It seems as though the holidays - and all of the craziness that goes along with them - has taken a toll on this mama. I thought for sure I had updated The Abby (and Zach) Adventures more recently than NOVEMBER!! But alas, I see it's been almost 3 months! And what a busy 3 months at that:
November:
- Post-hurricane donations
- Dog surgery (she's ok!)
- Trip to Chicago for Thanksgiving (flight going was just mom and both kids for the first time ever!)
- Grammy in NYC to compete in the Scotch Most Gifted Wrapper contest (she didn't win)
December:
- Abby's trip to the Nutcracker, sleepover in the city with Grammy at a hotel
- Abby's first trip to the American Girl store in NYC
- Abby's first Broadway show - Annie!
- Abby's first time ice skating
- Hanukkah! (Zach's Hanukkah theme was trains, cars and legos; Abby's Hanukkah theme was Annie & American Girl doll)
- Potty Training!
January:
- New Year - 2013!
- Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show
- First preschool Shabbat for Zach
- A bunch of sick Strongins (colds, flu) :(
- Celebrating our baby nephew's first birthday
- A great report card & first kindergarten parent-teacher conference
So here we are, 3 months later with a lot accomplished, including potty training Zach in just 3 days. Yep, the little guy did great and is diaper-free (other than Pull-Ups at night) and we could not be more proud! It was a rough few days but we plugged along and made it happen. And at his first preschool parent/teacher conference, Zach's teacher told me that he his "the happiest kid in the whole school, always willing to do anything and is so good-natured." Also a proud moment, but his teacher isn't at home when he throws a fit because I won't put "Woody" (Toy Story) on or give him ice cream if he doesn't eat his dinner! But that's the Terrible Twos I fear - and I suppose we are lucky that it took him 8 months to get there.
I also could not be more proud of Abby, whose teacher wrote: “Abigail is a happy, outgoing, energetic student. She loves doing arts and crafts and drawing pictures. It is clear that Abigail is trying hard to follow the rules and be a good friend to her classmates. She often positions herself in front of the teacher during group lessons, and this usually helps her focus on the speaker. Abigail has become a fluent writer, she sits down, writes independently and also helps her peers when asked."
We, too, have seen huge progress from her in her writing, spelling and reading just in the past few months. It's exciting and encouraging when your kindergartener writes "I like Jijibredman bcoz the butis" (I like (the) gingerbread man because (of) the buttons) or "I love mom, dad, Zach and Sadie." Her teacher said she is reading at the level she should be at in June, which is promising to hear. And for a minute during her parent/teacher conference when I saw she received a 4 (for meeting with excellence) in "algebra," it turns out that kindergarten algebra is really pattern formation and recognition. Oh well, guess she won't be in MENSA :).
We have a busy few weeks ahead of us, with trips to Maryland and Florida planned as well as February vacation (for them, not me) and lots going on at home. Hopefully mama will take some time to update their adventures more frequently so that I don't forget the fun and exciting things they do!
Showing posts with label potty training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potty training. Show all posts
Monday, February 4, 2013
Friday, June 3, 2011
2 Weeks Til 4 Years
Hard to believe that nearly 4 years ago, I only had a puppy, husband and myself to worry and think about. As Abby's 4th birthday approaches, I realize that in the last 4 years, my life has migrated from relatively calm, somewhat boring and highly organized to slightly chaotic, always-on-the-go and highly disorganized - some might simply call it "Parenthood."
Abby's graduation and last day of her 2nd year of preschool was this week, signaling the official start of summer and that her birthday is right around the corner. As I was talking with her head teacher at the Moving Up Day reception, she said that she usually notices a few kids each year whose tremendous growth is noticeable from the beginning to the end of the year, and this year she wanted me to know it's Abby who she saw amazing growth from. She said she started out the school year one way and ended it mature and glowing - I liken it a little to how my life has changed in the last 4 years. She said it's been such a pleasure having Abby in her class and watching her grow up from an un-potty-trained toddler who didn't know the meaning of sharing to a fully-potty-trained, sharing and caring little girl. I had a very proud parenting moment and tried to take it all in. While I have my struggles with her at home, it's reassuring and so nice to hear that she is doing so well in school.
