A horse, a potty and a bribe

Have I been duped by a 2⅔ year old?

OK, here comes the inevitable potty training story.

Anna starts nursery school next month, and she needs to be potty trained before she starts. When I first started thinking about it I thought I had all the time in the world. No worries. She’ll be trained in no time. Think again, remembering what a headstrong child Miss Anna can be. Now we’re down to a month before school starts, and the clock is ticking (not to mention all the other things going on – i.e., we’re probably moving house around the same time as she starts school).

I decided the key to potty training was good, old fashioned bribery. Anna and I went out to the toy store and made a few purchases. For each successful pee in the potty, she gets several stickers of the Disney Princess variety (will someone please tell me where this obsession comes from – we didn’t have any of the princess paraphernalia in the house, but she’s still obsessed). Then, for her first poo in the potty, she was supposed to get a little, white horse. Last Sunday was the first day that we started potty training in earnest, and Anna spent the whole day without a diaper on (unless she was sleeping). The first pee was a little traumatic for her, but she did it and was over the moon with her princess stickers. Then, we talked about what she would get if she did a poo in the potty (the white horse). A little while later, she just sat down on the potty and pooed like there was nothing to it. As soon as she finished she said: “Have the white horsey”. I was feeling really excited that everything was going so well and Anna seemed to be getting the hang of using the potty lickety split. No, she was getting the hang of how bribery works. Once she got the horse, she lost all interest in pooing in the potty. Pees are still exciting because she still gets the princess stickers when she does those, but nothing was happening on the poo front. So, as if I didn’t learn my lesson the first time, I found something new to bribe Anna to poo in the potty. Stamps. I should have thought of this earlier. At Anna’s gymnastics class, the teacher gives them each a stamp on the back of the hand at the end of the class for a job well done. The kids just love getting the stamp. Now when Anna poos she gets a stamp on the back of her hand. It worked like a charm today. Ah, the power of the stamp.

Have you ever looked back at how you were when you were a kid, and thought: “Boy, I really hope my kids don’t do this to me.” This whole horse business reminded me of an incident when I was little and my dad tried bribing me to encourage positive behavior. I think I was about 8 or 9, and my dad thought it would be fun if I would go jogging with him on a regular basis. To encourage me to go with him, he told me that if I ran a mile, he’d buy me a new pair of running shoes and a new track suit. Anna’s princess obsession pales in comparison with my love affair with shoes. Off my dad and I went to our local YMCA. We went to the little track there, and 6 laps around the track equals a mile. I started running and with the rhythm of my running, I heard in my head: “new shoes, new shoes” in time with my feet hitting the pavement. Six laps later, it was time for my dad to pay up. I still remember the track suit – navy blue with different color satin stripes down the side of the legs and down the sleeves. The new shoes were white running shoes with green stripes. My poor dad never got me out on the track again.

In other news from Old Blighty, Elsa is about to turn 5 months. I gave her some rice cereal yesterday, and she gobbled it up. I think she’s definitely ready to start solids. She’s so big that sometimes I worry that my milk supply just isn’t enough for her. Elsa’s also rolling over from back to front all the time. She’s been rolling for a while, but now it has turned into a crazy compulsion – she can’t not roll over. The problem is that she doesn’t know how to get from her front to her back. So, I constantly have to flip her over.

We’re also in the process of getting a new house, but I can’t write about it because I’m afraid I’m going to jinx the process. Once things are firm, I’ll say more.

Pictures from Iceland

What do you think it means?

The heat is really getting to me. I think it is starting to affect both my conscious and subconscious minds (or what is left of them). Last night I dreamt I was grocery shopping and ran into Carlos Puyol (Barca and Spanish national soccer player) and Nick Rhodes (of Duran Duran fame). The dream wasn't very exciting; I just chatted with them in the store and then I woke up. Puyol and Nick Rhodes, what a combo for my subconscious to cobble together!

Too hot to think

So . . . . hot. Can’t . . . . think. Send . . . . cooler . . . . weather . . . . our . . . . way. Please.

There’s no let up in sight for the heatwave in London right now. Temps are in the 90s and there’s no A/C anywhere. Ick, ick, ick and double ick. I cannot handle this.

We had a wonderful time in Iceland. We just relaxed and hung out with family and friends.

Elsa’s now four months old and still a big girl. I’m not sure exactly how much she weighs now, but I think it is somewhere between 16 and 17 pounds. She’s rolling over now, and loves grabbing her toes.

Anna is still Elsa’s favorite person to look at. She makes Elsa laugh and laugh.

