Aloha, I'm Donna, known everywhere on the Internet as "Champuru." I'm a Christian, blissfully wedded to my perfect match (the yang to my yin) of 16 years and a stay-at-home mom to my miracle baby, born in October 2008. Living life in Hawaii, less than 5 miles from my hometown, seeking balance in my pursuit of family, faith, recreation, and rest. Read more on the About page.
Lil K and me - photo taken this past weekend by my niece Lexis
Generally, Lil K (21 months) is as well-behaved in public as I could expect a toddler to be. She sits nicely at the table when dining at restaurants. If given a bowl of yummy deliciousness and a spoon she will feed herself with minimal mess and without much fuss. She is even relatively quiet — most of the time.
However, I guess even little people are entitled to bad days and on Monday, Lil K had hers.
We had dinner with Hubby and his buddy from Alaska at Ruby Tuesday. As soon as we were seated at the table, the nightmare began.
Lil K refused to sit in the highchair. Then the wailing started.
She sat in my lap for a little while, sobbing. I suspected that she might feel uneasy about the dark ambience of the restaurant. Or maybe she was afraid of Hubby’s friend.
When the appetizer came (spinach artichoke dip with tortilla chips), she reluctantly sat in the highchair for a little while — that is until she poked the roof of her mouth with a chip. That set off a nuclear meltdown and it was misery after that.
I tried every distraction I could think of: food, crayons, and even my iPhone. Nothing would get her to sit in the highchair without screaming bloody murder. She didn’t even want her grilled cheese sandwich and french fries — “junk food” that she normally wouldn’t get at home but is usually happy to devour when given the opportunity. Hubby and I ended up taking turns carrying her. Even in the comfort of our lap, she continued to cry off and on. To be honest, I felt sorry for our dinner guest as well as the patrons in our section.
Hubby’s friend was convinced that she was afraid of him, so he did a little experiment. He left the table, fully expecting that she would settle down in his absence. That was not the case.
Needless to say, I was not able to relax and savor my peppercorn and portobello mushroom steak. (It was super yummy, though. I ended up taking half of my meal home and enjoyed it the next day, minus the crying toddler in my lap.)
When I was done eating, I took Lil K to the front lobby. She was in a much better mood when removed from the table. I sat her down and asked, “Sweetie, why were you crying? Were you afraid of the dark?”
With tears still in her sad eyes, she looked at me and said, “no.”
“So what were you afraid of?”
“Uncle,” she replied, referring to Hubby’s friend. I assured her that Uncle was a very nice man and she had nothing to be afraid of. When they rejoined us, we left the restaurant and chatted outside for a while. There was a grassy area next to our car, so Lil K was happily running around. Talk about a complete 180º change from her mood in the restaurant. She even blew kisses at Hubby’s friend and gave him high-fives.
Aside from Lil K’s behavior, the dinner in itself was nice. The food was good and Hubby’s friend is very friendly and so easy to talk to. I enjoyed our conversations. It was just a little harder to shoot the breeze with an unhappy toddler in my lap.
I don’t know what caused her behavior:
Unfamiliar person?
Environmental factors: restaurant was dark?
She simply did not want to be confined to a highchair?
She wasn’t tired, she had just woken up from a 3 hour nap, so I was sure she would be in a stellar mood that night. All I know is we must get to the bottom of this mystery or else our dining options will be severely limited.
What do you do if your toddler refuses to sit in the highchair at a restaurant? Or decides having a meltdown at the table is a good idea?
Today’s scorecard: 7 successful attempts, 3 accidents. Still zero poop. (She managed to poop while she was still wearing her overnight diaper this morning and refused to use the potty.)
Yesterday’s successes were a hard act to follow. It’s hard to top a day with 9 successful potty attempts and 2 excusable accidents. Today, there were 3 accidents — 2 of which were likely my fault for deciding to rely on Lil K’s ability to inform me when she had to use the potty. I guess she’s not ready for that yet. I should’ve stuck to the method of putting her on the potty every hour on the hour instead of asking her, “do you need to use the potty?” For all intents and purposes, I could have been asking if she wanted a root canal. Anything interrupting her playtime that doesn’t involve TV or ice cream will likely yield a negative response.
