That’s right Zooba fans everywhere, Keana turns 5 on Monday! We’re gearing up for the “friends” party on Sunday and it is no joke. We’re not foolin’ ourselves about being super-juvenile-birthday-party-planners, but there are some good things in store. Sarah is decorating fairies for yard decorations as I type, one of our various “fun stations”. Since the weather is gorgeous, we’re planning on doing everything outside. We’ll have a fairy station, a dinosaur station, the sandbox of course, maybe bust out the kiddie pool, and also have the enchanted forest. Like I said, we’re not going to go too overboard, but that’s the beauty of kids; you bring the concept, and they just run with it, their imaginations the driving force. There really doesn’t have to be much in place. All we have to do is get this place cleaned up, “freshen up” the sandbox, hit the grocery store, and decorate. It’s sort of our first venture into this realm, so we’ll see how it goes. I have to admit, I’m pretty excited about being “the dad” at the bbq, next to the cooler, hopefully not telling too many embarrassing jokes. I’ll let you know how it goes, the party that is, not the jokes.
Tag Archives: Keana
El Doctor
Today we went to the doctor. The thing I hate about the doctor, is that unless your arm is mysteriously falling off or copious amounts of blood are leaving your body, they usually just tell you what you already know. Or better yet, what the “Google machine” has already told you. Even so, it’s strangely reassuring to hear it again from a trained professional. The appointment was for Keana and basically she’s just got a cold that’s on the better end of bad. Maia has it too, but both girls were in such good spirits today, charming the pediatrician as they do everyone else, that she wasn’t worried about them at all. Sarah and the girls also got the H1N1 vaccine just to be safe, which I would typically be against, probably for no really good reason, but it seemed like the right thing to do today. I’m sort of wondering why I didn’t get it now…hmmmm…oh well.
Anyway, other than being sick we’ve been super busy. I was on a work trip in Philadelphia the week before Thanksgiving, promptly getting this gnarly cold upon returning home. We celebrated Maia’s second birthday just the four us, enjoying some meat on the bone and really good chocolate mousse cake thing. Maia is starting to catch on to the concept of presents, and still loves singing “Happy Birthday”. I wonder how she’s going to adjust to sharing birthday space with Thanksgiving? Growing up I either found it really fun or kind of sad, being quasi-forgotten with all the holiday hubbub.
Everyone else was healthy for our trip down to Long Beach to visit Tia, Olivia, and Ryan, our hosts for Thanksgiving. I really wanted to meet up with my cousins and Auntie on our Japanese side while I was down there, but it was such a quick trip that it just didn’t work out. But we had a good Thanksgiving with Tia’s family, Grandma Jennie, Great Grandma Bev, Aunt Jacquie, and Ryan’s mom Luann. Weather was a little crazy on the way home with some snow on the Grapevine, but we still made it home safe and sound.
It’s great celebrating with family and getting out of town, but it’s really hard that it takes so much energy and might also take a week to get back on track. But even though we’re all a little sick still, I do feel like we’re finally getting back on track, hopefully with enough time to get totally solid before the Christmas whirlwind begins. One thing that is fun about being in Fresno is that with temperatures in the 30s/40s in the morning and evenings, it really does feel like winter here. I’m excited to light up the fire place, decorate the tree (which we still have to get), and sing some carols around the piano. I just have to start practicing my piano chops, or maybe just give a little extra spike to the eggnog.
Language
“I do it!!!” In those simple three words, Maia is speaking volumes, and speaks more and more every day. One of the funniest/cutest things is how she adds “me” onto the end of phrases to explain that she wants to do it. Some examples:
- “Mama sleepin’ me.”
- “Holdin’ me.”
- “Unwa (underwear) me.”
