My hamper floweth over

The Keith Family News

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Stinker!

So we've been going forward with the whole potty training thing. He wears diapers to school and bed, and undies the rest of the day. He still needs to be reminded to go, but he can usually do it all independently. Last night and today at nap, he had accidents because diapers were forgotten, but most of the time his Thomas undies stay dry.

Today, I was in the office helping Pierce with his homework, and I heard Max toot. I remembered he still had his diaper on from school, and told him we would go sit on the potty and try to go poopy when I was done helping Pierce. He hasn't done that particular thing yet, and I thought I would read him a book while he sat there.

As I am admiring Pierce's picture of a baby giraffe, I hear a grunt from behind me. I turn around and see Max clutching the side of the train table.

--"Max! Are you pooping?"
--"No, I just tooted."
--"Well, lets go sit on the potty and see if you need to go poopy." I untape his diaper, pull it out, and hear a (I wish I could say it was unfamiliar) "SPLAT".
--Max says "What's that?"
--"It's poopy Max, you poopied."
--"No I just tooted."

Alright people, I know he is still young, but I really don't want to give up on this. Pierce was almost three when he was finally trained, but that was different. He was freaked out by it all. Even at one, Pierce would only poop in his diaper in his room. We would return from a weekend trip, and he would run to his room to take care of business. When we first tried potty training, he wouldn't even sit on the potty. His legs would straighten stiff as boards and he would scream.

Max? He's just lazy. And I know some say "don't worry, it's not like he'll go off to college wearing diapers." But Max? I could totally see him doing that! I'd get a call "Hey mom? I'm in biology, and I'm going to need you to come change me."

And what kind of woman is going to marry a man in pull-ups? Not the kind I would want for daughter-in-law, I'm sure.

Anyway, I'm going to keep trying, up the positive reinforcement, increase the frequency of prayers, and prepare myself for some super icky accidents.

BUT...
If all of this should possibly, though very unlikely, not work, and I should possibly, though very unlikely, cave...no one, and I mean NO ONE is allowed to in any way rub it my face. Okay? I thought so.
Keithclan, 4:41 PM | link | 2 comments |

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Quitting a bad habit

I swear, this is my last pack....of diapers, that is. Max has been showing all the signs that he is ready to potty train, but I have been so busy (and maybe just a little lazy) that we really haven't put forth the effort that we need to. I went to Target tonight, and didn't buy a pack. I have about ten diapers left, that gives me just enough for mother's day out for the rest of this week. It's all undies the rest of the time. Once he is out of diapers, it will close a chapter in my life. I have changed diapers daily since 1998. I only had about a seven month reprieve between Jordan and Ashton, so that adds another two and a half years, though they don't run consecutive with the other nine. NINE. Although I will still change diapers at work, it will be different to not have to worry about it at home. Not bad, mind you, just different. Kinda makes me want somethin' to cuddle.....
Keithclan, 9:41 PM | link | 4 comments |

Thursday, September 13, 2007

First grader at last

Today I walked the kids to school. Pierce ran ahead of me with one of his friends. When I caught up to him in his new classroom, he was already sitting in his desk. Grinning from ear to ear.

His new teacher seems really nice. And she has very clear, very fair behavior policies.

I almost cried alligator tears of joy.
Keithclan, 4:51 PM | link | 1 comments |

Friday, September 07, 2007

It's a good time, for the great taste....

Max loves to eat at "Guh-Donald's". \

His typical order is french fries and "Chicken num-nuts".
Keithclan, 10:09 AM | link | 3 comments |

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Abandoning the three previous posts I started and never finished and starting from scratch

Seriously, three posts that I started but couldn't find the ten minutes I needed to finish them. That has been my month. I am expecting much better things from September. I am pleading with you September, please be gentle with me. I am a woman on the edge.

I'll start with the good news. Jordan is doing fantastic in middle school! She loves it! She is very self motivated with her homework, and loves the English teacher that we heard so many horror stories about. She has the highest test average in his class out of all the sixth graders! Yeah, Jordan!

I am also happy with Ashton's school situation. She has the same teacher she had last year, and I love that teacher! She moved from second to third grade, and kept the whole class with her. Hooray for Ashton!

Max and Lillian have great teachers, too. Love, love, love, Lillian's teacher! She was Pierce's afternoon kindergarten enrichment teacher last year, and she is fantastic. Lillian did, however, hide under the table this morning and kiss her boyfriend. On the lips. Jordan said "Hey! I haven't even kissed a boy on the lips yet!" We are locking her in a tower when she turns twelve.

Now for Pierce. My poor, poor Pierce.

So, while Pierce was recovering from the whole dog attack thing, I kept his spirits up by talking about how great first grade was going to be. How he was going to have his own desk, have reading groups, math sheets (he loves math, didn't get that from me), yada yada yada, things that are pretty universal for all first grade students.

Well, when we went to enroll him, we found out he was in a "split class" with transitional first and first grade students. We were reassured that he would have the same work, they would work with the other first grade classes frequently, etc....

Not so much. They don't have desks, spend most of the day sitting on the carpet, and did a lot of coloring.

We had several meetings with the principal (who is, by the way not my "pal") and were told so many insane things that I can't even begin to write them all down. After six days in that classroom, he was starting to dread going to school. He was bored, and his teacher, lets call her "Mrs. Yellsalot", did just that. A LOT. And I don't care how many years Mrs. Yellsalot has been there (25) or how many people think that boys benefit from her "discipline style" (lots of yelling), I am not one of those people and I never will be. I know I did not complete my degree in early childhood, but I never saw a class entitled "Yelling 101".

Anyway, so after seven days, I went back to our "princi-notmypal" and was told to "trust her", she was going to get things sorted out eventually (wouldn't give me any kind of timeline or any guarantee that my son would be moved to a proper first grade classroom and I was told for the umpteenth time that all the first grade teachers were just doing busy work and if Pierce was ready now for first grade that he would be ready in a few weeks). Even though the other first graders were already learning about north, south, east and west and having spelling tests. So I pulled him.

He stayed home with me for two days, and now she says that he will be moved tomorrow. We'll see. There are two first grade classes and SEVENTY first grade students (which, by the way, has nothing to do with the more than a dozen transfers in the first grade alone) so I know that some other child will be moved into Mrs. Yellsalot's classroom when my son moves out. And don't tell anybody, but I don't frankly care anymore. I need a rest from drama.

So, goodbye August, month of much crap! And hello, September, month of great fortune!
Keithclan, 4:06 PM | link | 2 comments |