Go Fly a Kite!

Mike took the day off today and we decided to go fly a kite. Kelsie loved it! She was so excited that she wanted to walk to the park carrying the kite. Luckily she decided it would be faster to ride in the stroller (walking to the park is pretty far for her). When we got there she couldn't wait to get it going and she did a pretty good job I have to say. The only thing we had to keep telling her was to watch out for the trees and to walk away from the kite instead of toward it!

Little Gym is Over :(

Well after much debate we decided to take Kelsie out of Little Gym for now at least. She just wasn't enjoying it and it was becoming a source of stress rather than the fun it is intended to be. The last 3 times we went she barely participated and the last time she sat in my lap the entire time and refused to do anything. Unfortunately I really think Kelsie was overwhelmed with the number of kids in there even before the lack of participation started and now that they are older it was just way too much for her. I know it is silly to be a little sad, but Little Gym really helped with Kelsie's coordination and balance so it is hard to leave. I know we made the right decision, because when we went to drop off our notice as soon as we got in the parking lot she started saying "I don't want to go to Little Gym".

Mommy I'm a Tiger!

Kelsie was playing with makeup again this morning, but this time she took it a bit further than last time. Once she finished with her face she decided to make stripes on her legs, feet, and tummy. She said she was a tiger and roared at us!




She then tried to make daddy a tiger too! He was a good sport and didn't stop her, because he hadn't cleaned up for the day yet. She loved it and it was a precious daughter daddy moment I got to observe. It was fun to watch her have so much fun with a little eyeshadow and luckily she loves taking a bath in our bathtub, so it wasn't too hard to get it all off of her when she was done! :)

The Shuttle has Landed!

Today the STS-119 mission was completed when Discovery came in for a perfect landing. I am so happy that everything went so well and that the crew made it home safely! I was starting to get worried that they would slip the landing when they waved off the first attempt in the morning, but was very relieved when they gave the go ahead for the second attempt.

I am also thrilled that things can start getting back to normal on the home front! Although poor Mike is having a hard time shifting back from 3rd shift. I would imagine it is a lot like jet lag only multiplied times 10. When you are used to sleeping during the day and sleeping at night it certainly isn't easy switching back. He is a trooper though and is able to do it really quickly.

Kelsie can Open the Refrigerator!

Kelsie can apparently open the refrigerator. I had no idea and neither did Mike! I found out in the most delightful way. I was about to make lunch and we had already discussed the she had two choices either ham, cheese, and dip or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Well I went to the bathroom right before I planned to make lunch and heard some strange noises, but didn't know what they were. I came out and Kelsie had the ham, cheese, and dip on the counter!! I couldn't believe it! She not only had to open the refrigerator, but she even had to pull those items one out of a drawer, one out of the door, and the other off a shelf. She amazes me all the time now! I don't even recall her really ever trying to open the refrigerator before, so for her to do all that just boggles my mind!

Singer/Songwriter Kelsie

Ever since Kelsie was born we have used songs to make things fun and to help calm her. We make up songs about just about anything from going to school to using the potty. Kelsie has always enjoyed them, but never has really participated. Well that has definitely changed lately. It all started when she would sing what she was doing for example I am eating would be sung instead of stated. Over the last couple of days she has actually started making up her own songs.

Yesterday she made up a an entire song about how her daddy didn't need to sleep or go to work. It went something like this "My daddy doesn't need to sleep, need to sleep, need to sleep anymore. My daddy doesn't have to go to worrrrrk at niiight anymore". Then she would repeat sometimes changing up the lyrics a bit. It was so cute! :) I guess that is a clue that she is tired of Mike having to work 3rd shift. She just doesn't seem to understand why daddy is home, but she can't talk or interact with him.

Today she started singing about wanting her breakfast cereal on the way to the pantry. "I want some ceeeereaaaal tooo, I want some ceeereaaal too. Please get me my ceeereaaaal now". I can't wait to see what else she comes up with!

I Can Sew!

