Potty training

So it's that time again.  

We bought a "frog" potty a few months ago in anticipation of this momentous event.  My girlfriend Michele donated some tiny underwear for the cause and they have been sitting on a shelf collecting dust so that when that window opened, I could take that opportunity and snag it.

The window is open I think.  He's been talking about peeing on the potty and pooping on the potty for a few months now.  This last week, he's almost been obsessed by it.  So I looked for the signs: 1. staying dry for a few hours--CHECK! 2. showing interest in the potty--CHECK! 3. able to remove his own clothing--CHECK!  4. hating diapers--CHECK!

With Gryffin in diapers and Jack and Riley in underwear using the potty, I think he is putting it all together.  Plus, with cloth diapers, I think they feel it more and just want to move up to dry thin cotton quicker.

So yesterday he tells me he has to poop on the potty.  I undress him and we do some heavy reading on the potty.  He doesn't pee, but he toots a few times.  He reads for awhile and then I recognize he is not really in the frame of mind anymore.  I dress him and put him down for his nap.  No biggie.  He ends up pooping after his nap, so it was a false alarm.

Today?  Tells me he has to poop on the potty again.  I undress him, this time Gryffin is down for a nap so I can give him undivided attention.  We do some heavy reading and he toots.  Fine.  He then reads some more and gets back on the potty with a new book and pees!  Jackpot!  So then I'm excited and he says he has to poop again.  Fine.  He just toots.  But I know he is pushing and I know he knows the process which is 1/2 the battle.  Gryffin cries and I go in and stick the pacifier back in.  He is running around his room looking at books etc.  I run downstairs to get a drink of water for myself (he's got his cup already) and I post a message to my husband.  I run back upstairs and see Cooper going through books still.  Next thing I know he poops on the floor.  He runs to the potty, but it's too late.  I should have known!  I missed it.  That sucks.  So we were so very close and tomorrow is another day.  I wiped everything off and put it all in the potty and flushed it down (with his help) in the big potty.  Gave him some gummies throughout the process and I know he is excited to try again when the time comes.

I'll keep you posted on the process as it evolves.  Jack took 7 months after showing promise the first time, Riley took 1 week to potty train himself.  Who knows what Cooper is capable of, but both boys potty trained a 2 1/2 yo  and 2 yo respectably.

My laundry had babies

It was a classic story of colors meets towels.  It was a forbidden love as they had been warned that mixing would create temperature conflict causing nothing but misery.  They didn't listen.  Next thing you know the whites got involved and it created a care triangle based on bleach fears.

It wasn't long before I walked in on this tryst and realized to my horror that there were more piles all over the laundry room.  Who knew they were that fertile?  Not only that but sheets were sleeping with rags, and duvets partnered with delicates.  It was Sodom and Gomorrah.

When women give away the store

When did this happen?  At what point did I let everyone else dictate decisions for my life?

Today I was asking Cooper (my 21 mo)to give me some privacy in the bathroom.  I also asked him if he would come in from wanting to play outside so I could eat.  Yesterday, I was picking out cream cheese and realized that I hadn't bought my favorite flavor in like forever because my kids don't like vegetable cream cheese.   I went ahead and bought some veggie cream cheese and it was damn good!

Last week I made Bruschetta along with some pasta with spinach and chicken.  I hesitated making it because Rich and Riley dislike tomatoes and isn't a fan of spaghetti in general, and no one eats spinach but me.  But I did it.  And you know what?  They liked it.  Mind you Riley wasn't pounding down the bruschetta, but they all ate the spinach pasta and even Rich gave it two thumbs up.

In a family of 6, where I am outnumbered by sheer volume of testosterone, I'm going to make sure my voice is heard from now on.  I do the shopping and they can like it or move out!

I hate myself for this

I find myself completely obsessed with entertainment news about the Gosselins, you know from Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC?  

I have never felt a consuming need for entertainment info on anyone in my life.  What makes this story so compelling to me?  I think it goes back to when I first watched it, I was never a big reality TV fan to begin with (OK, truth time, I did get into the first two The Bachelor series, there, I said it.) But J & K?  I thought she was a little too type A for me and he was such a weak man and those two personalities on a TV series just didn't cut it for my limited time with the TV.

