I'm being played!!!

Wow! And unreal conversation took place tonight as Gemma was falling asleep...

Gemma was awake in bed, I was working in my bedroom, and Chris had just gotten home so he was in saying goodnight to her. She said, "Mommy's working, so Daddy, you lay down with me," And then Chris said, "No, I think you can go to bed by yourself," and she said, "Then I will just go like this: 'Mommy?'" Unaware of the conversation taking place in her bed, I replied (as I always do,) "Yes Gemma?", and she turned to Chris and said, "See?" with a look of mischief on her face, knowing that she is the puppet master of bedtime.

I am a sucker!!!!

Staff Retreat

It was our annual staff retreat at Green Bay this weekend (thursday friday) and it was awesome!!

Got to the hotel at about 4, jumped into our swim gear and hit the beach. Gemma LOVES the waves and the sand, and it was so perfect weather wise. She jumped the waves and slid down the sand hills, getting completely covered. Friday we spent the whole day at the pool (the ocean was a bit rough, and the sand super hot). Good thing we had one of those wetsuit style bathing suits, because Gemma got a super tan on her lower legs and forearms. Such a wonderful time.

It finally happened...

The conversation that was made famous by the movie Kindergarten Cop:

"Mommy, Guinness has a pokey thing and I have (pause) bumps."

And I say Hmm, 'uh huh...' and then a little dog walked by and Gemma added, "And dogs have...THAT!"


Yep, it was funny.

My body says...

Our new babysitter is very sweet and always brings Gemma a treat; microwave popcorn or goldfish crackers or whatever. So last night she brought over one of those lunch sized bags of fritos. Well Gemma talked about them all night; I want my chips. Even I have my standards and said, no, not before bed, we'll eat them tomorrow. First thing in the morning she is after Chris,"I want my chips." And Chris says, no. And she says,

"My body says, 'I want some chips! I want some chips!'" And she lifts up her shirt and wiggles her body, like its really her body 'talking' to us.

She tried it again with me tonight. So funny!

We started the whole listen to your body thing early in potty training. I told her that her body would tell her when she has to pee, she just needs to listen. So she often says, "My body says, 'I have to pee!'"

She loves pretending lately. She loves to talk to her toothbrush, her toys, Mr. Finger (mommy's walking fingers). "Make it talk, mommy." Or this one, talking about why she doesn't poop in the potty, and she says, "My poopy says, 'I don't want to come out.'" Oh great.

REALLY glad she was speaking English...

Preface: the first time Gemma saw me nurse Guinness she called them 'bottles'. And in the moment I just said, 'Uh yah. Those are mommy's bottles." Now I can begin the story.

We were waiting in line at the bathroom yesterday at the MRT. I was holding Gemma, and she pointed at the lady behind us who was wearing a pretty tank top with a lacy ruffle around the neck. "She bottles are so pretty-ful." OK, the English is bad too, by 'she' she meant her, by 'pretty-ful' she meant beautiful. It was funny.

Heart melter!

Gemma has this princess CD that she is obsessed with, and it talks at one point about it being her birthday, so anyway she is on a huge birthday kick. She already knows she is having a Dora party, and she talks about it all the time. Well tonight she was telling me about it again and after some undecipherable blabber she said something about a sleepover. I said, who are going to have a sleepover with? And she looked at me and said, "You, mommy! I want to have a sleepover with you!" Talk about melt your heart.

Glad she's speaking English

We were riding in a taxi yesterday with a female driver yesterday (not so common). This woman had a deep voice, and a short haircut, and Gemma scooted up to look around the front seat at her. As we pulled her back onto the seat she said, "I just want to see if it is a man or a woman."

Pheww, so glad the driver didn't hear/understand.

Truly Taiwanese

We were at the Greenstore today and Gemma grabs her crotch and exclaims, "I have to go PEE!!" I leap into action. Out of the store we run, and (will anyone believe me) and turn to the side of a quiet lane and take care of it. By me holding her over a gutter. Yes, my little girl pees on the street.

