Wow

Okay, last night's title was a bit overdramatic; today I would say something more like "Coming Up for Air," or "Surfacing."

I am amazed at how much better I am doing after three things changed over the past few days:

1.) I stopped eating so much sugar - I could watch it destroy my mood and sink me into a depression each day when I was eating way too much

2.) I finally refilled my prescription for prenatal multivitamins after not having any for the past month. No, I am not trying to get pregnant, I am nursing. That's why I'm still taking those. And wow do they make a difference.

3.) I have internet access again! I knew that was important to me but I thought of it as a frivolous thing until I saw how depressed I got when I couldn't keep in touch with family or friends very easily for two months. I am really amazed at how much better I feel after having internet access back for just one day. Who knew that e-mail and blogging were actually keeping me sane? I truly feel almost back to normal now just because I can reach out so easily again.

On another subject - HUGE potty breakthrough tonight! It finally occurred to me the other day that Sweet Pea has liked to be alone while pooping for some time. So I started to mention to her that if she wanted to poop on the potty she could do that while I was in a separate room if she wanted. I have the powder room downstairs set up with her kid-sized potty ring on the toilet seat and her little plastic potty chair, which has a lid, set in front of the toilet so she can use it as a step stool to get up there by herself. Until today she moved her little potty away and insisted that I lift her up onto the potty seat.

Well, tonight I had to take The Bug upstairs to change one of her poopy diapers and I figured that Sweet Pea would tag along like usual and whine about wanting me to carry her upstairs too, and want to "help" me change The Bug's diapers, etc. But just to be thorough I showed her the powder room, turned on the light in there, told her that the potty was set up for her, etc.
She didn't come upstairs with me, or whine, or any of the usual stuff. I was just starting to wonder what had become of her when she came up the stairs and ran to me in her room, me standing at the changing table, and said, "I go'ed poopie in the potty! All by myself!" I told her I was so excited and asked her if she would show me when we got back down stairs. I wondered if it was a whole poop, if you will, or if she had just gone pee pee and a little poop had slipped out. But no, it was for real, and I am still really excited. Hey, this is my life, whaddaya gonna do? I get excited about these things. REALLY excited. This is the first time she has gone on the "big potty," AND she did it alone (for those of you who worry about these things, I did wipe her bottom as soon as she told me she had pooped on the potty, and we washed her hands as soon as we got back downstairs and she flushed the toilet).

I feel as if we may have turned a corner tonight. I really hope so. I was just feeling really discouraged about the potty thing at dinnertime, and then this happened - hopefully we move on to full potty functioning from here. I know she can do it if she would just decide that it's time. So hopefully that's what she is working toward or maybe has already decided.