I just finished a sewing class tonight. We learned how to thread the machine and the bobbin, how to follow a pattern, and how to sew a straight stitch! I am pretty impressed with the finished product even if I do say so myself. :) I will taking level 2 in May. I have always wanted to learn at least the basics of sewing, so these classes are perfect. There are 4 two and a half hour classes in each level and you make a different project each time. I can't wait for the next one!

Kelsie can JUMP!!

Today Kelsie jumped off the ground with both feet for the very first time!! She has been able to do it on a trampoline since last month she has never done it on the ground until today! We are really excited for her, because she has been trying to do it for several months now.

Bubble Fun

We went to grandma and grandpa's house yesterday for an overnight visit. We had lots of fun playing with bubbles while we were there. Grandma had found a really neat wand that makes small and large bubbles and we all took our turn trying to get the most bubbles. Kelsie had a blast!

Potty Funny

Today Kelsie told us that she needed to go poop before she had an accident! Yay! After she went I was about to wipe her bottom and I said spread your cheeks. Kelsie started pulling on her face trying to spread her cheeks and kept saying "Mommy my cheeks won't come off so I can't spread them!" I could hardly wipe her I was laughing so hard! It is so funny how they take everything so literally at this age.

First Night in Panties

Kelsie has been asking to wear her panties to bed for a while now. Last night we stayed at grandma and grandpa's house and she fought hard enough against the pull up that we let her wear her panties. She did great! She got up around 3 am and although she didn't ask to go potty grandma took her to the potty and she went pee. She went straight back to bed and managed to stay dry!

HUGE Potty Training Step

Today we were completely accident free! Kelsie has reached the point where she is telling us consistently when she has to go and she is even running to the bathroom when she needs to go telling us on the way. All of that has been going on for several days now and we are very excited about that, but we have still been having poop issues on and off where she will start before telling us. We are also battling with what to do in public. The last time we went into a public potty someone flushed as soon as we walked in and Kelsie refused to use it after that. She just held it until we got home. We haven't had any accidents while out and about, but I am always worried that we will since she is so afraid of them! (she insists on wearing panties everywhere we go and only wears pullups at night)

Well we went to Pappas BBQ for dinner and Kelsie made her I need to poop face, so Mike asked her if she needed to go and she said yes. I started taking her to the potty and she started crying and saying she wanted to go home to use the potty. I explained to her that we wouldn't be able to make it in time and although she continued to fuss and cry the whole time she went poop on the potty!!! Afterward she calmed down pretty quickly and I asked her if that was scary for her and she said no! I hated having her cry the whole time, but I know her if you don't push her to do something she is afraid of she will never try it. We were so lucky that no one was in there at the time, so she was able to take the first step to conquering her fear without the added noise of flushing toilets!

We made a big deal about it all the way to the Dairy Queen (her treat for going potty)! She was so excited! We called grandpa and told him all about it and he was so excited for her too!

More Kelsie Funnies

On Tuesday we went to the mall and Kelsie got some icecream after dinner. Well even the "kid size" icecream is way too much for her, so I was sharing with her. About halfway through she looked over at me and asked "Mommy are you full?" I said "Yes I am pretty full" well she immediately pulled the icecream toward her and said "Good then you don't need anymore of this icecream"! It was very funny! :)

Yesterday I was talking to my dad while Kelsie was watching TV. I really didn't think she was paying any attention to us at all. Well I was wrong! I said something about Austin, TX and Kelsie looked at me and asked me "Austin, the Backyardigans Austin?". She thought we were talking about one of the characters she watches on TV!

I love moments like these. I know often you have to be there to get the full humor of them, but I like to share them anyway!

STS-119 is off!!

They did it! The crew of STS-119 was launched into space on time tonight and have reached orbit apparently flying at 17,500 miles per hour. It is amazing that is even possible! The shuttle (Discovery)is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) in two days. I am so excited that everything went off without a hitch! Given the not to distant past of possible disasters it is always nice when a shuttle makes it into space without any issues. I pray that the astronauts stay safe and complete their mission without any problems.