She’s like a little parrot too, and repeats all the short phrases that we say. You can imagine how fun this is for both Keana and Maia. Luckily Keana uses this mostly for good and not evil. And even though Maia has more words and phrases than we can keep track of at this point, she still balances her new skills with traditional growling and screaming. The girl has got a scream. What better way to fend off a sister twice your size than with a super-sonic “NOOOO SISSY!!!” or an ear-piercing scream? Quite effective. Keana covers her ears and runs the other way. It’s also interesting to see the parallels between acquiring language and gaining independence in other realms too. Maia is a fierce dresser, much like her sister, in the fact that she knows exactly what she wants to wear and there’s no talking her out of it. Most of the time, it’s perfectly reasonable, except for those times she chooses long sleeves when it’s 100 degrees outside or a little dress when it’s 55. Once the clothes are chosen, as you prepare to help her dress, she quickly says, “I do it, I do it.” Of course she prefers to just run around naked most of the time, but also really enjoys her new underwear- since she only wears a diaper at night- and changing in and out of different outfits all day long.
On the flip side of that, Keana, who is extremely articulate, has recently reverted in the language department. We think it may be influenced by her best friend at school who is not nearly as articulate as she is. It may also just be that all 4-year-olds prefer fart noises and silly rhymes to well-formed sentences. It’s hard for me not to be too hard on her and let her have her fun. I just try to remind myself that in spite of her silliness, she is an amazing communicator and seems way above average in the language and comprehension department. Her language skills really shine in her imaginary play when she’s by herself. She tells very elaborate stories and handles both sides of the dialogue, often breaking into songs that are beginning to actually make sense with lyrics that sometimes rhyme. The way she changes her voice inflections to create drama and suspense is awesome, especially when she slips in some ominous music in between lines. One of the really funny things I’ve noticed lately is that she narrates her toy set-up like a commercial. In a tone like a TV announcer, she’ll say things like, “Cinderella, in a beautiful rubber dress, sparkling for your enjoyment!” We don’t even have regular TV any more, so she gets it from the advertisements that show before some of her movies I guess.
One of the funny things about being a parent is that when your kids are young, you absolutely love their little baby voice with its baby accent, mispronounced words, and unconventional phrases. So much so, that when they finally learn to talk properly, you’re sad it’s gone. You look at old videos and say to each other, “Ohhhh, wasn’t it so cute when she talked like that?!” Then it’s not long before you’re criticizing them for saying things like, “Me do it!” or “Why does it be that way?” I guess you just have to always try and appreciate whatever phase their going through or whatever thing they’re experimenting with, all the while steering them towards learning words and speaking properly so their thoughts can be clearly voiced and understood.
Sometimes it ain’t easy
Note: This is a little bit of a rant, so for those of you who just want the feel-good stuff about parenting, skip to the last paragraph.
I feel like we go on a roller coaster of frustrations. The majority of these moments of frustration don’t stem from new issues, but issues we deal with day in and day out. That makes sense of course, because most of us learn through repetition, so when one of our darling children is working something out, we experience it over and over again. One of the most difficult things we’ve been dealing with Keana on is possession. Since she’s been on the planet longer, she has more toys than Maia. To be fair, I think if we added up all instances of “toy interaction” with Keana and Maia, on the whole, Keana would be considered a phenomenal sharer. However, it seems like every day, there’s some sort of altercation—or on the worst days, many—where Keana rips a toy out of Maia’s hand because she wants it. Or she performs what I call “mental warfare” on Maia, where she doesn’t necessarily take something outright from Maia, but she constantly pesters Maia to trade or share with her, asking her over and over if she can have it. Eventually Maia is worn down or confused by the verbal assault and ends up forfeiting her possession. This issue is especially hard for me because when I was growing up I didn’t have a lot of toys and I feel like my brother and I shared really well. Of course we were closer in age, so maybe that makes a difference? Boys vs. girls? General temperament and personality? I see so clearly how much Keana has, but it never seems to be enough and at times there is no reasoning with her. She could have every toy but one in the sandbox, and she’d want that last toy too. We definitely need to do some research on this one.
