Our experience of EC so far

The satisfaction at every "catch"

Before A was born I knew I wished to start EC from the beginning. Then, he came all of a sudden and being one of the between 0,14 and 0,62 % of umbilical cord prolapse cases. While I was recovering both physically and emotionally from an emergency C-section (from a birth that had nicely started at home) that had rendered me terribly weak and anemic I couldn't start EC, not actively at least. But after he turned 1 month I had already observed his rhythm and was ready to start.

What is elimination communication?, some of you may ask. Without any shyness, let me quote our friend Wikipedia: EC is a practive in which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant's need to eliminate waste. Caregivers try to recognize and respond to babies' bodily needs and enable them to urinate and defecate in an appropriate place (e.g. a toilet). (...) EC emphasizes communicaton between the caregiver and child, helping them both become more attuned to the child's innate rhythms and control of urination and defecation.

A is turning 3 months today and this week we have been able to catch every poop and many of his pees. The satisfaction at every "catch" is something very close to the excitement we, parents, feel when we witness a new skill in our children. What amazes me the most is how easy it is to EC a very young baby. I generally place him over a potty when he wakes up, after feeds, and whenever I have the intuition he has to go. More than 90 % of the times he does something and if we forget he is very efficient in letting us know that he is pretty uncomfortable. Something else that amazes me is the fact that he seems to wait for the moment you place him over the potty, at least to poop.
Many of you might think I am a freak but I have already gotten used to going to public bathrooms after a feed to help A urinate or defecate... and the feeling of success is quite exciting. Fortunately nobody has seen me yet... EC is not very popular in Spain.

I would really like to hear about other EC experiences so feel free to share!!

A kiss, si vols

In all aspects of parenting I prefer modeling to prompting. I am actually a firm believer in the power of modeling behavior instead of "telling what the kid should do". When it comes to hugs and kisses the way I feel is they should be given and/or received with the agreement of both parties. I never prompt my toddler to kiss anyone, not even relatives, -not even me-. I believe she will do it when she feels like it, according to her own feelings, not to my perception of politeness. I understand some parents feel compelled to tell their children to kiss others out of politeness but my not doing it comes to me naturally.
I could spend my days hugging and kissing my children and most of it happens naturally. However, there are many times when I ask my daughter "may I kiss you?" and she says "no", which I respect.
Last night, though, when she was trying to sleep, I was stroking her hair and she timidly asked "a kiss, si vols (=if you may), which made my heart melt.