Abby still has mini-camp and regular camp (and don't forget about post-camp!) until she embarks on her last year of preschool, but I am anxious to see what this coming year brings for her and us. On the top of my list would be pre-reading and less whining...only time will tell if that will happen! In the meantime, we are taking her for a special end-of-the-year trip to Hershey Park tomorrow with our Maryland friends to celebrate her accomplishments this year and let her know how proud we are of her. I can't wait to see what her 4th year brings!
Abby's graduation and last day of her 2nd year of preschool was this week, signaling the official start of summer and that her birthday is right around the corner. As I was talking with her head teacher at the Moving Up Day reception, she said that she usually notices a few kids each year whose tremendous growth is noticeable from the beginning to the end of the year, and this year she wanted me to know it's Abby who she saw amazing growth from. She said she started out the school year one way and ended it mature and glowing - I liken it a little to how my life has changed in the last 4 years. She said it's been such a pleasure having Abby in her class and watching her grow up from an un-potty-trained toddler who didn't know the meaning of sharing to a fully-potty-trained, sharing and caring little girl. I had a very proud parenting moment and tried to take it all in. While I have my struggles with her at home, it's reassuring and so nice to hear that she is doing so well in school.
Abby still has mini-camp and regular camp (and don't forget about post-camp!) until she embarks on her last year of preschool, but I am anxious to see what this coming year brings for her and us. On the top of my list would be pre-reading and less whining...only time will tell if that will happen! In the meantime, we are taking her for a special end-of-the-year trip to Hershey Park tomorrow with our Maryland friends to celebrate her accomplishments this year and let her know how proud we are of her. I can't wait to see what her 4th year brings!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
2011 - We're Off to a Great Start (Mostly)!
Happy New Year!
I find it hard to believe that I am sitting here 13 days after Abby first wore underwear and started using the potty, telling you that I think my little girl is 99%potty trained! She has been pooping on the potty the past few days and most recently, is staying dry at night, too! Last night she woke up at 9:30 pm and today at 6:40 am to pee, but her pull-up was dry for the 4th night in a row! I am just sooooo proud of her and I can't believe how easy it was once we fully committed to it. She adjusted beautifully to having no pacifier and to the big girl bed, so I don't know why I am so surprised about the potty training, other than her stubbornness to go prior to this. My big girl is growing up right before my eyes!!!
In other news, Abby has part 1 of her speech evaluation tonight and parts 2 & 3 next week. Since her teachers (and we) have a hard time understanding her sometimes, we thought we might as well do the free evaluation and find out if she needs any help to clarify her words.
We are also having Zach (who is sick at the moment, courtesy of mom and big sis) evaluated for possible early intervention. My adorable little 8-month old is soooo laid back that he doesn't seem to want to move very much - from back to front, to get up on all fours or sit up by himself. His pediatrician said he may not need it, but we should at least get the process started, so I will be setting up those evaluations soon.
One new and exciting addition to our house is that now Zach finally has his own room! The contractors came the last week of the year to build a wall in our loft, so now the little guy has his own space at last. My job: decorate it so it looks cute but don't go overboard as I did with Abby's nursery!
A lot is going on in our household for the first week of 2011 so it promises to be a busy but hopefully great and rewarding year!
And a quick shout-out to Abby & Zach's great-grandma Zita, who is not reading this but who is celebrating her 83rd birthday today! Happy Birthday, Grandma Z!
I find it hard to believe that I am sitting here 13 days after Abby first wore underwear and started using the potty, telling you that I think my little girl is 99%potty trained! She has been pooping on the potty the past few days and most recently, is staying dry at night, too! Last night she woke up at 9:30 pm and today at 6:40 am to pee, but her pull-up was dry for the 4th night in a row! I am just sooooo proud of her and I can't believe how easy it was once we fully committed to it. She adjusted beautifully to having no pacifier and to the big girl bed, so I don't know why I am so surprised about the potty training, other than her stubbornness to go prior to this. My big girl is growing up right before my eyes!!!
In other news, Abby has part 1 of her speech evaluation tonight and parts 2 & 3 next week. Since her teachers (and we) have a hard time understanding her sometimes, we thought we might as well do the free evaluation and find out if she needs any help to clarify her words.