But then the divorce and subsequent scandals!  I picked a side in the beginning.  Team Jon.  I mean, she was such a shrew and so mean sometimes.  Then the press started talking about cheating and his drinking etc. and I watched bits and pieces on a weekend marathon of J & K.  I started seeing for myself how she didn't start out to be a PITA.  She was actually kind of nice to him and light hearted at times.  Then there seemed to be a major shift in the middle.  She grew to be impatient and easily annoyed by him.  I know that I'm overwhelmed with four all different ages and I'm pretty laid back.  How hard would it be to have 6 the same age with an OCD weakness?  Then I noticed how Jon always pitched in and did whatever she asked (which was great!)  BUT, he had to be told what to do in every instance.  He never came up with the ideas and he never took the lead.  He seemed to me to be giving her the lead so that he wouldn't be blamed if it went bad.  That's so weak and passive aggressive.

So whatever, they each have their issues and need to be apart, right?  

They were just a blip on my radar then.  Another celebreality non-story about a couple divorcing.

And then, it got interesting.  I was in a Doctors office waiting and I picked up a magazine with Jon on the cover with another woman--on a yacht.  He's not even divorced yet and he's on vacation holding hands with a woman that looked barely out of high school.  I'm totally intrigued.  Mostly because he just isn't attractive to me.  I mean, what super young girl would date an unattractive, balding man with a paunch who has 8 children and isn't even divorced yet??  He's a passive aggressive 32yo with a beer gut that rivals Will Ferrells (and at least Will is funny.)  There is nothing remotely "catchable" about this guy.  Yet he has been linked with several women so far.  And his wife, while promoting the show and her career, is pretty evasive about all topics Jon.  She is taking the high road and this guy is just flaunting himself all over the world.  He isn't special.  He is a Dad on a reality show on a low rated television cable channel for goodness sakes!  He's acting like he is Brad Pitt or something.

So now I try to watch it, but when Rich comes in the room, I change the channel.  I'm surprisingly super embarrassed to be caught watching the train wreck.  It's like my own private perversion--although not so private now that I've blogged about it! ha!

Oh and I'm totally team Kate.  As long as she keeps me appropriately at bay on her issues with Jon and keeps up her "perfect, loving Mother" persona, I'm golden.  I even let the public spanking and dog give back go.  Thank God she has good publicists or I would have to find some other drama for my domestic escape.

10% Discount on SleepWraps with free shipping!

This is my friend Barb's husband Bob, isn't he a hot babywearing Dad?  Anyway, this week is International Babywearing week and I'm celebrating Bob and the countless parents who wear their baby close to their bodies keeping the baby cozy and safe.  If you have a baby, but no carrier?  I'm offering a 10% discount and free shipping for the SleepyWrap carrier.  It's a gorgeous carrier and I use it myself for Gryffin and before that, Cooper.

Makes a great baby shower gift for the Mother who has everything and is soft, stretchy and helps distribute the baby's weight for your backs sake.

Enjoy!

Goodbye Dairy

Farewell dairy, it's been a fun ride.  I have to give you up because you disagree with Gryffin.  So goodbye cream cheese, so long sour cream, hasta la vista cottage cheese and see ya later ice cream.

Hello weight loss!

Laundry

I'm really trying to get caught up and keep caught up on the laundry that never ends.

But I have to say that I witnessed (but forgot to take a picture) the worst stained shirt in my lifetime.  It had chocolate, something yellow, something red, something pink all over the front, down to the midline and into the base of the shirt.  The back?  Had fingerprints that somehow thought it was acceptable to wipe chocolate all over the back of the shirt with accompanied red something or another.  The culprit?  My almost 9yo.  

I can't even mention his underwear.  Seriously.

I had him take the Shout bottle (my emergency stain remover as the Bac Out, just can't touch food dyes at all) and spray the crap out of the shirt.  His hand hurt really bad (*sniff* OK, who am I kidding, I was cackling inside) and made him repeat the mantra, "my shirt is not a napkin."

He had to do the same for his underwear *shudder*

Thank God for Prefold diapers

I have a secret to share.  I used paper diapers for the first few weeks after Gryffins birth.  I know, I know, but I have a diaper service, I sell diapers, think of the environment!!!