As I mentioned in my last post, there’s the sleeping issues. This last week Keana was sick and waking up more in the middle of the night with a runny nose and cough. So we put her to sleep in her room initially and let her switch to our room when we went to bed—moving her to her little mattress on the floor—as a way to provide some comfort for her while she’s sick, and therefore more sleep. Which was great, but that little change somehow triggered something that made it more difficult for her to fall asleep. She would call out and use every excuse known to four-year-old as to why she couldn’t fall asleep: “Um, I need another stuffed animal.” (when she already had about 20 on her bed), “The closet door isn’t open enough.” (we leave the light in the closet on and the door open so it’s less scary), “I need another hug and kiss.” We played sweet at first and accommodated her silly requests, chalking it up to not feeling well, but eventually had to take a stricter approach. I’ve said this before, and to new or non-parents it often seems like we’re being “mean”, but you give them an inch and they will go a mile (and then some).
Another good example of frustrating moments is bath time. First Keana doesn’t want to get in the bath, which we know is her just being “four”. Once she’s in, she and Maia often play well together. However, the time comes when things get too rough or she takes Maia’s toy or whatever, and we have to intervene. While we do our best to ask her to stop or explain why what she’s doing is a problem, she’ll make a face at us or stick her tongue out, which honestly really gets to me. We explain she has a choice to either stop the negative behavior or end bath time. She pushes and pushes and again, we try to “play nice” but the time comes when we have to be the parent and back up what we say by ending bath time for her prematurely (as we said we would if she didn’t stop). At this point we know full well there will be a tragic meltdown, but those moments seem to be really necessary lessons for her so she knows what the boundary is.
All of these things are related and like I said, I think some research might help us at least understand things better. But the bottom line is you have to be the parent and “lay down the law” which won’t always—if ever—go over well. It’s a really, really hard thing to do and it can keep you up at night wondering if you’re a saint for teaching your kids a valuable life lesson, or if you’re just a big, bad, mean old person.
You may have noticed that all these frustrations I’ve mentioned involve Keana. Maia has her moments- like when she hits or pinches you because she’s frustrated- but she’s not even two yet so she’s coasting on her cuteness for now, and hasn’t developed all the emotional complexities that Keana has.
The really interesting part of all of this—and really critical part—is that it doesn’t last. At the end of the day, usually starting with story time right before bed, the negative stuff just melts away. We have a chance to sit down with each other and just enjoy a fictional adventure accompanied by great artwork. Maia goes off with Sarah to nurse and have her bed time, and Keana snuggles into my armpit, leans against my chest, and is at complete peace with the day, me, and the story. We tuck her in, say good night, and embark on some time with each other. Mama and Papa. Sarah and Luke. Big, bad, mean old person to big, bad, mean old person. Sure the hard times and mistakes of the day still echo in our heads, but when our bed time comes, I replay all the cute, amazing things I experienced with Keana and Maia throughout the day and feel almost refreshed.
Things I love about Keana
I love your light. The way way you light up a smile on a strangers face in the grocery store when you just smile and say “hi” to them out of nowhere. The way your eyes light up when you sense some fun, goofy game coming on. The way you light up your little sister’s face when she sees you first thing in the morning and squeals, “Sissy!” I love what a conversationalist you are. I love your imaginative narration when you’re playing by yourself with your dolls and stuffed animals. I love how you make toys out common objects. I love the way you improperly pronounce certain words. I love that one of your favorite people in the world is the silly character Lothar the Hunchback that I made up to entertain you guys. I love how you do your Mama’s hair while she’s napping and while you’re supposed to be napping too. I love how you convince me to do things just by saying, “Oh Papa, just let me do it.” I love all your multi-faceted expressions, especially what you do with your eyes; making them worried, or sad, or serious. I love your cheeks. I love how excited you get when Maia wakes up from a nap and you run down the hall shouting with sheer joy, “Maia’s awake! I’m gonna go get her!” I love how you say “chillllly” and the “cold face” you make, tensing every muscle in your face and neck. I love when you don’t know a word you make something really crazy up. I love that you scream, “Meat on the bone!” when we barbecue. I love that you know everything, and sometimes you’ve learned it because Mama exposed you to it when you were in her belly. I love how well you brush your teeth. I love how engrossed you get during story time, taking in every word and picture. I love your memory. I love the way you sing. I love how peaceful you look when you sleep and how soundly you do it. I love when you wake up way too early and say in a whisper-yell, “Papa! Wake up! Feed me, I’m hungry!” I love how much love you have and that your ours to share. I just love you little Zooba.