The other accident happened on Hubby’s watch when I was out taking my mom to the doctor. To Hubby’s credit, he was sticking with the routine, but I guess Lil K’s bladder was ahead of schedule. And again, right now, she’s not apt to volunteer to sit on the potty.
There were a few times I think she went on the potty just to get the sticker. She eeked out a few drops of pee, immediately jumped up and applauded herself, “yay!” she cheered and said, “sticker.”
Speaking of stickers, I have to say that I just love Price Busters. I bought three sticker booklets for $1.69/each. Each booklet contains 276 stickers. That stash will reward a whole lot of peeing and pooping!
NOTE: This is not a sponsored post. I will proclaim my love of cheap stickers for free.
Perhaps to say that today is “day #1″ of potty training is somewhat misleading. The little pink potty has been a fixture in our bathroom since Lil K was 16 months old. (It’s amusing to note that Lil K is wearing the same pink shirt in the photo in the previous potty entry, too.) She has been following me into the bathroom and sitting on the potty (fully clothed) for the past several months. We’ve been putting her on the potty before baths and she had been peeing pretty consistently into the potty, but I didn’t start officially potty training her until today.
I made a potty training chart for Lil K and we put stickers on it every time she uses the potty. Today, there are 9 stickers on her chart!
Last night, I asked Lil K if she would like to start wearing her “big girl panties” in the morning. I explained that it meant that she would need to use the potty and there would be no diapers. She agreed and even seemed pleased by the thought of transitioning from baby to big girl.
This morning, I reiterated about the panties and the potty as I changed her out of her diaper and sat her on the potty. She immediately used the potty and earned her first sticker! I slipped on her cotton training underwear and stationed her potty in the living room. I am taking some cues from an article on potty training by John Rosemond (via Mitchell, @scrivener). He suggested having a potty near where the child is playing because the “out of sight, out of mind” principle can work against you in this case.
Rosemond recommends the bare bum approach where you allow your child to run naked from the waist down for a week to teach them to use the potty. That’s why he calls his method “Naked + $75″ — the $75 being the cost of carpet cleaning. I am less tolerant of urine and feces on my carpet, even temporarily, so I am employing a modified approach that uses cotton training pants that allows the child to feel wet while at the same time containing the mess in the event there is an accident.
I took her to the potty every hour on the hour and she used the potty every time except once. She was so pleased to receive her reward and would run to the livingroom where the chart was posted to get her sticker. She is allowed to place the sticker anywhere on the paper. (It’s tough to get her to put the sticker in the exact spot that I want, so I just let her stick it anywhere to decorate the chart.) Then I stick a round colored dot in the square, drawing a happy face on it to indicate that she used the potty successfully.
At naptime, I took out a diaper for her. I wasn’t confident that she could hold her pee in her sleep, especially on her first day. She spotted the diaper and started crying.
“What’s wrong, sweetie?” I asked her.
“NO DIAPER!!” she wailed.
“You don’t want to wear a diaper?” I asked.
“Noooo diaper!”
I didn’t want to discourage her since the momentum was moving in the right direction. I put a waterproof pad under the bed sheet and a bath towel over that. She took a nap wearing her cotton underpants and when she woke up there was indeed a little bit of pee in her panty, but I am not disappointed at all by that. After all, I wasn’t expecting to have her 100% potty trained in a day.
We had dinner at grandma and grandpa’s house and I was concerned that it might set her back in the potty training. I brought the potty along and she used it twice while we were there, not having one accident during the nearly 3 hours that we were there.
As I was getting her ready for bed this evening, I was brushing her teeth. She is normally very squirmy and resistant to this part of our bedtime routine and will often cry out that she needs to “doo doo” as a distraction to end the toothbrushing. It worked the first two times, but I’m on to her now. Tonight she used the same tactic but instead of saying “doo doo” she cried, “potty!” I thought she was just trying to trick me again, so I told her that she would have to wait until after we were done brushing her teeth. After that, I took her into the bathroom to use the potty and lo and behold, pee in her panty. I guess she wasn’t kidding this time.
So really, I don’t consider that accident her fault, since she really did try to tell me that she had to use the potty but I didn’t let her go. Oh, poop. What a mean mommy.