3 Months = smiles and laughter

Elsa turned 3 months on the 12th, and Anna was 2 and 1/2 on the 4th. Elsa just a chubby delight these days. She's constantly smiling and now she's starting to laugh. The catch is most of her laughter occurs in her sleep! Very very funny to see and hear. But, today, Anna's antics got the first real belly laugh out of Elsa while she was awake.

We've just returned from two weeks in Barcelona. It was fantastic to be in the sun and amazing weather -- warm with a nice breeze from the sea. Elsa was baptized while we were there, and Elsa's godmother (the lovely Sheryl) came from DC to spend some time with us in Spain. It was a lot of fun to see her. Now we're off to Iceland to visit my family and introduce Elsa to that clan. It should be lots of fun. More pictures and updates when we return!

Poop

Elsa is a pro when it comes to pooping. I don’t know how she manages it, but she is able to poo sideways out of her diaper about 5 times out of 10. It is amazing. This morning when I went to pick her up out of bed, Elsa gave me a huge grin (that should have been the tip-off), and when I reached down I found her entire right side covered in poo. It had gone all the way down her pant-leg and up her side. And she was happy as a clam. Thankfully, Anna was watching Pinocchio (for the 87th time), and I was able to plop Elsa straight into the bath. It doesn’t seem to matter how snugly I get Elsa's diaper on, she always seems to poo with such force that it gets out.

On the poo note, I’ve been making a somewhat half-hearted attempt to start potty training Anna. So far, she hasn’t grasped that she’s actually supposed to do something in the potty rather than just play around pretending to pee in it. I’m not sure how I’m going to go about getting her out of diapers, but I don’t think I’m going to start in earnest until after we do our traveling in June. Frankly, I’m being a bit lazy, but it seems like it will be so much easier to do traveling with Anna in diapers rather than always having to worry about finding a toilet for her. I think July 1st the diapers will come off and the rugs rolled up, and Anna will simply wear underwear (or streak around as she seems to love to do these days).

Funny Anna expressions:
- Umbrellala
- Still says “Help you” when she means “help me”
- Walking around with her pants at her ankles saying: “Look, I like a penguin!”
- Thanks really much
- Still wishes me a happy Christmas periodically
- Starting her sentences with “Ackshully . . .” is a recent development.
- Informing about different body parts that she possesses: “I got toes!” “I got a bellybutton”, etc. etc.
- “Whehyayou?” [where are you?] she calls when she’s lost something. It comes out as one word.
- Finally, her favorite game in recent days has been the “how are you today” game. She gets her little play stroller out and walks with it between the living room and kitchen. Then she comes up to me wherever I am and says “Hello mama, how are you today?” I reply “Fine thank you. How are you today, Anna?” She says, “Ok, bye, see you next week.” And she goes off with her stroller into the next room. About 30 seconds pass, and Anna comes back in and the previous conversation is repeated, and Anna leaves. Another 30 seconds pass, and Anna’s back. And again, and again, and again. I don’t know how many times it happens, but I think Anna does this at least 30 times before she gets tired of the game. It is like the “Groundhog Day” of games.

Two Months

Elsa has hit the two month mark -- time flies so fast! She is doing really well. We just had her two month check up (and shots), and she’s a huge baby. 15.5 pounds (6 kg) and 60 cm (25 inches). As you can imagine, she’s turning into a wonderfully chubby baby. She’s also smiling at everyone these days and has recently discovered her hands. I can’t seem to capture a picture of Elsa in full smile mode; I always seem to catch the beginning or end, but I did capture a picture of her staring at her fist. She also manages to get her hand into her mouth periodically and she relishes the chance to suck on it!

Anna continues to do well with Elsa. She loves giving her little sister kisses although some are not as gentle as I would like. Nevertheless, Anna likes having Elsa around and hasn’t exhibited any aggression towards her. Any jealousy she feels seems to manifest itself against me rather than Elsa which isn’t a problem in my book.
I’m starting to get the hang of managing two girls. It is definitely challenging at times, especially when I need to do Anna’s bedtime by myself. Elsa seems to be a pretty relaxed baby, as long as she’s fed at regular intervals! She’s been great at night – sleeping through the night since about 4 weeks! I hope haven’t jinxed this by writing about it, but it helps so much to get an uninterrupted night’s sleep.

Easter Pics

More Pictures

Two Weeks

Elsa was two weeks old on Sunday. She is still an eating machine, and her cheeks are starting to get nice and chubby. Anna got to hold Elsa for the first time yesterday, and she thought it was really great. Actually, I had a hard time getting Anna to let go. It has been nice to see Anna show Elsa some more interest. She really likes giving her little sister kisses (which might be why Elsa has a stuffed nose at the moment).

