DAY 4
Same routine this morning: woke up mostly dry, peed on the potty. My parents came over for breakfast this morning. We made eggs, and yummy farm fresh bacon from our favorite farmers at the market, Bar 5. It was a good morning. My dad left and my mom decided to stay and hang out with me and Eliza for the day since she didn't have to work. Soon after breakfast, I realized Eliza hadn't gone since the morning. I was on watch, though not bugging her about it. All of a sudden she started squatting. My mom saw her first and quickly ushered her to the potty where she happily sat down and peed. Again, we talked about that feeling she was feeling and how that meant it was time to run run run to the potty OR tell mama or dada.
Later, we decided to make an outing to buy Eliza some big girl sheets for her big girl bed (that was to arrive Sunday!). We did the routine potty before we left, and then when we got to the store, I suggested we "check out the potty" there, and she went there as well. So there I was, totally suggesting potty breaks - but yeah, I think I will continue doing this for a while when we're out and about.
So, again, it was just that she had to start feeling and recognizing the urge, and then acting on it. She had tried to do this a few times so far, but it was not yet reliable (though I knew it was totally normal at this point. Realistically, it could take months before she did this reliably). We got home, peed again upon arrival, and then *tried* to nap.
Then, we did not nap.
My mom offered to take her swimming at a local community center while I worked in the lobby, so off we went. We ate lunch, though Eliza barely ate anything... and then all of a sudden she said "I want to go pee" (!!!!YAY!!!!). She and my mom raced off to the family bathroom (I didn't pay for a wristband to get into the facility so I could only go as far as the lobby) where she peed! A great sign! My mom said she peed after they got out of the pool, too.
They were in the pool for about an hour and then we left for home. Right before we left, however, Eliza said "My tummy hurts. Too many noodles in my tummy." Hmmm... we had not eaten noodles...! She has said this before and has been fine, so I didn't know what to think. On the short drive home, Eliza became increasingly upset and irritable, but I thought she was just tired from not napping and that all the activity from swimming had just worn her out. She kept saying "I'm tired mama", and was asking for milk, so when we got home we sat on the couch together and she nursed for like 30 seconds before drifting off to sleep. I was sort of thinking I should keep her awake so we wouldn't have a bedtime battle, but the poor thing just looked so tired that I let her sleep. About 30 minutes later, she stirred. I moved her a bit so that she was kind of over my shoulder...........and then proceeded to throw up all over my back and the couch. EEEEEEEWWWWWW!!! This was my first experience with kid vomiting. I realize that it's been over 2 years and that I'm extremely lucky to have gone this long... but wow. It was disgusting.
Anyway, I won't give you all the vomit-y details, but this went on for the next 12 hours (from about 4:30pm to 4:30am), with some pretty crappy sleep in between "sessions", and then continued into the next two days (though with less frequency).
The good news is that she didn't have an accident this whole time, and she even woke up dry the next morning, and then peed when she woke up.
DAY 5
After one more...session...which fortunately my husband dealt with and cleaned up, Eliza wanted to go back to bed. She wasn't going to hear any complaints from me! So we crawled back into bed and she laid next to me. All of a sudden she said something like "I toot and have to pee". Honestly, I was so groggy that I don't really remember what she said (SO NOT A MORNING PERSON, PEOPLE). I wish I could remember. I do remember realizing that she was indicating that she might need to poop (we were, after all, beginning day 4 of what hubby and I lovingly started to refer to as "Poop Watch 2012". Hey, we have to get our kicks somewhere). So off we went to the bathroom. She sat on her potty and nothing really happened, but she didn't get up. So we started talking a bit about how she was feeling, she told me that "I vomit. I vomit like Belle!" (yes, she is unfortunately already very familiar with vomiting thanks to our kitty...). So we're sitting there chatting and finally - FINALLY - after about a minute or so (well, no, actually after 4 days), she pooped on the potty. And we cheered and high-fived and I told her how proud I was of her. She was SO excited. She kept saying "I poop on the potty by myself!". And of course she wanted to look at it... and she wanted to show it to all her friends ("I show Maya?" No, sweetie...just, no.), and then she waved bye-bye as we flushed it down the toilet.
Oh my, it was an event.
After that, she really started to perk up. I could tell we were through the worst of it, and in fact she seemed to get better as the day went on (and then worse again a little later). As far as potty training went the rest of the day, it was another uneventful day. She wouldn't really eat or drink much this day, I think her tummy still couldn't handle much, so she didn't have many opportunities, but she did go at those periodic "routine" times and avoided an accident.
And this brings us up to the present. Well, sort of. It bring us up to the present day that I'm writing this, but not to the present day in which it will be published... oh never mind, it doesn't matter.
Final Thoughts
It is very clear that she was ready for this. There has been no pushing on my part, and no push-back from her. If there had been any sign that she was not ready at any step of this process, I would have stopped and waited a few more months. If she had become frustrated or too upset or it became a power struggle, I would have stopped. But it turns out that she was ready. And even though she's not "100% potty trained" yet, she is on her way and I am SO proud of her! She has made a lot of progress since we started on Sunday (it is now Thursday, btw), I can't even believe the difference. I know we might have a few more accidents over the next couple of months than if we had waited until she was older to PT - maybe closer to age 3? I've heard that if kids potty train closer to 3, there are fewer accidents and the whole process doesn't take as long. So, I guess it's a trade off. I honestly didn't care WHEN, I just wanted her to do this WITH me, and not have it be something I was doing TO her. And it worked! Or, I guess I should say... it is working (now, excuse me while I go knock on some wood).
