Sunday, March 13, 2011
The tummy time blanket
Baby Calvin
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Pee like a man!
A lot of my friends advised that having a baby would mean that, even if I did succeed in potty-training Calvin, he might revert back into his old ways when the baby came. Luckily, he isn't potty trained completely, but now that the baby is born, we're back to fighting the potty training battle.
Quinn has come up with some fun potty chants. So, especially around bedtime, you might find the entire Marksteiner family parading around upstairs (Calvin usually does his parading in the nude) singing "Pee in the Potty, Pee in the Potty, Pee in the Potty bump bump bump!" at the top of our lungs.
This has gotten Calvin pretty pumped about using the potty. We occasionally beat on drums while doing this, and when he finally goes to the potty and pees we cheer for him.
Another chant (that Quinn made up) is good for encouraging young men to pee standing up. It goes (and you have to sing it like you're some kind of pro-wrestler taunting the competition): Pee like a man like a man like a man, Pee like a man like a manly man man!"
When we sing this Calvin gets the stool out and either pees in the toilet or does a high shot into the toilet.
For Christmas he got a pack of superhero underpants and I tried to get him excited about them by waving them around and saying he can try wearing underpants in the morning.... but that didn't go over too well. He cried and screamed.
Oh well. Some changes take a little getting used to. I can't expect to start flinging underwear around and expect him to be automatically enthusiastic. Luckily he got a neat book for Christmas that makes underpants seem cool: Aliens Love Underpants, By Claire Freedman. In it the aliens come down to earth to play with underpants.
But the thing that got Calvin to appreciate underwear wearing is flattery (hey-it works every time with me!) I put on a pair of underwear on him when he was distracted (he was looking at a Wiggles book when I was changing his diaper). Then, to be honest, I forgot that he was wearing it, so a couple of hours later his sweatpants were wet, and I took him upstairs for a bath. When he pulled down his sweatpants I said, "Wow! You've got underpants on! Cool!"
He looked down to see his awesome new underpants and I could tell he felt like a real big shot. He was talking about them all night as I got him ready for bed. Then I put another pair on over his diaper when he slept. (I don't have a rubber sheet yet... so I'm not ready to let him sleep without a diaper). When Quinn came home from his jazz band rehearsal, I told him to go upstairs and compliment Calvin on his underwear. It worked. Calvin knows it's cool to wear underwear.
We still have a few struggles. He still is rebellious and doesn't want to go to the potty when we ask him, and sometimes he only wants to wear the orange underpants and if the orange underpants are dirty we'll have to suffer through an afternoon-long temper tantrum. Why do kids have to be potty trained while they're so emotionally volatile and unreasonable? Sounds like the topic for another blog post.
Quinn has come up with some fun potty chants. So, especially around bedtime, you might find the entire Marksteiner family parading around upstairs (Calvin usually does his parading in the nude) singing "Pee in the Potty, Pee in the Potty, Pee in the Potty bump bump bump!" at the top of our lungs.
This has gotten Calvin pretty pumped about using the potty. We occasionally beat on drums while doing this, and when he finally goes to the potty and pees we cheer for him.
Another chant (that Quinn made up) is good for encouraging young men to pee standing up. It goes (and you have to sing it like you're some kind of pro-wrestler taunting the competition): Pee like a man like a man like a man, Pee like a man like a manly man man!"
When we sing this Calvin gets the stool out and either pees in the toilet or does a high shot into the toilet.
For Christmas he got a pack of superhero underpants and I tried to get him excited about them by waving them around and saying he can try wearing underpants in the morning.... but that didn't go over too well. He cried and screamed.
Oh well. Some changes take a little getting used to. I can't expect to start flinging underwear around and expect him to be automatically enthusiastic. Luckily he got a neat book for Christmas that makes underpants seem cool: Aliens Love Underpants, By Claire Freedman. In it the aliens come down to earth to play with underpants.
But the thing that got Calvin to appreciate underwear wearing is flattery (hey-it works every time with me!) I put on a pair of underwear on him when he was distracted (he was looking at a Wiggles book when I was changing his diaper). Then, to be honest, I forgot that he was wearing it, so a couple of hours later his sweatpants were wet, and I took him upstairs for a bath. When he pulled down his sweatpants I said, "Wow! You've got underpants on! Cool!"
He looked down to see his awesome new underpants and I could tell he felt like a real big shot. He was talking about them all night as I got him ready for bed. Then I put another pair on over his diaper when he slept. (I don't have a rubber sheet yet... so I'm not ready to let him sleep without a diaper). When Quinn came home from his jazz band rehearsal, I told him to go upstairs and compliment Calvin on his underwear. It worked. Calvin knows it's cool to wear underwear.