Anna has been a real chatterbox lately, and yesterday she started calling everyone "honey". I don't know where that came from, but it's pretty funny to hear. She likes to help put clothes in the washing "mean" -- and now having Elsa, there is always plenty to wash in the "mean".

Garbanza!!!!

Just in the nick of time! Miss Garbanza, now known as Elsa Lind Reyes, arrived at 4:35 am on March 12th -- the day before her scheduled eviction by c-section. I went into labor on my own (finally) in the early hours of the morning and Elsa was born only about an hour after we arrived at the hospital. She was definitely in a rush to get out! Elsa was 7 lbs 15 oz (3.6 kg) and 20 inches (51 cm). Elsa and I are doing very well -- we went home two days after she was born. I have to say the recovery has been so much easier than it was with a c-section.

Elsa and Anna have been keeping me busy since I got home. Elsa has an enormous appetite! She never lost weight after birth -- she's only gained. It has been quite an effort to keep up with her feeding demands. Anna has been pretty good with the new member of our household, but I think she's still trying to come to terms with the new order of things. Thankfully, my mom is here to lavish extra attention on Anna to help with the transition. She has been a real lifesaver (as usual).

More pictures will be posted soon!

Fashionably Late

The Garbanza has been officially served her eviction notice. If she doesn't make an appearance on her own by Monday afternoon, she'll make her way out by c-section. I have tried pretty much everything to get labor going -- long walks, acupuncture, reflexology, raspberry leaf tea, really spicy food, etc., etc. Nothing seems to have any effect. I was hoping not to have to have another c-section, but it is looking like that is the way I'm going to have to go. Actually, I'm feeling pretty good about the decision; I feel like I've done everything I can to avoid it and this is just the way I'm going to have to go.

I'm feeling the same intense curiousity to meet Miss Garbanza as I did at the end of my pregnancy with Anna. I cannot wait to meet this little person who has been kicking away inside of me. I can't wait to see what she looks like, what she sounds like, what her personality is like (you'd be amazed how quickly a baby's personality shows through -- Anna's was clear within a few hours of her birth).

My mom has been here for about 2 weeks, and she's going to stay to the end of the month. It is fantastic to have her here. However, I think she must be getting bored of waiting for the baby's arrival. About 2 weeks ago, it looked like labor was imminent and now we're still waiting. Nevertheless, Anna is having lots of fun with her Amma.

Anna seems excited about the arrival of her baby sister. She has decided to become her own stylist -- it is no longer acceptable for me to pick out her clothes for her. We've had some pretty interesting combinations recently. Anna is obsessed with wearing dresses, and ideally she'd like to wear the same one every day. If her favorite dress isn't available, generally she'll want to wear something that is completely inappropriate for the weather (i.e., a summer dress when it is windy, raining and freezing outside).

Stay tuned for baby news!

From Glowing to Overflowing

The final days of pregnancy have arrived at last! Ugh. I’ve started to resemble a bipedal whale.

I’ve discovered that a shift occurs in people’s attitudes toward pregnant women at some point during the last few weeks before the baby is born. Gone are the comments about how you have that pregnancy glow about you. In the last week or two, suddenly perfect strangers see fit to comment on your girth. “Wow, you look like you’re ready to pop!” “Oh boy, I hope you don’t go into labor here!” I just don’t understand these comments. I think you can tell from the look on my face when I’m waddling around town that I am fully aware my current physical state and wouldn’t care to be reminded of it by random passers-by.

I spent all of yesterday going through Anna’s old baby clothes, sorting things out for the Garbanza. It was a bit of a trip down memory lane. Newborn sized clothes are so unbelievably small!

Anna is continuing to surprise me with certain sentences that seem to come out of nowhere. Yesterday, she walked up to me and said, “Hey, what’s going on?” She said it as if it was the most normal thing the world. I don’t know where she learned it, but it cracked me up. She also continues to refer to herself in the third person. This becomes most evident when she’s claiming ownership over things – “That’s Anna’s!” is a phrase we hear quite often these days.

Tippy Toes

Has Anna gotten her mother’s ballerina bug already? It seems that Anna has discovered ballerinas and has taken to running around on her tippy toes (while shouting “ballerina! ballerina! ballerina!”) – her version of how a ballerina dances. I wonder how much she’ll like it once she finds out that ballerinas don’t generally shout at the top of their lungs while they dance. I guess I need to start looking for ballet classes for her.

Still counting the days till the Garbanza’s due date. My bump is getting enormous. It has created quite a convenient crumb-catcher, but the problem is that often I forget to look down after I’ve eaten and end up walking around for the rest of the day with some variety of crumbs on top of my belly.

Happy New Year

Hmm, a month since my last post – not a good track record. Happy New Year everyone!

