My Girl Wants to Potty All the Time, Potty All the Time, Potty All the Ti-ime!

I haven't changed a poopy diaper since I started part-time Elimination Communication with Eva. Doing it part-time really takes the pressure/stress out of it. I've been catching pee by putting her on the potty as soon as she wakes up from night or naps, if she is fussy, and just periodically throughout the day. She seems to understand what she is supposed to do now and she pees pretty quickly when I put her on. I think if I put her on when I have to go, I can increase the # of pee catches without much effort. I tried to do it when we were out by holding her over the toilet, but that didn't work very well. I set her on the edge, but I don't her bottom on a public toilet seat so I think we will stick to doing it at home for now and maybe get a travel potty for the car later.

Boy! I sure was wrong about EC. With the right attitude anyone can do it part-time. I need to do more reading and research, to refine our process, but with very little reading and research, we already have success.

EC Day#4

For the past 3 days, I have put Eva on the potty when I picked up her signals. She nurses several times a night, but this morning, when she woke for her first nursing session of the morning, I put her on the potty and she peed for about 10 seconds. I caught a poop late morning before we went to pick Ian up at school.

Part-Time EC, I'm Going for It!

I always though that Elimination Communication (EC) was too much work and not for me. However, since I haven't really had any problems with Eva (like breastfeeding issues or colic--let me knock on wood after typing that) and she often has very loud signals for when she needs to poop, like grunting, I have been thinking about trying EC with her for awhile. Before we moved, I did about half a day of experimentation which involved observing the patterns around when she goes. However, the moving process was crazy and stressful and long and caused regression in Ian's potty training, so I shelved EC.

A few nights ago after an e-mail to an expat mom who practices EC part-time, I got thinking about it again. Then, while in the bathtub with Eva, she started to grunt. Oh, no! Not in the tub! I jumped out and put her on the potty. I made a grunting sound and she pooped! Encouraged by that success and the fact that it doesn't have to be an "all or nothing" choice, I have decided to start trying to catch some poops and work with her on the potty.

Yesterday, I put her on (on the big potty with a potty insert) and Ian and I grunted for her and she put a woman-sized poop in the potty! Ian and I cheered for her. It is nice to have Ian help "teach" her.

Today, I her the signals but was busy so I missed the poop, but caught a pee.

Why do this?
Even if you do EC full-time, your child will probably not be completely independently potty trained until at least 18 months, but often later.

Why start early then?
Well, for every pee/poop you catch, you save a diaper from being used, which is better for the environment. Also, listening to and responding to a child's attempts to communicate their elimination needs, develops communication with your child. EC advocates talk about demonstrating respect for the child in this way so they are not sitting in waste. The child understands earlier what the potty is for and as long as your expectations are reasonable and there is no punishment or trauma involved, this can result in easier/earlier potty training. The Diaper Free Baby website has a long list of benefits and tips for getting started.

Eva is 7.5 months old and sits really well. She can sit on the potty by herself. I sit close with my hand on her leg so she doesn't jump off, but I don't have to hold her. Since she prefers to sit rather than crawl, she enjoys sitting on the potty. It is fun for Ian and I to encourage her. We are just going to start slowly. I will put her on the potty first thing in the morning, when I hear her signals and after eating. I will try to observe the times of day that she makes dirty diapers and maybe add potty time in if I can establish a pattern. I want to build up our commitment to EC because I don't want it to be stressful for either of us. Also, there are benefits to be reaped from occasional or part-time EC. Even though I potty training Ian was easy and gentle, even with the moving-related regression, I think Eva would really appreciate EC since she hates to be wet or dirty.

Anyone out there practice EC? How did it go for you?

Vaginal Breech Birth in Korea!

Update: Another expat had a vaginal breech birth with the same team in Feb of 2010!

One of the moms in the Expat Parents Club just had a baby boy here in Seoul on October 10 in a planned vaginal breech birth. She was attended by both a midwife and an OB. C-section averted! This was her second baby and all attempts to get the baby to turn, including ECV, failed. Awesome!

If you are pregnant in Korea and have a breech, you have options!

Baby Makin' Machine's March of Dimes Fundraiser/Giveaway

Future Mama J at Baby Makin' Machine is having a fundraiser/giveaway for the March of Dimes. Click on over to contribute to a great cause. You'll be entered to win some fabulous prizes that were donated by her sponsors. Not only are the babies guaranteed to win through the March of Dimes' hard work and dedication, every donor will receive two floral baby headbands or a dogie bandana made by the Future Mama!

Another Sweater

Fall!

We've transitioned from shorts to pants, but it really isn't cool enough for jackets, sweaters and hats. That didn't stop me today.

Fire Fighters!

It is Fire Safety Week and the Yongsan Firefighters visited the Preschool. The kids got to sit in the driver's seat and squirt the hose. Ian is obsessed with water guns, but he did not want to try the hose.

I Made Something, I Actually Made Something!

My friend Chalica and I are pathetic because we both own sewing machines and do not know how to use them. (Chalica is less pathetic than I am because we both also own cameras, but she actually knows how to use hers). Our friend, Jenny, showed us a very simple project that inspired us to break out the old machines.

Baby Leg Warmers Out of Knee Socks

Koreans seem to have a sock obsession because you can buy socks on the street everywhere. It is probably because they take their shoes off inside and so need to be more stylish with their socks. In any case, you can buy adult knee socks in Itaewon for less than 2,000 won per pair without negotiating. They offered us 6 pair for 10,000 won.

Then, you snip the sock foot off at the ankle.

Cut off the toe.

Cut of the heel.

Take the remaining band between the toe and the heel and fold it in on itself.

Stitch to the tube of the sock.

Zig zag over original stitching to secure.

Done.

Here is another set of instructions with a slight variation.

Anyway, she brought her machine over yesterday and we both got one leg warmer done before we screwed up the threading of our machines and had to stop for the day. Today, I finished the second leg and now have one pair done! The sewing ain't pretty and in all probability will have to be re-done after washing or wearing a few times, but it works!

Little Stunt Woman

Today, I put Eva on Ian's bed while I got her clothes out of the clothes (in the same room). In the time it took to pull a shirt off the hanger and reach into the drawer for a pair of pants, she had scooted herself to the edge of the bed and stood up! She pulled herself up on the bedrails that we have on there to keep Ian from falling out. I turned and saw her and before I could get to her, she smiled and bounced herself over the edge! She flipped over completely in the air and landed on her back.

This picture is of her napping after the fall. I made her stay awake for a long time afterwards just to be sure she was O.K. Then she fell asleep nursing in the chair. Lest you think that I've learned nothing from this incident, I just took her picture and then moved her to the floor.