I started a another blog to show some of my cute java scripts. Check it out at:
http://wendyscodes.blogspot.com/

Children

Crystal is 3 1/2. During our scriptures discussion this morning:

Jesus got resurrected and is alive again.
Crystal: Why?
So that we can be resurrected too and be alive again a while after we die.
Crystal (starts whining): But I don't want to die ...
Don't worry, it's going to be a long long time before you die when you're a great-grandma and your body hurts and then you will think that it's okay to die.
Crystal (still whining): I don't want to die.
Well, maybe you won't die if Jesus returns when you're still alive and your body will automatically become perfect.
Crystal (whines some more): I want Jesus to come back now! waaah
I think that some people still have things to get done first like learn about Jesus and repent of their sins and get baptized and there are some spirits that still need to be born into bodies.
Crystal: I want to walk on the water.

A Newborn and the Toilet

It's crazy how many diapers a newborn can go through, especially when I change it immediately after each poop. Chester would continue pooping after I just changed the diaper several times and I would feel that I'm totally wasting so many diapers and diapers are so expensive! Well, diapers weren't always in existence and there aren't diapers everywhere in the world even today, so what do those people do?

I didn't find out about "elimination communication" until Crystal was 7 months old and too old for it already. I tried with her anyways and I'm sure it helped her to get potty trained earlier than she would have. I'm especially grateful that she doesn't wet the bed. A good book to read about it is Diaper Free Baby. It is said that forcing kids to go in their diapers when they're little babies is a step in the wrong direction potty-training-wise and then by the time potty training starts at 2-5 (whenever they're "ready") the kids can't control their bodies anymore and can be stubborn and difficult as you're trying to undo the diaper-training that happened.

I've actually met people who practiced elimination communication and had children completely potty-trained by the time they turned 1. With the birth of a second child, I have a chance to try elimination communication starting at birth and it's been good so far. Chester is now 3 weeks old, and I think by now I've learned some signs that he needs to pee or poop.
-He may grunt and hold his breath or make squeaking sounds
-Whenever he wakes up and fussily stretches and squirms
-When he punches his face
-As soon as I take him out of the wrap
-When it's been a while and his diaper is still dry
-When he acts hungry and bobs his head around but is unable to latch
-or when he jerks off the breast when he's supposed to still be hungry.

So at any of those times, when I'm not too tired to get up, I'll take him to the toilet, hold his thighs to his tummy, and he'll urinate twice and poop 4 times all within 5 minutes or so. So that he doesn't pee on the wall, I have to just point his member down with my finger. When I'm too tired in the night and the diaper is already wet, I'll just stay laying down with my knees up, sit his back against my legs and hold his thighs up for a few minutes and I'll hear him fart several times in his diaper and then I'll change it only when it's poopy. This helps him to get the gas or poop out faster so that he can nurse and return to sleep faster. I love my children so much and I love to understand them better.

So, I felt inspired to write this post because after secretly practicing elimination communication at my convenience for 3 weeks, at 3 pm we haven't had any "misses" so far today. As I've been putting the same dry diaper back on him all day, I've only used that 1 diaper.

Baby #2 is Here!

Chester Craig Kelley, born July 2nd (10 days early), 8 lbs 0 oz, 20 3/4 inches.

Birth Story:

June 30th, 10:30 pm: A squirt of water wakes me up. I don't feel anymore contractions and I go back to sleep. July 1st, 3 am: I wake up to another squirt of water and start to worry. I get up and surf the internet but I don't have any contractions, so I leave for Jury Duty at 6 am. I leak bits of fluid all day but no contractions. I'm dismissed from Jury Duty at around noon and make it to the hospital at around 1:30 pm.

I'm at 4 1/2 cm dilated. They tell me since I've been "in labor" for a long time that they have to put me on Pitosin and antibiotics and have to keep monitors on me continuously. They wait 3 hours before putting me on Pitosin and I'm still at 4 1/2 cm. The nurse keeps getting angry/frustrated that my monitors have to be readjusted whenever I shift my weight to my other butt cheek or when the baby moves (all the time). I also unplug myself from everything when going to the bathroom. Anyways I'm on the Pitosin for several hours and my contractions are only a little stronger and closer together.

July 2nd: I'm extremely tired and try to sleep (unsuccessfully) between contractions. I'm checked again at 2 am or so and I'm still at 4 1/2 cm. But, then the midwife notices that I still have a bag full of water in the way. She pops that and sticks an internal monitor on the baby's head so that we can leave the external monitors off and I can move around more freely. Labor and transition then comes quickly and strongly and I'm extremely uncomfortable and change positions a couple times, whine and cry, and the baby is born at 4:32 am. He cries and then pees himself in the face.

I didn't rip and needed no stitches which is wonderful. Since the baby came a week early, we were able to leave for our family vacation to the beach house!