potty training and preparing for charlie

so i have many reasons for not being superblogger these days, computer problems and potty training being at the top of the list. definitely not lack of time, because here i am again on the computer at 12.30, trying to put myself to sleep! i remember last time, i was awake all night but then i slept in till nine and had nothing to do all day. now, my beautiful precious terrible two year old changes things a bit.

she is such a big girl, she always wants to participate. "i want go with my mommy!" "I want help my mommy!" "please see mommy, please see!" all. the. time. she is quite proficient at pulling a chair over to the counter so she can see everything i'm doing. i figure if i have the patience for it for the next few years, by 6 or 7 she could be quite helpful! we've worked on colours when I sort the laundry, and this time she helped me put things on the drying rack. she had sock detail, and she got every one on there, i was so proud of her. normally she'll do one, get bored, and pull all the rest off. i didn't fix any before taking the picture, she actually hung them properly herself. i was very impressed!

her first time eating a popsicle. it was hilarious, and i wish we had it on video. she had a really hard time holding on to the stick, so she kept using two hands, or even leaving it on the tray and bringing her head down to it. apparently even the sweetness wasn't enough to motivate her, because she gave up very quickly!

she was much more committed to eating the onion. yes, the onion. we were cutting up toppings for taco baked potatoes. well, i was cutting, she was putting in bowls. and she just picked up the onion and started eating it. actually taking bites. top R was taken as she was chewing it. apparently it was that enjoyable. strange child!

oh, potty training. just those two words now make me want to collapse in the floor in a heap of fatigue, physical and emotional. i had no idea it was this hard! i dont' think it has to be. my daughter is simply the headstrong product of two headstrong people. she is fully capable of controlling herself and not having accidents. she simply does not want to use the potty. the first time, when we took the picture up top, was such a fluke. nevertheless, it motivated me. better now than after the baby, right? and do you know what the diaper bill is for two children? even generic. wow. so, i said, she's smart, she's highly verbal, she always wants to use the potty and i've been telling her later later later. today's the day! or the 3 days, which is supposed to be how long it takes with this intensive method. 3 days of caging you and your child up in a tiled area next to the evil potty, doing nothing but staring at her waiting for her to go, then putting her on the potty. except my child will stop midstream because she is so stubborn. she will hold it for 2 hrs, and keep telling me i have to pee pee mommy. i say ok, let's sit on the potty. no, I don't want to! (there is no way i can convey the depth of sassy attitude that goes along with that sentence. it makes me quiver in my boots about teen years). so she holds it until she absolutely can't anymore. when i put her on the potty, she kicks and arches her back and cries. screeches hysterically, actually. (and yes, patrick is working from home. sounds great to potential customers, over the phone!) and then there's the 9 3/4 mos pregnant, sitting hours on end on a tile floor. except when i'm on my hands and knees mopping the floor. or trying to squish my watermelon belly close enough to the sink to rinse out elmo or cinderella underwear. patrick came out a few times today to find hannah and i crying hysterically, surrounded by puddles on all sides. it has nothing to do with her not being ready, i think it's just a battle of wills. i will end this potty narrative by saying it got a little better this afternoon. so, pray for us tomorrow. or today, since it's almost 1 am.

so, we've had charlie's bassinet ready in our room for awhile, stocked with diapers and pjs and what not. hannah knows she isn't supposed to be in it, but since when does that matter, right? very short term memory. this last time she got into the diapers she wanted to put on one elmo. i almost got frustrated with her again, then i thought, i want her to associate positive thoughts with all things charlie, so i let her have a diaper and we practiced putting it on elmo. she loves it! takes it off often, and then i have to put it back on, but later when i'm changing charlie she can change elmo. maybe?

we are all ready for the birth, except our midwife is out of town this weekend. (in kenora, actually, the very small town in northern ontario where my mom lives. talk about a small world.)

anyways, what we do to get ready is a little different from how hospital birth parents prepare, so i wanted to have pictures of our birth supplies and what not. but i didn't get around to it: clean towels, washcloths, sheets, crockpot, a syringe to clean out his mouth/nose, shower curtain for the bed, thermometer, propel for me to drink, hydrogen peroxide. we supply those kinds of things, and sorani, the midwife, brings all the medical things, like the fetal monitor (she even has one for underwater), oxygen, fetal rescuscitation stuff, equipment for doing the cord and suturing, if need be, drugs for excessive bleeding (those are the only drugs she brings).

then it's pretty easy: she supplies the necessary direction, patrick provides the emotional/physical support, and i provide the baby.

the other side of preparing i've done is for the nursing problem thing, which also probably isn't familiar to most people. but this time around we are much more prepared, and will hopefully get in to the swing of things much more easily as a result. I ordered the supplies i needed for my lactaid supplementers (i got 4 this time, so i won't have to wash it out every 2 hrs), some drugs that are supposed to help, some of the supplements i had last time, and also a hospital grade pump and a scale, so i can keep track of his weight every day. we also have accumulated a small stash of donor milk in the freezer, and i'm praying for more! i wont' talk about that much more, but if anyone has questions, criticisms, ideas, encouragement, or anything, please let me know. many people have helped me, and i'm sure there's someone out there who is in the same situation or similar. or just if you're curious. janacrisp@yahoo.com

one more thing, to put anybody's mind to rest:

we will NOT be putting up a detailed birth story. so you dont' have to be afraid to check the blog, over the next few weeks. or get your wife to screen for you :-). you can expect to hear when we go into labour, and when he's born. that's about it. i'm not really into personal details. again if you're curious or whatever, or just one of those crazy people who love birth :-), let me know and i will be happy to share with you. but not here. and in case you don't know me personally, also be reassured that there will be no personal pictures. much less a video :-) just the thought makes me cringe!