Potty Training Alexander Style

There is more exciting potty news to share!

So, Alexander has been expressing an interest in the potty lately. Maybe it's the M&Ms he sees Anna get as an incentive/reward when she uses the potty. I tell him he can have M&Ms also when he's ready to pee pee in the potty. Within the past week I've been encouraging him to just sit on the little training potty when he wants to (with and without his pants on, whatever is convenient at the time). This afternoon before nap I told the children it was time to change diapers and for Anna to sit on the potty. Alexander insisted on pulling off his pants and his diaper to sit on the potty, so I let him go for it. He sat there for a while, even restlessly standing up a few times. Meanwhile, Anna was on the big toilet. I was in the other room and I heard Alexander say "Ah pee pee mommy." (I can't tell if he is using "I" or "Ah" for Alex.) I figured he was just talking aloud about pee pee, so I was floored when I walked in to actually find pee pee in the little blue plastic potty bowl! Of course, there was pee pee on the seat and floor, as well. I was so excited and tried to get him all excited with "yeas" and clapping hands and M&Ms and a phone call to daddy at work. I wasn't really prepared for this but will go with it if it's time. We'll see if he continues to want to potty train or if this was just a fluke. But yea!

I had two mom friends over for coffee yesterday morning. Their boys go to school with Anna, so they came over for the three hours between dropping off and picking up the kids. One of them shared that her 3-year-old boy is still not potty trained (which you're supposed to be to attend school, but I guess if he can hold it and doesn't require teachers to change his diaper then it's not an issue). She told a very funny story about how her boy will not only tell her when he's wet and needs a new diaper but also when he has a diaper rash and needs "grease." I guess it's true what they say about kids getting potty trained in their own sweet time.

In other Alexander news, I think I have a whiz kid under my tutelage. (Hee hee, I just wanted to say that word.) I've mentioned before that Alexander can tell you how many fingers you're holding up on one hand. I have since discovered that he also recognizes numbers in print. Show him numerals 1-5 and he'll say what they are with no mistakes! I don't have a point of reference, but this seems pretty smart to me for a child his age of just less than 27 months. I only just recognized this brilliance and so have now begun to show and say higher numbers. We'll see how long it takes for the numbers 6-10 to stick. I'm guessing not very long.

Alexander is also now constantly asking for the ABC song, and I can tell it won't be long before he can sing the whole thing. He can sing up to the letter G and also sings other parts of the song, so it's just a matter of filling in and stringing together.

Ready For School

Here's a pretty picture of Anna modeling one of her new outfits before heading off to school. She kind of looks like she just woke up, doesn't she? Her brother is a much lighter sleeper than she is, I've always thought. (Funny story: Mikel reported that, a couple weeks ago when I left the children with him to run errands, Alexander had woken up from his nap first and was talking with his father. I guess at some point Mikel gave him permission to go wake up his sister, so Alexander went into Anna's room to get her up. Anna's reponse was something to the effect of: "Anna still sleeping, Zander." I know it doesn't read very funny, but it was pretty amusing to hear it from Mikel.)

Anyway, so today was picture day at school. I dressed Anna in her little blue jean jumper dress that she wore to the ice cream social last week. Most of her other new school dresses are wool or velvet and decisively more wintery so those weren't an option. When I picked her up I got a report from one of the teachers that Anna had to have a little "time in" — that's what I thought she called it — for not listening or paying attention. One of the teachers who did not actually administer this punishment told me and didn't know all the details. Apparently another little girl had to have one at the same time, also, though I'm not sure they were in collusion together. From my understanding the child has to sit in a chair behind a red line. I don't know for how long. If it's a serious or repeated offense, I think the child is denied recess privileges, a punishment which I'm told really drives home the point when he/she sees the other children going outside for play.

Also, Anna had a pee pee accident at school yesterday and when I picked her up was wearing a pair of back-up pants the school keeps handy for such occasions. It must have been preety bad because not only were her bottoms wet but her socks and slippers were also sent home for me to wash. And she had even been wearing those rubber pants over her big girl panties! This was the first such accident, so I don't know what prompted it. Teachers said she was really thirsty and had consumed three glasses of water and that they were also in the process of washing dishes (the school is big on teaching independence and social skills) when this happened. I always thought it was an old wives' tale that running water causes you to feel like you have to urinate!

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changing Alexander

And here are the year-to-year photo comparisons of Alexander. At the time these were taken we thought he might be an only child, as the photos were captured during our last and brief visit with him before we received word that we could go meet Anna, who was living two hours away. I can't decide who has changed more. I used to think it was Alexander, but now I think it might be Anna.

