So we pretty much watch “Shrek” a few times each weekend. It’s CootieGirl’s favorite movie and she loves Donkey (I do too). Proof that CootieGirl knows what’s going on takes place about 3/4 of the way through the movie, when Shrek and Donkey part ways with Princess Fiona after a misunderstanding. Rufus Wainwright’s voice plaintively begins singing a gorgeous song called “Hallelujah”. I’m partial to the Jeff Buckley version myself. However, each and every single time this song begins playing, CootieGirl’s face crumples and tears start streaming down her precious little cheeks.

On Sunday when Ace and Anthony were over we put on the movie and I warned them ahead of time – and sure enough, when the song started CootieGirl’s lower lip began to tremble and soon two huge tears dropped from her eyes. She glanced over at CootieDad and me and saw us watching and wiped away the tears, but she kept on crying.

When the song was done, she stopped crying. Instantly. I then told the guys about last weekend’s viewing – I was in the kitchen cleaning up while CootieGirl was in front of the tv having a snack. I heard her begin crying and went in to check on her (I figured she had dropped accidently some food on the floor to Cooper’s delight). Instead I found her openly sobbing during the song.

I’ve given you the chance to hear the Jeff Buckley version of the song below. Free to listen to – just download Real Rhapsody if you don’t already have it (also free to download even if you don’t sign up for the Rhapsody service).

CootieGirl’s Song – Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

So yesterday was another pool day for the kids. This time I was by myself with them both and it was a lot harder than expected. As I was getting CootieGirl into her suit, I reminded her to let me know if she had to go to the bathroom so that we could get out of the pool. “Make sure you tell me if you have p**p, okay?” She nodded and three of us headed out.

First, we reached the deck around the pool and the deck was just scorching our feet. CootieGirl was crying and screaming because it was so hot, but didn’t understand the concept of standing in the shady part, so after I’d place her in the shady spot to get CootieBoy settled in the pool she’d run after me and burn her feet. I finally sat her in a chair on the deck and told her to stay put.

I got CootieBoy into his floaty thing and he immediately began to wail – he did NOT want to be in the pool. Such a departure from the day before! I quickly grabbed CootieGirl and got in the pool (it felt SCootieGirlgood to be in cool water after being in the 100 degree sun even for just a few minutes). I put CootieGirl on a pool lounger and tried to entertain CootieBoy.

I finally was able to get CootieBoy in a semi-reasonable mood, so I played with CootieGirl a bit. At some point I put her on the ladder so that she could jump into my arms, and she said, “No, Mama,” and stood up. She refused to get back in the pool with me. I splashed around in the pool to make them both laugh, and finally decided to take them home since it was nap time.

As I was taking CootieBoy out of his floaty, his diaper exploded. I don’t mean that he had messed in it – I mean the diaper exploded – it was so expanded from being waterlogged in the pool that the absorbancy stuff began tumbling out. Fortunately we were out of the pool when it really started falling apart so I wrapped CootieBoy in a towel to keep as much of it contained as I could.

Once home I got CootieBoy cleaned up and down for a nap. Then I went to change CootieGirl and found that she had p**ped in her swimmer diaper. I immediately gushed praise in her direction for staying out the pool. I had wondered why she was so adamant about NOT going back in the pool and that was surely the reason. I was so proud of her!

So last night I decided to take CootieGirl for one more dip in the neighbor’s pool. Brandon, Katie, Jamie and Ryan were hanging out and CootieGirl was really shy for the first 10 minutes or so. But she eventually warmed up and had fun watching Ryan and Brandon play pool basketball. After about 20 minutes CootieGirl wanted to go up on the deck to play near Jamie and Katie. At some point I told CootieGirl to jump in the pool one last time and then we’d go home. She moved over to Jamie, who was sitting on the ladder, and sat on Jamie’s lap.

“Boy, CootieGirl, you are all wet!” Jamie exclaimed. Then Jamie’s expression changed. “Uh, that’s warm.” We all started laughing because we realized that CootieGirl had just peed on Jamie.

“Did you pee on Jamie?” I asked CootieGirl, still laughing.

CootieGirl looked at me with a small smile, then said, “Yeeessss,” which made us then howl with laughter.

I said to Katie, “At least she told the truth – I’d rather she pee on someone and tell the truth then lie about it after the fact.”

I got out of the pool and after apologizing profusely to Jamie (who was saying something about taking a shower) we headed home.

So potty training. Still doing it. Sort of.

Two mornings ago we sat CootieGirl on the potty in the morning and kept her company while waiting for her to do her business. About fifteen minutes went by with no results, and I finally had to leave the house and left her in CootieDad’ capable care.

I got to work and found this email from CootieDad, “I put CootieBoy in his walker and was going back upstairs to take care of CootieGirland she was very happy. She said, “I went potty.” I said, “You did?” and she did, but not IN her potty but peed all over my bathroom floor. She was very happy about doing it though. I explained we go pee-pee in the potty not the floor. She’ll get it right one of these days.”

Last night before CootieGirl was going to bed she was using her traditional avoidance techniques and volunteered to sit on the potty. Knowing she had imbibed a significant amount of water thirty minutes beforehand, I thought it was as good a time as any, so I helped her get situated on the potty. About fifteen minutes went by during which we sang songs, read a couple books, played with rubber ducks. I decided to give up and remembering that CootieGirl had peed on the floor the day before I said, “Now I’m going to get a diaper – you stay ON THE POTTY and I’ll be right back.” She nodded, and I repeated, “Stay ON the potty – don’t get up.”

