Anastasia Elise

Miracle Baby,

25 week preemie

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INTRODUCTION

Anastasia was born at 25 weeks gestation (15 weeks early) after I experienced PROM (Premature Rupture of the Membranes) at 20 weeks into the pregnancy. Anastasia weighed a mere 1 lb. 13 oz. That made her an extreme (or micro) preemie.

The doctors didn't expect her to live, and listed myriad of health problems (from cerebral palsy to blindness) she'd probably suffer if she did live. But after 133 days in the hospital, Anastasia came home. Today, she's a healthy and happy girl. She's our miracle baby!

On this website, you can read about her journey, get tips for feeding preemies and other babies with aversions, read expert advice on preemie development, see recommended books about premature infants, get tips on preemie clothing, and more. I'm also now blogging about my second baby, with whom I had gestational diabetes.
 

June 28, 2009

We took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese again today. Early last week, Miss A. met her goal of going on the potty every time for a week. She had a blast and stayed dry even though we were out of the house most of the day. She finds it fascinating that "everyplace" has a potty. :)

There's not much news with Zane. He's still not sitting up...we think because he doesn't want to. He's strong, though. If he has something in his hand and doesn't want you to take it away, you can't (without risking hurting him). He's not talking much at all right now, but he is getting new teeth, and growing a lot.

A few days back, I bought Miss A. some pants and laughed because they are 3Ts and plenty big, while Zane fits just right in his 2Ts. I joke that by his first birthday, Zane will be as tall as Anastasia.

Anastasia was trying to hold Zane up so I could take a photo of them both, but she couldn't keep him from rolling over onto his tummy.

June 26, 2009

You might think parents of preemies are naturally supportive of each other. Oddly, this often isn't the case.

Recently, I had an online conversation with another mom of a preemie born around the same time as Anastasia. She wasn't rude or inappropriate in the least, but our conversation did make me think about the strange cliques we tend to create.

Anastasia in her warming bed, in August 2005.

Most of the parents of preemies who email me through this website have just had their baby. They are scared out of their minds and want encouragement, advice, and hope. Over time, however, they stop writing.

I also belong to several groups of parents of preemies. Even back when Anastasia was in the NICU, I noticed parents of older preemies were either ignored or rudely shooed away. Yes, their experiences with prematurity were usually different, but parents of younger preemies tended to behave as though they weren't valid.

Now I notice many moms I used to type at have pulled away from me. Their children are still struggling with issues related to their prematurity, while Anastasia seems to thrive. (In truth, she does still have preemie-related issues, but they are mild compared to what some extreme preemies experience.)

A blogger and mom of a former preemie recently announced he was shutting down her blog because she was depressed about prematurity. She said it seemed more and more preemies were being born, and more were struggling with medical problems because of it.  I found this fascinating, because statistics say numbers are going down, and that more extreme preemies are thriving once they get past several years of "catching up." (And yes, it does usually take more than the two years pediatricians tell parents.)

I suppose it's human nature to cling to others who've gone through similar experiences as you, and to discount those who "haven't struggled as much." Sadly, not only does this leave certain parents of preemies out in the cold, without the support they should get from other parents, but it breeds an environment of despair. If the only preemies you're aware of are constantly struggling with developmental and medical issues, why wouldn't you believe the situation is dire? That prematurity only has terrible after-effects?

If you're a parent of a preemie, I encourage you to think on this issue. Reach out to other parents of preemies. Be open to hearing miracle stories, stories of hope, stories that yes, may initially leave you feeling your child is left behind, but in the long run will give you strength, encouragement, and hope that things can get better.

Because without hope, what is there?

June 25, 2009

Zane (8 months), wearing his first 2T clothes, laying next to Anastasia (4 in August).

June 24, 2009

One of Anastasia's favorite things right now is reading on the potty. Well, a few days ago, I overheard her "reading" to herself in the bathroom:

"And the leper asked Jesus, 'Will you heal me?' And Jesus said to the leper, 'Yes, I will!'...But he's not really a leper. He's really a man."

After laughing out loud, I invaded Miss A.'s privacy to explain the difference between a leopard and a leper. (I thought I'd already explained what a leper was, but...)

