Feeling Smug

Potty Training is going great!!!!!

I don't wanna jinx it... but NO ACCIDENTS today!!!! Ivo peed in a public restroom. #2 was not neglected. I still have to ask/enforce potty-time... But, at least for today, Ivo was into it!!!!

Yay!!!!!!

We met Rayne at co$tco and shopped. Then we went to tea st for a late lunch. Ivo n Burl had eaten before we left so Ivo got an ice cream sundae the size of his head. Yes, we are using treats as incentives/rewards for good pottying... And how!

Good times.

Ryan is watching the replay of last night's Canada v Taiwan baseball game. Controversy... extra innings. Canada won.

Monday Blues

Burl stayed home from school today. Me too. Burl was/is a sicky. I'm not. Ivo went to school today.

Potty training is not going well. It's not entirely... a ... nightmare. But, my g-d, it provides never-ending opportunities to cry and argue. This is mostly due to what Ivo explained to me in the car on the way home from Baby World, to wit, if someone tells him to do something, he can't do it. For example, "I couldn't take a nap because Teacher-Lao Shr told me sooo many times take a nap."

So often I find myself saying charming, whilst thinking CRAZY.

But, it's only the first day of Potty Week 2. It'll happen. The constant fighting... yikes. Also, Burl has been teething hard and unpleasant since Thursday. He spends hours of each day miserable and inconsolably wailing.

Another article on the importance of child-directed play - with audio from NPR.

And the excellent news is that MSG- while never really gone - is being rehabilitated into decent kitchens in moderation. Even if you think it's not there, hippies, it's there... I had no idea it was in the vegetarian staple Liquid Aminos... "hydrolyzed proteins, yeast extracts, protein concentrates and other additives that are not labeled as MSG but...are essentially the same thing: synthetically produced glutamates."

Crayola digi-coloring is pretty neat... Ivo was thrilled drawing with the mouse. The rest of the site is pretty good too.

Blogger is giving me a hard time with the pics... More tomorrow.

Basweball: Canada v South Africa

Ivo andBurl had a great time at today's game! Lots of kids; Zha-zhr, Trey, Cayden, Baby Ethan, Baby Pin-ju, and later Kaia.

Canada won by a lot. I'm not sure the score cuz I got hit in the head by a (ricocheting) baseball - a story for another time when I have more than one hand to type with. Needless to say, we left before the game ended and were otherwise engaged during the last45 minutes we were there...

Mostly super fun.

Dean was there and claims to have gotten married the day before! This makes his honeymoon just slightly less romantic than mine when Ryan went to Palau with Kevin, John andBrett!

More pics later - blogger soooo slow...

Welcome to Taiwan

Where you might be greeted by this guy.

Burl is a FORCE!!!

Burl is certainly a cute baby. But, oh, he's sooo much more. He's tough. He's cool. His body language is so unique for a 1 year old. I said yesterday that he dances and it doesn't look silly. Burl is not frivolous but he is funny. Solid. Boy. Standing on tables. Climbing on everything. He's determined. He knows what he wants.

When I see pics of him, I sometimes wonder who's taking care of whom...

Burl and Ivo love to wrestle.

Burl loves cream cheese, carrots and quinoa.

Ivo said "He look like Santa Claus!"

Burl really liked this old style phone toy... It was 799nt and, it had a cord. No way.

Burl also enjoyed the rocking horse with Ivo.

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Why were we visiting toy stores today? As part of the ongoing good-vibe, spread the happy, we are sooo excited Ivo's using the potty, we went for fun and business. Found a great step-ladder-potty-insert. This is much better than the spongey insert we had which offered Ivo no way on or off the toilet. Check out the handles!

Burl is Ready for his Closeup

Tell me this isn't sick!

Yesterday, while Ivo was sitting on the toilet, Burl was in his chair having a snack. I was taking pics of both guys cuz I'm so proud of them; Ivo toileting and Burl eating.

After a while, when Burl saw me with the camera, he started... posing...

