took a walk, and Karina was able to get this close to one of the neighborhood bunnies (we have tons of them). It was so neat! She was excited, too.
Well there you have it! The latest round of photos from slacker me! And I just realized that Mother's Day is next weekend and I have N-O-T-H-I-N-G for my wonderful mom!!! Ack! Got to take care of that issue, pronto!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Yummy
Today Karina and I made chocolate covered strawberries, bananas, and apples for our neighbor, Mr. Terry. He has brought Karina goodies and presents for every holiday since she was born. For Easter he brought her more chocolate and candy than the Easter bunny did! So we wanted to do something special for him. I thought about a fruit arrangement from a popular store, but frankly, I can't afford those. The cheapest ones are $40, and even though they are delicious beyond reason, I still can't do that. So I thought some more and realized that the chocolate dipped fruit part is the best thing about those arrangements, so I made some myself. Many thanks to Rachel from Second Time Around who helped me figure out how to do it, and to Hershey's chocolate chips for printing the microwave melting directions on their package! (No, nobody paid me to say that. I bought the chips myself and I chose them simply because of Karina's peanut allergy) They turned out sooooo good!
Karina "helped" by which I mean stood on a chair and watched (I didn't want her slobbery fingers in someone else's food!) and then we ate some of the melted chocolate that was leftover, and voila! After they were cold in the fridge, we tasted them and she didn't want any part of them! Can you believe that? Oh well, more for me! I did of course save some for us!
We took them over to Terry's house along with some pictures Karina drew and some thank you cards. I also included some pictures of Karina for him.
If you ever want to try these chocolate covered fruit things, they were so easy, it was ridiculous. You can melt the chocolate in a double broiler if you want, but honestly, after seeing how easily and quickly the Hershey's chips melted in the microwave (90 seconds, the whole bag, stir, 30 seconds more, for me at least), I don't think I'll ever do the stove version. Then you just dip the fruit in, and when you're done you lick the chocolate off your fingers and the bowl, and stick the fruit in the fridge to harden the chocolate. SO easy!
Once again, I will say, nobody paid me to say any of the nice things about Hershey's chocolate chips. I bought the chips myself and received no compensation whatsoever, unless you count the joy of eating the delicious chocolate afterwards.
We took them over to Terry's house along with some pictures Karina drew and some thank you cards. I also included some pictures of Karina for him.
If you ever want to try these chocolate covered fruit things, they were so easy, it was ridiculous. You can melt the chocolate in a double broiler if you want, but honestly, after seeing how easily and quickly the Hershey's chips melted in the microwave (90 seconds, the whole bag, stir, 30 seconds more, for me at least), I don't think I'll ever do the stove version. Then you just dip the fruit in, and when you're done you lick the chocolate off your fingers and the bowl, and stick the fruit in the fridge to harden the chocolate. SO easy!
Once again, I will say, nobody paid me to say any of the nice things about Hershey's chocolate chips. I bought the chips myself and received no compensation whatsoever, unless you count the joy of eating the delicious chocolate afterwards.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter
I hope everyone had a nice Easter, if you celebrate the holiday. We do, and the Easter bunny came to our house last night and left Karina a nice basket full of peanut safe food and some toys. She got some cookies, some colorful Goldfish crackers, and some Cadbury mini eggs (not the cream ones, the little chocolate ones). She also got some Elmo socks, a Sesame Street notebook to write her "messages" in, a headband (purple, of course), some Little People, and a toy dog by Schleich. She thought the best part was reorganizing the basket. She took all the Cadbury eggs out of the big tin they were in and put them into the empty plastic eggs left from the morning's Easter egg hunt at church.
That was fun, too; we hide all the eggs on the school playground and then the little ones come find them. They had a peanut safe area this year, but Karina was the only peanut-allergic child, so there was no way she could take all those eggs home. Plus it was H-O-T on that playground! We were all sweaty and ready to go in. Karina didn't get too many eggs, but that's fine with me.
