Monday, December 21, 2009

Boomerang Baby

Today's was Xander's preschool Christmas show. Not much, just someone playing piano and the kids singing along (or just standing there, or wandering away, etc). I knew there was a significant chance that if Xander saw me in the audience he wouldn't want to stay on the stage.

What I didn't expect was when the kids walked into the room, from the back, that when he spotted me, he would immediately detour out of line and come sit with me without ever making it to the stage.

But that's what happened. Then he insisted that I hold him the entire time and begged to go home, instead of staying in school for the rest of the day, as planned. Then I listened to him cry pitifully after handing him off to one of his teachers.

....why did I go again? Oh, yeah, to see my little boy in the show. Good intentions, I guess.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

House-training

Warning: if you object to any of the following 3 P-words (pee, poop and potty) do not go any further.

Xander's been potty training in earnest over the last week or so.

Day 1
He did great! It wasn't a full day, as we were out for a few hours in the morning and he was fully diapered. About lunchtime I put him in pants (no diaper, no underwear) and he had only one accident and went in the potty a bunch of times. More encouraging was that at least 3 or 4 times he said, "I'm peeing" but it turned out he wasn't actually peeing but was about to pee and then went successfully on the potty.

Day 2:
A few accidents so far (pee only, thank goodness). Plus he's gotten greedy with the M&M's, demanding a fistful (or two) every time he pees and pitching a fit when I say no. Need to think about whether to continue with candy bribes. Have not given in to diapers yet.

I put my foot down about the M&MS and now he pretty quietly accepts what I give him, after I threatened to withhold them completely. He continued to have a couple of accidents, but did much better in the afternoon.

Day 3:
He woke up, still wearing a diaper for overnight. It was 5:30 and I didn't feel like pressing the issue and seeing if he was dry. But after about an hour he asked to take off his diaper and a little while after that he went and peed on the potty.

Daddy is taking them out to church and for a magic show, and didn't want to risk having him sans diapers. I put him in a pull-up and explained it could be pulled up and down like underwear. Just before they left, he said he had to pee, and went to the potty. I helped him pull them down and sure enough, he used the potty. I'm feeling optimistic right now. I think I'll send him to preschool tomorrow in underwear and cross my fingers.

Day 4:
He out and out refused to wear underwear to preschool, so I put him in pull-ups. Daddy picked him up and forgot to ask if he'd used the potty. He used it when he came home, so that was good.

Day 5:
He used it again this morning. I'm going to consider him house-trained. Literally. He will reliably use the potty in the house. So far, attempts to get him to use the big potty and any potties outside of the house have been unsuccessful. And I'd really like him to use the big potty because that little potty is really grossing me out.

Still...baby steps and forward progress. I'm not complaining.

Day 6:
Got him to pee on the big potty with the potty insert.

Day 7:
Got him to pee on the big potty without the potty insert.

Day 9:
Took off his diaper despite his protests: "I want my diaper." Yeah, kid, and I want a million dollars. Turns out his diaper is the only thing holding up his pants. 15 minutes later he peed and pooped (or, as I said earlier "pooed and peeped") on the little potty. I think my work here is done.


Thursday, December 10, 2009

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

Hari often accuses me of being the garbage police. It's true. Nothing enrages me more than seeing a glass container (glass is so easily recycled into more glass) in the garbage. Not to mention all the compostable stuff he throws out.

Well, yesterday while cleaning the kids' room I stumbled on a mini pumpkin from Halloween. It's decomposable, it was starting to mold and I decided to throw it out. I was a bit concerned one of the kids might see it, so I thought I sort of covered it with something else.

Later in the day, "Mommy, why is pumpkin in the garbage?"
* * *
This morning, I was vacuuming the living room and I turned around to see my little man vacuuming right next to me with his little toy vacuum (matching Hoovers, even).

Apparently the apple is close to the other apples as well
Jessica has the very cute habit of saying, "I have good news" or "I have good news and I have bad news" and then she shares whatever news it is. The other night, Xander said "I have good news."

"What's your good news?' I asked

"I have bad news," he replied.

Okay. "What's your bad news?"

We went through several iterations. It turned out he didn't really have any news at all but just wanted to copy his sister.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Needs to work on his poker face

Xander just told me, "I want my stuff back."

He was standing in the kitchen, so I asked if he meant his kitchen stuff, and he said yes.

See, the other day, he took the big bin full of plastic food that sits next to his little play kitchen and dumped everything out. Then he refused to clean it up. I told him if I had to clean it up, it was going into the basement for a couple of days. He still refused. I started to clean up, then, predictably, got distracted. While I was distracted, he dumped the things I had already picked up back on the floor.

I put it in the basement.

So now he wanted his "stuff" back.

"If you dump it on the floor again and I ask you to clean it up, will you?"

"No!" he immediately replied.

I mean, come on, at least lie and pretend you're going to.

"Then I'm not going to bring it up."

"I clean up, I clean up!" he said. Then, as a good faith effort, he picked a few toys that had migrated into the kitchen and took them into his bedroom.

I gave him back his stuff.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Grammar

Xander's vocabulary is expanding nicely but he's still got some work to do on his grammar. For example, I thought he had mastered "already" when he said, shortly after his sister had left for school, "I miss Jessie already." However, this was followed, maybe 10 minutes later by "I miss Jessie already again."

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Oh, to be almost 3 again. Not.

Xander was so sweet--and sad--this morning. Usually he walks to the bus stop with Jessica and Daddy. Today he stayed home. On the days he "voluntarily" stays home, he usually starts screaming the minute they leave, "I want to go with Daddy!" Today, he sat quietly in my lap after they left and said, "I don't have a family anymore." I quickly assured him that just because his daddy and sister had left the room, they were still his family.
* * *
Mommy quote of the day, "Stop taking boogers out of your nose." This after he pulled a few out of his nose and said, "I have a booger" which meant I needed to dispose of them.
* * *
Xander's new nickname: Stitch. Enough said.