Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

As for me, I did NOT find a (very clean) unopened ketchup packet while unloading the dishwasher.

I did NOT make a mistake while dialing a business number, and end up calling a very naughty number instead. I did not hang up at lightning speed and sit there blushing like crazy in a room all by myself.

I did NOT scandalize my sister by giving my child – not one – but *two* suckers during her haircut to try and get her to stay in the cute airplane chair long enough for the trim and for pictures. The suckers did not get hairy. (They were probably on the counter to be used as rewards AFTER the haircut, for that very reason?)

I did NOT clean solid drips of yogurt off the outside of the toilet while getting ready for company. I don’t even know what else to say about that.

I have NOT had a melted shot glass on my counter ever since this incident, just waiting to be photographed before moving to the trash, so I could update the above post. I did NOT give my husband a “photography assignment” when he had the good camera out from our hike yesterday. If I had, that would explain why he chose to include the flower bauble to “make it more artistic” for me. But none of that happened, so nevermind.

So how about it, what hasn’t happened in your household? It’s really not fair if only some of us get to benefit from this method of therapy you know. It’s easy to add a comment and get it off your chest! Who’s first?

As for me, do you remember the whipped cream from my key lime pie? I used some on our first strawberries of the season, then threw it away to avoid further temptation. Before tossing it, I did NOT spray some directly into Siena’s mouth just to get her reaction. That would have been childish and unsanitary, not to mention setting a bad example for an impressionable young toddler. Not me!

When playing with bubbles, I’ll admit it was amusing that Siena blew a bubble with her mouth when she said “bubble!” after pressing the bubble wand up to her lips. What I won’t admit to though, is trying to re-create that amusing occurrence with my own lips. I’m sure I would have failed anyway, and tasted some nasty bubble solution in the process. So, I didn’t even try. Not me!

We take bedtime prayers very seriously. There’s no way my husband would have added a loud HONK to the middle of a Hail Mary when Siena poked his nose. Not my husband!

Along those lines, if our family were in the cry room in the back of church (a place we never go, since Siena is an angel during Mass) and she looked particularly cute camped out in a kneeler, there’s no way I’d nudge my husband to grab a picture of her with his phone. Not me! And not my husband, either, for that matter!


We don’t have a Chipotle in our town, and really miss it. So most of the time when I’m headed home from visiting my parents, I’ll stop in at Chipotle and bring a burrito home to HawkInWinter. It can be a difficult stop to take Siena out of her seat so soon after strapping her in, hold her in line, hold her as I walk along the sneeze guard requesting ingredients, hold her as I pay and as I carry her out to the car again. This most recent time, when I snagged a spot right in front of the Chipotle with its big windows, the thought never crossed my mind to leave her in the car. I didn’t leave her there as I walked up to see how long the line was, and then come back to get her. No, as soon as I parked, I got her out of her carseat and took her inside. If I *had* had a moment of hesitation though, I would have been quite thankful my conscience won out once I saw a team of firefighters park right next to my car!

I did not use the word “dependation” when discussing the independent and dependent variables in linear algebra. Even if it was well past bedtime, that strange word would not have come out of my mouth.

Siena did not learn the words “Cheeto” or “candy” this week. Nothing like that ever enters our house. Similarly, she did not learn to say “naughty” because there’s never any occasion to use that word around her. She never hits, and never throws spoons, bowls, or cups off her tray, for example.

She has started saying “diaper” and “stinky”, which makes sense because of the huge number we’ve been changing these last 9 days. While packing some away-from-home food for her babysitter, I did NOT grab the container of strained prunes in a moment of obliviousness, only to realize too late that they were the complete opposite of what I should have been feeding her if I wanted to combat her digestive problems. Sigh.

When sitting on the toilet, Siena is never unsupervised. I never step out to change a load of laundry or put clothes away in her room next to the bathroom. That’s precisely why there’s no way I discovered her, sitting on the toilet, with a pile of unravelled toilet paper almost high enough to touch her dangling feet, proud as punch that she’d unwrapped a hidden “doot-do-doo”, or toilet paper tube. (Named for the sound one makes into it, of course.)