Then at my mom's, she had baskets for everyone, and we all got some of these amazing homemade eggs with this delicious cream in them. They are super rich, and of course Karina went for them like crazy. She ate one whole one at Mom's house and then grabbed another when I wasn't looking when we got home. I'm worried she might have eaten another one at some point because one is missing. What a little turkey. I hope she doesn't throw up in the middle of the night!
She ate her dinner pretty well though. It was ham, and she likes ham. I think that's so funny because there is a lot she just won't eat, but she ate a whole small piece of ham tonight. I was happy. She ate a bunch of strawberries too and some mandarin oranges. Then she invented a new diving game with David's girlfriend Erin, where she put the stool close to the couch where Erin was sitting and sort of leaped off of it onto Erin's lap. She was very close, and Erin would catch her, so it wasn't dangerous or scary. Then she would do it with David, moving the stool and positioning it just so. What was funniest was that every time she'd put it by Erin, we'd watch her jump and laugh along with her. Then she'd put it over by David and my mom would say, "Catch her, Dave!". As if he wouldn't! It was funny.
Overall we had a really nice day, and I hope that all of you did, too. Whether you celebrate the day or not, I hope it was a nice one!
That was fun, too; we hide all the eggs on the school playground and then the little ones come find them. They had a peanut safe area this year, but Karina was the only peanut-allergic child, so there was no way she could take all those eggs home. Plus it was H-O-T on that playground! We were all sweaty and ready to go in. Karina didn't get too many eggs, but that's fine with me.
Then at my mom's, she had baskets for everyone, and we all got some of these amazing homemade eggs with this delicious cream in them. They are super rich, and of course Karina went for them like crazy. She ate one whole one at Mom's house and then grabbed another when I wasn't looking when we got home. I'm worried she might have eaten another one at some point because one is missing. What a little turkey. I hope she doesn't throw up in the middle of the night!
She ate her dinner pretty well though. It was ham, and she likes ham. I think that's so funny because there is a lot she just won't eat, but she ate a whole small piece of ham tonight. I was happy. She ate a bunch of strawberries too and some mandarin oranges. Then she invented a new diving game with David's girlfriend Erin, where she put the stool close to the couch where Erin was sitting and sort of leaped off of it onto Erin's lap. She was very close, and Erin would catch her, so it wasn't dangerous or scary. Then she would do it with David, moving the stool and positioning it just so. What was funniest was that every time she'd put it by Erin, we'd watch her jump and laugh along with her. Then she'd put it over by David and my mom would say, "Catch her, Dave!". As if he wouldn't! It was funny.
Overall we had a really nice day, and I hope that all of you did, too. Whether you celebrate the day or not, I hope it was a nice one!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Pictures from Danise's Visit
After our lunch at Jamestown.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
They Got Home Safe (In case you were wondering)
I talked to Danise today. They got home safely, but it wasn't until 2 hours later than scheduled! I don't know how Marc went to work today. They got in at 1230 their time, 230 my time. Danise said the kids have immediately fallen back into the routine of picking on each other!
I asked Karina if she missed Colin and Paige, and she said yes. She didn't have anyone to push her on her tricycle, or run around the yard, or play on the slide. It made me sad. She needs someone to play with. I hope that we'll have more playdates with her little friend E.
I also remembered a funny thing about when we went to Williamsburg. When we were ready to leave (me, Danise, and Karina) it was raining, so we took the shuttle bus back to the visitor's center. This was the highlight of Karina's day. She kept saying, "Bus, bus. On, on." It was so cute. When Bill came home, and she woke up, I asked her to tell her daddy what we did today. Her response was, of course, "Bus!"
I asked Karina if she missed Colin and Paige, and she said yes. She didn't have anyone to push her on her tricycle, or run around the yard, or play on the slide. It made me sad. She needs someone to play with. I hope that we'll have more playdates with her little friend E.
I also remembered a funny thing about when we went to Williamsburg. When we were ready to leave (me, Danise, and Karina) it was raining, so we took the shuttle bus back to the visitor's center. This was the highlight of Karina's day. She kept saying, "Bus, bus. On, on." It was so cute. When Bill came home, and she woke up, I asked her to tell her daddy what we did today. Her response was, of course, "Bus!"