June 22, 2009

I'm recovering from what I think is food poisoning, but I wanted to share a few photos of Anastasia on Father's Day. She was so excited to wish her daddy a good Father's Day and give him a picture she drew just for him. She even managed to keep his present a secret until she gave it to him. Then we were finally able see her young cousins, whom she hasn't seen since Christmas because they've been sick so often. She did a terrific job using the potty away from home, too. (Although she tried to poop, she couldn't seem to do it on grandma's toilet. Perhaps because I had to hold her so she wouldn't fall in :) So she used our potty as soon as we got home.)

A major highlight was having the chance to go down to grandpa's barn for the first time. She spotted his backhoe right away, and I suggested she ask her daddy for a ride, since just the day before she'd been saying she wanted to drive a backhoe (and a semi truck, and a lot of other heavy trucks and equipment) when she grew up. At that moment, Miss A. didn't think she wanted to ride in it, but my hubby scooped her up and gave her a ride anyway. She loved it so much, Grandpa gave her a ride in it a little later on. She even steered some and used the controls. She grinned almost the entire time.

Oh, and as an aside: As soon as I feel well again, I've got to go buy my 8 month old baby some 2T clothes. He's literally bursting out of his 18 month clothes. Zane is still little on the inside, but he's certainly not on the outside!

June 17, 2009

Have I mentioned I resolved Zane's constipation problem? He was having super-hard poops and even adding prune juice to his bottles didn't help much. I noticed the problem seemed to begin when we started buying the Walmart brand of Gentlease formula for him. So I switched back to the Target version of the formula (which, incidentally, is now cheaper than the Walmart brand) and the problem disappeared. I'm sure he's glad :)

Speaking of poop, Anastasia continues to do well with her potty training. I think I see another trip to Chuck E. Cheese in our near future. She's been without an accident for four days in a row, and yesterday she even sat on the potty and went poop of her own accord. I'm still putting her in Pull Ups at night and at nap time, but she's been waking up dry. Yipee!

And now, for your amusement, two quick Anastasia-isms:

* As I was tucking her in a few nights ago: "Mommy, if Zane grows up big and strong, maybe I can marry him someday." (She's becoming fixated with getting married so she can have a baby...)

 

* Yesterday, at Anastasia's request, we made chocolate chip cookies. She's still not much help in the kitchen, but I let her pour the ingredients in the bowl and try to stir them. The whole time she was saying, "I don't mind eating hot cookies, Mommy. I don't mind at all." When I told her it was close to dinner time and she could have cookies for dessert, after she ate her healthy food, she said, "With my healthy food, Mommy."

Well, as the cookies cooled on a rack (which is just barely above her eye level), I guess she couldn't resist any long. I suddenly heard her say, "I'm going to eat this cookie all up!" (She can't bear not to talk about every detail in her life, you know.) I turned around and said, "Anastasia!"

She paused for a moment, realizing she'd given herself away, and ran into her room saying, "I'm pretend! I'm pretend!"

Trying not to laugh, I followed her in. She was sitting on her bed devouring her cookie as quickly as she could. "I can't let you get away with disobeying," I said. "What should be your punishment?" She thought a moment, gulped down a bite of cookie, and said, "You can't see my bottom."

I gave her a short time out and disappeared into another room so I could laugh.

June 14, 2009

I've come to the conclusion that what I'm trying to do is crazy. Taking care of two kids virtually on my own, keeping house (sort of), working at home, being a wife...How can one person possibly do it all? And yet, I have no choice; I have to do it all.

I'm exhausted. All the time.

The good news is, Anastasia's potty training is going well. She's in panties unless she's in bed, and she's been using the potty consistently. Oh sure, she still has an accident every couple of days, where she doesn't quite make it to the potty - but she always apologizes. And yeah, I usually have to catch her about to have a BM and take her hand and lead her to the bathroom, but once she's on the toilet, she stays there. I'm thrilled!

I think it helps that she's off Miralax. She's had short runs without the drug before, and I always hope she'll never need it again, but we've always ended up going back to it. However, it makes it difficult, I think, to get to the potty in time.

Zane is doing great, too. His eating (and growing) has slowed down a bit, but I still haven't found a food he won't eat. He now eats all the typical baby food vegetables and fruits, oatmeal, rice cereal, and yogurt. However, he still usually refuses to drink his bottle in his high chair :)

I'm teaching him to say "bottle" (or, as it comes out of his mouth "baba") when he's hungry. Yes, lI'm iterally teaching him. When he cries and I think he might want food, I say, "Zane, you need to learn to tell me when you're hungry. Just say 'bottle,' and I'll know you're hungry and not sleepy." After two days of saying this, he's now begun to say "baba" when he's hungry. He's excited to communicate, and I'm thankful for any little thing that makes the day pass more easily.

