Sunday, May 19, 2013

House Arrest


I feel like a blog post about potty training is neccesary, mostly because I felt like potty training was like a long, hard winter that will never end until I tried this method and then it was more of a freak blizzard quickly giving way to a beautiful spring. That's not to say that all our potty training problems are fixed, just yesterday I found Aubrey peeing in her pants on our lawn. When I questioned her about this choice her response was, But I wanted to pee on the grass, Mama. But the accidents really are very few and far between at this point. Far enough apart that I don't feel like I'll be jinxing myself by typing this post.

Aubrey was not a willing potty training particicpant. I'd been half -heartedly trying to get her to pee on a toilet for months with no avail. Finally, during my maternity leave, I really buckled down using a method I found somewhere on pinterest (and I can't find the link). I'm not sure if the method has a name, but it should be called House Arrest. For a solid week you put yourself, and your child, on house arrest until he/she learns how to use the toilet. I would maybe say this method doesn't work for everyone and cleary, I've only trained one child this way, but the woman who originally posted it trainied six children between the ages of 22 and 28 months doing this and Aubrey's training went basically to a T as she had described.

Here's a handy breakdown of the steps involved.
Plan on going NOWHERE for a week.
Put NO PANTS on your child
Place them on the tolet EVERY THIRTY MINUTES
Only use diapers for going to bed at night. Use underwear for naps (lay a towel on the bed)

That's basically it. This seems like the most frustrating process in the world for the first two days. (In a thirteen hour day with a two hour nap in the middle that's 22 times a day you are setting your child on the toilet) and Aubrey, did not go to the bathroom in the toilet for two whole days! I told Martin at the end of the second day that I was going to jump off a cliff if she didn't go by the third. Luckily, she went right before bed at the end of the second day, just a half hour after she had unabashedly peed all over the kitchen counter. So, twelve pairs of underwear later and we were finally off to some sort of start.

As the days progressed Aubrey continued to get better and better. I confess that I bribed her a little by giving her jellybeans when she went in the toilet. This backfired slightly as on the 5th day she forced herself to pee 14 timesjust to get a few jellybeans. After this day I told Martin I was worried we would never be able to get her to pee without a jellybean incentive.
Martin: I think you're being a little ridiculous. It's not like we're still going to be giving her jellybeans at her graduation. She'll walk out of the bathroom and come over to us for her treat and we'll just be like, 'Don't worry. It's just a family thing'

By the eighth day she really was good to go and we were able to go places! She still had a few accidents here and there (only at places she felt really comfortable, though) like both sets of grandparents. And the pooping thing wasn't quite happening yet.

But things progressed and now we're mostly only peeing in our pants when we get weird urges to pee on the grass.

Yay for not buying or changing diapers!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Keeping Me in Check

 Aubrey doing somersaults in the yard: Come on Mama. We got to tuck and roll.


 
Aubrey telling me just how very much she loves her sister and giving her a hug to prove it.
 

 Dinner and a bath later and Sylvia is not as happy about Aubrey's love. Aubrey, however is undetered. In this photo she is either saying I love my sister sooo much or singing Twinkle Little Star or possibly Row Your Boat. She went through a series of ballad's without much concern for Sylvia's screams.

Me: (playing with an empty vase)
Aubrey: (takes the vase from my hand and sets it on the table) Mom, you can't play with that. It is glass.

...

In Aubrey's room at bedtime
Aubrey: Mama, close your eyes!
(walks over to me and holds a clotheshanger over my head)
Aubrey: Abra Cadabara! I woke you up!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Edemame

On Martin experiencing edemame for the first time:

Martin: (ripping the shell to shreds trying to chew the entire shell) These peas are really over-ripe.

...

Aubrey in regards to not being allowed to watch Diego (or really anytime she doesn't get what she wants)

Aubrey: I'm just a little bit sad.

...

When we're saying our prayers at night and praying for everyone we know.

