Funny Hair, Funny Face

New Mouth Sound

All week I've been making this new mouth sound. Of course, when my mama turned the camera on that was my cue to stop doing that sound and grab the camera.

On the Up and Up: Video

My mama fixed the video of me climbing the stairs.

Backseat Entertainment

Sad Attempts

This was my mom's sad attempt at making me like the ocean after she let the wave attack me.

Chowing Down at Burning Tree

Little Charmer

Attacked by a Wave

Perhaps this is the reason I cried the last two times my Mamuma tried to give me a bath?

On the Up and Up

This morning I decided to tackle the stairs. Yesterday I did the first step. Today I proved to myself I could do a whole bunch of steps. I got just past halfway before showing signs of tiring. My parents are definitely, definitely getting gates when we get home. Now it is time for me to learn how to go down the stairs.

First Step Up

I had another first today. I crawled over to the staircase, in my signature left knee up right knee down style, and stood up. I drummed on the stairs a bit (to check for stability?) and put my knee on the first step. After crawling over my mama's legs and motoring around the Tumbling Room at the Treehouse, it wasn't too difficult. The only thing was that I wasn't sure what to do after I got on the first step. My daddy said he and my mama have to get the gates up as soon as we get home from Maine.

Maine in Black and White

Maine Highlights

My mama, papa, dogs, Mamuma and Poppa are up in Bar Harbor, Maine. I have been hiking, playing, talking, standing up, looking at the new scenery and experiencing new foods and things.

When we hiked, my mama would carry me in the Ergo till I ate and/or slept. Then when I woke my daddy would carry me in the frame carrier while my mama took the dogs.




My Mamuma let me help make lunch, but I mostly just sang, talked and drummed.


My Mamuma and Mama took me to the beach, but they forgot to watch for sneaky waves. We all got wet. I wasn't so fond of the loud waves, and I certainly seemed upset about getting wet. I suspect my parents will be taking me to the beach again to have a more positive experience.


When we stopped one of our hikes to eat, I had some cheese for lunch while everyone ate sandwiches.


My Poppa helped me stand so I could feel the cool, moist moss on my feet.


I still like napping on my Poppa in the sling when my parents aren't around. He loves to give me lots of kisses.

First Step?

I took my first step holding on to something. I held on to the table, took a definitive practice step, reached forward, took a step and held on to the couch. My Mamuma says I will be walking soon. She isn't the only one....

EC Update

Now that I have crawling and standing down (still working on talking), I am communicating more again about pottying. I'm bigger, though, so I can be even more clear than before. For instance, the other day I woke up and nursed and pottied and nursed some more. My mama had put me down to play while she get her clothes on. I played for a minute or two and then started whining and crawled over to the potty. Since I had just pottied big girl style, she asked/signed if I had to poop. I said yes (my words are not yet words, but I can be pretty clear about things). She put me on the potty and I pooped immediately. Yay, mama! Yay, me!

I am going dry most of the night most nights. This doesn't mean all night because she potties me once or twice, usually once before midnight and once around 6 or 7. Sometimes, though, she puts me down around 8 and I'll be dry all the way till she potties me again at 5 or 6! Now that I am communicative at night too, she only potties me when I tell her I have to. I tell her by squirming while I'm nursing. If I squirm and squirm again, my mama asked me quietly if I have to potty. If I do then I will pull off and stretch or I might just keep kicking my legs around. She knows that means I have to go. We have a good system going, and I have been going through fewer and fewer diapers at night.

Despite all our successful communications, my mama and daddy know not to expect me to do this all the time. As I grow and change, I have to spend my energy and focus on what I am learning. Sometimes that means I have less focus and time to stop and communicate to my parents. Overall, I am happy they are listening to my needs and helping me feel more confident and independent.

The Step After That One

Well once you get off you have to get back on! My mama talked me through that, too, yesterday. I let her know I know the word knee because she said put your "knee" up onto the bed. It took me a while to figure out my balance to do that, but I did it! Then I squirmed on my belly to get on the bed. Victory! What's next...?

The Next Step

Well, I took the next step. I got off the bed with only verbal support from my mama. She has been teaching me "knee" and "toes" and such just for fun while I'm on the potty. She uses the word toes to help me know what to do. Today we were on the mattress on the floor so it wasn't so scary for either of us. My mama just laid back and let me do things on my own physically. She saw I wanted to get off the bed and was hesitant; she also wants to make sure I am practicing and recognizing when I need to turn around to get off. She told me to turn around. I knew what this meant from other times together getting off the bed. I played around with the wall for a bit, toying around with standing up to turn around. I finally maneuvered myself into position, while my mama patiently waited. She saw I stuck out my toes and encouraged me to continue, waiting to see what I thought the next step was. I showed her I knew the next step. I turned over onto my belly so my legs "hung off" (the three inches to the floor) and slid off. We were both so happy!

Food Fun in My New Seat

I Like Yogurt!

No pictures because it was everywhere! My mama would hand a spoon to me with some on it, and then she decided to let me dip my hands in and grab a strawberry or raspberry on my own. Actually, that was my idea, but she agreed it was the most effective one. Then I could quickly put the piece in my mouth with one hand, hold it there with the other, suck the yogurt off and mush the strawberry in my mouth. YUM. I was really into it and asked for more and more and more.

Making My Mama Laugh

I just took several hours to go down for a nap. My teeth are so close to coming out, it seems. At a happier point in that three hour tour I gave my mama, I made her laugh. I did it deliberately, over and over. Swaddled in the Woombie I can still move all around and get up on hands and knees. I do that all the time on my journey towards sleep, but now that I'm in a bed on the floor surrounded by wall on three sides there is more fun to be had. For instance, as my mama discovered today, I like to bonk my head lightly on the wall to make it make a sound. Today I did that, and my mama laughed. I looked at her with that delighted, wonder-filled look on my face. I tried again; she laughed. I had to have a couple gos to get that thud sound a time or two, but I did this several time, each time making her laugh. Little did she know I did that to ease the pain of the following two hours of teething sleeplessness.