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changing Anna

One year ago today we met our daughter in Russia, after meeting our son just a couple days prior. Yes, the time has arrived when I could bombard our blog with firsts this and firsts that. (A year ago Saturday we left the U.S. for Russia. A year ago last month we received our referrals, etc.) But I'll try not to do it again until next month on the one year anniversary of us becoming parents, and also picking up the children, and then also leaving Russia to come home.

Anyway, here is a shot of Anna taken this morning at the park and several in her baby home a year ago. Look at how she's changed!

Ice Cream Social

Anna's school hosted an ice cream social for students and their families this evening. Since Mikel flew back to Detroit to visit family yesterday morning, just the children and I attended, but not before I gussied up the children just a tad for the occasion. It was lots of fun, and I'm pretty sure my kids, though perhaps the best dressed, were over dressed, as the whole affair was outdoors and kids were running around in the sandbox and on playground equipment after inhaling their ice cream. At any rate, here are two shots of the kids and their ice cream (even got one of Anna taking the cherry off the stem!) and a few outside our house before we loaded up into the car.

Speaking of school, it seems that, in Anna's school at least, what I would consider old-fashioned names are back in style! Besides Anna, there are two Emmas, an Ella, Annie, Isabelle, Rosemary, Ethan, Benjamin, Andrew, Jack, Charleston, Noah, Nicholas, Charles, Rockwell, and finally, even Henry. How cute! Of course, there are also some trendy names but I was struck by what seemed like a lot of old-fashioned or traditional sort of names. But then, maybe I've just not kept up with what's going on with kids' names these days. No Alexanders -- that's good to know for next year's class. (Side note: When I met my new Russian friend last week, she said her first thought when I introduced my son to her (and before she knew he was adopted from her home country) was something along the lines of 'Oh, what a good Russian name that is.')

In other school news, Anna's teachers report she's very, very busy! I keep asking if that's a good thing because sometimes it's code for hyper. They assure me it's a good thing in that she's interested in and curious about everything and that they'd much rather teach a child like that than someone who is very placid and ho-hum about the world around them. I did also get a report that she's likes to flush the toilet a lot — put new paper in so that she can flush more — which is weird because she's not like that at home. Her brother is! Anyway, I had a little chat with her about it and how she only needs to flush once and no play with potty. I think it got through (even though she should already know this) because she's repeated it back to me on various occasions.

I've had the privilege of dropping off Anna at school this week. Normally Mikel has done this on his way in to work. It's nice to see what the morning routine is like and to socialize with other parents, as all children are supposed to arrive at the same time. The teachers open the door for them all to go in at 8:30 a.m., and the parents are supposed to just send them off with a quick kiss and a "see you in a few hours" and not enter (we're literally right at the doorstep, where Anna and Alex are sitting in these photos -- it's not like we're at the end of the school yard). Anna has lingered a bit in wanting a kiss and hug, more than I would have thought. But she certainly hasn't been one of those children who must be peeled off the parent's leg by the teachers.

Anyway, it's all good right now!

Grrrrorgeous Shreve

I planned to take the kids to pan for gold after their nap this afternoon but discovered the little touristy stop — on the way to Mount Rushmore but still in town here — was already closed for the season. Darn. We drive by it regularly on our way home and the sign has said "Open," but that apparently refers only to the gift shop. Since I had Shreve in the vehicle with me we went to the dog park instead. This photo of a regal Shreve was actually snapped weeks ago in our backyard. The ones of the children were taken Wednesday afternoon. Here they are fascinated with a manhole cover and hugging at my request.

Wrap-Up

Here are our sweet little angel children sleeping (Anna with Baby and Alexander with Teddy) on the last night of our vacation. And, we unexpectedly came across yet another tourist trap on our way home: the yet unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial. As you can see we didn't stop but drove by it. Mikel has already been up to the site for work purposes, as it's pretty much in our own backyard here in the Black Hills.

Out West: Plentiful Pics

The children act like loving siblings at the Tetons and do the obligatory pose at Yellowstone Lake; Alexander engages in one of his favorite pastimes of throwing rocks into a body of water; Shreve gets a potty break; the family enjoys a breezy patio lunch in Jackson, Wyoming.

Family Portraits

Here are a few family portraits we snapped against beautiful landscapes. The first is at the Grand Teton Mountain Range, the next at Yellowstone Lake, then somewhere on the drive from Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton National Park, and finally a photo taken somwhere in the Shoshone National Forest adjacent to Yellowstone.

