toilet training continued...and Sunday Roast!

We have now been toilet training for a week and a half.

It has been going well (I think - I don’t have anything to compare it too however). There were only 3 accidents in the first week, which was fantastic!! This included going to church with no accidentsand putting him on the potty in creche ( I went out before the sermon and put him on, then went out again after the sermon and tried again). After 8 great days we had family christmas on this weekend gone (Saturday). There was so much excitement (and I may have forgotten to take Ob to the toilet!). He had two accidents that day, which was the most he’s had in a day so far. Yesterday was church and he had another accident in creche. Today we had summerfest in the morning and no accidents so far :)

It is also exciting that he’s been going on the big toilet! YAY! Because its hard to cart around a potty and I hate cleaning it out! He’s used the big toilet so far at grandmas, the park, the shopping centre, summerfest and church. Very exciting! He’s also been asking to use it at home. So much easier than a potty!!!

Some things that I would do differently next time:

- STAY diligent in taking him to the toilet (and not expect him to go 3hrs between wees especially after the first week!)
- just have grapes as rewards (I tried to do smarties this time but Ob kept asking me for grapes instead!)

Some things I would definitely do the same:

- the wet/dry questioning! He really understands what its all about! I’m amazed at how quickly he’s cottoned on to what is going on :) Potty training 1-2-3 method is GOLD!

On Sunday we had our first Sunday Roast (hoping to have this as a tradition). It went SO well. I had a 1kg lamb roast and covered it in oil and garlic. Popped it in a pan and covered it in foil and the lid of the roasting pan. I cooked it at 150 degrees from 9.30 till about 11.45 (while we were out for church) and then upped it to 180 till about 12:30. I cooked the veggies in the microwave when we got home at about 11.45 and then put them in the oven for about half an hour to roast. I was so pleased with how it all worked together :) We invited 4 people over (as guinea pigs for the first roast) and it was a lovely afternoon :) Looking forward to many more Sunday Roasts!

Meat, Travel Sleep, Playpen & Teeth

Teeth

This week OB got his FIRST tooth! Yay.   I am surprised that he didn't make any of the usual 'teething fuss'. - Although he has been making lots of 'teething fuss' over the past few months. The night it came up he went to sleep at 6.30pm as per usual, and woke at about 4am absoloutely screaming. I thought it might be teething pain so I gave him some panadol and put him back to bed. When he woke at his usual 6.30pm there it was - a tiny little bud of a tooth. I put my finger on it and gee it was sharp!! I had no idea how sharp babies teeth were!!

Travel Sleep Training!

My beautiful OB ringing his bell...

Next weekend we are going camping with some good friends. OB has never lasted a whole night in his port-a-cot (except when he was younger than 4 months and didn't know any different). We are VERY nervous about how he will sleep when we go away for the two nights. So we have decided to sleep train, but in a port-a-cot. A few friends had mentioned that I should do this - sleeping him in the port-a-cot in his room and in different rooms of the house to get him used to sleeping anywhere. Today I set up the port-a-cot. OB had the time of his life playing in it whilst I was setting it up!!! BUT when I put him in it (and zipped up the side) - boy did he scream (and is still screaming). He has had one 10 minute stint in there - then I went in and lay him back down, gave him a few pats and told him it was sleep time. I don't think he listened. As soon as I was out with the door shut he started up again. But a bit softer than at the start. It might be a looooong afternoon!! Now hes having little spurts of crying with about 20 seconds of quiet, which for him means hes winding down. Hopefully by next weekend we will have had at least one full nights sleep in the port-a-cot. I should have started this earlier (and then we could have tried sleeping outside in it). I don't know how we will go in a TENT putting him down at his usual time of 6.30pm (with no black out blinds of course) in the LIGHT! Might have to put him down later....when the sun is actually down. Ps hes being very quiet in his room...if I had to guess i'd say hes down for the arvo (he got put down at 2:25 and its now 2:42). The plan is to give him one sleep a day in the port-a-cot until next Friday (when we leave). I'm hoping to have at least one night in it too, but will wait and see how the day sleeps go.

Playpen

In Simone Boswell's amazing book "Calm baby, confident mum" she talks about the benefits of playpens and puts playpen time into her routines. 

I LOVE the playpen. For a few reasons. 