Going through it
We have really been going through it. In the beginning of March, we lost our little friend Loden who was only 14 months old. His parents were in our homebirth group, and their oldest son Sage is Keana’s best friend. It has been extremely sad and we’ve been doing our best to support them while dealing with our own grief. They also live on our street so while they have a ton of support, I hope having us “right there” has been some extra comfort in their during this tough time. The memorial celebration was Saturday, April 4, at Sage’s preschool where Loden loved to play as well. There were lots of tears, but having all the kids dance—with Keana right up front in the lead with Sage- was a great celebration for the short life Loden led.
In the midst of this, life goes on. Keana’s fourth birthday was sort of a last-minute small affair. Iana was in town for work, so Jennie drove out from Fresno and we had a small celebration. She was very excited about getting Mulan and Pocahontas dolls, and enjoyed a little treasure hunt, complete with map, for her tinker toys, sand toys, and magn-a-sketch tablet. Given the circumstances I think things came together really well.
And, of course, we’re packing and preparing to move to Fresno. Sarah has been amazing and we’ve started to convert the garage into a staging area for the big event. I’d say we have about 30 boxes/crates packed so far, 29 of them done by Sarah. Oh, and on top of this, my best friend Neel is getting married May 3 in Massachusetts, and his bachelor party is this weekend. I think a bulleted list will best describe the crazy timeline:
- April 8: Grandma Jennie comes from Fresno, on the train, to help Sarah pack
- April 9-12: I’m in the Valley of Fire and Vegas for Neel’s bachelor (camping) party
- April 10-13: Sarah, Keana, Maia, and Grandma Jennie drive to Fresno for Easter celebrations. (Sarah and the girls will drive back with Iana on that Monday).
- April 15: My last day in the Berkeley office
- April 16-17: We pack it all up (at least what’s left)
- April 18: Load up the truck and drive to The Fres and probably unload
- May 1-4: I head to the MA for Neel’s three-day wedding extravaganza. Yes, we were totally bummed that we couldn’t afford for all of us to, but Neel will be doing a West Coast wedding thing that all of Team Hokama will attend in full cuteness.
I’m not sure how much is sinking in for Keana and Maia at this point, but Keana did say today, “I don’t want to move to Fresno! I want to stay in my house forever!” So I think though everything has been really positive until this point, it’s just a reminder that this will be a big move, running the full gamut of emotions.
As we pull ourselves out of sadness and mourning the loss of Loden, we are looking forward to the exciting times ahead. Yes, it will be tough and I think it’s about to really sink in, but we still feel this move is the perfect choice for our family right now, and look forward to the new adventures and possibilities this move will bring us. Life is pretty wild right now, but I’ll do my best to bring the highlights.
Sass Monkey
Little Miss Keana is quite the sass-monkey. It’s not that she’s rude or disobedient, but the girl’s got some fire. The phrase “if you give them an inch, they’ll go a mile” was created for Keana. We are far from a militant household, but we have to run a pretty tight ship to keep things from spinning out of control.