I couldn’t be happier with our first day of official potty training. 9 successful attempts and 2 accidents — and no pee on my carpet! I’m a little concerned that she didn’t poop today. She said she needed to go, but was reluctant to use the potty. I encouraged her to use it anyway, but she didn’t produce a poop. I am hoping that she’s not holding it back. I consider her first poop in the potty a milestone to be reached, so we’ll see how long that takes.
My friend Arnold asked me if I would be photographing Lil K’s first poop in the potty and posting it on the Internet, Kate Gosselin style. Although I am no stranger to the concept of “oversharing,” I don’t think Lil K, ten years from now, would appreciate a photo of her and her first potty poop circulating on the interwebs. Arnold suggested that I take the photo and put it in our personal family scrapbook for posterity. I just might do that. In this age of digital photography, at least I don’t have to be embarrassed to take that roll of film to a One-Hour Photo.
Lil K seems almost ready to ditch her diapers. She consistently uses the potty for #1 before baths. The other day, she actually informed me that she had to shishi (Hawaii vernacular for “pee”). She ran to the potty and when I removed her diaper, she sat down and actually peed in the potty. She always informs me when she has to doo-doo, but whenever I offer the potty to her, she refuses to use it for poop. She really seems to grasp the concept of what the potty is for. I suspect that it’s just a matter of me getting her out of the diapers to make the transition.
I bought these potty training pants which have an elastic waistband and a padded bottom. From what I have read, cotton training panties are more effective than using pull-ups. The cotton panties allows them to feel the wetness more than the pull-ups, which are more like diapers. (Although I know they make pull-ups that feel cold to the touch when wet, which would likely have the same effect.)
I asked her today if she would like to wear her “big girl panties” starting tomorrow and “no diapers.” She agreed and said, “no diapers!”
My quandary is this: should keep her in diapers until after my trip? Is it easier to travel with a potty-trained toddler than one that is still in diapers? If I potty train her, would it set her back if I let her wear diapers while we’re out and about — especially when we’re at the airport or on the plane?
Right now, I am leaning toward potty training her. There is enough time to get her fully accustomed to using the potty before the trip — or at least that is my hope. Chime in with your advice and potty training tales!
The Jikoen Hongwanji bon dance is one of the most highly anticipated bon dances on my summer calendar. I especially enjoy the Friday night obon, since the Young Okinawans of Hawaii (YOH) take over the entire program and it’s an all-Okinawan dancing extravaganza. Jikoen is known as the Okinawan temple, as it is a has been a key location for Okinawan activities and events since its establishment in 1938 by issei (first generation) Okinawan immigrants.
Lil K and Aunty Joni
There was a great turnout tonight, not just with our Bon Dance Posse, but the general public showed up in droves and the bon dance circle was packed for most of the evening. YOH did an excellent job providing the music, dancers, and eisaa drummers.
Lil K and Aunty Joyce
Lil K is doing so much better this year than last when it comes to socializing with friends and family. I was even able to get some dancing in as we played hot potato with Lil K, passing her from friend to friend as we made our way around the bon dance circle. Carrying an extra 22 pounds while dancing can prove to be quite strenuous, so everyone mostly held her for two songs and passed her on to the next person. Lil K didn’t seem to mind and enjoyed the company of her aunties tonight.
Lil K having a blast with Aunty Rona
It was a beautiful summer evening, spending time with friends and family outdoors under the full moon, listening to the beating of the eisaa drums, and the plunk-plunking of the sanshin. It refreshes my spirit.
Lil K and Jiji
My mom and I
Lil K and me
Shari and Darren
Avid Bon Dancers
Keith introduced me to the Uyehara twins, two very spirited ladies full of personality and spunk! Their chairs were situated in the front row and I loved passing by them each time I made my way around the yagura. They looked like they were enjoying themselves so much, clapping along to the music and observing dancers as they went by.
Keith and the Uechi twins
To cap off the evening, Sophie and I entered the kachashii contest on a whim. Sophie, hailing from Ohio, had never heard of kachashii much less danced it, so I took her up to where the action was and we ended up jumping into the contest. Talk about spontaneous!
