Julia Bedulia

Oh what a summer it has been for my little lady. After completely shutting down for the last several weeks of school, she has blossomed this summer. She has been more verbal, more active, more happy, and even a bit more sassy. It has been a joy to see her have one good day after another. Even though we've had some rough days, her really good days have far outnumbered the bad. Here's what she's been doing:

• Playing with beads almost constantly
• Opening and closing her left hand to grasp items
• Using her vision to turn towards sound and look at things on her lap
• Spending 30-45 minutes in her stander without complaining
• Swinging and swinging and swinging
• "Talking" to us - she responding to questions and comments with vocalizations, and her timing is too perfect to be a coincidence. She likes to be part of the conversation, and I don't think she always agrees with us.
• Staying awake nearly all day every day (just some short catnaps once in a while after a rough seizure

Joy, joy, joy - our little girl is showing us what a hard worker and contented kid she is!

Sweet Success

I'm not sure what to think about all of the bathroom talk around here lately...I guess it's just a reflection of my exciting life.

So, to round out the potty talk, here's one more story. Last night Mark and Audrey were here for a visit. We were all out on the patio finishing up dinner when Alex and Erica went inside. A few minutes later, they both came running back outside in a flurry of excitement. Erica came with her underwear around her ankles shouting, "I pooped, I pooped!" Alex followed closely behind carrying the potty chair and adding, "She pooped in the potty chair!" Oh lordy, sweet success (although it did not smell all that sweet). I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I got up off my chair and started jumping up and down, clapping and shouting, "You did it, you did it!" A true moment of parenting pride.

And, no accidents today either. So, I think it's safe to say we've made it over the potty training hump. I am nearly ready to declare this week's potty party a success. And, there are still a few M'n'Ms in the bag.

Erica Rocks

Before today, Erica had never peed or pooped in the potty chair or on the toilet. When asked if she would like to try, she has emphatically said, "No! I will use the potty chair when I am as tall as you, Mommy!"

Obviously, we needed a new approach. So, today we began a potty party. For the last couple of days, I have told Erica that starting today, she would wear underwear all day every day. And, there are treats - each time someone pees in the right place, they get one M'n'M - there's two for a number two. Erica tried to sneak in a new rule - 3 M'n'M's if you toot in the potty chair, but I vetoed that one. The boys also tried to work the rules, peeing only small amounts at a time so they could pee more often and qualify for more goodies. I was not fooled.

Overall, the day was a mixed success. Two pees in the potty chair with no pee accidents (except for a wet pull-up during naptime) and one poop in her underwear. Our little girl was VERY excited about her successes (we called daddy at work and grandpa to share the news). I told Erica she was the "top star" today and that she "rocks". So, she has happily been telling me over and over (and anyone else that will listen), "I rock. I am the top star." And, there were some tears over the poop accident. According to her, the accident was my fault because, as she explained, "I was in the garage and you weren't there and I didn't want to poop on the floor because you would be mad at me." Huh? My best translation is that she was in the garage and couldn't get the door to the house open by herself so she couldn't make it to the potty chair in time. But, that is just a guess.

All in all, I definitely think we're headed in the right direction. It's too early to predict total success, but it's a distinct possibility.

The bad news - I have not peed nearly enough to justify the number of M'n'M's that I have eaten. Even if the toot rule was in place, I've eaten way more than my share of treats. At this rate the very large bag of M'n'M's will be gone long before we can declare Erica potty-trained. I guess I have to start drinking more.

What Are You Eating, Mom?

Tonight, we went to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate my week of full-time work. I know it's only Thursday and I have another full day before it's officially a complete week, but Fridays are too busy for us to take the whole gang out for dinner, and besides that, Matt and I are going to the Brewer game tomorrow night.

About halfway through our meal, Luke reminded me of a very funny thing that happened the last time we ate at Texas Roadhouse. I like to have the sweet potato - loaded. That means it's covered in caramel sauce and then topped with marshmallows that are all toasty brown. Luke took a long look at it and said, "Mom, are you eating a pile of poop?" My response, "Yes, Luke. I pay a lot of money to have poop for dinner. Would you like to have a bite?" He just cracks me up. However, in all fairness, I do have to say that the loaded sweet potato in the dim light of the restaurant does taste much better than it looks.

Another fun part of this place - the dancing. Luke has decided that dancing is his calling, and he typically joins right in the line dancing with the waitstaff. In fact, the kid has some pretty good moves. He certainly did not get this from his mother or father; it's his very own gift. Now, he has been asking if he could please take dance lessons at Texas Roadhouse. Tonight, one of the hostesses (named Erica) taught him a couple of moves to practice before his next visit.

And, Erica's favorite part of the night - she was able to get her own booster seat, and "there were no guys or ladies there. I got it by myself." Whatever makes her happy, I guess.