Bedtime has been a big one on and off in Keana’s life, and it’s really interesting to see how her little ways have carried from infancy until now. For instance when she was 8 months old she would play with my lower lip while I rocked her to sleep, trying to distract me from the task at hand. The three-year-old version of that is saying things like, “I’m hungry!” even though she just ate, or (my favorite) “My eyebrows hurt!” Just about anything to delay sleep-time. Another interesting thing is I think she really got used to us all sleeping in the same space while camping, and she really liked it. So when we got home from the campout this year, sleeping alone in her room just wasn’t appealing. She would say, “Can I sleep with you guys” or “Can you just sleep on the floor next to me?” At first I would just lay next to her until she was almost asleep, but that evolved into waking up in the middle of the night, every night, to make this request. We finally got that one locked down and now we’re dealing with getting her to stay in her bed…ah the joys of running a happy dictatorship (i.e. parenting).
After saying all that though, Keana really is a complete angel and we still consider ourselves very fortunate to have such a smart, sensitive, and hilarious first born!
To the zoo Super Keana!
Today, Keana and I went to the zoo. Sarah and Maia were in Santa Cruz for Iana’s bachelorette party, so we took advantage of our small-number-mobility. I had been talking to Keana about this for a week, so when I saw it was raining this morning, I was a little worried the zoo would be closed and there would be some sadness. But we headed out anyway and found Oakland cloudy, but dry. As we pulled into the parking lot, both Keana and I were super-excited.
Once we paid and entered, I could tell Keana was so excited that she didn’t know where to begin. “I want to ride the tiger [merry-go-round]!” and “I want to see the elephants!” then “Where are the alligators?!” So we got out the map and set off. First we visited the elephants who where enjoying their mid-morning snack. I guess this made Keana hungry too, so busted out our crackers, string cheese, and water and sat on the benches enjoying the company of the elephants.
Then we headed down to the “African Village” where we saw meerkats, green monkeys, lizards, and snakes. On the way we also saw the lions- which were really loud actually- tigers, and giraffes. I must say, she was more interested in sitting under the awning of the picnic area having more snacks and watching the people, rather than animals. But I convinced her to trudge on, and she was pretty excited to see the other monkeys swinging around and screaming.
It wasn’t long before the rides came up again. The Oakland Zoo has a modest ride section, perfect for little kids, and Keana had ridden on the merry-go-round on a previous visit, and wanted to go back. So on the way to the ride area we did drive-by-viewings some bird exhibits and other animals, much too fast to really appreciate, but I reminded myself, “Hey, she’s only three. Let’s go ride the train!”
On the merry-go-round Keana rode the tiger. I think it was a little scary but she held on and eventually got into it. She didn’t even need me holding on to her, but her hand must have been numb from holding on so tight. I must admit, that ride ended just in time for me. I guess I still don’t like rides that go around in circles.
Then we rode the race cars and Keana chose the gold, sparkly sports car. She was the only one on the ride- luckily I was too big to go- and she had a blast. The first couple times around she smiled at the ride attendant and me, then proceeded to sing songs and narrate her little adventure to herself. She even steered in the right direction! After race cars we went on the train that takes you around a small part of the park and around this little hill with a great view. After the train ride Keana just had to ride the race cars again, so I indulged. We had been at the zoo for a couple hours so it was time to pack it up and head out to lunch. One last stop at the gift shop yielded “sister lizards”, one for Keana and one for Maia.
The trip to the zoo was a blast. It’s so fun reliving childhood and experiencing these things with your own kids for their first time. Fun fun.
Turning three and other adventures
Somehow along the way I forgot to write down the events surrounding and including Keana’s third birthday. As you all know, her birthday was March 22 and we had planned to go to Fresno to celebrate with Grandma Jennie. But Keana and Maia ended up getting pretty sick the week leading up to the weekend of the 22nd, that we felt a road trip would be about the worse possible thing, so we postponed it to the following weekend.
Instead we had a mellow celebration opening some gifts in the morning, including some that had been shipped in from the Grandmas, and enjoying a nice cheeseburger, fries, and vanilla shake in the backyard. It was sunny and warm with the slightest breeze to keep things cool. During Keana’s nap I ran to a local bakery and got a fruit tart for birthday dessert—they were all out of fun cake stuff—and some supplies to barbecue. When Keana woke up from her nap, we barbecued tri-tip and followed up dinner with candles, singing, and some tart. Even though it wasn’t the birthday extravaganza we had originally planned, it turned out well and we were all more than happy to just have it be a mellow event with just our Quadripod.
