A Daily Dose of Splunder: Growing Up...Up...Up

The time is now. She's standing. I am becoming increasingly obsolete. She no longer needs me to support her to sit or stand. She no longer needs me to help her eat. She no longer needs me to talk to...she's got stuffed animals for that. Pretty soon she'll be paying rent in some shitty, big city, downtown apartment and calling me from 2000 miles away to ask how to keep cockroaches at bay. Sigh.

Anyway, she's 8 months old now. The animals were slightly more cooperative this month.

We have started doing something a little, admittedly, crazy. Let me preface this admission by saying that I spend a lot of time with Ginny. Like...a lot of time. We are together every waking minute of most every, single day. With that said, I have learned to read her pretty well. I can tell when she's hungry, when she's bored, when she's sad, or when she's just tired. I can also tell when she has to go to the bathroom. And in the past few months we have been battling an incredibly stubborn rash that did not respond at all to prescription ointments, standard barrier creams, or any super-secret pink pastes mixed by shady apothecaries. Several months ago, I was turned onto the book, "The Diaper Free Baby." After exhausting all of my diaper cream options, this book was my last resort. I lolled myself to sleep for the last few weeks reading about "elimination communication." Anyway, it's a terrible read but it has been a life changer for us. Since last week, we have been putting the book's principles into practice and gotten some major results. Yes, in short, I am potty training an 8 month old. She has peed and pooped, on command, in the toilet, every day for the last week. She hangs out without a diaper while she is awake and, while there have been a few accidents, the mess has been manageable. The rash is on the mend due to the coconut oil I have been slathering on her crotch every time I put her in a diaper (nap times, outings, and night time). I could not be more pleased with the results. Seriously, if you're a new mom, read this book. It's the latest fad in trendy parenting ;)