I'll keep you posted, but for now I think we've all heard enough about Eliza's bodily functions. I know I've certainly had enough of writing about them for now!
Showing posts with label potty learning/training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potty learning/training. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Potty Training - Day 3
After waking up mostly dry (I could tell the pull-up was a bit wet this morning), Eliza went into the bathroom with me and went potty. By this point she was getting pretty used to the "routine" times at which we generally use the bathroom: in the morning (and the fact that picking out a pair of big girl underwear follows this potty time is extra motivating at this time), before we leave the house, upon returning to the house, before and after nap and before bath time. By this day she also knew that when you sit down on the potty chair, you go pee. By this point she was willing and able to do this every single time she sat down.
So, by Day 3, it was pretty clear that if someone reminded her to try to use the potty every so often and/or coaxed her into sitting down and trying, she wouldn't have any accidents.
But to me, that's not the definition of "potty trained".
So, while we were at home, I wasn't constantly reminding her or asking her; I wanted her to learn her own body's cues and not have to constantly remind her that it was time to try to go potty. I mean, I know that's a common parental thing to say - especially when you're in public places - "do you have to go potty?" or "let's try going potty" -- don't you hear parents everywhere saying that to their kids like ALL THE TIME? Yeah, now I get it. 'Cuz at this stage they are like little ticking time bombs!!! -- but while we were at home, I just let the learning experiences happen in hopes that she would learn from them. Yes, while we were out I would (and probably still will for a great long while) ask/remind her, but not at home.
I was definitely excited that she had gotten this far, though! The fact that she was "holding it" for some period of time, could release when she got to the potty chair, and was totally cool and happy with the whole experience thus far - without using any sort of extrinsic reward? Awesome. I was just looking forward to that next step.
And so we trudged on.
On this day, we were watching our little friend Isaac and I decided it would be best to bring him back to our house instead of bringing the potential for accidents to my friend's house. So we went to Isaac's house to pick him up. Before we left for home, though, Eliza did use the Elmo potty at Isaac's house. She was very excited to show Isaac how to use the potty, to show Isaac's mama her big girl underwear, and to use a new potty. So, that worked out well.
We got home that morning, played a bit and then it was snack time. While we were all sitting at the table having snack, Eliza all of a sudden looked down and then I saw the puddle forming. I scooped her up and ran her to the potty saying "let's pee in the potty, okay?". She did sit down and pee a bit more, but she had peed a lot on the chair. Fun times. We talked it through afterwards. I told her that was the feeling of a full bladder and that meant she should run run run to the potty before that happens to keep her big girl underwear dry.
It's so interesting to go through this experience - you really realize that these physical feelings are all things that they have to learn on their own (at this young of an age at least) - the feeling of having to pee, the holding of that pee until they are sitting on the potty, and then releasing. There is a lot going on - muscular/physical, mental, and even emotional! No amount of explaining or talking or rewarding can really do that. It needs to click with them, I think.
So, on to our second pair of underwear for the day.
The rest of the day was rather uneventful. She peed before and after nap, stayed dry during nap, and then peed before we left the house to drop Isaac off, and then again once at Isaac's house - oh and that time she did actually say "I want to go pee", but I'm not sure if it was due to her actually feeling the need to go, or out of the novelty of using a different potty?
One thing happened later in the day that was interesting, and a good sign, I think: we were eating dinner and I knew she hadn't tried to use the potty since we got home about an hour or so earlier, but again, I wasn't going to bug her about it, so we just ate dinner together and then I got her out of her high chair and noticed her pants were a little wet. I asked her if she felt the wetness and if we should put on some dry underwear. So we went into the bathroom and I took her pants and underwear off and really, they weren't all that wet - like it seemed that she had peed a tiny bit, but then stopped. Then she sat down on the potty and peed a LOT more. So, I took that as a good sign - like she knew that it wasn't right to pee in her underwear and so she stopped until she got to her potty chair? I don't know. Again, she wasn't yet verbalizing the need to go potty and hadn't run into the bathroom on her own at all that day (a slightly discouraging fact), but maybe this was something?
Then Daddy got home, she peed again before bath, and it was time for bed. I was exhausted but feeling like some progress was being made!
So, by Day 3, it was pretty clear that if someone reminded her to try to use the potty every so often and/or coaxed her into sitting down and trying, she wouldn't have any accidents.
But to me, that's not the definition of "potty trained".
So, while we were at home, I wasn't constantly reminding her or asking her; I wanted her to learn her own body's cues and not have to constantly remind her that it was time to try to go potty. I mean, I know that's a common parental thing to say - especially when you're in public places - "do you have to go potty?" or "let's try going potty" -- don't you hear parents everywhere saying that to their kids like ALL THE TIME? Yeah, now I get it. 'Cuz at this stage they are like little ticking time bombs!!! -- but while we were at home, I just let the learning experiences happen in hopes that she would learn from them. Yes, while we were out I would (and probably still will for a great long while) ask/remind her, but not at home.
