Musings by Mel

A few things I learned from Mel today:

"Lady Star Wars" is his name for Princess Leia. 

Mel used to live with his Papa in New York City when he was a baby. Carolina and I lived in New Jersey. 

Ketchup is delicious. 

McDonald's is "the french fry place".

Five dollars is the price of everything that's really expensive. 

Star Wars cereal comments

So, for fun, I bought them this box of cereal. They know almost nothing about Star Wars. Trust me when I tell you dying to show them the movies but they are not ready. 

So these just happened:

"Mommy, Toyota is a good guy and Dark Vader is bad, right?"

"Does the blue LightSaver kill bad guys?"

"Do we like R2D2?"

"How does a TiedFighter fly?"

My favorite part of all this is that they remember R2D2's name. I love that little guy.

I also had this from my six year old:

"Mommy, it's Dark Vader, right? Because he is dark."

First week of preschool: a new friend?

Me: Do you want to bring this orange leaf to school to show your friends?

Mel: No. They mean. I hit dem. I don't like dem. 

Me: Why did you hit them?

Mel: Dey hit me. Um. No... the little girl hugged me. (Blushes)

Me: Really? Who hugged you?

Mel: Um... Maya. She hug me. 

Me: Yea?

Mel: And I love her. 

Fourth tooth out!

Sept 14, 2015

Fourth tooth out! (She's done for a while; no more loose teeth at the moment...)

Third tooth out

The third tooth fell out! September 12, 2015. 

First day of preschool

I Sept 9, 2015

"How was school?"

"Is not school. We didn't go to da park, so is not school."

"You didn't go to the playground?"

"Da teacher say no."

"Oh, so you did work inside and didn't go outside?"

"Yes."

"Maybe tomorrow?"

"Yes! Maybe park tomorrow."

Mel's first day of preschool. His most important news of the day. (And he didn't cry. Although he said he did a little after I left "...because I miss you, mommy." But apparently did really well.)

Bubbles in da water

Here's a quote from Mel last night: "Mommy! I made bubbles in the (bathtub) water!"

"Really? How?"

"With my butt!! Hahahaha."

Ties her own shoes!

Someone has learned how to tie her own shoes!! (July 2015)

Walking on a Manhattan sidewalk

First day of school, ever!

PHe was SO excited that he just ran off, just like Carolina did. Never turned around. No crying. He's in the back on the blue thing. That's the best I could do for a first day of camp-school picture AT the school. 

Backhoes

Dear Backhoes of the world,

My three-year-old son loves you. You are his favorite construction vehicles. He looks for you at each construction site. His favorite one is the "big one" at the middle school site this summer. 

Love,

Me

So, done with diapers? Noooot quite.

I thought we were done with diapers for Mel, but daily willful "accidents" show me we're not completely. I've decided to forge ahead and leave off diapers, instead of reintroducing them, and I'll have to wait and see how long this last phase goes on for. 

I call it willful accidents because he knows he's supposed to go in the potty and does every time, unless he doesn't want to. So each morning he wets himself or poops, or both. Unless he's woken up during the night with a nightmare, and I take him to the toilet then. But he'll then do it in his undies at nap time, which is new. 

Something is bothering him, and I don't know exactly what it is. He's clearly trying to control something. So, until this is resolved, onward with extra laundry!

And he decided he wants a new truck, so if he does all his business in the potty, every time for three days, he gets a new truck. This seems to be spurring him on and relaxed him a little. Like he is the one deciding on how he gets a new truck. 

Honestly, I'll buy him five trucks if this helps bring the potty training to a head. 

Potty training? Done! Dresses himself? Done!

Last night I finally listened to Mel and put undies on him at night, instead of a diaper. He didn't have an accident! ((He had asked a few times in the past week and I hesitated because he was going in his diaper just when he woke up instead of going to the potty. But never had an accident with underwear. He knew he was ready, I just didn't trust him right away.)

He's been dressing himself almost every day for a week. 

Who is proud of himself? This guy!

Potty training a three year old: Day 4, We turned the corner

I got up at the first sound and we sat on the potty for 45 minutes. Then I woke my husband up to take the next shift. I was exhausted. Forty-five minutes later I'm awoken to "you did it!" Poop and pee in the potty!

About 20 minutes later, while at the breakfast table, Mel says "I have a burp." That normally means he has to throw up but we brought him to the potty anyway and he peed again!

