Category: Max

Chinese Fire Drill: Catholic Style

Picture this: 4 moms trying to go somewhere. Between them there are 14 children (present) of which 9 are in car seats or boosters of some sort, 5 are big enough for regular safety belts and one is still safely in utero.

Now picture these 4 moms trying to arrange these car seats into two vehicles (one seats 11, one seats 8) in such a way that all car seats can be reached and everyone has a good spot. While you are watching the car seat juggling in your head, take a glance at the thermometer, which reads “Hotter than Heck”. And keep in mind that we are all running late to get to open gym where the little munchkins can run amok in (relative) coolness for a while so play the whole thing in fast forward in your head.

You now have your entertainment for the day.

Well almost – one more funny thing to share: When we arrived at open gym, Max took off his shoes and handed them to me. I turned around to put them in a cubby and figure out where to put my diaper bag and sling. When I turned back around Max was only wearing his t-shirt.

I mean he was ONLY wearing his t-shirt.

His underwear and shorts were on the mat next to him.

I screeched, “What are you doing????” and he calmly answered that he was getting ready to go swimming. While I dressed him again I explained that there was no swimming pool here, that there was a FOAM “pool” that you could jump in, but he didn’t need to change clothes for that.

And then I had a heart attack as he happily ran off to play.

48

Max asked me at breakfast this morning, “Mama, what’s 48?”

It took me a few moments to understand what on earth he was saying but after he said it a few times I told him that it is a 4 and then an 8. How else do you answer that one?

Then he asked, “What comes next?”

“49,” I told him, “and then fifty after that.”

And then he laughed.

Who knew numbers could be so funny?

Our EC Journey

Now that my graduation post is finally written, I will swing back to the other end of the spectrum and discuss baby stuff.

I have read about EC (Elimination Communication) for some time now, but never thought is sounded realistic. But things changed last week.

Since we are hoping for some kind of potty training miracle to fall from the sky and hit Max, was have potty chairs littered around our home right now in hopes of never missing an opportunity. Last Monday, I think it was, when Lily woke up first thing in the morning, I was changing her diaper on the floor. Right next to me was a little potty chair, so I figured, why not put her on it, she very often poops within the first few moments of waking up in the morning, maybe I can get away with not having to change one poopy diaper.

Well she didn’t poop in it, but she did pee in it right away. Over the next several days, I put her on the potty each time she woke in the morning or after a nap and sure enough she peed every time!

I have also caught at least the first half of her morning poops most morning since then. The second half is trickier since it happens about a half hour later.

Yesterday and today she has started something new, sometimes when I try to put a diaper on her she thrashes around and pulls at it while I am changing her. If I put her on the potty then, she will pee right away and then she is fine having her diaper put on. A couple of times now I have been nursing her to sleep only to have her wake up and start thrashing and crying, fighting me like crazy, so I put her on the potty, she peed and then was perfectly willing to go to sleep.

My mind is so boggled by all this.

In the mean time Max is making a real effort to go in the potty. Since there is obviously no pressure on Lily to actually go in a potty, it has been easier for me to let go of some of the pressure I have been putting on Max as well. He has been spending part of each day in big-boy- pants and has had reasonable success in those. When things get really busy though, he is still in a diaper. There is a coveted yo-yo ball waiting for him atop the fridge for his first poop on the potty.

And just so you don’t think I am certifiable, my goal with Lily is not to get her into panties before a year. I figure it is a few less diapers to wash and will keep her in touch with her body’s signals of when she needs to eliminate. That is what this is all about. Most days we have caught 2-8 pees and 1-2 poops. she still goes in her diaper, and I would not expect her to hold it until I got her to a bathroom. But it is much easier to keep her dry and happy this way. It really hasn’t taken any extra time, either. I have to change her diaper anyway…

After checking out a book from the library on Elimination Communication (The Diaper Free Baby) I realized that I have done this to some extent with most of my kids, I just didn’t start this early. Usually I would introduce a potty chair shortly after a year old and put the child on it upon morning waking, before or after baths, or when Jay or I would go. Within a few months they all seemed to get the basic idea and most of them were fully trained by age 2. (Max was obviously an exception to this, but then there is always an exception to the rule, isn’t there?)

But and 8 month old? This is completely new territory for me, but we are enjoying it all the same.

Random Thoughts on a Monday

After looking at the calendar this weekend I realized there are no free days left at all until after Easter. I need to find it somewhere inside of me to be super-organized.

Posy is one step ahead of me. I was looking at the giant piles of undone laundry last night while prepping the kids for bed. I told Posy to go and round up a uniform skirt (clean or dirty, it didn’t matter) for Tessa, because I knew that Ben had clean uniforms. She informed me that she had made sure there were skirts for Tessa when she put the clothes in the dryer. How many 13 year olds can think ahead like that even for themsleves let alone for someone else.

I made it to the first of four sessions of the parish mission today. Well, I kind of made it. I got there right on time if it was starting at 9:15. But it had started earlier. And it was in the Church instead of St Bridget’s Room like it usually is. SO it probably wasn’t appropriate for Max to be eating his cheez-its and drinking juice. Oh well, I’ll be better prepared tomorrow.

Lily had her first try at playing violin yesterday. She watched all through Tessa and Max’s lesson intently, so Dasha put the violin (Max’s 1/16th size) against her shoulder to see what her response would be. She immediately turned her head and sucked on it. Okay, so maybe she is not a prodigy. Yet.

