Welcome September

We are in the full swing of Tusconian living. Yes, we have made a few friends, not to replace the old ones, but our heart is big and there is plenty of room for all. We are still looking for some friends close by with kids Callie's age. We have finally taken a family outing up to Mt. Lemmon. Oh, and yes it has finally cooled to the upper 80's and 90's. When I started writing this blog the first week in September it was well over 100 degrees. Hurricane Henriette sent some moisture our way and helped to cool us down a bit. I still feel it is too hot, but I am pregnant, so I may be hyper sensitive to temperature. I have been so busy with my new friends, Callie's swimming, and potty training that I have been a little neglectful to this blog. I will make this short since, September has already slipped away.

Our trip to Mt. Lemmon with Aaron, Kristen and Callie's cute cousins, (Chloe in back, Annaliese holding Callie, and Lily). Callie refuses to look at any camera that might have a flash. It was 20 degrees cooler up there. A nice beautiful retreat only 30 minutes away.

Callie pretending to be Snow White in her imaginative costume.
Callie at swimming. She now absolutely loves swimming. She is in a class with a friend and about 5 other kids. Sadly, peer pressure was the key to overcoming her water fears. She is still a little negotiator, but that may never change. The best part about these swim lessons, they are twice a week and only $2.00 a month. No that is not a typo. Arizona has a great parks and recreation program.

In other news, as of Friday, September 29th, the brown trout has officially landed. Fortunately, there is not a picture of this. After a successful week of finally "taming the beast" within our toddler, and a full three days of bowl "complications" on her part, success was had by all. All of you moms struggling with potty training I can tell you what finally worked for us, but I think every kid is different. We first tried every thing. Bribes of stickers, M&M's, and toys lined up as poop rewards. Callie was not motivated and though she wanted the toys and would admit that every other person, princess or character poops and pees on the potty, she had decided that she would not. I would say "Is Callie going to poop and pee on the potty?" Her reply was simply, "nope." We had multiple throne options for her. A small personal potty, a seat that fits on the regular toilet, and the porcelain seat we all hopefully have in our homes. She refused them all. I even would make her sit on the little one through a movie and load her up with fluids. You all read what happen with that method. So a friend told me how she trained her 18 month old and this method was the key for Callie. Oh, and it does involve peer pressure. She loaned me her daughter's doll that drinks water and then magically relieves itself in a miniature potty. So Monday of last week Callie woke up to a surprise. She unwrapped this doll, some new panties, stickers and her same old potty with a bow. We decorated the potty with Tinkerbell stickers, and gave the doll some fluids. I told Callie she needed to teach the doll how to go pee on her potty and then we would have a party for her. This worked wonders. We spent all morning playing with the doll and making cup cakes for the party. Then after the dolls party I told Callie we would have a party for her if she went pee on the potty. We only had a couple of accidents and then Tuesday it was over. She earned her party and has not had an accident in our home since. I kept telling her if she went poop on the potty we would have a bigger party and she could choose one of the presents lined up as poop toys. She is earning alomst one a day, and is very proud of herself. Oh, but Callie is not perfect yet. Sunday she had a little accident in nursery, and then there was Monday's poop in her bathing suit. She has not developed an early warning system. It seems to be more like, "Oh mom, I go poopy," and then she goes when she finishes her sentence. To trump this problem I just take her to the bathroom frequently. Sometimes this can be a problem because she wants to go but can't always. At Enrichment last week she went before we got to church, and then told me she wanted to try again. We sat in the bathroom for 10 min. while she tried. I had to negotiate with the unreasonable child by telling her that her body was not ready and we could try again later. I pulled her out of the bathroom screaming. Then she followed me around the gym while I helped set up, crying "I want to peep the potty. Mom, I want to peep the potty." I think everyone there thought I was so horrible because I would not take her, but she really did not need to go. Sometimes at home she will sit on the potty for an hour because she really wants another toy or some praise. She really does not understand how it works, all she knows is where to aim. I can live with that.