We've been actively potty training for a while now, but have been doing a sticker chart for about the last 3 weeks. I am so frustrated. She will do so well for a week or so and then it's like we have a while week of accidents. It wouldn't be so bad, but it's like a whole week of no successes, just accidents. Any tips out there?
I don't know who started the sicknesses, and they just seem to keep going around our house and our complex. Little Man was diagnosed with RSV, a respiratory virus. He is recovering just fine, and really handled it great. I think we've had flu bugs, but who really knows what all this crap is anyways?
Little Man isn't staying so little! He had a well child check this week, 9 months, he weighs 19 lbs 15 oz and is 29 inches long. I knew he was getting close to the 30 inch height limit of his infant seat which is why we got him his new big boy seat. I love the new seat. It was easy too install, and he seems comfy, it fits in the car well, and it will fit him until he won't need a seat anymore.
Last year we decided that we're going to celebrate Easter with just one basket for the whole family. In that basket we put a book about Christ, an activity we can do together, something small for each child and of course some chocolate. While we were at toys R us car seat shopping we also did a little shopping for Easter and found our activity. We got a bucket of blocks that Little Miss just can not wait to get into.
Sleep Training. Ugh. I do not like cry it out! I firmly believe that it teaches the child that you don't care about their feelings and that they are unwanted. I am not a sleep expert, it's just how I feel. Both doctors we've talked to about sleep recommend and encourage it. We did it. So far, it's working. The downside? I feel like a terrible parent. Little Man has been so clingy since we started it. Oh well, what's done is done, I guess I should just be happy for the extra sleep and get over it.
Brett is in orchestra this semester, which involves pit orchestra. This translates to two weeks of night rehearsals, followed by a week of performances. What this really means is that I'm completely on my own for the kids dinner, bath, bedtime routine. Ugh.
Well, to round it all out, I was feeling sad, I talked to my doctor and he thinks depression so we are trying out some medication. I didn't want to admit that that could be my problem because I felt like that would mean I was more like my dad, but I realized that isn't important. The important part is that I want to do something to help myself, and that isn't being like my dad at all. I don't really want to say anything more about it yet, we'll just see how it goes.
Well, there's an update, a little peak into our boring.
Cheers,
Jessica
My sweet, dear sister: I'm proud of you. A lot of people will go through their lives thinking nothing is wrong when everything isn't right. But they just don't want to admit anything is wrong, that they're wrong. And depression doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. The brain is very complex and in the last 60 or so years there's been about 100 mental disorders added to the list of mental illnesses. But here's my question: if there's so many mental illnesses, how could there be a normal mental state? What equals normal? Since we are all unique, why are we judging ourselves against the same "normal" As everyone else? If you were normal shouldn't you be considered mental because being normal is abnormal?
ReplyDeleteMedications only work so much. I've seen it with dad... when he was working out every day and eating healthy meals he was so much happier. And i believe it had everything to do with working out. Sunshine isn't going to hurt either! Fifteen minutes a day, 30 if it's overcast. Get outside and breathe!
It's not so bad to think you're like him. He's half of your genes, after all. There's bound to be something of him in you. I'm quick to anger and fly off the handle quickly at people i love, especially mom. I know this. I make a concentrated effort to not do this. It's hard. Very hard. And when i make a mistake and snap, after i realize what I've done, i apologize. Will it happen again? Quite likely. Am I sorry for doing it? Most defiantly. Do i know how to not do it? Not at this time... enter: mental health counselor.
I'm sorry everyone keeps getting sick. That's hard on everyone, especially you! But that's what happens with kids... sicknesses all around! I think even if you kept them away from other children that they would still get sick one way or another, just to spite you.
The potty training will happen... someday. Accidents are accidents. Try to find something other than potty training that you can "win" at when things get rough.
And quit feeding Little Man!! If you don't feed him, he won't grow, right? ;-)
Love you, miss you. LC
My sweet, dear sister: I'm proud of you. A lot of people will go through their lives thinking nothing is wrong when everything isn't right. But they just don't want to admit anything is wrong, that they're wrong. And depression doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. The brain is very complex and in the last 60 or so years there's been about 100 mental disorders added to the list of mental illnesses. But here's my question: if there's so many mental illnesses, how could there be a normal mental state? What equals normal? Since we are all unique, why are we judging ourselves against the same "normal" As everyone else? If you were normal shouldn't you be considered mental because being normal is abnormal?
ReplyDeleteMedications only work so much. I've seen it with dad... when he was working out every day and eating healthy meals he was so much happier. And i believe it had everything to do with working out. Sunshine isn't going to hurt either! Fifteen minutes a day, 30 if it's overcast. Get outside and breathe!
It's not so bad to think you're like him. He's half of your genes, after all. There's bound to be something of him in you. I'm quick to anger and fly off the handle quickly at people i love, especially mom. I know this. I make a concentrated effort to not do this. It's hard. Very hard. And when i make a mistake and snap, after i realize what I've done, i apologize. Will it happen again? Quite likely. Am I sorry for doing it? Most defiantly. Do i know how to not do it? Not at this time... enter: mental health counselor.
I'm sorry everyone keeps getting sick. That's hard on everyone, especially you! But that's what happens with kids... sicknesses all around! I think even if you kept them away from other children that they would still get sick one way or another, just to spite you.
The potty training will happen... someday. Accidents are accidents. Try to find something other than potty training that you can "win" at when things get rough.
And quit feeding Little Man!! If you don't feed him, he won't grow, right? ;-)
Love you, miss you. LC
Ugh, little kids are hard work. It will get easier. Everything you are doing now is an investment in the relationships you will have forever with these little people. I am with you on the sleep issue. I couldn't do the sleep training, I toughed it out, but I was exhausted forever. I don't really know what the right answer is, but I personally believe you have to trust your gut instincts when it comes to parenting. "Expert advice" comes and goes with the wind, next year they will decide we should be doing something else. My best advice with potty training is wait till they show signs of readiness, when they are ready it goes very smooth. If you try to put it on your timeline it does happen, but it takes much longer and is way more stress for everybody. A book that I liked was by Jan Faull called Mommy I have to go Potty!. She talks about all the readiness signs. If LJ is having so many accidents I would take a month off and retry next month. At her age she is maturing at a rapid rate and next month is a new age. The one thing that I wish I had heard more is life is not a race, let them be little, it is a really short amount of time for everybody. She will be off to college in a blink of an eye, trust me. :( Good luck, you got this!!
ReplyDelete