The following weekend, traveling on Friday March 28, we drove to Fresno for the birthday bash we had originally planned with Grandma Jennie. It was also Maia’s first long car ride and with the exception of the last hour, the drive was pretty smooth. Just outside Madera Maia had decided she was done and began to cry so we rolled up to Grandma Jennie’s house around 4 p.m. a little haggard. I think the drive took us about 5 hours with several stops. Shortly after we arrived Great Grandma Bev showed up with gifts for the girls which were, of course, met with great enthusiasm. Not long after that Grandma Jennie arrived and we ordered some pizza and had a nice low-key dinner.
The following day on Saturday, March 29, we went to Storyland which is this place in Fresno with life-sized representations of popular fairy tales. When you enter you’re greeted by the caterpillar from Alice In Wonderland and you proceed on down a path that takes you to The Three Little Pigs, Humpty Dumpty, Little Red Riding Hood and many others. Sarah actually used to go there when she was a kid and the place was supposedly recently renovated. However we found the entire place wasn’t quite up to spec. Owl’s house was rather rickety and once Sarah got Keana up, she didn’t feel safe because of wobbly railings and what not. Owls glass window pane was also askew and had chicken wire covering the hole that was left. There were also some rusty slides and my favorite was Mama Bear whose nose was smashed off and she her hand was missing. All that was left was a solitary strand of rebarb. Hilarious. I should add though, that many of the structures and story sets were fine and Keana loved all of it. There was a huge pirate ship that was pretty elaborate and in good shape that was fun to go on. The one regret we have is that we got there a little late in the morning, right before lunch, so the girls were tired and hungry. They were awesome though and we still had a great time.
We were going to head back on Sunday but we so worn out that we stayed another day and enjoyed a nice barbecue and yummy birthday cake at Grandma’s house. And as all good things end, so did this trip, and we packed it up Monday morning (5/31) and headed home. The first 45 minutes were rough, but after a pit-stop just outside Los Banos both Keana and Maia fell asleep so it was smooth sailing. Sarah also dozed on and off and I felt lucky to be the lone soldier at the wheel, whisking my ladies safely home (though the piercing pain from my bladder made me feel a little less soldierish). Anyway, we made the entire trip in about three hours which is record time with one kid, not to mention two!
The next big adventure happened on April 12 when we trekked down to Santa Cruz to visit Uncle Peter who was running a half-marathon with his running group “The Lost Boys”. Of course we got out of the house a little late and arrived in Santa Cruz around 10:30 a.m., starving, with Keana beginning to melt down and Maia crying angrily, signaling her full, melt down status. So we pulled up to one of our old favorite eatery, Harbor Cafe, for some refueling of biscuits, gravy, sausage, and eggs. By this point we were pretty frustrated and annoyed at a rough start to our supposed-to-be-fun weekend, but everything was better after breakfast. What can’t biscuits and gravy heal, really?
The Lost Boys—Peter, Oscar, Tim, Gilbert—and Dave, Peter’s old housemate, were actually just finishing breakfast as we arrived at Peter’s house, so the timing was perfect. Grandma Linda and Grandpa Sam were also in town from Fredericksburg, TX, but had to go to a wedding so we planned to see them later.
