Shortly before Maureen turned one, we switched her to cow's milk from formula. In that same week, Johnny was finally 100% potty trained and hasn't worn a diaper since.
We breathed a sigh of relief because the formula was costing us 50 dollars a week and I was tired of changing diapers for two kids. These are things that fall into a category I call "Parenting Milestones of Joy." These are milestones that may be completely welcomed, or they might be milestones that are bittersweet. Such as when a child is able to walk steadily enough and fast enough to no longer need to be carried everywhere. It's a little hard to watch them grow up so quickly, but it's a relief to the lower back area of the parent.
We've got years before we hit a couple of the big ones. Both kids won't be in school full time until fall of 2012, leaving me with some daytime hours to work more or just enjoy the silence of an empty house. And while Maureen still needs her daily nap and I'm not looking forward to her giving it up anytime soon, eventually she won't need to sleep during the day and we won't have to take naptime into consideration when we go places or schedule appointments.
People always say to enjoy them while they are little because childhood is over in a flash and I really agree. It seems like just yesterday that I became a mother for the first time and here Johnny is staring down five. We probably won't have any more children, for a lot of reasons, and that makes me feel like I need to pay extra attention to all the things they do. At the same time, I'm looking forward to the years ahead and eyeing all that baby and toddler gear we have and thinking about what to do with it all.
Here's one thing that's approaching that I can guarantee I won't miss at all.
Maureen is considering potty training. She's been talking about the potty and observing Johnny in the bathroom and sitting on the potty for sometime now. She's aware of when she needs to go, and hides when she wants privacy. But until last week, she hadn't actually done anything in the potty. I think I'm going to wait until it gets a little warmer and the kids are in shorts and sandals and less restricting clothing before really making an effort to potty train her. But she's ready, I'm ready and I can see a future in which we have no kids in diapers. And I'm wondering what to do with the changing table. It's so exciting, I feel like dancing. Or maybe singing. No diapers, La La La! Suck it, Pampers, La La La!
What about you? What were your Parenting Milestones Of Joy?
We breathed a sigh of relief because the formula was costing us 50 dollars a week and I was tired of changing diapers for two kids. These are things that fall into a category I call "Parenting Milestones of Joy." These are milestones that may be completely welcomed, or they might be milestones that are bittersweet. Such as when a child is able to walk steadily enough and fast enough to no longer need to be carried everywhere. It's a little hard to watch them grow up so quickly, but it's a relief to the lower back area of the parent.
We've got years before we hit a couple of the big ones. Both kids won't be in school full time until fall of 2012, leaving me with some daytime hours to work more or just enjoy the silence of an empty house. And while Maureen still needs her daily nap and I'm not looking forward to her giving it up anytime soon, eventually she won't need to sleep during the day and we won't have to take naptime into consideration when we go places or schedule appointments.
People always say to enjoy them while they are little because childhood is over in a flash and I really agree. It seems like just yesterday that I became a mother for the first time and here Johnny is staring down five. We probably won't have any more children, for a lot of reasons, and that makes me feel like I need to pay extra attention to all the things they do. At the same time, I'm looking forward to the years ahead and eyeing all that baby and toddler gear we have and thinking about what to do with it all.
Here's one thing that's approaching that I can guarantee I won't miss at all.
Maureen is considering potty training. She's been talking about the potty and observing Johnny in the bathroom and sitting on the potty for sometime now. She's aware of when she needs to go, and hides when she wants privacy. But until last week, she hadn't actually done anything in the potty. I think I'm going to wait until it gets a little warmer and the kids are in shorts and sandals and less restricting clothing before really making an effort to potty train her. But she's ready, I'm ready and I can see a future in which we have no kids in diapers. And I'm wondering what to do with the changing table. It's so exciting, I feel like dancing. Or maybe singing. No diapers, La La La! Suck it, Pampers, La La La!
What about you? What were your Parenting Milestones Of Joy?
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4 comments:
I was so happy to be done with diapers and formula. One more year until school for everyone...except that kindergarten is only 1/2 day. In fact, in one year, in the fall, I will have a kindergartner, a intermediate school student (5th gr.), and a sophomore in high school. That is crazy!
I'm really looking forward to my girls being out of carseats. It'll be much easier to send them with relatives or friends without having to constantly swap seats.
When they leave for college...on full scholarships!
And yes, I do agree there is a benefit to waiting for warm weather for potty training.
I'm right there with you! I just started potty training my two year old and dealing with a creeper at the same time. While I'm chasing down one, I'm wiping up after another! It's proving to be the most challenging part of motherhood for me so far. I realized today I'm at the point of no return with the potty training. She's been scurrying around bottomless for two days now and it's been working wonderfully. She's starting to understand the "urge to go" thing. Let me know how your training is going and if you found any techniques that were the "Aha!" moment for you and your child. Good luck!
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