Potty Training - Day 3

Well, I've made it to the 3rd day of this method of potty training.  I fortunately slept a lot better last night and had high hopes for the day ahead.  After all, Reagan had a very successful day yesterday.

He awoke earlier than I would prefer, but we got started right away.  I told him that we'd change his diaper and put him in big boy pants.  Immediately, he was resistant.  He didn't want to wear underwear today.  I wasn't about to give up, so I convinced him to put them on.  Here is my log for the day:

6:45a put on underwear
7:30-7:40a stood, nothing
7:50-8a sat/stood, nothing
8:05-8:10a sat, nothing
8:35a pee!!
9:50a pee!!
11:25a pee!!
11:45a poop!!
12:45p nap time
2:45p woke up, put in underwear
3:35p pee!!
5:05p pee!!
5:25p pee!!
6:40p pee!!

From the time Reagan woke up until his first pee, it was a rough go.  He tried going potty three times before he actually went.  Every time I had him stand or sit, he was resistant; he continued to say, "I don't want to."  At one point, he was actually angry and throwing his hands down.  I knew this was a bad sign and thought a little bit about my approach.  Shortly after his second pee of the day, I had a conversation with a friend (thank you KR - you've been a HUGE help!!) who shared that a big thing with this method is getting the child to learn the urge to go.  I realized if it had been longer than an hour or so, I would just start to make Reagan stand in front of the potty because I thought he needed to go, not because he actually showed any signs of needing to go.

After this conversation, I decided to let Reagan lead me in knowing whether or not to have him attempt to go.  What a difference!!!!  Reagan became a lot less resistant when I told him to stand in front of the potty.  The only time I got resistance was when he was watching a movie and didn't want to take the time to pee (even though I put the movie on pause!).  It was also a much quicker process; he would usually pee within a minute of standing there.

I had already decided earlier in the day I wanted to venture out for a short time to see how things went. To be honest, I was a little nervous, but knew I couldn't stay cooped up in the house forever!  After his snack and afternoon pee, we went to Kohl's to buy him something special - Thomas underwear!  He has some underwear, but I thought we could reward him with Thomas undies!  He was so excited to get them.  I also decided to make a pit stop at Starbucks on the way home as a little reward for me ;)  I asked Reagan several times throughout this one hour outing if he needed to go or if he had "pee-pees" and the answer was always no.  And he was right - we made a successful trip out and back without an accident!

By the end of the day, I truly believe Reagan is now starting to understand the urge to go.  He doesn't always tell me or make an attempt to get to the potty on time, but it's obvious by his actions (moving around a lot, touching himself, etc) that he needs to go.  This is when I tell him it's time to go and he usually does.  All in all, I can't believe that at the end of these 3 days, Reagan is fairly well trained.  Of course there will be accidents in the future, I'm sure.  However, a whole day without any accidents seems like a dream come true in the potty training world ;)

On a related, but side note: when I woke up Monday morning and decided to make a go for this, I didn't really think about how potty training would affect my life after the 3 days.  I didn't really take into account that I'll have to plan the timing of my outings around the last time he peed and when I think he'll need to go again.  I realize there are public restrooms, but until he's really comfortable, I would prefer he pees at home.  Or how long can I plan to be out of the house before I should come home?  Can I take him to "fun places" still or should I wait until he's really confident in knowing when he needs to go?  Or what will it look like for him to be at Church/Sunday School/Bible Study?  Will I put him in a Pull Up or just let the workers know we are potty training and to come get me?   There are still a lot of questions I need to address, but that's okay.  I feel such a sense of accomplishment and relief right now knowing we've made huge strides in this area!

Potty Training - Day 2

Let's just start with the fact I barely slept last night because I was dreaming about potty training, I was thinking about potty training, and I was fearing what tomorrow (today - day 2) would bring.  I think I was most fearful that Reagan wouldn't want to try potty training again and I would easily give in because yesterday was so difficult.