A Neat Giveaway at Second Time Around
Rachel at Second Time Around has a really neat and different giveaway going on right now. It's for VoiceQuilt, which is a way to let people around the country leave messages for someone that they can then listen to at their leisure. Go HERE to learn more and hear her son Tobin's message (it's cute!).
Monday, April 18, 2011
I Miss My Best Friend and She Just Left!
If you read my blog much, you know that my friend Danise is very special to me. She and I met when we were first year teachers, and our friendship has endured through divorce (mine), babies, and moves (them, all the way across the country). For many years, I was single (after the divorce) and I flew out to see them at least once a year, usually in the summer (I'm a teacher) and I would stay for about 2 weeks or so. At first, we did some touristy things, like visiting different parks and things, but over the years, it's become much more low-key. And now that I have Karina, I can't afford to go out as much, and when I did the last time ( when Karina was 9 months old) she got strep throat. Fun. We were only there a week, and most of it was spent dealing with sick children (because of course she gave it to the other kids).
On April 8th, they all came out here to visit for the first time since they moved back to their home state 9 years ago! Danise has been out twice, for my wedding and Karina's birth, but they were both short visits, and it was just her. This time, they all came! It was great (but I actually wished for a bigger car for the first time ever, so we could all have ridden together...but we made it work). We went to an air and space museum, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and an aquarium in the first four days. Then, on Thursday, Karina woke up very congested and threw up all over me. Seriously? Again? It was allergies, but she was very sick all day, and for three days I kept her in. So I missed Paige's birthday tea and another day of Jamestown, too. The first day when she was very sick, Danise stayed home with me and the kids and Marc went fishing.
Karina got feeling better after being out of the pollen for a while, so we were able to go to Yorktown with them, and today she and the kids played all day. Since their flight was at 6pm, we had most of the day to be together. Danise and I got to have tea on the porch while Marc took the kids to a fishing store and Karina napped. When she woke up and they came home, it was time to get ready to leave for the airport. Karina wanted to go, so I let her. I thought it would be good for her to see that they were not coming back with us. She just loved having them around. She would go up to Colin and pat him or hug him. She followed Paige around all day one day. She begged Marc to hold her hand and "walk, walk" with her.
Danise and I watched "Holmes Inspection" both Sunday nights (because we were too late to see "Holmes on Homes" too, which comes on before it) in my bedroom and talked. That was great, too. All the kids and I took a walk around the block together one day. Bill played catch with Colin in our backyard. We have a big backyard, and they don't. Being in the southwest, the yards are small and don't have much grass. So if they play catch, and miss, the ball is over the fence. Even when Colin was little, he was good at baseball and could hit a whiffle ball out of the yard.
Now that they are gone, and the house is so quiet, I am really missing them. Danise did so well while she was here. Instead of wearing the strange glasses they wanted her to wear, she just took out one contact lens. She said she hasn't been able to see so well in months, since they started trying to "fix" her eyes. And when her allergies started acting up, too, she took some allergy relief medicine that starts with a B and is very popular, and told me she felt like she could think clearly for the first time in ages. She is calling her doctors when she gets home to see what this means or if it could be a clue to what's going on in her brain (if you don't know, she was in a bad car accident; see posts here and here). Overall it was very promising, and aside from one bad afternoon (after Williamsburg), she was great. She and the kids still have Celiac disease, and her blood pressure is still a problem, but she said that being here had made a world of difference. She feels like her little well of strength is replenished (her words). I'm so glad. She and Paige are supposed to come back in July, and I can't wait.
I hate when we have to leave each other. It is so hard. I wish every day that they hadn't had to move away, or that we could somehow live closer. And I know that in a few days I'll be fine and seeing the spare room won't make me cry anymore, but right now it's just rotten stinky that she's gone.
On April 8th, they all came out here to visit for the first time since they moved back to their home state 9 years ago! Danise has been out twice, for my wedding and Karina's birth, but they were both short visits, and it was just her. This time, they all came! It was great (but I actually wished for a bigger car for the first time ever, so we could all have ridden together...but we made it work). We went to an air and space museum, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and an aquarium in the first four days. Then, on Thursday, Karina woke up very congested and threw up all over me. Seriously? Again? It was allergies, but she was very sick all day, and for three days I kept her in. So I missed Paige's birthday tea and another day of Jamestown, too. The first day when she was very sick, Danise stayed home with me and the kids and Marc went fishing.
