Adventures in Potty Training: Day 6

Everyone in the house is still riding the high from yesterday's "accident-free" potty training day. It's only 10 AM on day 6 and Zoe has already successfully used the potty once :-)

We've been using the kitchen timer as a reminder for her to use the potty every 30 minutes or so. Last night when I was making dinner, my oven beeped because it had come up to temperature. The next thing I knew, Zoe was racing past me shrieking "It's potty time!" Have we inadvertently created a Pavlovian response to kitchen timers? Heehee.

Here are a few photos from the lighter side of this week's potty training follies:

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 5

I typically wait until the end of the day to write this-- but I'm so excited I had to share. Zoe was dry for 3+ hours this morning in her big girl undies and then had a big pee on the potty! Whoo-hoo!

A turning point? Perhaps. But I'll wait to see how the rest of the day progresses.

****Update*****

This was our first day with NO ACCIDENTS!! Bravo Zoe!

Potty: 2 Accidents: ZERO!

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 4

Rough, rough day for potty training. We had accident after accident all day long...and then only one tiny tinkle at the end of the day. She still wears a diaper for sleeping and I've found that she saves her poop for nap and bed time.

I''m a bit discouraged, but refuse to give up!

Today's tally:

Potty: 1 Accidents: 3

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 3

A little improvement in the odds for day 3. We had two pees and one poop on the potty- with great fanfare each time. During one of her attempts last night, I was hanging around to encourage her, checking in on the progress, until Zoe turned to me and said, "Mommy...leave lone." Did my 2 year old really just tell me to get lost???

Each time she goes potty, she gets to pick out stickers. She loves stickers. Typically she'll put them on her potty chart or a piece of paper, but lately she wants to "decowate" herself. So she'll put the stickers on her shirt or pants, only to forget about them until they eventually fall off. Now I'm finding stickers EVERYWHERE. Bottom of my feet, toilet seat, in the dryer, inside her potty, stuck to the dog...etc.

So here's the tally for day three:

Potty: 3 Accidents: 3

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 2

Day two of the great potty training adventure was a messy one. We set the kitchen timer every 10 minutes or so and then every 5 minutes after she had a drink. We had quite a few accidents- but more importantly: 2 successful tinkles! Ok, so one was more like a few droplets, but we'll celebrate any little victory.

I think the challenge at this point is getting Zoe to recognize that she has to pee right before it starts, rather than while it's in progress. I know that she doesn't like being wet or dirty, because she asks to be changed immediately when wearing a diaper.

My mom is here from out of town to watch Zoe for the next couple of days because her school is closed. My poor mom picked the wrong week to visit. "Hi Mom, great to see you. Guess what? We're potty training!"

So, the tally after day 2:
2 Potty Tinkles vs. 5 Oops

Adventures in Potty Training: Day 1

Zoe's school is closed all next week, so we decided it would be a good time to revisit potty training. My grand plan is to send her back to school a week from Monday without diapers. Ambitious? I think not.

Today is day 1. We spent the whole day in big girl underwear. We set the kitchen timer to go off every 20 minutes and when it beeped..."It's POTTY TIME!!" We sat on the potty about 25 times today. She was very exited and enthusiastic about the process. Unfortunately, day one ended without a successful potty run. She had 3 "accidents." But she told us immediately as each one happened.

So at the end of day one, the tally is: Zoe 3- Parents 0.

Here's my girl showing off her big girl undies:

From Big Girl Undies

From Big Girl Undies

Merry Christmas

We had an outstanding Christmas with Zoe. She was really into it this year. I think her interest is largely due to a new tradition we started-- the Elf on the Shelf. If you've never heard of it, I highly recommend it.
Of all her gifts, she was quite smitten with a pair of hot pink sequined high top sneakers. They're a half size too big right now, but that didn't matter. She insisted on wearing them right away- over her footie PJs.

(Click HERE for more photos.)

From Christmas 2009

Quite a look, huh? That's her "Ho Ho Hat."

From Christmas 2009

One of her gifts was a baby doll with a high chair, bassinet and stroller. She walked around with the bassinet like a purse.

From Christmas 2009

Even the new play-doh was turned into a fashion accessory. I bet there aren't many girls out there with play-doh jewelry :-)

(Click HERE for more photos)

From Play-Doh Jewelry

From Play-Doh Jewelry

Little Miss Christmas

Zoe had a holiday concert at school last week. Now, when I say "concert" what I mean is a couple dozen 2 to 4 year olds wriggling, wiggling, rolling around, picking noses...pretty much anything but singing and standing still. But didn't she look cute??

