We’re trying to teach Owen to put the seat down after he pees so every once in awhile when he forgets Tom jokingly makes him do a few push-ups. 🙂
Category Archives: Potty Training
Katie’s Barbie reward
After our initial potty-training experience went well, we’d been having a rough few weeks with Katie having wet underwear A LOT. So we decided a bribe was in order.
She found a Barbie she wanted at Walmart and she had to be dry for seven days to get it. We put up a chart and she put her daily stickers on…and damned if she didn’t do it the first try!
I’m a monster, I know.
I wanted to throttle both kids by 6:45am.
Owen went downstairs to play on the iPad—which he knows he’s not supposed to do. And then got mad at me when he got in trouble for it. (I’m a monster, I know.)
Katie had wandered around this morning and gone downstairs to find Owen and consequently couldn’t make it to the potty in time (when it was actually time) so peed all over the stool and the rug and her PJs…and screamed when I took her PJs off because she still wanted to wear them. (I’m a monster, I know.)
Owen had tried to clean up the pee—with toilet paper, so it was a sopping mess (but at least he tried!)—but after I dumped the TP I tried to clean the stool off in the tub but Owen had left the shower knob on so I got a head and shoulders full of water instead (which normally wouldn’t have been too awful but my hair is currently straightened so that messes that up).
Needless to say I lost my shit just a little bit. Dealing with that crap is never fun, but even less so before 7am.
Potty training update!
It’s been mostly good… She’s always dry in the morning and pees first thing (she even takes off her own diaper to do so). She very good about getting to the potty at home or asking when we’re out (though we haven’t been out that much). She did have a few issues with poop—it seems if we’re at home it’s better than if we’re out (which means we’ve had poopy undies twice). And today she pooped in the potty all by herself (without me prompting her) so this was her reward:
And then justlikethat she peed on the leather chair! After she had just sat down (so it’s not like she was engrossed in anything). What?! So that was her first pee accident since the first day. Frustrating.
But overall she’s doing very well.
Potty Training, Day 3
Katie woke up dry again this morning! And again she didn’t want to use the big potty—well, she actually said she didn’t have to go. But I sat her on the toilet and whaddya know? She peed. 🙂 She got a bath then put on a pretty dress!
She wanted to go to the bus stop with Owen but I simply said we weren’t going today. About 10 minutes later she says “I peed in the potty! Now can we go to the bus stop?” Yes, yes we can you little smarty pants. 🙂
The rest of the day was her peeing mostly on her own in the big potty (“I can do it by myself!”) because I promised her two stars on her chart for every time she used the big potty vs. one star for using the little potty. She was still SO excited to put her stickers on the chart…but she didn’t seem overly concerned with actually collecting a prize when a row was completed.
We went out for dinner and a few errands tonight and she peed before we left—and we took her potty chair with us just in case. We never needed it, though we had two false alarms (one in Marshalls and one in Costco) and one successful potty at Noodles & Company.
So now we just keep on keeping on. She’s supposed to go commando for a month, at which point she should (hopefully) be pretty good at pottying and not having accidents—and then she can graduate to wearing all her cute undies she’s excited about (Frozen, minions, princesses, Doc McStuffins).
FINGERS CROSSED!
Potty Training, Day 2
Tom got Katie up this morning and her diaper was dry! He said she really didn’t want to pee in the big potty, but once she sat down she peed and peed! Yay!
8:35 I told Katie she had to pee if she wanted to go to the bus stop with Owen. And she did! She had to take her lunchbox. 🙂
When we got home, she wanted to play outside and do chalk.
She ran in a few times to pee but they were all false alarms. She wanted to ride her bike, so I told her she could after she peed again. So she came in about 20 minutes later saying she had to pee, didn’t pee, but tells me she peed in the grass. Yay…but no. I didn’t see it so no sticker…and no bike ride.
11:40 She’s very good about sitting on the potty without any direction. This trip earned her a new book!
1:00 Katie just peed in the potty and I said I was proud of her. She looked at me, did a curtsy, and said a drawn out thank you. Where do they get this stuff?