June 7, 2009

Zane used his high chair for the first time this morning. As his daddy lifted him into it, his whole body wiggled in excitement. But once he was sitting in it, he sobered. He almost seemed afraid he was going to fall. Or maybe he expected it to do something. At least he enjoyed his high chair toy.

I offered him some of those melt-in-your-mouth puff treat things for babies, and while he didn't choke on them, he seemed perplexed I'd put them in his mouth. He didn't really get that he was supposed to pick them up and eat them. No matter, he ate his solids happily in his high chair...then refused to drink his bottle in it. (He fussed until I put him in his bouncy seat, then gulped down his bottle.)

I don't think I've mentioned that Zane is now rolling everywhere. He rolls all around the living room, dining room, and kitchen, playing with various toys. His favorites are Miss A.'s "Little People" things.

I still have all of Anastasia's old board books, too, and he enjoys them, but a few weeks ago I bought him a "touch and feel" book about tractors. His whole body wiggled and it is still  -  by far - his favorite book.

Zane's still talking, too. This morning, when hubby got him out of his crib (so I could try to sleep in), the babe reportedly looked all around and then said, "Wha Mama?" Later, while he was sitting beside me, he said, "I luh you." I almost didn't believe my ears, but later he said it to my hubby, too.

It's a good thing he's a big boy, because it would be sort of freaky to see a typical not-quite-8-month-old talking like this.

Anastasia's pretty excited about his speaking abilities, too, and they are beginning to genuinely play together. They do a sort of extremely gentle wrestling that makes them both giggle up a storm...I love it!

Miss A. wore panties all day yesterday and never had an accident, so I'm hopeful this is the new trend. She's so strong willed! The other day, Zane got over tired, and when I placed him in his crib for a nap, he cried a lot. Anastasia kept saying she wanted to go comfort him. I explained he was tired and needed to be left alone, even though it was hard to hear him cry. She said, "No, Mommy. He needs me to play with him," and began heading for his door. "I am the mommy!" I said. I never imagined I'd have to remind my child of this!
 

June 6, 2009

Anastasia is regressing on her potty training. Two days in a row she used the potty every time...then everything fell apart and I was lucky to get her to go on the toilet once a day. It was clear she just didn't want to bother. She even pooped in her Pull Ups again. So yesterday, I put her in panties. She knew exactly what I was up to and refused to put them on until I threatened discipline. Then she peed in her pants twice, apologized, and used the potty the next time.

I'm putting her in panties again today. We'll see how it goes. (I never would have used Pull Ups in the first place, except that she requested them.)

Yes. She is 3 1/2 and he is not quite 8 months...

Zane continues to shock us. Yesterday he said, "I luh Dada." And when Anastasia was crying (because it was nap time and she didn't want to lie down), he looked at her and cried, "Ana!"

June 3, 2009

Today, Zane slept through his daddy's lunchtime visit. When I got him out of his crib about ten minutes after hubby left, he said, "Wha Dada?"

I kid you not.

He says "Hi, Dada" quite a bit, and for the past two days, he's been talking with his mouth shut, just like Anastasia used to do. Yesterday, when grandma was visiting, it sounded like he was saying (with his mouth shut), "gran'ma."

"Okay, Mom. I'm smiling!"

This all brings up funny memories for us. Anastasia's first word was "gran'pa." Then, shortly after wowing us with that and a few other words, she starting talking with her mouth closed and never said any other word but "button" until her second birthday. (And how did we get her to speak on her second birthday? We sat her down and told her she had to talk when she turned two. So she said, "What's that?" on the day of her birthday, then stopped talking again. So we told her she had to talk every day from now on...and she did! Her Early Intervention worker was so blown away, she shared that story at a convention. The speech therapists all thought she was pulling their leg.)

"I'm just trying to make Zane smile, Mommy!"

Anastasia's potty training is still going well. She still has accidents, and never asks to use the potty, but most of the time she pees on the toilet. She's only had one other BM since having one on the potty. It was in the middle of the night, in her diaper. I wonder if she'd been holding it in, not wanting to use the potty, because she never poops after she goes to bed...

May 31, 2009

He can't even sit up on his own yet, truly, but he's talking! This morning, I asked Zane if he would say "mama." He grinned, paused half a minute, then said it. Later, he turned to hubby and looked him in the eye and said, "Hi, dada." He's brilliant!