Launch Anyone?

Well Shuttle Mission STS-119 was supposed to launch Wednesday March 11th, but they discovered a leak that needed to be fixed and it has been delayed until today. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it launches today and on time. You may say what's the big deal it has only been a few days, but during that few days Mike has been working odd hours and he had to work both yesterday and today so no weekend fun for us! :( It also means that he has to do shift work for several more days than originally planned.

Right now he is on 2nd shift, but he will switch to 3rd shift this coming Thursday assuming everything goes as planned. Then he will be on 3rd shift until the 28th if the landing happens on time or until the shuttle is safely on the ground again. Kelsie and I always manage, but all the shifts they have during the missions have their challenges. 3rd shift is particularly hard because keeping her busy all day without allowing her to wake up daddy can definitely be a challenge at times. Especially since she can open doors now without any help. You never know when she may try it while I am not looking! It is amazing how sneaky little ones can be!

Mike works as a MER (Mission Evaluation Room) Manager, so his job is to lead a team of engineers that work on any problems that may arise during each mission. I am very proud of the work Mike does and thankfully he really seems to enjoy it, so I don't mean to complain. It is just a big schedule change every time a mission is up and adjustments with small children are always hard. Kelsie never seems to understand when daddy isn't home for dinner or isn't there to tuck her in at night. Today will be particularly hard, because she won't see daddy at all. She is at grandma and grandpa's house and Mike is already at work. He won't get home until well after bedtime for her. Hopefully she won't be too disappointed!

Great Day

Kelsie really loves to go to the Friendswood Library, because it is never very crowded and they have a miniature barn and farm animals she likes to play with. They also have puzzles and some other little activities. Today I took her after Mike left for work at 11:30 am and she had fun! She played for about 20 minutes without really needed much entertaining, which is wonderful at home the most we get is about 5 minutes unless we have a new toy!

She was particularly excited when a little boy came in and sat down in the play area. He didn't really play at all, but Kelsie was fascinated by him. She immediately said "Hi Boy" when he walked up and from that point on she wanted to know exactly what he was doing. He went to get a book and she asked him what the book was about, he just sat there reading it and she wanted to sit right behind him. I told her to ask him if that was OK and he just held up 2 fingers. Then he explained that 1 finger means no and 2 fingers means yes. She was so excited that he said it was OK and sat right behind him. That didn't last long, but she was definitely trying to get him to talk to her the entire time he was there. When he left she said "Bye Boy"! It is so funny, because she seems eager to interact with kids that have nothing to do with her but if a child wants to play with her she will have nothing to do with them!

Tonight after Mike got home we went to visit Grammy which is always a highlight! Kelsie stayed with Grammy while Mike and I moved some things from the old apartment. Well they had a blast together while we were gone, but I think they even had more fun when we got back! Grammy has a bunny with a frog and some chicks on it and they all sing let's go to the hop. As soon as we brought it over from the apartment Kelsie took it and played with it until we left. They were dancing and bopping to the music! It was so fun to watch them having such a great time!

Potty Training Day 10

Another successful potty day! We seem to have reached at least a temporary plateau. Everything is staying pretty much the same, so I think this will be my last potty post until we reach a new milestone. Kelsie only had 1/2 an accident today! Again it was when she needed to poop and didn't realize it. I really hope we can get past that part, because she hasn't had any pee-pee accidents in a while now. She is wearing panties the majority of the day now and rarely will accept anything but panties unless it is bedtime. I am very excited that we have gotten this far so quickly! :)

Potty Training Day 9

Another really good potty day! Only 1 accident. She had a poop accident while playing outside. :( Other than that she stayed clean and dry all day including at school! She also used the potty at school and the behavioral therapist's office (she insisted on wearing panties when we went there). She told us a few times that she needed to go and went with no problems! She is also getting very good at cleaning out her little potty with very little help. She is really proud of what she can do and so are we!

