Hattie vs the potty

Hattie and the potty!!!

She suddenly a couple of weeks ago started becoming super aware of her body and the toilet. She would tell me, "I pooped again." "Change it!" Sometimes there was poop and sometimes just pee or a fart. 

Then she started taking off her diaper. She was NOT interested in sitting on the toilet, just taking it off and pooping or peeing on the ground. She didn't want to do it in her diaper. But again did not want to be on the potty or toilet. 

Then she started going in her diaper again but would take it off right after, pee or poop and if it was a poop I'd better be aware and be there ready with a wipe. That hasn't always happened. 

Then one night during never ending bedtime (complete with never ending requests for food, water, daddy, babies, necklaces, etc) she took her diaper off and sat on the potty chair that was luckily nearby and pooped in it! We all celebrated, knowing it probably wouldn't happen again any time soon. She loves to congratulate herself, "yay, Hattie!!!"

Since then she pees or poops in her diaper and now will practically change herself. Day or night, and unfortunately many times in the dead of the night when I'm half asleep, she will take off her diaper if there's even just one pee in it and get a wipe and wipe herself and get another diaper and ask for me to put it on. 

It's exciting and crazy. I'm not expecting her to be potty trained any time soon and I know when the new babe comes she will regress in different ways so I'll just be here, celebrating, being patient, letting her lead and cleaning up lots of urine and poo. 

life lately

Freddie started Primary and Sunbeams! The weeks leading up to the change were looking great. He was excited. His nursery teachers said he was "so ready!" He went in to Primary a few times and loved it. Then the big day came and he was ALSO asked to give a talk on his very first day! It went great! It was about how God is the father of our spirits and he was super cute and only got nervous once and had me deliver a line, but then did the rest himself. BUT THEN....the next week came and he FREAKED out. and with each week it got worse and worse and worse... it was breaking my heart. He would cry and tell us he didn't want to go to church or primary or sunbeams and said he didn't want us to leave him and that he didn't like his teacher. (It didn't help that he had a different teacher every time for a few weeks while they sorted things out and that the teachers were never sitting there when he got into primary..but I know how hard it all is so I don't fault anyone!!) He went through something similar to this when he first started nursery though, and after a few hard months, he became a pro. So we stuck with it. Week after week it got harder and harder to leave him though and once I just stayed with him the whole time. And then the next week I was ready to leave him but was asked to stay and sit with his class as the teacher was not able to be there. That was horrible because Collin was home with the flu and Hattie was going nuts. I was honestly about to leave church and stay home till they graduate but I stayed and stuck it out and was blessed. He had a breakthrough. The primary chorister is so sweet and came out in the hall, where we were, and said she had a special job for him and that she didn't want him to miss it. He stopped crying, took her hand, and went in! And again the next two weeks, he went right in without being upset!!!! They got all the teacher stuff worked out and it's been consistent for a few weeks now, too. I couldn't feel more happy or blessed. I had been praying hard that it would work out and that Fred would feel happy and confident and I feel like my decision to stay at church that day when ALMOST all hope was lost, was a huge turning point. I know I made the right choice. It's hard to have little kids at church and sometimes it seems pointless, but I know it's important. I know Heavenly Father is aware of me and loves and blesses me. uggg...remind me of this when Hattie goes into nursery in a few months.....

lots of walks through the neighborhood. Sometimes it's like this and sometimes these two are running wild through the streets. I love our double stroller.

Collin and I have been attending the temple. One of us goes in and the other stays at the temple with the kids or at home. I got to go to the Gilbert temple for the first time (besides the open house) and do sealings. It was such an incredible experience. I felt the Lord strongly call me to repentance and that I am not living up to my potential. I need to pray more...and not just go through the motions, but actually have a conversation with my Father in Heaven. Talk to him and trust him. I have felt my marriage strengthen as I have tried to do this. And then Collin went away on business for a while and I let it all go, and let loneliness, insecurities, and fear creep in. So time to regroup and try again.


pottys in our house. Everywhere. We had to order another for Hattie because she loves to sit on Freddie's and they kept fighting over it. (we AREN'T potty training her by any means....just like having pottys for them to sit on and develop a positive relationship with while they are little.) Thank goodness for this $7 potty on amazon..and free 2-day shipping...and AJ Money's account.... :)


 

HE DOES EAT....now and again....


Lots of fun stuff at the Children's Museum of Phoenix

Very dear friend, Carla Frick, got baptized last month! It was a beautiful day!!!

We got a rocking chair. $30 from criagslist. I love it.

FHE, Uncle Jojo's basketball games, parks and heart museum

Work trips for Daddy all over the country. Collin now manages the social media for the AAA Delaware region. He is blessed with awesome coworkers.

we are so glad when he's back!!!

Freddie and the potty chair

Today Freddie helped pour a big bowl of ice water onto my head and then he took off his pants and diaper and announced that he doesn't want to wear a diaper anymore but wants to wear big boy underwear. I said, ok, and explained what that means and what he will have to do and we practiced. Then time after time throughout the day he would say he needs to go potty and would pull his pants down and go in the potty!!!! Now he will be three next month and we have never pushed him. We have had a potty chair for over a year and have allowed him lots of naked time and time in underwear that has always resulted in peeing through them (I don't call this an accident because I don't think he intended for any less.) and who knows---maybe tomorrow he will want to go back to diapers or maybe he will have tons of "accidents" but this proves to me that he will grow up and move on from being a baby and even a child someday. I need to not take his childhood for granted, not get so frustrated so easily and not let myself get distracted. 

POTTY PALOOZA!!!!!!!! ----An awesome book that TALKS about going potty and Fred loves it. We read it all the time. FAQs, steps, songs etc for preparing for going to the bathroom in the toilet and not wearing diapers anymore. It's not about forcing your child to be potty trained, but about letting your child lead when he is comfortable. Who knows what'll happen but I'm excited for these new milestones!! 

Fred and I are best friends. I'm so proud of him.