ILX Parenting 3: Back In (Potty) Training

I think you're doing pretty good! Lots of 2 year olds (and 3 year olds and 10 year olds) freak over changes. I seriously think we had about 6 years of rough nights between the 2 of them!

When they get to choose their own beds it's a lot easier (and when I say 'choose' I mean you do some Darren Brown on them and they feel like they've chosen their own beds...).

Ha! That wiki on co-sleeping needs a bit of editing...

On the other side, they note that this practice may interfere with the parents' own relationship in terms of reducing both communication and sexual intercourse at bedtime.

Yeah, I did laugh at that. But no, we've never done that - co-sleeping, that is.

He does freak out about any changes. We changed his bathmat the other day, he won't have it in the bath with him, he looks at it like it's going to leap out and bite him and he gives us the lip trembling teary eyed look. He sort of chose his bedding anyway - he adores "In the night garden" so he's got Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy on his duvet. Seems to comfort him.

As a side issue, does anyone else find "In the night garden" deeply melancholy, or is it just me?

Co-sleeping is sleeping in the same bed as you - perhaps it shouldn't really be termed this at/beyond toddler age (its wider use seems to be very specifically baby-related). I'd be curious to know what it is that always wakes Ava up around 1am and sends her rushing into our room; occasionally she disturbs us around 11pm because she needs the loo, so perhaps she's going in her pull-ups later in the night and this wakes her (her pull-ups are usually dry though).

The danger with this approach is that you never really get them to settle in their own room and so you end up co-sleeping with a couple of near-school age kids. I somehow doubt this will happen though. We'll have to make an effort to make Ava's room more appealing as an environment to wake up in (no, this doesn't mean putting a telly in there!). I'm hoping that both-kids-in-beds might actually mean both-kids-stay-in-their-beds come next year...

xxxp

I loved co-sleeping and only really stopped 'cause it got so that neither of us was getting any sleep. I don't know anyone still bedsharing with a school-age kid so I guess when they're ready for it they'll stay in their own beds voluntarily.

Also, yes, ITNG does have a sad air to it and the theme tune makes me a bit throat-lumpy.

Howie is (finally) walking! And as a result, no longer wants to go in his buggy. Which makes trips to the shops a lot more time-consuming.

im posting this for myself

http://www.joeprah.com/images/stories/scale.jpg

SS - who are the horrible people on the right? I saw them singing on TV recently and was scared shitless. Seriously creepy.

I have no idea! My guess would be the crepes from the big couch show.

I thought they were called The Rockadoodles or something like that, but Google shows me nothing.

They're in a band together, and the clips I've seen of their live shows, KIDS LOSE THEIR SHIT OVER THESE GUYS.

Re cosleeping: it ultimately comes down to the individual child. We did it with both our kids, to vastly different results. Esther still wanders into our room at some point almost every night. But Abby never really liked sharing a bed with us. She had horrendous crying jags as an infant. The moment we put her in a crib, the hysterics stopped almost immediately. Insert horse/water/drink cliche here.

I don't even want to talk about potty training. Esther's going to be 4 in a few months and she's still resisting. I dread the day we go cold turkey with her diapers.

Esther also had her first record-shopping trip last week. We went to the record store that my uncle-in-law runs in St. Louis (not Vintage Vinyl). Esther was absolutely transfixed by all the records, and she didn't even freak out at seeing her uncle's nightmarish talking James Brown doll blurting out "I Feel Good." I'm so pleased it went well. I may be taking her to her first show next weekend - a local band called the 75s, who are playing an outdoor concert in the Delmar Loop. They cover the Buzzcocks' "Orgasm Addict," but have promised me it won't be in their set list. We'll see.

Those dudes on the right are totally coked out of their minds. There's no way they aren't

Speaking of kids' music: Apparenly I went to college with Laurie Berkner. Rutgers is such a big school that I'm not surprised we never met. I did know her bass player Adam Bernstein, though. Have I mentioned that I can't stand Laurie Berkner's music, "Clean It Up" excepted? (E and A find it motivational.)

If anyone happens to have an MP3 of "Jaguar Day" from Go Diego Do, by the way, you will be my kids' hero.

THE DOODLE BOPS

http://costumzee.com/view/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/doodlebops.jpg

It's a really slow day at work, y'all.

I'm going to have nightmares tonight

The Doodlebops can fuck right off. They make The Wiggles look like Kraftwerk. Which, come to think of it...

I quite like the songs in the Backyardigans (but don't like the animation much) and the inter-show ditties on CBeebies (especially the daisy-age rap tune about the number three).

The daisy age raps about numbers are fantastic, and well worth listening to - the words are actually quite clever. You can download them from the Cbeebies website. Josiah and I also love the Jingles, the band on "Space pirates" which is quite an adult show for kids. But the biggest smiles of all are reserved for "I am a shape", a three minute section of dancing squares, circles and triangles on the "Mister Maker" show.

