Blame it on the Olympics...

I know that I am behind a bit on blogging. I still haven't uploaded pics from Junaluska! It was worth it though. Matt and I stayed up late each night to watch the Olympics. I am back online and ready to upload pictures, well, right after the Democratic National Convention...

Deceptively delish: round 2

Another week...another set of reviews
Apple Oat muffins: made with applesauce and carrot puree. Enjoyed by all.
Chicken nuggets: made with carrot puree. Enjoyed by all. A keeper.
Chocolate pudding: made with avocado. I accidentally melted the spatula in the pudding while making. Not suitable for human consumption.

Free book give-away...I'm in!

So, a friend of a friend is doing something really neat. Her name is Laurel and she is giving having a free book give-away contest for bloggers who post something that we are unsuitable for doing and why. You see, it is because her latest book, Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains or in Search of a Suitable Princess, is now out and ready for the public. So what am I unsuitable for?

According to husband: Cat groomer (I'm allergic)
According to sister: Public consumption
According to dad: Live pigeon shooting (used to be an Olympic event)
According to 2 year old daughter: "meow, meow" (she is really into being a cat right now)
According to 8 month old son: Nothing. You are my everything.
According to me: Although part of me wants to agree with my son. I know that there are some things that I am just not suitable for. Take for instance one of my college jobs at the CDC. I was working for a doctor who was doing cancer research. I had to shave rabbit ears and then inject them through a vein in their ear with something to suppress their immune systems. Now, these are not the furry friendly types that you read about in Beatrix Potter stories. These guys are genetically bread for research. They are the Arnold Schwarzenegger of rabbits. When I would walk into their room, they would lunge at me, going for the jugular. I can't blame them. I stayed with the job for the year, but decided that going into any research field was not for me. So there you have it, I am unsuitable for performing animal testing for cancer research.

Rybolt is on to bigger and better things!

Rybolt now has four teeth, can sit up unassisted, is eating Cheerios, and is pulling up to standing! What happened to that cuddly baby that I brought home from the hospital?

Summer book reading contiues

I am still going on my summer reading. "Moral man and Immoral Society" was a bit heavy for me after a long day of baby and toddler raising. Do I really need to be asking my self such questions as, "How will my children be able to do what is good and right in a society that is constantly flawed?" I am glad that I finished it, but am thankful that my next book, "Merle's Door" is a bit lighter of a read.

Deceptively Delish: a review

I am the parent of a toddler, which means that I am always looking for ways to sneak some veggies onto her plate. I saw this cookbook and thought it might be a a great help. It is divided into three sections: breakfast, mealtime, and desserts. I am going to try a recipe from each section each week until I have done all of them. First up: french toast, meatball soup, and brownies.
French toast: made with sweet potato puree. Baikal ate it.
Meatball soup: made with sweet potato puree. Neither Matt nor Baikal liked it. I ended up eating it for the next three days.
Brownies: made with spinach and carrot puree. Everyone liked them. However, they must be stored in something that is NOT air tight because of the moisture that will form.

Quiet time

When Baikal's quiet time was over, I went into her room. I couldn't find her. I noticed the closet door was cracked and opened it to find her asleep on the floor. I was reminded of the time when I was pregnant with her, that I took a 3 hour nap on the bathroom floor.

Junaluska part 1

I have sooo many pictures to post that this might take awhile. I'll post the most important one though, my niece Madeleine! She is so good! Will and Sam are great parents. I can't wait to watch her grow. Here she is on one of the best seats in the house!

Tangles...

When I was brushing Baikal's hair before bed she said, "Ouch."
"Sorry, you have a tangle" I replied.
"Oh. Is it a rectangle?"
"No. A tangle in your hair."
"Oh. It is a brown tangle."

Give credit where credit is due...

I failed to mention on the previous room posts that the mural and much of the art in the kids rooms was done by the artist, Courtney Garvin. Although a graphic designer by profession, she also has her BA from RISD in industrial design, and a MFA from YALE. She has done exhibits for the Children's Museum of Boston and designed almost every logo associated with Pathology in the southeast. Oh, and she is also my sister. Check out her blog on my links section. Oh, and don't worry, you might just be able to get a copy of some of her stuff yourself soon.

Toilet training: a retrospective

So, I am blogging this for both parents who will be toilet training soon and for myself so that I remember how I did this the first time. Those of you who fall in neither category will probably want to stop reading now.

There were two weeks were we had nothing going on (and I mean not even leaving the house) and this was the time I picked to train Baikal. I used a book called Toilet Training in Less than a day , which was recommended to me by my mom, who used it to teach me. I purchased the Baby Bijorn toilets and placed one on each floor of the house. These potties are expensive, but I had talked to a mom in doing my research and she said they worked for boys and girls and worked great. If purchasing more than one potty get them all the same color/style. Trust me, some times they form attachments to just one of the potties. I also purchased a travel potty that I keep in the car for times when we are going to a park or a long car ride. Upon recommendation we went from diapers all the time to diapers only at naps and bedtime, since Baikal was still not at the age where she was controlling her bladder at night (28 months). No pullups. Just cotton underwear.
You might also remember that I had some leftover eggs from easter that I filled with various treats. When she successfully went to the potty she would get an egg.
The book we used recommended using a doll that wets to teach. My parents had given that to Baikal for her Christmas present, so I also had that.

I would say that at first she was really interested in the whole process, especially getting the egg. Thankfully, she was very neat and orderly throughout the whole process. What can I say, the girl loves routine. She had very little accidents because she was usually nude and within a few steps of a potty at all times. Once we started heading out of the house, things became a bit tricky. I tried to make her sit on the potty as soon as we got to our destination and right before we were leaving. Instead of giving her an egg after a successful toilet use, I transitioned to doing "dry pants" checks. These were random checks where I would ask her if she had dry pants and if the answer was yes, then she would get an egg. She no longer gets eggs now and doesn't seem to mind.

Matt and I agreed that we would not use discipline or negative reinforcements for accidents. Baikal has accidents usually when she is in a new place or is really into something. During these times, I try to remember to ask her to use the potty, but sometimes I forget too. I feel like if she has an accident it is usually both of our faults. I carry extra pants, underwear, and socks in the car and sometimes in my diaper bag. I have been warned by other moms that accidents can happen well into the elementary school years.

So there it is. Potty training is a big deal to parents and kids. It is the transition from a baby to a child. Sometimes I look at Rybolt and can't believe that Baikal was that small, that she once crawled around on the floor and needed me to do everything for her. Potty training her is a major step towards her independence and her separation from me. This is a good thing. That doesn't mean it is easy.