The Perfect Potty Day

Memorial Day 2009 will go down into history as Evi's first Perfect Potty Day. She kept her diaper clean all night and all day. Not bad for a 10-month, 3-day old.

Samy took Evi in the lake for the first time yesterday. I wanted to swim too, but my toes felt the water and my body said "no way." Despite the cold water, Evi cried for a couple seconds and then was fine. She did great. The swimming at the YMCA seems to have paid off.

Hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend.

Hi again.

I have not blogged in 3 and a half months. So sorry to leave you dangling in the depths of my potty despair. Things have been considerably better than I left them and the Great Potty Chronicles will go on.

Evi crawls everywhere now, but prefers to stand up supported whenever possible. She is very vocal and prefers forbidden items, like stereos and cords, over toys.

Lately we have been back to one or two diapers during the day and one at night. Evi uses the potty much more often than the diaper and she rarely poops in her diaper. It is fantastic.

Serves me right...

Why is it the minute you brag about your child, they turn? Ever since my post about having a baby who never poops in her diaper, she has presented me with numerous full and stinky diapers. She prefers to do so in front of avid readers of The Great Potty Chronicles, readers who only hours previously had read my brag, I mean, blog.

I'm not eating my words, I am wiping them off her bum.

At least she's peeing in the potty more again.

Evi conquered her first fear yesterday. Apparently she developed a doggie fear on Saturday, when we visited a neighbor. They have a large and crazy, but very friendly, dog who exploded to the gate upon our arrival . He jumped on the gate barking furiously and happily while we waited outside so he could be put away. The second Evi saw him, her lower lip popped out, she squeezed me tight and started bawling.

I didn't give this episode another thought until she repeated the reaction at a friend's house with their two small and comparably calmer dogs. She had a fear of dogs! Not good considering we would love to have a dog someday. Under our friends' advice, we allowed the dogs to get much closer than Evi was confortable with. We showed her that we were okay with the dogs and she was safe. She gradually got calmer and began reaching out to touch their fur. The second her fingers met the fur, she would jerk them back and shiver.

A few days later, Evi met Max (the original dog) again and after a few tears, settled down and made friends. Yay!

How many times can I say "poop" in one blog?

The greatest thing about pottying Evi? Catching poops. Lately we miss alot of pees, but we catch ALL the poops. And her poops these days are not small. When she is done on the potty, I just clean the tiniest amount of poop off her bottom. I still feel dainty afterwards!

Here are some bathtime pictures for your enjoyment.

In the subject of water, Evi's first swim class is Thursday. I can hardly contain myself I am so excited. It's at the YMCA and you don't have to be a member to join, so bring your baby and join us! :) We decided to do this when we heard a story about one of Samy's cousins. She was leaving the park with her baby boy and packing up the car. When she turned around, he was gone. She searched frantically until someone saw a diaper floating in the pond; he was upside down in the water. Pulling him out, they tried desperately to revive him for about five minutes to no avail. When she stopped trying and started praying, he coughed water and came to - praise God!

Since Grandma and Grandpa live at the lake, it's important to teach Evi what to do if she fell in. I don't know how detailed this class will be (it's only 4 thirty minute sessions), but I understand you can teach babies to flip over and float on their back if they fall into water. I hope to teach her both respect and enjoyment of the water. What fun the lake will be this summer!

On another note, Evi has started eating some solids. So far she hasn't met a food she doesn't like. Of course, all she has had is avocado, sweet potato, banana, apple, and pees, in that order. I enjoy making her foods; what a $$ savings! That alone makes it worth it.

She eats very enthusiastically.

I know she lacks a bib. I realized it before we started eating, but I was too lazy to go get it.

Hit or Miss

Besides being newly addicted to the show 24 and enjoying the January lull that follows the holidays, I am still toting Evi to the potty regularly. She is quite the little trooper. Her newfound joy is blowing juicy raspberries, so my arms can get quite soaked while holding her on the potty.

