Michaela-isms

Mommy!!! Come here, I have pohblem.

No..no...stop...I need to kiss you. Hold your hand.

Wora [my friend Laura] is like Sweeping Beauty.

Potty Training Update

Everyone tells you that parenting is always an adventure. And today Michaela showed me once again (and she seems to do this more than any of our other children) that this is so. She likes to sneak out the front screen door when I have opened the regular door to let a breeze come in. I know I need to find some way of childproofing this said screen door, but hey, why not keep myself even busier by running after her all the time and getting her back inside, right? When I went to corral her back inside this evening, I found her bottom half naked, legs spread wide and a nice cute pile of Michaela poop sitting prettily on the grass between her legs.

Let's back up a bit here to give you some background knowledge about our potty training adventure. She has stopped and started potty training for about a year now. I have actually tried to keep her out of underwear because I wanted to give her some time to mature a little more when she could understand the whole reward system thing. You know, let her language and reasoning abilities develop, etc.

After our first unsuccessful attempt at potty training, which she had initiated, I had to hide her underwear because she kept putting them on. I also tried duck taping her diaper on because when she was wet, or felt the urge to pee, she would take the diaper off and pee on the floor or sometimes poop! So back and forth this has gone for the last 12 months. Finally, I decided to take the plunge and try to do it hard core when Caleb went to school. About September 1st we plunged.

But now, four weeks later, my diligence is waning because she seems to just want to use the potty at her convenience--STILL. Her biggest struggle, though, seems to be going poop in the toilet. For a while she seemed to get a kick out of my sad face and voice I would make when I would say, "Oh, no, how sad! You pooped in your underwear! Let's go clean it up." Then she would say something like, "Oh, you sad?" But, it was said with this huge grin!!!! She was getting a kick out of my reaction. A good friend, who has seven kids, pointed out she was enjoying my reaction and I decided to tone that down. Now I just say, "Oops, let's go clean up." Perhaps it is working because she acted on her pooping urge and at least didn't go in her underwear, but decided it would be better on the grass.

I had to work really hard at not laughing out loud when I found her. I just couldn't believe it. Well, no, scratch that. I could believe, because she, Michaela Ann Kessel, would be the one child of mine to do this. She has always had her own mind and schedule. That is why she decided to come into our lives 13 months after Jacob's arrival. Nothing with her is according to the book. I'm plum full out of tricks. She keeps me guessing, she keeps me laughing and she keeps me frustrated all the time. And we love her to pieces.

I had her help me in a sanitary way, pick up the poop and put it in the outside trash. I just had to take a picture for evidence--hopefully, that is not rewarding her too much for her unconventional ways.

New Moves

Hi, there, I'm learning all sorts of moves. My mommy doesn't know where I get them 'cause I haven't watched "Dirty Dancing" or "Fame" 'cause she probably won't me watch those until I'm adult and I choose to watch them. But I can really move! I can swing my hips, and shimmy, twirl around and shake my head. Sometimes I will run and leap and then stand with one leg on my little riding horse.

Here's a little video of my mommy trying to get my action caught on tape. It was a little hard 'cause my brothers kept trying to get in on the action, even though they can't really move like me. Plus, every time I realized she was recording me, I would stop and say, "Let me see!" I know, I'm a little vain, but it's sure fun to watch myself on that little gray thing she carries around in her hand. (By-the-way, just ignore my oldest brother's hair, we had just finished breakfast. ) Enjoy!