She continued to pee in the potty all afternoon—assuming each time she’d get to ride her bike. She finally gave up on asking for her bike but still kept peeing in the potty! She even earned another book!
I had treats set up for every five pees…and she filled the sheet and just kept sticking them on.
And then when we were outside eating dinner, she had to go in and pee. She even emptied it into the toilet herself. 🙂 Then she said she had to pee again and went inside. Owen happened to be inside at the same time and came out singing “Katie’s pooping in the potty!”
Wait. What?
I’d been reminding/asking randomly all day and she just kept saying she didn’t have to go yet. I believed her, but I also kind of thought she’d try to hide. But now she just went on her own? I raced inside and…yep! She pooped in her potty!! WOOHOO!
So daddy took her to get a special treat (a milkshake from Burger King).
Day two is in the books and she did amazing! Let’s hope it continues!
Potty Training, Day 1
Tom was going into work late so he was up first with the kids. He took Katie around and they threw away all her diapers and put her diaper changing pads in the garage! She was already eating breakfast naked when I came downstairs. 🙂
Then I got her salty snack stash ready for the day…anything and everything to make her thirsty!
Checking it out…
Super giddy to see all the treats she can eat…all. day. long. Complete with a magically replenishing juice box. Three days only! 🙂
Settling in for a movie…on a waterproof pad, of course!
8:00 And whaddya know? She peed on the little potty all by herself! Surprised the heck out of us…but she just said “I have to go potty!” and went right to the potty chair and peed like she’s been doing it her whole life. I had a brief moment where I thought “It can’t possibly be this easy, can it?”
Popsicle!
11:00 Fast forward through three hours of me saying I was proud of her for being a big girl and using the potty and reminding her to use the potty…and she went to get another juice box from the fridge—so she was out of my sight for about eight seconds—and she came right back and told me she peed on the floor.
😐
This is the maddening part. She obviously knows when she has to go since she did it perfectly this morning. So why not this time? Interestingly, even though I wasn’t mad at all and just had her help me clean it up, she asked if I was mad at her. I assured her I wasn’t.
So then she wanted to paint so we did that…for all of two minutes. Then I was watching her closely because I suspected she had to poop, and I was just about to comment when she said I HAVE TO GO POOP and went right to the potty and pooped a huge poop! And she was TERRIBLY excited to go dump it in the potty! WOOHOO!
Of course, knowing what happened with the peeing this morning…I honestly don’t anticipate a duplicate recurrence…though I will keep my fingers crossed.
1:15 She peed a tiny dribble in the potty without any reminder. We went upstairs to tell daddy the good news (he’s home early but studying) and then…
1:20 She peed again—this time a full amount! I was walking down the stairs (she had run ahead of me) and she was already carrying the potty insert to the bathroom! She dumped it out the was off to put another sticker on the chart!
2:30 We Skyped with Gramma Jean so we could tell her how awesome Katie has been doing…and she peed in the potty while we were skyping! She took Gramma to put her sticker on!
3:40 She got tired of snacky stuff and asked for fruit. 🙂
4:45 She peed in her potty while I was getting dinner ready. That was #5 for the day so she for her reward—her choice between two new books! She picked There’s A Mouse About the House.
Daddy read it to them:
We ate dinner outside and she left the table once for a false alarm and once to pee for real! Then she peed again once we got back inside! YAY KATIE!
For bedtime we put her in a nighttime diaper—explaining that nighttime and naps are the ONLY times she gets to wear a diaper because her body is asleep a LOOOONG time and doesn’t yet know how to wake up to pee. And the diaper comes off first thing in the morning.
So overall it went MUCH better than I anticipated…and I hope that tomorrow goes just as well.
Frozen underwear!
Gramma Jean sent Katie some Frozen-themed underwear to hopefully get her interested in her upcoming potty training! Katie loves them, of course…so fingers crossed it helps!
I can’t believe this hasn’t happened before now.
