potty talk

Potty training is going.  I figured I would update on here instead of FB because some day I will forget how potty training really went. (Not to mention the fact that I am not sure I would want to see all the potty talk in my news feed, especially if I was not a parent of young children.)

B actually started showing some interest and awareness a year or so ago.  It's been up and down, I have not pushed the issue... with moving, etc., and the fact that he would go from wanting to use the toilet to not caring, I took the lazy route.  Encouraged and praised when he pursued it, otherwise stepped back.

He has been waking up dry most mornings for at least a month... unless I give him a cup of milk in the middle of the night when he wakes up.  He has been sitting on the potty a couple of times a day, and pooping in the toilet instead of his pants most of the time.  So last week, the decision was made.  Mom and Dad are tired of buying diapers.  Little Man knows pull ups/disposable training pants are fancy diapers and treats them as such, in spite of the admonition that Buzz, Lightning, Woody, or the Firefighters do not like to get peed on... it was time to transition to big boy pants.

Last Friday went well.  We even went out to eat and home and he stayed dry.  Saturday was a bit of a challenge... two big puddles in the playroom, plus drippings down the hall as he yelled, "Mommy, I need to go potty."  At least we have hardwood floors that clean up easily, right?  Yesterday he did fine as long as we took him every 30 minutes or so, we put a pull up over his underwear just in case when we went out and it was only slightly damp by the time we got home 2 hours later.  He had one small accident where he started but then stopped until he got to the potty.  We played hooky from church so that was a non-issue......

So here we are, Day 4 of potty boot camp, Buddy addition.  He's been in his big boy pants and kept them dry since about 9 am.  I'm still making him go every 30 minutes or so and not waiting for him to tell me.  It's just safer that way.  But he clearly understands the expectation, and I have not changed a stinky diaper in almost a week, so progress is good.

Now if I could just get him to aim his "firehose" down... he's quite forgetful about that.  He does aim better if I set him on the regular toilet seat facing the tank instead of on the padded insert facing forward.

Ah, the joys of parenting a little one.

potty training, take 2

I am calling today the first official day of potty training for Buddy.  I bought him some big boy underwear earlier this summer, and within 5 minutes he had peed in them.  Tried another pair, that one didn't last long, either.  So I decided that neither of us was ready, in spite of the fact that in November he asked to go potty at rest stops on our way to and from our house hunting trips.  I wasn't ready for potty training in the midst of packing to move then.  I am sure it's gross and lazy to some, but he has worn diapers his whole life, so why rush it?


But he has been waking up dry, sitting on the potty willingly with increased frequency for even longer than that, and he's going to preschool in less than a month and is supposed to be potty trained by then.  Yesterday he asked to wear his Thomas the Train underwear.  He has been keeping his pull ups dry longer the last week or so, so I told him that he can wear them if he is ready to be a big boy and keep them dry.  "Ok. I a big boy."

8:30 am.... after breakfast pull up was wet because I didn't set him on the potty when we awoke. Bad Mama.  Whatever... decided since we were waiting on the gutter guy (who never showed up) today was as good as any to try to be consistent.  So, every 30 minutes to an hour after that point, he sat on the potty.  He even told me he needed to go once, and his pants were still dry.  The only times we changed his underwear were 1) when he decided he wanted to wear James instead of Thomas 2) when I put him in his swim diaper for the pool, just in case and 3) when we got back from the pool.  Oh and 4, I put him in another pull up for night time because I am lazy and mornings are rough.  I think I might follow a friend's advice and buy a toy he really wants, and tell him if he can keep doing such a good job he can have it before his birthday.

As previously mentioned in social media, I hereby declare day 1 of potty training a huge success.  Way to go little Buddy!!!

(not-so) accidental milestone

Buddy was bathing and a familiar expression crossed his face.  I really did not want to have to bleach the tub and all its toys again... so I grabbed the padded potty seat, scooped him up, and set him on there.  We've had false alarms where nothing has transpired before.... this time was not a false alarm.  I think he liked the praise he received for using the potty, because he kept climbing out and wanting to sit on the potty seat again. 

The funny thing was that I pulled Bear's training potty out of storage today.  It makes a good step stool and the two of them have been fighting over the Dora step stool ever since Buddy has become obsessed with brushing his teeth.  Looks like it might be mutipurposed.

big girl, big boy

Last night was Bear's 3rd night in plain cloth underwear or training pants. And her first waking up completely dry!!!!! We ran out of pull-ups earlier this week, and I decided to give the night potty-training a try.
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Our big boy had has 3 month check-up today. He's 25 inches long and weighs 12 lbs, 12 oz. clothed... since his diaper was a little wet, that's probably more like 12 lbs, 6 oz.

never say never

I said I didn't think I'd use pull-ups in the potty training process.

I was wrong.

I'm having to step back and give Hannah and myself a break because she has become more resistant to using the potty and that has led to more accidents.

So while we're out and about, she's wearing pull-ups. If she's having a bad day, I put away the big girl pants and stick her in a diaper because it's cheaper than pull ups. Why she can stay completely dry in a diaper but leaks in her undies/fabric training pants stumps me.