How about you? What have you NOT been up to lately?

Welcome to a slightly different version of Not Me! Monday – it’s Not My Child! Monday instead. Both blog carnivals were started by MckMama over on her blog, My Charming Kids.  Not My Child! Monday is where I tell you all sorts of things my child has certainly NOT done recently. Thing that, if she HAD done them, might be rather therapeutic to share with you, not to mention entertaining.  Because if we can’t laugh at ourselves and our children, life’s just not as fun.

First off, Siena learned early on not to put unapproved objects in her mouth. Her crib rails are not approved objects, so of course she has never chewed on them. If she had started cutting teeth on her crib rails, I probably would have tied the little bumper from her cradle onto the top to protect her crib from unsightly teeth marks her from splinters.  And of course, if the bumpers had been tied on for several months, there’s no way she would have just recently discovered about four unprotected inches of the crib rail and started gnawing away, prompting me to tie a pair of pants on there.  Not my child!

A couple weeks ago I did a quick grocery trip for ingredients to a scrumptious Texas Caviar I was bringing to my friend’s baby shower. (People asked for the recipe when I served it at Siena’s First Birthday, and again at the shower. I found it on this blog post if you want to check it out. ) I was in the checkout line with my little basket, Siena on my back in the Ergo baby carrier, when the checker lady announced that the phone lines were down all throughout town and for about a hundred miles around us, so debit cards wouldn’t work. I didn’t have my purse and checks with me, since I usually just slip my ID and debit card into the pouch of the Ergo when I’m making one quick stop with Siena. I did have some parking cash hidden in my car though, so I left my basket with the checker lady while we ran to get it. On the way back from the car, with cash in hand, Siena still perched on my back, I did NOT discover she was carefully clutching one avocado in each of her hands. Nope, I’m not enabling a petty thief at 16 months old. Not my child!

There is, admittedly, some possibility that  Siena may have exuberantly kicked off her less-than-securely latched high chair tray, causing her snacks to scatter over an alarming radius from her chair.  Had that happened, however, Siena certainly would not have made it a game to eat said snacks off the floor *without the use of her hands* while I ran for the broom. Not my child!

(Look closely to see the fish cracker between her lips above)

(For the record, I wouldn’t have allowed such unsanitary manners to continue as long as I was trying to capture reasonably good images on my cell phone, even if the floor had just been baby-wiped clean the day before.)

My child did not give me the opportunity to teach you all, in case you ever wonder, what happens when you drop a metal hair clip into the center column of a humidifier and let it sit for several days until your Daddy discovers it.  (brown gritty water, rusty pitted clip for the curious) Not my child!

As I lifted her up to wipe her bottom, my child did not toss one of her favorite touch and feel board books into the toilet. The toilet she had just put to good use, and had yet to flush.  Therefore, Siena did not watch me with a confused look as I transfered her book from the toilet to the trash.  Not my child!
(And if you are silently thanking me for grabbing a picture after the transfer rather than before, you are welcome. I’m thoughtful like that.)

No, that didn’t happen because my daughter never throws things.  Especially not out in public.  Like in a Gymboree outlet store. Like if she had been carrying around two butterfly shaped purses  (“fwy! fwy!”) and her adorable attachment to them had convinced me to buy her one to keep her church toys in, and she got angry when I tried to get her to put one back on the shelf so we could buy the other one, but she wanted them both so she threw them both down.  That’s the sort of thing she never does.  My daughter would be so thankful I was going to buy her one purse that she’d be very happy. She would not insist on having all or nothing, ultimately getting nothing. Nope, not my child!

How about you? Have you or your child(ren) NOT done anything lately that might make us smile? Leave a comment or click Read Comments to see what others have shared.

UPDATE: If not all the pictures have loaded, (you see question mark icons instead of pictures) will you please leave a comment to let me know? And try refreshing the page to see if that helps. Thank you!

length – 31 inches
weight – 20 pounds

I’m including some pictures of you at your appointment. (Click here to see pictures from earlier doctor visits.) For my own memory, here’s a snapshot of your development. I’ll use the areas of development we documented when I taught special education preschool.

