How I potty trained Chloe before her 3rd birthday!!

Chloe is a child who does things in her own time and not a second before [or after] she wants to. She waited until she was 2 to start talking and is still picking up new words. She started self-feeding at 6 months old. She got her first tooth at 8 months. She started walking at 11 months. She nursed until she was 2 (and only stopped because I got pregnant and couldn't handle the pain from her nursing anymore).

Potty training has proved to be another milestone she is going to do in her own time. I have found many sites on potty training. Everybody has their own way of doing it. Some parents had great success their first time out of the gate and some had to try multiple methods [multiple times].

December was when I first tried potty training Chloe. She was 2 1/2 years old, but Bryce was only a few weeks old. Because I was couch ridden with a newborn (newborns sure eat a lot!), I decided to try having her potty chair in the living room with me where I could easily help her. She would sit and watch her cartoons or play, and I would ask her to sit on the potty every so often. She only ever produced for me, one time. I wasn't consistent. I was too busy with a newborn and she didn't care to try potty training.

We tried bribing her with M&M's and Jelly Beans [which we always ended up eating]. I can't even count how many times I've filled the "potty mum mum" jar (mum mum is how she says 'candy').

We tried a sticker chart with a goal to hit, but I didn't hang it up and it is now in the scratch paper pile and I never remembered to give her a sticker. Bad mom, I know.

I tried training pants at one point too. The theory was that she'd hate the wet feeling. Nope. Soaked her undies and didn't care and my scolding her didn't help [or hurt] her either.

A couple weeks ago she was in the bath tub and she said she had to go potty. I let her out and she went potty. She got back in the tub and within a few minutes she asked to get out again, this time she pooped. I immediately sent Dave a text to share the exciting news. That evening after work he stopped at Target and purchased a new Thomas train and some more railroad tracks. (Chloe LOVES her train set!)
On Monday, I decided that we were going to do this potty training thing by having a naked week. I'd seen it online where they did a naked weekend. Stripped to nothing and stayed on a cleanable surface for a day or two. I decided I wasn't going to be that strict. Completely naked, but as a rule she stays downstairs with me so I wasn't worried about her wetting on the floor somewhere I wouldn't know about.

Well, after 5 days of being naked, she earned 25 stickers and didn't have any accidents! On Saturday, I tried putting training underwear on her and she wanted NOTHING to do with them!! After calming her down from her crying fit I tried to determine why she wouldn't wear them. I deduced that she was afraid she'd have an accident and not earn her railroad tracks (she knew she was getting them if she didn't have any accidents). I told her that she just needed to earn 10 stickers but that didn't help. She would NOT put them on. So, I said, "Hey Chloe!! Would you like to go to the store today and pick out your very own underwear just for you?!" Her response was a resounding, "YEAH!"
Before we left the house I put a diaper on her and I said, "This is a big day Chloe! This is your very last diaper!!!" Off to Walmart we went! She of course chose Hello Kitty! I handed them to her and I said, "Chloe. Why are you getting new panties?" She said, "I pee in the potty!" With tears welling up in my eyes I gave her a huge hug and asked for a high five and made a HUGE deal about being a big girl!

(I typed this weeks ago and lost my train of thought - so I'll take off from where we are now.)

We did the naked thing for a week, and then we did just underwear for a week. Only one accident. The following week we got dressed.

It has been a month or so and she goes tells us whenever she has to go to the bathroom. She does #1 and #2 (never had a problem with going #2 like some kids do.) We praised her up and down after every single attempt and success. She has 2 very full sticker charts in the bathroom. She hasn't figured out how to get her pants down on her own yet, so we always have to help her, but she'll get it.

She earned 20 more feet of railroad tracks for her Thomas train. That was her big surprise for using the potty all week with no accidents, clothed and earning 40 stickers (a number I came up with and she didn't know about.)

She wears Good Nights at nap time and bed time and most of the time she wakes up with a dry Good Night.

So, there you have it...

1 week of being naked
1 week of just undies
1 week of fully clothed

Potty trained by her 3rd birthday!!! We'll work on night time after a little while.

How God Brought Two Complete Strangers Together

The following copied from our scrapbook. I'm so glad that we wrote this stuff down before it got fuzzy in our heads. Even today as I was re-typing it I asked Dave about things that happened. After 11 years, it's hard to remember!! I have inserted my current thoughts here and there, in italics.

How We Met...

