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Wed, Jan 31, 2007 12:00 PM
No accidents at school yesterday! I don't want to jinx anything, but Katie seems to be fully trained.

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Tue, Jan 30, 2007 9:00 AM
The Potty Report from Katie's school was excellent. When I called to check in at 3:00, one of the teaching assistants told me Katie had been accident-free all day. "She is very good about letting us know when she needs to go," she said. "And she loves going--so this is going to be easy." Right when I arrived at 4:00, Katie looked at me and said, "I wet." Sure enough, she'd had a little accident. One of the other teachers apologized and said the director had just been through with visitors so things had been a bit hectic. Even so, we're very pleased and proud of how well she's doing.

As for the balance of the day yesterday... Let's just say I was wishing I had Jo "Supernanny" Frost on speed dial.

The short version of the story is that when Katie does something wrong and is caught/called on it, she gets VERY embarrassed and also VERY vindictive. And she parlays one incident into many. The long version of the story is this:

While shopping in Genuardi's, she decided not to stay right next to me. No big deal there--I often let her have some latitude, as long as I can still see her. This time when I did my visual check, she was crouched over examining something on the floor. Of course, I automatically assumed she'd had an accident (even though we'd just gone to the bathroom and she should've been completely emptied out). When I went to check on her, I saw a quarter-sized pool of clear fluid--but it was definitely too thick to be urine. When I asked her what it was, she gave me this extremely mischievous smile and said, "Duurt. I metz!" To be honest, I didn't put two and two together at that point. So I just told her to come along with me. And she did for, oh, about 30 seconds before she started lagging again. This time when I turned around, I caught her in the act: She was bent over, MAKING another pool of fluid. I can't say for sure whether it was spit or snot or a delectable combo--but it was definitely of that ilk. This time I went over and told her to stop and that now she'd have to ride in the cart. She gave me a hard time so I took the classic lazy/desperate mother's way out: I dropped my voice and said, "I am going to tell your father about this--and HE WILL NOT BE PLEASED." Let me tell you, people. That worked like a charm. She sat still in that cart for the rest of the trip and was a perfect angel. No bodily fluids. No backtalk. (I find it so ironic, too, considering that she usually treats Steve like the International Court of Appeals!)

When we got home, she asked to make cookies or brownies--something she LOVES to do. But I didn't see the sense in "rewarding" a girl who, just minutes before, was hocking loogies in a store. So I told her no, and why. Well, that set her off. She started pulling the aprons down and trying to pinch me, etc. So I said, "I think you need to cool off in the time-out chair." I told her I would set the timer and then she could get up. Naturally, she got up multiple times--and every time I put her back in. And being hard-headed, I'll-show-you Katie, as soon as her time was up, SHE STARTED ASKING ME TO PUT HER BACK IN THE TIME-OUT CHAIR.

Sigh.

By the time Steve returned home from work, Katie was being good. Maybe we shouldn't have mentioned the Genuardi's incident, but I wanted her to hear from Steve that he knew and that she wasn't to do it again. So, he very calmly and nicely asked her about it--at which point she started her avoidance tactics, i.e., galloping around the island ("I run 'round! I run 'round!") and hugging on/clinging to me. Although he has been known to do so, he didn't belabor the point--just told her not to do it again--and then I said, "We both love you and we want you to be a well-behaved, respectful girl."

Even though we'd put the Genuardi's incident to bed, Katie must've still felt a bit embarrassed/vindictive/edgy. At the dinner table she started misbehaving, flinging her brown rice and green beans all over the place--and she wouldn't stop. At that point, Steve took her fork away from her, and then raised HIS voice and said, "You're excused!"

Clearly mortified--this kid SO knows when she's wrong--Katie left her chair and went over to the floor by the sink. At first she just lay there, face down. But then her I'll-get-you side emerged, and she put the area rug and the plastic liner thingie underneath it in a big pile. We just ignored that little ploy and finished our dinner. After that, mercifully, she returned to normal and behaved herself. Sheesh.

Without a doubt, Katie is an active two-year-old and is always a bit of a handful, but she seldom does things that are just outright wrong (like spitting on the floor, for Pete's sake!). I'm glad, too, because as you can see, it's a real pain to deal with her when she does.

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Sun, Jan 28, 2007 9:00 PM
After Katie's impressive toileting in Florida, Steve and I decided to make the final cutover from diapers to panties. And on Friday after school, that's what we did.

