Potty Training Again

Smile. I've re-entered the potty training phase for the 3rd time with my 2 1/2 year old. I started trying to potty train him a year ago, which was too early. When he turned 2, I started again, but having never successfully potty trained a child before, I made a lot of mistakes. I was so afraid of him failing that I never really let him succeed. Whenever we'd go out and about, I'd put him back in a diaper. He wore diapers at night, but underwear during the day. I tried letting him run around naked, but found that he pretty much just peed everywhere. Then, my husband and I added a new puppy to the mix and I was overwhelmed with messes. So, I backed off again.

So far, third time's a charm! He's definitely ready to make the switch from diapers to big-boy pants this time. (Mommy's ready, too.) With the puppy happily relocated to outside the house, I'm not dealing with her messes. Of course, 1o month old baby brother can still make potty training interesting. I usually have to hold the youngest so he's not trying to climb on big brother during potty time.

Mornings seem to be the hardest to get through without a mess. (That morning BM is just not making it to the potty!) Elijah is doing really well during the rest of the day. I decided to let him sleep in underwear at night after I noticed that his diaper was dry when he woke up. He's made it two nights in a row without any messes so far!

I'm so proud of him!

How Was Your Week?

After the rest of the week, I really don't remember anything about Monday.
Tuesday afternoon, I discovered my oldest child was hot with fever. I'm not one to worry too much about illness. Everything I've read about fevers says that if there are not any other symptoms, and the fever is not too high, just keep an eye on 'em and try to control the fever with tepid baths, and medicine. So, that's what I did. Of course, we also asked the Great Physician for Elijah's healing. Fever didn't go away. Wednesday, he was still hot. Thursday, he stopped wanting to eat anything. So, I made sure he had lots of liquids. Friday, more of the same. He, for the most part, was his normal two year old self--playing, laughing, being a bit ornery, but still hot to the touch and not interested in food. Then the fever spiked to 104.1*F.
I called an aunt who is a Physician's Assistant and asked some questions. She recommended taking him to the doctor, but by then, it was Friday night. I called my husband and he agreed with my aunt saying he'd feel better if I took Elijah to the doctor since he had been three full days with a fever.
On a Friday night, 'to the doctor' means to the ER. So, feeling a little foolish, I bundled him and my 9 month old up and headed to town. At least I didn't have to wait several hours just to have a fever checked out. I thanked God for small town hospitals. There was no one else in the emergency room. It was a weird thing to walk into the hospital with a normal acting 2yr old--supposedly ill, but who didn't look sick at all. When the nurse checked his temp it was 99.2*F. Good!--Well, it was a lot better than 104.1. Why did I even come? I thought. The prayers and medicine are apparently working and I feel foolish for this unnecessary hospital visit.
Elijah suddenly started saying he wanted 'num-nums' (our kid-talk for food). Then, my 9 month old, hungry to nurse, started making a fuss. I was trying to hold him as he squirmed and bucked and hollered. Elijah joined the din and started climbing on me. Daniel grabbed Elijah's sippy cup and started sucking on it. The doctor asked, "Do they share a cup?" I answered, "Well, I guess they do now," as I took the cup away from Daniel. "Now he's going to get sick," she stated quite certainly, eyeing Daniel. I could just hear her thoughts: Gee, don't you know that germs spread?! And I was thinking, I've got two crying kids in my lap and I'm barely hanging on...a little help, please!?
Then she asks if Elijah is up-to-date on his shots. Ohhh, big can of worms there! My husband and I had been leery about immunizing, but had decided to go ahead and have our firstborn immunized. Then we discovered that one of the shots he had been given as a routine vaccination, was recalled a few months later and was no longer being administered because too many children had adverse reactions to it. My son is not our government's guinea pig! Have you even researched what they preserve the vaccines in? Mercury...fermaldahyde... uh, yeah! Let's take a vulnerable infant and put a bunch of known poisons into him!? I don't think so. Not in my kid, they won't. But, I only tell the doc that he hasn't had any immunizations since his 12 month shots and we don't immunize anymore. Now, I'm really on her black list.
Anyway, we made it out of the ER pretty quickly. The doctor instructed me to keep doing what I had been doing. He just had a virus.
Saturday, he was still feverish.
Today is Sunday and the fever is finally going away. He still had a slight fever this evening, but at least it is no where near as high as it was. I'm really looking forward to getting some sleep sometime soon. Waking up at night with a sick child is not fun, but it's part of being a mom (or a dad--thanks Honey).
At least I didn't get puked on this week. A lady I know of is celebrating her first Mother's Day today. Her son puked on her four times before it was even time for church this morning. She commented dryly, "Yay. Happy Mother's Day to me." When her brother learned of her bummer morning, he said, "Sis, he was just giving you all he had to give!"
One thing is certain: I'm glad it is Sunday, the start of a new week. Another chance to do better, have more fun, keep calm, be a good mom...I'm praying for nice weather, lots of energy, healthy children, and to always be able to see the funny side of everthing.