progress

My weird black skin in and around my belly button finally decided to shed off today, I think my body is finally coming to grips with the fact that it's not pregnant anymore. Maybe this means that I'll start losing the weight now too. (not likely)

Milestone

Since I started EC with Gracie, I would try to spring out of bed and take her to the potty as soon as I heard her starting to wake up. But now we've moved her from our room into her own room. She's been doing so well in there too, she sleeps all night! It's wonderful. Since she's in her own room I don't hear her rustling around. Skylar wakes up before me and now just brings her to me and I feed her in bed, play with her, then change her diaper. I figured if I didn't take her immediately after pulling her out of bed then its probably to late anyway. This morning when I got around to the diaper change, I noticed her diaper was still dry! Yes, dry, after a 9 hour sleep, after eating and playing a little. I plopped her on her potty and WAMO, she did the biggest poop and pee she ever has. She was totally holding it until I took her potty. Bless her little heart, explains why she was so wiggly at the breast this morning. Sorry Gracie, mommy's still learning with you.

EC

(ps that's not a bruise on her bottom, it's a birth mark)

In an effort to minimize laundry, I decided to start holding Gracie on a little potty when I changed her diaper. She was regularly peeing or pooping as soon as the diaper came off, and her poops are major projectile! Then I remembered a friend of mine told me about elimination communication. Gracie was already successfully peeing in the potty at diaper changes, so I decided to take the next step and learn her "I have to go potty" cues. About 1 week into it and we're catching about 5 or 6 pees a day and usually 1 or 2 poops.
For those who have never heard of elimination communication (EC) it's simply learning a baby's cues and helping them eliminate in a more sanitary way than in a diaper. Humans and animals are born understanding that it's gross and uncomfortable to soil themselves. Humans teach their babies to eliminate in a diaper. Before a baby has learned that the diaper is her toilet, she often waits until the diaper is off to "go potty." It's not just because the cold hits the little fanny, it's because she knows her waste isn't going to be trapped against her skin. All babies have some kind of potty cue, the trick is to figure it out. So we're in that process. I have noticed that if Gracie suddenly goes from happy to fussy, it's because she's gotta go, also, when nursing if she starts to get aggravated, it's usually because she has to pee.
I never thought that "peeing" my baby would be so fun, I'm so proud of her every time.

I'm sure many people think that I'm crazy, and I understand that this probably doesn't work for many parents, but it works for me and Gracie.