May 30, 2009

It's been a momentous day! First, Anastasia pooped on potty (then peed on the floor). She was in the wading pool, and suddenly asked to get out. I was afraid she'd already pooped, but she hadn't, so I carried her inside. She protested a little, but sat on the potty. I read her a little bit of a book, and soon the deed was done and she exclaimed: "It wasn't even messy!"

A few hours later she was wandering around in the kitchen wearing only her bathing suit and I heard the sound of water running. Miss A. peered down at her bathing suit and said, "Is there a little hole down there?" Then she apologized for peeing on the floor.

The other big event for the day is Zane's first words! Actually, yesterday I heard him say "mama," but he wasn't saying it to me, so I figured it was just a random sound. (However, I exclaimed, "Did you just say 'mama?'" And Anastasia quickly replied,  "No! He said 'Anastasia!'" She really wants him to say her name first!)

Then today at dinner, Zane said - clear as could be - "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Then "Dada" and "Mama." He's on his way to being a big boy!

And speaking of being a big boy, have I mentioned that already (at 7 months old!) Zane is a complete gadget guy? Anything on wheel fascinated him, too. In fact, yesterday he was laying on the floor playing and rolled about a foot so he could be next to Anastasia's Inchworm. He got both hands on its wheels and after a while he started crying. I think he was frustrated because he couldn't make them turn. (They ratchet around when you bounce on the toy.) I've always believed typical (or stereotypical, if you like) male and female characteristics are mostly something we're born with, and I've always been careful not to steer either child toward what might be considered gender specific toys. But I never imagined a 7 month old child would already show preferences toward things with wheels!

Zane still isn't sitting up much. I think he just has no interest. I once saw him sit for about a full minute, but usually he almost instantly rolls over onto his stomach.

Oh, and Anastasia is jumping! As long as she's holding onto something (like the edge of the playpen) she can jump perfectly!

May 29, 2009

We just went to battle over food. I'm not sure who won.

Tonight, Miss A. refused to eat more than a few nibbles of the pasta I made her. We threatened that she'd have to go straight to bed if she didn't eat. Then she started back talking.

Time out. More back talk. A tiny amount of "back talk medicine" (apple cider vinegar). Still refused to eat. Began throwing a temper tantrum. Sent her to her bed to calm down. She almost fell asleep there in less than a minute. Got her up and cuddled with her, explaining why what she did (not eating, back talking, throwing a temper tantrum) was not good. Prayed with her about it. Then asked her what I could feed her.

She ate two slices of bread and butter, a good number of black olives, and some grapes. However, she was not allowed to go play outside afterward.

Now she's in bed, and I'm exhausted.

She began the day too early. In fact, we had a "do-over morning." She began the day by crying and whining, so we went to a quiet corner and started the day over as a happy day. It worked until dinner time.

Miss A. also made huge progress in her wading pool. You'll remember that when we bought it, she was afraid to even walk in it without someone holding her hand. Now, having been in the pool a total of perhaps four or five times, she's sliding down the slide on her own. And today, for the first time, she sat on the bottom of the pool. She also put her face down into the water, and later held onto the side of the pool and kicked her legs behind her. She also asked for goggles and a kick board. :)

Left: Finally sitting on the bottom of her wading pool! Right: A picture of our cat Miss A. drew on her Doodle-Pro.

Our sun-shiney boy.

May 26, 2009

A few quickies:

Apparently Anastasia did recognize a difference between the robot Chuck E. Cheese and the person in the mouse suit. Here's a conversation we had with her:

Miss A.: "That Chuck E. Cheese was pretend."

Me: "Which Chuck E. Cheese, love bug?"

Miss A.: "The one who hugged me. That Chuck E. Cheese wasn't real. He couldn't talk."

Hubby: "No honey, it was the one who talked that wasn't real. That was a robot. The one who hugged you was a person."

Me (giving hubby a dirty look): "The one who talked was a robot. The one who hugged you was real."

So now she's been talking about how the one she loved the most was "pretend" -  just a robot.

The other day, out of the blue, Miss A. commented on her good friend Mr. E. who visited recently from another state: "He doesn't talk so much as I do."

The kids are now only one diaper size apart. Miss A. wears a size 5 at night, and Zane wears a 4.