Personality

Siena is a social little girl who greets most adults she sees, and particularly loves dogs, babies, and children.  She loves to dance (sometimes even while nursing) and is observant and persistent.  She likes to hold two matching items in each hand, and walks around the house trading items to find better matches. She might start with two wooden puzzle pieces, then trade one for a plastic dog to match the dog puzzle piece. Later she may set down the puzzle piece and pick up a second plastic dog.

Gross Motor Skills

Siena can jump in place, spin (from a standing or sitting position), walk forwards and backwards independently. She climbs up stairs using her hands and knees, and backs down stairs with guidance. When an adult holds one hand, she can walk up and down stairs, bringing her feet together on each step.  She consistently squats down and stands up without losing her balance.

Fine Motor Skills

Siena has a proficient pincer grasp, points spontaneously, scribbles with an age appropriate grasp, and makes several gestures in sign language that require finger dexterity. She seems to prefer her right hand. She often attempts to hold two things in one hand but does not yet squirrel small items in her fist.

Adaptive Skills – Self  Help

Siena can take off her socks and can unfasten the Velcro closures on her shoes. She tries to put clips in her hair and hats on her head. She can remove hair clips, headbands, and hats.  She helps with dressing and undressing by pushing her arms through sleeves, stepping her legs in and out of pants while steadying herself against a parent, holding out one foot at a time for socks and shoes, and uses her arms to push a shirt over her head when a parent is pulling it over her head. She holds still for several seconds to get her hair styled and watches quietly as her nails get trimmed. Siena sits on a pottty seat on the regular sized toilet at each diaper change, and claps for herself when she urinates in the toilet about once per day.  She moves a toothbrush back and forth in her mouth, and is working on tolerating a parent brushing her teeth for her. When prompted, she will imitate  ”cleaning up” by putting her toys in a designated container. She likes to wipe her high chair tray with a baby wipe, and is growing increasingly tolerant of her hands and face getting wiped.  Siena tends to make a screeching or  ”eh-eh-eh”  noise  is frustrated, and is working on signing or saying “Please” in  order to request help appropriately. Siena feeds herself with her fingers and practices with spoons and forks. She drinks from an open cup, held by an adult, with some spilling. She has some exposure to drinking from a straw and from sippy cups, but resists holding her own cup. She does hold a CamelBak brand waterbottle with an internal straw, which doesn’t require tipping the waterbottle in order to drink. She currently drops her cup and fingerfood on the floor to indicate she is done eating, and is working to replace this behavior by asking for “down.”  She currently responds to a prompt when asked if she wants “more” or “down” but is working on spontaneously making her request to get down before throwing things.

Adaptive Skills – Following a Routine

Siena used to protest strongly when getting into her carseat, but now accepts the straps and moves a toy from one hand to the other to assist with getting into the straps. She seems to anticipate each element of family routines such as waving goodbye when Daddy leaves for work, being lifted up to touch lights on her way to bed, or reading books and brushing her teeth while sitting on the potty.  She gets frustrated at times if we try to skip a step but does not demonstrate rigid adherence to a routine.

Social Skills

Siena has been described as “the most personable baby I’ve ever met”  by a woman she sits near most weekends at Mass, as “so social” by strangers, and as “the family extrovert” by family members.  She takes toys from playmates and also offers toys.  She enjoys playing “chase” with other toddlers and children.   Siena brings books to her parents to read to her and plays simple turn-taking games such as fetch, peek-a-boo, and “gimme five.”  She giggles when she offers food to a parent, kisses her stuffed animals, or has her stuffed animals kiss each other (or her shoes, or the wall…)

Cognitive

Siena activates simple musical toys, enjoys put-and-take toys,  removes pieces from wooden non-interlocking puzzles and attempts to put them in but gets frustrated easily. Much of her independent play consists of moving toys from one surface to another, rocking them on the rocking chair or rocking horse, placing them in containers and scooting containers around. She does some spontaneous sorting toys by category, such as putting all the plastic fish toys in one group, the wooden puzzle pieces in another group, and the stacking cups in another. She loves board books, especially turning the pages (forward and backwards) and pointing to or labeling images she recognizes.  She does not yet identify her body parts, but when asked, “Where’s your nose?” will point to the nose of the person who asked the question.