She went in to go potty while I was picking out her clothes…when suddenly I heard crying. I ran in there to see this.
She was not happy. But of course I took the extra 10 seconds to snap a pic before helping her out. 🙂 It was only pee water but I figured I’d better at least rinse her off—and she didn’t like that, either.
What a way to start the day. Poor Katie.
Katie peed on the potty!
We haven’t officially started potty training yet, but every now and again we will ask Katie if she wants to pee or poop on the potty. Sometimes she wants to but nothing happens and other times she wants nothing to do with any of it.
But tonight when Tom asked her she said yes! And then actually proceeded to tinkle!
We all made a big deal about it and she got to pick a toy from the toy bin! I think Owen was most excited, getting out the toy selection and picking her toy—until we told him she got to pick her own toy! To his credit, he was still excited for her!
She picked those growing capsule animals:
Of course I’m not expecting anything to come of this. Owen did the same thing and then it was another two years (!) before he was actually potty trained.
Owen’s last GI appointment!
We hadn’t been in a few months because Owen has been doing well, but we thought we’d better go for one last checkup before we move.
The kids amused themselves while we waited…
And then the doc examined Owen and said everything felt great—and was excited to get a good report on Owen!
I told him we were moving and asked what we needed to do and he said just keep doing what we’re doing—the Miralax every day, the P fruits, and cleanouts as necessary. I asked how long we needed to continue the Miralax regimen if things keep improving and—are you ready?!—he said at least another year or two. Maybe three. EEK! I guess it’s better than the alternative, though…
He also said he’s always here if we want to come back and see him, but he’s sure we could see someone up around DC if we really needed to.
So…YAY OWEN!
I think they were happy accidents!
So I was changing Katie’s diaper and she says “Poop potty!” Since she was mid-diaper change, I took her to the potty. Within a few seconds, I heard tinkle tinkle! Wait. What?! So I clapped and screeched and sang the pee pee in the potty song.
I don’t really think she knew what she did—but she repeated it when I said it.
AND THEN LATER…she pooped in the potty! Just one little rabbit turd, but still! What?!
Fifteen minutes later she pooped a real poop in her diaper so I’m sure both potty successes were just happy accidents and won’t be recurring anytime soon…but it made for a memorable 21-month birthday!
Random fun on our last night
ATTACK!
They both like Legos and Owen is willing to share!
Getting ready to start loading the car!
Happy, relaxed family!
She wanted to try to poop so very badly…and she’s SO cute.
Nothing yet…but she likes trying!
She watches like a hawk when any of us go to the bathroom (she’ll even sit on the stool in front of the sink to wait) and she has started wanting to go in herself. Of course she hasn’t actually been successful yet…but our fingers are crossed since we definitely deserve an easy potty training experience after what we’re going through with Owen (he had a few tiny successes early on like this, but they were just flukes). (I just looked back and the first fluke of Owen peeing in the potty? At 27 months!)
Isn’t she just SO cute?!
Snakes and Poppers
Owen earned some fire snakes and poppers for using the potty and he wanted to save them until daddy got home! So when Katie napped, we went out and did them today!
Oh no, not again.
So we had another follow-up appointment with Owen’s pediatric GI this morning. He asked me how it was going and when I said “About the same—lots of poopy undies even after almost-weekly clean outs…” he felt Owen’s abdomen and told me he would definitely suggest another hospitalized clean out (he can still feel poop up too far). He basically said “What are you doing this weekend?” And I was honestly like a deer in the headlights because I DID NOT expect that.
I asked how that could be since I’ve been much more aggressive with the clean-outs—doing them more frequently and REALLY making sure he’s cleaned out (i.e. waiting until we get multiple instances of very watery diarrhea)—and he said I probably AM cleaning him out to a certain extent, but that there’s just too much in there so I’m getting (say) the first “chunk” (so to speak) but not the rest. So, if I KEPT going, I’d likely get more. Also, the doc said that since I’m still letting Owen eat during these clean-outs, that just adds more…
So…I said that this weekend really wouldn’t work because it’s hard to get a sitter. The doc suggested Owen was old enough to stay by himself—but sorry, even though we’ve been there once and he wouldn’t be unfamiliar with everything, there’s NO WAY I am leaving him in the hospital by himself. I told him Tom was coming home in a few weeks and asked if we couldn’t wait until then and he said that was fine—it took a year to get to this point, another few weeks isn’t going to make a big difference.