Now that Zane is ready for a Johnny jumper, he's too big for one! The one we used with Anastasia (the type that hangs from a doorway) is rated for up to 25 lbs., which he nearly is. It's old, and hubby doesn't trust it because Zane is so big. So I thought I'd look into the type that sits on the floor...but none are rated for more than 25 lbs. (They're expensive, so I wouldn't want to buy one that will last only a month or so!)

Mary 24, 2009

Today was the big day. Anastasia earned a trip to Chuck E. Cheese by using the potty every day. (The deal was she had to use it at least once every day, but she ended up using it at least four times a day...and some days she never had an accident.)

Anastasia loves this ride and without hesitation wheels herself up to the top.

She was excited - and therefore tired before we ever got there. But we practically had the place to ourselves, and she was extremely well behaved. She even tried to go potty in the restroom there, and wasn't freaked out that I had to hold her so she wouldn't fall in :)   Her favorite part was the "real" Chuck E. Cheese (i.e. a robot). She kept walking over to him and talking to him, and when an employee in a mouse suit came out, I'm not certain she knew the difference between him and the robot.

She was delighted to win a little necklace and plastic spider, and when it was time to leave, she walked over to the robot mouse and tried to give the spider to him as a gift. As we walked back to our vehicle, she said several times, "I think Chuck E. Cheese loves me."

Zane was a little overwhelmed by it all, but I had him in his umbrella stroller much of the time, and as long as I kept him moving, he was happy.

We all had such a good time, I told Miss A. if she goes on the potty (both poop and pee) every time for a week, we can come back.

Yea for Chuck E. Cheese!

The horses were another favorite. She kept making the big white horse jump.

Anastasia talking to the Chuck E. Cheese robot and hugging the man in the mouse suit.

Zane, ever patient.

And now a few photos from the past several days:

Miss A.'s first adult-size ice cream cone. She's used to plain cones and refused to eat this waffle sugar cone.

Zane, playing with Daddy's robot dog.

Oh and yesterday I weighed the kids (clothes on) just for fun. Anastasia is 31 lbs. 15 oz. and Zane is only about 10 lbs. lighter at 22 lbs. 11 oz.!

May 20, 2009

Potty training is still going well. Anastasia earned a trip to Chuck E. Cheese this weekend :) She's beginning to argue a bit when I suggest she use the potty, but she always ends up doing it, anyway. And she still won't poop on the potty. (Which seems so odd, since before this big breakthrough, she'd pooped more than she'd peed on the potty.)

Watching other children fail and then succeed at potty training over at The Potty Project really made a huge difference, and I imagine we'll have to revisit those videos once or twice before potty training is over with.

Tonight, I'm buying Miss A. some Pull Ups. (I asked her whether she wanted to use panties or Pull Ups, and ever being the child to take baby steps, she wanted Pull Ups.) I'll see if I can find the kind that get cold when you have an accident in them. This coming week we'll work on using the potty every time - even for poop, and even when it means interrupting Little Einsteins on DVD.

I can't tell you how encouraged I am, though. I was despairing I'd have a seven year old who was still in diapers. One hears horror stories about such things.

On the eating front, my hubby and I have completely gone against our pact to play it cool. Every parenting book on the market suggests shrugging when kids won't eat, then keeping the food in the fridge and serving it at the next meal...and the next, and the next, and the next, if necessary, making certain not to allow snacks until the meal is eaten. But what about kids who have eating issues and are terribly thin? My hubby, in particular, has trouble with this.

I actually think if we followed these guidelines, Anastasia would be okay. But in the heat of the moment, it's difficult to follow through.

One thing I have decided, however: I will no longer feed the feed Miss A. When Anastasia saw me spoon feed Zane for the first time, she asked me to spoon feed her, too. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but it was one of those days where she'd barely eaten anything. Knowing she was tired (and when she's tired, she barely eats), I did it. But now it's become an every-meal thing. So I've laid down the law. She can feed herself or go hungry. Again, it's tough for my hubby not to step in and feed her. He perpetually thinks she's slowly starving herself.

I wonder what the feeding clinic folks would tell us.

May 18, 2009

Anastasia just keeps getting better at potty training. Yesterday she had no accidents! (Still no poop, though, either.)

In other news, Miss A. used her wading pool for the first time this year. The first year she had one, she was afraid of it, and barely used it. Last year, the pool was too cold, so she used it perhaps once or twice. This year, we're covering it, and it's much warmer.

