When we decided to take Ada out of preschool, I scoured the internet for local kidlette activities. I found a Mommy and Me dance class and she's enjoying it for the most part. (She thinks the music is too loud.)
The littles all show up in various versions of "dancing" outfits. Ada is no exception. Target flouncy skirts and flowered camisoles are usually her go-to.
I thought maybe she'd like something special and it came today.
Here's her in her new leotard with attached sparkle tutu. She loves it.
This is her demonstrating her ballerina walk. She looks like a very pretty zombie coming to eat your brains.
Getting Ada out of diapers has been sort of a horrible experience ... as I've told anyone that would listen.
The first potty I got for her was purchased around her first birthday. I thought she could see it, try it out, get used to it and just ease into this whole potty use business. Other moms I knew did something similar and were reporting in gleefully that their kid loved using the potty. My child wasn't so into it.
By her second birthday, she'd try it out occasionally before a bath and occasionally could tinkle in it. I thought, "Great! This will be easy!"
That was in June. In the next few months it didn't progress at all. September she refused to sit on the potty at all. She wouldn't do it, would throw amazing tantrums about it, and, more concerning, would tell me, "I'm a baby! I wear diapers!"
Some days, I'd put her on it in front of a movie and tell her, "You can watch this movie, but only if you sit on the potty and try to tinkle in it."
At least she was learning to hold it?
Here's a video of her not tinkling in the potty. Happily reading books, but not doing the business.
So then it was decided to just let her be for a bit. Maybe she wasn't ready?
Then I decided that was malarky. Not ready? She's 2! She's Ada! She can do this. In the worst months of my parenting life to date here's what I tried and failed at:
Bribery
Having a special outing to buy panties
More bribery
Videos and shows dedicated to the subject of using the potty. The favorite being the episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood where they use the potty a lot. She still sings the song occasionally, "If you have to go potty, stop and go right away!"
Yelling
Yelling AND bribery
Crying on the floor (me, not her)
Purchasing the amazingly crappy book which she loves, "Princess Potty"
Redecorating her bathroom into a "princess potty"
Pull-ups and refusing to ever allow another diaper on her body
Taking her to my parents house in NC and getting her ANOTHER very fancy Minnie Mouse potty that made cheering sounds when you "flushed" it.
Explaining life to her
Telling her we weren't leaving the room until she tinkled in the potty. (Brought phone and coffee for parental comfort.)
Cheer squad level of fake joy
Bribery
I don't know what actually worked. Something did. I like to think it was No. 13. It was the first time she'd tinkled in the potty since August. She tinkled in the potty while throwing a huge tantrum while I sat there trying to be cool while my insides were in turmoil and my fists kept clenching. Once the stream started, she looked up at me with her splotchy crying face, and between the angry sobs said, "Mommy! I'm tinkling!" Then continued to have a tantrum.
Then we had a week of similar experiences.
And yet, just two weeks before Christmas, she got it. She just did. All of a sudden, she'd willingly accept the idea of potty time and tinkling in the potty and, although there was an accident here or there, they were so incredibly rare that we were all surprised when it happened. No bribes were dispensed.
So we're done. She is even staying dry during her naps and most nights (we are still using a Pull-up at night) and it's like magic. Horrible evil soul-trading magic ... but also amazing.
Jeffrey even took her to Phoenix by himself two weekends ago and she didn't have a single accident while they were at the zoo for the day.
She uses public toilets of any variety without issue.
While I was crying and screaming, many of the people I turned to for consolation with children the same age didn't seem to be having the same kind of horrible fun I was or if their kid was a few years older they'd tell me that some particular incident was the catalyst to success -- a rash, a cut, etc. I was cheerfully told to try M&Ms (um, duh?), charts, etc. Everyone else appeared to be calm, encouraged by their child's progress, No one admitted to ugly crying in bed late at night to their husband that they weren't a good mom and were totally fucking up parenting.
I AM totally fucking up parenting ... but at least Ada is potty trained.
Our new Roku 3 has new channels, including the Vevo music video channel.
We turned on the Beyonce "Put a Ring on It" video. I asked Ada if she could do the moves. She started doing something. Then looks at Jeffrey and says, "This is really hard work."
I don't know what they were doing, but this is the conversation:
Ada: It's a duck! I like ducks! Quack Quack!
Jeffrey: Ducks say quack quack!
Ada: Here's a chicken.
Jeffrey: Chickens go quack quack!
Me: No they don't.
Jeffrey: They don't? How do they go?
Me: Bok bok.
Jeffrey: Bok bok?
Ada: They go bok bok!
Yesterday we went to a toddler Christmas brunch to exchange gifts and experience a little merriness with Julian, Sophie, and Ada before the families went their separate ways for the holiday.
The merriness was mostly kids throwing croissants, Julian hit his head about five times, and Sophie and Ada could not stop playing with the kitchen timer on Julian's little stove. The entire event felt, like Ryan said, "A McGruber sketch on SNL, there's constant ticking."
Anyway, due to the festivities, Ada just never ended up taking a nap. By the afternoon, she was so incredibly tired, but we decided we could make it to the grocery store for some additional cookie making supplies with her and I think Jeffrey mentioned Santa. Well, Ada couldn't get over the idea that we were going to see Santa. We had mentioned it to her earlier in the day and now it was time to ante up. With a tired kid, we headed to the mall to see Santa.
The wait was long. She played gamely in the kid area, but never smiled. She just zombied around, going down the slide over and over again. I kept asking her, "Are you sure you want to do this? We can come back tomorrow!" And she'd always say, "But I just have to see Santa!" or "I'm ready for my turn to see Santa!"
So we waited.
We were one of the last families to get to see Santa before his "reindeer break" and when they let her in, a very tired but very sweet child went over, clasped Santa's hands and had a chat about dolls.
Then she hopped up for her picture. She wouldn't smile. We asked. But it just wasn't there. Instead, she just snuggled into Santa's soft suit and gave him a big hug.
Far better than last year's visit.
Her first visit with Santa, at six-months-old, the Santa held absolutely still. She just must have thought he was a fleecy blanket.
We're getting a puppy! I've been working on this idea for a few months now and finally decided we needed an English Setter. Then my dad decided he needed one. My mom and Jeffrey are on board!
The brown-eared one is our little girl and her name is Emma. The black-faced one is a little boy and my parents are keeping him. They've named him Pete.
They went to the vet today and were declared, "very healthy puppies!" At just 8 weeks, Emma is 7lbs 10oz and Pete is 8lbs 1oz. The vet said they will likely double in weight within two weeks. Better get her into cargo before the rate goes up!
The mom. She's a little bedraggled looking from being a mom and stuff, but look at what a sweet face she has! The breeders hunt the dogs and were delighted with the litter's perfect tails. We do not hunt but the tails are indeed very whippy and white.
This is a video snippet of them on a walk around the pond. Emma is way too interested in that water!