Karina got feeling better after being out of the pollen for a while, so we were able to go to Yorktown with them, and today she and the kids played all day. Since their flight was at 6pm, we had most of the day to be together. Danise and I got to have tea on the porch while Marc took the kids to a fishing store and Karina napped. When she woke up and they came home, it was time to get ready to leave for the airport. Karina wanted to go, so I let her. I thought it would be good for her to see that they were not coming back with us. She just loved having them around. She would go up to Colin and pat him or hug him. She followed Paige around all day one day. She begged Marc to hold her hand and "walk, walk" with her.
Danise and I watched "Holmes Inspection" both Sunday nights (because we were too late to see "Holmes on Homes" too, which comes on before it) in my bedroom and talked. That was great, too. All the kids and I took a walk around the block together one day. Bill played catch with Colin in our backyard. We have a big backyard, and they don't. Being in the southwest, the yards are small and don't have much grass. So if they play catch, and miss, the ball is over the fence. Even when Colin was little, he was good at baseball and could hit a whiffle ball out of the yard.
Now that they are gone, and the house is so quiet, I am really missing them. Danise did so well while she was here. Instead of wearing the strange glasses they wanted her to wear, she just took out one contact lens. She said she hasn't been able to see so well in months, since they started trying to "fix" her eyes. And when her allergies started acting up, too, she took some allergy relief medicine that starts with a B and is very popular, and told me she felt like she could think clearly for the first time in ages. She is calling her doctors when she gets home to see what this means or if it could be a clue to what's going on in her brain (if you don't know, she was in a bad car accident; see posts here and here). Overall it was very promising, and aside from one bad afternoon (after Williamsburg), she was great. She and the kids still have Celiac disease, and her blood pressure is still a problem, but she said that being here had made a world of difference. She feels like her little well of strength is replenished (her words). I'm so glad. She and Paige are supposed to come back in July, and I can't wait.
I hate when we have to leave each other. It is so hard. I wish every day that they hadn't had to move away, or that we could somehow live closer. And I know that in a few days I'll be fine and seeing the spare room won't make me cry anymore, but right now it's just rotten stinky that she's gone.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
More Potty Success
Once again, I just want to let you know that this post contains potty words. If you don't like that, or it bothers you, then probably you don't want to read this one.
Today Karina had another successful potty training day. She did a doodle in the potty this morning, and then had an accident after naptime; I wasn't reminding her often enough and she was busy playing She tried to get there once she realized, but unfortunately she only made it about half in the potty. No biggie, I emphasized that it was just fine, and I cleaned it up. I was happy to see that she did get some in the potty. So she got her little treat, Sixlets, which are working well. Then after dinner tonight, she was in my room while I changed the sheets, and we had the potty in there. All by herself, she went and sat on it, and success once again!
We called Grandma to tell her, and Karina loved talking to her and Nana (my grandmother; they live together) and hearing how proud they both are of her. When we go over there for dinner tomorrow, we are bringing her potty chair!
Karina got two new trucks out of this, one for her first time peeing in the potty, and one for the first time doing #2 in the potty. Now she just gets the Sixlets.
In other news, she's definitely two now. We're having little fake-crying moments and little meltdowns, but overall, they're not too bad. In all, she is still a wonderful, compliant, sweet little girl, who loves to cover me in stickers from head to toe. That is only a slight exaggeration. She loves stickers and goes through them like crazy. Fortunately, Grandma, Grandpa, and Nana also buy them for her. She just loves peeling them off, I think.
And finally, in the best news of all, my wonderful, fabulous friend Danise is coming to visit me very soon! So if you notice a bit of a hiatus in my blogs (I don't post on a schedule, I know, but still, 10+ days without a post might make someone wonder. Or not.), that's why. I can't wait to see them. She's coming with her husband and two children; I love all of them. They are family to me. We have a few things planned, but also some open time because we aren't sure how much Danise will be able to handle (she continues to have trouble from the accident several years ago. I posted about it here and here). That's okay with me. Having breaks in the busy-ness is just my style. Plus, I'm worried about Karnia getting overwhelmed, so it's good that we'll have some down days. I am looking forward to seeing her (and the rest of them) every day for 10 days. I am looking forward to sharing tea and talking and watching her children play with Karina. I just can't wait!
