potty training woes

Overheard:

Peter, cleaning the playroom and handing me a couple choking hazards:  "That's another reason to clean, isn't it? So we can find all the choking hazards.  We're doing a good job of keeping Beth alive, aren't we?"

The other thing I have to share is my frustration with potty teaching.  My Mary turned three last December.  She has been going in the potty since 18 months old, with our encouragement (never pressure).  However, she has no internal incentive to train.  We do all the work.  Sometimes I get tired of that, and just give up and change diapers.

Recently, I put her in underpants and told her that they wouldn't hold any pee, and that she needed to get to the potty, with our help, before she had to go.  She wet soon after that (I kept her off the furniture).  Then fifteen minutes later, she wet again.  The next day, the same thing kept occurring.  There is no sign of urinary tract infection.  I gave up this method, and have gone back to diapers.

What's up with the frequent wetting???  One of the listed requirements is for children to stay dry for a couple hours, indicating readiness for training.  Why does that happen so late in my kids?  I had the same problem with the boys.  They went very frequently, as if they couldn't fully empty their bladders.  Or they just didn't want to sit long enough to fully empty their bladders.

Both boys trained at age 3 years, 8 months--never looking back.  Is it just an inherited thing, this late potty training?  I do have extended family who wet the bed until age nine, and I have a late bed wetter who still wears nighttime pull ups.  Late night wetting CAN be related to ADHD, according to some.  Late is considered to be past age 6.  This same child also wets during naps, indicating to me that it's involuntary--a deep sleeping thing.  He only takes naps when he's ill.

60% of kids are trained by age 3, and about 95% are trained by age 4.  Do any of you have three year olds who still wet frequently--not able to stay dry for two hours, or going twice a hour?

Thanks for your input!

i want to remember

You've heard more than enough about my desire to have babies.  I try to get it out of my mind.  Truly I do.  If you peek at this blog only occasionally, you might not know that my husband put his foot down firmly about more babies.  In the form of a vasectomy.  Last March.

As I talked to my heart earlier today, trying once again to make it accept this life change, Baby Beth's mischievous smile met mine.  She was about to open the pots and pans cupboard and create some ruckus.  I smiled back at her, marveling.

Oh, that smile of hers!  How will I ever survive without it?  Or without baby-soft cheeks to kiss?  Or without sweet baby lips at my breast?  Without a little one to dance with?

Will she nurse until she's 3, allowing Momma to slowly say goodbye to precious times?  Please God, yes?

My heart screams no, at a life sans babies!  I would gladly nurse several times a night for the rest of my life, if it meant my arms could stay full!

But alas, babies grow.  Mommas get old.  Baby pictures get dog-eared, as the only tangible thing left behind to enjoy.

People tell me there are special things about every season with children.  They don't understand, fully, why my heart aches so.  And I don't either.

Why can't I simply embrace today's blessing, and look forward to tomorrow's?  And leave it at that?

But we're talking about babies!  Can anything in life be so precious?

My husband would never adopt a baby, unless God himself came down and personally put the babe in his arms. Babies just aren't his thing, except on the day they are born, and up until they start crying.


Here are some pictures of today's blessings.  For me to look at tomorrow.  I don't mean to be ungrateful, God!  I know I have overflowing blessings, and some don't have any babies at all.

I thank you.

I want to remember the havoc she creates in the kitchen.  I roll my eyes at the clean-up, but with her, I'm always smitten.

My Peter reminds me of my father.  He, too, loves babies.  Peter and I delight in Beth together.

I want to remember what a sweet, fun brother he is.

I want to remember her sugar and spice smiles.  Her, "I love you so very much Mommy."

Her love for little Sis.  And Lil Sis seeming so proud of her big sister.

I want to remember how she perks up over Italian food, staying in her highchair beyond the usual 8 minutes.

I want to remember how much I love baking with and for my babies.

I want to remember how excited they get over their creations.

I want to remember how God blessed me with these two beauties, after it appeared my womb was done.

I want to remember the love, fellowship, and loyalty these two brothers share.

And the noise?  Do I want to remember that?  My heart says yes, because later it will be all too quiet.

I want to remember their batches of applesauce...their excitement over contributing.

