EC Update

EC is going GREAT with Baby E!!! I haven't changed a poopy diaper in almost a month, and that is so wonderful! Using cloth diapers is a great motivator for doing EC :)

I planned to do EC with E from the beginning, and it was really easy to read her pottying signals when she was brand new. However, I was busy and got slack about cuing her and paying attention to her signals. Once the weather got colder, I left her diaper free less often. I continued to cue her when I changed her diaper, but that was about it.

Fast forward to E at 6 months old...I realized that if I wanted EC to work, I was going to have to be diligent about reading her signals. After one day of diligence and catching all poops and some pees, she TOTALLY got it! It was amazing! She'd signal that she needed to potty (facial expression), I'd say "do you need to potty?" while signing "potty," and she'd smile, wave her arms, and kick her legs. I'd take her to the potty, and she'd go. She seems SO proud and happy to be using the potty, and her diaper rash that developed when she started eating solids is completely gone. Since my one day of diligence, I've caught every poop since she knows to wait until I get her on the potty to go. I'm still keeping her in diapers and actually have no plans to put her in panties since I'm not very good at catching her pees. Although, I may try having her wear thick training pants with a cover because they would be much easier to remove than a snapped diaper.

I take her to the potty when she wakes up and when I change her diaper, and I can almost always tell when she is wetting, but I haven't gotten good at reading her signals before she goes. I have to admit that I'm not trying that hard...I'm just happy that she's pooping on the potty. It makes my life SO much easier, and she is so happy and proud of herself. I encourage all mamas to give this a try. When it works, it makes life so much easier and it's good for the environment :)

Back to Work

I went back to work on Thursday for the 1st time since Ema was born (I work one day per week as a School Psychologist). It was much harder to leave the girls than I expected. I woke Ema up to nurse her before we left for work, and I started crying as soon as I picked her up. She was so warm and cuddly, and she nuzzled her sweet face into my neck. The girls had a great day with Guh-guh, and I had a good day at work. I was so glad to come home to them. O and I read a chapter of Pippi Longstocking before cuddling and singing before she went to sleep, and Ema has spent the last 4 hours either nursing or sleeping on my chest. There's nothing better than mama's arms!

On a side note...Ema pooped in the potty today!!! O and Guh-guh took her to the potty and cued her and she pottied. My mom said that O was THRILLED!!! We love EC!

It's Potty Time!

Well, not yet, but we're getting ready! We're planning to start EC (in conjunction with cloth diapers) shortly after Little Kicker is born, so I was excited to buy these potties from IKEA. We'll keep one upstairs, one downstairs, one in the car, and one at Guh-guh and Grandpa's house. O is so excited about the potties. Her baby dolls have been using them, and she thought it was hilarious when she sat on one of them :)

After reading the comments, I realized I might need to clarify...the potties are for the new baby. Click on the EC link to read more about EC...it's very intriguing :) We used EC with O starting at about 10 months, and she's been potty trained since she was around 17 months old (although she still usually wears a diaper at night...her choice).