EC

I have started pottying with less fuss, probably because I know my mama understands when I'm saying all finished--most of the time--so she doesn't make me sit around when I don't feel like it or make a big deal if I pee in my diaper. Things are going well with my learning to wait and hold it. It feels good to have some say in when I go to the potty. I will sign or fuss or stop nursing or roll around (if I am really sleepy). We are down the road a bit, but for anyone who wants to EC their little baby like my mama is doing with me, here's a helpful article.


Getting Ready To EC
Typically the best time to start getting ready is during pregnancy. Read a few good books on EC, and join a local support group. Watch a video or two as well. Like with breastfeeding, it really helps to see the mechanics of EC before you try it yourself. Notice how the caregivers respond to the baby and the different ways they may hold the baby at different stages. Ask lots of questions.

Before the baby comes, when you are feeling like nesting, get your supplies in order. You will need something to catch pee in, and something to keep you and the baby dry when there are "misses". Many people pee the baby into a potty or other plastic receptacle. Some babies are peed in the sink, bath or toilet. Many enjoy using the great outdoors. Get a squirt bottle and fill it with vinegar and water or other gentle cleanser to rinse out the pee place after use. When you and your baby are starting out you will need something to keep baby(and you) warm and dry while you are both learning about elimination. Many people use a coverless cloth diaper or prefold when starting out so they can feel immediately when the baby is wet. There are many to choose from. The benefit of having at least a few prefolds is that you can lay the baby on the diaper as you carry him around, making it really easy to notice and respond to a pee. You might also want some thing to put wet and soiled diapers in as well. It is very handy to have some kind of absorbent pad to lay the baby on when he is diaperless, and under him at night.

Rather than setting up all of the diapering supplies in one place, think of having several toileting areas in your house wherever you and baby might be. A potty, a small change mat, a few clean diapers, and some small wipes in several areas of your home works well to avoid always having to rush off to the toilet as infants pee very often! You will likely do this with nursing areas too so you could set up both at the same time. Babies seem to nurse and pee in tandem and in clusters.

When the baby comes, you can choose to start right away, or you can wait while you rest and recover from the birth and get breastfeeding established. You will be learning a lot of new things very quickly and it is up to you when and how to start EC. Do consider that you will have to deal with your babies elimination needs no matter what you choose and it helps to have some of the EC basics in your mind even if you don't plan to start for a few days or weeks.

Communication is the most essential part of EC so start by talking to your baby about what has happened, or is happening. "Oh look, you peed. Now your diaper is wet let's get you warm and dry. It feels so nice to be dry." Always try to keep your communication neutral. The baby will hear how pleased and excited you are in your tone, there is no need to overtly praise the baby for doing a normal bodily function. Conversely, avoid negatives around toileting. Don't make the baby feel stinky, smelly or gross. No one wants to associate their most intimate body parts with something smelly, dirty or shameful. Elimination happens, and we parents have to deal with it. No one place to go is bad or good, it just is and in time all children master peeing in the toilet. Explain the toileting process to your baby. "I think you need to poop. Let's go to the potty. I'm going to hold you so you can poop here. You will feel better after you poop."

Observation is also key to learning about your babies' timing and signals. Try to have some diaper free time in the early days so that you can notice what your baby does just before he pees, and also when he pees. You might notice a certain facial grimace, or a small sound that your baby makes.Popping on and of the breast or being restless or fussy during a feed can be a signal that baby needs to go. Just as you are learning about how your baby tells you that he is tired or hungry, he will let you know when he needs to go. This is where seeing other babies EC can be helpful, babies seem to have a range of signals they use but the themes seem to be common.

Timing is another useful tool for EC. Think about the times of day when you need to go. First thing in the morning, before and after naps, after play and after nursing. These are very likely times to catch a pee. Infants pee as much as 20 times a day in the first few months. Just as some babies cluster feed, they may also cluster pee. Don't be alarmed if you find that your baby does nothing but pee and eat at certain times each day. This tends to slow down as your baby learns that you are responding to his needs, often around the third month. Pooping also tends to become more regular as you and your baby get the hang of EC, so if you offer regular pooping times, and hang out on the potty long enough for him to finish, you might have established a regular pooping habit by about six weeks.

When you and baby are very connected to each other, you may notice some of the intuitive EC cues. The feeling of a warm wet spot when you are hold the baby indicates the need to pee. Random thoughts of pee, or of your baby needing the toilet are common as well. Try not to ignore these intuitive feelings, or you may end up with a wet spot!

Holding on to a wiggly baby over the toilet can seem a bit daunting at first, but with practise you will find ways to hold your little one safely and comfortably. The EC books have good pictures, as do the videos. If you have a local Diaper Free baby group you will likely be able to observe mothers holding their babies to pee. Newborns might like to use a reclining cradle hold, and most babies are very comfortable being held with their back to your chest while your arms support their thighs holding the legs slightly apart. Both boys and girls can spray while they pee. You might have to experiment with your daughter to get the angle right to aim the stream right into the pot. Boys might need a finger to guide their penis down into the pot. Some parents find it is easiest to potty a child who sprays into the tub or shower.

It is important to remember that you don't have to do EC full time, it is more important to establish a harmonious relationship that works for you and your baby. The communication is the most essential part, and you can do that whether your baby is in diaper full time or not. Don't get stressed out about the results, EC is not a contest and there isn't really a finish line, so take it easy and enjoy this precious time with your new little one.

Good Luck and Happy Pottying!

Lee-Ann Grenier