Well, 7a came and Reagan was ready for breakfast.  I tentatively told him we would change his diaper and put him in big boy pants.  That seemed to go ok, but not with great enthusiasm.  I put his underwear on and we started the day.  He has a bad rash on his butt and I think it's from sitting so much yesterday.  So today, I'm going to see if there is any progress if he stands vs sits.  Following is my daily log for the day:

7a woke up and put on underwear
7:20a accident
7:40-7:50a stood, nothing
8:05-8:20a stood, nothing
8:35a accident
8:55a stood, nothing
9:25-9:30a pee!!
9:35a accident
9:35-9:45a stood, nothing
10:25-10:30a stood, nothing
10:45-11a stood, nothing
11:20-11:25 stood, nothing
11:35a pee!! He had been standing in front of the potty for 10 minutes and finally went
11:45a pee!!  He ran to tell me he had to go again and we made it to the potty on time!
12:30p poop!!  He tried for pee before nap time, but nothing
12:45p nap
3p back in underwear
3:50-4p stood, nothing
4:25-4:35p stood, nothing
4:45p pee!!
5:40p stood, nothing
6:05p pee!!  He told me during dinner he needed to go and I thought he was just trying to get out of eating.  After 2 minutes of standing, he went!
6:50p accident :(

After his third accident in 2 1/2 hours of being awake, I was in tears in the basement.  I was so upset and seriously ready to throw in the towel.  I just couldn't bring myself to continue trying with the results  we were having.  I even texted Ryan and said I would feel better if we could have one success, but at this point, it was just accident after accident.

Then...the breakthrough moment! I was having him stand because I knew he would need to go and all of a sudden, he started peeing.  This was different than yesterday - he was actually getting a decent amount of pee into the potty, as opposed to just a few drops.  Excitement doesn't completely convey how I felt.  I encouraged Reagan to do a potty (celebratory) dance and we gave high-fives and, of course, finished off this milestone with a treat.  Unfortunately, he took the wind out of my sails five minutes later when he had a accident.  Lesson learned for me: just because he went doesn't mean he's completely done.  There may be a little more in there that he hasn't gotten out yet!

From the time snack time was over (10:15ish) until his next success was grueling.  I knew he would have to go and he hadn't gone over hour or so without peeing or an accident, so I was getting increasingly nervous every time he stood and nothing came out.  We literally sat on the floor of his bedroom and read books or he laid his head on my lap.  I wouldn't let him go anywhere because I knew it was coming - eventually.  It took 2 hours, but he finally went.  Then, the best part came next!  Only 10 minutes after we went through out routine of cleaning the potty and getting treats, he came running into the the room and said he needed to go again.  We quickly got to the potty and he started peeing again!  I felt like this was a huge success because he knew the feeling of having to go.  Yay!

I won't spend much time on his poop because I honestly think it was just a fluke.  He had been eating lunch and I caught "the look" on his face and forced him to sit down on the potty.  Within seconds of sitting, he had a little poop.  Although I was lucky, he at least did it!

After nap time is questionable for me.  He wears a diaper while sleeping and I have no idea the last time he peed when he wakes up and I change him into his underwear.  I was so fearful of another accident, but we just plugged on ahead.  He tried multiple times, but we finally had a success after almost 2 hours of being awake.

The other great accomplishment of the day was during dinner time.  I tried to have him go before dinner but he didn't need to.  While eating, he said he needed to go.  I reluctantly unbuckled his chair to let him attempt.  I really thought it was an excuse to not eat dinner (what I made wasn't very good) and he had been avoiding what I told him he had to eat.  However, after only a two minutes of standing there, he started to go!  Again, it showed me he is starting to know the sensation of having to go.  Great news!

I COULD NOT BELIEVE he had an accident just 45 minutes later.  I was really disappointed in the accident, especially to end the day this way, but he was so enthralled with the toy magazine, I think he wasn't paying attention.  At least that's what I hope!

All in all, today was a MUCH better day that yesterday.  I am so glad I didn't give in at 9:30 this morning when I really wanted to.  Maybe, just maybe, Reagan will actually be potty trained in 3 days!

