Miscelaneous Alison

I think it's time to get Alison a potty chair. Not because I think she's anywhere near ready to potty train (that is going to take a very long time I think....we don't know for sure what she can feel "down there"), but because we need someplace to put her when she starts to tinkle on the bathroom floor or poop in the bathtub. Tinkling on the floor is not such a huge deal and she's only done it twice, and the second time was just a little dribble. Pooping in the tub is another story. She did it for the second time in 3 nights last night. At least Kevin got her hair washed before she did it. Her toys are still in the dish drainer, since they had to get washed. Who knows, maybe she does feel when she's doing these things and putting her on the potty will help her to realize what she's doing.

Our next door neighbors have a motor home. Last night Alison was looking out the window at it asking Kevin "what this?" He told her it was a winnebago (or however the heck you spell that). Imagine my surprise when Alison actually said "winnebago," and fairly clearly, too.

One of Alison's new "tricks" it to insist on blessing meals. Now, we always say a blessing before supper, but as soon as we're all at the table for lunch, even if she's half way through her meal, she'll put her fists up next to her nose and say "bless" until we do -- Saturday morning Kevin even had to bless breakfast. When we're done, she'll even say amen. Of course, if she had her way, we'd bless at least 5 times during the course of a meal. For now we just keep telling her that we already blessed and she can go ahead and eat.

Today is the first time I have been able to run the sweeper without Alison having a major meltdown. She was starting to get better about it at the end of last year. Then she got sick and got put on Pulmicort. Although no one in the medical profession will believe me (except my brother's girlfriend) I think it has made her sensitive to noise. For a while even the furnace turning on would scare her half to death, so I think it goes without saying that the sweeper was almost like torture for her. She'd start to cry if I even said I was getting ready to run the sweeper. Then she'd cry when I was done. But today, I said I was going to run the sweeper and didn't get even so much as a whimper. She just hopped up in the "big" chair and stayed there until I was done. Then she got done and resumed playing. I think that's been the key.....being able to get up and away from it. Hopefully this wasn't a one time thing because shedding season is about to start and having a black dog and light brown carpet means a lot of vacuuming.