Potty Train{ed}

Poor Noah's adventures in potty training didn't get nearly the coverage that his siblings did, but in part that is because it was such a quick and painless deal.  The short story is- we waited until he was nearly three and a half and potty training took about three and a half days.  I did take a few notes about it along the way though, so here's the slightly longer story.

Day negative 40- We just got back from Disney World.  We didn't try much before our trip because I know that potty training can be a huge time commitment and I didn't want to spend our days in Florida tracking down the nearest potty.  New toilet users always love to know just how serious you are when you say that there will always be a potty nearby to utilize instead of a diaper.  But at Disney World?  No thanks.

Day negative 39- Noah wants to try sitting on the potty.  He produces a minuscule amount of pee and we are both so proud.

Day negative 38- Noah peed in the potty first thing in the morning, then wet his pants twice before lunch.  Back to diapers for naptime.  Mama's not ready to deal with the constant wardrobe changes and daily loads of laundry.

Day negative 21- Grandma asks how potty training is going, which reminds me that we should probably get around to actually doing it.  But diapers are just so easy... 

Day negative 20- Noah is sick.  Not gonna happen today. 

Day negative 10- I see Noah's diaper sticking out of his pants at church, and it takes me by surprise.  He is by far the oldest of any of my babies to sport a diaper, and he's actually a big kid now.  A diaper just doesn't look right anymore.

Day number 1- Here we go.  Noah is driving this train, and we're talking about potty, pee and poop all the time now.  He tells me he has to pee in a restaurant, and he gets there in time.  He tells me he has to pee at a friend's house, and he makes it.  He holds it through naptime and wakes up dry.  

Day number 2- It's time to poop.  I'm not sure how this is going to go since bowel movements were such a big, dramatic deal for baby Noah.  But he gets to the bathroom in time and it's NO big deal.  He pooped in the potty!!  We celebrate with Goofy gummies that we brought home from Disney.  This day also happened to be my birthday, and this is definitely one of the best birthday presents a mom could ask for!

Day number 3- He wakes up in the night, flips on the bathroom light and uses the potty without any help or fanfare, then comes into my room, hands me his dry diaper and asks me to help him put it back on.  We are definitely doing this.  

Day number 4- Another poop adventure.  He made it to the bathroom, but not all the way to the toilet... But he's still so proud!  And so am I.

Day 5- Today's poop adventure includes a reminder of the reasons why mommy will help you wipe for now.  Poop everywhere.  Yuck.

This is also the day that Noah asks, "where's my wee-wee?" (not a word we use).  I ask him who taught him that, and he says Adam.  "Adam says dis is my wee-wee, but I think that dis is my wee-wee! So where's my wee-wee??" (lots of gesturing while on the potty).  I explain that he's welcome to call it a penis, a bum, or his private parts, and the conversation ends.

Day 6- Noah has a fascinating realization while in the bathroom and exploring body parts that have previously always been covered by a diaper.  "Mama!  Dere's balls in my wee-wee!"

Clearly yesterday's lecture didn't stick.

And so on, and so forth, and day by day adventures in potty training came and went without too much fanfare.  I gave away all of our diapers within a week of using undies so that there was no crutch available (to me) in the case of regression.  Noah did a great job on his first trip away from home- our overnighter to Omaha- and Jason took him to every bathroom at the zoo all day long.  He's learned how to pee outside, and that he's not supposed to pee in our backyard.  If there is a potty nearby, then use it!  There was surely an accident here or there, but thankfully always at home and never on the carpet.  He wet his bed maybe four times and seems to be done with nighttime training already.

When we ran out of the prized Goofy gummies, he kept pooping in the potty.  Adam suggested that we give Noah some kind of a sticker chart to track his progress (Adam's favorite kind of motivator), but I said no.  He was doing great without any extra incentives or prizes (although it was a great surprise to get big boy undies from Grandma!).  We didn't bother with a kid-sized potty either.  The potty seat and step up stool work just fine and mean less mess to clean up.  Also, I learned a few kids back to not pull up and down their pants and undies for them.  If they can pee in the potty, they can manage their clothes, too.  Laziness sets in real quick when mom is there to do it for them.

So many lessons learned... I finally figured out a few years ago that the point of potty training isn't to produce pee on demand, it's to keep underwear clean and dry!  To learn how to hold it until you can get to the potty.  And the older my kids have been, the easier that concept seems to be to grasp.  Jason and I both have said that one of our biggest parenting regrets (so far!) has been trying to potty train before the kid was really ready- mainly that was the case with Adam, and only then because he needed to be potty trained before we went on a Disney Cruise when he was not quite 3 so that he could be checked into the awesome Andy's room kids clubhouse.  But boy was that a long road we traveled together.

