Terrible Two – Page 2 – Bump 2 Bab[y]ies

I had a moment the other day, where I caught a glance of my son, and I thought when did he become a little boy? Theo was just sitting, calmly on the couch thumbing through one of his favorite books. I was speechless in both words and thoughts, honestly all I could think was… amazing. In pure amazement, I wondered when did my little 29-weeker NICU babes because little boys and girls? Then, I realized they have accomplished a lot in the last three months.

Potty Training Boot Camp

The weekend of May 30^th, 2015 will go down in history in the Vanderwall household. This was the week of potty basic training. Frank, Nana and I enlisted the V-5 and Elmo. We knew it was going to be intense, but did not know how exhausting it can be both physically and emotionally. We based the weekend off of Suzanne Riffel’s resource, entitled “The Potty Boot Camp: Basic Training for Toddlers.” We had to adapt it a bit, so one day I’ll released my own boot camp for multiples.

The schedule included four 4-hour boot camp sessions, where you spend 10-minutes off of the potty and 5-minutes on the potty. If there is an accident you have to perform drills, where you walk the child to the accident and then back to the potty 10 times. It is ideal if you can do it for 3 days straight, but we didn’t have the manpower to continue.

After Day 1 we had taken 130 trips to the potty, with 8 “Hits”, 17 “Misses” resulting in 170 “Drills” and 17 wet pairs of pants. Prior to day 2, we honorably discharged Theo and Kali. Day 2 resulted in 9 self-initiated hits, 13 hits and 10 accidents. Moving forward Bella was day-trained, Ellie was halfway there, and K, Lil and Theo were not ready physically. We were unable to sustain the schedule necessary to maintain the boot camp, so unfortunately Bella and Ellie relapsed. At this point, we are confident that they know how to use the potty and therefore when their bodies are mature enough we will all be ready. We are letting them take the lead from here.

First Trip to the Zoo

Our little munchkins love animals. They all have their favorites and are now able to call them by name versus the sound they make. Their favorites are:

Theo: Turtles, Rhinos and Dogs
Bella: Snow seals (unfortunately, this one still known as an “ar-ar”
Kali: Cats and Monkeys
Lily: Sheep and Dolphins
Elliott: Horses and Dragons

The zoo was an amazing experience for them. It was so cool to watch the expressions on their little faces when they saw how big, or heard, the animals in real life.

Upgrade to a Toddler Table

We laid to rest the amazing 6-seat daycare table. We knew they were ready when they were trying to get in and out by themselves. That doesn’t workout too well when the table is 3-feet off of the ground. Now, they not only are able to sit and stand as they please but, they enjoy helping to set and clean off the table. Unfortunately, this does allow them to take others’ food and we consistently have to remind Kali and Lily that it’s not a buffet…poor Bella often retreats to hide her food in the bookshelf so her hungry sisters can’t find it.

Learning How to Use Their Words

At times it feels like we live in a household of parrots. Theo and Lily are truly the best parrots, or perhaps its because they can be the loudest. Kali, Bella and Ellie tend to be very quiet and only talk when they are in small groups or one-on-one. Theo, however, will hold on a conversation with everyone from himself to the mailman. The development of their language has also allowed us to offer them choices and explain consequences of their poor decisions. I love being able to offer them two choices for a variety of decisions. I am confident we avoid a large number of tantrums this way. Also, their understanding of language at this point allows us to sit with them in a quiet place and explain why certain behaviors are wrong and thus warrant consequences and others are awarded. We are trying to use this approach more so than time-out. Time-out is now reserved for little ones who need to be removed from a situation for their safety or the safety of others. I have to say that Frank is awesome at helping the kids understand why their behavior can help or hurt others.

What’s Next?

It’s hard to believe that the V-5 turn two next month. We continue to practice a military-like schedule with lots of active play. We have figured out how to incorporate learning into these active times and as a result the kids have mastered:

Animals,
Modes of Transportation,
Colors,
The first letters of their name,
Numbers 1-5 (Theo knows numbers 1-9),
How to go up and down the stairs,
Drawing and Coloring.

We are currently practicing:

How to use the potty,
Shapes,
ABC’s,
Counting 1 to 10,
Matching like objects,
Opposites, and
Learning to be safe in the water.

A common question I receive is, what are the V5 up to?

