Thursday, October 29, 2009

Laundry Chronicles: Pink

Now, you might think by the title that we are going to talk about a red sock that gets thrown in with the whites...but no sir. I like to keep you on your toes.

Pink is Curly's best friend. Curly usually keeps pink very close to her, especially during times of rest or sleeping. Pink is a staple in her life, like food and water. Pink is that important.

Now we go with a different topic that seems quite unrelated at the start but then you quickly begin to see where they come together. That's the predictability of this writer.

Curly is three. Curly is potty trained...during the day. Curly needs to learn to go potty at night. That's not a fun thing for this Mommy to think about because unlike all the hooligans that stay up til all hours of night (read 8pm bedtimers) and have no need of getting up to go potty at night, Curly and Smiles go to bed at 6pm. She can stay up until 6:30 or 7 on a lucky night. She sleeps until about 7am. (Yes. I miss when it was 8am before Smiles was born.)

...count the hours....it's okay, I won't tell if you use your fingers.

Yep. That's right. Long time no pee.

We tried a few nights and then I gave up and decided she just wasn't ready. She is a very heavy sleeper afterall, so heavy that I can't even wake her enough to sleep walk her to the bathroom. AND IF I get her to the bathroom, she sits there too sleepy to release enough to pee. Not. Working.

You would think that changing the sheets every night would be the biggest reason that I don't want to do this night time potty fiasco. But that's not entirely true. While I don't like changing the sheets so often, it does work well that she is on a bunk bed with two beds that have waterproof mattress covers and the bottom is still empty. Her sister is still waiting in a far off land to warm that little bottom bunk. So a quick switch of clothes and bunks and we are good until morning. I don't have to focus on stripping the bed until then.

No. The issue isn't only the sheet changing. The big issue is Pink. Pink the blankey.

See...wet bed = wet Pink. We have an extra bed. We don't have an extra Pink. No extra Pink means Mommy doesn't get a wink.

Unless...Mommy gets so lazy with the rules that she actually allows Curly to sleep with a slightly damp blankey. BUT THAT would NEVER happen here. I'm just saying that some Mom's might do that. Not me.

There is weeping and wailing. You would think that someone had died. For real. Or that monsters came out from under the bed. But no...

SHE JUST WANTS TO SLEEP WITH A STINKING PEED BLANKET!

And here is where I correct you again. You are probably thinking- 3 year old logic states that I need my blanket to sleep and I don't care if it stinks. Uh....NO. That would mean that the protesting of washing Pink was limited to the middle of the night or near naptime. And that's just not so.

Curly believes within the deepest parts of her that if Pink gets washed something horrible will happen. She is convinced of it. She didn't tell me so with words, but it's pretty clear that she believes that because if I tell her that I am going to clean Pink, she throws herself on the floor in attempted self sacrifice on behalf of Pink, begging me to spare her beloved best sleep mate.

If you saw it, trust me, you would surely think that I was an awful Mother who threatens to unravel Pink thread by thread right in front of her face.

It's tragic.

So, what's a Mommy to do? If you have any suggestions, feel free to share them. For now, Pink is my bi-weekly (okay, more like monthly) prisoner of war. If I'm lucky I get to free her before Curly becomes any the wiser.

As you can see, Pink has been around a long time. If you can consider three and a half years a long time...

Pink turning Smiles into a "manger".

Notice that pj's are usually still on when Pink is around. And that she isn't selfish with Pink. She shares her with Smiles all the time.

12 comments:

Jenilee said...

annalise was the same way! she just started being able to hold it through the night about 4 months ago... what changed? abby could do it. when we potty trained abby, abby could hold it all night. she never needed a pullup. so, annalise hated having to wear a pullup when abby got to wear underwear. she would say, "big sisters don't wear diapers!!" and, after a few nights... she could hold it! so, get smiles potty trained and maybe that will keep Pink dry! :) :) easier said than done... i know. :)

Laurel said...

My kids weren't overly attached to their blankets, so this isn't a personal story. But, I have heard this suggestion from multiple mamas who have done it.

Cut the blankie in half. Yes. Make 2 Pinks out of it.

I've known people who have then cut it in 1/2 again, and again, and again ... until there child was taking a little corner of their blankie in their pocket to kindergarten.