The funny thing is, when I took her Cinderella pull-up out of the package, she felt it and said, "pretty diaper!"

regression

Our potty training is up and down... today has been a down day. Thankfully she held 2/3 of the poop in after messing in her pants so clean up was not too terrible. Then, when she was brushing her teeth after lunch, she peed a river all over her Dora step stool and the bathroom floor. At least it was the bathroom floor and not on the carpet somewhere, right?


She is in a diaper (today, anyway). I don't have the patience for this today.

where'd she get THAT idea?

Those of you who know me know that I am somewhat organizationally challenged. However, J and I have made some attempts to teach Hannah to clean up her toys, even if Mommy's room looks like a tornado went through it, as is usually the case. Apparently our efforts have not been in vain.

Hannah and I were headed to run errands, and a few minutes before we left I had reminded her that she would need to try to go potty before we went to the post office (which as anyone knows includes getting a free lollipop for the kid).

I was finally ready to go, but there was that one last thing we needed to take care of.

"What did I ask you to do before we go for a ride in the car?"

"Pick up my toys." Bear replied.

Funny, I didn't recall asking that, but it wasn't a bad idea. So I let her finish picking up her toys and helped her to the potty.

you guessed it...

more potty progress

On Wednesday, after I dropped Hannah off in the nursery, her teacher, Shelly told her to let her know if she needed to go potty. Shelly is a Mom of 2 toddlers and knows we've been working on it at home. Apparently when she was changing another child's diaper, she asked Hannah if she needed to be change, and Hannah stated, "I go potty." With some help getting her diaper off and pants down, that's exactly what she did!

Yesterday and today she stayed dry during her nap, wearing her training pants! She also asked to go potty after Music class, but then she refused to sit on the big potty and held it until we got home.

Ever since we moved her little potty up to the bonus room, she has been better about not having accidents. The past couple of days, she has told us several times that she needs to go pee pee.

The hello kitty and dora underpants she got from Gramma for valentine's day are coming in handy!

potty progress, cont'd

cousin juliana was a good influence on hannah this weekend, even if she made her use the little potty instead of the big seat. (it doesn't sound like hannah cared, anyway.)

hannah didn't have a single accident before nap time (2:30) today. we even went to the library, wal-mart and smoothie king after lunch, and she stayed dry the whole time, earning herself a lollipop. i did put a diaper on her for her nap, just in case, but it looks like those new hello kitty and dora undies which gramma sent over are going to be put to good use! i'm seriously considering refusing to buy another box of diapers when this one runs out... but that might mean i'll have more wet beds to clean up than i want to deal with. so we'll see.

coming along...

we went to the post office today.
bear wore her training pants, and kept them dry.
the dum-dum lollipop from ms. sharon at the PO was apparently a good incentive for her.

more adventures in potty training

i gave in and moved the little potty upstairs. hannah has been resisting going downstairs to the bathroom, and i have grown weary of the upstairs "accidents".

wouldn't you know that about 30 minutes after moving the potty upstairs (with a towel underneath it just in case), she walked over to it, asked for help getting it open and pulling down her pants, and went pee-pee. dumping the pot of pee is sooo much easier than cleaning upholstery.

she had been doing well with going down when told, but she had taken a step backwards by not wanting to go and then having accidents, so i hope this may actually help her go on her own initiative again.

adventures in potty learning continued

So, Hannah has been wearing her training pants and underwear around the house lately. Usually she tries to go potty when told, and occasionally she has told us when she needs to go.

This morning, she had a nice big leak on the couch/throw pillow. Thankfully the throw pillow got the brunt of the wetness (it was twice as heavy as normal), so I took it downstairs to the washer (we're about to find out how washable it is). When I came back upstairs, she was spraying the other pillow with the carpet/upholstery cleaner. The one she didn't pee on. We now have 2 pillows in the wash.

At least she wasn't spraying the stuff in her mouth... she was so proud of herself, too. But that'll teach me to leave cleaning supplies in her reach for a second.

"I cleaning pee!" she exclaimed.
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As she ate her snack a little while later, I heard a familiar, "uh-oh, i leaking!"
Sure enough, the puddle was making its way to the floor. So I scooped her up, set her on the potty (better late than never), took off the booster seat and put it in my bathtub. It was in need of a good scrubbing anyway. Hannah heard the noise and made her way from her bathroom to mine, wanting to get into the tub with her booster....

I did let her take a bath in her tub, and as she played with her toys, she asked for her booster. While I'm sure that might have been a fun addition to her bath, she did not get what she asked for.

I'm not too happy with the effect of grape juice on her bladder. She had been doing sooo well lately...

1st day diaper free

Today is the first day I've dared to keep Hannah in underpants all day... even through her naptime. She only had one accident after dinner, and she just happened to be on her step stool in the bathroom when she "leaked" right through her and made a puddle. I'm losing track of time, but in at least the last 3 weeks, we've changed one poopy diaper. And she is not constipated.
If she's not completely trained by the time she visits her cousin Junanana in a couple of weeks, I suspect Aunt Becca will finish the process if she's ready.