Owen didn’t seem to freak out at the thought of having to go again, but when I asked if he wanted to try a no-food clean-out at home to try and avoid going to the hospital, he said yes. Now, I’m sure it SOUNDS good, but when the time comes for him to only have juice and NOTHING else, he might be singing another tune. (He can have popsicles and broth, but he doesn’t like either of those.) He was concerned about what TYPE of juice he could have and when I told him he could have apple juice, he was happy. So we’ll see. I can call the doc’s office at any time to tell them we’re ready for the hospital…and in the meantime, I have to keep doing the same clean outs to keep him as cleaned out as possible.
Good times.
New army men
I was cleaning the dining room and found the bag of army guys—which Owen was excited about. He knew they were “poop toys” and wanted them desperately so he said “Mama! I gotta go poop!” AND HE DID! Which of course I was happy about…BUT WHY CAN’T HE DO IT WITHOUT PROMISE OF TOYS?!
Anyway.
He was happy.
The poop song, versions 2 and 3.
GI checkup: 3-6 more months, minimum
Not much has changed…we have some good days and bad days, I still need to do the mini clean-outs every other weekend, and the doc said this is normal for three months post-hospitalization…and 6-9 months is the normal time frame before we HOPEFULLY start seeing more of the good days. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. (I hate marathons and sprints, but I’d rather do sprints.)
So anyway, we at least got updated stats:
Weight: 64.2#
Height: 47.12″
EEK! No wonder his 4-5T pull-ups have been looking a little tight…AND why he’s in size 8s.
Helping—she handed him his shoes then tried to put them on with him.
Playing together while waiting for the nurse.
More waiting. It’s frustrating because the actual time with the doctor is about five minutes (which is fine and all we really need) but since it’s just him and one nurse, it takes 20 minutes for her to come back and schedule your next appointment since she’s in with other patients. We always get in on-time (if not early) so overall it’s not bad (and it’s still way better than having to drive three hours round trip to Wilmington) but it’s just slightly frustrating.
Anyway, they both did pretty good waiting and Katie loved looking behind the blinds.
Then some family fun…
I noticed that Katie was sticking her tongue out (no idea why) so we all did! This might just be my favorite picture of the month. 🙂
Singing the poop song.
He sang a funny on-the-spot made up poop song for me so I asked him to sing it again so I could record it. Of course it wasn’t anything close to what he originally sang, but it was still cute. PLUS! I got the bonus of a pee song. (It’s obviously school-related since he talks about teachers and going back to your “center” which is the different learning areas of the classroom like Library, Housekeeping, Art, and Science.)
I’ll try again another night and see what I get!
Bowels of Steel: The Eruption
And Mr. Bowels of Steel just erupted. All across my carpet, him and his clothes, the bathroom floor, the toilet, etc. And he was even wearing a pull-up. A complete disaster. (He had diarrhea once already this morning and made it to the potty without incident…so I was not expecting this.)
Of course he doesn’t like having poop all over him so I ask “Wouldn’t it be easier and cleaner to just poop in the potty like a big boy so we didn’t have to do this?”
“BUT I DON’T LIKE POOPING IN THE POTTY.”
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Now if you’ll excuse me, he needs a bath and I need to sanitize the bathroom and clean the carpets.
Bowels of Steel
I swear Owen has bowels of steel.
You remember the hospital? Two DAYS of Miralax before he started pooping.
Now? Three ex-lax and nine doses of Miralax since yesterday afternoon…and nothing’s happening yet. He really hasn’t pooped much over the last week so this clean out REALLY needs to happen. And he’d better empty out tomorrow, otherwise school Monday could be an absolute nightmare.