Aubrey: And Mimi and Papa. And Uncle Gabe.....And and and Uncle G.
Me: And who else?
Aubrey: (clearly ignoring me) Say who else!!!
Me: Who else?

...

Monday, May 13, 2013

May Highlights....so far

The Bruning girls, enjoying some sunshine 


 A tractor ride with daddy


Practice driving Pappa's (parked) boat 


My smiley baby 


 Reading in bed.
 
 Staring contest

Making homemade turnovers for Grandma 

A kite, stuck in the powerlines.


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

A Product of the 90s

Aubrey got a new hat the other day. She calls it her farmer hat and proudly wears it around the farm.

...backwards. She wears the hat backwards. With her farmer flannel she looks less like a farmer and more like a child of the 90s.

photo from here
Alex Mack anyone?

Monday, May 6, 2013

Up on One Side


Me: Oh! Sylvia is really getting big. Guess what she can do??!
Ingrid: What?
Me: Actually, not that I think about it, it's really the type of thing that only a parent would be excited about and everyone else would just be like - get back to me when she's crawling.
Ingrid: No, I mean, I know that rolling over is supposed to be a really big deal for a baby.
Me: Right......well......she's not rolling over.....but she is rolling up onto one side!


Friday, May 3, 2013

A Viewing Party

I am still insanely excited about Cinco de Mayo this weekend, but I've also moved on to thinking about the next party.... An Arrested Development Viewing Party! Season Four is airing on Netflix on May 26th and I am out of this world excited for the event! Martin and I are obsessed with the show and have seen all the episodes at least five times (we had a couple year stretch with no tv, no netflix, and no other shows on dvd).

Either way, I can't wait to host a viewing party for diehards at our house. If you want in, let me know, you're more than welcome to join - the only stipulation is you must have seen the first three seasons. So far I know Martin, myself and my sister-in-law, Ingrid, will be in attendance. I have a feeling my pastor is into Arrested Development, he just seems like the type (the type being people who love to laugh)

Anyway, if you don't watch the show, my party planning thoughts are going to be a mute point, but if you do.....here's some thoughts I have in mind so far...

To eat:
Frozen Bananas
Hot Ham Water
Cornballs
Ice Cream Sandwiches

To decorate:
Map placemats with the blue area being the land, of course.
Random blue handprints on the walls/furniture
A paper bag with a "fake" dead dove in the refrigerator

To wear:
Cut off jean shorts
A hook hand
A bracelet that says Mr F (for British eyes only)

I'm open for more ideas and always for more guests!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Growing Up


It's lucky we had Sylvia because we need a cuddly child in our lives who is willing to sleep with us and Aubrey has finally decided that isn't going to be her. For the longest time we couldn't get Aubrey to go to bed on her own, then shortly after Sylvia was born (within a week) we started forcing her to go to fall asleep by herself and stay in her room that entire night (much to her discontent). A couple weeks ago, she decided she doesn't need us at all anymore and after saying prayers, singing the itsy bitsy spider, the ABCs, the number song and reading a book - she promptly says, I want you to leave.

Martin: She's growing up way too fast. She doesn't even want me to lay down with her anymore.

Thank the Lord for babies because I don't know if we'd be able to handle the emotional rejection otherwise.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

These are a Few of my Favorite Things....on the Internet

It seems like I've been stumbling across are lot of interesting or halarious things on the internet lately that are just too good to keep for myself. Here's a few for your to enjoy.

Vodka made out of milk????

I haven't been to Kmart in years,but this commercial is so halarious it makes me want to rethink my shopping habits.

Watch hipsters pretend to know about complete made up bands.

Have you ever read any articles on The Onion. They are always so halarious. This one about living in NYC is an oldie but a goodie and I recently read this one about toddlers and trains that made me laugh.

This is the best idea ever for temporary tattoos!

How to have the Best Pregnancy Ever. Halarious and so true.

I'm doing the Ride for Roswell this year and I'm thinking this would be an awesome addition to my bike.

And.....that's all for today. I'll try to do this monthly.....ish as I stumble across new, fun finds online.