From Christmas Concert

From Christmas Concert

Zo-Cabulary Update

Zoe has a lot to say these days. Half of the stuff that comes out of her mouth cracks me up. Here's are some of my favorites:

• Hey Zoe, it's time for a bath:
  "Not now mama. Maybe yater."
• Zoe wipes her hands all over her clean shirt and annouces:
  "It's okay. Mama wash."
• Zoe walks in to the room carrying a clean diaper and a box of wipes:
  "Mama..it's ok. Poop happens."
• Zoe walks in to the room to see what I'm up to:
  "Mama, what doin'?"
• Zoe pulls up her shirt and announces:
  "I'm NUDIE!"
• I forgot to bring her special snack when I picked her up at school and foolishly tried to pawn off a cookie on her:
  "Mama, no yike tookie. Want peshul snack in pursh."
  (The translation is "No like cookie. Want special snack in purse.")
• Her version of Okey Dokey:
  "Oh-do-doh-key"
• Zoe, did you poop?
  "No, not yet. Soon."

Snow Day

We got about a foot of snow last night, but it is f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g, so we didn't venture outside to play. Instead we built a fort inside. We spent quite a bit of time decorating it with markers and stickers and then loaded it with every stuffed animal in the house.

From Fort

From Fort

Poor Emma was the only one denied admission to the fort :-(

From Fort

Dinner Conversation

Snow Day

From Snow Day

Christmas Comedy

My child cracks me up.
(If have 3 minutes...watch the big finale at the end where Zoe sings 'Twinkle Twinkle' to a Star of David ornament.)

Catching Up

It feels like a million years since I've had time to blog. I've received several emails from family and friends threatening bodily harm if I don't post some updated pictures, so here we go:

Iron Chef
Zoe got a new kitchen and the tiniest Iron Chef was born. Clink the link below the photo to launch the album.

From Iron Chef

I Partied with Elmo
Zoe turned two recently and in addition to a big party...we had a visit with the doctor. She had a few vaccinations. But instead of crying, she decided to reprimand the nurse and loudly school her in the one of the rules of our house: "No hurt! Always nice!" I was so proud of her and laughing my butt off at the same time. That's my girl.

Zoe's birthday party was Elmo themed. Here are a few photos from the big day. (Click the link below the photo to launch album.)

From 2nd Birthday

Random Funnies

The dress up in our house has elevated to new heights. I never thought I'd see such innovative combinatations...tutus...butterfly wings..."pengin" boots.

Happy Law

So, Zoe is officially ours. Again.

Today we completed Zoe's re-adoption. (The adoption process was actually completed in China, but this is the only way to get a birth certificate written in English. This is a good thing because all our other documents are in Mandarin.)

Going to court is typically not an enjoyable experience, but the staff at the probate court refers to adoption hearings as "happy law." I thought that was very cute.

Our judge was very cool and extremely nice. I say this because you never know a judge might react when a child does one-- or in this case-- ALL of the following:

• Point to the judge's robe and loudly proclaim:"Mommy, dress. Man. Dress."


• Wiggle out of mommy's arms and plop down in the middle of the judge's desk.


• Pluck the pen out of the judge's hand mid-signature and add her own "peekture" to the document.

Overall it was a great day and I'm so pleased to finally be able to say- I am officially done with adoption paperwork!!!!!!

Here are a few photos from the day:

My Little Pumpkin

We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend and it turns out it was not a great year for pumpkins. Typically, I like to get at least one monster sized pumpkin for carving, but every pumpkin was about the size of Zoe's head.

What really blew me away was the size of my girl. Take a look at the photo we snapped last year at the same place compared to this year. Who took my baby??

Here are some more of this year's pictures from the patch:

Chuck E. Cheese

Zoe was invited to a birthday party last weekend at Chuck E. Cheese. I haven't been to one of these places in a couple of decades, but I can tell you that not much has changed. It's still a crowded, chaotic, deafening, petri dish....with games. The place is really geared toward older kids, but Zoe was certainly in awe. I wasn't sure how she'd react when the guy dressed as Chuck walked out, but she liked the "moush" and shouted "Chuck-Eeeeeee."

The party was for a kid in Zoe's class at "school." We went because we thought it would be a nice opportunity to meet the parents of Zoe's school friends. However, the people I felt really bad for were Zoe teachers-- both were invited to the party. I'm sorry, but these gals spend 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week singing Barney songs, finger painting, building block towers, wiping noses and talking in 4 word sentences to a group of semi-cooperative toddlers. Do you think really they wanted to spend their day off at Chuck E. Cheese??