Since Leah was my only child and only concern when I potty trained her, I didn't mind that it took a long time.  When Adam was two, I had a big sister and a little sister to juggle, and he didn't care one bit that his pants were wet- there were so many other, more interesting things to do than go potty.  Emma was a bit older, and though I was still juggling a newborn baby Noah, she and I both understood that the point was to keep her undies dry.  And she wanted to use the potty.  And Noah was my final potty training patience test- and I passed!  And he has passed with flying colors.  He knows that when he needs to go, he needs to "run to the potty!"  He will stop watching a show to run to the potty, or stop playing in the sandbox, or stop eating dinner to run to the potty.  He gets it!  We're done!  And we're thrilled!

Family Field Trip

Sometimes I think I should have more exciting things to blog about- not just the everyday moments that make up our lives, but my crafts (ha! I haven't made one of those in quite a while), or my organizing or decorating skills or my thoughts on marriage, education, money, religion... I don't know, just... more.  Even though I fully realize that blogging is becoming a dying art (at least compared to what it used to be), I still love it.  But at the end of the day and any time I might have spent on any of those other things, my life and my thoughts always come back to the most important things- my family.  Everything else is just fluff.

So!  First things first.  Jason was measuring our yard for his grand sprinkler system plans and bonked his head on the external vent to the fireplace.  Hence the big red circle in the middle of his forehead.  Poor guy.

This week I took the kids out of school and we drove up to Ames for a youth matinee presentation of Five Little Monkeys.  Since Jason works just outside of Ames he was able to join us, and it was so fun to see him in the middle of the day.  Especially for me.  An adult!  Who can hold my babies!  And asks me questions, and even listens to the answers!  So nice.  When he had headed back to work and the rest of us back home, I sent him this picture with a note-

A Wednesday worth remembering.  

And it was true for all of us.  The days come and go and we put our heads down and do our duties- whether they be at home, at school, or at work- 99% of the time.  And the work has to be done.  But these days are the ones that we remember.

Some of the details worth remembering from this day-
-How excited the kids were to pack up their own lunches to eat at the theater before the performance started.  The two littlest fell asleep on the ride up, so we enjoyed our sack lunches in the car.
-The way Emma and I bounded up and down the theater stairs in search of a bathroom.  We are still in the "check out every potty in every place we ever go" phase of potty training.  But she's never had an accident in a public place, so that is just fine by me.

-Listening to the Beatles and other great oldies while we waited for the show to start.  Emma grabbed Noah's hand and shouted, "Two, three, four!" while we were rocking out to The Monkees I'm a Believer.
-the way all three of the big kids huddled on and around Jason during the more intense moments of the play.  Who knew that crocodile could be so scary?
-Smiling to myself as I related all too well with the "Mama" character- dashing from place to place, constantly interrupted, apologetically asking people to please help her out while she tried to wrangle her little monkeys, exhausted... I get it!
-The wind!  It was super strong when we left the theater and we all had to hunch over as we trudged to the car.  Emma walked with her hand across her eyes, shielding the wind "like Kristoff".
-Taking note of how good it felt to be out and about, exposing my kids to fun things and bucking the everyday school/home/work routine.  I have a list of things that I do that help me feel like "a good mom", and outings like this is definitely on the list.

Potty Train(ed)

That's right.  We're done.  Emma wears panties all the time now, is dry all night, and marches herself to the potty whenever she needs to go, often without any reminders from me.

After the initial pathetic effort I put into getting her going two months ago, we backed off of the whole idea for a month or so.  Then she started pulling her diaper up and down and keeping it dry all day and night. It took her a day or two more to figure out pooping in the potty, but once it all came together it has been a done deal for her.

And I am amazed!

She has been to friend's homes, church, the store, the park and even a tea party without any accident.  Ever.  It really has been quite a simple task to potty train Emma- she basically did it herself.  I didn't buy her a potty chair- she's been using potty seats from the beginning, which I love.  Less mess for me!  And we never bothered with pull-ups or rewards charts.  Occasionally she asks for 5 M&Ms for going potty, but that's it.  The joy of wearing cute panties is reward enough for her.

We are working on the idea that you need to be in the bathroom before you pull down your pants.  We had a slightly embarrassing moment at the library last week when she declared, "Mom!  I need to go potty!" as I was printing off some papers, Noah was balanced on my hip, and Adam was spinning around in circles, all while trying to say hello to the missionaries.  I turned around to respond to her and her pants and panties were around her ankles.  We had to hustle, but we still made it to the bathroom in time.

The other night she was super proud of pooping in the potty, so Leah, Adam, Noah and I all crowded into the bathroom with her and cheered, "Yay for Emma!  Yay for Emma!"  She took a bow and said, "Thank you!  Thank you!"  And we all cracked up.  She certainly is a funny little lady!

Thoughtful

Adam is so considerate.  On my birthday he took extra special good care of me- he was insistent upon being the one to select and fill up my water glass.  When he is in charge of setting the table, he takes the time to ask everyone what color of plate they would like, taking care to match the cup and fork.  He made me Perler bead rainbow earrings today.  He looks into my eyes and gives me big hugs and asks me about the things that I am doing when he's not around.

He is growing up. 