But honestly, after the homebirth and with my Parents visiting and the new school starting for the older boys and all the piles of laundry, I just couldn't do it.  I just couldn't manage another load of laundry when we were hot dogs, frozen pizza, grilled cheese and cereal for dinner!

So now that I'm more caught up on laundry (not totally caught up, because how can a family of 6 ever be totally caught up??) I started back with my prefolds again.  Thank God.  Now I realize another reason I choose cloth over paper.  Sure I have to launder a few more loads a week, but the money I am saving and the cuteness of the covers with the amazing absorbency of cloth? Well, I apologize to the world for my small disposable product lapse and promise to never go there again.

I don't judge others who feel overwhelmed and go with paper over cloth, but I judge myself and know better.  I know how easy it is to cloth diaper and I won't go back, I promise.

Newborn Narcotic

http://www.doublex.com/section/kids-parenting/katie-roiphe-my-newborn-narcotic?page=0,0

I especially like this part:

"People often compare having a new baby to the early days of a love affair, which is true as far as it goes, but one’s physical fixation on, and craving for, a newborn is much stronger and more intense that that. How often in a love affair can you literally find yourself in tears because you were away from a man for three hours?"

I sit here with my Gryffin in my lap as I type and I can smell the new baby smell from the top of his head and feel his fuzzy little hair tickle my chin.  He scrunches up his body and makes a creaky moan and I kiss his delicious chunky cheek.  This is so temporary.  This is so fleeting.  A newborn is just a newborn for nanoseconds in my life.  I've enjoyed four instances of this newborn intoxication and I'm so very lucky.

My tummy looks like a Shar pei

OK, maybe it looks like a very pale chunk of whale underbelly?  Then you pair it with the giant breasts and it is so far from my teenage years as to be unrecognizable.  At some point, vanity will rear it's ugly head and if I can't manage to get my belly back to some sort of normalcy, I'm going under the knife.  I don't need to have a 6-pack and I'd settle for a little pooch.  But after 4 kids, it is a kangaroo pouch that can house a 12-pack and a case of Patron.  

I'm being sarcastic, but it is so gross and wrong.  But I did get some pretty cool prizes for my efforts.

As for the breasts?  I'll have to wait and see what happens to them.  Right now they are nice looking fun bags.  After nursing?  Um, yeah.  I'll probably need to invest in some seriously expensive bras that mold, shape, lift and hide in perfect unison.

Homebirth

The story of my homebirth really starts with my first birth.

My first Son, Jack, was born in the year 2000.  I took a Bradley Course and really felt prepared for anything.  I wanted to go all natural and in my 34th week, ended up in labor.  I wasn't quite prepared for going so early, and had a Doula to guide me through labor along with my "Coach" AKA husband Rich.  It was a 22 hour labor and I started labor with an amniotic leak.  Labor didn't really kick in for several hours.  I ended up at the hospital 6 hours later to get started on antibiotics and get a cervical check etc.  Any contractions I had immediately stopped at the hospital.  I guess I have what they call "white coat syndrome."  I'm frightened of hospitals and not a fan of needles.  They gave me some synthetic prostaglandin which hurt more than I can explain.  Contractions started picking up and piggy backing on top of one another.  I still wasn't progressing quickly enough for my Doctor and ended up asking for the epidural after the Pitocin was administered.  Pitocin sucks ass.  Jack was fine, I had a second degree tear and he only had to spend a week in the NICU, but it still wasn't quite the birth I had hoped for.

Then I got pregnant with Riley.  Hope springs eternal.  I thought this time would be so very different.  I did get to 37 weeks with him (whoo hoo!) but I woke up with a strong leak at 2a.m.  Contractions didn't really get underway for about 12 hours and I had to go in to the hospital for antibiotics again.  This time, I took a HypnoBirthing course.  It was using self hypnosis to relax me during labor.  I got to the hospital and again, my contractions stopped.  I walked all over that damn hospital trying to kick start labor.  Finally, my contractions started up again and after several hours, they checked me and found that I was still stuck at 7 cm and my cervix was swelling up as I felt an incredible need to push.  They wouldn't let me push and my water broke, but that didn't do anything to open my cervix.  At this point, I was probably in labor around 20+ hours and exhausted.  They had to do an amniotomy which is putting water back inside of me because Riley's heartbeat was varying too much for them.  I eventually begged for an epidural because they wanted to start Pitocin.  Pitocin so sucks ass.  So 31 hours after labor officially began, I birthed Riley with a second degree tear.  Again, not the birth I envisioned for myself.