I can’t wait. 😐
Two Doctors
Katie’s 15m well-visit was today, and she passed with flying colors! He asked if she was eating her fruits, veggies, and meats (yes), if she could throw a ball (yes), if she knew five words (yes), and if she was walking on her own (yes, running!).
Weight: 23lbs. 15oz. (was 21lbs. 11oz.)—66th percentile (was 65th)
Height: 32-1/2″ (was 30-1/4″)—back up to 95th percentile (was 80th)
Head: 18-3/4″ (was 18-1/2″)—88th percentile (was 65th)
And for the sibling comparison, at 15 months, Owen was:
Weight: 28lbs. 12oz (95th percentile)
Height: 34″ (Above 95th percentile)
Head: 48cm (75th percentile)
Katie has allergies and is now on a low dosage of Zyrtec. I’m sure that’s what Owen’s snot and coughing is about, too, but it wasn’t his appointment so the doc couldn’t really do anything official. But, Owen was allowed to get his flu shot…and holy cow was that a drama. Of course he didn’t want a shot and just about pulled the “stiff as a log you can’t move me” crap, but I managed to get him in the room and as I’m literally shoving him to lay down on the table and keep him from flailing about and he’s screeching and snotting all over, the shot was done and over and he was like “That was it?” Yes, you little shit, I told you it was no big deal. (He whined louder and longer than Katie and her four shots!)
Then Owen had his follow-up with the GI specialist next door. He was 60.2# and 46-1/2″ tall. Unfortunately, there’s nothing else to do besides keep on keeping on—it took a year to stretch out his colon so it can take just as long for it to shrink back. And in the meantime, we just have to deal with the messy undies and have him keep trying to poop. I do officially have to do a mini clean out every other week—hoping enough gets done over the weekend so it doesn’t interfere with school.
Any bets on when Owen gets kicked out?
So as we were eating dinner, I was reminding him about bathroom routines and how he could always ask to use the bathroom—even if he was outside playing, etc., and that if his teacher asked him to try to poop he needed to listen to her and not get grouchy with her. Basically trying to lead up to “You have to wipe yourself—they can’t help you like mommy does.”
Then, appropriately, I smelled poop.
I asked Owen if he had poop in his pants and of course his answer was no. We go to the toilet and oh my was it a hot mess. Poop just caked thick in his underwear, covering about the size of your fist. And some was dried on so you knew it had been there A LONG TIME. 😥 So I explained to him that he had to try to wipe himself because if this happened at school his teacher wouldn’t be able to help him. And to his credit, he tried. But it was a miserable failure. We tried a few times from the back and then the front and then with wet wipes…and he still barely touched the mess. After he was done I still needed about three wipes with paper and three with wet wipes.
I know the teacher said it wasn’t really a big deal…but it kinda is. I bet I’m either making 1-2 trips a week or we get kicked out by Thanksgiving.
Just so you have some idea what I’m dealing with, here’s how I keep track of his pooping (it’s an app on my phone). This is only a small section (I also track Miralax/Ex-lax/Mineral Oil and consistency) but you can see that he NEVER initiates pooping and he has multiple dirty underwear incidents each day. Each week looks about the same.
Pre-K Home Visit
The home visit was basically just to get to know the teacher and for them (the teacher and an admin) to hand out the laundry list of materials (handbook, calendar, supply list, etc.) and let you discuss anything about your child you felt needed discussion. She also took a picture of him to put on his bin. 🙂 But it wasn’t bad at all—and I really REALLY like the teacher, Mrs. Ashley.
We went over his general home life (baby sister, three pets, daddy deployed), his potential behavior issues (how he’s generally a very well-behaved and polite kid, but with a recent streak of attitude), his food issues, and of course his poop issues. As I’m sure you can guess, the last two are the biggest worries for me.