I was definitely excited that she had gotten this far, though! The fact that she was "holding it" for some period of time, could release when she got to the potty chair, and was totally cool and happy with the whole experience thus far - without using any sort of extrinsic reward? Awesome. I was just looking forward to that next step.
And so we trudged on.
On this day, we were watching our little friend Isaac and I decided it would be best to bring him back to our house instead of bringing the potential for accidents to my friend's house. So we went to Isaac's house to pick him up. Before we left for home, though, Eliza did use the Elmo potty at Isaac's house. She was very excited to show Isaac how to use the potty, to show Isaac's mama her big girl underwear, and to use a new potty. So, that worked out well.
We got home that morning, played a bit and then it was snack time. While we were all sitting at the table having snack, Eliza all of a sudden looked down and then I saw the puddle forming. I scooped her up and ran her to the potty saying "let's pee in the potty, okay?". She did sit down and pee a bit more, but she had peed a lot on the chair. Fun times. We talked it through afterwards. I told her that was the feeling of a full bladder and that meant she should run run run to the potty before that happens to keep her big girl underwear dry.
It's so interesting to go through this experience - you really realize that these physical feelings are all things that they have to learn on their own (at this young of an age at least) - the feeling of having to pee, the holding of that pee until they are sitting on the potty, and then releasing. There is a lot going on - muscular/physical, mental, and even emotional! No amount of explaining or talking or rewarding can really do that. It needs to click with them, I think.
So, on to our second pair of underwear for the day.
The rest of the day was rather uneventful. She peed before and after nap, stayed dry during nap, and then peed before we left the house to drop Isaac off, and then again once at Isaac's house - oh and that time she did actually say "I want to go pee", but I'm not sure if it was due to her actually feeling the need to go, or out of the novelty of using a different potty?
One thing happened later in the day that was interesting, and a good sign, I think: we were eating dinner and I knew she hadn't tried to use the potty since we got home about an hour or so earlier, but again, I wasn't going to bug her about it, so we just ate dinner together and then I got her out of her high chair and noticed her pants were a little wet. I asked her if she felt the wetness and if we should put on some dry underwear. So we went into the bathroom and I took her pants and underwear off and really, they weren't all that wet - like it seemed that she had peed a tiny bit, but then stopped. Then she sat down on the potty and peed a LOT more. So, I took that as a good sign - like she knew that it wasn't right to pee in her underwear and so she stopped until she got to her potty chair? I don't know. Again, she wasn't yet verbalizing the need to go potty and hadn't run into the bathroom on her own at all that day (a slightly discouraging fact), but maybe this was something?
Then Daddy got home, she peed again before bath, and it was time for bed. I was exhausted but feeling like some progress was being made!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Potty Training - Day 2
We woke up for Day 2 to a dry pull-up! Small victories :) I know many people/books suggest not using pull-ups for overnight (or at all), but seeing that we're still co-sleeping for part of the night, I wasn't going to spend half the night worrying about The Pee Bomb to go off next to me in bed. So, it's pull-ups for now. We call them her "paper big girl underwear", just like we used to call 'sposies "paper diapers" (vs. cloth).
Straight to the bathroom we went where Eliza successfully emptied her bladder while Daddy (who was in the shower at the time) and Mama looked on - ah, the joys of the single-bathroom home! Then she ran into her room to pick out her (first pair of) big girl underwear for the day (butterflies). Then we played, I made my coffee, put away some dishes, we said goodbye to Daddy, and then we decided we should make smoothies. Just as she was pushing up her stool to the counter to help me make smoothies, she got down and started running into the other room. I followed close behind and found her standing outside the bathroom door saying "I peed, I peed". She did in fact have an accident on the floor, but I took this as SUCH a good sign - she had actually felt the need to pee and tried to get to the potty herself. And she got pretty darn close! She peed a bit more in the potty and then we washed hands and picked out new undies. I just said "let's try hard to keep this pair of underwear dry, okay? Tell mama when you have to go potty OR run to the potty yourself, like a big girl!".
She spent the morning dry, and we made an outing to go to our ECFE class. She peed in the potty there upon arrival and then again before we left.
We got home and she seemed really tired and was asking for milk, so I put her down for a nap on our bed (on a towel!). She slept a LOOONG time - like over 2 hours (which gave me time to take all the Christmas decorations down and sort through her old clothes to make goodwill/pack away piles - score!) - and actually woke up dry! I told her what a big girl she was to wake up dry from a nap and how exciting that was. Then I asked her if she wanted to try to go potty since she hadn't tried since after ECFE. She agreed and again emptied her bladder.
Also of note -- she had underwear and leggings on this entire day and was *almost* able to get them on and off by herself. She just needed a little help in back. Also, she was wiping herself each time.
Anyway, after nap Grandma brought lunch over and Eliza played with Grandma in the afternoon while I worked around the house (as I wrote about earlier this week, we are really trying to organize our living spaces right now). It was a great help, and I was still able to be close by to keep an eye on the PTing. Once during the afternoon, Eliza went into the bathroom and started trying to pull her pants down - I couldn't really believe my eyes, actually! But there she was. She said: "I show Belle!", so we brought our kitty Belle in the bathroom and Eliza showed her how to go potty like a big girl. You better believe I held that cat down and made her watch my two-year-old pee in her potty. Ha! Oh, the things we do.
