In the Bible we find this passage:
That they (the aged women) may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children... (words in parenthesis added to clarify the meaning) Titus 2:4
Regardless of one's faith, this is a noble directive. If the aged women don't teach the younger, then who will? Who else is qualified? Qualification may not always be related directly to age, as a woman of 29 who has nursed several children will be equipped to instruct an older woman of 39 who has not yet done it, but in general, a woman who is "aged" will have had some experience in nearly every endeavor currently being encountered by a 25-year-old.
Isn't it a demonstration of love for a husband and a child when a mother gets informed and moves in a purposeful manner about birth choices and child rearing methods? Does she not have their best interests at heart, as well as her own, when she prepares nourishing meals and removes toxic chemicals from their environment? Does not being sober-minded require her to think seriously, although not joylessly or unkindly, about decisions regarding education, wellness, character building, hospitality, giving and social and religious responsibility?
In light of the instructions given in the above, T.M. shall strive to share what she has learned for the purpose of leading others into wise choices as well as helping them to avoid mistakes which result in not only regret, but long-term consequences. As the mother of 3 girls (two are now young women), she has had direct access to some minds already and has, no doubt, been a great influence in shaping their opinions. But there are other women who do not have a mother to instruct them and who might benefit from this internet access to a woman who has been there and done that.
One of the first topics to be discussed, a topic close to the heart of T.M. and about which she is currently writing a book, is child birth. Stay tuned for more on that.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Changing Directions
Tommy's Mommy (called T.M. on this blog) is interested in many aspects of mothering besides Elimination Communicaiton (called E.C. on this blog). Additionally, she is interested in many things that fall outside of the direct scope of "mothering". So the decision has to be made, where does the blog go from here? Rather than limiting herself to a single topic as she has done in the past, the objective will be to discuss a range of topics that will interest women at many different locations on their path through life.
Some of things that come to the top of her mind are; breastfeeding, child birth (subtopics of home birth, midwifery, unassisted birth, natural birth), breastfeeding, nourishing a family, menopause (eeeekkkk!), child training, self-sufficiency, herbalism and natural medicine, and the application of overarching principles and underlying beliefs to every aspect of life.
In recommending herself to readers, T.M. has to offer nearly a quarter of a century of mothering experience. She has recently become a grandmother, as well. She has birthed 7 children in addition to having two miscarriages. She has taken a path that started with hospital birth, the standard American diet, reliance on doctors and hospitals for health, a path that turned and now wanders in the open fields of all things natural and a rejection of self-proclaimed experts, a path which now constantly offers new wisdom found in Creation and the gleaning of nuggets from those who have gone before with success. She has not arrived, but she has definitely left certain things behind for good.
Here is a place where we can discuss past decisions and prepare for future challenges. The readers can share what they have learned and ask about what they don't know. Here is a place to share resources and journeys with candor and compassion.
Some of things that come to the top of her mind are; breastfeeding, child birth (subtopics of home birth, midwifery, unassisted birth, natural birth), breastfeeding, nourishing a family, menopause (eeeekkkk!), child training, self-sufficiency, herbalism and natural medicine, and the application of overarching principles and underlying beliefs to every aspect of life.
In recommending herself to readers, T.M. has to offer nearly a quarter of a century of mothering experience. She has recently become a grandmother, as well. She has birthed 7 children in addition to having two miscarriages. She has taken a path that started with hospital birth, the standard American diet, reliance on doctors and hospitals for health, a path that turned and now wanders in the open fields of all things natural and a rejection of self-proclaimed experts, a path which now constantly offers new wisdom found in Creation and the gleaning of nuggets from those who have gone before with success. She has not arrived, but she has definitely left certain things behind for good.
Here is a place where we can discuss past decisions and prepare for future challenges. The readers can share what they have learned and ask about what they don't know. Here is a place to share resources and journeys with candor and compassion.
Emerging From Hiding
This blog has been all but abandoned. It has been left in place just in case some mothers who are new to e.c. need one more resource to encourage them and they might stumble over here. However, the remote chance of that occurrence is not large enough to justify letting it just sit here taking up electrons.