2006 has gotten off to a busy start. After hosting my family for Christmas (which was loads of fun; the pictures are from their visit), we prepared for the arrival of the “Ladies”. The Ladies are my oldest friends, and all of them came for a visit during MLK weekend. What a treat! The weekend was amazing; we don’t all get a chance to get together very often so we thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Somehow, whenever we’re together, I feel like we revert to 6th grade slumber party antics. Although we were missing the Skittles for breakfast. Anna also loved having all of the Ladies around and was asking about them for days after they left. By the way, we saw a show called “Pam Ann: Sky’s the Limit”. It has just finished its run in London, and I think she’s going to take it on tour later this year. It was hilarious; I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much. If you get a chance, go see it.

Anna has been a small ball of energy lately. Thankfully, she is taking her afternoon nap right now, but for the last week or so I have had very little luck getting her to sleep in the afternoon. She’ll basically jump around in her crib for an hour (or more) and resolutely refuse to sleep or even rest a little. The days without naps are torture for me. I really need the downtime these days. My energy levels have been inversely proportionate to Anna’s. Six weeks to go until the Garbanza is due, and between her constant kicking and Anna, I have no energy to spare. My days are now spent thinking of ways to tire Anna out. Her new favorite activity is “cliping” (i.e., to clipe), otherwise knowing as climbing. She is talking a ton lately, but I worry that I’m the only one who understands what she’s saying. We started gymnastics two weeks ago, and she adores the class. She gets to jump on a trampoline and play around in a big pit filled with foam blocks.

Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! We're having a lovely Christmas with my family. Anna has been enjoying all the attention that Amma, Afi and Uncle Kiddi have been lavishing on her. Plus, she got a lot of loot.

Once I get the pictures uploaded, I'll post them. Hope everyone is happy and joyous today!

TWO YEARS OLD!

I am now the proud owner of my very own two year old girl. I never thought that a twenty-four month period of my life could be so eventful, exhilarating, hilarious, exhausting and delightful.

We had a little birthday party for Anna this morning with a few of her little friends. The kids all played really well together. I thought that there may be some fighting over toys, but alas peace reigned superior today. The highlight of the day was Anna singing happy birthday to herself. She has decided that whenever a candle is lit it is time to sing happy birthday in her own version of the song which goes: “Happy birthday to you Anna happy birthday; happy birthday to you Anna happy birthday; happy birthday to you Anna happy birthday” etc. etc. She’s got the tune right, but I guess she’s decided that she’d like better lyrics.

We had cupcakes today instead of a cake, and they were a big hit with the kids. I’m not so sure how the parents felt about them because chocolate frosting got everywhere.

In other news, we went to a Christmas party yesterday where Santa Claus made a little visit. Boy, that did not go over well with Anna. She was absolutely terrified of Santa and wouldn’t go anywhere near him.

The garbanza has taken up kick-boxing in utero. It seems that she wants to be ready for anything once she makes her arrival. She moves around a ton, and lately it feels like she’s been using my bladder as a trampoline.

Pillow Talk

One of the highlights of my day is when I put Anna to bed, especially for her afternoon nap. Now, I don’t mean for this to sound as bad as it does. The reason I love it is that I get to listen to the conversations she has with her stuffed animals before she finally gets tired and falls asleep. In the afternoons it usually takes Anna longer to settle down and fall asleep so I am treated to an extra long monologue. Lately, there seems to be some friction between the stuffed hippo and zebra. The other day I heard, “Hippo, no pushing zebra, no pushing.” And also, “be nice, be nice.” I guess the laws of the jungle apply among the stuff animals of Anna’s crib.

Going Native

Anna has gone native. Lately, when I don’t respond immediately to her calls of “Mamma”, she starts calling “mum-may, mum-may, MUM-MAAAAY”. This continues until she gets an answer. I have to say I much prefer being called mamma to being call mummay. She also tells me when she needs to have her diaper changed by saying “change nappy”. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that she says these things. My biggest issue is remembering to use the right word consistently so she doesn’t get confused. I end up confusing our babysitter, Angelika, all the time. I always forget to say jumper instead of sweater.

Anna and I went to a Halloween party last Friday, but we didn’t do much for Halloween here. Trick or treating isn’t that common here, and I live on a dead-end so there isn’t much foot traffic passing by. We had one group of trick or treaters. Hmmmm, what to do with all that leftover candy? I have pretty good idea of what will happen to it, and what has already happened to it. Let’s just say that it feels like the Garbanza is doing the Mexican hat dance in my belly from the massive increase of sugar in my bloodstream.

Yesterday, I discovered a new activity for Anna to tire her out and entertain her at the same time – chasing squirrels. It provides loads of entertainment for both of us.

On our way to a Halloween party!