The Romper Room | Marriage Confessions The Romper Room

My daughter, Princess Grace, has chosen to sit on her diapered, cute bottom for the past ten months and not move a muscle. Puffalump had no interest in moving whatsoever. She was content to just hang out and flap her arms around when she was happy. For a while, I was convinced she would fly before she’d ever crawl.

Well, Friday afternoon I picked the kids up and we were hanging out in the living room waiting on Chris to come home. I was across the room doing something with Bean when I saw Gracie trying to get up on all fours. She has tried before to do that, but she couldn’t ever figure out how to get her foot out of the way. But this time, she actually moved her foot and got herself on all fours. Then she started rocking.

Now, at this point, I very quietly grabbed my phone because I wanted to be able to take a picture if she actually crawled and I didn’t want to interrupt her. I didn’t want to squeal or anything because the minute Gracie knows someone is watching her, she wants to be picked up.

Hence, our issue with the not crawling thing.

So, she started rocking back and forth and then, suddenly, SHE CRAWLED!!!

AND I GOT A PICTURE!!!

Do you see that tiny little choking hazard toy of Bean’s laying right there? That’s what it took for her to crawl. But who cares?!?! I’d let her chew on marbles if I thought she’d crawl!

Gracie crawled around all weekend. And she started pulling up on furniture and cruising, too! It’s like once she figured out how to move, she didn’t want to stop.

I’m so proud of her! All weekend long, I just squealed and shrieked whenever she started moving all on her own! I think I was freaking her out, actually. Saturday morning, she was playing with some toys on her bedroom floor and I stepped out to go put some laundry away. When I walked back by, she had crawled out into the hall and was sitting in the middle of the hallway, just hanging out.

FREAKED MY FREAK!

This afternoon I grabbed my phone and got a little video of the crawling in action. (Ignore the Tasmanian Devil rolling around in the pack ‘n play… We keep him around for entertainment purposes only…)

32 comments | posted in About Gracie, Gracie Girl, Milestones, The Romper Room | tags: babies, baby development, baby milestones

This post is only about regression. The other two words are there for no rhyme or reason. Actually, they are there exactly for a rhyme, but that’s not the point. The point is that this post is about regression.

Specifically, regression of the digestion.

Specifically, regression of Bean’s digestion.

Specifically, THE KID KEEPS HAVING ACCIDENTS ALL OF A SUDDEN!

Bean has been potty trained for well over three or four months now, at least. He potty trained fairly easily. Mostly because when the time came to potty train him, I waited until I didn’t have a newborn to take care of. I also waited until the daycare was ready for him to potty train, too. There was no point in us doing it at home but then sending him to school in diapers all day. The way our daycare handles it is four kids at a time are intensively potty training. That means that they are wearing underwear, but they are constantly being taken to the bathroom until they learn. Once one of those four is officially potty trained, they move them up to the “potty trained” list and they add another un-potty trained child to the group of four. Personally, I think that’s a great system because it makes sure that the children who are learning the concept get more attention and focus. It really helped Bean.

By the time I synched up with the daycare and all parties were on board with potty training him, he was more than ready. He was asking to go potty and crying when we put him in diapers.

We went cold turkey with him pretty much. Except for nap times and bedtime, he was in a diaper all day from the time. It wasn’t long before he was able to go through nap time without having an accident, so he started staying in his underwear during that part of the day, too. And then, about a month ago, he started waking up dry in the mornings and so we decided to let him try sleeping in his underwear. He had two accidents, but that was it. And both of them happened in his doorway, as he was getting up to tell us. Ever since then, he’s been completely out of diapers.

But then randomly, two weeks ago, he started having accidents again. He would occasionally have accidents before. Not often, but occasionally if he got playing really good and didn’t want to go, he’d have an accident. But two weeks ago, he started having accidents almost every day, and sometimes multiple times in a day. And the weirdest part was that it didn’t seem to bother him. Before, if he had an accident, it was beyond the end of the world to him. He would be so upset with himself, no matter how light and cheerful Chris and I tried to make it. You could just tell he was SO disappointed when he had an accident. But lately, he doesn’t really seem bothered. Now, when I pick him up from daycare, he happily yells to me, “Mom! I poopied in my pants!”

