Dry Nights

It's been a week now of no diapers to bed, just training pants. I've cut off beverages after 7:30, no longer let him take a sippy of water to bed, and have him try to go at 8:30 right before going to bed. He's been dry every morning - as long as I get him to the toilet right after waking. I have the sheet protectors just in case, but even one night with regular underwear was successful. I don't know what to thank for this lucky transition! I was imagining waking us both up in the middle of the night.

Well...sharing.

Ronan was having a sharing problem last night at a friend's. Her son is 5, but she has told me Ronan is the only child he really gets along with. Last night a meltdown occurred over our host's Leapster game. Ronan doesn't have anything like that and the boy was playing a game very much in Ronan's interest - Cars 2. While the other boy was being disciplined for throwing a fit. I attempted a conversation with Ronan.

"What's your most favorite toy at home?"
"Cars."
"If Brodun came over and played with your favorite cars and didn't ask, would you be upset?"
"Yes."
"Well, this game is Brodun's most favorite toy. And you took it without asking. So he's upset."
I paused to let that sink in before I lost him...
"When Brodun is ready to come out of his room, what are you going to do with the game?"
"Share."
Score!

When Brodun was released from time-out, I reminded Ronan about the game, and he handed it over. And the rest of the night he was content with watching Brodun play. It's relieving to know that I am able to come up with some sort of language for him to understand and get over "but I want to play."

Aaaannnnd....crash.

Here comes another bipolar relapse. See the doc in a few days. Have to keep my mind occupied until then. Especially when Ronan's home. He picks up on emotions better than anyone I've ever met.

He's a big boy now :')

Twice now, Ronan has done his #2 on the big potty! The things that seem to be working best for him are definitely underwear versus training pants, keeping a potty nearby, and not nagging him about it. Sure, he still has accidents, and we just started nighttime training two nights ago. But he's come a long way, and he's pretty proud :)

Do I have what it takes?

No, this isn't about one of a mom's big questions. This blog is "competing" in Circle of Moms Top 25 Single Mom Blogs contest :) Please click on the pink sticker ---> on the right sidebar and vote for "It Doesn't Get Better Than This," currently holding strong at #22. There are only five voting days left, so trying to keep a leg up. Here's what happens if I get in the top 25:

From Circle of Moms:
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Thanks for your support!

And yes...

That's a VEGAN cupcake in my new title photo at my son's 3rd bday party. They were a hit ;) Recipes from Collen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking and can also be found on my other blog, Being Vegan.

Transitioning a toddler...

I tried to publish this via email two days ago, but it got lost in cyber-space...

Did I talk about this already? I became vegan at the end of 2011, for a number of reasons: cruelty to factory-farmed animals, my health, to lose weight. As I became certain this was someone I was going to be able to commit to, I started trying vegan foods on Ronan. I never really considered him a picky eater until I was trying to substitute his favorite foods.

First came the chicken nuggets. I got a high recommendation for Gardein tenders, and bought a couple bags. I thought they were fantastic! Ronan, however, was not fooled. For two weeks (not every night, I'm not that crazy) I tried getting him to warm up but he was having none of it. Begrudged, I bought more Tyson chicken nuggets and pondered some more.

Second came the hot dogs. Ew! At least I was buying all beef franks before, and not a mixture of, well, whatever. But he wasn't fooled by Smart Dogs or Tofurkey franks either. I couldn't even get him to try more than one bite of cheez.

Then, I found vegetarian chik'n nuggets by MorningStar Farms. Why not? And...he likes them, whew! Next, a tofu scramble...victory! Homemade macaroni and cheez? Well, the noodles were a little al dente so I can't blame him for not having more than a few bites. But he did say it was good.

Why is it so important that my son is vegan, as well? Well, learning what I've learned about the way animals we consume are used and abused sends shivers down my spine...and then I've read up on the health benefits of vegetarians/vegans versus non. What better gift can I give than a life of compassion and understanding and a healthy start from here on? It took me 31 years to get it right...

Potty-training victory!

So, I think we're on week...4? of potty-training. At the end of week 3? I somehow got Ronan to stay naked from the waist down for an entire weekend. It worked! He went in the potty EVERY TIME. As a reward he got to move up from the bulky, reusable training pants into regular underwear that he picked out himself (Toy Story, Cars, and Thomas and Friends). All last week I think there were only a total of 5-6 accidents!

As of 3 days ago, he started wanting to use the potty before going to bed, even though he had a diaper on. And he's successfully making it there with #2s almost every time. This morning, he wanted to go as soon as he got up! I think we're definitely ready to start on nighttime training. He's so proud and even amazing his teachers with his progress!