It has been an exciting week! We welcomed a new blogger to the Polish team (Kasia) who chimed in with a great post on Calendar of Feasts – St John’s Night ( Obchody Świetojańskie). And I have to admit, the World Cup competition has had me glued to the television when I had the opportunity (I am watching Uruguay and Germany play for third place as I type). But there has been something else that has kept me from blogging as much as I want.

Germany just scored - bravo Khedira with the header!

So what has kept me away from blogging? Five words. Uczyć dziecko siadania na nocnik (potty training). My youngest son is coming up on his third birthday, and a couple weeks ago, he finally decided that he was done with diapers. So far, we’re doing great. But I suppose mishaps are in store. Needless to say, this has has been bittersweet for me. Sweet that I no longer have to buy pieluszki (diapers), but bitter in that my baby is no longer a dzidziuś (baby).

Germany has taken third place in the World Cup!
Good game Diego Forlán and Uruguay!

So, as I lament my baby days, I thought I would throw out some vocabulary for those who are just embarking on the journey of rodzicielstwo (parenthood). Many of my cousins did not even bother with a pokój dziecinny (nursery, literally baby’s room). The baby just sleeps with the parents or in a kołyska pleciona (bassinet) in the parents’ room. On the other hand, many Polish families here in the United States opt for the pokój dziecinny. Typically, the parents or grandparents get the room painted, often with child-themed wallpaper or murals. The focus of the room is usually the łóżeczko dziecinny (crib, literally baby’s bed). A sweet musical mobil (mobile) hangs over the baby’s pillow and the bed is generally lined along the sides with a szczebel (bumper). Without a doubt, the second most used item in the room is the przewijak or stolik do przebiarania (changing table). On or near the table, there will be plenty of the aforementioned pieluszki, along with oliwka (baby lotion), zasypka (baby powder) and PLENTY of chusteczki (baby wipes).

Last Saturday, I also took out the crib-sized bed and replaced it with a full-sized double bed. To encourage him to sleep in his new łóżeczko, I put SpongeBob Kanciastoporty (Spongebob Squarepants) prześcieradła (bedsheets) on his new bed. His changing table easily converted to a komoda (chest of drawers), and his szafka (armoire) and stolik nocny (night table) from his nursery help round out his duży chłopczyk (big boy) room. A few items that I needed to make sure also made it to the big boy bed – his kochana przytulanki miśu (dear cuddly teddy bear) and his niedźwiedź polarny (polar bear) that is made of worek ziarna (bean bag), which he got at the Columbus Zoo. Ironically, the polar bear is named Puppy. Some things, you just don’t question a two year old on.

It has been a great adventure. It seems just yesterday bawiłam dziecko (played with my baby), and now that child bawi się z dziećmi (plays with kids). And truthfully, I think even more adventures are on the horizon. I’m very much looking forward to that!

Do następnego czytania…