infant potty training, take II

golden is 10 months old. time to stop buying diapers. my plan is to let her be naked for a few weeks, get ready with spray and wipes, and... not check email, do housework, or do anything else besides pay attention. when i see her going, i will say the trigger word until--hopefully--i get used to her rhythm and she can go on command.

today we had a few presents on the floor, but we were prepared for cleanup. since i am off caffeine now, and am eating so much better (i recommend mary-ann shearer's book 'perfect health the natural way' for easiest & most amazing nutrition overhaul ever), i have the energy and equilibrium to handle the messes. that is not stressing me out at all.

the trigger word thing only happened once though. i didn't pay attention enough, i know that much!

also, i am doing hand motions for both pee and poop, so if she needs to, she can tell me that she's gotta go. this could be really funny, hahaha! but i kept it clean, they are G-rated.

i tried infant potty training when golden was just newborn, but at the time she had really liquid-y excretions and i was unwilling to let that get on the furniture. now that she is both autonomously navigating the floor and creating firm little "cookie poos" as we like to call them (way easier cleanup!), i am ready to take this on again. i do need tips if anyone has done this before.

ok, but i saw the most shockingly brilliant and surprising thing on a home video my husband made in china: the toddlers there are all diaperless. and they run around in PANTS THAT HAVE SLITS DOWN THE BACK. WHY is this not common knowledge in america??! has ANYONE ever heard of this before? apparently they just hold out the newspaper when the kid's gotta go. these people are quite resourceful. they even take the kids in public like this! if they can do it, we---can---do---it. can you imagine the possibilities of new children's clothes we could design? this should SO be my new business endeavor: "kids anytime pooper pants for all seasons! cute new styles!" i can just see it now.

golden hour

i think the last time i blogged golden's progress was when she was 7 months old. she is thriving and completely into everything but in a very good way. she is an amazing self-entertainer and not prone to whining, which is definitely appreciated. i am gonna do my darndest to help her keep that trend on up through 2 and 3! anyways, she is quite strong and active; thomas calls her "muscle girl." she has the sweetest little toothy smile, her two front teeth are huge with a big gap in the middle, and it is such bliss to hear her totally gleeful chortle when she is hiding behind a curtain or getting her neck tickled.

she developed her pincer grasp around 7, 8 months which was a huge help in feeding times, she is a pro at cheerios and even slippery pieces of fruit. she also loves to eat baby carrots and will consume most forms of vegetable. especially steamed broccoli. she eats tons of that and it is amazing to see her face and surroundings after a good broccoli meal. hurricane!! oh yes, and be careful how close you get to her when you are eating. she has been known to grab and finish off pesto sandwiches.

in early may golden began to attempt saying words (beyond mama, dadda). one day we were studying eric carle pictures of little rubber ducks and she said, "enne!" which as everyone knows is the baby way to say "ente," or duck, in german. (this is super interesting, because "duck" was sparrow's first attempted word as well! in english, of course, though.) she also says "be" (bear) and does the sign for it, and "ba ba" (baby) when looking in the mirror. she does the "mouse" sign too, and loves it, thanks to the maisy mouse lift-the-flap book, which i have been trying to read to her every night. since her middle name is maisie, she HAD to love maisy mouse! one of golden's favorite animal signs is the one for frog, where she sticks out her tongue. she is so eager to show me her frog-sign skills every time she hears a word that sounds remotely like "frosch." oh, and she can sign "hut" (hat)(patting the top of your head) really well now, and hats make her laugh, especially when you put napkins or similar on your head and tell her it's a "hut." (pronounced "hoot.")

nowadays the child is a surprisingly speedy crawler, and is a pro at getting herself down once she has pulled up to a table or other object. she can do these amazing deep squats, actually. it is inspiring to watch. she also, when she really needs me, crawls up and pulls herself up to standing on my pant leg. then i know she is very hungry or very tired.