Sophie and I were contestants in the kachashii contest (pic taken with my iPhone)
Needless to say, we didn’t win, but it was fun nonetheless. Here’s a video of us dancing, although the quality is very poor since it was taken with my iPhone with dim lighting so the camera couldn’t figure out what to focus on.
Lil K had so much fun and was wide awake throughout the entire night and we ended up staying until the end (9:45 pm). Normally, we leave by 8:00 or 8:30 since Lil K is usually beginning to show signs of impending meltdown by that time. But tonight she was lively and completely engaged in the event. She fell asleep in the car without much drama at all, which is just the way I like it.
Thank you, loved ones, for making tonight such a fantastic time for us.
Lil K's little tootsies. Right foot stung by unknown insect.
On Wednesday, we noticed Lil K was scratching the top of her right foot. It looked like a mosquito bite, so we put antibiotic ointment on it and covered it with a bandaid. Yesterday it appeared slightly red since she was scratching it off and on. I applied hydrocortisone cream, covered it with a bandaid, and put a sock on her foot in hopes of preventing her from scratching the bandaid off during the night. When she woke up this morning, her socks were off and she handed me the bandaid with one hand was scratching with the other. I noticed that it was markedly more red and also appeared swollen. Hubby suggested that I call the doctor’s office to see if we should bring her in.
Luckily, the doctor had an opening this morning and I took her into the clinic. The doctor looked at it and suggested that it may be a centipede sting, noting two holes in the skin like a mini vampire bite. Her other theory is that the inflammation is due to some bacteria that may have entered the skin because of the scratching. She prescribed a 10-day course of antibiotics as a precaution to prevent infection.
If I were a centipede I’d want to take a bite out of those cute little baby feet, too.
One of my favorite places to take Lil K is Moanalua Gardens. The park itself is beautiful. Large, shady banyan trees, well-manicured grass, and a graceful pond teeming with koi and ducks. For an amusing time, you can enjoy sending the fish into a feeding frenzy by purchasing some koi pellets at the concession stand at the entrance of the park. The ducks also enjoy nibbling on the fish food and it brings them in so the kiddies can get a closer look.
Lil K checking out the koi pond
Yesterday, we met our friends Joyce and her beautiful 5 month old twins, and J and her 16 month old son AJ. Lil K doesn’t spend much one-on-one time with toddlers, so it was so neat to watch her playing so nicely with AJ. They investigated our corner of the park together, picking up sticks, leaves, and rocks. They toddled around a fallen tree. They enjoyed watching a little boy chase the birds, laughing as the flock burst into flight. Then they fed the fish and counted ducks at the koi pond.
AJ and Lil K
AJ’s visit with us was cut short due to his early naptime, so they left after about 1-1/2 hours. Joyce and I stayed at the park for another hour after that. After AJ left, Lil K sat down with us and enjoyed watching Joyce and I feed the bottlefeed babies. She was on her best behavior and was very gentle with the babies. I was so proud of her!
Joyce, C, and Lil K
The atmosphere at the park is so peaceful and relaxing. Perfect therapy to escape from my harried schedule and wonderful for Lil K. The momversations are so good, too. I didn’t realize it before, but I really need that.
How can you resist the adorableness?
Lil K fell asleep in the car about 5 minutes into the drive home. I even got to sneak through the drive-thru to pick up lunch and treat myself to a snack-size McFlurry.
You can make a difference in the life of a child -- I am! Our family is sponsoring Melvin, a 9 year old boy in the Philippines. Click the image below to find out more about child sponsorship and how your pocket change can change everything for a very special child.
Yesterday’s successes were a hard act to follow. It’s hard to top a day with 9 successful potty attempts and 2 excusable accidents. Today, there were 3 accidents — 2 of which were likely my fault for deciding to rely on Lil K’s ability to inform me when she had to use the potty. I guess she’s not ready for that yet. I should’ve stuck to the method of putting her on the potty every hour on the hour instead of asking her, “do you need to use the potty?” For all intents and purposes, I could have been asking if she wanted a root canal. Anything interrupting her playtime that doesn’t involve TV or ice cream will likely yield a negative response.
To Hubby’s credit, he was sticking with the routine, but I guess Lil K’s bladder was ahead of schedule. And again, right now, she’s not apt to volunteer to sit on the potty.
