3.5 months old & 32.5 months

 

 

 

 

Pot-ty Dance! Pot-ty Dance! Pot-ty Dance!

We have made leaps and bounds on potty training.  Back when she was nearly potty-trained at 18 months or so, she was just excited about going on the potty and told me she had to go.  Think she thrived off the excitement of success.  But I wasn't consistent when we went in public because I was grossed out by my tiny baby using a public bathroom.  Gross!  Then when I got serious about it, my approach was to stay at home all day for a few days with her being naked or bottomless and asking her to sit on the pot every X amount of minutes, it failed.  I felt like we had a new puppy in the house and was constantly cleaning up accidents.  And she loved when I would yell "Go on the potty!" when I caught her in the act and she would take off giggling/running around the house while peeing.  Also, she would refuse to go sit on the potty when I asked her to and I wasn't going to force her to.  So we took a breathier and I keep my sanity rather than reaching my goal of having her potty trained before baby arrived.  

This summer since we were at home so much with crying Charles, I took a slower approach.  She was getting close to being completely potty trained so I decided to get serious.  I bought potty prizes galore.  And for at least a week, every time she pottied on the potty, we did the "potty dance" (I made it up).  It consists of singing, "Pot-ty Dance! Pot-ty Dance! Pot-ty Dance!" while shaking our hips and then shake your arms and say, "yaaayyy!"  And would reward her with a prize.  The potty prizes consisted of a range of stuff from dum-dum suckers, a princess crown, play dinosaurs, craft supplies, candy necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc.

Well, this approach worked and Clayton is potty trained!!!!  Yay!!!!!

I promised her a fish when she was potty trained.  She wore her fish dress and we headed to Walmart for a fish tank and Beta fish.  They were out of Beta fish but we bought a fish tank.  The best part (even though it grossed me out) was that she pottied on the potty like a big girl in Walmart.

Rhea Preschool

Salt Dough- 1 cup flour, 1 cup salt, and 1/2 cup water.  Mix to consistency of dough.  Adding food color was messy.  

Then bake at 225 degrees for 2 hours to make lasting pieces to paint.  (Larger pieces take longer to harden the middle.)

 Colored noodles

32 months old

32 month old Claytonisms:

• Clayton's bedtime routine is for me to lay in the bed with her and read a book she has picked out while she drinks her bottle and holds with her lovie with the other hand.  After I've finished it, she hands me her bottle to hold as she "reads" the book back to me.  Then lights go off and it's time for her to fall asleep and then I leave.  Lately when the lights are off and she isn't quite ready to go to sleep she asks me for "story about Clay Clay."  Then I tell her a story about her whether it is when she was born, Halloween, or earlier in the day.  Sometimes she asks for a "story about momma or daddy."  Most times I have to say no more stories as my mind is exhausted for the day and it is definitely a stalling sleep tactic.    
• She loves to "cook", paint, and play with chalk.
• When she is painting whether it is actual paint or a drawing game on the computer, she likes using black.  I taped over the black watercolor paint but she wasn't having it.
• Clayton is definitely a snorer.  And a loud one.  It is clear to me that snoring is hereditary.  She got it from me and I got it from both my parents.  This would have been something I would have preferred my children not inherit.
• I am loving that Clayton is at the age to begin doing art projects and crafts.  I definitely have a stock of art supplies.  She is so proud of her creations and loves showing them to her dada when he comes home from work.
• Clayton all of a sudden one night counted to 10.  I have been working with her to count to five and then she just kept going.  I was ecstatic!
• She will complain her stomach hurts.  I have told her numerous times that it is probably because she doesn't eat enough and that her stomach is telling her to eat.  She definitely didn't acquire this from either of her parents.  Although Harris certainly was a skinny child so I'm blaming this on him.
• Clayton loves to asks a question and then her response to your answer is "Oh!"
• She is very animated and expressive with her hands when she talks.  I realized it was something she picked up from me.  I find myself using my hands more when I'm talking to her to convey something.
• We couldn't have dreamed of a better sister than Clayton.  She ADORES Charles.  I honestly couldn't imagine her not having a little sibling right now.  The love she has for him is very emotional to me.  My kids are my world and watching them interact is almost too much for me to handle.
• 37.5" tall.  (Unofficial measurement by me at the doctor's office.)
• She is well on our way to be potty-trained.  More on that to come.
• "Meer" (Claytonish for "come here") has replaced "Moan" (Claytonish for "come on").
• She will repeat what you say.  An example is when she on her tricycle and I tell her, "You need to turn around."  She will say, "Turn round?"
• Loves playing doctor.  But watch out because Dr. Betty Clayton always prescribes shots.  When I wince in pain, she reassures me, "It's ok momma!"  A doctor with compassion.  The best kind even though she may misdiagnose.  
• Sadie is Clayton's bed partner.  At night when I'm laying in Clayton's quiet room as she is trying to go to sleep, all that can be heard is Sadie's snoring.  (Yep, Harris lives in snoring hell.)  Clayton asks, "What's that?"  I tell her it's Sadie snoring.  She always says, "Is Sadie ok?"  I reassure her that Sadie is ok.  They certainly are best buds.  
• "Sar-ree!" is another word she says frequently.  She will tell me "Sar-re!" when she does something that she shouldn't or is an accident (spills a drink).  Sometimes it's not whole-hearted and she says it with a smirk.  Can't help but smile most times.  Or other times, she says it when it is certainly not needed.  An example is when she is getting dressed and she puts her arm in the wrong sleeve and I say other arm, I get a "Sar-ree!"  Or I tell her this way as she goes the opposite...."Sar-re!"
• Move over Elmo.  Dora the Explorer now reigns.  Team Umizoomi, Peter Rabbit and Bubble Guppies are also TV favorites.
• We have hit the asking "Why?" stage.  Hoping it doesn't last too long as many times there aren't really answers to, "Why?"
• There are many phrases this month but another one is "Oh-k!"  It's nice that she is to an age that she will agree (not always) with us.  It's time to get in the bath.... "oh-k!"  Clayton, we can't go outside right now...."oh-k!"
• I tell Clayton she is "silly willy" throughout the day.  Thought it was better than telling my child, "you moron!"  Now it is such a staple phrase that she will call herself "silly willy" when she does something funny.

Lovely Little Monsters

Clayton's drawing skills have improved drastically.  Her specialty is drawing people.  Her little drawings amaze me as I'm not sure where she suddenly picked up drawing people from.  She will draw a big circle, then two circles for eyes and sticks for the arms and legs.  She adds a little mouth and then what I'm guessing is a belly button.  They look like little monsters but they certainly are the cutest monsters I've ever seen.  And instead of scribbling, she makes an attempt to keep it in the lines when coloring.

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