Communication

Siena has an expressive vocabulary of about 35 words, signs 5 words using baby sign language, and demonstrates a growing grasp of receptive language. She communicates her wants and needs through a combination of single word utterances (not yet putting two words together), vocalizations, gestures, and signs. She uses language both to make requests and to label items around her.  She tries to imitate new words.

We love you so much Siena! All 31 inches, 20 pounds, and sixteen months of you! You’ve grown and learned so many things right before our eyes. I wish I could keep you from growing up and hold onto this precious toddler stage a bit longer, but then I suppose we’d miss out on the rest of the things you’re aching to learn and discover each day.  Go ahead then…keep growing…just not too quickly, ok?

I want to tell you about these pictures. But first I need to give you some background information.

~*~

I took these pictures last Wednesday when Siena and I were on our way to a meeting with other parents and babies who practice Elimination Communication (EC), or Infant Potty Training.

EC is something I read about while pregnant and my first reaction was to dismiss it as “out there” and too “hippie granola girl” for me, but the more I read the more it made sense to me.

The philosophy behind Elimination Communication is that our babies give us cues when they need to eliminate, just like they give us cues when they’re hungry, sleepy, or ready to play. If we ignore those cues, they’ll quit trying to communicate and just use their diaper like any other baby. But if they know we pay attention to those cues, they’ll keep communicating so we can respond by keeping them clean and comfortable. That might mean changing a diaper right after it’s wet or dirty, or it might mean taking baby to the potty just before they need to go.

At about this point in my reading I was intrigued, but still skeptical. Can a baby really control the muscles involved in elimination? I worked with preschoolers for five years, many of whom were working on potty training. I believed they weren’t “ready” to start potty training until they developed control of those muscles, and that potty training efforts would be fruitless until a child was “ready.”

Then I read about some Indian, African and Asian cultures that practice what we’d call Elimination Communication as a basic part of child-rearing, and have practiced it for centuries. I read about people who had traveled to other countries and witnessed women working outdoors carrying babies in slings, taking them out and holding them in a squatting position while they went to the bathroom.

I spent some time on websites like The EC Store and DiaperFreeBaby.org, watched some videos on YouTube, and read some books. I figured there was no harm in trying, and after seeing so many of my students and their parents struggling with potty training, I was drawn to the idea that many ECing babies are out of diapers earlier than their peers. (Gung-ho ECers will be quick to point out that early potty training is usually a *bonus* rather than the *goal*;  the goal is increased communication with and comfort for your child. We practice what you’d call “part time EC, meaning she doesn’t spend as much time bare bottomed or in cloth diapers as full time EC’d babies but she still goes to the bathroom outside her diaper about 6-8 times a day at this point)

Even if Siena is out of diapers at the same time or later than her peers, I will still be thankful that we practiced EC. It is SO much easier to hold her over the potty when I’m pretty sure she needs to go, than it is to change a messy diaper, especially now that she’s constantly wanting to crawl/sit/kneel/stand/MOVE.

I haven’t been very vocal about it, and my sisters find it embarrassing, but these pictures are just so cute that I couldn’t simply leave them on my camera! So, back to the pictures.

~*~

We met my mom for lunch at a shopping mall on our way into town for the EC support group meeting. The mall had “family bathrooms” which I’ve found usually means a room with a toilet, sink, changing table, and often a chair. This particular family bathroom also had a toddler-sized sink and toilet!  So of course I had to take pictures, and then decided I may as well see what Siena thought of the toilet. I usually hold her in a squatting position over a toilet, but this one was small enough for her to sit on with just a little support.  She generally doesn’t use public restrooms, but this time she had been waiting the whole 1.5 hour drive into town and must have decided a public restroom was at least preferable to her diaper. I was one proud Momma. Her favorite part? The flusher, right at her level! (Or maybe that was my favorite part…)

So, now that I’ve come out of the EC closet, here are some photos from her earlier days:

Sitting on a Potty Bowl, perfect for infants.

Enjoying some bathroom reading