Bladder Matters: Preschool edition

Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now! That was our family phrase of the past month. As they say, “accidents happen.” But when they happen four, five, six, seven times a day….well, the underwear drawer empties pretty quickly and Mom’s doing a lot of laundry.

This is the tale of a preschool girl who went wee, wee, wee all the way home. The first few accidents threw me and Matt for a loop. Ella hadn’t had an accident (during the daytime hours) for at least six or seven months. But after Christmas break, the hits kept coming. The incidents were very inconsistent at first so we were chalking it up to Ella’s laziness and not acting quick enough to get to the bathroom. So what did we do? We got mad…and frustrated.

“Why was she doing this?” I wondered. Even Ella said it was because she didn’t want to stop playing. But then the accidents started happening at school. As week two of these charades came to a close, the next step was obvious—time to see the pediatrician. Much to our relief, Ella wasn’t just being lazy; she indeed had a bladder infection.

Being the inquisitive parent that I am, I wanted to know how she could have gotten it in the first place. In my research and in talking with her doctor, I learned that girls are more prone to them than boys (joy), and they could come back again (double joy).

According to sources on WebMD, about 8 out of 100 girls and about 2 out of 100 boys will have a bladder infection or urinary tract infection (UTI) as a child. Many factors contribute to children contracting a UTI.

• Not wiping properly, especially after a bowel movement – “repeat after me, front to back”

• Not drinking enough fluids

• Constipation

• Not emptying the bladder completely

I could check everything but constipation for Ella, so I knew we’d need to have several talks about proper bathroom habits.

So why didn’t I know sooner? Ella wasn’t showing many of the tell-tale signs other than having numerous accidents. She didn’t have a fever, lack of appetite or pain when urinating—all classic symptoms.

Watch your child! If she’s having accidents out of the blue, chances are there’s more to it than just laziness. Hold off on digging out the potty-training sticker chart and take her to the pediatrician for a simple urine test. Pees be with you.

Any tips on how to prevent such bladder matters? I'm all ears.

Elmo Amoré

La-la, la-la….la-la, la-la… (everybody sing!) ELMO’S WORLD!

Jaisa. Loves. Elmo.

Honestly, I don’t know many kids her age who don’t. Elmo has that irresistible allure that magically makes it hard for toddlers to turn away. Ella was no exception at that age so I’m not surprised that Jaisa has followed in her sister’s footsteps of infatuation for the ever-popular Sesame Street monster. The very moment Jaisa saw that furry, red, (obnoxious) little guy, she was hooked. And I have no idea why.

Is it because he’s red?


Is it his high-pitched voice?


Is it his relentless laugh?


Is it because he likes crayons and his goldfish, too?

I don’t get it. I can’t understand the guy…literally. Don’t even ask me how long it took before I finally figured out what his mustached sidekick’s name was. Mr. Moo Doll? Mr. New Doe? Oh, Mr. Noodle! Of course. It makes so much sense (??). Whenever Jaisa sees Elmo on TV, in books, or sitting stuffed on Ella’s bed, she points, smiles and sings, “La-la, la-la!” She’s yet to utter his actual name, but when she starts singing, we know exactly who she’s talking about.

Elmo didn’t exist when I was a kid, so I was completely thrown off when I started watching Sesame Street again when Ella was a toddler and this red monster showed up on screen with his goldfish Dorothy and you guessed it, Mr. Noodle. I protested for a long time, stating to Matt, “I just don’t like that guy.” But Ella liked him a lot. She was in love with Elmo at first sight, just like Jaisa. I remember that first Christmas….when love turned into obsession. Everything was Elmo—books, movies, toys—Santa even brought her a life-sized stuffed Elmo, the very one that after 4 years, is still proudly displayed on her bed.

Now it’s Jaisa’s turn. We have yet to succumb to the Hokey Pokey Elmo, Chatters Elmo, Teach Me Elmo, Kiss Me Elmo or (gulp) Tickle Me Elmo. I guess I was hoping the craze would fade. I worry that if one of the “talking” variety made its way into our home, the poor guy may turn into “Pummel Me Elmo” after a few days. There’s no telling what Matt might do.

In all motherly seriousness, I have to say this: The next time you wonder, “What’s so great about Elmo?” and wished your children looked at you with the awe and whimsy reserved for their furry friend, just be happy he can keep them entertained long enough for you to get a load of laundry folded.