Kelsie can be such a turkey!

Lately Kelsie has really been expressing her feelings in words more. She will tell you when she is mad at you, when she is happy, or when she "had a good nap". Those are not too surprising because we are encouraging her to use her words to express her feelings instead of just throwing a tantrum or crying. However she has recently said some things that just really shocked me.

For example one day when I was struggling with her to put on her clothes she pushed it to the point where it required a time out (unfortunately that is not too unusual). Well after the time out I explained why she got the time out as we always do and she looked at me and said "I'm sorry mommy I was just testing you". I couldn't believe it! I didn't even know she knew what testing was!

Tonight she did it again only to my mom. My mom was washing her hair in the bathtub (which she hates) and Kelsie looked at my mom and said "I'm gonna cry". It was almost like a threat that if my mom didn't stop she would cry!

It still amazes me the conceptual leaps Kelsie can make. She is able to take things that she may have only heard once and use it appropriately! I can't believe the things that come out of her mouth sometimes. I guess that is why they say kids say the darnedest things. :)

Potty Training Day 8

Despite the behavior hiccup we had a Little Gym today Kelsie did great with her potty training! She told us several times that she needed to go today, she went in public restrooms at Little Gym and Mamasitos, and she even stayed completely dry through her 3 hour nap! She now insists that she wear big girl panties for nap, so we were really sweating it when she napped for so long today. She surprised us all by staying dry the entire time.

We only had 1/2 an accident today! The adults were eating dinner and Kelsie had gone off to play. She came around the corner and said she needed to go potty, but she had pooped a little in her panties. She finished up on the potty though! I think she is having a harder time with understanding the feeling of needing to poop.

Grandma and Grandpa came and babysat her this evening while we went to another Autism support meeting. They took her to the pet store, to the park, and then they played outside with some of the neighbor kids and she didn't have a single accident! She is just doing wonderfully!

Really bad start to the day

Even though Little Gym is not until 10:45 on Mondays I always consider it the start to our day, because we hardly ever leave the house before that. Well Little Gym was the worst it has been since we started the non-mommy and me class. Kelsie refused to go in without me and even after I agreed to stay in the class she didn't want to participate at all! She sat on the sideline during the warm-up, she refused to line up with the rest of the kids when they were going to their stations (they have the activities divided into 3 stations that they go through each class), and even when she finally went over to the one station she wanted to check out all she did was walk around. She didn't do any of the activities there!

She then asked to go use the potty, but it turned out to be a ploy! She just wanted to get out of the class and once we were out she refused to go back inside. She did eventually go to the potty before we left, but she never went back into class. Instead we left and she proceeded to have a 15 minute tantrum in the car to the point we had to force her into her car seat, so we could leave! After we finally wrangled her into her seat she then wanted to go back into class! Unfortunately it was over by this point, so we just left with her screaming and flailing in frustration. She finally grabbed my elbow and slowly calmed down. Elbows and sucking her thumb are a effective way to get her calmed down, but she has to be on her way to calming down before you can even try it.

After she was done with the fit she was fine again. We went and had lunch with Aunt KK and Uncle Prestley (Mike's Aunt and Uncle who were in from San Antonio) and you would think nothing happened. She had a few little issues with noises and her booster seat, but for the most part she was fine. She even went to the potty while we were there!

I am assuming a big part of the problem was that she was tired, because she took a 3 hour nap today! Her typical naps only last about 1 1/2 hours. I guess the time change is messing with her. I really hope that is all it was, because otherwise we will have to reevaluate our enrollment in Little Gym again.

Potty Training Day 7

We had a huge milestone today. Kelsie used the potty at Kroger!! This is the first time she has used a public toilet. She was resistant at first, but I am bringing her potty seat from home with us everywhere we go and when she saw that she relaxed. She is still scared of the loud flushing noise the toilets make, so I waited until she left the stall to flush. I just did what I usually do and explained that it was the potty flushing and there was nothing to worry about, so she calmed down fairly quickly. Unfortunately someone came over the loud speaker while we were in there and that was really scary for her. (It is much louder in there than it is out in the store)It took us a minute to calm down after that, but she did and she was still so proud that she used the potty!