We are also having Zach (who is sick at the moment, courtesy of mom and big sis) evaluated for possible early intervention. My adorable little 8-month old is soooo laid back that he doesn't seem to want to move very much - from back to front, to get up on all fours or sit up by himself. His pediatrician said he may not need it, but we should at least get the process started, so I will be setting up those evaluations soon.
One new and exciting addition to our house is that now Zach finally has his own room! The contractors came the last week of the year to build a wall in our loft, so now the little guy has his own space at last. My job: decorate it so it looks cute but don't go overboard as I did with Abby's nursery!
A lot is going on in our household for the first week of 2011 so it promises to be a busy but hopefully great and rewarding year!
And a quick shout-out to Abby & Zach's great-grandma Zita, who is not reading this but who is celebrating her 83rd birthday today! Happy Birthday, Grandma Z!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
And, She's....TRAINED!
The Christmas Miracle to end all miracles: Abigail Jordan Strongin is (mostly) considered potty trained (during the day)!!!! Yes, folks, you read that right. My 3.5 yr old child who adamantly refused to so much as sit on the potty a week ago, is now wearing underwear during the day and telling mommy and daddy when she needs to pee! My dreams came true!
Here's how it all went down: On Thursday night, Dec. 23, the Diaper Fairy (aka mom) sent Abby a box that containted Kandoo flushable wipes & Pull-Ups, with a note to Abby that she was to take those items and put her diapers and wipes in the box to send it back to the Fairy to receive lots of great presents in return. So Abby threw her remaining size 4 diapers and wipes in the box and left it outside for the DF to pick up that night.
When Abby woke up bright and early on Christmas Eve morning, Jason "answered" the door to find the huge box from the DF with a million "B" and "C" presents in it (more to come on that). It also contained a letter from the DF, a potty chart and sparkly star stickers. Abby put on her big girl underwear around 7:30 am and we waited. And waited. And waited. The 3Day Potty Training lady told us to tell her to say "Tell mommy when you need to pee" and wait for her to have an accident and then rush her to the potty. By 1:30 pm, she still had not peed! Then, she had her first accident and we did as we were told. Some crying ensued as she did NOT want to use the potty, but we convinced her (ok, an M&M convinced her) to at least sit on it. A little while later, she told us she needed to go and lo and behold, she went and peed on the potty! OMG. And guess what - she did it 1 more time that first day and had one more accident, but 2/4 isn't bad for Day 1.
Day 2 came around and she only had one accident and made it to the potty 3 successful times! I have to say, this kid has a huge bladder - she held it in for 4-6 hours each day! Every time she'd pee in the potty, she would get an "A" present - an M&M, hershey kiss, chocolate-covered raisin, etc. and a star on her chart. 6 stars = a big "C" prize. The "B" prizes were for poops.
Day 3 - no accidents, more stickers and finally a "C" prize! Still no poops.
Day 4 - no accidents, more stickers and finally a poop - in her underwear. Another "C" prize!
Day 5 - no accidents, more stickers and another poop in her underwear. Another "C" prize!
Day 6 (today) - no accidents, more stickers, no poop and another "C" prize.
You see where this is going?! We are almost out of "C" prizes but still have LOTS of "B" prizes for when she decides to poop on the potty eventually. We even sing her favorite "pooping on the potty" song (thanks to Clara & Emma for that!) and she knows where she should do it but seems afraid to. But regardless of the poop issue, I am beyond thrilled that she is in underwear ("nighttime underwear" or Pull-Ups, are for night). Hopefully she will figure out that pooping in her underwear is not so fun and will try to go in the potty. And hopefully, the transition back at school next week will be a smooth one.
Not to neglect my second child - happy 8-month birthday, big guy! Zach got shots today and barely cried, weighed in at 17 lbs, 13 ozs, and finally decided to roll over from his back to his tummy (about time, dude!).
As we come to the end of year where we became a family of 4, welcoming a baby boy into our world, I recognize that it was a great year. Abby became a big sister and transitioned to a big girl bed; Zach was born and has spent the last 8 months of his life laughing and smiling and I became the mommy of 2 amazing kids and can only dream of what's in store for 2011. Happy New Year!