Going, Going, Gone!

We walked up to Old Faithful just in time to view its spectacular eruption. Whew, because as you can see, it was diminishing before we could get up close. And then suddenly, it was gone. Of course, we could have waited nearly an hour and a half for the next spouting, but we had other places to go see. The geyser erupts for only 2-5 minutes at a time. The minimum time between eruptions is about 30 minutes, the average time just over 60 minutes and the maximum time is more than 90 minutes.

Only Bear Sightings

Don't Mind Me

Out West

SOMEWHERE IN WYOMING — We're on the third night of our little vacation to see the natural wonders offered up by Wyoming. Third night. Third room. Each night gets a little better than the last. Actually, only the first night was really rough. Neither child would fall asleep. So Mikel and I ended up separating them, with each of us getting one of the children (two beds in the room). When it seemed I couldn't get Alexander to sleep, after all, then Mikel put the boy child in the bed with him and Anna. I ended up with Shreve in my bed all night. And he was the worst of all! I can't believe how wound up he was. All I could hear was heaving panting. All night long. Two inches above my face! He has NEVER been one to sleep on the bed with us, even when we've offered and begged. But on this night he was literally face to face with me. And not going to sleep. He was so tired he practically fell asleep in the sitting position several times. He would eventually sleep only to wake up again, and thus wake me with him, a couple hours later with his panting and moving around on the bed. Don't know what was up with that. It's not like he's never been on road trips with us. Maybe it was the more rustic style log cabin we stayed in just a couple miles outside of Yellowstone National Park. Seriously. Because on the second night we stayed in a hotel room with all the modern comforts and he was calm and quiet as a mouse and slept on the floor (by the door, to protect us) as usual. (Perhaps because he was so pooped from the lack of sleep on the first night.) We did separate the children again on the second and third nights (in West Yellowstone, Montana, on second night and in some small town called Riverside, Wyoming, tonight). It's just better that way. I've ended up with Alexander and Mikel with Anna. Man, am I glad they have their own rooms at home.

Anyway, I'm sure you're tired of all the talk about sleeping arrangements. Aside from a bit of cold medicine needed every now and then, our little family getaway has otherwise been lovely. I can't post photos right now because we're not home and not on our own server and it's too convoluted for me to do it another way. Mikel could do it, but the gang's all asleep right now. Besides, this is pretty much my blog now. I have only bothered to master the simple way of doing things. And when you fly through life like that you sometimes get trapped.

On Friday morning, we loaded up the SUV (note to self: our next vehicle purchase must have three rows of seats plus an adequate space for the dog). It took us I don't know maybe about nine or so hours to arrive at our destination just outside of the park. It claims to have Buffalo Bill's first hunting lodge. All the cabins there are lodge-like, too. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't THAT rustic. There was electricity and, in our cabin anyway, a private bath. But no shower! We spent all day Saturday driving throughout the park, stopping to take in the much varied views, gawking at wild animals walking on the side of the road, bathing in rivers and grazing in far-off pastures, and getting lucky enough to see Old Faithful briefly but gloriously spew. On Saturday night we exited the park on the west side and spent the night in West Yellowstone, across the state line in Montana. Mikel and I ate Chinese take-out. Yes, I know. It felt so not right passing up grills where I could have purchased yummy buffalo burgers to instead get Chinese to take back to the room. It was kind of late and we didn't want anything too heavy. This morning we re-entered the Yellowstone park, drove through and exited at the south end so we could take in the Grand Teton Mountain Range. I'm glad we decided to go this route at the last minute because the views are simply awe inspiring. We'd debated for weeks whether to do the whole Jackson Hole, Wyoming, thing. At first no, then yes because we're so close, then no we'll save it for a winter ski trip with the kids. We'd decided we'd wing the last night and go a bit out of the way to the north on the drive home and see the sight of Custer's last stand at Little Bighorn. But yesterday we decided to ditch that plan and drive down to the Jackson Hole area. We drove around the cute little tourist town with its town square shops and restaurants, then found a place with outdoor seating a few streets off the square. We had to cater to Shreve quite a bit, but he's part of the family and it was right to bring him. The waiter even brought Shreve some doggie treats. But, as usual, he turned his nose up at them! What a snob! You don't know how many times such has happened — at drive-through restaurants (believe it or not), the bank, even the check-out line at the pet store. No, thank you, he says, turning away his head.