After that, she went a loooong time (like two hours, I want to say?) without attempting - and she stayed dry, but I was starting to wonder/worry since it had been so long. So at this point my mom and I did encourage her to try. This time we brought our other cat Maxx in the bathroom and Eliza showed him how to pee like a big girl. Naturally, he was enthralled.
After that, Grandma left and Eliza and I played a bit more and then I got dinner ready. Daddy was going to be late that night, so we ate without him. Eliza was sitting in her highchair (with her tray on) during dinner, so I don't know if it was the fact that she couldn't get down by herself, or if she was distracted eating dinner, or if it was just a plain old "learning experience"... but she peed a little while she was sitting in her highchair. It wasn't very much... but enough to change her clothes. So we went into the bathroom (where she also peed a little more in her potty), got her cleaned up and then put on a new pair of underwear.
The rest of the night was accident free. When Daddy came home, he took over. She peed in the potty one more time (including a long stretch of sitting on the potty trying to see if she had to poop - hubby handles that much better than I do for some reason!), had a bath, and then got ready for bed. All in all, it was a great day!
Straight to the bathroom we went where Eliza successfully emptied her bladder while Daddy (who was in the shower at the time) and Mama looked on - ah, the joys of the single-bathroom home! Then she ran into her room to pick out her (first pair of) big girl underwear for the day (butterflies). Then we played, I made my coffee, put away some dishes, we said goodbye to Daddy, and then we decided we should make smoothies. Just as she was pushing up her stool to the counter to help me make smoothies, she got down and started running into the other room. I followed close behind and found her standing outside the bathroom door saying "I peed, I peed". She did in fact have an accident on the floor, but I took this as SUCH a good sign - she had actually felt the need to pee and tried to get to the potty herself. And she got pretty darn close! She peed a bit more in the potty and then we washed hands and picked out new undies. I just said "let's try hard to keep this pair of underwear dry, okay? Tell mama when you have to go potty OR run to the potty yourself, like a big girl!".
She spent the morning dry, and we made an outing to go to our ECFE class. She peed in the potty there upon arrival and then again before we left.
We got home and she seemed really tired and was asking for milk, so I put her down for a nap on our bed (on a towel!). She slept a LOOONG time - like over 2 hours (which gave me time to take all the Christmas decorations down and sort through her old clothes to make goodwill/pack away piles - score!) - and actually woke up dry! I told her what a big girl she was to wake up dry from a nap and how exciting that was. Then I asked her if she wanted to try to go potty since she hadn't tried since after ECFE. She agreed and again emptied her bladder.
Also of note -- she had underwear and leggings on this entire day and was *almost* able to get them on and off by herself. She just needed a little help in back. Also, she was wiping herself each time.
Anyway, after nap Grandma brought lunch over and Eliza played with Grandma in the afternoon while I worked around the house (as I wrote about earlier this week, we are really trying to organize our living spaces right now). It was a great help, and I was still able to be close by to keep an eye on the PTing. Once during the afternoon, Eliza went into the bathroom and started trying to pull her pants down - I couldn't really believe my eyes, actually! But there she was. She said: "I show Belle!", so we brought our kitty Belle in the bathroom and Eliza showed her how to go potty like a big girl. You better believe I held that cat down and made her watch my two-year-old pee in her potty. Ha! Oh, the things we do.
After that, she went a loooong time (like two hours, I want to say?) without attempting - and she stayed dry, but I was starting to wonder/worry since it had been so long. So at this point my mom and I did encourage her to try. This time we brought our other cat Maxx in the bathroom and Eliza showed him how to pee like a big girl. Naturally, he was enthralled.
After that, Grandma left and Eliza and I played a bit more and then I got dinner ready. Daddy was going to be late that night, so we ate without him. Eliza was sitting in her highchair (with her tray on) during dinner, so I don't know if it was the fact that she couldn't get down by herself, or if she was distracted eating dinner, or if it was just a plain old "learning experience"... but she peed a little while she was sitting in her highchair. It wasn't very much... but enough to change her clothes. So we went into the bathroom (where she also peed a little more in her potty), got her cleaned up and then put on a new pair of underwear.
The rest of the night was accident free. When Daddy came home, he took over. She peed in the potty one more time (including a long stretch of sitting on the potty trying to see if she had to poop - hubby handles that much better than I do for some reason!), had a bath, and then got ready for bed. All in all, it was a great day!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Potty Training - Day 1
We started the day with a nice breakfast out to eat as a family. Eliza had a fun time coloring with crayons while we waited for our food, and then she enjoyed a big breakfast of french toast, scrambled eggs and sausage (and some of mama's pancakes). We talked all about how Eliza was such a big girl now, and how after breakfast we were going to go buy her some big girl underwear - the day she had been waiting for a LONG time! She was really excited.
Off to Tar.get we went and found some pretty purple, green, white, pink, polka dots, and butterfly underwear. Eliza proudly put them up on the register so we could pay for them, and then carried the bag out of the store herself.