Here's how it all went down: On Thursday night, Dec. 23, the Diaper Fairy (aka mom) sent Abby a box that containted Kandoo flushable wipes & Pull-Ups, with a note to Abby that she was to take those items and put her diapers and wipes in the box to send it back to the Fairy to receive lots of great presents in return. So Abby threw her remaining size 4 diapers and wipes in the box and left it outside for the DF to pick up that night.
When Abby woke up bright and early on Christmas Eve morning, Jason "answered" the door to find the huge box from the DF with a million "B" and "C" presents in it (more to come on that). It also contained a letter from the DF, a potty chart and sparkly star stickers. Abby put on her big girl underwear around 7:30 am and we waited. And waited. And waited. The 3Day Potty Training lady told us to tell her to say "Tell mommy when you need to pee" and wait for her to have an accident and then rush her to the potty. By 1:30 pm, she still had not peed! Then, she had her first accident and we did as we were told. Some crying ensued as she did NOT want to use the potty, but we convinced her (ok, an M&M convinced her) to at least sit on it. A little while later, she told us she needed to go and lo and behold, she went and peed on the potty! OMG. And guess what - she did it 1 more time that first day and had one more accident, but 2/4 isn't bad for Day 1.
Day 2 came around and she only had one accident and made it to the potty 3 successful times! I have to say, this kid has a huge bladder - she held it in for 4-6 hours each day! Every time she'd pee in the potty, she would get an "A" present - an M&M, hershey kiss, chocolate-covered raisin, etc. and a star on her chart. 6 stars = a big "C" prize. The "B" prizes were for poops.
Day 3 - no accidents, more stickers and finally a "C" prize! Still no poops.
Day 4 - no accidents, more stickers and finally a poop - in her underwear. Another "C" prize!
Day 5 - no accidents, more stickers and another poop in her underwear. Another "C" prize!
Day 6 (today) - no accidents, more stickers, no poop and another "C" prize.
You see where this is going?! We are almost out of "C" prizes but still have LOTS of "B" prizes for when she decides to poop on the potty eventually. We even sing her favorite "pooping on the potty" song (thanks to Clara & Emma for that!) and she knows where she should do it but seems afraid to. But regardless of the poop issue, I am beyond thrilled that she is in underwear ("nighttime underwear" or Pull-Ups, are for night). Hopefully she will figure out that pooping in her underwear is not so fun and will try to go in the potty. And hopefully, the transition back at school next week will be a smooth one.
Not to neglect my second child - happy 8-month birthday, big guy! Zach got shots today and barely cried, weighed in at 17 lbs, 13 ozs, and finally decided to roll over from his back to his tummy (about time, dude!).
As we come to the end of year where we became a family of 4, welcoming a baby boy into our world, I recognize that it was a great year. Abby became a big sister and transitioned to a big girl bed; Zach was born and has spent the last 8 months of his life laughing and smiling and I became the mommy of 2 amazing kids and can only dream of what's in store for 2011. Happy New Year!
Monday, December 13, 2010
'Tis the Season
How is it possible that we are halfway through the last month of 2010 already?!?! The month has flown by for us, mostly because we have a lot going on!
Cora started last week and got off to a good but slow start. She is coming off a job she's been at the past 23 years, so this is all new to her. But thankfully, Abby took to her right away as if she'd been with us for years (relief!). While she gets up to speed with Zach and our house, Jason and I have been around a bit more to guide her. I hope that this will be our last nanny for some time!
Surprisingly, Laura paid us a visit last week as well. I wasn't home at the time (lucky for her!) but Jason said she and her son knocked on our door at dinner time, came in and made themselves at home with her son going to play with Abby and she went to hold Zach right away. She apparently had tears in her eyes and asked how the kids were doing with our new nanny. She implied that her new job wasn't all that it seemed to be and she wasn't so happy. Jason didn't know if she was coming by to see if we'd offer her the job back, or to see if she wanted to come back or just to say hi, but he felt it was awkward considering she didn't feel it was necessary to tell us she'd be working in such close quarters.
Abby's been enjoying some fun kid-friendly activities such as a friend's holiday party, the off-broadway production of Annie and this past weekend, we took her to see the Radio City Rockettes. She loved taking the train to the city and being among the gizillion tourists in Rockefeller Center and along 5th Ave.