Do the Jingles ever win? Every time I watch they seem to have to do their sad song about no one voting for them. Their version of "She's A Rainbow" is the definitive one, I think. Yes, Space Pirates has a little mischievous glint in its eye which is probably over the heads of its pre-school audience.

I still don't think much on CBeebies really comes close to the majesty of Peppa Pig on Five.

The Jingles' "She's a rainbow" is very much in the style of World Of Twist's version, which is fine by me. They do win sometimes, but I can't think of any examples at the moment.

We need some more babies, all our children are growing up!

Aidan and I met some other internet mentalists today at a picnic. Fortunately they were internet mentalist mums with babes all born (or due, some arrived early) in August. It was fun! I'm really enjoying taking photos of Aidan and his friends, it's very rewarding.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/2533893877_ca029b6434.jpg

I've seen the jingles win a few times, but can't for the life of me remember he song. One had a female vocalist, the other was an instrumental

Someone got their bangs cut.

http://www.axcessmypics.com/photos/photo05/41/00/cd48ef8bea43.jpg

Y U cut a dog's bangs?

Beeps, meanwhile, looks great. :-D

Listen Mr. Raggett, I think I could think of someone else who could use a good hair trimming.

oh great. now my underwear is on the internet as well as the living room floor.

Listen Mr. Raggett, I think I could think of someone else who could use a good hair trimming.

Never heard of it. And for all you know it's been a wig all this time.

i think O.C. extensions

It's just an overdeveloped crew cut, pay it no mind.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/2544392349_34e0a122b1.jpg

This is why we have two kids.

That's lovely, Nath!
This thread cheers me up on a miserable wet day following a miserable weekend.

awwww, nath!

oh wow. from a blog i accidentally found:

"Book your tickets now, because the annual baby jumping festival in Castrillo de Murcia, Spain is only eight weeks away. In this bizarre festival, grown men, dressed as El Colacho (the devil) jump over tiny babies to ward off bad luck and to cleanse the babies of the evil that infests them when they are born"

http://broncosrule.files.wordpress.com/2006/04/baby%20jumping.jpg

A question for PP/SS occurred to me: is Beeps picking up any Australian accent as she starts to talk or is it all Arkansan?

its all martian right now - bebopbeedleeeeeglorp!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/412KymSlqUL._AA280_.jpg

also, she recently found out she can scream really really loud at a really really high pitch.

Hee hee. That stuff is hilarious when you are out for dinner.

Pix!

Reading a bedtime story on Fathers Day:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/2582885198_89e7e70080.jpg

Ben hates it when Owen steals Thomas:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3122/2582054997_4f1eb1a4ce.jpg

Ben getting the hang of brushing his teeth:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/2578127855_581a525b90.jpg

Hee hee. That stuff is hilarious when you are out for dinner.

There really isn't any difference between taking a toddler out to eat and having a drunk friend at the table.

1.) They're both prone to loud exclamations.
2.) Both are extraordinarily curious about what's going on under the tablecloth.
3.) Both get into conversations with diners at other tables.
4.) Both usually pass out in the car ride home.

its not so much the conversations with other diners as it is them turning around in their seat and glaring at one particular diner like 'oh, you got something to say?"

and then shouting something unintelligible at them

And then throwing up down themselves.

yeah or throwing their drink on the floor

hey schwantz i just saw those pics - the one of you and the boys is so awwww some

Thanks. Anyone got a hair cutting tips? We've been butchering them.

not me. i came half an inch from stabbing beeps in the eye when i cut her bangs. gave me the hebegeebees.

photo time!

beeps and the big dog:
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/2237/junevandbyb8.jpg

in GTA IV training
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/63/junegtaivcp0.jpg

hanging in the kitchen
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5605/junesye3.jpg

It's been a while, so here's three...

Tallulah points at some balloons (or was it baboons?) at the Marylebone Village Summer Fayre. I never want her to have her hair cut, I just want her to have this blonde mop forever.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/2588728228_8ebaec33fa.jpg

Ava pinching my smoothie at Eat and Two Veg:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3115/2588703538_f2afdc37e7.jpg

And sisterly love in the park:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/2588724896_17fe5cc1a6.jpg

Some recent ones:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/2596873861_fcb67d0064.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/2596879845_221e271b31.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2597718110_053503a835.jpg

http://www.axcessmypics.com/photos/photo01/b9/f5/8f69d28a5a24.jpg

Solarized Cheeks (+ Dog Leg)

Big dog and little girl! It loks like the huge dog is just trying to let her know in a psychialldoggie way that he will defend her and protect her forever.
And she can squeeze his nose, if neccesary.

or maybe it's "Wait until you throw the ball."
Amazing!

(I have friends with an 18 month girl living with Suzzie, the husky mix good dog who is 10!
They have a wood stove. Suzzie KEEPS the babe from the woodstove.

It seems scary to some people, but - dog and child LOVE each other, and I think the whole family is safe because Suzzie is there.)

one day i hope to sleep straight through. for now it's been hellish.