I have kept Evi diapered since the Providence trip. While we were going diaper free alot, lately I miss as many pees as I catch, so it's not worth changing her clothes 20 times a day. Since I said I would only do this as long as I wasn't stressing about it, we are just taking one day at a time, one pee at a time, and I try not to be disappointed when she uses the diaper instead of the potty. The verdict is still out on the whole success of this practice, but again, she is only 5 and a half months old and she has used the potty way more than most 2 year olds! That has to count for something. :)

I'll post more pictures soon (and I'm trying to catch a good video of the raspberries). It's late; I'm going to bed.

Providence...

This is our friend Hilary with her 9 month baby and Ana with Evi. Hilary, her husband, and two children live in Pennsylvania now and we hadn't seen them since our wedding until we ran into them outside a restaurant in Providence! So exciting.


Evi's first Christmas. She got a little overwhelmed by all the kisses.



Evi's new best friend, second only to the thumb.

Potty Renaissance

After a week of pee-filled frustration, we're back in the saddle again... on rather, on the potty again. Last Saturday, Evi came down with her first cold, what I know suppose was the culprit of her seeming inability to use the potty. Now, she has resumed diaperlessness. Yay!

System breakdown.

Evi is wearing a diaper, has a bit of a rash, and there is nothing in the potty. I'm not sure where the system is breaking down, but it sure is! Before Evi would pee almost as soon as I would put her on the potty, now she does only occasionally. I think that since my shoulder episode, followed by inlaws visiting, I maybe haven't invested the time. But now I have more time again, so I would think it would get better. It hasn't yet! Stay tuned...

BTW

Here is my official EC line: "It's better in the potty than on the body." I'm thinking shirts and bumper stickers are in order. How many can I put you down for?

Breaking the Silence.

We reached a milestone today. Evi rolled from her belly to her back. The first time I thought it was a fluke. The second time I saw the determination in her eyes. I knew she disliked "belly time," but I didn't know she disliked it so much that she would do something about it. Is she advancing along in months so quickly that now she feels she can determine for herself? Am I going to find her crib moved to the window because she likes the view ? I prefer to make decisions for her, thank you. Evi, no more milestones without permission; I am enjoying you as you are.

Today marks the end of a 12 day diaper-free strike. We are once again diaper-free, folks. Over the last nearly two weeks, I have been nursing my shoulder due to a case of tendonitis, which led to my shoulder becoming "frozen" in place. Quite painful and very limiting. Both pottying and blogging were out. Evi and I have been primarily holed up in the upstairs of the house. Thank the Lord, Sunday seemed to be the turning point; my range of motion in my arm and shoulder is speedily returning. Today we have once again banished the diaper, though not without consequence; I have already been peed on twice.

And Anita, I will work on your request for more pictures. I know Evi's sweet smile is the only reason people look at the blog anyways.

Writer's Block

It is getting harder to blog this experience. I don't want to get redundant. So great; Evi pees in the potty! What now? It's been a great week for it though. I've been dabbling in the thought of trying it while we are out and about town, but I don't think we will for a while. Maybe when the duration between pees gets a bit longer. We are still at about 30 - 35 minutes between potty breaks, unless she is napping; then, she can go a couple hours.

BTW, I have been realizing that we are down to using about 1-2 diapers a day when we are home most of the day - one overnight and one if we go out for a bit. What a cost savings! We haven't bought diapers in a while!

So, since I would love to make a convert, let me tell you - if you want to save money on diapers, try just catching a few pees or poops! Each one you catch is a diaper saved. Sweet!

Iron Man, a Giggle, and a Poop

The most exciting scene of Iron Man was eclipsed tonight by Evi's first giggle. Grandma was swinging Evi's arms about and engaging her in silly conversation and noises. When I heard it, a second passed before it registered what had happened, because what popped out of her sounded so natural and normal. Then I looked at Mom and said, "Was that her first giggle???" Indeed, we think it was; although we tried for a repeat performance to no avail.

We shall try again tomorrow.

In the middle of said movie, Grandpa held Evi on his lap a bit, during which time she decided to poop quite loudly. Knowing Evi's potential diaperlessness, Grandpa passed Evi off like a hot potato. She was, in fact, wearing a diaper, but you can see the fear that this practice can instill in your guests!