We got home and made a big celebration out of packing away her cloth diapers ("the baby will use them" she said), and threw away the few paper diapers we had hanging around (which of course I then rescued from the trash so we could give them away). She chose to put on the purple polka dot underwear first and then took off all her other clothes - she was SO proud and excited to be wearing big girl underwear. We explained to her how she was a big girl now so it was time to use the big girl potty, and to tell Mama or Dada when she had to go. We started by going straight to the bathroom. She sat down and used the potty to go pee right away. She even pulled up her underwear all by herself afterwards. We gave her high fives and told her we were proud of our big girl.
Soon it was naptime and even though she did go pee again before naptime, she still woke up wet. So we said "your underwear is wet, let's change you into a dry pair". The idea is to not make it a negative thing that they had a "learning experience" - just to try again. So we reminded her to try to tell us before she had to go potty, or to just run into the bathroom when she felt like she had to go.
Later that day we went to my parents' house - Eliza stayed there while hubby and I ran an errand, an Ikea run which took us 3 hours! While we were gone my mom and dad took over (bless them). She had one little pee accident and then peed in the potty once. When we got home she tried to go again but couldn't "release", so we just said "thanks for trying" and moved on. Not 5 minutes later I saw her in her familiar "stance" and scooped her up mid-accident and brought her to the potty. She did finish pooping into the toilet, about which she was VERY proud. "I made poop go in the potty!". Everyone came and looked. She sat on the potty for maybe another minute or so and then said she wanted to get down. So we washed hands and got ready for dinner. About 10 minutes later I saw her face and knew she was either pooping or had to poop again... sure enough, she had pooped in her underwear. Poor girl. So we went in the bathroom and cleaned up and started over.
At this point, I was feeling very worn down and questioning whether this was a good idea. I didn't want to put any pressure on her or make her feel like she was a failure. She is only 26 months, I knew that is on the early side...was this a ridiculous thing to do? But, I promised that I would give it a good try, so we forged on. We tried hard (and succeeded, I think) to keep things very positive and just kept telling her to tell mama or dada (or grandma or grandpa) when she felt like she had to use the bathroom. I knew she had to learn the feeling first, and that would take time. She definitely didn't like being wet or the feeling of poop in her pants (well DUH!), and she knew that pee and poop went in the potty, so it was just a matter of anticipating the events!
We got home that night accident-free and everyone went potty when we walked in the door. She put on another pair of underwear (pair #5 for the day!) and played a bit before bath time. We talked a lot about it and congratulated her on her first day of potty learning. It was a start.
Off to Tar.get we went and found some pretty purple, green, white, pink, polka dots, and butterfly underwear. Eliza proudly put them up on the register so we could pay for them, and then carried the bag out of the store herself.
We got home and made a big celebration out of packing away her cloth diapers ("the baby will use them" she said), and threw away the few paper diapers we had hanging around (which of course I then rescued from the trash so we could give them away). She chose to put on the purple polka dot underwear first and then took off all her other clothes - she was SO proud and excited to be wearing big girl underwear. We explained to her how she was a big girl now so it was time to use the big girl potty, and to tell Mama or Dada when she had to go. We started by going straight to the bathroom. She sat down and used the potty to go pee right away. She even pulled up her underwear all by herself afterwards. We gave her high fives and told her we were proud of our big girl.
Soon it was naptime and even though she did go pee again before naptime, she still woke up wet. So we said "your underwear is wet, let's change you into a dry pair". The idea is to not make it a negative thing that they had a "learning experience" - just to try again. So we reminded her to try to tell us before she had to go potty, or to just run into the bathroom when she felt like she had to go.
Later that day we went to my parents' house - Eliza stayed there while hubby and I ran an errand, an Ikea run which took us 3 hours! While we were gone my mom and dad took over (bless them). She had one little pee accident and then peed in the potty once. When we got home she tried to go again but couldn't "release", so we just said "thanks for trying" and moved on. Not 5 minutes later I saw her in her familiar "stance" and scooped her up mid-accident and brought her to the potty. She did finish pooping into the toilet, about which she was VERY proud. "I made poop go in the potty!". Everyone came and looked. She sat on the potty for maybe another minute or so and then said she wanted to get down. So we washed hands and got ready for dinner. About 10 minutes later I saw her face and knew she was either pooping or had to poop again... sure enough, she had pooped in her underwear. Poor girl. So we went in the bathroom and cleaned up and started over.
At this point, I was feeling very worn down and questioning whether this was a good idea. I didn't want to put any pressure on her or make her feel like she was a failure. She is only 26 months, I knew that is on the early side...was this a ridiculous thing to do? But, I promised that I would give it a good try, so we forged on. We tried hard (and succeeded, I think) to keep things very positive and just kept telling her to tell mama or dada (or grandma or grandpa) when she felt like she had to use the bathroom. I knew she had to learn the feeling first, and that would take time. She definitely didn't like being wet or the feeling of poop in her pants (well DUH!), and she knew that pee and poop went in the potty, so it was just a matter of anticipating the events!
We got home that night accident-free and everyone went potty when we walked in the door. She put on another pair of underwear (pair #5 for the day!) and played a bit before bath time. We talked a lot about it and congratulated her on her first day of potty learning. It was a start.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Potty Training
For the last five days, we've been working on potty learning/training/whatever you want to call it with Eliza. We started on Sunday morning with a trip to get some big girl underwear, and we went from there. I've been documenting every detail of each day, and I'm going to publish one a day for the next few days.
