The monumental events in your childs life are some of the best parts of parenthood!! Like the first smile, the first giggle, the first time they slept through the night, first time they sat up, crawled, and even walked. Those events are priceless, take little effort from us (the parents), and we watch with amazement that our little ones are growing up and becoming more independent. We await those days with a smile on our faces.
THEN....there's potty-training. No one warned me about potty training. No one prepared me for what I was about to endure. No one prepared me for the frustration that you can't let your child see, when you want to throw your head in a pillow and scream!
I can't say that we've had the worst experience, I can't even say it's been a bad one- HOWEVER- until they 'get' what you're trying to teach them- I never prayed so much in my life! I've never bribed someone younger than me so much in my life. I offered to buy this girl EVERYTHING she could ever want. Little did I know, it just took Reese's Pieces.
We honestly just had one BAD day and that of course was DAY ONE, so I know some of you are thinking that I had it easy- but the work I put into that one day- yes, it paid off- but my lordy am I exhausted just thinking about it.
I have to share this, since this is her baby book. One day when she has children of her own she wants to potty train, she can use this day as a resource! :) If you're not interested, just stop here!
We had a previous experience with just one day of potty training around 3 weeks ago when she refused to wear her diaper. So me, over here, trying to be the big bad momma, told her "fine, then we're wearing panties and using the potty." Well, long story short, I quit that day after she got up on the kitchen table, peed on it, then took her hand and smeared her pee all over the table and she was laying belly first in it, smearing it.
SOOOO.....needless to say, when Monday morning came around, I almost backed out. I have been off work all week, and had been saying that this is what this week is for, but when time came, I woke up and immediately thought, "I don't want to do this, I dont' want to do this...oh my gosh, I DO NOT want to do this!"
You hear 10,000 recommendations on how to potty train from your family and friends. You read even more 10,000 ways on the internet...and all of them have said, "this worked for us, but maybe not for you!" So that just stresses you out before you even start. However, Josh and I decided the route we both agreed with, took action, and here we are!!
We decided to pull all the rugs up in the house, close off all the bedroom doors (cause that's the only places we have carpet), and pull all of her toys BACK out into the livingroom and also have the potty right here in the livingroom also. Needless to say, we were bound to the livingroom, laundry room, and kitchen!
This is a picture of us the morning we started!! Jaycee loved the new livingroom scenery, so at least that kept her preoccupied for a little while. I turned my iphone timer on for 20 minute intervals and training began!! Even though the timer was set, I felt like a broken record always saying, "do we need to go potty? Do you have to pee pee? it's right here if you need to go!" I felt like I said that every 30 seconds!! I didn't do ANYTHING THAT DAY, but sit on the couch, play with her, and watch her like a hawk!! I don't even know if I brused my teeth!!
We did have some success that first day!! We did the 'wear a shirt and big girl panties approach, candy if she went, and even if she tried.' I still do diapers at nap time and bedtime, but she's been waking up from her naps dry and goes straight to the potty!! :) Here is a picture dressed up as a chef, and a not so happy child that I made stop "cooking in the kitchen" so she could sit on the potty and 'try' to go!
Luckily, Jaycee did catch on that day. After about 3pm we didn't have anymore accidents and that was day one. I decided to plan to stay at home and not leave the house for the first 2 full days. However, on Tuesday she was out of milk. Crap. So at 1130 she "peed and pooped" at the same time in the potty, and I felt like you do when you have a newborn and you're breastfeeding and you're thinking, "Ok, I have an hour and a half before she's hungry again" type of thing. So as soon as she went, I put her in the car, and we made a mad dash to Schnucks, and an even madder dash THROUGH Schnucks. hahaha. I don't know how or when I'm going to become ok with her using public potties. So far, if we've left the house, the potty here at the house gets put in the trunk!! hahahaha.
It's now Thursday and we've only had one accident since Monday!! Today is the first day that she will stop what she's doing, yell, "I gotta go potty" and take off running, pull down her own panties and go on her own! :)
I'm currently one proud momma!! And in the picture below, she's one proud Cinderella/Minnie mouse combo! :)
I'm sure we've still got a few accidents ahead of us, but today has given me so much assurance that she's got this now!! The most frustrating part was teaching her to let me know BEFORE she goes. We had many many sad faces when we got Dora or Minnie Mouse wet on our panties. She would even say she was sorry to them!! hahaha. (She did that on her own, I didn't make her, I promise!) But I'm hoping the whole, "don't get dora wet or dirty" approach worked!! :)
We are headed out of town this weekend, and I'm still confused on what to do there!! Not quite sure we're ready for a road trip diaper free- we shall see!! :)