Today Karina had another successful potty training day. She did a doodle in the potty this morning, and then had an accident after naptime; I wasn't reminding her often enough and she was busy playing She tried to get there once she realized, but unfortunately she only made it about half in the potty. No biggie, I emphasized that it was just fine, and I cleaned it up. I was happy to see that she did get some in the potty. So she got her little treat, Sixlets, which are working well. Then after dinner tonight, she was in my room while I changed the sheets, and we had the potty in there. All by herself, she went and sat on it, and success once again!
We called Grandma to tell her, and Karina loved talking to her and Nana (my grandmother; they live together) and hearing how proud they both are of her. When we go over there for dinner tomorrow, we are bringing her potty chair!
Karina got two new trucks out of this, one for her first time peeing in the potty, and one for the first time doing #2 in the potty. Now she just gets the Sixlets.
In other news, she's definitely two now. We're having little fake-crying moments and little meltdowns, but overall, they're not too bad. In all, she is still a wonderful, compliant, sweet little girl, who loves to cover me in stickers from head to toe. That is only a slight exaggeration. She loves stickers and goes through them like crazy. Fortunately, Grandma, Grandpa, and Nana also buy them for her. She just loves peeling them off, I think.
And finally, in the best news of all, my wonderful, fabulous friend Danise is coming to visit me very soon! So if you notice a bit of a hiatus in my blogs (I don't post on a schedule, I know, but still, 10+ days without a post might make someone wonder. Or not.), that's why. I can't wait to see them. She's coming with her husband and two children; I love all of them. They are family to me. We have a few things planned, but also some open time because we aren't sure how much Danise will be able to handle (she continues to have trouble from the accident several years ago. I posted about it here and here). That's okay with me. Having breaks in the busy-ness is just my style. Plus, I'm worried about Karnia getting overwhelmed, so it's good that we'll have some down days. I am looking forward to seeing her (and the rest of them) every day for 10 days. I am looking forward to sharing tea and talking and watching her children play with Karina. I just can't wait!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Uh-oh. She's really 2 now.
Several meltdowns today. Sigh. I guess Karina is really 2 now. I was deluding myself that we'd get through them relatively unscathed, but it looks like that isn't going to happen.
The first one was over cleaning up her play-doh. She didn't want to but it was naptime.
The second one was at Target when I made her stop taking cosmetic products off the shelves.
The third one was over dinner. She didn't want to eat it. (And she didn't, either. She went to bed having eaten no dinner; I couldn't convince her to even take one bite)
And oh, yes, she has learned to cry when she doesn't get what she wants. It's something we actually tried to avoid dealing with, by offering choices and not giving in all the time, but somehow, it is still happening.
Oh well. I guess I should be happy because it means she's normal!!
It's just too bad we started the potty training a few weeks too late. I think if we'd done it a little earlier, she would have been quick and easy to train, but now, she doesn't really want to do it, and I don't want it to be a fight, so it has made it harder. Tomorrow we're on it again, though. No playgroup due to spring break, and nowhere to go! Just going to clean like a crazy woman to get ready for my most bestest friend ever to come visit with her hubby and kids on Friday. I can't wait!!!!!
The first one was over cleaning up her play-doh. She didn't want to but it was naptime.
The second one was at Target when I made her stop taking cosmetic products off the shelves.
The third one was over dinner. She didn't want to eat it. (And she didn't, either. She went to bed having eaten no dinner; I couldn't convince her to even take one bite)
And oh, yes, she has learned to cry when she doesn't get what she wants. It's something we actually tried to avoid dealing with, by offering choices and not giving in all the time, but somehow, it is still happening.
Oh well. I guess I should be happy because it means she's normal!!