Yesterday, however, she started out fearful. The wading pool has a little slide - a very little slide. She wouldn't go down it unless I held her hand. She wouldn't sit on the bottom of the pool unless I held both her hands. (The water only came up to her chest when she sat down.) She said she was afraid of getting water up her nose, but the truth is, she's fearful and super-cautious when she's trying a new gross motor skill. This is pretty common among people with ataxia. (Even though I stress that her ataxia is extremely mild.)

So I pressed her a little. She wanted to get out of the pool almost instantly, but I insisted she go down the slide at least once more. After arguing with me for a bit, she did as I asked, and then she kept saying "Let's do it again!" Even though I was still holding her hand, she was loving the pool, and only came out after I insisted. (Which I only did because she was turning blue...The girl has almost no fat on her body). I hope that over the course of the summer she'll get more and more comfortable in the water, so that next summer she can take swimming lessons.

May 16, 2009

Anastasia still can't pedal a trike, but she sure wants to!

Dare I say we're on the road to being potty trained? Finally? After all the struggles and so few successes?

Today Anastasia peed in the toilet six times. Before nap time, I told her to knock on the door if she needed to go potty, and I'd help her to the bathroom. (Remember, she doesn't sleep during nap time and she can't open her door by herself.) Toward the end of her "nap" she got very quiet. Turns out she pooped in her diaper. I said, "Anastasia, why didn't you knock on the door so I could help you go to the bathroom?" She replied, "I didn't want to disturb myself."

Her second accident was another poop, and her third just a pee. Clearly she doesn't like the idea of pooping on the potty. Ah well, one thing at a time!

She's growing proud of herself, though. Today, one of my hubby's friends was over and after Miss A. used the potty she said to me, "Mommy, can you tell Uncle C. I went potty?" I replied, "Why don't you tell him?" "No," she said. "But you can tell him."

Miss A. likes the idea of playing in the sprinkler, but she mostly stays just out of reach of the water.

Uncle C. just brought his wife and new baby home from the hospital. Yesterday, we saw the babe for the first time. Anastasia was so excited, and when she saw the newborn, her eyes lit up and she stroked his head gently. Now tells me that someday "God will send me a man and I will marry him and have babies."

Oh, and speaking of childhood wonder, yesterday Miss A. came running up to me shouting, "Mommy! I think I found some turtles!" Knowing this was unlikely, I asked her to show them to me. It turned out they were mushrooms. She was disappointed.

Later that day, she picked a dandelion that had gone to seed and blew on it twice. Nothing happened. So she tossed it on the ground and stomped it with her foot.

Zane's been enjoying the wonders of tasting food, and my hubby likes to let Zane smell food he's not supposed to eat yet. For example, he let Zane sniff his (very garlicky) pizza, and poor Zane's eyelids fluttered and he threw back his head. On the other hand, when hubby lets Zane smell his coffee, Zane opens his mouth and tries to eat the coffee cup.

We've also finally found a toy Zane really likes. It's his sister's toy house. I've written about this fabulous toy before; it was a gift, and was never been able to find a source for it. But today I did! It's called the Discovery House. The thing is terrific for fine motor skills. It has all sorts of buttons and pulls and slides - and Zane digs it! He can slide the shutters on the window open and closed, and he presses some of the buttons. If the house is out of his reach, he tries to crawl to it. But since he can't crawl, he just gets mad until sometimes brings the toy to him.

We've had some warm days lately, and while both kids adore being outdoors, the warmth really exacerbates Zane's eczema. It takes no time at all for his skin to blotch up, even when he's wearing a cool pair of loose rompers. So today I stripped him down to his diaper. He loved this, but his habit is to scratch himself, so I had to make sure his nails were freshly cut. I gave him a cool bath once we came inside, and now he's sleeping in his bouncy slept, wearing only a diaper.

May 15, 2009

Today wasn't quite as sparkling a success, but Miss A. still did extremely well. Five times she peed in her diaper (always, I think, because she didn't want to bother going to the bathroom). However, she had four successes on the toilet, too. I'm still encouraged!

May 14 (part III)

Anastasia did the best she's ever done at potty training today. She used the potty successfully five times and her diaper stayed 100% dry! I'm crossing my fingers, toes, legs, and arms that she does well tomorrow, too.