she is really funny about having her face washed. when i splash water to get food off her mouth after meal time, she sticks out her tongue and tries to drink the water. such a crack-up. she is a super humor-filled bundle all around. she loves being chased and bounced, and she loves hiding games. she tries to crawl away really fast, but then she will splay herself face down flat on a soft blanket or bed and chuckle. when you pick her up all food-covered after a meal and hold her out away from yourself to carry the mess monster to the sink, her legs will jog up and down the whole time.

golden has also learned to give kisses, which is what i have been waiting for her whole life! she is great at that now, and will always make kissy signs at our downstairs neighbor, jan, who is like a grandma to the girls. golden absolutely loves jan. whenever she sees her, she lights up and begins to wave. it is really precious to see.

discovery, discovery! she has been playing with her bumbo seat ALL the time these past few days. she tries to get it out from under the table, where it is usually kept. then, when someone gets it for her, she climbs in and out of it, leans on it, navigates it like a little pro. fun times. the other day golden was also entertaining herself by putting a little floamy-bracelet into a deep jug and then looking into the depths and fishing it out again. love watching the learning happening with such simple things. her favorite place to discover seems to be the bathroom, however. she will book it! for the loo when the door is open, and of course pull herself up on the toilet. we are washing lots of little hands...

babies are a never-ending source of amusement. today (06-06) i was showing golden how to push the button on the baby wipe box so that the lid pops up. she was endlessly fascinated and pushed it over and over while i stood by and cheered! hah. but that is how they learn. love it. i was also showing her the general sign for "animals" (tiere) tonight, which is: rubbing your arm gently. she was getting it, but it was so adorable, cause instead of rubbing her own arm, she would rub mine. she also does this with the sign for "nursing." she pats my chest instead of her own. she can also do an "indian call" by clapping her hand over her mouth repeatedly.

golden has six teeth (two on top and four on bottom). she is about at the same pace with that as sparrow was at her age. she is teething again, though, at least one more top one is coming in right now. it makes her wake up more at night. JUST when you think they are going to start sleeping through all the time, they start teething again.

she also likes to dance and play "instruments." she knows which button on the musical toy makes the melodies, and she will push it and then stand there (holding on to it) and shakey-dance. while we were doing preschool in the spring, she loved shaking a maraka or rattle during kid song time.

i love this girl's zest for life. her default is a smile. i have a lot to learn from her.

working it out

here it is. the business class ended three weeks ago. graduation two weeks ago with a full length ceremony at fess parker. summer schedule is here for preschool (field trips now, only once per week.) i now have time to write.

but i find that i am still in process of catching the vision that God is trying to give me, droplets at a time, attempts to gather and glean in the barren chaos that seems to define us some (most?)days.

this blog has been a sheltered family affair. but i am becoming aware that in order to be a good citizen of heaven, and a good steward at what God has placed in my hands, i must seek the good of more than just my clan. the good of my community, society,...

i need lessons in humility before i am ready to write, really write.

thoughts for this evening. i know i have a somber tone. and ok, here's why:

i have just come off of a completely spiritual experience at a blog just discovered:

www.aholyexperience.com. if you go to it you will know why. i am awed by the expressions of grace in this woman.

i want to say to heck with the california apartment and move out to the country and take up farming. see me next year in a gingham dress with blue pinafore, kneading daily bread and speaking to my youngsters in a gentle irish lilt.

no, but seriously. my brief moments on the above blog brought to light several things all at once:

1) christianity isn't boring. i already knew this, of course, but the beauty and holiness of everyday life with Christ, as expressed by ann voskamp are almost tangible and brought me to the brink of reverent tears. i am repenting for my lean toward the world's view of Bible.

2) holiness is here, now. much to learn in the area of living out my higher calling in the every day. much to learn about focusing in on Christ, sealing the lips of complaint, and opening the lips of joyous praise. treating each moment as sacred, God-made.