2015_04, Easter, L Again too many week have passed without posting… our days continue to be filled to the brim with work, learning and play. It’s quite difficult to believe that in four short months we will have 5 two-year olds running around and attempting to run the place. It is clearly evident that they are bound and determined to learn and explore all that is in their world. This may go without saying, but this exploration certainly includes investigation includes Mommy’s and Daddy’s boundaries. They have become quite the experts at pushing Mommy and Daddy just far enough to see what will “get our goat.” Yes, the “terrible twos” are upon us. These days are characterized by the stereotypical symptoms of this dreaded stage of toddler development:

Mood swings (See Exhibit A: “Lily Light switch”)
Temper Tantrums (Exhibit B: “Kali go boom” in the local Target when the cashier needed to ring up our bananas)
Conscious defiance (Too many exhibits to mention)

It would be easy to stay “here” in this perspective, and honestly dread what each day may bring. But, I prefer to challenge my thinking and explore how this stage can become the “Terrific Two’s.” When I remember that I do not have five malicious monkeys roaming about my home, but instead curious children who are learning how to navigate emotions, social situations, and new passions it is easier to remain engaged in the process. I welcome tips on how strategies to help my kiddos through this stage.

Kali's 1st Ponytail — Kali’s 1st Ponytail

As we ride this theme of exploration, the Vanderwall 5 have started to explore potty training. Isabella and Elliott have shown clear signs of readiness:

Physical coordination to be able to remove pants
Can sit down on the potty for at least two minutes
Mental recognition of when they need to urinate
Great disdain for wearing a wet and dirty diaper
Intrigue and interest in others’ bathroom habits
Demonstrates a strong desire for independence
Understands simple instructions related to potty training

Theo, Lily and Kali are still in the “Exposure stage,” where they are interested but not ready. As those who have potty trained before know, this process is not for the faint-of-heart. We have thought about trying potty training “boot camp” for a weekend (read more here), but can’t wrap our heads around how that would be realistic for 1) kids at different stages of readiness and 2) from a public health safety and sanitation perspective. We will mostly have to increase the intensity of our training with Bella because it is nearly impossible to keep that cute little butt of hers in a dirty diaper.

In other fun news, we are working our way towards the majority of two-year milestones.

Movement Milestones-

All of the munchkins have similar physical capabilities. All can walk, run, stand on their tip toes, carry several large objects while walking (toys, siblings and laundry!), kick and throw a ball, crawl up and down the stairs, and climb on and off of furniture. Yes, the five little monkeys jumping on the bed story is a reality in our home. We are still working on going up and down the stairs while walking with assistance.

Fine Motor Skills-

All are able to scribble spontaneously when they want to. Most prefer to explore the variety of flavors that come with each color crayon. We are still working on drawing a straight-line.

They are great at picking their toys up and building towers. They are also progressing in feeding themselves with spoons and forks (we are moving on from the feeding trough days and now are using bowls and silverware… oh, sophistication). We are practicing fine motor skills with a fantastic pinterest activity where you practice inserting pipe cleaners into a colander. The kids love it and it keeps their attention for 20-30 minutes. They are experts at building block towers, too.

Language Skills-

If you spend any length of time in our home, you may mistake it for a zoo. The V5 do not cease to amaze us in their acquisition of new words, especially animal sounds. They are able to recognize and impersonate over 30 animals. My personal faves are horse (ney ney) and fish (Kali has the cutest fish face you’ll find). They are able to recognize and point out a variety of objects and people by name. We aren’t able to say phrases, yet, but they can rattle off a variety of 2 syllable words and are quite the parrots and thus attempt longer words that they hear. When they can’t find the word, or the sign to communicate what they want or need they quickly resort to pointing and screaming… this staged-approach appears to be quite effective.

Cognitive Milestones-

The children are able to seek out and find hidden objects; this is a game they love to play with Nana B! They are great at sorting like objects and pairing shapes. We are still working on sorting by color. We even have a few who have begun make-believe play. Kali and Ellie love to sneak away into their fantasy worlds.

Social and Emotional-

As noted before, all of the kiddos are demonstrating an increased desire for independence and when they do not get it tantrums ensue. They don’t tend to show any signs of separation anxiety, but this is often because they always are with a primary caregiver, or each other. They love being with each other and recognize each other as separate from themselves.

2015_04, Easter, P

All in all, we are so very proud of how our five little miracles continue to grow, learn and develop before our eyes!

Category: Terrible Two

When Did They Grow Up?

What are the V5 up to?