[nichelle]Well, I’m quite impressed by this, with good reason, I think. Naomi, now just 17 months old, came into the kitchen this afternoon and pulled down her pants partially. I asked her if she had to go potty and she nodded her head yes and walked to the bathroom door. Her brother was in there at the time. She waited, and we went in. Now, Naomi is not potty trained, and I would not even have attempted to do that for at least another year. So for her to do what she did was pretty good. So, I took off her diaper and put her on the potty and she sat there at first and then wanted to get down. No problem with that. Then she wanted to get back on again. She didn't go potty, but the realization that she wanted to use the potty was amazing to me. I decided to get her potty, which hasn't been used in several years. I got it ready and she couldn't wait to sit down on it. Still nothing happed, but I wasn't actually expecting her to do anythiing. Well, Naomi wanted to use the big potty again, along with toilet paper and so I gave her some. She used it, incorrectly, but no problem there and put it in the toilet. She got down and wanted to flush. About an hour or so later, she soiled her diaper and I got her cleaned up and took her to the bathroom to flush it and I wanted her to see what I was doing. At that point she wanted to try using the potty again. The fact that she does answer by nodding her head if she has to go poop, is unbelievable. So I'm not going to push this, starting too soon can cause problems, too, but I'll see what she does today.
Other Naomi News:
Naomi loves to mimic things, like putting on lotion or brushing her teeth, doing her hair, trying to get a drink from the fountain at church, putting a CD in the drive to play a game on the computer, flying her baby in the air making the sounds and then (and this is not mimicked, but something she does) dropping her on the floor and covering her mouth and laughing. She does pick up her baby and give her a hug and pats her back, but then she goes back to the flying thing again. She loves to play rough, but she also does “the little girl things.†Typically every morning, when I go to get her out of bed, she stands up and looks down at the floor and smiles or laughs because lying there next to her crib are her babies and their blanket.
She has the Ocean Wonders Aquarium which plays music on her crib. Her bedtime routine includes reading her book, singing a song (usually “Jesus Loves Me†in Engllish and then Spanish), laying her down and then I pray with her. A few times, I tried putting her music on when I put her to bed, and she would reach up and shut it off. She only likes to play her music in the morning. She doesn’t like to fall asleep with it on.
After I’m done reading her bedtime story, she stands up and grabs her “lovey†(a small, pink blanket) and the blanket she loves to sleep with, walks to her bed, and waits for me to put her in. It’s so very sweet. I love our little girl, and am very thankful to God for giving her to us.
We Have Other Children, Too:
I also love our boys, and am thankful for them as well, in case some of you may be wondering.
I tell my kids often that my prayer for them is that they will grow up loving and serving God with their lives and throughout their lives. We are accountable to God for what we teach our children, and we need to be careful that we teach them as we ought, too.
Time goes by so fast. Isaac is nearly 10 years old, John will be 17 in June, and David is already 6 and eager to graduate from K5 and enter Mrs. Grennon’s first grade class. He's reading now, and going through his school reading books very quickly.
Pray for us as we teach and train our children. I praise our Savior for my family and for all that He does in our lives. I am reminded of a song sung by Steve Green, and the words from the chorus:
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful.
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful.
It’s a great song with a wonderful message.