Now, if I may rant for a moment...
It was a rainy Saturday, so this place was packed-- 3 birthday parties and everyone else trying to escape the weather. 80% of the kids tearing around the joint were 5 and up. In my opinion, that is certainly old enough to know how to behave in public. What is it about these kinds of places that makes parents think they don't have to watch their kids? I was appalled at the stunning lack of parental supervision and discipline. The kids (and parents) were RUDE!! Poor Zoe was waiting patiently for her turn to get on one of the little rides, when this mom and her big kid pushed Zoe aside and went right in front of us! Seriously?

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the stinky cheese palace:

Daycare Update

I've had no time to post in the past couple of weeks, but I wanted to give a quick update on the state of the daycare situation. She's been going for two full weeks now and I can honestly say that the drop off experience is improving. We're still getting tearful goodbyes, but it's nowhere near the emotional hurricane we experienced during the first week. One of the things we changed is that Daddy does the drop off- since she seemed to have a much harder time saying goodbye to me.

Her teachers tell me that after that initial a half-hour or so in the morning, she's fine for the rest of the day. The only other time she seems to get upset is if other parents start picking up their kids before I get there. Needless to say, I break every speed limit (in 2 states) as I race home to get her every afternoon. And without fail, the very first thing she says to me every single day is: "Mommy- home!"

Working Mom

I just finished my first week as a "working mom" and I'm...exhausted. I think the most difficult part of all this for me is only having 2 or 3 hours a day to spend with Zoe. I miss her terribly. Prior to Zoe's arrival, I worked hard to advance my career and almost always worked more than 40 hours a week. Now, for the first time in my life, I'm a clock watcher. I literally can't wait until I can get out of the office every day and go get my girl.

Zoe is doing really well at school*, but drop-off is still a nightmare. She gets very upset when we have to leave her and the tears now start while we're still at home in the morning. Every day when she wakes up, she asks whether she'll be "home" today. And then this morning she was helping me with laundry and when I was folding the sheet that she uses for her bed at school, she started to cry. It would be less painful if someone ripped my heart out with a spoon.

So, the good news is that after she gets over that initial sad period first thing in the morning-- she has a great day. Her teacher, Miss Donna, sends home a report each day of all their activities, books they read, what she ate, nap schedule, etc. The first couple of days, Zoe didn't particpate much and was glued to the teaching assistant. By Wednesday, she was falling alseep on her own at nap time, participating in games, dancing and doing the art projects. When I go to pick her up, I like to peek in the window for a minute to see what she's up to before she knows I'm there. On Friday, she was helping with clean up and happily reorganizing all of the toys. Each day she gets a little more comfortable with her new routine. However, the first thing she says to me each day at pick-up is "Mommy....HOME!"

From Zoe in the Yard

(*We call it "school" at home instead of daycare because our neighborhood bus stop is right in front of our house and Zoe loves to watch the kids come and go to school every day. We figured the positive association might help the situation.)

Zoe Sings the Classics

After our super emotional daycare experience, I felt the need to lighten things up a bit. Here's a mini-compilation of Zoe's greatest hits. (Please ignore my contribution to the singing.)

3 Words

Major Daycare Meltdown

Today was Zoe's first full day at daycare. We've been talking about school, reading books about it, picked out a lunchbox and she seemed really exited about going back. However, when it came time to drop her off this morning, the most dreaded, heart breaking scenario that I could imagine started to unfold in that classroom. She realized that I was about to leave and she clung to my neck and started sobbing. Through her tears, she said over and over again, "Mommy peeez no!" She wouldn't let go, so the teacher had to peel her off of me so that I could leave. I turned to wave and she was crying hysterically, reaching out for me. I managed to make it just outside the classroom before I turned into a puddle of tears.

I am counting the minutes until I can pick her up :-(

Giralph

Zoe has become attached a new buddy: "Giralph" (or just Ralph for short). What else would you name a pink giraffe?

Ralph is very well manned and is always invited to tea parties.

In this one, Zoe is trying to teach Giralph to do "I'm a little teapot." See her handle and her spout?

Making Pizza

Zoe loves to be in the kitchen with me, so I thought she'd have fun making her own pizza for lunch. I love the look of intense concentration on her face. Pizza is serious business in this house!
(click the photos to enlarge)

Scenes from a Bounce House

Let's begin this post with a little vocabulary lesson:

Nirvana: A place or state characterized by freedom from or oblivion to pain, worry, and the external world

Toddler Nirvana: Bounce house




More bounce house photos here.