3) i have sorely neglected the cultivation of beauty and quiet in my life in recent years. to be drawn into a space of poetic expression, depth of feeling, and love for aesthetics (God shines through in the thoughtful simplicity) made my little heart swell. God created us to mimic Him. if i have to pencil in time in the calendar to express His beauty, i will do so. i WILL.

just go there. your heart will respond.

april's words

(singing) "the wise man built his house upon a summer day." -apr. 3

"mom, i don't see any mexican trees!" -apr. 6 (she means eucalyptus. i once told her they reminded me of mexico.)

sp: "where is my party?"
me: "it's on saturday."
sp: "where is my april 18th?" -apr. 7

me: "the baby's name is israel. do you know what israel is?"
sp: "yeah. it's for the mighty kings!" -apr. 7

sparrow has been getting super into stories lately. not a day goes by when she doesn't ask me to tell her a story. over. and over. and over. do i have that many stories in me? spontaneous ones!???!? (i have never been good at fiction nor spontaneous creative "writing" or acting) it is a head breaker because i can come up with a wonderfully elaborate tale that i tell for a running 10 minutes in the car, and the second i say "the end," WITHOUT FAIL sparrow says "tell another one!" at some point i have to say no, and that feels just wrong! anyways, ...the other day sparrow told herself a story. here is an excerpt:
"once upon a time there was a centipede. and he went in the water. and he splashed in the waves! and he laughed... and there was some sharks in the water and they ate him!"
me: "and what did you say that centipede's name was?"
sp: "the centipede's name was verizon." -apr. 8

sp: "i don't wanna be alone!"
me: "you won't be alone because God will be with you."
sp: "i don't want God to be alone." -apr. 10

"i'm jesus! i'm jesus!" (trying to sit/ride on her new "my little pony," as in--jesus entering jerusalem on a donkey! we'd been learning about that coming up to easter...) -apr. 11

sparrow awoke and cheerfully said, "is today jesus is
risen?" then she proceeded to tell me all about how he wasn't in the
grave anymore and how the ladies went to look for him but saw an
angel. she must have been having a dream from the Lord as we always
pray, because i don't know if she learned about that in sunday school,
since she hasn't been in awhile. (always sick!) -apr. 16

"are we going to verizon? ...that's where obama lives!" -apr. 16

"i wanna see the stars and the moon, and... we'll go in a rocket ship later, and, we'll put on our bubbles, and then we'll flyyyyyyyy through the air." -apr. 17

(playing cell phone.)
sp: "there's a centipede on our daughter's clothes! let me call someone. let me call my dad on my cell phone. hello? ...oh...what?...no...bye bye. i called your dad."
me: "you mean your dad?"
sp: "yeah. his name was thomas on my cell phone. he's coming home real soon." -apr. 20

me: "oh no, i forgot to nurse golden before we left!"
sp: "we'll have to do that some other time." -apr. 22

i finally broke down and told sparrow that the "mexican" trees are called eucalyptus. one day she saw some out the car window and said, "oh look, eucalipstick!" -apr. 22

"it sounds like that boy is gonna have to go to the store to get some thumbs." -apr. 22

(me wearing a silly hat)
sp: "mom, you look like pharaoh! mom! let my people go!" -apr. 22

i took sparrow to the county fair when it was here. she kept wanting to go on the ferris wheel, but calling it "the fair." she thinks that THAT wheel is itself *the fair!* poor thing, she was too small to get to ride on it. (apr. 25)

Answer my survey!

My business class adventure has taken me here there, and back again. After making my vision board, i realized there was a lot on there having to do with...babies. and birth. and so, we discovered that "doing the next thing" means doing the next thing. My business plan will be for teaching birth classes. Here I have created some market research, and i need people to fill it out! only people in the tri-counties, please. You gotta be close enough to drive to me. Thank YER.

