Potty Training Update

We are done!

Bentley is finally potty trained.  The last two weeks have shown the most improvement, and it all came at once. 

About a week and a half ago Bentley still hadn’t pooped on the potty chair.  I noticed that she needed to go (she was headed to her favorite spot for that activity) so I stopped her and made her sit on the toilet.  She wasn’t able to go, but still refrained from going in her underwear.  The next day she was getting very uncomfortable so I put her on her potty with a stack of books and told her to just sit there and look at the books until she had gone.  It worked!  She sat there for a long time and didn’t even think she had gone, but she had.  When she realized she could do it she started doing it every day.  We only had one accident the very next day.

At about the same time she was dry through the night for a couple of nights in a row.  She hasn’t gone through the night since, and has even gotten up through the night to go potty.  She is now in underwear all day and night. 

I felt like I had to keep reminding her to go so she wouldn’t wet her underwear.  I was okay with that as long as she was staying dry, but in the last couple of days she has even started telling me before she needs to go.

David thinks saying “we are done” is just setting us up for trouble, but even so I think we are done and it is a big accomplishment.  We have been working on it since last October (10 months).  Goodbye diapers!

First Day of School

Wow, summer is already gone. (I know it technically isn’t, but it feels that way when school starts.)

On Monday, Bria started her first day of Kindergarten.  It is hard to believe she is old enough or mature enough to be in school.  There are some days though where she acts older than she actually is and I think she should be in a higher grade. 

Bria was so excited to go.  Then, the day before school she started to get a bit nervous about all of the uncertainties: could she carry her tray at lunch without spilling, will she have any friends there that she knew before, will she get in trouble for talking too much, etc.  I told her it was okay to be a little nervous, but that she shouldn’t worry too much because her teacher and the other helpers would help her if she had any problems.  That only helped a little.

The day came, and Bentley and I walked Bria to school.  We got there early to get all of her supplies labeled and organized.  We stayed with her in her classroom until school started.  She got a little teary before we left, but the teacher was prepared.  For the first day of school the kids had to bring a favorite teddy bear and they needed to name it.  Bria brought a bear that she hadn’t named yet, but decided that morning to name it Mommy so that Mommy would be with her at school all day.  That gave her some comfort, and once I left she did just fine.

Her moment of difficulty caused me a little teariness as well.  It was very hard for me not to call the school to check up on her, to make sure she was doing okay and behaving.  David called to check on me a few times through day, and said he wanted to check up on her too.  (What a loving Dad!)  Finally it was time for Bentley and I to walk back to school to pick Bria up.  On our walk home, Bria couldn’t contain her excitement.  She had had a great day at school.

Bria all ready to leave for school.

Bria at her table in her classroom.  Bentley had to scoot another chair right up next to her and sit with her.

Each morning, Bria has had a hard time with me leaving her at school, but always has a good report about her day when I pick her up.  On Friday (her 4th day of school), she had a much easier time with me leaving.  We will have to see how things go after the weekend break.

Maybe your wondering how Bentley has handled this transition.  I wondered how she would.  It seems that Bentley doesn’t really care that Bria isn’t home.  Bentley is just fine doing something by herself (not being bossed around by a big sister), and spending time watching whatever I am working on.  She doesn’t ask about Bria, not even when she will be coming home.  After her nap in the early afternoon, I wake her up so we can get Bria from school, and she appears to be excited to have her come back home.  When we get home, the first 30 minutes to an hour, the girls seem to fight each other a bit more than normal.  After that, they are off playing together the way they usually do.

This has definitely been a transition for us, and we are still working on getting into a new normal routine.

Rodeo Ready

Last weekend was the annual Frontier Days, which includes a full weekend of rodeos.  Our favorite rodeo to attend is the Ranch Rodeo that is always held on Friday night.  Local ranchers, quite a few that we know, participate in events based on work that they would actually do on the ranch.  Some of the activities, however, are just purely for the entertainment of the audience.  Every year we cheer for the same team, consisting of our good friend and his brothers.  We have a good time hanging out with our friends while watching the teams compete.

This year, David’s parents and his aunt and uncle from California joined us.  They had never been to a ranch rodeo before, so it was a new experience for all of them.  In preparation for all the cowboy activities, grandma brought cowgirl hats for the girls.  They look adorable in them.

Bentley even got to wear her cowboy boots.  Bria has grown out of hers and was very disappointed.  Bria still thinks she is going to do “cattle work” when she grows up.

Camping

At the very end of July, my parents came and got the girls and took them to their place to go camping for a couple of days.  They camp at the river about 20 miles from where they live.  All summer, the girls had been asking when they could go camping with grandpa and grandma.  We were all finally able to make it work.

While camping, the girls went swimming in the river with Uncle N and Aunt D.  They swim with their life jackets on, which makes them feel brave, and they kept begging to be allowed to swim out to the edge of the swim area.  Knowing that the girls would get tired, they were only allowed to go about half way and had to be with an adult. 

When you’re camping, you have to have a fire and roast marshmallows.  Even though that is something we could do here at home it is a lot more fun while camping.  It has been too hot to have a fire in the evening anyway.

After a couple of days with grandpa and grandma, we made the trip to pick them up.  It also gave us a chance to make a quick visit to the chiropractor.

Every time the girls are gone to the grandparents, I try to get as much work done as possible.  David and I also went on a date out of town, where there are more options for entertainment and dining.  We are grateful for the time that we get without the girls, but we do miss them when they are gone.

Getting Caught Up

Near the end of July, we were traveling again.  This time to see my sister and her husband in their new house.  The girls and I traveled with my parents to the Twin Cities; unfortunately, David wasn’t able to go with us. 

They have a cute home and have already done some projects to make it fit their style.  The area they live in feels rural even though it is still in a suburb of the cities.

One of the days we were there, they took us to the park where they go camping.  We did some hiking and swimming there.  It is a beautiful area. 

We saw a couple of fawns run through the trees as we walked through this area.

The park they camp at is near both a river and a lake.  The wooded hills coming down to the river were beautiful.  Bria and Bentley stood on the bank of the river with Aunt T.

Our time there wasn’t long, but it was a lot of fun to be able to stay with them.  Thanks for taking time off work for us to visit you!