Work and "Shcool"

So, I'm officially employed again. I start in a couple of weeks. The news was bittersweet for me. On one hand, incoming cash flow is a very good thing, but on the other, I will miss spending my days with Zoe.

Happily, her half day at school went very well and she's been talking about it ever since. She told us all about the "keedz at shcool" (kids at school) and how she's a big girl beacuse she carries her lunch in her backpack. Here's a picture of my big girl all ready for school:

Daycare Update

I write this post with a (very, very) heavy heart. I have enjoyed the most extraordinary 16 months of my life...being at home with Zoe. But the economy has had miserable consequences for us...so I have to go back to work for a while. Intellectually, I know that this is not the end of the world, but someone has to explain it to my heart. Millions of kids are looked after by someone other than their parents every day. But this my kid. My girl. My Zoe.

I have researched the hell out of every daycare situation within 20 miles of our home and I'm still interviewing nannies. Tomorrow, Zoe is doing a trial half day at the local daycare that I like best. The director of the daycare called me today to check in and finalize our plans for tomorrow (and re-answer many of the 1,000 questions I asked in the initial interview.) She asked if I had plans during the 4 hours that Zoe will be in her care. I answered her honestly: I will be the woman sitting in your parking lot, sobbing her way through a box of tissues. I also warned her in advance not to call the police tomorrow, because that stranger trying to peep into every window will be me.

****UPDATE****

So, Zoe (and Mommy) survived the first daycare experience. It was only a half day, but felt like forever on my end and I couldn't wait to go pick her up. Her teacher, Miss Donna, said she looked for a few times and became a bit upset, but otherwise had a great morning.

Profiles in Stupidity

Sadly, this time, the stupidity was all me. But what good is a totally humiliating moment if you can't share it?

So this morning I was out with Zoe, shopping for an electric toothbrush. I pull one off the shelf and Zoe, of course, wants to hold and examine it herself. The next thing I know, she has pushed in the plastic on the package and actually turned on the toothbrush. This thing was LOUD...and vibrated like a belt sander inside the package. It scared the hell out of Zoe. Now everyone in the aisle...and within ear shot...has turned to look. I'm mildly embarrassed, but here's where it gets worse: I can't turn it off! Zoe had dented the packaging so it rested right against the button. I couldn't shut off the stupid toothbrush! OH CRAP! So I did what anyone in my position would do...ditch the toothbrush and run for the hills! Have you ever see a cellphone vibrate on a table? You know how it dances around? Well, I'm halfway down the aisle, making our getaway, when this toothbrush "dances" off the shelf and starts vibrating across the aisle. I think it might have been chasing us....


In other news, Zoe has been learning the "Alphabet Song." It's pretty funny because she says the same 5 or 6 letters over and over:

Cooking with Zoe

What do get when you combine a rainy Saturday morning and a hyperactive toddler? A huge mess in the kitchen...and a lot of laughs.

Zoe has been very interested in helping lately...with laundry, dishes, setting the table....so she was thrilled to help with some baking.

Step 1: Look adorable while smashing bananas



Step 2: Drop big globs of smashed banana on the floor



Step 3: Taste test



Step 4: Give the dry ingredients a good stir



Step 5: Attend a cabinet meeting



Step 6: Launch sneak attack from covert location



Step 7: Bludgeon Mommy with wisk

Three Words

Future's So Bright....

.....got to wear shades :-)

Poop!

The past few months, Zoe has shown a lot of interest in using the potty. She sits on the potty many times each week, but without producing any...umm...output. We planned to hold off on the formal training until she was a little closer to 2 years old. So, this morning when she asked to use the potty, I figured we do the usual routine....sit, read a book, sing a song, flush an empty potty and wash hands. Today, however, I am proud to report that Zoe did her first poop on the potty!

As she flushed....she waved at the toilet and said bye-bye poop!

A Fish Story

This weekend we unexpectedly added a new addition to our family. Zoe was playing one of those carnival games where you throw a ping pong ball into a cup-- and she won. Her prize: a fish. We don't have a fish tank and didn't really want a fish, but how do you say no to a couple of pigtails proudly clutching a plastic bag with a "weel feesh" (real fish) inside??

When we got him (at least I think it's a "him") home and settled in a giant vase, I asked Zoe what she wanted to name the fish. Her first answer to this question is ALWAYS "Emma." But I explained that our dog is named Emma, so we have to choose a different name. Her little brow furrowed as she pondered an alternative. Then she announced, quite resolutely, that the fish is named Bob.