On the other hand, continuing to post and talking about things other than e.c. might make that occurrence more likely while allowing T.M. to blather about other topics of interest to her.
By way of updating, T.M. had a miscarriage in August of 2011 after announcing on this blog that she was expecting and already making plans for her next adventure in infant potty training. Perhaps with her advanced age another pregnancy may never be conceived, or perhaps the spacing will just be really long, so it makes little sense to wait around for a chance to blog again about the fun and foibles of taking a baby to the potty place.
Tommy, himself is nearly completely toilet independent at the age of 3 1/2. He still sits facing toward the rear of the toilet, but he takes himself to the place, removes his own pants, climbs up there , does his business and flushes completely by himself. He still needs help to wipe, as does his 5 year old brother, and he rarely attempts to put his undies and pants back on, as he usually brings them to T.M. or an older sibling and asks for help. It is sort of cute to hear a shout coming from inside a bathroom with a closed door, "Will someone wipe my butt!!!!!!!!!!!!!", although it can also be embarrassing when company is present or when we are visiting at the neighbor's.
Out in public he must be attended on the toilet for bowel movements because he is unsure about balancing himself alone on the front of the toilet seat, facing forward, and we choose not to have him remove his shoes as is required for removing the pants for straddling the toilet to face backwards. He urinates standing and he both lifts the seat AND puts it back down when he is finished.
That constitutes an update. This post could sure use some pictures, huh? How many of the posts here bemoan the lack of pictures?
On the other hand, continuing to post and talking about things other than e.c. might make that occurrence more likely while allowing T.M. to blather about other topics of interest to her.
By way of updating, T.M. had a miscarriage in August of 2011 after announcing on this blog that she was expecting and already making plans for her next adventure in infant potty training. Perhaps with her advanced age another pregnancy may never be conceived, or perhaps the spacing will just be really long, so it makes little sense to wait around for a chance to blog again about the fun and foibles of taking a baby to the potty place.
Tommy, himself is nearly completely toilet independent at the age of 3 1/2. He still sits facing toward the rear of the toilet, but he takes himself to the place, removes his own pants, climbs up there , does his business and flushes completely by himself. He still needs help to wipe, as does his 5 year old brother, and he rarely attempts to put his undies and pants back on, as he usually brings them to T.M. or an older sibling and asks for help. It is sort of cute to hear a shout coming from inside a bathroom with a closed door, "Will someone wipe my butt!!!!!!!!!!!!!", although it can also be embarrassing when company is present or when we are visiting at the neighbor's.
Out in public he must be attended on the toilet for bowel movements because he is unsure about balancing himself alone on the front of the toilet seat, facing forward, and we choose not to have him remove his shoes as is required for removing the pants for straddling the toilet to face backwards. He urinates standing and he both lifts the seat AND puts it back down when he is finished.
That constitutes an update. This post could sure use some pictures, huh? How many of the posts here bemoan the lack of pictures?
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Gifts for the New E.C. Mommy
TM attended a lovely baby shower last evening. Due to her present state of gestation, she looked rather eagerly at the gifts being opened by the honored mother. What are the latest colors and styles for the newborn?
There was a common theme amongst the gifts and the bearers of them. Onesies are a hot item. As the woman with the bountiful belly opened package after package containing all varieties of one-piece body suits for babies, the other mothers in the crowd would chime in knowingly with comments like, "I LOVE onesies!" and "You can never have enough of those." And TM used to hold this similar opinion. What has changed?
Well, obviously, it's infant potty training that makes onesies undesirable. The flaps that snap between the legs are difficult to hold out of the way when pottying the baby. The snaps themselves can be difficult to manipulate while holding the infant over the potty place and hurrying to get the nether regions bare. And perhaps most frustrating of all, in the case of a miss, the entire outfit has to come off over the head, which can be a messy proposition if the miss was a poopy!
So, what would be a better gift choice if you should be invited to TM's baby shower in about 8 months? Or the baby shower of another mom who plans to E.C., of course. You might want to consider the following issues. Does the outfit consist of one piece rather than a separate shirt and bottom? Can the shirt be unfastened in front, or does it have to be lifted over the head? Is the shirt sort of longish, so that it can be worn without pants and won't look like a crop-top?