While we have been asked "who's that?" with regard to Santa, we haven't gotten the "why don't we have lights and a tree" question yet. If not this year, I am sure it will come next year!
Abby (and we) have something exciting/scary to look forward to in the coming weeks: The Diaper Fairy (younger sister of last year's Paci Fairy)will be paying us a visit to take Abby's diapers away once and for all when school lets out for the year. Our adorable, smart daughter is as stubborn as they come and refuses to use the potty, so Miss Diaper Fairy will be coming along to show her the way. We anticipate a rough few days (weeks?) but hopefully it will pay off and we'll just have one size of diapers to buy!
Cora started last week and got off to a good but slow start. She is coming off a job she's been at the past 23 years, so this is all new to her. But thankfully, Abby took to her right away as if she'd been with us for years (relief!). While she gets up to speed with Zach and our house, Jason and I have been around a bit more to guide her. I hope that this will be our last nanny for some time!
Surprisingly, Laura paid us a visit last week as well. I wasn't home at the time (lucky for her!) but Jason said she and her son knocked on our door at dinner time, came in and made themselves at home with her son going to play with Abby and she went to hold Zach right away. She apparently had tears in her eyes and asked how the kids were doing with our new nanny. She implied that her new job wasn't all that it seemed to be and she wasn't so happy. Jason didn't know if she was coming by to see if we'd offer her the job back, or to see if she wanted to come back or just to say hi, but he felt it was awkward considering she didn't feel it was necessary to tell us she'd be working in such close quarters.
Abby's been enjoying some fun kid-friendly activities such as a friend's holiday party, the off-broadway production of Annie and this past weekend, we took her to see the Radio City Rockettes. She loved taking the train to the city and being among the gizillion tourists in Rockefeller Center and along 5th Ave.
While we have been asked "who's that?" with regard to Santa, we haven't gotten the "why don't we have lights and a tree" question yet. If not this year, I am sure it will come next year!
Abby (and we) have something exciting/scary to look forward to in the coming weeks: The Diaper Fairy (younger sister of last year's Paci Fairy)will be paying us a visit to take Abby's diapers away once and for all when school lets out for the year. Our adorable, smart daughter is as stubborn as they come and refuses to use the potty, so Miss Diaper Fairy will be coming along to show her the way. We anticipate a rough few days (weeks?) but hopefully it will pay off and we'll just have one size of diapers to buy!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Mid-Month Review
Alas, my favorite month of the year (and not only because it's my birth month) is already more than half over! Which means that we are quickly approaching Zach's 6-month mark and the start of the oh-so-fun holiday season.
What have we been up to this month, you ask? Well, like every other family in the Northeast, we went pumpkin picking last weekend at Outhouse Orchards. Between the pony rides, hayride, swingset, fresh food, ice cream truck, band and pumpkin patch, there was more than enough for everyone to do. Unfortunately, Jason got a little ambitious when pushing Abby on the "big girl" swing and she fell off it - thankfully with just a scare for us all, nothing more.
We are also working on cleaning out our loft/office area to make a real room for poor Zach, who routinely alternates his sleeping arrangements between a pack and play in our closet and a crib (with Abby's pink sheets) in the loft. We are hoping to get a wall built ASAP so we all can go back to having our own spaces, and the kid can have some blue or green crib sheets of his own!
I celebrated my birthday night at Abby's school at storytime, where the parents took turns reading to the group and the kids enjoyed cookies and milk. Afterwards, we came home and enjoyed cake and other delicious treats.
And last, but definitely not least, last night Abby FINALLY decided to SIT on the potty again, which she hasn't done in a very long time. Nothing happened, but we are back to celebrating the baby steps in this horrific process known as potty training. And should the day ever come when she is out of diapers, we will no doubt celebrate in a very big way!
What have we been up to this month, you ask? Well, like every other family in the Northeast, we went pumpkin picking last weekend at Outhouse Orchards. Between the pony rides, hayride, swingset, fresh food, ice cream truck, band and pumpkin patch, there was more than enough for everyone to do. Unfortunately, Jason got a little ambitious when pushing Abby on the "big girl" swing and she fell off it - thankfully with just a scare for us all, nothing more.