So, this is your warning!
I know that the five or six of you who read this blog might not mind reading about this subject, but... still. I thought it would be polite to give everyone a heads up. I also want to say that I KNOW this stuff is not interesting to anyone but other parents going through potty training... which is really why I am going to post it and ONLY post it here. I don't talk about it on face.book, so I talk about it here. I also want to have a record of this for when P2 comes along.
To give you a little background, we started the potty training journey here, so this is the continuation of the journey. I don't want to spoil the "ending", but, no, I can't say that we are 100% done as of today - or that there has even really been an ending to the potty learning journey - but she's made a lot of progress. I am so so so proud of her!
So, this is your warning!
I know that the five or six of you who read this blog might not mind reading about this subject, but... still. I thought it would be polite to give everyone a heads up. I also want to say that I KNOW this stuff is not interesting to anyone but other parents going through potty training... which is really why I am going to post it and ONLY post it here. I don't talk about it on face.book, so I talk about it here. I also want to have a record of this for when P2 comes along.
To give you a little background, we started the potty training journey here, so this is the continuation of the journey. I don't want to spoil the "ending", but, no, I can't say that we are 100% done as of today - or that there has even really been an ending to the potty learning journey - but she's made a lot of progress. I am so so so proud of her!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Today
Eliza,
Today, I watched you walk out the door with your grandma, on your way to a fun morning date to the Science Museum. You walked down the stairs in front of our little white house, one hand holding the railing, the other holding grandma's hand. You looked like such a big girl. I said to myself 'where did my baby go?' I thought of two summers ago, when I was waddling up and down those stairs, my belly so big and full of life - you were all curled up in there, getting ready to come out - and I was busy getting ready for your arrival: planning a nursery, washing diapers and onesies, all while dreaming of you, my sweet Baby P. How are you already almost two years old?
Today, you played at a little indoor play area at our local mall with grandma and me. We shared (and I use that word lightly because I think you drank most of it) a mango smoothie and you sat on my lap, enjoying the novelty of drinking out of three straws. I told your grandma that last time you and I shared a smoothie (about 6 or 7 months ago), it was a much more equitable experience :) But it's okay, I know it's all part of growing up. You know what is yours, or, more accurately, what you would like to be yours, and you know how to defend it.
You are growing up.
Later, when you were playing (after you made sure that the mango smoothie was gone), you found it difficult to share the play area with the other children, telling them "No" and saying "Eliza's!" when they tried to play where you wanted to play. You were upset that a little girl was on the slide. You pushed her and were not very gentle with her. I jumped up and came over to you and we talked about gentle touches and you told the little girl you were sorry. It was hard for mama to see you do that; I know you are a kind, tender, gentle girl, and you were just having a hard time sharing today.
You are growing up, and this is all part of growing up. As I watched you, again I wondered, 'where did my baby go?'
Today, you pooped in your potty for the first time and you were happy and proud of yourself, and yet, at the same time, it was like it was no big deal to you. You just stood up and slammed the lid shut and (almost) walked away (there was still the small matter of wiping to be dealt with...). When dada came home, you said "I pooped!" and we all laughed and high-fived. When I called grandma and grandpa to tell them, grandpa said it made him a little sad - you are growing up.
Today, I am a very proud, very happy mama.
There are moments when this is hard. Like, really really hard. Moments when parenting you, my dear toddler girl, is not fun, or even The Thing I Would Like To Be Doing Most at that moment. But that is normal, and those moments pass. And I remind myself that each day will be different, each day you will change, that 'this too shall pass'... I remind myself that you are growing up. And it is bittersweet.
Today, you needed me when daddy was rinsing your soapy hair at bath time. You were scared and didn't want all the water splashing over your head. You are usually okay with it, but tonight you weren't, and we don't know why, but you just needed to be held while daddy rinsed your hair. I held you and told you it was okay and that the water wouldn't hurt you, but that I would hold you and give you kisses while daddy poured the water. You agreed, and I gave you big raspberry kisses on your belly - just like I've been doing since you were one week old - and you laughed, which made me laugh.
Today, you grew up a little bit more. But I want you to know that you will always be my baby and I will always be here to hold you when you are scared - even if all you are scared of is bath water.
Eliza, you are growing up, but you will always be my baby girl, and I will always be your Mama. I love you so much.
xoxo
Mama
Today, I watched you walk out the door with your grandma, on your way to a fun morning date to the Science Museum. You walked down the stairs in front of our little white house, one hand holding the railing, the other holding grandma's hand. You looked like such a big girl. I said to myself 'where did my baby go?' I thought of two summers ago, when I was waddling up and down those stairs, my belly so big and full of life - you were all curled up in there, getting ready to come out - and I was busy getting ready for your arrival: planning a nursery, washing diapers and onesies, all while dreaming of you, my sweet Baby P. How are you already almost two years old?
Today, you played at a little indoor play area at our local mall with grandma and me. We shared (and I use that word lightly because I think you drank most of it) a mango smoothie and you sat on my lap, enjoying the novelty of drinking out of three straws. I told your grandma that last time you and I shared a smoothie (about 6 or 7 months ago), it was a much more equitable experience :) But it's okay, I know it's all part of growing up. You know what is yours, or, more accurately, what you would like to be yours, and you know how to defend it.
