weaning steroids and refusing vegetables

This week I started the next "step" in the steroids weaning process. I am now on 5mg on alternate days. Today is my second "steroid free" day. I had not really expected to be affected by it, but it turns out I was wrong. Blood glucose chaos... with me stressing about it a lot, because I was already anticipating the issues to come the following day and the next. Well, yesterday was not a good day either, and today is not going too much better either. Four more weeks or so to go before I stop them completely. I am really looking forward to that as at least then, after dealing with the "aftermath", things should be back to being a bit more stable again.

My boy is growing up so fast. He continuously repeats things we say, learning new things every day. He seems to have entered the toddler eating stage with a vengeance now - refusing vegetables, or eating it with great reluctance. One day this week he ate all the chicken on his place and demanded "More, More". We have had a few mornings of tears at the day care - breaks my heart every time.

the wee wee

Yesterday I bought a potty - one that can be used as a stock standard potty, a step stool to reach the basin or be able to get onto the "proper toilet", and a removable seat which can be attached to the toilet. Up to now I have only had one that qualifies more as a travel potty - you are able to use it "on the floor" with little baggies, or as an attachment on the actual toilet. At first my boy did not like sitting on the real one. I did not push the issue, left the potty in the bathroom, and never tried again. Eventually he started putting 2 and 2 together. A couple of weeks ago he started pointing at it saying "wee wee". When it was bath time and he did it I would let him sit on it for a while. He has never actually done anything in it of course... He seemed real excited with his new, as he calls it, "wee wee" yesterday. Of course it was carried all around for some time, used to sit on in the lounge too, and opened and closed numerous times. He sat on it before his bath last night, and again this morning during a nappy change when he asked for it. I am sure we still have a very looooong road to travel, but it is exciting to be reaching this milestone. I have been told that boys take longer / start later / are more difficult than girls, so I guess we have our work cut out for us!

rewarding bad behaviour

A recent blogpost by Blackhuff reminded me of something that happened a little while ago, which is slightly related to what she was discussing...

After picking my boy up from day care I decided to take him for a walk in the area before going home. We took a walk and when we got back to the car he was really unhappy – he is such an outdoor creature, just loves being outside all the time. So when I tried to put him back into his carseat he fought back – violently I might add! Just kept pulling his little body stiff and saying “no, no, no”, making it near impossible for me to tie him in. So, because I was in no hurry, I did not force him down immediately, but rather just tried to calm him down, and even reason with him. But of course, he wanted nothing of it.... Another mom pulled up behind me, and wanted my parking spot. I told her that I was going to be a while. She got out of her car and stared at me for a while and said that her daughter did the same (Her daughter is a little younger than C). This is the first time he has protested getting into his carseat, and I knew it was just because he wanted to be outside, so I told her this. She then asks why I don’t give him “something” – meaning a “treat” or bottle of sorts. To which I answered that I do not see the point as it is not that he wants (or needs for that matter) anything, he just does not want to get back in as he wants to be outside. She then adds that she “bribes” her daughter with “Flings” when he daughter does not want to get into the carseat.

Now first off – I do not have crisps or anything of the sort with me at all times to use for bribing. I discussed this later with my husband and a friend. I could not believe that people actually do this, actually I can, and she probably judged me quite a bit on my parenting “skills”. I will NEVER give him a treat in order for him to do something like get into his carseat. What is the point?? – so he will then get into his carseat and eat his snack. Then, next time he will use that behaviour to get a treat, right? I believe that doing so could teach him that behaving in a certain way will get him “rewarded”. And “rewarding” bad behaviour is not exactly something I would want to encourage, and I see this as doing exactly that.

I am pretty sure that at some point I will be faced with a situation where I will be doing exactly what I say I would never do, but I would not want this to become the norm. And I am glad that up to know I can confidently say that I have not yet “rewarded” bad behaviour.