As with preschool, all food (in this case, breakfast, lunch, and a snack) are all provided—and you CANNOT bring anything from home. If you don’t like what’s served, too bad. And while on one hand I can understand that…on the other hand, Owen doesn’t like much so I anticipate him being hungry quite a bit. I did tell the teacher about Owen earning “bonus badges” for trying new foods, so she said she’d let me know what he ate or if he tried a new food (I told her it would likely be very obvious if he tried a new food because he would initially refuse to eat it). She says their policy is that the kids have to try something…so that might help Owen—especially if other kids are having to do it, too. They will also call if (for whatever reason) he doesn’t eat anything all day. I guess I’ll just have a stash of granola bars or crackers in the car for when I pick him up.
As far as poop…I reiterated the entire saga to them (a condensed version starting from Day 1 of potty training through being hospitalized last month and the likelihood that he’s already constipated again) because I wanted them to know that I wasn’t hiding anything. I even told them I was honestly TERRIFIED of him getting kicked out due to this issue and that I almost didn’t accept the Pre-K admission because of it. They tried to assure me that it wasn’t that big of a deal and that they “have seen it all” and they “have worked with other kids on this issue”…but at the end of the day, they can ask if he needs to go and suggest he try…but they can’t really can’t assist in any way (and to me, that’s where the biggest problem will be). As she said, “We can stand outside the door and say ‘I think you might need to wipe again’ but that’s about the extent of it.” If it’s something really bad, they have to call me. Yes, call me, so I can drive 15 minutes in to clean him up. 🙁
After they left I tried to tell Owen a little about his new class and expectations so he wouldn’t be surprised. I told him he’d be eating lunch there and he might not like everything but has to try it…and it was like talking to a wall. He doesn’t pay attention and it drives me nuts. So I guess he’ll learn the hard way…
We built a boat!
Tom sent this as a reward for Owen being a good boy and future pooping in the potty. Which he sometimes does after you MAKE him…or when he knows there’s a big new toy on the line.
He did pretty good following the instructions (with a little of my help) and he only got sidetracked a few times. His attention would start wandering and he wasn’t really paying attention and I told him he was losing his train of thought. He asked what that meant. I told him his brain was moving along like a train, but then when he stopped paying attention it was like the train was off the tracks. So then he would drag his finger across his forehead saying “This is where the train goes.” 🙂
Well, it’s not looking good for Owen.
I’m guessing he’s already completely constipated again…he still refuses to poop and has dirty underwear 3-4 times a day, which the doc previously said means blockage. 🙁
Since we’ve been home from the hospital, he has only pooped of his own free will one time. One. (I’ve been keeping track.) He’s also only said “I have to poop” four times…but those were after I strongly suggested he needed to try. He’s not earned one Lego. Which is worse than it was pre-hospitalization. 🙁
I can’t do anything serious with Miralax or ex-lax since he has school 3x a week…so I only have the weekends. So it looks like I’ll be spending this coming weekend trying to get him cleaned out…which is not fun for either of us.
I just want to scream and cry.
The doc warned this might not be the miracle solution…but something HAS to change. We can’t keep living like this. I’ve tried everything I can think of…but nothing works. Owen isn’t even swayed by the threat of quitting school OR having to go back to the hospital with the needles and tube in his nose (even though he tells me he doesn’t want to do that).
I’m hoping the doc has some better advice at the follow-up appointment in two weeks…because I am seriously at my wits end.
Pre-K phone call and thoughts…
First, some background.
Preschool is what Owen is enrolled in now—generic preschool (that we pay for).
NC Pre-K is the North Carolina government-sponsored (free) pre-kindergarten—and is what he’s being considered for depending on what they decide about his poop issues. (This is the place I turned in the application late so at best we’re on a wait list.)
Preschool can be any ages up to and including 4—but generally at age 4 they go to Pre-K. I think Pre-K is more regimented—as they’re getting them ready for full-time school. Preschool is (as far as I can tell) glorified day care. (That’s not as bad as it sounds—they do have a curriculum so it’s not like the kids are running wild. But I think it’s closer to day care than kindergarten, if that makes sense.)
