Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Weapon of Urination

Esther has become a bit of a challenge these days. Quite frankly, we are beat. I feel like she is winning this battle and I'm not sure how to best her. She does all the usual screaming, kicking, flailing around, but her latest weapon is one I don't quite know how to combat... Urination.
Shortly after she turned two, she potty trained herself. After all our difficulties with Noah, it was a God send. It was amazing and we couldn't believe how fortunate we were... Or so we thought. She has managed to turn that gift back on us. It is her secret weapon. Anytime I put her in time out, she pees everywhere. (She only sits in timeout in the kitchen now so as to save the carpet.) Anytime she gets mad in the car, she wets all over her car seat. Two weekends ago, we went to Rogers and she peed on the way there and back just because she was tired of being in the car. Now she'll just let it loose anytime I get on to her. Doesn't matter where she is.
Let me tell you, it is exhausting. I am so tired of scrubbing the carpet and washing clothes and carseats. Not to me room the mental drainage... Every time she does something she is not supposed to, before I get onto her, the thought goes through my head, 'please don't pee everywhere. Maybe I should just let it go and not get onto her.' I always end up going through with it, but she has definitely gotten in my head.
I have asked friends and pediatricians many who have been practicing for 30 years and the response is usually, 'oooh, I don't know. That's a tough one.' 'Have you tried ignoring her?'...yes. 'Have you tried putting her in a diaper?' I threatened it and her response was, 'Yes, I want a diaper!' So I bailed. Pretty much everything I have tried, has failed. I keep trying to think about what I would tell my patients, and I keep coming up empty.
Today, after screaming and trying to kick the door down for about two hours because she didn't want to take a nap or stay in her room, she finally passed out. I stepped in a puddle of urine on my way in to check on her.
Notice the wet panties on the floor in the picture. Sigh. What am I going to do with her??? I am guessing that this is something that eventually she will decide on her own, that it is not worth it and just stop. Until then, we wait and do a lot of washing and scrubbing.


Slumber party

This was the first night Esther was allowed to sleep with the big kids. She was so excited.



Thursday, May 9, 2013

Tiling

Not something I would prefer to do again, but it's done. Ahhhhh.













Pop culture invades

The other day I was getting on to Noah about something. As I was mid sentence, he stops me and says, "Mommy, you don't know you're beautiful." Thank you One Direction. Thank you for interfering with my parenting. And Noah thanks you for getting him out of too much trouble. :)