You are growing up.
Later, when you were playing (after you made sure that the mango smoothie was gone), you found it difficult to share the play area with the other children, telling them "No" and saying "Eliza's!" when they tried to play where you wanted to play. You were upset that a little girl was on the slide. You pushed her and were not very gentle with her. I jumped up and came over to you and we talked about gentle touches and you told the little girl you were sorry. It was hard for mama to see you do that; I know you are a kind, tender, gentle girl, and you were just having a hard time sharing today.
You are growing up, and this is all part of growing up. As I watched you, again I wondered, 'where did my baby go?'
Today, you pooped in your potty for the first time and you were happy and proud of yourself, and yet, at the same time, it was like it was no big deal to you. You just stood up and slammed the lid shut and (almost) walked away (there was still the small matter of wiping to be dealt with...). When dada came home, you said "I pooped!" and we all laughed and high-fived. When I called grandma and grandpa to tell them, grandpa said it made him a little sad - you are growing up.
Today, I am a very proud, very happy mama.
There are moments when this is hard. Like, really really hard. Moments when parenting you, my dear toddler girl, is not fun, or even The Thing I Would Like To Be Doing Most at that moment. But that is normal, and those moments pass. And I remind myself that each day will be different, each day you will change, that 'this too shall pass'... I remind myself that you are growing up. And it is bittersweet.
Today, you needed me when daddy was rinsing your soapy hair at bath time. You were scared and didn't want all the water splashing over your head. You are usually okay with it, but tonight you weren't, and we don't know why, but you just needed to be held while daddy rinsed your hair. I held you and told you it was okay and that the water wouldn't hurt you, but that I would hold you and give you kisses while daddy poured the water. You agreed, and I gave you big raspberry kisses on your belly - just like I've been doing since you were one week old - and you laughed, which made me laugh.
Today, you grew up a little bit more. But I want you to know that you will always be my baby and I will always be here to hold you when you are scared - even if all you are scared of is bath water.
Eliza, you are growing up, but you will always be my baby girl, and I will always be your Mama. I love you so much.
xoxo
Mama
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Warning: Potty Talk
I decided not to talk about potty learning/training on Face.book. Just didn't want to go there, I guess. Figured that I have my blog to talk about baby poop, pee and other things related to baby [fluids].
So you, lucky reader, get to hear it all - no holds barred!
Eliza will be 21 months on Sunday. When she was 18 months old, my mom bought her a potty chair. We accidentally bought one that makes sounds when the child pees (it was used so we didn't know it when we bought it), but Eliza hasn't figured that out yet. Not sure how we feel about that particular feature. Anyway, this potty chair has been sitting in our bathroom ever since May.
We have, and have always had, a very open attitude with Eliza when it comes to using the bathroom (and bodies/bodily functions in general) - I never shut the door when I am using the bathroom, and even when I do, she is welcome to walk in as she pleases (though we have recently started teaching her the idea of knocking). We have also talked a LOT about the bathroom, the toilet, peeing, pooping, diapers, etc. with her (along with the difference between mama and dada's anatomy in the same conversation). From about 16 months on, she knew what the toilet was for, knew that she went pee in her diaper, and knew when she had pooped and needed a new diaper. So, she has been "potty aware" for a while.
When the potty chair found a home in the bathroom, we told her it was Eliza's potty and she could use it if and when she wanted. She loved sitting on it and "practicing". She would sit down and say "Peeeeeeeee!", ask for a piece of toilet paper, shut the lid and then walk away - no, she never actually went in the potty, but we never expected her to, nor were we planning on starting to potty train anytime soon. So, we'd just reinforce the behavior by saying "yep, that's where Eliza will go potty when she's a big girl" or "yes, that's how you sit down on the potty when you have to pee". Very neutral, very easy-going, no excitement or convincing her to actually USE the potty.
Then one morning Eliza and dada were sitting in her room and Eliza was naked (her favorite way to be, don't you know!). She started saying "toot!" (which she used to say when she actually was peeing), and hubby thought she might have to pee. So, he asked her if she wanted to pee in her potty, and she said yes. They went into the bathroom, Eliza sat down on her potty, and she peed. Then - just like she practiced - she got a piece of toilet paper, put it in the potty, slammed the lid down and walked out the door. Ha!
Since then, we have kept a very neutral attitude toward PTing, not pushing her at ALL, and lo and behold, she has begun to want to pee in the potty. A few times, when she has been naked around the house, she will yell "pee!" and run to her potty. She has made it there one out of the three times :) And when she doesn't make it there, she says "uh-oh!" and points to the puddle on the floor (which is weird, because we have never said anything about having an "accident" on the floor or that being bad or "uh-oh" worthy, but I guess she gets it that pee goes in the potty or in a diaper!?).
Where are we now? We are definitely not in active PTing mode with Eliza - I know she is not fully ready yet. She doesn't yet anticipate having to pee or poop, so the cognitive/behavioral connection is not quite there (though, sometimes it seems to be, but it is definitely hit and miss). But we are letting her lead the way, as we don't want to squelch any progress that she wants to make. And we are also talking more about her using the potty if she wants to, instead of peeing in a diaper. Once a day, before bath time, she uses the potty pretty consistently. We noticed that she peed every single time she would get into the tub, and so hubby started talking to her about it and explaining to her that she could pee before she gets into the tub in her potty... and then one night he asked her before bath time, "Eliza, do you want to pee in your potty before you get in the tub?", to which she answered "yes", and then peed in the potty. So, now that's what she does.