This is TM's favorite type of shirt:
And what, besides shirts that snap up the front make good gifts for infant potty trainers? For starters, socks and leggings. These babies may spend a lot of time without pants, so anything that covers the feet and legs will help keep the little one warm.How about a dozen cloth diapers? I mean pre-folds, not fitted or pocket diapers or anything like that. These should be the high quality ones which are sold on places like e-bay. They should say "DSQ" on the description, which means "diaper service quality". These can used on or under the baby, and they also make for great burp cloths.
Diaper belts (see the post here for a description) and tiny underwear are much appreciated. Cotton blankets and quilts that can be used on a bed or floor under baby are perfect. If the mom intends to use a ring sling or maya wrap
, having more than one really comes in handy in case the baby has a miss in the sling.
Other thoughtful gifts could include diaper pails, little potties and stacks of wash cloths. Books and DVDs about E.C. can provide ideas and encouragement to a mom who is having one of those days where she thinks that her baby will peeing on herself until she's 12.
What else? What do you wish you would have received as a gift? What gifts did you receive that were completely incompatible with E.C.?
There was a common theme amongst the gifts and the bearers of them. Onesies are a hot item. As the woman with the bountiful belly opened package after package containing all varieties of one-piece body suits for babies, the other mothers in the crowd would chime in knowingly with comments like, "I LOVE onesies!" and "You can never have enough of those." And TM used to hold this similar opinion. What has changed?
Well, obviously, it's infant potty training that makes onesies undesirable. The flaps that snap between the legs are difficult to hold out of the way when pottying the baby. The snaps themselves can be difficult to manipulate while holding the infant over the potty place and hurrying to get the nether regions bare. And perhaps most frustrating of all, in the case of a miss, the entire outfit has to come off over the head, which can be a messy proposition if the miss was a poopy!
So, what would be a better gift choice if you should be invited to TM's baby shower in about 8 months? Or the baby shower of another mom who plans to E.C., of course. You might want to consider the following issues. Does the outfit consist of one piece rather than a separate shirt and bottom? Can the shirt be unfastened in front, or does it have to be lifted over the head? Is the shirt sort of longish, so that it can be worn without pants and won't look like a crop-top?
This is TM's favorite type of shirt:
And what, besides shirts that snap up the front make good gifts for infant potty trainers? For starters, socks and leggings. These babies may spend a lot of time without pants, so anything that covers the feet and legs will help keep the little one warm.How about a dozen cloth diapers? I mean pre-folds, not fitted or pocket diapers or anything like that. These should be the high quality ones which are sold on places like e-bay. They should say "DSQ" on the description, which means "diaper service quality". These can used on or under the baby, and they also make for great burp cloths.
Diaper belts (see the post here for a description) and tiny underwear are much appreciated. Cotton blankets and quilts that can be used on a bed or floor under baby are perfect. If the mom intends to use a ring sling or maya wrap
, having more than one really comes in handy in case the baby has a miss in the sling.Other thoughtful gifts could include diaper pails, little potties and stacks of wash cloths. Books and DVDs about E.C. can provide ideas and encouragement to a mom who is having one of those days where she thinks that her baby will peeing on herself until she's 12.
What else? What do you wish you would have received as a gift? What gifts did you receive that were completely incompatible with E.C.?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
2 Years of E.C.ing with Tommy
It's time for the 2 year update! Yes, yesterday was his birthday, so here are few of the happenings in the potty life of Tommy.
This week he decided not to wait for TM, and to just take himself to the potty. He went to the bathroom, removed his underwear, lifted the lid, placed his little toilet seat on the potty, climbed up there and went pee pee. He was unable to get himself down, but after some shouting, his older sister (age 5) came to the rescue!
The following day he attempted to repeat that performance, but it didn't end so well. When lifting the toilet lid, he managed to lift the seat as well, and planted his mini toilet seat right on the rim of the toilet. After climbing up on there, the seat dropped down into the toilet, with Tommy on it. TM grabbed him quickly, but not before his bottom was dunked in the water. Why is there never a camera available at the critical moments?