We introduced Max to Star Wars. C3PO is now known as Seepah-wee-ah-doh. R2D2 is just plain R2D2.

I have dinner planned up to (but not including)Thursday and I even have all the groceries to make the stuff. Go me!

A Friday in March

I am going to grab moments as they hit me today and post what I can think of:

The garage is underway! We have been working on it and slowly but surely it is getting almost un-embarrassing. But you don’t get pictures until it is done.

I found Max a little while after breakfast eating right out of the cereal bag in his sisters’ room.

Thursdays would be a really nice day to have a clone of myself to be in two places at once. Bedtime and picking up Posy from choir (40 minute car trip) happen at the exact same moment. But I really can’t think of a day when it would be BAD to have another one of me around. Like today, one of me could hold the baby while the other one does vast quantities of laundry. Then when the baby goes to sleep, that one of me could mop the (sticky, gross) floor.

Lily likes to suck on her toes. I can’t think of anything cuter than a baby sucking on their own toes.

While I nursed Lily down for her nap, Max found a Sharpie. ‘Nuf said.

I received an email from someone interested in my rosaries!

Just found while cleaning the kitchen: a cup of water with three q-tips soaking in it. It boggles the mind…

Also found: two mostly empty juice boxes put back near-but-not-in where the juice boxes go.

As of 11:30 AM, I have washed two loads of laundry, folded/hung up two loads, tidied the family room, cleaned the kitchen, fed Max lunch, and about a hundred other small jobs not even worth listing. But the list of what I haven’t gotten done is still FAR longer. There, the dryer calls!

Family Picture, Christmas 2007

Christmas Greetings from the Groft Zoo! Things are crazy around here as always, but here is a brief update about what we have been up to.

Paisley – A senior at Bourgade this year, she is looking forward to turning 18 in March and moving out to begin living the college life. She is working two jobs right now as well as keeping her grades up. She directs two children’s choirs and is working at a skateboarding shop. In her free time she shops and hangs out with her friends.

James – 15 now and itching to be 16 and drive! He is active in the youth group and continues to make trips a few times a year to help build houses for the poor in Mexico. He plays bass, guitar, and piano as much as he can, and has been performing monthly at an Art Walk downtown.

Posy – Nearly a teenager! She will be 13 in February. Posy loves to help people, she is always at her Nana’s helping her out, and she is invaluable around here. She works very hard in school to keep up her grades. She loves to read and hang out with her friends. She is involved in two choirs, one with her Grandpa and one at our parish.

Ben – 10 years old and always has his nose in a book! He has a wonderful imagination and way with words. He is always a joy to be around. He started band in school this year and is playing the trombone.

Tessa – started Kindergarten this year! She is so grown up and is definitely all Girl! She loves to play dolls and house and has discovered arts & crafts. Her favorite activity right now is coloring. She loves to give her creations to anyone she cares for. She recently began violin lessons.

Max – turns 3 on Christmas Eve. He loves to talk, although his lisp makes him hard to understand sometimes. He is very loving and very much a little homebody. He also began violin lessons with Tessa. We were blessed to find a lovely teacher who is working patiently with both kids.

Lily – the newest Groftling. Lily is now 3 months old, she was born on September 14, delivered by her daddy because the midwife hadn’t yet arrived! Thankfully the midwife arrived only a few moments later. She is a beautiful baby who loves to be swaddled and snuggled. Her siblings all adore her.

Jay & Jenni – Jay is working hard testing tanks and every spare moment Is taken up by singing. He is putting together a CD and hopes to have it out early in 2008! Jenni stays home with the kids and tries to keep the peace and keep the house from being condemned. She sews, scrapbooks, and reads when she can but those times come seldom with a tiny baby in the house.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! May you be blessed and safe in the coming months!

Amazing!

This past Sunday, while we were waiting for mass to begin, Max was watching the violinist warm up. So I let him go out into the aisle to watch her a little closer. She motioned to him to come and touch her violin.

He walked over, ever so tentatively, and touched it. Then she handed him the bow and showed him how to move it over the strings. While he did that she helped him play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. He was enchanted! Then she looked up to me and said, “I have started children as young as two and a half before.”

Well, I thought, we can’t just pass on an opportunity like this! This past summer I had started trying to find a Suzuki teacher for Max and Tessa but they were all too far away so I gave up. This nice lady may not be a Suzuki teacher, but I figured she had experience with very small children. So Jay and I talked and decided that we would do whatever it took to get the kids into lessons with her.

I called her last night. I am so amazed at how blessed we are.

  • She will start them this Saturday.
  • She will come to OUR HOUSE to teach them.

AND… (drumroll please) she is certified in the Suzuki method.

I am totally doing the happy dance!

Where Did Max Go?

The evil twin is here, but Max is nowhere to be found. My previous Max, who threw fits a couple times a week has spent so much time screaming this morning that by the time we left for school (7am) his voice was already scratchy and hoarse. Not that it stopped him from continuing to scream.

He is a little happier now, we are home and the TV is on… Bella Dancerella is playing while he flies Buzz Lightyear off the ballet barre. Whatever works at this point!

Update: He also spent some very happy minutes emptying Tessa’s dresser and taking all the drawers out.