I walked out and was in the bedroom getting a diaper when I heard her stand up, calling out “Mama! Potty!” in an excited voice. Groaning inwardly, I met her in the hallway and she grabbed my hand and dragged me back in the bathroom – where she had successfully used the toddler potty. Phew!

She earned a flower sticker which she put on her poster, and lots of hugs and kisses from me once we got her cleaned up and “flushed” the potty.

Of course this morning she had NCootieGirldesire to sit on the potty and was quite upset that I would even suggest such a thing upon her awaking this morning.

So CootieGirl has had a running fever since Saturday afternoon. It started at 100 degrees and by Sunday morning was 100.7. By Sunday afternoon it was down to 99.7 but then by bedtime last night it was up over 100 again. She alternated between being tired and morose on the sofa to running around and playing, so I’m not sure just how she really feels (also – give a 2-year-old the opportunity to watch Doodlebops or Wiggles and she’ll do it while demanding cookies regardless of how she feels).

We gave her some meds this morning and I believe CootieDad was going to take her to daycare and see if she’d make it through the day there. As long as she doesn’t get bit or poked with paintbrushes by other kids she should be fine.

So CootieGirl has a new “trick” that she unveiled this weekend. It’s not a trick so much as something that had CootieDad and me laughing.

Yesterday when she and I were in the neighbor’s pool, she laid back on a lounger and feigned sleeping lazily in the sun. I cracked up and she peeked open an eye and gave me a big grin.

Later, after her post-pool bath, she was scrambling around on our bed and got under the covers. She laid back against the pillows and once again acted as though she was asleep – except for the obvious eye squinting to see our reaction. I laughed out loud, as did CootieDad, who said she had done the for him earlier in the weekend.

**POTTY TALK HERE – IF YOU DON’T WANT TCootieGirlREAD ABOUT IT, MOVE ALONG**

We haven’t been actively trying to potty-train CootieGirl. However, tonight was a major success story.

I got home from work and promptly put CootieGirl in her swimsuit to go to our neighbor’s pool. Just after I got her in her Little Swimmers and swimsuit, she commented about the potty.

“You need to use the potty, CootieGirl?”

I got the prerequisite “No!”

I told her that if she had to p00p that she should wait until AFTER we go in the pool so that she doesn’t have to come home too soon. She nodded in response and we went next door. I plopped CootieBoy in his floaty and then CootieGirl and I got in the pool (Art and Jason were in there too so it was quite the party).

We stayed in the pool for about half an hour and then CootieBoy started to get cranky, so we climbed out and came home. Once I got CootieBoy into some warm dry clothes and put him in the crib for the night I was able to strip CootieGirl out of her wet swimsuit and Little Swimmers diaper.

“Potty!” she said as I reached to put on a clean diaper.

“You want to go potty?” I asked, and she nodded and we tromped into the bathroom. I figured it was more a stalling ploy since she knew it was bedtime. She sat on her toddler potty for a while, reading a couple books. I left the bathroom to go get a diaper for when she was done, and she followed me into the room and spied the toddler potty seat that we had bought and not yet used on the adult toilet.

“Potty!” she cried, picking it up and taking it in the bathroom. I helped her put it on the adult toilet and then helped her sit on it. Within two minutes she had p00ped in the toilet. After wiping and flushing the toilet, I let her pick out two stickers for the potty-training chart.

I was very pleased – it’s one of the few times that CootieGirl has actively said she needed to use the potty and actually done it with near immediacy. I’m also quite pleased that she DIDN’T go while we were in the pool a mere 30 minutes beforehand.

Yesterday we had amazing rain storms late in the afternoon and continuing through the evening. But it didn’t stop CootieGirl from demanding some pool time when she got home from daycare. The minute she walked in the house she cried out “Pool! Pool! Pool!” and got very upset when we explained that it was raining and we couldn’t go in the pool.

She even went and got my shoes and put them on my feet so I’d take her next door.

We plied her with yogurt and pudding instead.

Just kidding.

Not really – she did have yogurt and pudding.

This weekend we bought a patio set from my neighbor. She was selling it in her garage sale and after multiple low-bid offers but no buyers she opted to sell it to me (note to self: write out a check to the neighbor to pay for patio set).

It is quite nice and a welcome addition to our bare deck – we had nothing out there for folks to sit on should they have the desire. On Monday morning CootieDad and CootieGirl were running around in the backyard when CootieDad suddenly decided to mow the backyard. CootieGirl began following him but as soon she saw that he was headed to the shed she turned and made a beeline back to me because she lives in mortal fear of the lawnmower. We each sat in a deck chair, watching CootieDad mow the lawn. Soon CootieDad was done and moved to the front yard while CootieGirl and I continued to play on the back deck.

She began arranging the chairs in a straight line and I got up from my seat and moved out of the way to watch her. Eventually she had them lined up, with one chair sitting perpendicular at the end. She then climbed in to that perpendicular chair then gestured to the chair next to her and said, “Sit.” But it was the way she moved her arm toward the empty chair (like a model showing off a car at an auto show) and her polite “Sit!” that brought Merv Griffin to mind. The fact that all the chairs were in a perfect line brought OCD to mind.