Overall today has been terrific! She used the potty several times at grandma and grandpa's house and didn't even have a full accident while she was there. She had gone pee-pee just a little in her panties then ran to the potty to finish up! She went poop on the potty while there and she has gone once here. She had a pee-pee accident here after we got home, but I still think she is just doing wonderfully! So today she has only had 1 full accident and 2 of the 1/2 accidents. She had another 1/2 accident where she went a little in her panties and then finished in the potty after dinner. Again another successful day!

Potty Training Day 6

Kelsie has decided that she wants more control of the potty process. She no longer is very receptive to us asking her to try instead she will wait a few minutes after we ask and say she wants to go to the potty now. I have no problem with that at all. I am very glad she is taking some initiative! She is even starting to take over emptying her pee into the big toilet and she wants to help clean it out in the sink before she washes her hands. She is doing well with the scheduled potty times such as right after waking up, before bathtime, and right before bed. She doesn't fight us when we suggest she try then, but other than that she really wants to tell us. I am sure that has to do with her extra reward as much as it does her need to control everything! ;)

We had a good day! She only had 1 1/2 accidents. Both were poop accidents. The first one is only a 1/2 because she finished in the potty. The second one unfortunately her bottom was irritated, so she wasn't interested at all in trying out the potty! She did wonderfully otherwise! She stayed dry over nap and told us 2 times that she needed to go potty while she was at home and she even went to grandma and grandpa's house and went potty without them even asking if she needed to go! Apparently they just showed her where her potty was and she walked up to it took off her pants and went without saying a word until she was done! She is doing great!

Potty Training Day 5

We had another successful day! Kelsie only had 2 1/2 accidents. She told us a couple of times that she needed to go potty and she stayed dry during nap! In fact she actually stayed dry and clean for 3 1/2 hours without a potty break. It had been 2 hours before we went up for nap and she refused to go before nap and she managed to stay dry even while sleeping. I am finding that the main things we need to work on are helping her recognize the feeling that she needs to go number 2 and reminding her more often about telling us she needs to go when she is distracted. She is starting to fight the timer somewhat, so we are giving her more time in between and we don't push her to go unless it has been over 2 hours.

I am hoping we are going to be completely successful at getting her potty trained this time. We have tried and failed so many times I lost count, because of her fears and resistance to change. This is the longest we have been successful at getting her to use the potty. Before she would use it for a day and then refuse the next. She seems pretty excited about giving up diapers, and so are we!

Potty Training Day 4

Today was a pretty good potty day. Kelsie told me she needed to go without prompting twice, she went at school with no issues, and she went to the potty twice at Grammy's house which she has never done before! We experimented with not setting the timer and letting her tell us when she needed to go and I don't think she is completely ready for that yet. She had 2 1/2 accidents today. One pee accident was on the way home from school in her pull up, so I'm not sure if I should count that one. She basically thinks of them like they are diapers. The second one was a pee accident in panties while at home. I think she just was playing and distracted, so she didn't feel the need to go. The 1/2 one I realized she was starting to poop in her panties and ran her into the bathroom. She then proceeded to finish pooping in the potty!! I think she is doing wonderfully! It is totally normal to have accidents in the beginning and for 4 days the number she has had is very minimal. We are so proud of her!

Unfortunately her focus on potty training seems to definitely be affecting her behavior. Like any child Kelsie has some instances where she may get a time out at school, but today she got 3 apparently for repeatedly taking toys from the other kids and not listening to her teacher. We also have had more issues at home too. I am assuming she gets frustrated that she hasn't mastered a skill, so she acts out to compensate. I really hope that as we get further into the potty training process some of that will disappear. We will see!

