A Cow!

I started writing a blog yesterday but never did get a chance to complete it and the little I did write now seems irrelevant and boring so...a fresh start.

I learnt this morning that Tyger needs not only his pants completely off when he uses the potty (fair enough) but also his socks.  I haven't been putting him in socks as it's been hot and he often just seems to find them uncomfortable but I was in the kitchen this morning preparing his breakfast and feeding the multitude of cats (three - two ours and one our parents/my old cat from living at home as a child) and heard him crying in his bedroom.  Normally he's quite happy to play in there until I get him so I went to investigate and he had managed to shut his sock drawer on his arm (why he didn't just open the drawer with his other hand is not clear but then two year old logic is often shaky at best).  This was quickly rectified by me opening the drawer and releasing him but it obviously reminded Tyger of the existence of socks and he asked to wear them.

However, socks and going to the potty are not compatible in Tyger's world and he's needed them taking off both times ('a-sock-a-off').  I'm still elated he's making such good progress with the potty (excepting one spot of wee in his pants we've had four dry/clean days in a row) so am happy to comply.

Another Tyger quirk, worthy of note, was his episode with the horse yesterday.  He has a small rocking horse in his bedroom that he likes to be brought through to the living room (as well as a huge cuddly dog) at some point in the day.  Yesterday he asked for his horse as usual and I went to get it.  I appeared in the hallway with said horse and exclaimed, 'Look, what's Mummy got?'  To which Tyger replied, 'A cow!' and proceeded to throw a tantrum.  When I tried to bring the horse further I was told 'no' and Tyger pushed the poor horse away.

I'm not sure I'll ever fully understand his little mind.

In other news entirely, the demon husky caught a pigeon the other day.

Oh Dear, Chicken

I haven't fully thought through what I'm going to write about today but I didn't want to get into the habit of leaving it too long between posts (you know, what with all those imaginary people clamouring for me to write more - those people also being the ones who told me I won the lottery and that Nathan Fillion wants me to divorce my husband so I can marry him instead).

Potty training is going far better than I ever dared hope (which still means Tyger went through at least six pairs of pants yesterday) but I won't talk about that today.  For one thing, I'm fed up of dealing with and thinking about other creatures' waste (one of our cats pooped in the bath this morning.  Of all places, it was easy to clean up but still WTF!?) and for another, I'm going to talk about The Small Toys.

Yes, The Small Toys are the smaller plastic animals from Tyger's farm set.  Specifically, the rabbit, duck and swan, though he also has a turkey and cockerel and had a hen (more on that later).  Tyger is not very good at remembering where he put things but he is very good at putting things in/behind/under all sorts items of furniture and such.  This means every day includes at least 10 conversations along the lines of the following:

Tyger: Where's it duck?
Me: I don't know.  Where did you last have it?
Tyger: Where's it duck?
Me: I'm not sure.  I'll look for it.
Tyger: Where's it duck?
Me: Is it behind the radiator?  Under the sofa?  In your kitchen?
Tyger: Where's it duck?
Me: Is it in your spaceship?  Behind a cushion?  Under a speaker?
Tyger: Where's it duck?
Me: Look, here it is!!  I've found it.  Here's duck.
Tyger: Where's it rabbit?

This is one of the infuriating issues with The Small Toys.  The other is connected to our husky.  We have two dogs: a black (technically 'blue') German shepherd who is clumsy and has a tendency to eat her own poo (again with the poop) but is generally eager to please and pretty trainable (as per the breed), and a Siberian husky who doesn't give a flying frack what anyone wants her to do ever (as per that breed) and chews up anything and everything especially if it looks like a children's toy (or your child's first pair of shoes - not that I'm still bitter about that).  You can probably see where this is going.  Basically, the hen now looks like this:

Obviously, this has at least taught Tyger why he can't give his toys to the Devil-husky and has given him a greater respect for his possessions.

Of course it hasn't.  This morning I had to rescue a spoon from his toy kitchen and no doubt many more toys will meet Chicken's fate.  As it is, I had a donkey minus it's hooves and face given to me one morning with the phrase, 'Oh dear horsey,' repeated over and over.

Ah, the joys of pets and children.

Potty Training the Tyger

We are on morning two of potty training the Tyger.  We are also on pair 11 of underpants and three teeny, tiny spots of wee in the potty (but, hey it's better than nothing).

You know what's fun about potty training a toddler you suspect has Asperger's?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  It sucks big time.

He's actually doing better than I'd thought he would.  The number of pairs of pants is about what I thought (my sister with Asperger's went through 10 pairs a day for a while and my mum - who thought she was a dab hand at this potty training business having already trained me and my brother - was shocked but her surprise has led to me being prepared).

Talking of pants, you know what pisses me off?  Stupid gender stereotyping.  When it came to buying pants for the Tyger, I wanted to get him ones he'd be excited about and what film does he love right now?  Much like many kids his age he adores Disney's Frozen.  But he's a boy so of course you don't get any underwear for him with Elsa on the front or Anna...not even Kristoff or that annoying snowman.  So, we got some Peppa Pig ones because the Tyger likes watching Peppa Pig whilst I make lunch every day.  The pants don't actually have Peppa on, though, because you know she's a girl and she's pink!  That's dangerously close to being girly.  So, they have her brother George and his dinosaur toy on them, instead.  George is still pink but at least he's a boy and has a dinosaur (a nice acceptably masculine toy) so it's okay.  Now, as it happens, the Tyger does like George and his dinosaur (dinosaur, rarr) but it still seems a shame that boys aren't allowed the main character of a kid's show on their pants if they like.

So, where was I before I got sidetracked into a rant about gender stereotypes?  Ah yes: potty training sucks.  I am already dreading having to potty train Baby Bear (though, I expect he'll be easier than the Tyger who has been...shall we say 'a challenge' from pretty much the get go).

I should actually go and try to coax the Tyger onto the potty - even though he'll sit on it for about five seconds without doing a wee, get off and then probably do a wee somewhere else - because it's been a while and I don't want him to wet his pants (today Mickey Mouse since George and some truck ones were all used yesterday).  Wish me luck.