Except at night, she hasn't worn a diaper all weekend, and she had only one accident--on Friday night at Wegmans. (She immediately came up to me and said, "Mommy, I pee-pee... Ax-dents happen!") She even stayed dry during a 45-minute nap in the car on Saturday and during the one-hour drive to (and from) Grandma's house today.

That's the good news. The bad news is how often she wants to visit toilets when outside our house. We went to dinner at Red Lobster on Saturday, and if Katie went to the restroom once, she went 20 times--no exaggeration. When her grandmother took us out to lunch today, it was the same story. In her defense, Katie DID produce on all but one of the visits today, so I never say no--at least not yet.

Anyway, it's hard to believe she's wearing panties instead of Pampers. But I'm not complaining!

* * *

I should add that in making this transition, we used the same technique that worked with Katie's pacifiers and her bottles: We just made them disappear.

While Katie and I went to her gym class Saturday morning, Steve hid all of the Pampers up in his closet. The next time she opened the diaper drawer, she found only underpants.

"Where diaper go?" she asked.

"They're all gone--you're a big girl now," I replied.

"Ohh! OK," she said, matter-of-factly.

Later she was looking in the family-room "diaper drawer"--not for herself, but for a doll.

"Where diaper go?" she asked again.

"They're all gone--your baby is a big girl now," Steve said.

"Ohhh," Katie replied. "Panties!" And she went and put a clean pair of undies on the doll.

If only it stays so easy... (We're definitely eager to get the report from her teachers this afternoon!)

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Thu, Jan 25, 2007 10:50 AM
Katie has made a quantum leap in her speaking skills and overall vocabulary. She has been repeating words for awhile, but now she can come up with them on her own.

I'm not talking about "onomatopoeia" or anything like that--just routine words and phrases. For example, she'll look in a bag and say, "Oh, lotta crumbs in dere!" This morning, she asked what I was doing, and I told her I was writing her name on her cup for school. "Ohhh, marker!" she said.

Of course, she still doesn't make total sense all the time. Yesterday evening Katie raised both arms toward one of the skylights in our family room.

"I reach it!" she said, clearly trying to be funny.

"Nooo, you can't reach that," I said. "Mommy can't even reach that."

"Daddy reach it!" she suggested.

"Nooo," I said. "Daddy can't reach it, either."

"ALLIGATOR reach it!"

"Uh, yeah," I said. "An alligator could reach that." (Huh?!)

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Tue, Jan 23, 2007 9:30 PM
I doubt I'll be able to do this story justice, but I'll try my best.

Tonight I put Katie to bed at 8:00, as usual. Around 8:45, she was still carrying on up in her crib. I was busy working on Steve's laptop (and watching American Idol!), so I asked him to go deal with her. He headed up and within a minute called down, "Mommmmmmmy! We have a problem!"

For those of you unfamiliar with the nightly routine, Katie always goes to bed with a cup of water (which is delivered by Daddy while she's brushing her teeth). Tonight she took it upon herself to OPEN that cup of water--thereby soaking her PJs, sheet, blankets, and mattress pad.

I can't even tell you what Steve and I were saying to each other when Katie got this oh-so-sly smile on her face and announced, "Ax-dents happen!" The combination of her facial expression and her "explanation" had us both laughing (and snorting) uncontrollably.

She is such a wise guy sometimes!

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Sun, Jan 21, 2007 7:50 PM
Steve went to Miami last Monday for work, and on Thursday Katie and I met up with him at the Orlando airport. All week, I'd ask Katie what she wanted to do--hoping the reply would be "go home" or "go peeduh parlor" or "read books"--and instead she'd say, "I go Borla! I dee Daddy!" When I would explain how we had to wait until Thursday, she'd nod and then proclaim, "I go Borla NOW!"

As it turned out, her excitement was well founded. It's been about eight months since we last visited Orlando--including our townhouse and Walt Disney World--and what a difference those months have made. She was an absolute pleasure the entire trip (save for two MEGA tantrums over wearing her seatbelt during take-off). She clearly enjoyed herself--and she gave us the opportunity to enjoy ourselves, too.

At any rate, besides seeing Daddy, Katie continually expressed three main objectives for the trip:

1) Wear "bip-bop" (flip-flops),
2) Drive with "wind" (her window down), and
3) Go "dimmin' pool."

She was able to accomplish all three. And, along the way, she discovered that the light switches in our townhouse are about a foot lower than the ones in our house--so she spent A LOT of time turning them off and on. She also spent a lot of time using the toilets in the townhouse without the aid of a training seat or us, for that matter. And she slept in her own room on her pull-out toddler bed (way to go, Katie!).