Potty Training Day 3

This is our 3rd full day of using the potty. It took us a long time to get here, but things are going great! Today was a big day Kelsie went poop on the potty for the first time!! That is a HUGE milestone in the process of potty training, so we are super excited!! She also has not had any accidents and she woke up dry from her nap. She has even told us when she needed to go once today. The other times were based on the timer. It looks like we are well on our way. I am praying that this great progress continues!

Our next goals are to get her to use the potty out in public and to tell us consistently when she needs to go. We are not trying to rush that though, because from what I have heard that can take a while. For now the timer is working great and Kelsie doesn't seem to mind.

Update -- Tonight we had our first trip out in public in big girl panties. Kelsie didn't want to put on a pull up and we only planned to be out for about an hour, so I didn't fight her request. We wound up being out for an hour and a half and she just held it until we got home which happened to be bedtime. She apparently needed to go, because she asked to go potty before her medicine or brushing teeth. Yippee we are so thrilled!

More Potty Success!

Today didn't start out great as far as behavior, but we have had a successful potty day. Kelsie has gone 4 times at home 2 times at school and 1 time at Sophia's house! Unfortunately still no poop, but we'll take it. I am so proud that Kelsie is doing so well on the potty! She is so proud and happy when she goes! She immediately gets a big cheesy grin on her face and says "I'm doing it, I'm doing it"!

Confusing Times

One thing that is really hard about dealing with preschoolers in general and especially Kelsie with her particular difficulties is the unpredictability of what each day may bring. We have had such wonderful and exciting successes over the last few months, but now we are starting to see signs of regression again. I get so frustrated when this happens, because we finally think we have turned a corner just to be slammed back to where we started. This often seems to happen when she is learning a new skill ie potty training, but it doesn't make it any easier to handle. It can also happen for no apparent reason and it just leaves me confused and dissapointed.

Birthday parties are usually great for Kelsie no matter what is going on there, and no matter how much chaos is going on around her. That certainly was not the case this weekend. There was a party for her friend Connor at Fun Max Jump place, which we have been to other parties there. Well she immediately started complaining about the noise and only played for a couple of minutes before insisting that we needed to take a break. We wound up spending almost all of the play portion of the party sitting out in the hallway. She didn't want to go back in until it was time to go into the party room away from the noise!

This morning we struggled even more than usual getting her dressed and out the door. Getting her dressed is always somewhat of an issue, but this morning she fought us even more than usual reverting back to kicking and flailing around when we tried to dress her. We gave her a time out to calm down and it took her another 10 minutes or so after the time out of throwing a tantrum to even get to a point where we could attempt to get her dressed.

On top of that she didn't want to go to school today. She has been doing great going in to her class for quite a while now. We developed a routine where she sits on a bench outside her class for a few minutes and then she is ready to go in. Today that did not happen at all. She fought walking to class and then she clung to me when I tried to put her in her classroom even after her usual ritual. She wouldn't even go willingly when her favorite teacher came to the door to help! Kelsie loves Ms Amy and even when she had a really hard time going into class at the beginning of the year she would go to her. I hate leaving her when she is like that. Even though she didn't seem to actually cry it is not easy leaving your child like that.

I am really hoping this bad period does not last as long as the last one, which lasted almost 4 months. They are so hard on all of us and it is difficult to have to explain what is going on to people that have seen her do so well.

Potty Success!!

Kelsie has been scared of the potty for quite a while now. Unfortunately we bought her a potty that plays music when you go and a few months ago she went and it really scared her, so she has refused to sit on it ever since. Well slowly over the last 2 weeks we have worked with her in getting used to the potty again. We first got her to sit on it with her clothes on. Then we got her to sit on it with her diaper only. Finally she sat on it without a diaper. Today she actually went pee pee in the potty not only once, but 5 make that 6 times she went again right before bed!!!

We are so excited!! We have been having her sit on the potty every 1/2 hour if she doesn't go and every hour if she does. No poo poo yet, but we are hopeful that she will get that too. She is very proud of herself and loves getting the candy after she goes! I am keeping my fingers crossed that this success will continue!