By the time we got caught up with Peter and everyone else, it was nap time, so Sarah, Keana, and Maia laid down while Peter and I went to the grocery store for barbecue supplies. After nap the four of us went to the beach while Peter got his nap. Sarah thought it would be fun to go to this “secret” beach she used to go to in college. It’s off of the busy beach drive Westcliff, but it’s secret because there aren’t any markers for it and to get there you just take a steep, skinny trail that winds randomly down from the main sidewalk. So we parked, got everything packed up and I carried Keana down while Sarah took Maia. It was a little precarious and when we got to the bottom I guess it looked like we needed help because a local came running over from his family and offered to take Keana for me. I accepted then helped Sarah and Maia down. Immediately it was clear this beach wasn’t much of a secret. It was a small beach, maybe 25 yards long, but there were kids playing wiffle ball, a guy fishing, a guy going out to kayak, four college kids hanging out, and at least four dogs running around—practically every beach activity known to man. We stayed for about 20 minutes and decided it was way too busy and moved on. Going up was easier than getting down, so we re-seated the kids and drove a little further on to Natural Bridges. The weather was hot and the beach was crowded, but there was much more space for our Quadripod. We had so much fun splashing in the ocean and chasing the waves. Keana is pretty fearless of the cold water, and though she didn’t get in above her knees, she stayed in the whole time we were there.
We had to tear ourselves away from the gorgeous beach but were excited to go back to Uncle Peter’s for dinner. Actually, the barbecue took place at his neighbor’s house, one of which is part of the running crew, and with the return of Grandma Linda and Grandpa Sam from the wedding, The Texans, The Quadripod, and The Lost Boys (with adjunct members) had a great evening with lots of laughs and great food. Maia slept on and off in the sling and Keana’s never had so many people at her beck and call to chase her through the house and around the yard. In fact, we were having so much fun that Keana missed her normal bedtime and we all ended up going to bed around 10:30 p.m. Peter and Oscar were kind enough to give up their entire two bedroom apartment for us, so Keana and I slept in a bed and Maia and Sarah slept in the other. We woke early, had breakfast, and then had second breakfasts when everyone in the other house woke up. Then we headed back to the beach to get our last fill of ocean time before heading back to the east bay. The drive home was rough with the kids so tired, and we had to stop in Fremont for dinner, but other than that, it was a beautiful weekend.
Bye bye poop
WARNING: This blog entry may not be appropriate for those who do not have a close relationship to their body or its processes.
Potty training. What an interesting experience. I don’t really like the word “training” when our kids are involved—it’s so…animal. So let’s say Keana’s been progressing towards not using a diaper for the last couple months. If you look back in the blog you’ll see we bought the little toilet a long time ago and had immediate success which then quickly faded. Being the good parents we are, we didn’t push the issue because the last thing we need is a shit crisis that scars Keana for life. So for the last six weeks Keana’s really been using the toilet exclusively during the day. We still use a diaper at night and there was an interesting development last night. At 4 a.m. Keana woke up screaming, so I ran downstairs to see what was going on. When I got there I said, “What’s wrong baby?” Keana replied, “I have to pee!” and I said, “Well, you have your diaper on.” and she said, “But if I pee in there it will be full.” She had a good point and all of sudden I realized I wasn’t quite sure I was ready to be waking up in the middle of the night for this.
Then of course there’s perspective. One time Keana looked at her product and said, “Hey! It looks like ice cream!” and at the end, after a few additions, she exclaimed, ” And that’s a caterpillar crawling over the ice cream!” I took a look and had to laugh. It was very clear, a lovely mocha caterpillar crawling over some dark chocolate.
Another interesting development has been pooping at bedtime, just in time (of course) to delay actually going to bed. At first we thought it may just be a realization of power on Keana’s part to stay up later, but what are you gonna do? The girl has to poop. Very intricate the learning and teaching of the elimination process.
Potty training isn’t all stress and frustration either. There is also a hilarious side of potty training. Let me just say that I’m not sure we will ever fully understand a child’s relationship to their excrement. Towards the end of using diapers Keana was very interested in what was in the diaper. I would show her and explain why we put it in the toilet, where it goes when we flush, etc. One morning as I did this, she exclaimed, “Good bye poopy! Have a great day with your friends! Don’t forget to eat breakfast with them!”
Clearly this is a very deep, complex, multi-faceted issue and Keana seems to be handling it with aplomb (and humor).