Anyway, after our outdoor lunch in the valley, we made our way back up and across. Another full day of driving has landed us in Riverton, or maybe it's Riverside, Wyoming. Mikel took the kids swimming in the hotel pool this evening (it was my turn last night). Tomorrow is another big driving day, but there won't be any sightseeing stops so maybe we'll feel like we're making time.

There hasn't been too much changing of the leaves here. It's still a bit early for that. However, at some point today, Anna exclaimed, "Oooh, orange tree, Mommy!!!" We did see wonderous wild animals, though. The children now know what bison look like. We saw one moseying across the road just as soon as we entered the park. There were so many of them all throughout the park that they quickly became a dime a dozen. The rare sighting was the bull elk. We were lucky enough to see two with majestic sets of antlers. Again, we happened to be in the right place at the right time when one big male decided to cross the road. The other sighting was further away grazing near water. We actually did see several females, as well. Rarer still, at least on our trip, were the bear and moose. Sadly, we saw none.

Of course, we snapped many photos which I hope to post soon.

Random Pics

Hey, here are a few photos from several weeks back. Alexander was tickled about something. Anna waters the plants. There's not much to report, except that we're preparing for a little getaway to Yellowstone National Park, so you might not hear from us for a few days. Also, unfortunately, we're all a bit sick. Just colds but bad enough for medicine. The children seemed to have gotten over theirs, so hopefully we parents aren't too far behind them.

Blowin' In The Wind

How many times must we go to the park, before we get tired of it? Yes, 'n' how many slides can my mommy send me down before she puts away her camera? The answers my friends, are blowin' in the winds, the answers are blowin' in the winds.

OK. Enough of my silliness. Yes, we took another trip to the park on Friday due to the weather being so PUURRRFECT. As you can see, I tried to mix up the photo collage by snapping more than the children on playground equipment.

Fall is here in full swing, and I love it. We even had to turn on our heater over the weekend — daytime and nighttime. The children's room have gotten to the point of being too cold at night so I took Anna and Alexander shopping yesterday morning for some one-piece PJs with feet. They're the same brand I got them last winter, and Alexander is already up two sizes. Anna's up one size.

This morning, while Anna was in school, I took Alexander to a friend's house to meet with a group of several other moms and their toddlers. This was actually a get-to-know you kind of get-together of our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) small discussion groups. We basically had coffee, chatted and strolled our kids around the block (me with an empty seat in my twin stroller). I'm excited because there is a Russian girl in our group! She has a very cute little white-haired, blue-eyed 13-month-old boy named Dimitry. She grew up on the extreme eastern side of Russia in a very small and, apparently, very poor town. She has a sister who just moved from Ft. Worth to Austin, Texas, but all the rest of her family remains in Russia. She said she spent a month in Russia with her family this summer and doesn't miss it. I tried not to pry too much, but I think what she doesn't miss is the poor condition of her area, and I can understand that. Anna was born in and was living in a very poor area. However, as I've told Mikel before, I feel like I do, in some way I'm not sure I can put my finger on, miss Russia and really can't stop thinking about it or reading history books. I've just started another one about the Russian Revolution of 1917, specifically, how Lenin and the Bolsheviki party took control of what seems to me by comparison a people's mild overthrow of the monarchy system. Anyway, my new friend went to college in San Francisco then went back to Russia for several years. She's been back in the state for two years, after having met her husband online!

The big MOPS group just started meeting again last week. We'll meet twice a month. Since the group meets on Tuesdays, I'll only have Alexander with me. And that will be so much easier than last year. It was going to be easier anyway now that both children are fully mobile and can walk nicely beside me or hold my hand (in the parking lot) and because I no longer feel the need to pack 100 pounds of toddler gear into my bag and such as.

The dynamics have really changed since Anna began school. I remember how quiet it was with just Alexander and me after Anna went to school for the first time last week. We looked at each other and said, "Now what?" I didn't fully appreciate just how much the children keep each other entertained.

It Was Time

We converted Alexander's crib into a "toddler bed" on Monday. We felt compelled to finally make the change after our little monkey boy fell out of his crib last week. (Somehow he didn't get hurt, though. When I opened his door he was standing by his crib with a big smile — probably found it fun.) I believe he's rolled out of his newly converted bed twice, once the first night and once last night. No getting hurt, but after a little cry and us rushing to his aid and putting him back in bed, he's good for the rest of the night. During at least two or three of his nap times since the conversion, he has elected to crawl out of bed and play (yesterday and today for sure; can't remember past that). I've gone in repeatedly and put him back in his bed but at some point each day I have just had to stop because my threshold has been reached. Mikel can try his hand at keeping him in bed over the weekend when he's home.