Survey for Parents
Click Here to take survey

Survey for Non-Parents
Click Here to take survey

march quotes

"i'm a little concerned" -march 1, walking around the park

"mom, you're my life. and i like you." -march 2

thomas: "how far away are the clouds? can we touch the clouds?"
sp: "no. only God does." (as if to say: "duh!") -march 1

(playing princess castle)
me: "and how are your rabbits doing?"
sp: "good, they're sleeping in their cage."
me: "and how are your horses and your ponies?"
sp: "good, and they're all standing up, but i have to calm them down." -march 6

(working with dough for bread)
sp: "the dough is frustrating me."
me: "well what do you do if something frustrates you?"
sp: "um...lick it!" -march 8

"mom--i made a basket! and we have to keep it safe. and i don't want the alligators to eat it. and it's going far far away so the alligators are no seen to be where!" -march 11
(haha--her noble efforts to incorporate language she's heard in books.
also, she was playing "baby moses," at the time. she is obsessed with baby moses.)

me: "oh no! what are you gonna do without your toe?"
sp: "i have four ones." -march 20 (check those subtraction skills!)

(wanting to go outside and splash in puddles)
me: "i don't want you outside by yourself."
sp: "it's God in his boots splashing in puddles. God is with me out there!" -march 21

playing with alphabet blocks:
"J is for rabbit, N is for bird, I is for penguin!" -march 22

(i have so far stayed far far away from alphabet-learning and alphabet recognition with sparrow, as i want her artistic side to be as fully developed as possible without the box-brain, as i call it, that is often forced too early, pushing out the free-thinking artistic brain that is so natural in children under five. i have no doubt she will learn to read with great speed when the time is right!)

"can i be Mary in your wrap that Golden lives in?" -march 22
(another common theme: playing "mary," and you always have to be wearing a cloth over your head, of course!)

"i love my normalest normalest baby." -march 23

me: "chocolate is not food in that sense. it's a treat."
sp: "mom--are you gonna give me one at that sense?" -march 23

(more chocolate discussion)
sp: "can i hold one?"
me: "what do you think is gonna happen if i give you one?"
(silence)
me: "well, it will either melt, or..."
sp: "it's gonna melt or be in my tummy." -march 23

me: "goldie doesn't live here anymore. she lives in oxnard with her family."
sp: "can we live in boxnard too?" -march 23

sparrow telling herself a story:
"...and all the elephants were dancing, and the one in the middle said, 'make sure you play ring around the rosie!'" -march 24

"are we gonna watch the cinnamons tonight, daddy?" (simpsons) -march 24

sp: "mom, mary was so sad and Jesus was so sad that he died on the cross. ...and the soldiers put a necklace on his head and it hurted Jesuses hair and forehead."
me: "yeah. did you learn that at sunday school?"
sp: "yeah, GodJesus was in the Bible and we were reading it at MOPS." -march 26

"my husband's chicken is just like your chicken!" -march 26

(singing)
"wine, wine, wine. the father's drinking wine!" -march 28

"we made a big tent! mom, would you like to enjoin us?" -march 29

MIA

i have soooooooo been missing blogging about my wonderful family! but i am midway into an intense business course through an AWESOME organization called women's economic ventures, and all my spare time must be spent in the homework and business planning activities that go along with it. currently i am delving deep, attempting to more narrowly define our style, our niche, research our target market and specific demographics, assess the feasibility of the business, and create a marketing plan. i have too many business ideas, but it is actually one of the better things to be plagued with. at least i am not suffering from the opposite problem! anyways, the class ends in may, at which point i will either get busier as we start this business for real, or we will put it on hold for awhile depending on what God will call us to for the summer, and i will hopefully have a bit more time to keep up with the blog. thank God that at least i know writing is one of my major callings, so it is a priority for me to do this. and of course my first calling at this time in my life is to be a committed wife and mother. family blogging is a part of that, as i am building family stories and weaving our history. i still read bits of my friends' stuff now and then and keep up the quotes and photos. i will see you all on the other side of may.