Monday, May 08, 2006

My life in one word? CRAPTASTIC!

You might think that this title is an ill omen. But you would be wrong.

It's fantastic because we've really been making a concerted effort to get outside as much as possible lately. We've been cutting the grass, laying down mulch, pulling weeds, planting a few flowers, swinging the kids on the swings, taking walks, getting Sarah to ride her bike . . . heck we even tried to fly a kite a week ago (with unsuccessful results).

This sudden outdoorsiness is due to the fact that 1) the weather has been great, 2) we NEED the exercise, and 3) the girls are at a good age for getting outside.

Last year at this time, Grace wasn't nearly as ready and willing to get outside, run, swing, and play as she is now, which makes it so much easier to get out in the backyard and have fun.

Also, we've made some connections to other neighborhood families with young kids, encouraging the girls to get out there and be social.

It's all good.

But, it's also crappy. And that is because Grace moved from daytime pullups to big-girl panties over the weekend. She has done surprisingly well--about as well as Sarah's recent improvements on bike-riding. Grace successfully did her duty while at daycare on Friday, so we promised that she could move to panties the next day. She promptly woke up on Saturday morning, went to the bathroom herself, and put on her own pair of panties. She only has one accident all of Saturday--a day in which Lynda took them out of the house for a few hours, away from the bathroom.

She did have a few accidents on Sunday--minor ones, really--and one mishap at daycare today. But, all in all, she is making the transition remarkably well. It must be a function of her age. When Sarah was being trained, we did it at a much younger age (practically a year or more earlier) due to the militant efforts of our old daycare. She was fully trained at the point that Grace is now, but it was more stressful.

We've taken a more laid-back approach to Grace's scatalogical development--due mostly to the fact that a) I wasn't going to do it single-handed last year while Lynda's mind was in Texas and b) our current daycare didn't give a crap, really.

But we did as many parents do--we learned from mistaken assumptions made with the first child, dealt with our inadequacies and taken it easy the second time around.

Poor Grace will probably grow up to be a dope-smokin' hippie due to this, but hey man, them's the breaks.

2 comments:

David said...

Speaking of "craptastic," there's always this week's installment of The Authority Speaks

flipper said...

Hey, there are MUCH worse things in life than being a dope-smoking hippie. For example, you could be:

a) a corporate toady
b) a Republican
c) Paris Hilton
d) a dope-smoking FAKE hippie

Besides, if you're a dope-smoking hippie who manages to hold down a decent job, pay taxes, and contribute (however marginally) to society, you can still have a kick-ass life. I should know. (Except for the hippie part.)