She has also started waking up in the morning with dry diapers, which shocked me at first (I thought she was dehydrated or something!?), so sometimes (if I am awake enough, haha), I'll ask her first thing in the morning if she has to pee and she will say "yes", and then go use the potty. She wanted to do this one morning at the lake last week so I held her up on the big toilet (we don't have a potty chair there) and she peed!
I just think it is amazing to watch her learn about all this and figure it out in her own head. I am fully prepared - and even expect - for her to be in diapers for quite a bit longer, but we follow her cues and will try our best to help her get there (PT'ed, that is) easily and without struggle. We stay calm and neutral because we don't want a power struggle, we don't want a competition, and we certainly we don't want to set her up to fail.
I'm not a BTDT mama, so as always, I welcome any and all advice or experiences you've had on this subject. I have already consulted a few of my expert mommy friends and their advice has been invaluable!
So you, lucky reader, get to hear it all - no holds barred!
Eliza will be 21 months on Sunday. When she was 18 months old, my mom bought her a potty chair. We accidentally bought one that makes sounds when the child pees (it was used so we didn't know it when we bought it), but Eliza hasn't figured that out yet. Not sure how we feel about that particular feature. Anyway, this potty chair has been sitting in our bathroom ever since May.
We have, and have always had, a very open attitude with Eliza when it comes to using the bathroom (and bodies/bodily functions in general) - I never shut the door when I am using the bathroom, and even when I do, she is welcome to walk in as she pleases (though we have recently started teaching her the idea of knocking). We have also talked a LOT about the bathroom, the toilet, peeing, pooping, diapers, etc. with her (along with the difference between mama and dada's anatomy in the same conversation). From about 16 months on, she knew what the toilet was for, knew that she went pee in her diaper, and knew when she had pooped and needed a new diaper. So, she has been "potty aware" for a while.
When the potty chair found a home in the bathroom, we told her it was Eliza's potty and she could use it if and when she wanted. She loved sitting on it and "practicing". She would sit down and say "Peeeeeeeee!", ask for a piece of toilet paper, shut the lid and then walk away - no, she never actually went in the potty, but we never expected her to, nor were we planning on starting to potty train anytime soon. So, we'd just reinforce the behavior by saying "yep, that's where Eliza will go potty when she's a big girl" or "yes, that's how you sit down on the potty when you have to pee". Very neutral, very easy-going, no excitement or convincing her to actually USE the potty.
Then one morning Eliza and dada were sitting in her room and Eliza was naked (her favorite way to be, don't you know!). She started saying "toot!" (which she used to say when she actually was peeing), and hubby thought she might have to pee. So, he asked her if she wanted to pee in her potty, and she said yes. They went into the bathroom, Eliza sat down on her potty, and she peed. Then - just like she practiced - she got a piece of toilet paper, put it in the potty, slammed the lid down and walked out the door. Ha!
Since then, we have kept a very neutral attitude toward PTing, not pushing her at ALL, and lo and behold, she has begun to want to pee in the potty. A few times, when she has been naked around the house, she will yell "pee!" and run to her potty. She has made it there one out of the three times :) And when she doesn't make it there, she says "uh-oh!" and points to the puddle on the floor (which is weird, because we have never said anything about having an "accident" on the floor or that being bad or "uh-oh" worthy, but I guess she gets it that pee goes in the potty or in a diaper!?).
Where are we now? We are definitely not in active PTing mode with Eliza - I know she is not fully ready yet. She doesn't yet anticipate having to pee or poop, so the cognitive/behavioral connection is not quite there (though, sometimes it seems to be, but it is definitely hit and miss). But we are letting her lead the way, as we don't want to squelch any progress that she wants to make. And we are also talking more about her using the potty if she wants to, instead of peeing in a diaper. Once a day, before bath time, she uses the potty pretty consistently. We noticed that she peed every single time she would get into the tub, and so hubby started talking to her about it and explaining to her that she could pee before she gets into the tub in her potty... and then one night he asked her before bath time, "Eliza, do you want to pee in your potty before you get in the tub?", to which she answered "yes", and then peed in the potty. So, now that's what she does.
She has also started waking up in the morning with dry diapers, which shocked me at first (I thought she was dehydrated or something!?), so sometimes (if I am awake enough, haha), I'll ask her first thing in the morning if she has to pee and she will say "yes", and then go use the potty. She wanted to do this one morning at the lake last week so I held her up on the big toilet (we don't have a potty chair there) and she peed!
I just think it is amazing to watch her learn about all this and figure it out in her own head. I am fully prepared - and even expect - for her to be in diapers for quite a bit longer, but we follow her cues and will try our best to help her get there (PT'ed, that is) easily and without struggle. We stay calm and neutral because we don't want a power struggle, we don't want a competition, and we certainly we don't want to set her up to fail.
I'm not a BTDT mama, so as always, I welcome any and all advice or experiences you've had on this subject. I have already consulted a few of my expert mommy friends and their advice has been invaluable!
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