David graduated from South Central Technical College in Mankato, MN in May of 2001. Soon afterward, he moved to Hillsboro, Oregon to work at Intel and to seek out ministry opportunities. He worked with various ministries including the Alliance Bible Church Youth Group and the StillSpeaks band.

Through work he met Jae Alexander who lived in McMinnville and worked with the Willamina Christian Church Youth Group. David and Jae frequently hung out on their breaks. One night Jae mentioned to David that in the future he would like some help with the youth group.

In the sping of 2002, Rick Francis at Alliance Bible Church was laid off because of financial hardship in the church. David then remembered Jae's need for help in Willamina and took him up on his offer and stayed there for over a year.

Through Jae, David was told about a new church plant being started in McMinnville by Erik Neilson and his family. It was called Adventure Christian Church. David decided to join Jae in this effort as well, and soon moved from Hillsboro to McMinnville to be closer to Adventure and Willamina.

Meanwhile...

Sarah had just started her second year working at the Dayton Christian Preschool. One day after work, the senior pastor asked her into his office. He told her that there was a new church plant in McMinnville and they needed a babysitter for their Thursday night Bible Study. After giving it much thought and insisting that she was too busy, she said she'd do it.

~ At the time I was working 3-4 part time jobs! ~ 

In the spring of 2003, David and Jae went with the Willamina Youth Group to the Go Show (Kutless/Mercy Me/Audio Adrenaline). Sarah was at the concert with her best friend, Marianne. While the two groups were looking for seats before the concert David and Sarah walked past each other and exchanged greetings.

~ I seem to recall David telling me he'd be at the concert so I kept my eye out for him. And I also recall not really paying attention to the concert but looking for David in the crowd the whole time. ~

In March of 2003, Adventure Christian Church started meeting in the Seventh Day Adventist building. Around the same time, David and Sarah started noticing each other from across the church. For several months they were too shy to open up about their thoughts and feelings toward each other, but on multiple occasions they talked about what was going on in their lives (e.g. work and school). 

~ One major sign that he was a keeper, he would remember after a week or more what our last conversation was about. On one particular occasion I remember he asked me how my math test went. I can't believe he remembered I had a test! This guy is a keeper! ~

On April 27th, David decided to break the silence. He approached Sarah after church and they started talking about the daily happenings of their lives. Only, this time was different because David decided to ask Sarah if she wanted to hang out with him (taking Erik & Jae's advice). His first question was, "So, do you wanna go bike riding sometime?" Not knowing what to say Sarah stood there speechless. (I think I gave a head nod). David then continued by asking, "So what do you like to do?" Still speechless, Sarah replied, "I don't know what I like to do..." Just then Sadie, (Erik's daughter) walked by. Sarah grabbed for her hand and said to her, "Hey, let's go find mom!"

Sarah had run to Laura not knowing what to say or do about David's inquiry. Laura's answer was, "What are you doing?? Go talk to him!" Taking her advice Sarah ran back into the room hoping to find David, but he had gone home.

On May 25th, 2003, David and Sarah had their first real conversation. Sarah intentionally sat down with Sadie a few seats away from where David usually sat. When David came into church he was reluctant to sit in such close proximity to her not knowing she had sat there on purpose. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

At the beginning of church everybody stood to sing. Slowly Sarah inched her way over to the seat that was right next to his. When church was over they talked and made plans to have their first date on Friday, May 30th.

So there you have it. A gorgeous fella from Minnesota and a super shy gal from Oregon meet and the rest is history!! My next post will be about our first date!!

 

"You're a what??"

 Often times, this is the reaction I get when people ask me if I work outside the home and I answer with, “Yes, I’m a birth doula.” I have also gotten a head nod and an “Oh…okay…”. I think I’ve even received a blank stare. But, most of the time I get, “You’re a what?”

Yes, that’s right. I’m a birth doula. No, I’m not a doctor.  I’m not a midwife. I don’t get to catch the baby (but that would be fun!) I am [simply] a birth doula. 

For the sake of time I copied and pasted what is on my website to tell you exactly what a doula is.