May 14 (part II)

I'm not getting my hopes up too high, but...So far today, Anastasia has used the potty three times. Perhaps - perhaps - there is hope! Here's how it happened:

I got a brochure and some coupons in the mail from Huggies and they suggested a website they've created all about potty training. At this point, I'm open to all suggestions, so I took a peek and began watching one of the videos. Miss A. came along and watched, too. We viewed several of the videos, which all feature "real" kids failing and then succeeding at potty training.

Then suddenly she asked to use the potty. Taking a cue from one of the parents in the video (who made a paper train and let her child hang up a car every time he had a potty success, then took him to ride Thomas the Train when the train was completely hung on the wall), I told Miss A. if she used the potty successfully every day for a week, we'd take her to Chuck E. Cheese. Her eyes lit up, and she agreed. So I made a special potty chart with a picture of the Cheese-mouse himself prominently displayed. She's peed on the potty two more times since then.

Of course, my hubby said, "Should we really use Chuck E. Cheese as an incentive when the swine flu is in our area?" He asked Miss A. if she'd wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese as her reward, or if she'd rather pick herself out a new outfit. Without hesitation, she replied, "I prefer Chuck E. Cheese, Daddy." :D  So when (see, I'm thinking positively!) we go, we'll bring lots of sanitizer!

Again, I don't want to leap to the conclusion this will work, but if it does, it makes sense. After all, the way we got Miss A. to quit throwing temper tantrums was to videotape her doing it. Videos have a powerful impact on her.

May 14, 2009

Anastasia's used the potty (for pee) twice since my last post, and poor Zane is drinking prune juice every day to facilitate using his diaper. I love the ages my children are right now, but I'll be glad when they both can take care of their own potty business. :D

I've been feeding Zane lots of vegetables (and some pear) to help him, too. It doesn't seem to help much, but I'll tell you, that boy will eat anything. There are some vegetables (like peas) that make him grimace - but he always eats them, anyway. And beside him, Anastasia frowns and refuses to eat tater tots even though they are made of the same thing as her beloved French fries.

Miss A's been a little vocabulary sponge lately. Words are the most important thing in her life (she talks from the moment she wakes up until the moment she falls asleep at night), and she's made it her mission to have as many words as her mommy. We've been reading tons of Beatrix Potter lately, which introduces lots of words she isn't used to hearing. So now she's running around saying things like "I implore you, Mommy!"

Zane isn't quite ready for The Tale of Tom Kitten, but he has other things to discover. For example, a few days ago while we were outside, for the first time he noticed the trees blowing in the wind. His whole body wiggled, he laughed, and refused to take his eyes off the leaves.

May 12, 2009

If you've been reading this website for a while, you probably know Anastasia is a stubborn girl. She illustrated this yesterday by having three BMs. In her diaper. (Normally, we're lucky to get her to poop once a day, so I think she was avoiding the potty. Told ya' she didn't want to poop on the potty again.)

I've come to the conclusion that if I can't bribe her with chocolate, books, and praise, I can't bribe her with anything. She's just going to have to decide on her own that the potty is better than diapers. (Please, Lord, let this be before she's 7!)

Mary 11, 2009

We haven't had a repeat of the potty success, but the Miss hasn't pooped in her pants yet, either. (A little more Miralax is perhaps in order.) Grandparents and friends have praised her success, of course, but Miss A. remains quiet when they do. I don't think she really wants to poop on the potty again, but she hasn't verbalized that.

Speaking of verbalizing, does anyone have suggestions for helping a a 3 year old learn to not balk talk? I asked my mom, mom-in-law, and grammy-in-law about that on Mother's Day and they all confessed their children never back talked at Anastasia's age.

I think the back talking goes along with being strong willed. (And whenever I despair that I have a strong willed child, I remember that without that strong will, I don't think Anastasia would have made it out of the NICU. God gave her a strong will for a reason!) Some of you may recall I gave Miss A. "balk talk medicine" (apple cider vinegar) once. That worked really worked well for a while, and I still say things like, "Do I need to get out the balk talk medicine?" But as time goes on, she's more defiant with her mouth. I don't have a problem with giving her back talk medicine again, but I'd like to have a full arsenal of discipline ideas related to back talking. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Zane continues to be huge and charming. He's also proving to be a lot like his daddy. He'll sit and watch his hands open and close for a half hour. (Both my hubby and dad-in-law say that's because he's mechanical.) He adores mechanic gadgets; in fact, if I want to give him a thrill, I vacuum. Not only does he watch intently, but he's like a puppy: His whole body wiggles with excitement.