Also, and this shouldn't surprise me so much, but she was VERY fixated on the logistics of the trip. Instead of sitting back and leaving the details to Mom and Dad, she acted as though she were personally responsible for the whereabouts of our luggage and her stroller and for making sure we got off the various shuttles and buses at the right time. Of course, she doesn't truly know how to take care of any of that, but I would've sworn there was a little checklist sounding alarms in her brain. (My mom said the apple didn't fall far from either tree.)

Anyway, I've posted a bunch of photos in a separate album. I'm sure she and I will be looking at--and discussing--them a lot. She wasn't too happy to come home...

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Tue, Jan 16, 2007 10:30 PM
I'm taking off on Thursday and Friday, and I have a half-day meeting tomorrow--which means I have a ton of work and not a lot of time in which to finish it. So, what better to do than write a lengthy Katie update!?

* * *

More than ever--and she's always been this way to some extent--Katie is very keen on clarifying her options and making her own choices.

It starts first thing in the morning when she chooses a "boon" or a "daw"--or both--for eating her yogurt. It continues when she gets dressed (she is dressing herself quite well these days, by the way) and chooses between "deans" and "betts." Then, of course, she wants to pick her own "doos" and "docks" and her hairband and/or "kip."

In the evenings and on the weekends, when Steve is home, she likes to choose between the "big car" and the "lil car." She even makes strong, ah, recommendations as to which way we should drive--the "long way" or "dort way"--on our street, which is a circle. One of her favorite jokes is to request one way and then quickly change her mind once we've executed the turn. And, of course, she also likes to choose between a "big cart" and "lil cart" at the supermarket.

In short, she has an opinion on just about everything. And, most of the time, that works fine because we've limited her "choices" to outcomes that we grown-ups can live with. (I think that advice appears in every parenting book ever written, right?)

* * *

In the last two days, Katie has done a 180 on her Augmentin. Tonight when I told her it was time, she first confirmed what I meant ("White meddy?") and then opened the fridge, climbed up it, and retrieved the bottle herself. She still isn't thrilled about taking it, but I think she's proud of herself for doing it the "ee-dee way."

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Fri, Jan 12, 2007 8:30 AM
I hate to admit it, but Nurse Ratched was right. After four forced doses, Katie realized that taking her medicine isn't negotiable.

Now I give her a choice between "the hard way" (on the floor pinned down) and "the easy way" (she sits up and is an active participant in the process, sipping milk or juice in between swallows of Augmentin). The "easy" way takes longer but still gets the medicine in her--most of the time. On one occasion, we started out doing it the "easy" way, but she wasn't cooperating so I gave her one more try. When she didn't follow directions, we ended up back on the kitchen floor. Sigh.

Anyway, the good news is, she seems to be feeling much better.

* * *

Here's an anecdote for anyone who doubts how tuned in children are to their parents...

Last night Steve worked late again. When he got home, he and I were both working on dinner (Katie had already eaten), and we couldn't find something we needed. Although nobody was shouting or carrying on, he and I were both tired and tense; our tones were more barbed than usual.

Suddenly, Katie commanded our attention by saying, "Mommy-Daddy-Katie hug!" So we had to stop what we were doing for a family hug. As if that weren't enough, when we put her down, she motioned for Steve and me to hug again and said, "Mommy-Daddy hug, NO Katie!" Of course, we did, and the whole thing made us relax and laugh and get back to normal. As we did, she stood there smiling, hands pressed together, as if to say "My work here is done."

Smart girl, eh?

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Tue, Jan 9, 2007 9:50 PM
Just as I posted that last entry, Katie woke up from a late-afternoon slumber. I decided to go ahead and administer the second dose of the day while she was still half out of it--and before Steve got home. That way he wouldn't have to endure the shrieks and jerks and could instead provide positive verbal reinforcement and general moral support.

At any rate, my second WWF-style medication administration went better than the first. Although she still fought hard--that girl might weigh less than 30 pounds, but she has at least 300 pounds of will!--she injested even more medicine than before and quickly snapped out of the hysterics. I told her how proud Daddy would be of her. Sure enough, as soon as he got home, she proudly announced, "Daddy, I meddy!" (Translation: "I took my medicine.")

As the evening progressed, I knew she was feeling more like herself. After all, she insisted on choosing her OWN cup, selecting her OWN straw, and pouring her OWN milk. (Ex-cuuuuuse me.)

