Potty Success!

Potty training was much, much easier than I anticipated. We were house-bound for a few days, but it's worked!

Day 1 I put her in underpants and set the timer on my phone to play the chorus of her current favorite song ("We Are Young" by Fun.) every 20-30 minutes. She could go in between if she asked, but she had to try every time the timer went off. We had 2 pee accidents and 1 poop accident.

Day 2, same thing, but with the timer for every 30-60 minutes, and if she asked to go before the timer went I restarted the time. I think we had one accident, and she wouldn't go poop on the potty at all. We also were forced to leave the house that morning to drive my husband to jury duty, so I put her in a pull up. We made a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home, and she was still dry when we got home 2 hours after leaving the house!

Day 3, no timer, no accidents.  We went for a short walk outside with no diaper on.  Still no poop on the potty. I was losing hope on the poop front. Frustrating.

Except for poop, I considered it a success. She did have an accident a few days later that I believe was willful. She was standing next to me, demanding I put pants on her so she could help her daddy to laundry (we have to go across the street and around the corner for it), and when I told her no she stood there and peed. Just lifted her leg like a dog. Ugh. At least it was only on the area rug that we'll be getting rid of anyway.

It's been a few weeks now and we're at the point where we can't put a diaper on her for nighttime because she cries if she has to go again before we put her in bed. She's also poop trained! I didn't expect that, it just happened! Depending on our destination we leave the house in either underpants or a pull up. She will sometimes go in a pull up, sometimes not. I did get a potty for the car because i have nightmares of being stuck in traffic between my house and my sister's 3 hours away. I know the pain of holding it, I can't imagine asking her to do it, and honestly, I don't want to wash the car seat cover because of that.

I do wish she could go longer between "making peeps" at home, because I know she can do it when we're out and she's extra distracted.

Nighttime? I doubt it's happening soon. Her diapers are full in the morning and she fights taking it off when she gets up.

We're flying in a few weeks, then have a long drive. 1-2 hours at the airport, 3 hour flight (at 6am, so maybe she'll sleep and won't ask to pee), then 4 hour drive. I foresee a lot of stops. Oy. Hold me.

Potty training reward!

Potty Training!

I've been potty "encouraging" for about a year. She goes in stages of being really interested, and not interested at all. A few weeks ago I put her in underwear after she expressed interest, but that didn't go well at all. With school and other activities going on we didn't have the time to dedicate to it. Now that school is done, she's turning 3 (omg how!) in 6 weeks, we're going on vacation in 6 weeks, and she'll be required to be trained for nursery school, we are on this!

I've been talking it up for a few weeks. We went to pick out a bike and helmet a few weeks ago. I ended up getting her a classic Radio Flyer trike for a steal via Zulilly that arrived the other day. She knows it's here, and once she can go all day without diapers or wetting, it's all hers. We'll take her to shop for a helmet once she gets the bike, too.

So far today has been pretty good. She had 4 pee accidents, but has actually gone on the potty about 10 times. My bribery is jelly beans. One for sitting on it, two if she actually goes. She had a poop accident, too, poor kid. I knew poop training would be difficult for her because she has no qualms about sitting in a poopy diaper. Gross kid! I've been setting the timer for every 20-30 minutes and putting her on it then, and resetting it if she tells me on her own she needs to go. It's working so far and I hope it continues, because I canceled my next diaper delivery!

As for night training - I really don't have any hopes for that any time soon. She wakes up soaked daily, and soaked beyond a diaper's capacity 50% of the time. I'm ok with her not being trained at night for a while. I was a bed wetter, the hubs was a bed wetter, both of us for a long time. I've read/heard it's hereditary, so I'm not going to push it now.
 

Terrible Twos Have Arrived

Arrived in full force today. Screaming, crying, flowing snot. If this is any indication of the teen years, we are in a world of trouble. Exhibit A.

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny was a big hit here. I'd been talking him up the way one talks up Santa because her behavior has been atricious due to being on a nap strike. The promise of the Easter Bunny bringing DVDs and lollipops has been enough to calm some of the anti-nap evil that's been going on.It hasn't eliminated it, but small victories. She woke up this morning calling, "Mommy, where's the Easter Bunny? Daddy come see the Easter Bunny!" As soon as I got her out of her crib she ran to the living room window, right past the giant basket, to see if the bunny was outside. Quick redirection put a look of wonder on her face. A basket filled with DVDs (Toy Story 3, Lady & the Tramp, and Oswald), several books and coloring books, stickers, and DumDum lollipops (small and perfect for a few minutes of blissful silence, and more importantly, stillness, without a sugar overload).

She has become quite the character. She has an imaginary friend named "Weenie," the dog from Oswald. Weenie plays with her, shares her lunch, and often comes in the car with us. She has a memory like a steel trap. Girlfriend does not forget a thing, and nothing gets past her. We made the mistake of telling her we're going on a plane to Florida in August and now every single day she talks about it, and will tell anyone she sees that she's on her way to the plane. She's often asked me if I can drive my plane to her school. (Mommy would love to drive something nicer than our 10 year old car to school, but a plane might be overkill.)

For all her awful behavior at the end of every day thanks to her nap strike, she keeps me laughing most of the day; drawing funny pictures,

telling me stories, singing, dancing. She doesn't stop moving or talking. I hope she holds on to some of the funny little things she says for a long while. Elmo used to be "Memo" but now she can say it correctly. "Meemo" is Nemo ("Finding Nemo") and I've taken to calling him Meemo myself. Everything must be done "all my byself" and my mother is not Grandma, but "Mlamlah." Instead of telling us, "I don't like..." she "can't like" whatever it is. But my favorite, by far, is if you ask her what Buzz Lightyear says, she answers with a very enthusiastic, "Bling bling and blonde!" She loves to help me cook, and eats things most people wouldn't imagine kids eating. One recent night all she would eat for dinner was mustard and pickles. She also loves hot sauce.

School is the highlight of her days, and often the highlight of mine. Grocery shopping without a sidekick! Drinking a cup of coffee without someone climbing on me! Blasting music in the car! Speaking of music, she does have good taste in that. She loves Dave Matthews, Adele, Zac Brown Band, The Gaslight Anthem, and P!nk, and can sing along with all of those and others. Have you ever seen a 2.5 year old stomping her foot in time to "Rolling in the Deep" as she pouts and belts it out? Hilarity. Two weeks ago I registered her for official pre-school. Three days a week, three hours a day. I can't believe she's ready for that. I know she's going to love it.

We're still here!

I didn't realize I hadn't posted in so long!

Sassy is almost 2 and a half, talking up a storm, actually having conversations. It's so amazing. She cracks my shit up daily. She goes to "school" twice a week for 90 minutes. No progress on potty training. She did so well at first and then... nothing. We're also at a really bad place when it comes to sleep. She won't stay in her room alone at night to fall asleep, so one of us has to lay on the floor while she's in her crib. The nights she falls asleep in a few minutes aren't so bad, but then there are nights like last night where she's up until 10. Not cool, kid. Not cool.