After Riley, I had lots of female issues with endometrial cysts and had a cyst removed through a laparotomy.  At this point, I was told that I probably wouldn't be having any more kids.  I went to a Homeopathic Doctor who diagnosed me with Celiac disease and tweaked my Thyroid meds (I became Hypothyroid after Jack.)  I started to feel so much better and my cyst issue disappeared.

I had two miscarriages in between Riley and Cooper.

I found out I was pregnant with Cooper, Son #3!  I didn't want to have a replay of Jack and Riley's birth and ended up at a free standing Birth Center.  The pregnancy was full of apprehension at first with me on Progesterone so I wouldn't miscarry.  I had terrible morning sickness, but otherwise, it was an uneventful pregnancy.  My Midwife suggested I take Fish Oil, which wasn't suggested to me with my other two births.  At 39 weeks 5 days, I went into labor with Cooper.  It started with the Midwife stripping my membranes and later that afternoon, my labor was off and running.  I was feeling really good for being in labor and this time, I used techniques from the HypnoBabies home study course.  This course was much more comprehensive than HypnoBirthing IMO.  I kept track of my contractions on the computer, but didn't even really feel like labor other than a few squeezes here and there.  At 6p we packed our bags and dropped the boys off at their friends house for the night.  We made it to the birth center around 8p and my contractions stopped!  As usual.  Rich ran to get me a sandwich and after he got back, and I ate, I started feeling something.  Around 9p, contractions started up again with gusto and I felt great through them up until about 7cm.  My Midwife checked me and told me my cervix was swelling because I felt the incredible need to push, but I shouldn't because I'm not totally dilated.  I was so upset.  I thought my cervix was going to burst and I couldn't stop needing to push.  I couldn't breathe through them and felt so defeated.  She got this worried look on her face and that worried me.  Then she asked if I wanted to go to the hospital and I said yes because I thought I was going to explode or die or something.  The EMT's get there and the one guy was such a jackass.  I got really annoyed with him and wanted to kick him (honestly, I can't remember now what he said, but I remember my anger!) and that is where Rich said the cervix dilated.  I thought it was the bumpy ride to the hospital, but anyway...I'm in the hallway and I thought that I must have a hemorrhoid about to burst because something was coming out of my bottom and I was totally freaked out.  It wasn't a hemorrhoid.  It was Cooper's head crowning.  I got into the hospital room when I realized that I had in fact dilated and I was pushing a baby out at that moment.  The nurses were so busy and thankfully my Midwife caught him just in time.  The Doctor wasn't even in the room yet.  So a 5 1/2 hour labor with a crazy ambulance ride and there I was in a crappy hospital yet again.  This was very close to my ideal birth (no meds, no tears, no interventions except for the membrane stripping,) but not quite.

We were done having kids at this point.  

Cooper was 11 months old when I found out I was pregnant again, SURPRISE!  LOL  I guess we weren't done yet.

Anyway, I was so apprehensive of giving birth again.  It just seemed too tedious to even think about.  Part of me wanted a C-section and knocked out to just get the labor over with.  Part of me still wanted to try for my ideal birth.  I had lost confidence in myself along the way.  My friend Michele talked me into a homebirth.  She made so much sense to me that day and I decided to just go for it and not analyze it anymore.

I met a few Midwives and settled on Flame Dineen in Boulder.  She had almost 20 years experience and her Birthday was the same as Coopers, so it felt serendipitous as Jack would say.  The pregnancy was so beyond uneventful.  Very little morning sickness, in fact, I didn't even notice the pregnancy much until the end.  This baby was a week late!