Thank you, Father.  My heart is full.

beautiful post

Oh, my goodness!  Whereas my piece on Haiti sounds preachy, what Elise wrote is beautifully crafted.  Her blog is such a pleasure to visit!  Don't miss it!

Haiti and the poor

I wrote a little about Haiti last week, indicating I would revisit the topic.  As I studied Scripture, I began to think more and more that what happened in Haiti is a wake-up call for us.

We are so rich here.  Other countries are so poor, with Haiti being the poorest in the western hemisphere.  Do we care?

Do we really care?  Or just give lip service to caring, such as giving our dutiful ten dollars to help earthquake victims?

Do our churches care?  Do they really care?  How much of church money is given to the poor on a regular basis?  How much church time and energy is devoted to the needs of the poor, as opposed to other endeavors?

How many Christian Americans give their 10% tithe, but nothing else?  A tithe, by the way, is actually Biblically defined as 10% of gross resources.  How many give not even a tithe?  Offerings are to be given after the tithe has been met (the tithe going to the believer's home church); offerings, in contrast, can go where they are needed.

But neither of these are actual commandments in the New Testament.  They are commandments in the Old Testament, but still represent worthwhile standards for believers.  God tells us in the Old Testament that the tithe requirement is the only commandment on which we can "test" God.  We can start out giving less, with a cheerful heart, and see how God continues to provide.

Anyhow, it's disheartening that American homes overflow with things that fall into the "wants" category.  Our credit card balances prove that we're greedy.  I believe the average balance is about $5000 per family.  We're fat on "wants", while the poor deal with daily insufficiency.  With daily hunger.  (Some people have had to put mortgage payments on credit cards since the recession started.  The $5000 figure probably represents those who live beyond their means in a good economy.)

So, do we really care then, about the poor?  Does God want us to care more and buy less?  Save more and give more?  YES!

And the images from Haiti are a wake up call!

Some say that the Voodoo religion practiced in Haiti may be the culprit. God is punishing them for it, right? That's why they are so forsaken, surely.

Well, it is true that God doesn't want us dealing with spirits.  There probably aren't any Evangelicals practicing Voodoo in Haiti.  Voodoo mixes with Catholicism there, as in some other countries.  I would venture to guess that it's practiced out of ignorance by unbelievers.

The bigger problem in God's eyes is us rich people here in America (and elsewhere).  God is ashamed of us.

And our government?  Has it helped?  We gave 2.7 billion in aid to Haiti, from 2002 through 2009.  What happened to it?  Why did we give it, continually, to a corrupt government?  Why not to legitimate sources instead?  Why not care enough to invest in people who would track the aid, to see if it was benefiting the poor in Haiti?  What work have our envoys been doing, in regards to tracking aid? The American taxpayer money was wasted, for the most part.  Why give money so irresponsibly?  How much of foreign aid is given irresponsibly?  These questions need to be answered.  The poor need us to get it right.  

What percentage of Scripture is about the needs of the poor, and about our responsibility to them?  How does God view the poor?

I want to offer an article that thoroughly answers the question of how God views the poor.  It was written by what appears to be an Independent-minded American who has issues with the Republican Party.  Despite some political content, it is a very good presentation.  Scripture makes up the bulk of the article.

As an aside, I don't think every Republican begrudges poor people their entitlement benefits.  There are certainly plenty who do, but I don't like this author's assumption that all Republicans champion the causes of the rich. Read it for the Biblical content--there is much truth there.

blessings

Counting some blessings

- Beth is such a happy baby.  She runs toward each of us throughout the day, arms outstretched, babbling something happy as she jumps into our arms.  It just doesn't get any better than her sugar-and-spice, full-of-life ways!

- The children love and enjoy each other.  We're imperfect at meeting all their needs--it will always be that way.  In each other, they have so much!

- The Sunday Ladies Bible Study proved worthwhile.  They've chosen a professional video study with accompanying book.

- Not long ago we started scheduling love-making time. It doesn't sound romantic, true; we resisted doing it for a long time.  I can say it has proven to be a blessing!  No more misunderstandings. I highly recommend this if one of you works evenings, or if you have very young children or special needs children.  Life can be so draining; opting for sleep instead becomes tempting.  Consider that without scheduling it your overall intimacy suffers, making you less willing to extend grace toward one another.

Short list.  Some cocoa and my Bible calls.  A bit of a rough day.