Today was Anna's first full day of school (a full day for her is only three hours). I spoke with one of Anna's teachers when I picked her up and she reported that Anna is doing very well with other children and interacting with the teachers. She used the potty today at school. She asked one of the teachers: "Where's Mrs. Jewett?" She was told she was putting on her shoes. When that other teacher appeared, apparently Anna had an excited look on her face and exclaimed: "There she is!"

Here are a couple photos of my three kids enjoying the new daybed-like setup. (I also had to include a funny one of Shreve acting like a bucking bronco. I actually caught him in mid jump off the bed.)

Speaking of sleeping, here's a little tidbit:

• Anna and Alexander have different little nighttime rituals at the moment, now that they have their own rooms. Sometimes I read Alexander a book. (I need to start doing this every night.) But the very last thing is to sing Rock-A-Bye Baby. Sometimes I cradle him in my arms when I sing it. Sometimes, I’m leaning over him and lightly rubbing his chest and he looks up at me while sucking on his binky. Lately, he’s gotten to where he actually requests the song, saying “Rock Ah Baby.” It’s so darn cute! Sometimes after singing it once or twice he’ll request “More.” Also, as I close his door he repeatedly says “Night night! Night night! Night night.” He’ll continue saying this through the closed door if he’s still awake and hears Mikel or myself walking past his door. Anna’s nighttime ritual includes two for-sure things: a story and having the door cracked. She always wants a “Night-Night Book” read to her, asking for it usually before she even puts on her nightgown. After we read the book, she says something about “Anna second read,” meaning she wants to make one last passthrough of the book herself, pointing out what’s going on on different pages. Then she wants to put the book back in her closet herself (right now all their bedroom toys/distractions get put in their closet when it’s time to sleep.) Mikel and I got smart to her, though. She usually first tries to slide the book under the closet so that it continues to stick out just enough for her to go back and retrieve it later (instead of sleeping). If it’s too thick than darnit she has to open the door and fully put the book on the closet shelf, meaning there is not hope for a secret rendezvous. (But now that we’ve wised up, all books will be completely put away.) Anyway, among her many books, Anna has several books she seems to continue to choose at the end of the day, among them “Good Night, Gorilla,” and “Five Little Monkeys.” For a while it was the cutest, “Good Night, Moon.” But most any book will satisfy her. By the way, some books are kind of crud, aren’t they? The children each get a free book mailed to them monthly through a reading program I signed up for. There is this one book with real photographs, not drawings, that shows a little boy pulling a dog’s tail, two boys having a pillow fight with lamps overturned and the room pretty much in total disarray, etc. Mikel’s gotten to where he saying only the classics, such as Dr. Seuss, are in the future. After putting her book away, Anna will reluctantly climb into bed and say, “Door Cracked?” She’s been doing this for over a month or so, now. I don’t know if she’s afraid of the dark or what. She hasn’t really cried about it but maybe it makes her feel more comfortable to see a bit of light coming through. We have obliged and several weeks ago finally gave her a nightlight. She was very pleased about this!

1st Day

Today was Anna's first day of school. After getting advice from the school, I tried not to hype it up too much. I really think I was more excited than anyone else. Mikel dropped her off on his way to work (I considered going to, but we felt it would be too overwhelming), then Alexander and I picked her up two hours later. It was an abbreviated get-to-know-you kind of day. Tomorrow will be her first full day. Here she is with her new backpack and new clothes. After picking her up, I took both children to get frozen custard at Culver's (did you happen to catch all the product placement?). Yuuuuuuuuuum.

It appeared that her first day went well. I say appeared because I didn't get any real answers out of her about how it went. "Did you like school?" "Yes!" And every answer that followed, even those to open-ended questions, resulted in a "Yes!" Apparently her new blue jeans are a bit on the big side and kept falling down, however. I saw the teacher hiking them up for Anna as I approached, and she mentioned it wasn't the first time. I was hating that she might not get to wear her new jeans for a while (all her other new pants are for hard core fall and winter weather), so I was glad to later discover that her jeans have a hidden adjustable waist, which is a good thing.

I sent Anna to school with pink ballet slippers in her backpack (they will stay at school -- children wear them inside), and Mikel with a bunch of forms and the first semester's tuition. Anna returned home with a school T-shirt in her backpack. Apparently I'm supposed to check her backpack everyday, as this may be a popular method of communication between parents and teachers!