Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Cheese & Whine

Cheese:

Nothing like a big, beautiful, cheesy smile to brighten your day:



Whine:

I for one need that gorgeous smile today! Chickie has been sick with a fever and an icky nose since Monday,which means she isn't sleeping so well. Then last night I discovered that Zoodle's got a fever too. Sometimes I wish Chickie would share a little less.

My second whine is potty training-related. Yes, Where's the Poop? is an adorable book. No, it hasn't led to Chickie actually pooping in the potty. I should be calm and patient, knowing that it will happen, and that I can't force it. I should be thrilled that the pee pee portion of our training is going swimmingly.

Instead I'm impatient, trying everything I can think of to help Chickie overcome her fear of pushing that poopy out where it belongs, and frustrated that it's just not happening.

I've resigned myself to the fact that it might take baby steps. Today Chickie had her big girl panties off and pooped on the tile outside the bathroom. Before potty training, I certainly wouldn't have known that I'd congratulate my daughter for doing her business on the floor. Yet as I cleaned off her legs, I smiled and enthusiastically told her how wonderful it was that she hadn't pooped in her panties and that she was near the bathroom when it happened.

Parenting ain't glamorous. It's full of whining--sometimes theirs and occasionally mine. Thank goodness for the cheesy smiles. They remind me that parenting (complete with rectal thermometers, misplaced poop, and 2 a.m. trips upstairs) is the best job in the world.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree - parenting is the best job in the world, and it sounds like you're one of the great ones at it (even with your self-professed lack of patience). I love the cheesey smiles from my little guy, too!

Tia said...

Oh I hope the kiddos are feeling better soon! Sick kids are no fun for anyone. Also, kudos to you for nursing for 3 years. That is worth some kind of reward!

Anonymous said...

That smile just melts your heart!

And, you have my sympathy on the potty training thing. I think I've told you before, that and driver's training were the two parts of parenting that I found most challenging.

Hang in there. She WILL be trained before she starts dating. That's the sort of thing I sometimes needed to tell myself. :)

Mary said...

hi anna..found our blog thru anna. :) love reading your stuff.
anyway i can totally relate with ya on this post..we are going thru the same stuff, potty training and all. hang in there! (that's what i tell myself everyday as i am cleaning up all the potty accidents!) :)

Becky said...

I hope everyone in your house is healthy soon! That's good news that Chickie is putting the pee pee in the potty - I've heard that most kids struggle more with learning to poop in the potty, so she's not alone in that. But she's halfway there!

(And what a cute smile Zoodle has!)

Mary said...

oops sorry! i called you anna! i meant BETH..lol can you tell i'm a little tired this morning?! lol

Anonymous said...

Oh I feel for you. Potty training is a pain! What worked for us on the poop was Build a Bear. I called it build a bribe. We went to the store and let her see what it was all about. She knew which one she wanted and what clothes she would get. Then we talked about it NONSTOP. It really helped. I figured that bear was the cost of one box of diapers. :) The picture is just precious.

nopinkhere said...

Sorry y'all are sick!
I second the picked out reward. K still loves his school bus he got for pooing on the big potty. (And yes, at one point I was THRILLED when he pooed next to the toilet in the bathroom. Yay tile! So I understand.)

Anonymous said...

I feel your pain. Gunny took over the top of the kid's playground hut today at McDonald's. My older dd came running down saying he was yelling at the kids to get out because he was "poopin." He knows what he's doing - he just doesn't care that it's not where Mommy wants it.

C. Beth said...

Anna--Thank you! It sounds like you're doing a great job too and I appreciate your thoughtful comments on BBC...even on a thread that may be controversial.

Tia--Thanks! Chickie's fever is gone today. Zoodle's just spiked higher than it had been, but at least I know that it probably won't last longer than a couple of days assuming he has what Chickie does.

Sandra--I have to tell myself that too. It WILL happen eventually!

Mary--Aww, thanks for reading the blog AND commenting! That's cool--and thanks to Anna for telling Mary about it! :)

Becky--Yes, I need to just count my blessings; I love that she's doing GREAT with peeing!! The rest will follow.

Becca & nopinkhere--Oh, goodness, we have definitely been trying bribery already. Problem is, she wants the toys, but she is absolutely TERRIFIED of pooping in the potty. In fact, these days she's terrified of pooping at all, doesn't even want a diaper to make it "like the good ol' days." So we'll keep singing the praises of pooping and of the toys she'll be getting...but for now I have had to let go and realize she's going to have to come to terms with her fear before the pooping will happen, and that's something unfortunately I can't rush. Trust me.... I've tried. :)

Sandi--Ha!!!! Well, I guess it's good he's not ashamed of it?

Anonymous said...

I meant to say on the previous entry- that I hope everyone is feeling much better.

Our Scoop said...

You are so funny!! Sorry to hear the kiddos are sick. We'll be praying for a speedy recovery!