Potty Training - Day 1

Over the past few weeks, I have been having near heart attacks thinking about three kids in diapers.  As my due date approaches (8.5 weeks away!), I feel more pressure to get Reagan potty-trained.  I know this is a self imposed pressure as he's still kind of young, but my desire to have him potty-trained is intense.  Both Ryan and I have given half-hearted attempts at getting Reagan to go potty on his toilet.  But he's always refused and we haven't pushed the subject.  I just assumed "when he's ready, that's when we'll do it."  Last night, I really struggled with the thought of buying three sizes of diapers.

I woke up this morning with no plans at all (except laundry, of course) and in the blink of an eye decided I would try potty training today.  Reagan woke really late this morning and it seemed like an even better idea.  At 8:30a I put Reagan in big boy underwear and started the day of potty-training.  Following is a detailed account for the day:

9:00-9:10a sat on potty, nothing

9:20ish accident

10:05-10:10a little pee into the potty

10:55a accident

11:10-11:20a sat on potty, nothing

11:45a accident

12:05-12:10p sat on potty, nothing

12:25-12:30p sat on potty, nothing

12:55-1:05p sat on potty, nothing

1:05-3p nap time

3:10-3:35p sat on potty, nothing

3:40-3:50p sat on potty, nothing

4:15p accident

4:45p accident (possibly, he said he went but I didn't feel a wet spot on the carpet)

5:20-5:25p sat on potty, nothing

5:35p accident

5:55p accident

6:35-6:45p sat on potty, nothing

6:55-7:05p sat on potty, nothing

I felt very frustrated throughout the whole day.  It was very trying and tiring - I never thought I would be so exhausted.  The afternoon was probably the worst.  Multiple times I would ask Reagan if he needed to go potty and he would say no.  I would wait a short time and put him on the potty and he didn't go.  Then he would look me in the eye and pee right where he was instead of saying he needed to go.  I would try to put him on the potty in case there was more to come and he would just say no and cry that he didn't want to.  Maybe I was expecting too much, I don't know.  I knew this was going to be a long day, but towards the later part of the afternoon, I was about to throw in the towel and say forget it.  However, the concept of potty-training in 3 days takes commitment and dedication.  

The silver lining at the end of the day was when 10 minutes after we put Reagan to sleep, he woke up crying.  I walked into his room and asked why he was so upset and his immediate answer was "I went potty."  He, of course, was wearing a diaper, but I felt like this was very good news.  He knew even in his super absorbent diaper that he went potty.  I changed his diaper and told him we would try wearing big boy pants again tomorrow.

I'm praying tomorrow is a better day!

November 21, 2013

I'm in a great mood today!  Not really sure why, but I'm praising God because I love being in a great mood.  Not only am I in a great mood, I'm feeling a little quirkiness going on and that's strange for me.  Sometimes when I get like this, there are a million things going through my mind and none of them seem to relate to each other, but I just can't stop the stream of consciousness.  Today, I'm going to give you a brief list of the things going on in this crazy mind of mine...enjoy!

• My kitchen sink is so clean right now that I've been obsessively rinsing it after anything is put into it.  I can't get over how pristine it is and I don't want it to disappear quickly as most of my cleaning does.  I then often wonder "Why bother, it'll get dirty again in 30 seconds since I have toddlers?"  But I can't handle living in a mess, so I'll clean anyway.
• I felt so incredibly accomplished this morning after cleaning the bathtub.  The rest of the bathroom still needs attention, but for now, I'm living high off the fact that the bathtub is clean!
• Sometimes, there is nothing better than the sweet (and often unexpected) embrace from your child.  Thanks, Kyleigh, you made my day even better than it was already going.
• Hands down, the best "children's" meal is chicken nuggets.  In fact, I just ate 10 of them for my lunch and I'm seriously considering putting more in the oven.  They shouldn't be classified as kid food; perfectly legitimate for an adult.
• I can't get enough of granny smith apples this year (and no, it's NOT because I'm pregnant).  They are pure tart deliciousness and I could eat multiple apples each day.
• Did I mention how much I love chicken nuggets?  Yep, more are going in the oven as I type...
• Peppermint mochas make me happy.  I only allow myself to get them around Christmas, but I broke my rule this year and got one before Thanksgiving was over.
• Speaking of Thanksgiving, I get really annoyed that this holiday is over looked each year.  I refuse to turn on Christmas music until Black Friday.  It's getting difficult, but I'm holding out.

