Funny!

Gemma said the funniest thing as we were laying in bed tonight (yes, we... since plan A and B have both failed and I haven't thought of a plan C yet) We were laying close with our heads together, and she whispers in a very dramatic voice, "What's going to happen to us?" I was like, 'What are you talking about?' I can't think of where she heard that one, but anyway she whispered it again, and then said, "Monsters are coming'. She has this new Scooby Doo magnet set that she likes with monsters in it, but they are very friendly monsters of course, anyway that's where the monsters have come from. So I suggested we make a cake for the monsters, with sprinkles, etc, so we could be friends with the monsters and she seemed to think that was a good idea and then fell asleep.

3 pee pees on the potty today. I up-ed my prize to toys, and it seems to be working well. (not new toys, but a bag full of little trinkety stuff given to us by an older neighbor ho must have been forced to clean out her room; perfect potty bribes)

Bought Gemma the Dora is a Big Sister book...BIG disappointment. Bad writing (I thought), and nothing to do with actually caring for siblings. Dora just has to do an adventure home because her mom is having a baby. They go through the spooky forest, nut farm, and then home. What does that have to with emotional preparation for big sisterhood? Nothing!

Progress Report

Well, not much to report in the potty or sleeping category. No potty action in two days; she lets me know AFTER she is done, and then usually wants to try but of course has nothing left. Sleeping is going not so great. Not only know has she given up on kitties, but when I sit on the floor beside her bed that's where she wants to sit, too. Sigh. So we tried something new tonight: Sty i your bed for 5 minutes then mommy will give you a kitty AND come lay down with you. It didn't work, but maybe she will get the idea. I did come back and lay down with her, so maybe once she gets that I am not leaving and I will come back after the 5 minutes she'll be ok.

We're having lots of fun on our break. Playing at the park, cooking and baking... Gem's my BFF. Here's a picture she made Chris take a few weeks ago; she grabbed my head and held it close like that and said 'Daddy, take picture us!'.

Our progress

Potty progress: Today was a good day; we had a poop and a pee on the potty (two different potty times.) One was really good; we were at school and she said mommy poop! and so I said ok just wait we'll go to the potty, and we rushed over there...Usually she makes this announcement AFTER she has pooped but I thought I'd be a good sport and give her the benefit of the doubt. Good thing, because as soon as she was on the pot she did her business! Big celebration and of course a treat. And tonight she announced she needed the potty and sure enough did a pee. So I think she is starting to get it a bit. She REALLY likes treats, and so wants to sit on the potty and try to make things happen. She'll sit for a minute, push a bit, then look and see if anything happened. Then she'll sit and try again, then look and see:) I have to tell her not to push so hard; just be gentle and it will come but she is so eager to get something out so she can have a candy.

The Hello Kitty bribe is not working so well. The last two nights she has just resigned herself, and offered up the kitty: "Mommy, take away kitty. Come lay down!" Nice to know my presence is worth more than a little plastic kitty, but what about my bribe? I am trying sitting up by her bed, instead of laying in her bed, so we'll see.

Some pictures: Here is Gemma at Din Tai Fung, a world famous dumpling place we went to for Tom's mom Judy's birthday (She is here visiting and fit us in her schedule! How awesome.) The wait staff was actually singing to Judy in the picture but looking at Gemma, show stealer! Sorry, Judy :)

Parenting Goals...

So here are the things Gemma will be working on in the immediate future, hopefully to be accomplished by March 23. (ha; Gemma working? I mean MOMMY working)

1) Going to sleep by herself. Yes, we lay down with her to go to sleep. She sleeps in her own bed, and when we first moved her into her own big girl bed she was doing ok but then we travelled and with jet lag, etc, it was just easier and more restful for us all to lay down with her till she went to sleep. Then after the summer when we got back and I was newly pregnant and so tired I couldn't stay awake longer than her anyway; I fall asleep reading stories half the time and so the habit of sleeping with Gemma was further entrenched. Usually I wake up about 10:30 or so and go to my own bed. Sorry New Baby, we won't be making THAT mistake again! So the plan? We got a whole bag of Hello Kitty figures from a friend, so at night when we are in bed she picks one. If she goes to sleep by herself she gets to keep it, if mommy lays down with her, then I take it away. MOnday was the firts night of this plan; not so good. She whined and cried and whined and cried: I want kitty! I want mommy! I want kitty! I want mommy until finally I laid down with her and took the kitty when she was sleeping. Tonight was better. She took the kitty, and I sat beside her bed with her for about 10 minutes as she got dozy, then she told me I could leave. So I did, and that was 10 minutes ago and no sound so far. I think its ok to take this in small steps; sitting beside her bed is different from laying in her bed so I will count tonight as a victory. This goal is a major one because when the baby comes and I can't sleep with her anymore I don't want her to blame the baby for the sudden change in routine.

