Big Girl

Isolde has almost stopped wearing nappies now except for at night and for the occasional no 2. We're so proud of her! Once she was ready it went quickly. We started last weekend and during the week Peter has continued training her while I've been at work. Already after a couple of days she was peeing almost every time on the toilet (once or twice on the potty but she prefers the toilet where we've put one of those kiddy seats).

I tried to train her (and I guess it was the start of the process and helped towards this week's progress, but she certainly wasn't ready then to "cross over") earlier in the summer, at the end of July, beginning of August, as I wanted to try to make her dry before the move to Belgium. She peed a few times then but there were also many accidents, or she held it for a long time until we eventually put a nappy on because she was going to bed or similar. The first week of her two last weeks of pre-school she wasn't wearing nappies and did reasonably well but there were at least one accident at pre-school and sometimes several at home because we were also too busy with the packing that we forgot to ask her if she needed to go. Throughout she was also very anti the whole thing and it was a lot of "no, no, no" and we had to force her to sit on the toilet or potty, which didn't feel too helpful. So we decided to take a break and take it up again when we felt we had time to focus on her and when we had settled in a little in our new home.

We haven't been here for that long and we have still not unpacked everything, but last weekend we felt Isolde had settled in pretty well and we also had the pressure of her new school, where she starts next week, not allowing nappies (except at nap time, but she will only attend in the mornings). At first Isolde was reluctant and refused to sit but when we succeeded in getting her to sit still on the toilet for a while, she could usually pee. The breakthrough came last Sunday, only two days into training, when she wanted to take a bath with Harald and we said "only if you pee on the toilet first". In less than two seconds she had jumped up on the toilet (we've put a child stool/step by the toilet so she easily get up by herself) and peed! 

We knew then that she could do it when and if she wanted too. We also used incentives or, if not "bribed" beforehand, gave her a reward afterwards like an yoghurt icecream, telly time or visit to the playground again (or other just little things like getting the sticker book out). A  very good incentive for her has also been new underwear, especially panties with cars on them (which are really boy's briefs as the girl dept didn't have any with cars...) I bought them earlier in the summer but then she wasn't as receptive - she wanted to wear them but they didn't do the trick so-to-speak. 

I also think she was ready now because she wants to be a big girl now. As I mentioned in my previous post she's been telling us that she is "stor" for a couple of weeks (I think she said it once or twice before the move but certainly since we arrived here) and we have utilised this by telling her that big girls go on the toilet and not in a nappy.

So hopefully she should be fine at school on Monday! She still needs reminding to go - and at school they have pee times where they all have to (try to) go - but she also tells us that she needs to go or just goes to the toilet herself. 

And in other news Harald has two teeth that are about to come up and he's trying to crawl but more about that in another post!

Have a nice weekend! 

Since Last...

Okay, I guess the Keep up and blog on motto didn't help the current "bloggtorka" here.  Will make penance and give it a new go.  We have been busy though as you will see, so it's not just laziness...

I think I will do bullets again today even if it's not Thursday, Annika :)

• Harald is growing fast!  At the latest check-up two days ago he weighed 6,730 gr and was 60.5 cm tall (or short).  Isolde was 5,970 gr and 58.5 cm at roughly the same age.  I will write more about him later but he's a happy and content baby, just like Isolde was, perhaps even more content than she was - I guess he doesn't have a choice with Isolde running around and craving attention (two words, terrible twos...).  Harald has had a stuffy nose on and off since he was born due to all those germs Isolde brings home from nursery (even if she doesn't always get sick herself) but this week he has a proper cold for the first time with a really blocked nose and a bad cough, poor thing.  He also had his first set of flu shots on Monday and got a temperature that evening and didn't look well at all.  But the next morning the fever was gone and he was a happy camper again with "only" the cold to deal with.