#1 - Its safe. Everything in the playpen is OB safe (a lot of things in the rest of the house are not).

#2 - It gives me time to do the things I need to do (cleaning, cooking, washing, quiet time, book reading, bubble bath, etc).

#3 - It teaches him to have time by himself - to amuse himself and to be independent from mummy.

#4 - Gives him ONE place to make a mess (especially helpful if people are coming to visit and i've just tidied up).

When we moved house (August-ish) it took me a little while to set up the playpen (and find an appropriate place for it) and to actually put OB in it. We have lots of doors in our house so we can shut off different rooms which is great (and reduces the need for playpen time). This last week I have realised that OB has had barely any playpen time since moving and as such i'm re-introducing it into our everyday routine (for all the reasons mentioned above). 

I am starting with 15 minutes a day. Its not too long if he cries the whole time (hasn't happened yet - he usually cries for 1 or 2 mins then enjoys himself) but not too short that he doesn't spend any time in there. He's catching on again quickly!  I just put him in there and he whined (not even a cry) for about 20 seconds and then turned around and started playing! 

OB crawled into my lap and had a nap before lunch (first time he's ever crawled up and fallen asleep).

About 25-30kg fit in our freezer

Meat

This week we got 40kg of meat from a friend (who also runs a bull stud). We have SOOOO much meat! Not only do we know EXACTLY where it comes from, but its such great quality (barely any fat) - even the mince is delicious (and not disgusting like store bought mince). Its also really economical at around $10 per kilo (even for the eye fillet, T-bone, sirloin, etc). Yesterday I made rissoles with the first batch of mince. They were SO yummy!!!! And so easy!!! I got the recipe here. 

Home made rissoles

Bread, Chutney & Childcare

I stumbled across the easiest bread recipe here and decided to try it out...
I can't believe how easy it was!! 

 ^ flour, yeast + salt sifted together.



 > added water, mixed and left on the bench overnight.

.

This morning whilst I was getting OB ready (and the oven was pre-heating) I let the dough 'rest' on the counter.

OB LOVED watching the oven (especially when the light was on!). 

 We played a few games whilst the bread was cooking (took about 30 mins)

Having a peek!

 <<Ta DA! Finished product.

 Because I didn't finish the bread in time for Josh to make a sandwich for lunch, I decided to bring him his lunch later in the day. I had some left over tomatoes and decided to make some chutney to have with a roast beef and fresh bread sandwich!

Now on to the more important matters!

This morning we walked past the childcare centre and I was seriously thinking about finishing my prac (for teaching) and possibly going back to work. I was getting keener and keener as we walked home - thinking about the logistics of putting OB in care and going back to work and how helpful the extra money would be. 

When we got home I was making chutney and OB was playing on the floor. He crawled over to me and started banging on my leg, I looked down and he had "the face". THIS is what i've been working for over the last few weeks!! I took him to the potty and he did a poo (and a wee). This might be too much information, however it made me realise that: 1) I LOVE seeing him "get" things. 2) I LOVE teaching him things. 3) Daycare would not put the time + effort it takes to implement EC (elimination communication - which I'll explain in a minute). 4) There is no way I want to go back to work when I could be at home with OB (obviously only as long as we can afford for me to do so).

Elimination Communication is a method that a friend brought to my attention since moving to Gunnedah. Basically its about communicating with your child (from a young age) - and having them communicate with you when they need to go to the toilet. We have modified it to suit us AND would you believe I have not had to change a poo nappy at home since we have started it (August I think) - we have still had to change a few poo's when out because obviously there isn't a potty to put him on when he needs to go. At home, its amazing the way he just signals that he needs to go, we strip him off and sit him on the potty, and he goes! Its sooooooo cool. I was SO sceptical of this. One day my friend Ruth mentioned it (OB was about 8 months old), I went home, OB looked like he needed to do a poo, so I put him on the potty and he did one. It was really amazing. And SO much less cleaning up. And seemed so much easier for him (plus he didn't have to sit in it, AND he could push it all out - which actually looked like a normal formed poo, not just the mush you see in a nappy!).

I need to clarify that its NOT toilet training. Its just about making life easier for both OB and I - no poopey nappies for me, and no sitting in poo for him. Win Win. Plus it improves our communication, which I love. And if it does make potty training easier then thats just a bonus...