He doesn’t have to change any schools if I don’t want him to…but if I change him to Pre-K and he has issues, his original preschool spot might not be open (unless I continue paying for it—which seems crazy)…though I could get on their waitlist if there are no openings.
The plan is for Kindergarten next fall if all goes well as he’ll be almost 6. I just can’t see starting him and having him turn 7 in Kindergarten…especially since he’s already big for his age.
So, I just got a call from NC Pre-K to “ask me more about” Owen’s condition.
Yeah…I’m guessing they’re not going to even put him on a waiting list. Basically they have NO provisions (legally, etc.) to help clean up any accidents he may have or even to help with basic bathroom protocol. She said if he had any type of accident, he’d have to clean himself up, change his clothes, etc.
Which…wow. I can’t believe they expect a 4yo to do all that BY HIMSELF? I mean, I don’t think most 4yos could clean up a poop accident…but they get to go to preschool anyway. (Though I guess if there were too many accidents they’d get kicked out.)
I explained that he hasn’t had any major accidents since the hospitalization but if he did, he’s four and wouldn’t have the first clue how to clean himself up (well, he’d have a clue but it wouldn’t go well). I said he would be able to change his clothes but there’s no way he’d remotely be able to wipe himself but he does know how to wash his hands well.
It just felt like no matter what I said there was just no way to come back from “he doesn’t want to poop” and “he might have an accident” and “he has had issues pooping.”
So she’s talking to her supervisor and getting back with me to let me know if we’re placed, on a waitlist, or if it’s a complete no-go.
I asked where we’d likely be placed IF we were placed and she said Missy’s Private School or Shine 12 (next door to where he is now at Shine 14). She said they sometimes have a pre-k program at Shine 14 (where he is now) when they have funding…which they don’t right now. But Shine 12 and Shine 14 are right next door to each other (I actually just noticed today that what I thought was one big building is actually two buildings—so I googled and yes, it’s two Shine buildings.)
On the one hand, I like where he is (with two friends and moms I know and people that can pick him up if necessary) and the 3x a week is a hard adjustment as it is so I still can’t imagine going full-time 5x a week. (Both him handling it and me with the dropping off and picking up—though if it was full-time, it wouldn’t coincide with Katie’s naps at all.)
But on the other hand, he loves going to school and I imagine he would do okay in FT…plus Pre-K would be free and hopefully right down the street at Missy’s Private School (though of course I could get assigned the other one which would suck, but it’s at least the same drive I have now….just 5x a week vs. 3x a week).
So now I’m trying to think what I would do if offered which location… If I’m offered the close location, I think I’d be much more tempted to do it. If I’m offered the further location, I don’t think I would. Would it be better to stay on the waitlist for the location I want? If it’s available now, is it better to rip him away from his friends NOW or stay on the waitlist and rip him away at the half-way mark?
I didn’t consider any of this before because I didn’t know he’d have two friends in his class. I know kids are resilient, but I know he LOVES having his two friends in the same class…and it kills me to think I’d be taking him away from that. I’m leaning towards putting him in the Pre-K if he’s accepted…but the best case scenario would actually be to be put on the waitlist and magically have it come due about 2-4 months in so he’s used to the 3x a week schedule and can move up to the FT schedule.
But still. Ugh.
What a morning.
I’ve been up since 6:30 when Katie started screaming.
The cats have barfed three times.
Katie made a terrific mess out of bananas and granola bars.
I discovered my kitchen sink has been leaking for who knows how long and I haven’t the first clue how to fix it (so am hoping a friend can come over). All the towels stored underneath were soaked.
Owen pooped his pants (the first time since the hospital) and then filled the toilet with about a half roll of TP trying to wipe (zero success, BTW).
And Katie won’t stop screaming when I’m out of her sight.
/cry
My little Superman!
Since Owen loves dressing up so much—and loves super heroes—I got him this new costume. When he saw it (in the package) he says “Do I have to poop for that?” Hee. Everything he sees that’s for him he asks if he has to poop for it. 🙂 So I said yes! It wasn’t long before he earned it!
He had a little trouble getting it on the first time…
