 | Diary Navigation:
|
July 14, 2004
Big developments all around! (7-14-04)
Wow, these past two weeks have been busy and exciting for all of us! I have to try my best to keep this brief, so here goes. I’ll start with Aden.
On July 1st I decided to see if Aden was ready to take another shot at potty training. We hadn’t tried anything since January and he really hadn’t expressed much interest either, but I was finally feeling ready, LOL! Or maybe it was all those pesky questions about it that have started up as his third birthday approaches… Anyway, that first morning he was a bit unsure about it, and I had to talk him into wearing underwear. I was afraid that might be a bad sign, so after a few hours and a few accidents I asked him what he wanted to do—keep wearing underwear or put a diaper back on. He chose underwear and he’s been making huge progress ever since. At first I had to remind him every hour or so, but by July 5th he was telling us when he needed to pee and having few to no pee accidents at all. He’s usually dry during naps (he wears a pull-up just in case) but not at night. Honestly, I wasn’t even expecting naptime or nighttime dryness yet, so I think he’s doing great. Pooping was a lot harder for him to get the hang of—he is the kind of kid who still goes several times a day with almost no warning at all—but I’m excited to report that he’s been pooping exclusively in the toilet for 5 days now! I am so proud of him. And honestly, I stressed about potty training way too much—I had to accept that this was one thing I have no control over, but once he was ready it was a piece of cake. Phew!
As a side note, Aden is so proud of himself! We’ve been making frequent calls to my mom so he can tell her that he just pooped or peed. Scintillating conversation, eh? :) But grandmas love that kind of thing. Aden also loves to tell Lily—he’ll come running out of the bathroom and tell her, “Lily, I went potty!” Ahh…
Last week I was eating a walnut and asked Aden if he wanted one too. We had an entire conversation about walnuts—that they’re inside the little green balls that fall from the trees in our yard, and the squirrels really like them too, etc, etc. Then he asked me incredulously, “The squirrels take the walnuts from the trees and put them in bags for Mom and Dad?” LOL!
At Aden’s 3-year check-up on July 2nd, he was 37 inches tall (50th percentile) and 29 ½ pounds (40th percentile). I asked him all of the questions on the Denver Developmental Inventory sheet and he could do them all—even the ones that are ranked for 4-year-olds! So I guess he is right on target as he heads toward his third birthday next week.
Lily had her 2-month check-up that same day and was 23 ¼ inches long (80th percentile) and 13 pounds, 6 ½ ounces (97th percentile). I don’t think Aden’s weight ever fell into a higher percentile than his height—so she is officially a chunky-butt now! No wonder she is moving up into the 3-6 month clothes already. I guess that’s what the all-night breast milk buffet will do for a baby! :) On the up side, she has slept 4-5 hours several nights now—but she is just as likely to want to nurse every hour or two. Since 6 weeks she has fallen into a pretty consistent schedule of 3 naps during the day, but her bedtime and nighttime sleep schedule are still very unpredictable. But she’s such a happy baby, and chats with me and gives me huge grins as I try in vain to nurse her to sleep at 10, and 11, and midnight… so I can’t get too mad at her! I often fall asleep before she does, and wake up to find her smiling at me. :)
Lily is also very, very strong and can hold all of her weight up on her legs with a minimal amount of help with her balance. She likes being on her tummy (I even let her sleep on her tummy—shhh! Don’t tell the pediatrician!) and can hold her head up 90 degrees and push her chest up a bit too. And she has begun rolling over from tummy to side very easily. I’ve seen a complete tummy to back roll once, but I had laid her down with her arms propped under her quite a bit so I’m not counting it. She also likes lying under her play gym and there is a chain of rings that she consciously bats at and clutches tightly in her chubby fist if she gets it. It’s amazing how far babies come in only 2 months!
Now for my exciting news… I’ve received my first commission for a painting! Tricia (formerly a diary writer on several iParenting sites) posted on my board asking me to make a painting from her favorite picture of herself and her daughter Sarah. It is going to make a beautiful painting and I am so excited that she gave me this chance. Woohoo! I have no idea where this road will take me but I feel so lucky to have the opportunity. Honestly, I cannot stop smiling! :)
Well, I want to send a big congratulations to a friend of mine who just found out she’s pregnant—you know who you are, and I’m so incredibly happy for you! And speaking of pregnancies, I will be posting Lily’s birth story any day—really, I mean it this time—so stay tuned. I’ve been working hard on it for weeks and I can’t wait to share it with you all. Until then, I hope everyone is having a good summer!
Tara
 |  |
|
want to keep a diary on iParenting?
Authoring a diary on the iParenting network allows you to chronicle your family's story, preserving it for years to come. It's also a great way to get the most out of the iParenting community. Click here to start...
|
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families. 