It's just too bad we started the potty training a few weeks too late. I think if we'd done it a little earlier, she would have been quick and easy to train, but now, she doesn't really want to do it, and I don't want it to be a fight, so it has made it harder. Tomorrow we're on it again, though. No playgroup due to spring break, and nowhere to go! Just going to clean like a crazy woman to get ready for my most bestest friend ever to come visit with her hubby and kids on Friday. I can't wait!!!!!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Potty Training
*Disclaimer*
This post uses some bathroom words. If you don't like reading about this kind of thing, you might want to skip this one. :-)
Karina and I have entered the mysterious realm of Potty Training! Yesterday, she spent the whole day half-dressed, in an attempt to encourage her to use the potty. I discovered she is very good at not peeing...at all. She went the entire morning without peeing, until lunch. Then she had a little dribble when she was trying to climb into her chair to eat. I put a diaper under her in the chair, just in case, but she didn't pee during lunch, either. Finally, it was her naptime, and I had to put a diaper on her for that. Of course she peed in it during her nap, but I expected that. Then, in the afternoon, my mom stopped by to pick up something, and stayed to visit for just a few minutes. I had Karina's diaper off again, and she was once again demonstrating remarkable 'holding power'. When Mom was ready to leave, Karina didn't want to come downstairs, so I left her in her room and walked my mom downstairs. Almost as soon as I got downstairs, she started making noise and fussing, so I quickly said good bye, and went back up. Guess where I found her? On the potty! But she had peed on the floor first, by her dresser, and tried to get to the potty to finish. She had a few drops in the potty, so I made a big deal about it and rewarded her with a Sixlet candy. She hated it and spit it out! So I gave her a cookie instead because I really wanted to reinforce that she will get yummies when she pees in the potty. Then when I started eating the rest of the Sixlets, she suddenly decided she likes them and ate several. So I think that will still be the reward.
Today, we had a playdate in the morning, so no potty training then, and had to run some errands in the afternoon, so none then either. When I put her jammies on for bed, and changed her diaper, she suddenly was very upset and grabbing the diaper. She told me "bee, bee" and I realized she was upset because she had peed in the diaper and wanted to sit on the potty! But she had already finished, so she didn't get to pee in the potty. But I'm encouraged, and it seems like she's starting to realize that peeing in the potty is going to be the way to go. Yay!
This post uses some bathroom words. If you don't like reading about this kind of thing, you might want to skip this one. :-)
Karina and I have entered the mysterious realm of Potty Training! Yesterday, she spent the whole day half-dressed, in an attempt to encourage her to use the potty. I discovered she is very good at not peeing...at all. She went the entire morning without peeing, until lunch. Then she had a little dribble when she was trying to climb into her chair to eat. I put a diaper under her in the chair, just in case, but she didn't pee during lunch, either. Finally, it was her naptime, and I had to put a diaper on her for that. Of course she peed in it during her nap, but I expected that. Then, in the afternoon, my mom stopped by to pick up something, and stayed to visit for just a few minutes. I had Karina's diaper off again, and she was once again demonstrating remarkable 'holding power'. When Mom was ready to leave, Karina didn't want to come downstairs, so I left her in her room and walked my mom downstairs. Almost as soon as I got downstairs, she started making noise and fussing, so I quickly said good bye, and went back up. Guess where I found her? On the potty! But she had peed on the floor first, by her dresser, and tried to get to the potty to finish. She had a few drops in the potty, so I made a big deal about it and rewarded her with a Sixlet candy. She hated it and spit it out! So I gave her a cookie instead because I really wanted to reinforce that she will get yummies when she pees in the potty. Then when I started eating the rest of the Sixlets, she suddenly decided she likes them and ate several. So I think that will still be the reward.
Today, we had a playdate in the morning, so no potty training then, and had to run some errands in the afternoon, so none then either. When I put her jammies on for bed, and changed her diaper, she suddenly was very upset and grabbing the diaper. She told me "bee, bee" and I realized she was upset because she had peed in the diaper and wanted to sit on the potty! But she had already finished, so she didn't get to pee in the potty. But I'm encouraged, and it seems like she's starting to realize that peeing in the potty is going to be the way to go. Yay!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)