My hubby lowered Zane's crib the other day (his mobile was within too easy reach) and I carried Zane into the room halfway through the procedure. Zane laughed repeatedly and watch with rapt interest. Last night, Zane turned over on his side in his crib, trying to press a certain button on one of his crib toys. It clearly took a lot of concentration, but when he succeeded and the toy turned on, he turned to me and grinned. A gadget man, like his father.

Zane's only sitting up for moments at a time still, but he wants so badly to move! A few nights ago, I walked into his bedroom to check on him before I went to bed; Zane was sound asleep, but his legs were crawling like mad. (So he's mobile in his dreams, I guess!)

Other than the back talking, Anastasia is doing well. Truly, these are the "wide-eyed wonder years." She constantly asks "why?" (which gets old quickly, as any parent will tell you, but which is a fabulous learning thing, too), and is so close to reading. She can write several letters now, including the first two in her name. (Poor child, it will be forever before she can spell her entire name!)

A reader asked me what our typical day is like these days. It goes something like this: I wake up whenever Zane starts fussing a great deal. Sometimes this is as late at 7 AM or so. Sometimes I feed him right away, and sometimes he wants to wait. If I have time, I read the Bible and catch up on email while he plays quietly beside me. Once the Miss wakes up (which is sometimes around the same time, and sometimes as late as 8 AM), I let her play while I drink my tea. Then we read her Bible and have breakfast. The rest of the morning is typically spent doing school work and playing with the kids. We also do laundry and small chores together.

My hubby comes home at lunch and we all eat together and visit a little. Then it's nap time. Anastasia no longer sleeps at nap time, but she does stay in bed and play quietly; it makes a real difference in the rest of our day. Zane does actually sleep at nap time, and I hustle to work (writing web content) during this time. After an hour, I feed Zane (he eats every 2 1/2 to 3 hours). Depending on Anastasia's level of cooperation, I either set her up with something to do (Playdough, puzzles, etc.) or I set her in front of a DVD while I finish my work for another hour. Then I play with the kids some more and prepare dinner.

We eat dinner together and if I'm lucky, hubby plays with Anastasia until it's time to brush her teeth, do her sticker chart, and put her to bed - usually at 6:30 PM. Yes, she goes to bed early. But she really needs the sleep! (I've tried putting her to bed later, but she always wakes up early in the morning - even with blackout curtains.) Besides, this gives me some time with the hubby, because Zane usually falls asleep around the same time I put Anastasia to bed. (In fact, my biggest pet peeve right now is when hubby isn't home at bedtime, because inevitably while I put the Miss to bed, Zane cries the entire time because he wants mommy to help put him to bed. If hubby's home, he can put one child to sleep while I take care of the other one.)

Zane eats one last time at around 8PM, and hubby and I go to bed shortly after. (We require a lot of sleep.) Thankfully, Zane is now regularly sleeping through the night.

May 6 (part II)

She did it! It only took two stickers, a $5 toy, and a new book (oh and me begging: "Do it because you love me") and Anastasia finally pooped on the potty! She seemed surprised it wasn't messy or a big deal, and says she's going to poop there from now on. I'm willing to bride further until she decides pooping in her diaper/panties is icky...

May 6, 2009

Zane has finally decided he likes the outdoors...a lot!

The swine flu is keeping us out of public. I didn't take the kids to the library last week, and now I'm wondering how we'll handle grocery shopping. I guess I get to go by myself while my hubby stays in the truck with the kids. The swine flu is in our area now, and both hubby and I feel it would be a serious thing, indeed, if Anastasia caught it.

We'd planned on going to the zoo this month. We've been promising it to Anastasia since last summer. But I think we'll have to wait until this flu thing passes. We trust in God fully, but at the same time, if she caught it because we didn't take precautions, we'd never forgive ourselves.

Playing in the rain yesterday.

We wouldn't want Zane to catch it, either. He's only 6 months old. But he's such a hearty boy, we worry less.  ("Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6)

Zane's  just about outgrown all the clothes we have for him, so little by little, I'm trying to buy him some. Yesterday, my mother said she was going shopping, and would pick up something for him if she found a good sale. She asked what size he was wearing. "Better make it 18 months," I said. 18 month clothes on a 6 month old baby! While I tighten the elastic, adjustable band on Anastasia's pants to the smallest position (and they still fall down!), I laugh at how God has given us two children who are such opposites in so many ways.

C. S. Lewis