We still have a few struggles. He still is rebellious and doesn't want to go to the potty when we ask him, and sometimes he only wants to wear the orange underpants and if the orange underpants are dirty we'll have to suffer through an afternoon-long temper tantrum. Why do kids have to be potty trained while they're so emotionally volatile and unreasonable? Sounds like the topic for another blog post.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Nightmare U
It's almost Halloween, and we finally got our costumes: Chewbacca for Calvin, Darth Vader for Quinn and Jabba the Hutt for me. But last night, as we were getting ready to go swimming (we weren't even going to watch TV) Calvin suddenly started screaming, "Don't want to watch Star Wars!" and crying. He was really upset, and we wondered if he had a Star Wars nightmare during his nap.
I think his imagination must be at a place where he's having nightmares and getting scared of the things that he sees on TV and in real life. I hope he won't get scared when we all put on our costumes.
It's not even like we watch shows that are that scary. There's a skit on his Sesame Street DVD where Smokey Robinson sings "U really got a hold on me" as a giant foam U attacks him and clings to his legs.
It's cute, I think, but lately Calvin's been crying when it comes on. I have to fast forward through it! We figured he must have had a nightmare about that, and Quinn said, "If there's a heaven, I want to see Calvin's U dream."
The moral of the story is we don't let Calvin watch Dexter with us.
I think his imagination must be at a place where he's having nightmares and getting scared of the things that he sees on TV and in real life. I hope he won't get scared when we all put on our costumes.
It's not even like we watch shows that are that scary. There's a skit on his Sesame Street DVD where Smokey Robinson sings "U really got a hold on me" as a giant foam U attacks him and clings to his legs.
It's cute, I think, but lately Calvin's been crying when it comes on. I have to fast forward through it! We figured he must have had a nightmare about that, and Quinn said, "If there's a heaven, I want to see Calvin's U dream."
The moral of the story is we don't let Calvin watch Dexter with us.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
What's an appropriate reward for pooping near the potty?
After our vacation was over Quinn and I decided to try to get Calvin interested in potty training once again. But, on top of the fact that he usually runs away when we suggest going potty, progress is still pretty shaky. I think the main problem is that he's a little too creative with his technique.
First off, he always insists on being completely naked before attempting any bladder control methods.
Then, a week ago he was going to pee. Sounds simple enough. There was a potty seat facing the toilet and a stool in the middle. I think he could choose between standing on the stool to pee in the toilet or sit on the potty seat, or maybe stand on the ground and pee in the potty.
So what does he do? He stands on the stool and aims for the potty, and pees on in, not in it. I'm trying to be encouraging while pulling out the Clorox wipes. I mean, he's close, right?
Yesterday he was leaning against the ottoman, and his face started to scrunch up in an all too familiar way. I rushed him into the bathroom and took off his diaper. "Hurry, sit on the potty and poop there!" I said.
"No!" He struggled to his feet. "No more potty chair!"
He got up on the stool, and I thought he might sit on the toilet. Instead, from up on the stool, he lifted his leg like a dog and pooped on my foot!
It was seriously his best attempt at pooping so far and as an added bonus he sat on the potty afterwards and peed a little. But I had more cleanup to do.
I gave him a congratulatory popsicle, and he didn't really want it. Oh well... I didn't really want him to poop on my foot either, so I guess we're even.
First off, he always insists on being completely naked before attempting any bladder control methods.
Then, a week ago he was going to pee. Sounds simple enough. There was a potty seat facing the toilet and a stool in the middle. I think he could choose between standing on the stool to pee in the toilet or sit on the potty seat, or maybe stand on the ground and pee in the potty.
So what does he do? He stands on the stool and aims for the potty, and pees on in, not in it. I'm trying to be encouraging while pulling out the Clorox wipes. I mean, he's close, right?
Yesterday he was leaning against the ottoman, and his face started to scrunch up in an all too familiar way. I rushed him into the bathroom and took off his diaper. "Hurry, sit on the potty and poop there!" I said.
"No!" He struggled to his feet. "No more potty chair!"
He got up on the stool, and I thought he might sit on the toilet. Instead, from up on the stool, he lifted his leg like a dog and pooped on my foot!
It was seriously his best attempt at pooping so far and as an added bonus he sat on the potty afterwards and peed a little. But I had more cleanup to do.
I gave him a congratulatory popsicle, and he didn't really want it. Oh well... I didn't really want him to poop on my foot either, so I guess we're even.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Chemistry set... or rubber chicken?
Last week we went to Border's because I had a gift certificate (thanks Melissa!) and Quinn wanted to get a book, and we also wanted to get an enriching toy or game for Calvin. The last time I went there was a Dr. Suess letters game (Dr. Seuss's ABC Game
) that was kind of like twister, and there were Krinkles and all kinds of puzzles.
) that was kind of like twister, and there were Krinkles and all kinds of puzzles. So what was Calvin's highbrow choice? A totally nasty rubber chicken that poops out an egg! He actually pulled out all of the rubber chickens and played with them one by one, and played with it all the way to the cash register (we had to wrestle it out of his hands to buy it) and then it was non-stop giggling in the back seat of the car going home, and he slept with it too.
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