Harry Bear

• Isolde was sick all last week and was driving me crazy at home.  We had Harald's Christening on Sunday 19 May (more on that later) and after we had been over at the reception venue the day before to prepare we discovered she had a fever of 40'C.  It wasn't better the next day so she missed the Christening, which felt really strange, as if we only had one child, and she didn't have a normal temperature again until Thursday and it was back briefly at the weekend.  But Monday she was fit for fight again, which was lucky as I don't know if I could take it any longer!*  She's at a very active age right now (not to mention the tantrums) and staying home with me, especially when she's sick (but not always that sick but too sick for preschool), is not that much fun (for either of us).
• What made last week more difficult was that we also moved to Peter's parents' place on the Tuesday morning, as we're having builders in to do a complete renovation of our bathroom and separate loo (where we are taking down a wall to the adjacent wardrobe to create a bigger space that will fit a washer and a dryer as well as a small shower).  So on the Monday I was trying to pack stuff that we need for five weeks, including one week in the south of France, while Isolde was poorly, and then Tuesday onwards trying to unpack and watch Isolde in an apartment double the size of ours and not necessarily child-proof.  Isolde knows some stuff is off limits when her grandparents are home but they are living out at the summer house now, so she was really testing my rules.  Luckily, as I mentioned, Harald is a relatively easy baby, but sometimes he need to be fed (at 3½ months old he's two young to have set meal times) or changed and then you can't fully controll a mischievous two-year-old.

The naughty one

• I had meant to pack more the week before the move, although we only found out in the middle of that week that the contractors could start so soon, and I had also meant to prepare for the Christening, but I came down with the worst cold I've had in a long time (probably what Isolde got the week after and Harald has now).  I had a sore throat, blocked and/or runny nose, fever ("only" 38 or so, not 40 like Isolde) and pink eye, which is something I've never had before.  I didn't look great I tell you.  So I didn't get much done in terms of preparation.  I stayed at home with Harald and picked up Isolde from preschool (and spent an hour or so after preschool at the playground wearing sunglasses even though it was cloudy).  We did however have to take a few last decisions regarding the new bathrooms so Peter and I made a couple of trips to baths shops and other home improvement places.

Soon this will be a distant memory!

• But in the end all works out fine anyway and things get done in time!  So the Christening went well (will do a separate post) and we have now settled in fine at Peter's parents' place. 
• This week so far I've been enjoying the sunshine (though overcast today) and taken it easy.  Yesterday Isolde's preschool had their annual vernissage of what life at preschool is like and what and how they play and learn.  It was a mix of paintings and other crafts they have made, and documentation of when they were playing/exploring/painting/etc and how they go about it, and (more for the older children) the process and method.  I was really impressed by how it was portrayed through pictures on the floors and walls and images projected on the wall and moving images on laptops here and there in different rooms.  Unfortunately no pictures allowed so I can't show you :(  On Thursday there's another event at the preschool, Sommarfika, where the parents bring goodies (we volunteered to bring something this time) and the children sing and dance (I think, at least they did so at Halloween and Christmas), and the teachers are given presents to thank them for the year.  Unfortunately two of the three teachers in Isolde's group are leaving, one for maternity leave and one to study, but there's a new teacher starting Monday and another one after the summer (with substitutes over the summer).  On the other hand it doesn't matter as Isolde would be moving up to another age group anyway.
• Later in the week I also have a pedicure to look forward to (need to prep for Nice in June!) and Isolde has a TBE shot to look forward to, or not...  It was rather painfree last time though so I'm hoping for the same again.  We don't have any plans for the weekend yet, except Peter who has his office work party Friday evening, and Sunday evening Harald and I will go visit my parents for a few days, as Peter's parents are coming back into to town for a few days and we would have to sleep all four of us (i.e. Peter, me and the kids) in a tiny room.
• And I WILL blog again soon!

* I know, my own responsibility to take care of my children, but I believe it's okay to complain once in a while, and wanting to dump them on someone else! ;)