4 Miles

DSCN1810

Originally uploaded by AthenaMiles.

I tried to get Artsy today. Here are the best results. (Click on the photo to see more.)

Alex's new friend
Originally uploaded by AthenaMiles.

He loves it! He ACTUALLY loves it. When he wakes up he rolls over on his back and grabs Puddles to chew on. He really likes the orange and yellow parts.

Unfortunately it means he has to sleep with Puddles in his bed. How gross. The Tort manages to make his own puddles in his bed. We are working on that though.

I think I am now officially the “Mother of a Preschooler”.  This morning I went to add an item to my grocery list, and all I could find was a crayon. So it got added to the list with a “Magenta” crayon. I had to do that, because if it was not added RIGHT AWAY, I knew I’d forget it (that’s from being the “Mother of a Baby”). (Though I've been told the memory does not come back when the babies are all older. I can hope.)

I think we are starting to see a break through in the potty training.  We’d been doing the James Method ™, and then “Took A Break” on vacation.  This week Will would go just fine if he was wearing nothing, but if we put underwear on him, he’d just go.  And I (being the forgetful Mother of a Baby that I am) was not good at remembering to have him go at set times, or found those set times happening when I was nursing.  I had gotten a timer at IKEA to help me, and it broke.  Anyway, today I informed Will he didn’t get “2 Treates” (his term for 2 M&M’s or a Treat) unless he kept his underwear dry and then peed on the potty (it used to be a treat for going in the potty and a treat for wiping). That was it. I didn’t try to remind him, I was just going to deal with the messins that resulted. The first time he had an accident, it was as in the past, he didn’t have “anymore pee” when he sat on the potty (so no treat). The second time, he stopped himself, and then went more on the potty. But, he was quite upset that he only got one treat. I reminded him he had to keep his underwear dry.  Then he told me “I want underwear!”  Once we got a new pair on him, he wanted another treat.  Um, no.  Anyway, after that we had FOUR times of him telling me he had to go potty, and then going while underwear was still dry!!! Who-hoo! AND, when I was feeding Alex and it happened, I expected that to be the time he didn’t make it in time, but he did, AND he was able to get the underwear off himself. (That, too, has been an Issue in the past.)  So, my child is easily bribed with chocolate. 

I also think the makers of the Finding Nemo training pants for boys were just wrong to put Nemo where they did. Will sure “found” him all right. 

Finally, I think I need to admit that I subconsciously may have taken this idea (Things I Think) from Peter King, who writes a column on football for SI.com.  I realized that after I had started it.  (In case you care, he has a column called Monday Morning Quarterback that includes a section 10 Things I Think I Think.  I didn’t mean to steal him, but I had several thoughts to share!)