Update from this afternoon:

• I seriously don't know how it's possible for a toddler to devour food one night and then throw every single piece of it on the floor the next day.  Seriously???
• Why is Kyleigh so intrigued by the bathroom at Nibbles Play Cafe?  For the life of me, I can't understand.
• Why do kids always poop moments after changing their diaper?  
• I wish I was a fly on the wall in the basement: I walked downstairs after leaving the kids alone for 5 minutes and found Reagan with his pants off.  Hmmmm...I didn't even want to ask!

That's it for right now.  I've come to a mental roadblock after putting those nuggets in the oven.  That's okay.  I enjoyed writing this out and I know one day I'll re-read this post and probably laugh out loud.  I'm okay with that because I rarely get into a quirky mood like this and it's good to mix things up a little.  I hope you got a little laugh, too. 

I just heard the timer go off for my nuggets...until next time!

Carrots

Carrots.  Such a simple vegetable, don't you think?  Well, in this house, carrots are not so simple.  In fact, they lead to such a difficult afternoon, this is the first time I could bring myself to write about the incident!

Last Friday - the great day of Ryan's homecoming and the carpet being installed in the basement - Reagan had an absolute meltdown over his carrots.  It started at lunch - he was supposed to eat his 4 slices of baby carrots (2 baby carrots total), but he refused.  The carpet people were still installing so I didn't want have an incident while they were here.  I told Reagan he could take his nap, but that the first snack he would have when we woke would be the carrots.  He acknowledged and agreed.

After a rather short nap, Reagan came out of his room asking for a snack.  I told him he needed to eat his carrots first and then I would give him whatever he wanted.  This sent him into a downward spiral.  A whole HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES of complete temper tantrum, screaming, crying Reagan.  After about 45 minutes or so, I had a breakdown moment and started yelling back at him because I was so angry.  Not my best mother moment, I fully admit.  In fact, I felt so ashamed of how I reacted, I almost started crying while sitting on my bed with the door closed.  I finally regained my composure and went out to calmly talk to Reagan.  He still took awhile to understand he needed to eat the carrots, but he finally gave in and ate them.

Why, you may ask, would I let this continue on for so long and over such a petty thing as carrots?  It was no longer about actually eating the carrots, it was all about letting Reagan know who was in charge.  I couldn't handle the crying after 15 minutes, but if I told him he didn't have to eat the carrots, I would be sending him the wrong message.  He would assume he could act this way going forward and I certainly wasn't going to let that happen!  It was such a difficult afternoon but we made it through.

I am still ashamed of how I responded in the hairy moments of that afternoon; however, I know that I am covered by the Lord's grace and I am forgiven.  I needed to ask for forgiveness because my behavior wasn't appropriate and I would have expected Reagan to ask for forgiveness as well.  I am finding during the difficult moments of parenting how grateful I am for the Lord's grace in my life.  Praise the Lord for the sacrifice Jesus made on my behalf!

Reagan and Kyleigh - October 2013

My notes:

Reagan:

• He's becoming very protective of Kyleigh, especially around dogs or when she tries to run away
• First prayer, without any prompting from me on 10/16/13: "Thank you, God, for this food and this house and this food and this house. Amen."
• When asked if he needs helps down the stairs, his response was, "No, my do it.  I'm a big boy."
• He's able to climb into his carseat, but can't buckle it yet
• He "calls" Fireman Sam daily and rides his firetruck around the house and says he's going to the fire station.  Clearly, he loves fire related things
• He's getting better with dogs

Kyleigh:

• She still loves running away and thinks it is hilarious
• She's climbing on everything!
• She likes to pinch Grandpa Bruce's nose and he responds with a honk
• Correctly identifies several body parts (eyes, nose, mouth, belly button, hands, feet, head)
• She likes to go up and down the stairs repeatedly
• Loves water and playing in small puddles
• Says "car car" with a Boston accent (cah)
• Screams at me when I tell her "no"
• Developing an attitude and shows it when she doesn't get her way
• Her vocabulary is expanding like crazy - probably at least 10-15 words learned this month
• Her biggest word is "buckle"