So, meet Bob the fish:

The Boo Boo

Zoe has completed another toddler right of passage: the first band-aid. She got a little scrape while playing by the pool. After a very lengthy and dramatic description of the incident (complete with a reinactement), she gave me very clear instructions: "Mama boo boo meedeeseen." (That's "mama, get the boo boo medicine" for those of you who don't speak toddler.)

Pigtails & Puzzles

Over the years I've heard many parents brag about their kids...that they're the cutest, the funniest, the smartest, etc. I'm not going to do that. Instead, I am going to submit the following items into evidence and let you draw your own conclusions.

First: Pigtails
We've been (im)patiently waiting for Zoe's hair to grow in so that we could do, well, anything with it. Pigtails have been a pipe dream...until now. Keep in mind, Zoe was the THE MOST uncooperative, impatient hairdo girl in the history of the world...but we got it done. Without further ado...I give you the first pigtails:



Second: Puzzles
Okay, so this one is so cool. Like most kids her age, Zoe loves puzzles. We have a bunch of age appropriate puzzles for her, which she completes with no problem. The other day we opened a brand new puzzle- which she completed by herself...on the first try. The thing that's so cool to me is that it's a 26-piece puzzle. 26 pieces! And she's not even 2 years old. Maybe it's no big deal, but I couldn't have been more proud. You go puzzle girl!

You can see more pics here:

Hot Wheels

Zoe got an early birthday present from G.G. & Pop-Pop....her first car. We are now officially a 3 jeep family...only hers has to be plugged in at night. She can make it go just fine, but forgets to steer. We'll have to work on her multi-tasking skills. For now, her roadtrips will be confined to the yard.

(Turn up your volume for this one!)

Big Talker

It seems like in just the past few weeks, Zoe's language has been exploding. She uses dozens of words and has started making short sentences. We have to be very careful what we say and do in front of her, because she imitates everything. Just the other day I found her waving her little pointer finger at Emma in an attempt to reprimand the dog for something.

Perhaps my favorite thing about all of these new words is the pronunciation. Here's a sampling of the one's that crack me up:

• Za Za (Zoe's name for herself)


• hameek (hammock)


• meedeeseen (medicine)


• seet (sit)


• moosh (moose)


• peas (please)


• be be (baby)


• sweeeng (swing)


• cheeps (chips)

Possession has also become very important. We devote quite a bit of time to identifying everyone's things...especially while folding laundry or at meals. Zoe thinks it's hysterical to swap "Zaza's" utensils for Mommy's... and then watch me struggle to cut my steak with a 2 inch toddler fork. I finally gave up on the toddler silverware and started giving her a "big girl" fork. However, Zoe still ultimately decides my fork is better than hers and swaps anyway. I give up.

The whole family spent last weekend on the Cape and Zoe had a blast at the beach with her cousins. One of the boys buried himself in the sand and covered his face with a hat. Zoe thought that was a hoot and took great delight in lifting up the hat to see if he was still in there. I posted a few photos of the weekend below-- including a spectacular 3 level piggy-back maneuver in the pool.

3 Words

Smell the Flowers




(Click the photo to see more pictures.)

Bob the Cat
I have a funny story to share. Like most toddlers, Zoe loves construction equipment. The other day the DPW had a Bobcat working across the street. She stood in the window and yelled DIGGER! DIGGER! I explained to her that it was called a Bobcat. She paused, thought about it for a minute and replied, "MEOW!"
(I tried to explain that it wasn't Bob the cat, but a Bobcat. No luck.)

Videos

I have a couple of cute videos to share. This first one is pretty self-explanatory. I call it "The Gong Show."




This next video cracks me up. Zoe picked out a little doll carriage while we were out shopping and wanted to "drive" it through the store. Thank goodness there wasn't a real child in that carriage!

Seriously?

We spent a lovely weekend at the beach and I'm still trying to catch up with the sand/laundry pile. Zoe is fearless in the water and I'm pretty sure she'll turn into a fish at any moment.

I have to share one choice moment from our travels where my biting sarcasm finally came back to bite me in the butt. On the drive to the Cape, I turned to Zoe in the back seat and asked her to stop feeding Cheerios to the dog. That's when my precious baby girl cocked her head a bit, and in a voice infused with toddler sass, said "Mama...seriously?"

I have to get caught up on photos and videos, so I'll wrap up this post with a photo. Some days just one bow isn't enough: