Monday, January 14, 2013

Potty, Naps, and Other Updates

1. Potty. Saturday marked one year (gasp) since I started potty training the boys. N celebrated by keeping his unders dry all day and earning a new black pair of Batman unders. He is still having ups and downs, but I think we are heading the right direction, if I take step back and look at The Big Picture, as in, one day this will be over and he and I will laugh and laugh (hahahahaha!) about the heck he put me through in 2012. M, of course, celebrated 6 months of dryness and awarded himself some stickers for it this weekend, not to be excluded from our merriment.

2. Naps. Today marked one week of being nap-less in Minnesota. We had 4 stellar bedtimes and 3 rotten ones, so I guess it's a success? Still tweaking it a bit, think we missed the magic "window of opportunity" which occurred around 5pm, then they got their second winds and were literally jumping on their beds till 8:30, but hey, Who cares, right? (Sigh) thank The Lord they passed out ten minutes after I closed the door tonight, the way I thought kids actually went to bed before I was a parent - oh, the power of television!

3. Dentist. I'm cavity-free today and got the usual lecture about flossing that I get very 6 months and I assume everyone gets, but today I learned I'm special and not in a good way. Apparently, I clench my teeth, which is causing damage and will need repair if I don't quit clenching and floss (more) regularly. So all day long, I (tried to) pay attention, and wouldn't you know it, I DO clench my teeth! And guess when I do it? When I'm dealing with N and the potty, which is every 45 minutes according to my phone timer, or at other random intervals when he decides not to make it in the bathroom. So if you put two and two together one could argue that potty training is actually causing me physical harm. When I researched the teeth clenching online, guess what helpful advice I found? Reduce stress. Sure, no problem.

4. Pre-school. Why am I freaking out about potty training? Because they have to "take care of their own toileting" to attend pre-school. Which starts for them Feb. 5. I've been playing Third Day's recent album, "miracle," praying for this, because, folks, I need one! N is not swayed by bribes, rewards, stickers, candy, unders, iPads, outings, or "adventures," and sometimes opts to stay home with me instead of go on a fun trip to Menards with Daddy and M, so I'm kind of concerned that my threat, "M will go to pre school and you will stay home unless you keep your unders clean and dry, " holds no clout. Mama needs preschool perhaps more than the boys, but you can't go unless you're potty trained and I've been training you for a year o my gosh I'm clenching my teeth just writing this!!!!!!

5. Other Updates. We have more news that I'm very close to being able to tell you. Once I do you might understand the teeth clenching. No one is pregnant or sick, no, nothing like that. I'm going to go nurse a baby and go to bed and probably clench my teeth all night in my sleep thinking about how to tell you.


2 comments:

Meika said...

I am on the very edge of my seat waiting to hear your news! I'll say a prayer today for N's pottying - what an Odyssean journey you've had (yeah, no idea how to spell that). The whole "external rewards don't work thing" is familiar - I'm the same way, and so is Maryam. No. Fun.

Anonymous said...

GIRL - #3...can I just tell you, after YEARS AND YEARS of no cavities and my hygienist lecturing me on flossing, that I had a cavity in July? And it was between 2 back teeth, which made my hygienist say, "You know, if you flossed, you wouldn't have a cavity here. Flossing doesn't prevent all cavities, but it would've prevented this one." UGH!

So guess what? I floss now. :) No cavities at last week's appointment.

And, I also sleep in a very sexy nightguard, for while I clench my teeth during the day, I also grind them at night. Hang in there...