In general, Tommy goes most days with no wet underpants at all.
This week he decided not to wait for TM, and to just take himself to the potty. He went to the bathroom, removed his underwear, lifted the lid, placed his little toilet seat on the potty, climbed up there and went pee pee. He was unable to get himself down, but after some shouting, his older sister (age 5) came to the rescue!
The following day he attempted to repeat that performance, but it didn't end so well. When lifting the toilet lid, he managed to lift the seat as well, and planted his mini toilet seat right on the rim of the toilet. After climbing up on there, the seat dropped down into the toilet, with Tommy on it. TM grabbed him quickly, but not before his bottom was dunked in the water. Why is there never a camera available at the critical moments?
In general, Tommy goes most days with no wet underpants at all.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
All By Himself - He Took Himself To The Potty!
Just a few short moments ago, Tommy yelled at TM from the bathroom, "PEE!"
TM went to the bathroom expecting to find Tommy standing near the toilet with wet undies, which has been the "normal" event for the past couple of weeks. Instead, the underwear was laying on the floor (dry, by the way) and Tommy was seated on the Baby Bjorn Little Potty. As TM entered, Tommy stood up. Lo, and behold, there was pee pee in the pot!
One of his big sisters was using the toilet at the time, and I guess he decided to join her. Earlier in the evening, while TM was using the toilet, Tommy had removed his undies and enthroned himself on the little potty. He also peed on that occasion, which was only the second time he had peed in the Little Potty. His normal potty place is on the big toilet, using the baby seat. But TM assumed that he had gone into the bathroom only because he was following her. (You other mothers know all about this, right? When was the last time you went to the bathroom alone?)
There will be no delusions or expectations that taking himself to the potty will become the new normal. But the fact that he did it this once shows that he is making progress towards toilet independence. And that means a lot. It feels good.
.
TM went to the bathroom expecting to find Tommy standing near the toilet with wet undies, which has been the "normal" event for the past couple of weeks. Instead, the underwear was laying on the floor (dry, by the way) and Tommy was seated on the Baby Bjorn Little Potty. As TM entered, Tommy stood up. Lo, and behold, there was pee pee in the pot!
One of his big sisters was using the toilet at the time, and I guess he decided to join her. Earlier in the evening, while TM was using the toilet, Tommy had removed his undies and enthroned himself on the little potty. He also peed on that occasion, which was only the second time he had peed in the Little Potty. His normal potty place is on the big toilet, using the baby seat. But TM assumed that he had gone into the bathroom only because he was following her. (You other mothers know all about this, right? When was the last time you went to the bathroom alone?)
There will be no delusions or expectations that taking himself to the potty will become the new normal. But the fact that he did it this once shows that he is making progress towards toilet independence. And that means a lot. It feels good.
.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Totally Off Topic for the Blog - Breastfeeding Photo
The topic for this blog is Infant Potty Training, Elimination Communication, Potty Whispering and the like. Because the writings are not so much personal in nature, but topical, TM strives to keep the blog uncluttered by not dumping all of the happenings of her seven children, husband, son-in-law and grandchild right here where people come to read about Tommy going poop.
But every once in a while, something happens that is so important to TM that she can rationalize how it is at least tangentially related to Tommy's E.C. lifestyle. Today is just such an occasion. Enjoy. And have fun coming up with your own explanation, which you may share in the "Comments" section, about how this photo is related to the regular subject of this blog.
Here is a description of the photo: On the right is TM, breastfeeding Tommy. On the left is Tommy's oldest sister, breastfeeding Tommy's nephew. Tommy is 19 months in this picture. His nephew is 4 months.
But every once in a while, something happens that is so important to TM that she can rationalize how it is at least tangentially related to Tommy's E.C. lifestyle. Today is just such an occasion. Enjoy. And have fun coming up with your own explanation, which you may share in the "Comments" section, about how this photo is related to the regular subject of this blog.
Here is a description of the photo: On the right is TM, breastfeeding Tommy. On the left is Tommy's oldest sister, breastfeeding Tommy's nephew. Tommy is 19 months in this picture. His nephew is 4 months.
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