~~Doula is a Greek word meaning "woman servant". A Birth Doula refers to a supportive companion, professionally trained and experienced in childbirth. The Doula's role is to provide physical, emotional and informational support to women and their partners during the prenatal period, during labor and birth. A Doula offers help and advice on comfort measures such as breathing, relaxation, massage and positioning. A Doula’s role is to nurture and protect a woman's memory of her birth.~~

Let me answer a couple common questions/comments: 

I'm having an epidural for sure, do I still need a doula?
 I have had 4 out of 8 clients have an epidural. I don't only assist in pain coping (without an epidural). I assist the partner too! I am a go-fer. I am a rational mind in the room. I can explain things to the partner, and my client. I am not a medically trained doctor or nurse so I can't tell them what to do or give them medical advice, but I can say things like, "Lisa, would you like to take a few minutes and discuss it with Jim first?" It gives the client and her partner a chance to get the doctor out of the room and think about their options rather than make a snap decision [that they could regret later]. As a 3rd party I am not on any side. My client, her partner and I have discussed their birth desires before labor and I know their desires. (And yes, they can change in the labor room and I know that.) Also, I don't step in in an emergency.

I have a midwife, do I need a doula?
 If you are in a hospital than yes, a doula is a great asset. In the hospital, the midwives are certified nurse midwives and they are in and out of the room just as much as the nurses are - out more than in.
 I have also been told that nurses really appreciate a doula in the room. They usually have 2 or 3 other patients that they're watching on their shift. They also have tons of paperwork to do. When there is a doula with a patient they are able to not stress as much - knowing they have help when they're not in the room.

I'm not having a home birth. I don't need a doula...

 I don't only do hospital births. I would LOVE to do a home birth. I have done a birth center birth though and I feel like my role was just as important as a birth at the hospital. I am able to stay with my client the entire time. Midwives have to do paperwork. (I do too, but not nearly as in depth.)

I absolutely love being a doula. I attended my first birth in April of 2009 and have attended 7 others since then. Bear with me while I geek out and throw some facts to you :)

Fun Facts about the 8 Births I’ve done:

• The 3^rd birth I attended was on my birthday :)

• Five of them were girls

• I’ve helped one client twice (and can’t wait for her 3^rd)

•  Four clients have been complete strangers who I met through an interview process – Yes, I have to go through the interview process for each potential client.  (Mitch Coleman, thank you! Ag Sales was the death of me, but I learned something! – We did mock interviews all the time. And he always got mad when I told the person who was interviewing me that I wanted to be a stay at home mom…that wasn’t what I was supposed to say. I was supposed to act like I really wanted the job I was ‘applying’ for. Oops!)

•  Four babies came before their due date (10 days early was the earliest)
•  Four babies came later than their due date (3 days late was the latest)
• The average is 1.6 days early

•  No babies were born in the same month. I haven’t done a birth in Feb, March, July or September.

•  Two births were cesarean births

• The longest baby was 21”, the shortest was 19.5” and the average was 20.18”

• The heaviest baby was 9lbs 1oz, the lightest was 4lbs 13oz and the average was 7lbs 4oz  

Geeky enough for you? Anyway, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. 

Thanks for reading!

Simply Sarah

Truth in Advertising

I was thinking about what my first post should be about and the phrase Truth in Advertising popped into my head. What does Truth in Advertising mean? To me it means being open and honest about what my intentions are with this blog.

As a stay-at-home mom, it is really hard to find something that brings in an income that isn't sales and at the same time lets you spend all day with the kids and also allows you to keep up with the everyday household tasks.

I have a great idea for a new website/app but I have no knowledge to go about doing that, so for now it's just a dream - know anybody who could help?

It was brought to my attention about a year ago that blogging pays. (And yes, I know it takes time). I'm not asking to make a 6-figure income (but who wouldn't like that). I'm just looking for something that will help bring in a little more than the zilch I make now.

I'm not quite sure how to go about it, but I have a few ideas. My hope is that through this blog I'll be able to help others as well. (In order to make it profitable for me though, I have to generate traffic).

From time to time I'd like to feature a friend's small business (I know plenty of them). I'd like to start doing product reviews, feature other blogs, share stories and advice, etc.

What in the world would I write about that would be interesting enough that the masses would read it?? As someone mentioned on Facebook, just write. About anything. So... I'll do just that. I'm not an expert at anything. I've dabbled in some hobbies. It'll be hard to compete with the hilarity and real-lifeness that is captured in Caitlin's blog. I am not crafty or creative enough to start an Etsy site or cook enough to make my own recipe site.


But, I am human! I am a grand daughter, daughter, sister, wife, mom, friend, doula...I am... Simply Sarah... I'm sure I can find something to write about that would intrigue somebody.

So, here goes nothing!

Wish me luck. Visit often. Post [nice] comments. Send me ideas. Enjoy!!

Simply Sarah