We are also working on cleaning out our loft/office area to make a real room for poor Zach, who routinely alternates his sleeping arrangements between a pack and play in our closet and a crib (with Abby's pink sheets) in the loft. We are hoping to get a wall built ASAP so we all can go back to having our own spaces, and the kid can have some blue or green crib sheets of his own!
I celebrated my birthday night at Abby's school at storytime, where the parents took turns reading to the group and the kids enjoyed cookies and milk. Afterwards, we came home and enjoyed cake and other delicious treats.
And last, but definitely not least, last night Abby FINALLY decided to SIT on the potty again, which she hasn't done in a very long time. Nothing happened, but we are back to celebrating the baby steps in this horrific process known as potty training. And should the day ever come when she is out of diapers, we will no doubt celebrate in a very big way!
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Beginning and End of Potty Training
I am writing this in the hopes that a few months from now, I will look back and laugh at how we started and stopped potty training in a matter of hours. I was really trying hard to be patient and wait until Abby was ready and wanted to go on the potty. But changing 2 sets of diapers was really getting to me, and with her getting closer to starting school, I figured it was time. So this morning I told her that we'd have a "panty party" tonight if she wore panties all day and went on the potty. The party would consist of cupcakes, balloons and stickers. She was on board with this plan when I left the house at 8 am. Here's the rest of the timeline:
8:36 am: Jason had called to say that she had her first accident
10:45 am: The number crept up to 3 accidents
12:00 pm: I heard she was screaming every time Laura would try to put her on the potty
1:30 pm: Call to mom to express frustration. Mom reminds me that I was trained when I was 3 and started school
2:45 pm: Phone call to family friend and psychiatriast (who also has a 3-yr old daughter who is not potty trained)
2:55 pm: Called off potty training efforts
Family friend/psychiatriast told me that it is in our best interest to not speak of it or think of it and let it happen on its own. She said we'd be causing many more issues later on if we pushed her. She said if and when she does go, to be happy but not overly excited b/c it will make her feel like she is doing it for us, instead of for herself (so don't say "I'm so proud of you", rather "you must be so proud of yourself"). Glad to hear it from an "expert" who is also going through the same thing as us. So PT is off for the time being!
8:36 am: Jason had called to say that she had her first accident
10:45 am: The number crept up to 3 accidents
12:00 pm: I heard she was screaming every time Laura would try to put her on the potty
1:30 pm: Call to mom to express frustration. Mom reminds me that I was trained when I was 3 and started school
2:45 pm: Phone call to family friend and psychiatriast (who also has a 3-yr old daughter who is not potty trained)
2:55 pm: Called off potty training efforts
Family friend/psychiatriast told me that it is in our best interest to not speak of it or think of it and let it happen on its own. She said we'd be causing many more issues later on if we pushed her. She said if and when she does go, to be happy but not overly excited b/c it will make her feel like she is doing it for us, instead of for herself (so don't say "I'm so proud of you", rather "you must be so proud of yourself"). Glad to hear it from an "expert" who is also going through the same thing as us. So PT is off for the time being!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The End of Camp
Well, today is the last day of Abby's first year of summer camp. I should be so excited at the prospect of her starting pre-school but alas, it is not starting for another month! That means a full month of our nanny Laura taking care of both kids all day long. Hopefully she'll be able to manage it, because I certainly wouldn't be able to! So if anyone has any fabulous suggestions for what my nanny can do with a 3-yr old and a 3-month old (other than the park, playground and library every day), please feel free to share them!
We were thinking about potty training Abby during this time but I don't think either of us is ready. I am not ready for the screaming and tears that will ensue when we force her to sit on the potty and I know she is physically ready but not there emotionally yet. No matter how much bribing we do, it does not seem to matter to her, which is odd considering the majority of her friends are trained.
Anyway, it should be quite an interesting month, that's for sure!
We were thinking about potty training Abby during this time but I don't think either of us is ready. I am not ready for the screaming and tears that will ensue when we force her to sit on the potty and I know she is physically ready but not there emotionally yet. No matter how much bribing we do, it does not seem to matter to her, which is odd considering the majority of her friends are trained.
Anyway, it should be quite an interesting month, that's for sure!
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