Elmo is a monster to love.


YouTube, anyone?
Someone sent me a YouTube video awhile back on the voice of Elmo. Have you seen it? Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined this person behind the monster that is Elmo. It actually made me warm up to the fuzzy guy a little bit.

My Baby, The Kindergartener

Ella’s first day of school had been a hot topic of conversation at our house for the past couple of years. Every time Ella saw the school bus go down our street, she’d ask me, “Mom, when I get big, can I ride the school bus?” I replied every single time, “Yes, Ella, when you get big you’ll get to ride the school bus.” Over time, the allure of the school bus morphed into the much anticipated first day of school. She’d see kids in our neighborhood getting on the bus (again, the bus) with their backpacks overwhelming them and ask, “Mom, when I get big, can I go to school?” To which I replied every single time, “Yes, Ella, when you get big you can go to school.”

As time went on and neither the bus nor school was happening yet, I started feeling a little sad for her, hoping she wouldn’t give up on her dreams so soon. I’d tell her to have patience. “Your time will come sooner than you think.”

The first dream-come-true happened when we signed Ella up for a few Y camps over the summer. Every Friday of camp was Field Trip Day, where, you guessed it; they got to ride the bus. I’ve never seen a kid more excited to step foot on that bus. Ella hadn’t a care where it was taking her; finally she was riding the BUS! That first field trip day, a camper arrived late (there’s always one), so the whole group had to sit, staring at that bright yellow school bus, until the girl showed up. Matt, Jaisa and I waited for 20 minutes until those wide-eyed, little 4-year-olds were allowed to single-file-it on that bus. We quickly discovered in that time of waiting that our child was definitely not the only one who put the bus on such a pedestal. Pictures were taken. It was a magical day Ella retold for weeks to come.

The second dream-come-true, to Ella’s dismay, did not partner with the first dream quite as she had been picturing in her head. Lesson number one: Life’s full of disappointments, kiddo. Ella learned she wouldn’t be riding the bus to school since we live too close for pick-up, BUT she WAS going to school at long last. Over the summer, Ella told virtually everyone she knew (and didn’t know) that she was going to school. We did the traditional back-to-school shopping—she picked out some cool pencils and got a Disney Princess notebook and folder (only to find out they didn’t need their own supplies but instead shared everything). Disappointment #2. No worries though, because those things have already come in handy at home.

The night before school, we stood in front of Ella’s closet and she picked out her favorite polka dot sundress. All I had to do was pray that the weather would be warm enough for her to wear it. It was.

I felt prepared. After all, class was only for 3 hours in the afternoon and only 4 days a week. Did I mention it was in the afternoon? Yeah. Not such a good idea. That’s what you get when you enroll last-minute (I’ll explain why that happened in a later entry). So there we were on the first day of school, the anticipation killing both of us as we wait for the morning hours to tick by until 12:30. But before we knew it, there we were—Mom, Ella and Jaisa in tow, walking up to the front doors of the school as I felt my throat tighten.

My baby was going to kindergarten. My BABY was going to kindergarten. (Okay, it was only 4-K, but still!)

I of course made Ella stand in front of the building so I could take a few pictures. She looked so proud. So grown-up. So ready to leave and start her big first day. The teachers came out to greet the eager students (some not so eager as well). Ella perked up her ears to listen for her name to be called. Finally, she heard it and looked at me as if to say “Could this really be it?” I gave her a smile, then an enormous hug and kiss, and told her to have a great day and I couldn’t wait to hear all about it (Remind me to tell you how that went). She ran over to her teachers to put on her name tag and then took hold of a rope sprawled out in the entry way for all students to grab as they were corralled into the building. The teachers assured us teary-eyed parents that the time would fly by, and Ella yeld out to me with a beaming smile, “Bye, Mommy, I love you!”

It took everything within me to yell back “I love you too!” and not turn into a puddle on the sidewalk instead. It wasn’t that it was hard for me to see her go; I had done it hundreds of times at day care. It was me being so proud of her… for finally being big enough to go to school.

As Jaisa and I walked away, I heard Jaisa say a soft “Bye-bye.” Bye-bye indeed. A door on Ella’s childhood closed that day, but wow, how many more just opened. But, please Ella, don’t “get big” too fast.

Next up: My Baby, The Teenager??