He went through this happy thing once before and I discovered that he was happy because accidents meant he got to change into different character underwear (he’s so clever!), but we nipped that by buying several pairs of plain white underwear. Then, when he had an accident, he had to wear white underwear instead of fun underwear. That stopped those accidents in one day. But this time he doesn’t even care if he has to wear the white underwear.

When this first started, he had a little stomach bug, so I thought maybe that was the problem. But then the stomach bug cleared up and the accidents continued. I picked him up from daycare today and he had had TWO accidents already. I can’t even remember the last time he had ONE accident at daycare. Even his teacher was a little confused.

So, imaginary friends, tell me what’s going on. I know regression when potty training is fairly normal, but I’m not sure what to do about it. Do we put him back in diapers? Do we keep letting him have accidents? Do we get on to him when he has one now? Cause, I’ll tell you honestly, that’s my first reaction. I get really irritated because he KNOWS better. But then I stop and think, “Geez, Katie! The kid’s only two and a half! It’s not like he’s doing it on purpose!” Or is he????

I’m confused. Help.

25 comments | posted in About Beanie, Growing Bean, Milestones, parenting, Potty Training, The Romper Room, Toddlerhood | tags: parenting, potty training, toddlers

A few weeks ago at my favorite place, Target, I ran across these adorable aluminum mailboxes in their $1 bins. I scooped up three of them and thought that I’d use them sort of as stockings for Valentine’s Day. I had all these plans to decorate them with puff paint and stickers, but it’s 9:37 on Valentine’s Eve and I’m tired. So, I Sharpie’d their names on the mailboxes and called it a day. I still think they came out really cute.

Chris and I agreed to keep Valentine’s Day cheap and sweet this year, so I did most of my shopping in the check out aisles at Target. In Gracie’s little mailbox, she is getting a new rattle/teether. She has a ton already, but she loves these suckers! I also picked up this adorable bendy flower that I wrapped around the mailbox flag. I stuck some candy in there for her, more for show than anything else. Although, I kinda want to let her try a piece of one of the jellybeans. I bet she’d flip out!

Bean got a Finn McMissle toy car from Cars 2. He has all the other character cars, so this completes his little collection. He’s going to be so excited. He also got a new box of crayons, which he really needs. He goes through Crayons like a mad man. His Grandmomma sent him some Angry Bird bandaids, too. I think Chris might steal some of these from Bean. He was pretty excited when they arrived in the mail today. Bean got some chocolates, too. It IS Valentine’s Day, after all.

Chris even got a mailbox! I stuffed his with my traditional gift of silly themed boxer shorts. And, of course, candy.

I think all total, I spent $20 on everyone’s gifts. Turns out that cheap and easy is totally doable!

I set up each mailbox on the living room table so that we could all open our gifts tomorrow morning before school. Under each mailbox, I put all the Valentine’s Day cards that family and friends have mailed the kids over the past week.

This is a new tradition for our family. Truthfully, Chris and I have never done anything really intentional for Valentine’s Day before, but it has been a lot of fun to plan and collect little odds and ends for each of them over the past week. I hope they all have as much fun opening everything tomorrow morning as I had putting it all together!

15 comments | posted in Fun with Mom, Holidays, Parenting Ideas, The Romper Room | tags: Valentine's Day gifts

“Hey, Gracie,” I said. “Whatcha wearin’?”

“Oh, do you like it? I call it my Little House on the Prairie ensemble.”

“Hmm…it’s very…uh…”

“Do you like the ruffled collar?” Gracie asked. “I really like the ruffled collar.”

“It’s…um…”

“Or maybe it’s too much. Ruffles were in last season, but maybe they’ve gone out this season…” she said. “What do you think, Mom?”

“It’s…uhhh…”

“Fashion these days is evolutionary, Mom. It’s cyclical. I mean, what was in last week will be out again this week, but might be in again next week. You know?”

“Oh…I…uh…I didn’t…” I stammered. “Are you sure ruffled collars are in again?”