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June 26 Psyche!Sunday Ben pooped on the potty.
First time.
You see, Ben is a very stubborn boy and while Steve thinks he gets it from me, I can almost guarantee Ben actually gets his stubborn-ness from Steve. And Ben, in his cute and frustrating willful little way, has decided that he doesn't want to poop on the potty. Perhaps because it is so important to me.
We tried. Believe me. I encouraged. I bribed. I took away diapers. We practiced sitting on the potty, doing nothing. I read po-lems while he sat on the pot. We tried it all. In fact, during that time, he recently that he wasn't going to poop on the potty until he turned four.
Argh.
I called the doc and she suggested I just back off. It was now a power struggle. I sighed and realized that well, it was only two months until Ben's birthday anyway.
So, other than a standing bribe for a whole pack of Skittles should the little bugger poop on the potty, I dropped it.
Sunday, right before nap, Ben said he wanted to poop on the potty. I rather suspected he was stalling so he didn't have to take a nap, but not wanting to thwart any interest in the potty, I agreed. I read four po-lems, then gave Ben three of his books and ran away.
Next thing I know, Ben's actually poop in the potty!
We practically threw a party right there. Hooray! High-five! Let's tell the world! Good job! One whole pack of Skittles.
And that's it. No more pooping in the potty. I've asked and he says no and just keeps on pooping in his pull-up.
Guess I really am going to have to wait till he turns four.
But I want to be just like Grandpa...It's hot here today. Seriously, no kidding around, it's not just because we aren't used to it, hot.
HOT.
Our average temperatures here in the ole Pac NW in June are around 72 degrees.
Nice.
Today, we broke the record and hit 90.
Pretty miserable stuff for an area that doesn't have much in the way of air conditioning.
So, imagine my horror when Ben comes out of his room butt naked (well, except for his socks), carrying his tan courdroy pants and black and red long sleeve button down plaid flannel shirt.
Whew.
When I told him he had to change he almost started crying and insisted he had to wear these clothes. "But I want to be just like Grandpa!"
Well.
I did finally convince him that Grandpa wears shorts and a T-shirt on warm days like today.
With a hat.
This satisfied Ben enough that he agreed to change his clothing choices.
And then he put on his Bob the Builder hat.
June 13 Wizard of Oz for 60...4 preschool classes. 15 kids per class. 60 kids total. 30-ish or so of the kids are 3 or 4 years old. 30-ish are 5 or 6 years old.
And every single one of them needs a role in the school play.
Yes, our preschool did a school play. The Wizard of Oz. Had no idea for the longest time the kids were doing a play. Ben never EVER talks about what's going on in school. We discovered he was doing a play around Halloween when he started singing the witch song. And it wasn't Ding Dong the Witch is Dead.
(It was: I'm a mean old witch with a hat/I fly around on my broomstick with my cat/My chin is pointy and my nose is too/So you better watch out or I might scare you/I'm a mean old witch with a hat/Boo!)
Anyway, through random facts and conversations and bits and pieces we discovered that Ben was playing the part of a munchkin. And that munchkins do a funny little walk. And that when the witch comes the munchkins have to lie down. Because they were scared. And Ben hated lying down.
Oh, and we finally learned that the play was June 7th at 7:00 PM.
For those who haven't been playing along at home, Ben's bedtime is 7:00 PM.
For those who aren't keeping up, Ben often reacts to stress by not sleeping.
As he chose to do the day of the play.
And as an FYI: we did not buy the DVD. And we did not take pictures. (We weren't allowed.) However, Miss Debbie, our preschool teacher, promised us pictures of all the kids so when those come in, I'll post.
Ben wore a striped shirt with rolled up jeans as his munchkin costume. He had to show up early and sit down with all the other boys dressed up as munchkins. As opposed to the boys dressed up as talking trees and the girls dressed as ballerinas. I *think* they were supposed be the Lullaby League munchkins.
Because we showed up on time, he had to sit and wait a half hour for all the other kids to arrive, including a good witch in a fantastic princess costume, Dorothy complete with gingham dress and ruby slippers, and a witch.
Ben's part didn't come on for quite a while into the play.
I assumed, wrongly, that a play for 60 kids at bedtime would be shortened and mixed up so everyone would have a chance to say something.
Ha!
Three kids carried the play and did all the talking. When the time came for the munchkins to come on stage and do their thing, well, Ben didn't quite participate. He was totally zoned out. He waved to us. Blew kisses at us. Stood right in front of everyone and didn't do the munchkin dance.
After about 5 minutes of just standing in the wrong place, he finally started following the other munchkins around. But he didn't sing. And he only did the hand motions for the funny walk once.
And right after the munchkins were done, they all got to walk off the stage and find their mommies and daddies.
And then the play continued for ANOTHER HOUR.
We left after 10 minutes. When I realized we'd been there an hour and we still hadn't met the cowardly lion or the tin man or the witch and her flying monkeys.
We left. And went to bed.
Tho not before Ben complained that he didn't even get to be a talking tree and wear a costume.
I don't see an acting future for our boy.
He wants to be a construction worker.
When I told him today that he had to go to school till he was 18 he said he couldn't do that because he wanted to be a construction worker.
We're so proud.
Ben stole the number...Last few nights at bathtime we've been using foamy bath time letters to spell out words and to count down the last three minutes of bath time. Steve swings his hand wildly around behind him, points to the number three and says, "This many more minutes left."
Till last night. Steve swung and missed.
Ben stole the number.
He giggled and laughed and shouted. "I stole the three! I stole it!"
Bath time took a little longer than usual yesterday...
Do a little dance...Bedtime. Ben's finally naked. Puts one toe in the bath. Jumps out. Runs to the potty. Pees. Shakes. His whole body. Swings his hips from side to side.
PAPA: Ben! What are you doing?
BEN: Shaking my penis, Papa!
Here Mama convulses into laughter while Papa tries to explain one doesn't need to shake one's entire body to get the last drop of pee off. One merely uses one's hands...
June 05 New pictures!I put some new pictures on our website. A few movies of Ben's preschool sing-along. A few pictures from his first Easter Egg hunt.
June 04 Stop growing!Ben just keeps growing.
And growing.
And growing!
PAPA: Ben, quit growing!
BEN: I can't! I have to grow and grow and grow!
PAPA: Maybe we should quit feeding you so you will quit growing?
BEN (getting nervous): But I need food! Food gives me energy so I can play and play and play!
MAMA: Don't worry, Ben, we'll still feed you.
PAPA: Just quit growing!
BEN: But I have to grow! I want to be a construction worker when I grow up! I have to get biger and bigger and bigger! Because construction workers are big!
And so on. Ben and Steve keep getting into it about whether or not he should grow. Steve blames me for Ben knowing that food gives him energy to play.
Collectively we blame our fence guys for putting the thought into Ben's head that he has to get bigger before he can be a construction worker.
I just hope he outgrows this idea someday. Construction is so seasonal... |
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