2) Potty training. We haven't been super serious about this one, but we are talking about it a lot. We've had three pee pees on the potty in the last few days, so that's good. To be honest, I feel like diapers are more convenient than potties. We spend a lot of time out and about; diapers can be changed easily anytime anywhere but potties will not be so easy to come by. I am also not looking forward to the amount of time that will more than likely be necessary to clean up the inevitiable accidents. (I am truly the most selfish parent, terrible!!!) So we'll see how this one goes. We'll see if over Chinese New Year break next week we make some progress, but I am not really stressed about this one.

Wish us luck. Watch for potty reports and hopefully a growing Kitty collection.

Gemma's Dream

"Mommy?" "Mommy!"

This is how Gemma wakes up most mornings; patiently calling. This morning though she was also mumbling about her sucky (soother) and as as soon as I opened the door she went into this speech about her sucky:

"Mommy, sucky dirty! Gemma put sucky in dirt! Sucky dirty. Me put sucky in dirt" And then she laughed and laughed. She must have had a dream where she put her sucky in the dirt. She is dedinitely following in her mother's footsteps of being a sleep talker, too.

In Summary

Can't recap everything, but the picture is a good summary of the fun times we've been having. Gemma has been loads of fun; you know the Aerosmith song from Armageddon?

"I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep 'cause I'd miss you baby, and I don't want to miss a thing."

except I am so tired I usually fall asleep before her anyway. But you know what I mean:)

Gemma has been performing monologues from Sleeping Beauty and the Rescuers, playing 'animals', showed she can walk like a penguin, horse, and lion, invited the baby to watch wizard of oz with her, (how? By lifting my shirt up and then wrapping her arms around my belly as we sat on the couch), peed on the potty twice, danced to the Sleeping Beauty theme DOZENS of times, made cinnamon buns and biscuits, and came up entirely on her own a solution to the mommy has to go back to school problem we encounter every day after lunch: she will come and teach the kids, too! She's played nicely with two sort of new babysitters, was amazingly good for the doctor (who sucked her boogers out by shoving this little hose attached to a machine further up her nostrils than I thought was humanly possible,) and has even spent time reading by herself in her room. I love hearing her read (recite) parts of her favorite stories (Sandra Boyton board books; we have the Belly Button Book (thanks Allie) Hey!Wake Up! and the Barnyard Dance.)

It hasn't been a very exciting month, which is why there haven't been many updates/pictures. We haven't done anything :) But anyway, will try to write more.

One funny story; I was putting her down in our bed with Chris for her afternoon nap after lunch, and she was hugging me and massaging my face and shoulders and I said, "I'm lucky". She replied, "I'm Gemma." ha ha. (OK, I know every parent out there has a similar story but anyway, of course she is our angel and the sun rises and sets on her and her cuteness)

No Gemma!

So she was pointing to something on the bookshelf I thought she should have instead of the treat she wanted to have:

"I don't WANT it. I HATE that!"

Sort of points to how our day was today. Lots of No Gemma, stop it Gemma, No Gemma. NOOOO Gemma! We even had to take her movies away because she was playing with the Xbox which she is not allowed to touch. I could tell she had a long day because in the bath when she was playing by herself she kept telling her toys, "NO Boots! NO Dora! DON'T put that ball there. Don't touch it!"

And when the ball went into the hole (the drain) she went into a Rescuers monologue; "Ball go in hole FIND MY DIAMOND!" (You know the part where Medusa makes Penny go into the hole to find the big diamond?) That part has been stuck in her head lately. Except she calls Penny 'Peanut'.

To end on a sweet note, there are these stone doorway things at the park we pretend to sleep in, and today while I was 'sleeping' I was woken up with a kiss! Gemma was the prince and I was the princess. She was very pleased with herself.