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Tue, Jan 9, 2007 5:14 PM
Long story short: Both of Katie's ears are infected. Amoxicillin didn't work the last time, so the pediatrician prescribed Augmentin Extra Strength.

Katie hates it.

Yesterday and this morning, Steve and I used every trick in the book to get her to take it. Nothing worked; she had a countermeasure for every tactic.

So this morning I called the doctor's office and asked for some advice. Here's what the crusty old nurse recommended (OK, I don't really know if she's crusty or old, but she sure sounded that way to me!):

1. On a non-carpeted surface (in case of vomiting), pin down Katie's arms with my knees.

2. Use one of my arms to pin back her head.

3. Use the other arm to insert the dropper into the side of her mouth--aiming for the back behind her tongue.

4. Release the medicine into her mouth, holding her nose if necessary to ensure that she swallows.

5. If she starts to gag, start screaming like a tyrant to catch her off guard and induce swallowing.

Yes, it's as much "fun" as it sounds. I did it earlier today for her morning dose and it went...well, not exactly smoothly, but better than our previous four attempts. At least she got some of the medicine into her system.

Steve will be home in an hour or so, and he'll get to help on the evening dose. All things considered, we'd rather get root canals.

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Sat, Jan 6, 2007 9:30 PM
Among Katie's favorite books are Richard Scarry's "I Am A Bunny" and a series of critter stories by Mercer Mayer ("Just Going to the Dentist" is the current frontrunner).

Anyway, I had to stifle a laugh tonight at bedtime when Katie picked up her copy of "Guess How Much I Love You"--which has rabbits on the cover--and "read," "I Bunny...Rabbit... Mer-ter May-errrr." As she flipped through the pages, she repeated, "Hollow tree"--another reference from the Scarry book.

When she really does put it all together, watch out!

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Thu, Jan 4, 2007 10:00 AM
The other day I realized that while Katie gets the concept of questions and answers, she doesn't distinguish tone or intent. She treats all questions equally--and literally.

That works out fine when I do what one book called "playing the dunce." For instance, after pouring a bowl of cereal, I asked her, "Hmm, what should I put on this cereal--coffee?" She was all too happy to shake her head and say, "Noooooo!" Then I said, "How about some man-tea?" She again said, "Noooo!" Finally, I said, "Well, then what SHOULD I put on the cereal?" Her gleeful reply: "Meeeee-ulk!"

But her literal approach doesn't always fit so well with loaded or rhetorical questions. Two cases in point:

A couple of weeks ago I was frantically dressing for a meeting and could find only one black boot. Convinced she was responsible, I marched into her room, boot in hand, and demanded, "Uh, where is my other boot?!" Instead of getting defensive (she was innocent, by the way), she furrowed her brow and responded helpfully, "Coz-zit?"

More recently, as she and I walked downstairs one morning, Vito let out an annoying and loud whine. I sighed and said, "Oh, what does HE want?" Katie perked up: "TREAT!" she said, quickly adding, "I get it, 'kaaay?"

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Tue, Jan 2, 2007 3:00 PM
For the last couple of months, Katie has turned public bathrooms and changing tables into a hobby of sorts. Sometimes I'd swear she was secretly compiling a series of restroom reviews à la Zagat's:

"Choose Wegmans restrooms for cleanliness and superior functionality. Rounded changing tables are a bit smaller but help reduce the odds of bumping my head, while the convenient sink stools make it easy for me to wash my own hands... The Food Court at Montgomery Mall should consider updating its poorly placed changing 'tray' with a fold-down KoalaCare table. Adjusting the water temperature on the automatic faucets is also a good idea. It's always much too hot for me..."

Well, yesterday Katie finally stopped touring and assessing long enough to actually USE the toilet--twice at Target and again at the mall. When she called Gran after leaving Target, she said, "I pee-pee potty. TWO potties!" At first I thought she should've said two times, but she was accurate; she insisted on christening a different potty with her second Target tinkle.

Meanwhile, she and I made quite a ceremony out of acknowledging, but not using, the beloved changing tables. ("Babies," she said, squinting and nodding sagely.) Now let's cross our fingers that this was more than a fluke.

Also from the Growing-Up-Quickly Department, she has started making her own purchases with her own money. She loves carrying one of her purses with her wad (and it is quite a wad!) of singles inside. Yesterday she bought her own juice box at Target (Daddy handled the change, though). Later, at the mall, she saw the Auntie Anne's stand, sprung up in her stroller, and announced, "I buy dat!" And she did.

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