My favorite Christmas present

My favorite Christmas present came early this year.  It was a long time coming and actually required quite a bit of effort.  But it paid off and is beautiful.  Now you may be wondering what wonderful gift I am talking about.  Here it is:  Misha is pooping in the toilet!

There have been times this past year when I wondered if he was ever going to learn.  I honestly didn't relish the idea of having to change diapers on a teenager.  But he finally did it.  They had been working with him at school and we had been working on him at home (with less frequency, admittedly).  I had been trying to tempt him by promising Angry Bird time on the tablet, but he still hadn't pooped.  He didn't want to for some reason, which is common for kids like him.

Irks decided it was time to really go for it, so she started by just sitting with him in the bathroom as long as it took for him to go.  I think the first few times it took over 45 minutes a piece.  We would then shower him with praise, high-5s and, of course, Angry Birds.  After a while of having to sit with him, he started going in by himself with prompting and going.  Now, he is at the stage where he will announce he has to poop and go in by himself, or just go without prompting then announce he is done.

I am so glad.  It is night and day.  Misha is no longer smelly half the time.  We don't go through the same amount of clothing per day.  His stomach, which used to be a little pot-belly, has flattened out some with the reduction of his colon.  He even seem to be putting on some weight.  Awesome.

Yesterday we went sledding at the local jr high (has some great small hills).  After a few times going with Irks or myself, Misha told us he wanted to go "Ya sam" (by myself).  He went down laughing all the way and we would slide down after and walk the sled up with him.  We then let him go down and didn't go after him.  After a minute of sitting there, he climbed out and tugged the sled up the hill and went down again.  For Misha that is a big step.  Awesome again!

And I didn't get the flu that ran through my family.  Good Christmas all around.

Quarterly Update?

I guess it's time for an update. I guess.

Except there isn't much to report.

The kids are all well. They are all doing well in school. Asya likes K.G. Maeser and the other two like N.W.A.. Even Misha from time to time reports, "I like Mrs. Smith." Misha is doing well in his class and is the delight of his teachers. Mrs. Smith reported that he gets the giggles about a word or phrase or sound in class a lot like he does at home.

I redid Misha and Kiril's room which is now Misha and Nikolai's room. The only problem is getting those two to stay in bed when you put them down.

Irks is enjoying school. She is a star student despite all her worries about math...of course I don't see her much. If she isn't at school she is studying...or at art night...or at art night again...or studying.

Me...I just work. That's all I really do. Although I did go on the Klondike with Kiril and only got slightly popsicleized.