Normal Burl:

Morphing:

Super Skinnerian Burl:

Initially I wondered if there were any way he could have come up with this himself? I figured he must have learned it at school so I asked his teacher via his communication book. The answer came back today. Yes, they have taught him to pose for pictures.

Great.

But HOW?????? Is it really that easy to get babies to do tricks? Really? And in light of potty training... I'm speechless.

Oh wait, I'm not speechless, I've been wanting to say Burl DANCES a lot! Any time he hears music or expects to hear music - very cute and not silly looking - he looks cool. Plus, Burl now absolutely says "Baba" for papa. Also when he hears the garbage truck, he tells me, "DA!"

Ivo, Burl and the Excavator

I will figure out the embed problem asap. For no click here.
From yesterday. Ivo's 1st diaper free day. Corner of Xitun and Taiyuan. Sooo loud!

A Bit of Burl

Click here to see cute video... I don't know why I can't embed anymore:(

Burl loves the fp bus his cousins Ally and Mikey sent him for Xmas!

pics from yesterday

A Little More About Ivo

Ivo Overheard

• Ryan: I gotta check my email…
  Ivo: You wanna cut yr toenails?


• Ryan to Ivo drawing a picture: That looks like a nebula!
  Ivo: It look like a black hole!


• Oh! I get it! As in “Oh! I get it – Garfield gotta find Odie”


• ’Member, throw (up) is yucky. We don’t like bad things. We only like good food… And drink.


• Me to a burping, wretching Ivo: You wanna throw up, honey?
  A stricken Ivo: NOOOO! I DON’T WANNA THROW UP!

Pics from yesterday. Ivo painting in the cool watercolor paint book Kevin gave him. Oh, how he loves it!

Feeling Groovy

We are still a bit tired, our appetites weak, but Ivo and I have recovered from what I still believe to have been food poisoning from Ponderosa restaurant on Wen Xin and Da Ye in the Carre Four complex, Taichung. (I put all that info in case anyone google Ponderosa Taichung, maybe they will find my tale of woe, 3 days sick in bed, 2 - 24 hour periods of vomiting.)

People like Dale, Alison and Heather have given me a lot of reasons to think that maybe Ivo and I had an exactly simultaneous bout of stomach flu rather than food poisoning but, Ivo didn't have a fever and we weren't diarrhea-ish - and the flu people are. Also,Ryan and Burl - who didn't eat the raw sliced fruit haven't gotten sick. And, Ponderosa... we should have expected something!!!!

OK. On to more exciting things, though no more tasteful...

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We are undertaking Xtreme Potty Training. Last night while I was changing the poopy diaper of an indolently reclining Ivo, I felt the whole situation was just... degrading. When I said this to Ryan he thought "degrading for Ivo" but I mean "degrading for me." Ivo can use the toilet yet Ivo has no interest in using the toilet. There's nothing in it for him. He isn't bothered by whiling away the moments lying in repose while Ryan or I handle his poop. In fact, he barely gives us any notice, he's completely divorced from the whole affair.

So, last night I decided I will do whatever it takes. I looked on line for tips - but there's nothing I haven't read before. What got me is that 2-1/2 - 3 years old is considerated late for potty training...

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Today Ivo is 3 years, 2 months, 1 week and 2 days old. I'm shooting for the ides of March to be pretty much over the tough part.

We made a Potty Chart and hung it on the bathroom door. We spent HOURS on the toilet. Quite a few successes! 5 stickers. 2 chocolate eggs. 4 changes of clothes.

We went for a walk to find candy Ivo wanted for the poop reward - cadbury eggs with a toy inside, natch.

We had a great time playing at the park.

It's been an exhausting day... 3 accidents w/in an hour and I guess I neglected Burl's diaper changing cuz when he finally pooped today, his diaper could stand no more. Ivo tried hard- but didn't poop. Ivo played "tired" to get to go upstairs and get in bed with a diaper at 7:30pm.