We are returning from our vacation to Hawaii on Easter Sunday, so instead of leaving an Easter Basket for her, I put her gifts in a white gift bag. Then, I drew a calendar on the bag and attached a sharpie so that she could mark off each day we were away. That way, she will be excited to open her present AND she might even be excited for us to come back.

She said, “It’s so beautiful! Did you do that for me, Mommy?” It was one of the sweetest things to me, her thinking that I could do that for her. And if I could, I would!

I told her that God made it and talked to her some about spring. I just wanted to put this moment out there because I don’t want to forget it.

We’ve been watching “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” lately (she calls it Steve the Monkey, btw). She was imitating the Baby Brent character, voiced by Andy Samburg. I couldn’t be more proud.

Wish I’d found a clip in English, but you get the point.

Wes downloaded the Talking Panda App in order to help encourage Ruby to spend time on the potty during her more ‘complicated’ times. What has developed is a love story for the ages. As I type, she is talking and playing with my phone like it is a little doll. She holds the phone like a baby, tells the panda she misses it and said that he was her buddy.

It’s been really funny to watch. It makes sense that she would love this game so much since she has FOUR stuffed pandas in her bedtime entourage.

There are a few things that don’t often come up and because they can be a little gross, I’ll try to be careful about my advise.

1. You have to wash your child’s and your own hands OFTEN. Really, really often. I’d suggest a foaming, non-alcoholic hand sanitizer to save you some time and keep your hands from cracking from the dryness.
2. Most children aren’t ready to #2 in the sitting position at the same time they start frequently going #1 that way. I’ve heard that many kids just go in their pants, but I have a diva that doesn’t like to go in her underwear, in her diaper or on the potty. This leads to something called ‘constipation due to withholding’ (you know, POOP). My poor daughter waits until she has a new choice and then cries while she goes. It’s hard for me to not be able to help her avoid pain, but there’s not much I can do but keep trying to teach her.
3. Incentives work really well. We used wooden puzzles for big milestones – going several times in one day on the potty, dry for a day, first #2 on the potty, etc. We also are about to take her to Build-a-Bear to pick out her new pal of choice for staying dry during the day for a full 7 days.
4. Don’t expect to have a dry-at-night child until much later, in most cases. Ruby is hit-or-miss right now. Also, I still have her in a crib and will keep her there until age 3 unless she starts wanting to potty in the middle of the night. This has yet to happen.
5. Most importantly, PLEASE follow your instincts. You are the mom/dad and you really do know best for your kids. Try not to compare or stress. It will happen eventually and you’ll be glad you didn’t force the situation. It’s hard enough on everyone with adjusting to something new.

I’m so amazed by my awesome, incredible, amazing daughter and I’m enjoying this journey so much!