Now to get up the nerve to go out of the house without diaper...

a public service announcement (sort of)

we interrupt this walk down memory lane to inform you that it has been a whole week since we changed a poopy diaper. somebody is using the potty more and more! she doesn't ask to go most of the time but she does hold her #2 until given the potty-tunity.

Working toward potty training

Hannah is on a roll. She has used the toilet for its intended purpose at least once for 5 out of the last 7 days. Her successes usually follow lunch or dinner or precede bedtime.

Update: 3 successes in one day! After lunch, after supper, and before bed. :)

1st poo-poo in the potty!!!

When Daddy went into use the potty earlier today, Hannah said she needed to go, too. So I helped her with her diaper and pants, and she sat on her little potty, few feet from Daddy. I thought about taking a picture but decided against it.

During dinner, she started grunting and making the "poo-poo" face, and I asked her if she wanted to go practice on the potty. "Yes!"

She probably sat there for 10 minutes, but she did tinkle just a little and she pushed... with results.

She was so excited to say "bye-bye, poo-poo!" as she flushed the toilet.

Unfortunately, 5 minutes later she peed through her training pants and pants onto the carpet, so it wasn't a complete success. But it's a good start.

party girl and shop-a-holic

Hannah has been to 2 birthday parties in the past 2 days... Aunt Becca's was last night. She was so excited about seeing cousin Juliana. And she practiced singing "Happy birthday to YA!" on the way to GranWendy and Grandaddy's house. She loved the pumpkin-shaped chocolate cake and strawberry ice cream... and talked Grandaddy into giving her a 3rd helpingof ice cream. (They were small portions for her, but still....)

Tonight we went to her friend Isabella's 2nd birthday party. Isabella's Mom and I were pregnant with our first daughters at the same time. Several months had past since we last saw them, and once again, Hannah practiced singing "Happy Birthday to YA!" on the way there. She is also pronouncing Juliana and Isabella's names better and better.

Hannah seemed most interested in Isabella's toy fruits (lemon, watermelon, orange) from her toy grocery basket set. And Care Bears. And the Doctor Kit... which is a good thing because we bought one for her when I bought Isabella's. Oh, and we can't forget the mooing cow flashlight. Hannah has a flashlight obsession already, and to combine it with one of her favorite animals... well, she loved it. Oh, just before Isabella opened gifts, Hannah tugged at my leg and asked, "potty practice?" We had to wait for someone else to get out of the bathroom, but she tried to go. She also asked for a book to read while she was trying. I think that break in the routine threw her off a bit, because she did not actually do anything in the potty.

We drove the hour home and Hannah was still awake, so we stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few things. She sat in the little car compartment in front of the cart, almost at ground level. As we walked toward the milk, Joel asked if I had put "that" in the car next to Hannah. "That" was a big bottle of purex laundry soap. I hadn't. Apparently our little one had pulled it off the shelf, over her la, and set it in the seat next to her. I walked it back to the end-of-aisle display, and sure enough, there was an empty spot right at toddler level. I'm going to have to be extra careful to make sure she does not shoplift in the future!

Tinkle, tinkle!

During Hannah's bath, I saw bubbles coming out from her bottom. I asked if she needed to go potty, and she stood up. She sat on the big toilet seat for like 10 minutes, with no luck. But she said she still needed to go. She was content to read her books with her towel wrapped around herself. So she tried the little potty seat. Within 5 minutes she had tinkled in the potty!!!! She helped me pour the pee into the toilet, tried to wipe herself, and washed her hands. Oh and it was so cute. As she peed, some splattered on her legs. She said, "uh oh". I told her it is ok, sometimes pee splashes, and wiped her off. Could this be the beginning of potty training? She got 2 stickers for actually having success on the potty. One says "ay ay ay!" and one says "muy bien!" I told her what they said, so she was walking around practicing her Spanish, too. :)

potty practice

when i changed her diaper after nap, hannah asked to "practice potty". not one to discourage interest, i helped her onto her seat. she proceeded to demonstrate her skills:

flushing without looking

reaching for the tp

waiting for something to happen (it didn't)

Now to teach her that the tp is only for when she actually goes, and not to flush until after she is all done.... one flush, not several...

(The "clipping" in the right edge of the photos is the door frame. I didn't think about it blending into the blog background.)

She wanted to practice again tonight after she got her pj top on and before I put on her clean diaper. One of these days "practice" might make "product", if you know what I mean...

1st tinkle!!!

after lunch, i notice the towel underneath baby bear's bottom was a little damp. (i get tired of wrestling her to get her diaper on, so i let her run around bare-bottomed part of the day.) i asked her if she still needed to use the potty, and she nodded "yes". when we got to the bathroom, she chose the big potty, so i put her insert on top so she would not fall in, and there she sat. she flipped through a couple of board books, and i heard "tinkle tinkle". i praised her, wiped her, and helped her down. as she played a few minutes later, she kept picking up her baby doll and putting it on the little potty.

we are not anywhere near being potty trained, but we're taking small steps as she shows interest, and as she makes it harder and harder to get her diaper on.