Now, at that point I would be a little concerned about the attachment issue. But ... I think Curly might like to have 2 pinks. Then, she never needs to know when one has slipped away to get washed up.

mama of 13

MoonDog said...

dont wash my blankie dont take it away. I want to drag it around while I play. to me its ok dirty and grey. please dont wash my blankie today. I might get angry. I might cry, I need to know that my blankets nearby. (babysongs)
I have a blankie lover. all my kids have been blankie lovers, at least the bio kids. Maia's bunny blankie is in tatters but she isnt ready to let it go. she loves it too much. what are the possibilities you could find another pink in a store? or maybe let her choose a new stuffed animal or blanket to sleep with ONLY when pinky gets peed on? In the dark I often got away with a similar fabric blanket if bunny blankey was pukey or wet. sometimes I ,,,,,lied. this is MY special blanket from when I was a little girl and just this once I will share it with you, etc. good luck. hope youf ind something that works.

MoonDog said...

dont wash my blankie dont take it away. I want to drag it around while I play. to me its ok dirty and grey. please dont wash my blankie today. I might get angry. I might cry, I need to know that my blankets nearby. (babysongs)
I have a blankie lover. all my kids have been blankie lovers, at least the bio kids. Maia's bunny blankie is in tatters but she isnt ready to let it go. she loves it too much. what are the possibilities you could find another pink in a store? or maybe let her choose a new stuffed animal or blanket to sleep with ONLY when pinky gets peed on? In the dark I often got away with a similar fabric blanket if bunny blankey was pukey or wet. sometimes I ,,,,,lied. this is MY special blanket from when I was a little girl and just this once I will share it with you, etc. good luck. hope youf ind something that works.

Mom said...

You were never attached to a blankie but you did have your "Special Baby"...Do you remember when Special Baby had to take bathes?
Maybe you could put Curly in the tub when you wash Pink, so they can both have a "bath" at the same time. Does Smiles get sad when you wash his blankie? He drug that thing all over my house the other day...it's probably covered in dog hair.

Mom said...

Forgot to mention that Pa Pa and I feel really special around our house when Curly wraps Pink around us. It is a grand gesture of love to be considered "Pink worthy". Yes, there is a topnote of stale urine which is a bit sharp, but the lingering finish of sharing a special comfort is sweet and satisfying.

Amelia said...

Wow. This makes me so happy that Bella will accept any "manket" as long as there is satin somewhere on it. I don't "get" the blankie thing so I would probably not be super patient with it. ;-) CUTE post though!

Oh and CONGRATULATIONS! Not only have a been a lazy blogger but I lazy blog reader too. I didn't realize you were expecting until your "crazy pregnant lady" comment on my blog. How awesome!!!

Best Fantasy and Science Fiction said...

I bet it was "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland" that did it. Elmo loses his blankey! I remember the first time she watched it and cried her little eyes out until she could cry no more. Horrible little Grouches. ;(

Vicky said...

My mom used to sneak my sister's blankie out of bed after my sis was asleep. She'd wash it, dry it, and return it to the bed all in one night.

A lot of kids don't like their blankie washed because then it doesn't smell "right" (ew, gross, in my opinion)

I like Laurel's idea... if Curly wouldn't mind. Don't know if cutting Pink in two might upset her as much as the washing machine?

Will she use the 2 spare blankies you have at the moment until Ana and baby arrive? Not a long-term solution, but maybe by May she will be potty trained at night.

Lyndi said...

My second son was a super sound sleeper too, in fact, he wouldn't even wake up when he wet the bed. I would check him in the middle of the night and change the sheets around him. I got a little tired of this, and he wasn't getting a good night's sleep with me tugging everything around him, so even though he was potty trained, we did night time pull-ups. That was wonderful! It wasn't as expensive as diapers, because we only went through one a day. He is now 9 years old, and not until this year has he made it through the night without wetting the bed. (seriously, we saw speicalist who said don't worry until they are 11 or 12, they WILL outgrow it...and sure enough, he now wakes up when he has to go!)

Lyndi said...

My second son was a super sound sleeper too, in fact, he wouldn't even wake up when he wet the bed. I would check him in the middle of the night and change the sheets around him. I got a little tired of this, and he wasn't getting a good night's sleep with me tugging everything around him, so even though he was potty trained, we did night time pull-ups. That was wonderful! It wasn't as expensive as diapers, because we only went through one a day. He is now 9 years old, and not until this year has he made it through the night without wetting the bed. (seriously, we saw speicalist who said don't worry until they are 11 or 12, they WILL outgrow it...and sure enough, he now wakes up when he has to go!)

Julie said...

Why can't you just put a pull up on her til her bladder is matured enough to let her stay dry all night?