On the way home she said she had to go again, so I asked the clerk in my newly learned Chinese pharse Ce suo dzi na-li? (Sorry if my pinyon is a bit off, but it means where is the toilet?) and he said No! So we rushed out into the street to a place with a potty and crisis averted.

In charge

You know you are risking disaster when you leave the 2 1/2 year old alone with the 4 month old while you shower...

So Gemma comes to the shower curtain. "Let me in!!" So I peek out. She starts her story: "I I I I I I I" (she has that sort of stutter where she has so many words she can't get them all out.) "I I I Guinness has a poopy diaper so I take he's diaper off, and I can't put it back on!"

Oh boy. I brace myself.

FORTUNATELY she just checked to see if he had a poopy diaper, he didn't actually have one, so the diaper was put back on and everything was ok.

Potty Training...the saga continues

We are doing good with the potty training. 2 accident free days! Well, she pooped in her diaper tonight when she was in bed, but as she says, "That's OK!" She is still wearing a diaper to bed. I told her that she needs to listen to her body and when her body says she has to pee, she needs to listen so now our days are filled with listening. It's really cute, she'll say "My body says it needs to pee pee!!"

Funny things

We have one hard and fast bathtime rule: No pooping in the bathtub. No peeing goes along with this, but sometimes it happens and I just say, "Just DON"T poop!". So we go through the pre bath routine of Do you have go pee? "Noooo, mommy." And kast night as soon as she stood in the water she said, "I'm starting to pee!" And as she looked down the the stream that followed, she said, "It's like a fountain!"

I am loving watching Gemma spend time with family. Watching her and Ty play with our old Princess of Power toys brought back so many memories of us playing at our grandparents house. Gemma and Baba had a nice date tonight while Chris and I were celebrating our anniversary. They went to McDonalds, and then shopping, and Baba said she was so good. We all got home at the same time and as she walked around her side of the van clutching a McDonalds bag, she said, "Where's Baba?" I pointed to Baba at the back of the van and she walked over there, and asked if she could feed Anna. Baba said OK, and so we started toward the house. Gemma very confidently told me, "Anna doesn't like ketchup. She eats milk. And french fries." She then prceeeded to feed Anna the french fries in the bag. It just amazes me how her thinking skills are progressing. Baba probably told her that in the car, and she remembered it, conveyed it to me... I just love watching the little wheels in her brain work.

Gemma summer

Gemma loves Canada. She loves her Grandpa and Grandma and Baba. She loves bossing Anna and Petri around. She loves the wide variety of snacks being presented to her. She loves the water park. She loves her friends. She loves her princess bed.

She doesn't like the car seat. 'Not too tight, mommy!'. I wish kid, sorry!

Canada

Gemma hasn't misssed a beat with this trip to Canada. She travelled well, didn't whine or tantrum too much. Ty was here, and also was up all night the night before so Mikala and I had a great time playing with the kids and visiting until 2am. Gemma loved walking upstairs and downstairs checking out all the toys and sights, and her and Ty are getting along great. It's so fun watching her play with my old toys :)

Poop Update

We had poop today. Not very fun for Gemma to pass, but hopefully this is the final hard one. She is on stool softener now and so hopefully all the hard stuff is gone and things will get easier for her.

Keep praying!

What blankets are for...

We were getting ready for bed and Gemma declared she needed her baby's blankie. I asked her if she knew where it was, and she nodded; "In the living room," and off she walked to go get it. A few minutes later she came back with two blankies her baby's and Guinness'. I asked her, "Is that yours?" and she nodded but not so confidently. I told her that was Guinness' blankie but she could borrow it for her baby. She nodded and said, "For when my baby throws up." Cause that's what blankies are for.

Also funny tonight, we were washing her hair which she hates, and I as usual told her she would be a stinky girl of she didn't wash her hair. And she cried in her whiny voice, "I want to be a stinky girl!!"