Then before his nap I say him down for 30 minutes, nothing. I asked if he really had to pee and he said, "Yes, hug me." So, like all the other times, I did. I expected it was the first of many hugs and then crying and "I'm scared" but this time he was quiet for a minute and then exclaimed, "I did it!" And lo, he did. No drama. Just pee. 

We've clearly turned the corner. It took four days. 

Potty training a three year old: Day 3

I didn't go into their room the first noise I heard and missed the first pee of the day. He had JUST peed in his diaper. 

So he wasn't ready for a second time until we were having an early celebratory dinner at a local diner after school. (Today's C's last day of kindergarten!)

I brought the portable baby potty, since a big potty is completely out of the question for Mr. Nervous, but he was too scared. We had to wait until we got home (quickly!) to try again. After much crying and "I'm scared!!!!" He finally burst into peeing. It went everywhere but it was easy enough to clean up. 

I'm waiting until he's in bed to wash the mountain of clothes, some with pee, waiting for me. 

There's clearly a poop brewing. So another hour or so for today's sessions to sit around waiting for him to do that. 

Tomorrow I'm waking up earlier and getting in there at the VERY first breath o I hear. I'm not missing it again!!

In other news, I was cleaning out the big diaper bag and trying to tell if it's good enough to give away or should be thrown away. It had some sand from last year's trip to Vallarta stuck to the hand sanitizer flip top. Clearly, I didn't clean it out after the trip, I haven't used it much afterward, and it should be thrown away!!

After two kids, six years, and countless diapers, it's being retired to the diaper bag depot in the sky. Also known as the landfill. 

Potty training a three year old: Day 2

So he held his pee for 19 hours. One small accident on the rug yesterday and then sat on the potty for about 4 hours after (plus overnight) and still didn't pee until 12pm today. 

I still see days of sitting with him in the bathroom, but he now knows he can do it and it's slightly less scary. (Man, he was pretty scared.)

It only took about four hours later (and over an hour on the actual potty) and more being scared and then: Pee! Poop! He was so proud he insisted I take a photo. I'm not posting that. It's kinda gross. Though I'm totally proud!!!

Potty training: three year old boy: Day 1

Since he must be potty trained before he starts preschool in early August, and there's little progress left to his own willpower, I've had to resort to more extreme measures. 

Day 1: no diapers, just underwear. (Diapers at sleeping times, of course.)

He thinks the regular underwear feels funny, and likes the training underwear better. Let's see how this goes. 

¡Chimuela! Lost her first tooth!

Wile eating pancakes this morning. 

Reading solo

Tonight, Carolina read three books (!) and said all her prayers without my help. And they both prayed for Bis so her back is better and she's not sick anymore. 

Carolina's world, Paladonia

I just heard about this world. It sounds like a socialist's dream. I didn't realize I was raising a liberal. Ha!

We walked out of the local drug store after using the automated check outs, and there were a variety of Asians walking into the store past us. 

Mommy, do Koreans shop here, too?

Yes, why? Everybody shops here. All kinds of people. 

Even Japanese?

Yes. Why?

Then why is it just in English and Spanish? Why don't they have Korean?

Where?

In the store.

Oh, when we check out?

Yeah.

Well, it's because everyone is supposed to speak English. 

Why?

It's the official language. So everyone is supposed to know it. 

But what if they don't? What if they get confused? Why can't they have other languages too?

That's a great question. They just don't. 

Well, in my world they do. 

Then she told me about Palladonia. How it's miniature but she's the president. How everywhere they use every language so no one is confused. And they use a slot machine style interface so you can pick your language.  How it's called Carolina as a nickname by the small people who live there. How the candy makers give extra candy to the children. How you get a toy when you go to church. There are a lot of cows, a lot of farms, and a lot of milk. There are "like 50 hundred beaches."

Painting class with Mel

Teacher: where does a horse live?

Mel: a garage!

Potty!!! First time for Mel.

Right now, Mel went poop in the potty for the first time!

He just started wanting to sit on it before taking a bath, just a few days ago this started, and tonight he said he wanted to go. I had to leave for a minute, and before I came back, he had run after me and was yelling "I did it! I did it!" with his arms in the air like Rocky. 

I couldn't believe it so I rushed back to see and there it was!

There will be much celebrating tomorrow with something sweet to eat. 

A girl can't have too many...

Carolina was in the living room playing by herself while I put Mel down for a nap. When I came out to look for something in the living room, Carolina stopped me and said, "Mommy, don't ask why I have too many necklaces in my bag here. I'm packing for a trip. You can never have too many necklaces."

A girl after my own heart. 

What princesses do