On the 27th of August, I woke up, nursed Cooper and felt a gush down below.  My first thought was oh shit.  Like, my water broke and now we are back to Jack and Riley's birth, right???!!!  Well, I didn't really leak much the rest of the day, except maybe some bloody show and mucus.  I walked, I ate, I napped, I nursed and my contractions never really got going.  I had some really strong ones, but nothing that would keep up at the same level.  My Midwife was so easy going and said that I wasn't on a time limit.  I just had to keep anything out of the Yoni and all was fine with her.  She came over around 7p or so and hung out for several hours.  My friend Michele came over too and we went on a walk.  Around 10p, I was tired and my contractions all but disappeared.  I felt so deflated and told everyone they can go home, false alarm.  They all left around 11p or so and I went to bed wondering when this show would get on the road.  The show got on the road around 1:30a when I woke up to a very sharp contraction that left me stinging and shivering.  I ran to the shower to see if that would chill it out so I could get back to sleep and I had three more in succession.  I knew this was it and called out to my husband who didn't hear me.  I then started calling him every bad name I could think of because he wouldn't wake up!  Finally, he heard me and rushed in and I told him to call the Midwife back.

Then the details got hazy on me.  We went down to the main floor where I got my water and brought my pillows down and got ready for the Midwife to arrive.  When she got there we greeted and laughed about the labor and I had several more contractions that caused me to really pause.  I had on my HypnoBabies MP3 tracks and tried to relax and get into the groove.  We went down into our finished basement because the contractions were pretty close together and I just wanted to be where I knew I would land.  I held my husband a lot during the contractions and relaxed and gave in to the sensations.  My verbal relaxation cue was the word "peace" but at some point the word wasn't helping.  I remembered that in the book, "Spiritual Midwifery" Ina May Gaskin, the worlds leading Midwife said that saying the word "love" completely relaxes the vaginal sphincter and opens you up.  So I started a mantra "I love you, I love you, I love you..."to Rich.  It felt so good to say and to give to him during this process and at some point I started saying it to Gryffin.  I told him how much I loved him and wanted to meet him.  The contractions never did get too close together and I had some rest time between them the entire labor.  My Midwife never checked my cervix for dilation and I just labored for awhile wondering if I was in active labor yet.  Several hours later I asked Flame if I was in active labor and she laughed.  At some point I asked to get in the tub and spent several hours in water.  A few times I got out to shower for a change of scenery and to see if that would help feel better, but it honestly was so intense, there was no letting up.  I just had to get through it.  There was about 40 minutes of what must have been transition where I started shouting that I was done and that it could stop and I just wanted to escape the sensations.  It's incredibly powerful and overwhelming.  Finally, there was what must have been a 5 minute lull and I crashed with my head back on the tub and napped.  I woke up to a crazy popping sensation and bubbles coming out my Yoni, it was then that I knew my water had officially and totally broke.  It wasn't too long before I started feeling the need to push, but it wasn't overpowering.  It was manageable.  I got nervous and asked Flame to check me and she refused.  She kept telling me that I was doing great and to trust myself.  That was the best gift she could have given me.  I started pushing, but he was so far up still.  I wanted to see how much farther I had to go and felt for his head.  I felt that he had hair and it was wet.  I got so excited to know that he was coming.  It took about 30 minutes of pushing to crowning.  The last two births, I barely pushed when I was finally given the approval before they shot out of me.  Gryffin was tough though.  I was very tired pushing him out and every time I felt him slip back in, I would get so put out.  I really wanted him out bad at this point.  Once I pushed his head out, Flame had to help maneuver his shoulder and I felt his last kicks as he did his final descent.  Immediately I felt like an empty, but very much relieved vessel.  I was on all fours and had to step over his cord and grabbed him tight.  I had just a skid mark, so no stitches for me again!

It was so empowering and amazing and magical and I was on such a high afterwards.  Every woman has her story, whether it be adoption or labor or deciding not to have children and travel instead.  My life has been full of exciting wonderful stories, but nothing feels as though it defines me like laboring with Gryffin.  Gryffin may have been a surprise and throughout the entire pregnancy, I felt trepidation.  Was I going to be able to parent four boys equally?  Would I be able to juggle the needs of so many?  But with the birth going so well, bonding started immediately and I fell in love before he even descended, I know I'm going to be OK.  I needed this experience.  I needed to learn to trust my body, to trust my husband (he was the rock that grounded me throughout) and I feel like such a strong woman now.  I'm even starting to imagine myself as a Midwife or even just a HypnoBabies instructor.  Maybe that is where my self discovery will lead me.  

For right now, I'm nursing a gorgeous little man on my lap and realizing the world is just a slice of alright.