In other news, she has been so constipated this week. (STOP READING NOW IF YOU DON"T WANT TO TALK POOP)




Like, SOOO bunged up she cries when she has to poop. I took her to the Dr., got some medicine, nothing happened, gave her a suppository which helped her pass one hard poop, but that was two days ago and today was again full of straining and pain. I've been giving her tonnes of water, fruit and veg, (as much as she will eat) cut out refined flour, but still today nothing. Finally after school, during a bad attack, I finally forced her to sit on the potty. (She usually poops standing up, but I knew this was making it harder for her to get it out). As I bent her body to get her sitting she totally cried out and I knew it was coming out and it was the most awful thing to witness as a parent. Yes, I know this is disgusting but I watched her poop come out. And I thought for sure she is going to have a colon relapse or tear something because it was so hard and round it looked like she was growing a tail as it tried to get out. But it passed with no (apparent) damage. She did another smaller one an hour later and I just praying that is the end. It was not very fun to watch her in so much pain. Pray for her, anyway that her body gets back to normal.

Funny things Gemma said...

I usually pray with Gemma in her bed at night before she goes to sleep, and tonight I asked her who we should pray for and then asked her to pray. This is what she said:

"Dear Jesus; GIVE ME CHOCOLATE!"

Uhh, amen?


Other funny things she's said lately:

chicken nubbets (instead of nuggets)
super dupey lots!
Put it on the plate and blow on it (giving me instructions about her lunch)
all my byself. (instead of all by myself)

Sleepover

Gemma went on a sleepover last night to her best friend (and our babysitter) Annabelle's house. She was so excited and packed her bag; her baby, a stick, an empty paper towel tube, and some books. (I then put the bag away until I could pack it on my own) I resisted every urge to call, and so I have no idea how it went. Just got a text saying they had breakfast and were on their way back. I DID sleep until 8am, wowsers!! It's been too long.

Dancing...

OK, I know I am way behind but will throw this quickie up there;

We were watching American Idol, Gemma in her diaper and shirt and she all of a sudden starts peeling off her shirt. "I want to dance naked!!" and giggles with delight. Naked is the best way to dance I guess :)

Fountain

We went to 101 today, me and the kids and Uncle Nate. Right outside the place is a huge fountain, one of those ones that just shoots out f the ground, no walls or catch pool, just jets of water squirting way up in the air in a variety of patterns. Well Gemma ran ahead of us to go see it, and we were wrapped up in picture taking. She was watching the water, getting closer than she should and just as we were walking to go get her, SPLOOSH! All the jets fired up and she got her one side totally soaked. Not to mention scared the pants off of her. What a way to start our trip. (I didn't have extra clothes. I packed extra for Guinness but not Gem.)

p.s. This is just a picture of it I found online so you see what I mean, and how easy it would be to get trapped in a sudden spray! Poor girl.

THEN, on the way home, she was talking to her reflection in the elevator door, and put her hands on it just as it opened...and got her little fingers sucked right into the crack. It was terrifying; Nate was trying to pull them out and get the door open and I was tryingto figure out what I should do. Grab her, push a button, which button? So pushed the door open button, duh wrong choice, her little hand was getting pulled IN, and Nate shouted DOOR CLOSE and when I did that the door came closed and released her hand. She was super freaked out; just clung to me and didn't talk for about 20 minutes. But they weren't bleeding and she could move all her fingers so I guess she is ok. It was so scary though, don't know what I would have done had I been alone.

potty training persistence

So the potty training continues. I didn't know it would take this long.

She does a great job as long as I am on my game. If I tell her every hour to go on the potty, she does. She will even hold it when we are out, but if I forget to put her on the potty when we get there, then she has an accident. So is she really being trained? She does announce, "I'm peeing!" and "I'm pooping". But by then it is too late. She especially can't poop on the potty. When we catch her in the act and then say, wait, go sit on the potty and do it, she loses her focus or whatever and can't go. So I don't like to interrupt her too many times lest she get bunged up. So anyway...

Do we keep going, hoping she eventually catches on? Or just give up for now, try again in a few weeks.