And he's certainly not two anymore.  Being my first to take me through the 'terrible twos' (Leah was still rather mellow through the twos) I thought that his outbursts and stubbornness and inability to be reasoned with were character traits of his that I would be working with forever.  But no.  He's quite agreeable these days.  Sure, he still has selective hearing, but he understands choices and consequences for good and bad behavior.  He's thoughtful.  He jumps at the chance to help with the laundry.  He offers to read to me.  He loves me more than anyone in the whole wide world (although that was also true when he was two, he is just better able to express it now).   He's a delightful friend to spend my days with.  We have conversations about important things like Legos and who he plays with in his preschool class and what color of Perler beads we are running low on.

He told me he had a secret for me- "Mommy!  I have a secret for you... I love you one hundred million google thousand infinity... percent."

And I couldn't be more grateful, because we've got a new two-year-old in the house.  And boy oh boy is she a good one.  Today we dealt with wet pants, stomping feet and exploding applesauce- all in the same 20 minutes I was trying make lunch and comfort crying Noah and have a real live adult conversation with my friend who was over for a visit.  (And in a moment of keeping it real, today was a miserable mommy day.  I am feeling sick in multiple ways and have been getting very little sleep due to a sick Mr. Noah.  My friend kindly listened to my plight then took my kids to her house for the entire afternoon.  It was fantastic- I took a nap and listened to silence and cuddled with Noah on my new bed and just felt so grateful- and so guilty- for the chance to take the afternoon off.  Moms need that once in a while.) 

A classic two-year-old moment came at dinner when Leah realized that Emma had chewed on her color changing spoon- a prize from the library reading program.  Leah was already having a miserable day, so the offense of the chewed spoon was pretty significant.  When she asked why, oh why did Emma chew on her spoon, Emma responded, "Because I love spoons!  Spoons taste great to me!  So I chew on them!  Yum, yum!"

We have one toe in the door with potty training- Emma can stay dry all night and we are working on keeping her panties dry all day.  Today she peed all over the floor, then ran to the potty.  She sat there for a minute then declared, "Now I get one M&M for trying!"  And she did.

Emma came into Noah's room one night while I was nursing him to sleep.  Fresh out is the tub, she was beaming and showing off her polka dot pajamas.  Her most favorite princess nightgown was in the dirty clothes basket.

Me- Ooh!  You look like a polka dot princess!  

Her, still smiling her huge smile- I don't like dis.  

You don't like it? 

Nope! And exits to change.

Ah, I love my two year old.  Just when she is pushing me to my limit, she takes my face in her chubbly little hands and pats my cheeks and says, "Mommy, I love you.  You my best mommy."  And that's all it takes to melt my heart all over again.

Someday I'll Laugh...

I don't know that I've emphasized enough on the blog lately about how completely adorable two-and-a-half-year-old Emma is.  She says the most hilarious things, is completely confident in her ability to do whatever she pleases, and has so, so much love for her family.  I often look at her and am completely shocked at what a delightful little lady she is becoming.  Like all of my kids, she is growing up way too fast.

Emma decided to start potty training last week.  One day she woke up, set up the potty chair, climbed on up and did her business.  So we pulled out some undies and started revving up the books, encouragement, and rewards.  The day went rather well.  No accidents, which was a small miracle considering she napped in the car- in undies- for three hours.

The second day... she declared 'I'm peeing!' Only the pee was really poop and it was already in her beloved My Little Pony panties.... Which I discovered after I got a handful of it while holding Noah in the dark because the power was out in half of our house.  The half that controls the furnace, the kitchen appliances, the internet and the bathroom lights.

So instead of spending the morning diligently watching Emma for signs of needing to use the potty, I spent the morning running around looking for the right size batteries to put in our fireplace to keep us warm (since it's a balmy -21 degrees outside on any given day in this never ending winter), juggling a sick-and-not-at-all-happy-about-it-Noah on my hip and making small talk with Will and Adam.  Not my Adam, the worker Adam, who was here to fix up some issues in our house and who answers me when I say, 'Adam, honey, come eat your lunch'.

It gets a little awkward.

And instead of eating leftover soup warmed up in the microwave I was forced to eat cold brownie mallow bars, which I then felt obligated to share with the kind workers that didn't seem at all interested in heading back out into the aforementioned arctic tundra.  I was, however, so grateful that they were here because they immediately jumped up and ran to the garage to check the breakers and started making phone calls to figure out why the power went out.  They do take good care of me and my little house, so I was happy to share my brownies with them.  And I am grateful (occasionally) to live on a street that is still filled with construction workers and their vehicles because I know that they can solve just about any problems I have.  Except maybe for the poopy panties in the dark problem.  And now I'm going to wash my hands again.

So, are we potty training?  Is it horrible to admit that I really, really, really don't want to be potty training right now?  Yes, it is rewarding for her and easier (in theory) for me, but I really don't feel like I can devote myself to potty training right now.  It's freezing cold outside, which is a completely lame excuse, but I hate the thought of dealing with wet pants in subzero temperatures.  Which should mean that we are staying in more, which would make it easier to focus on getting to the potty on time, but we have a new little fellow around here that is extremely demanding of his mother's time.  And while I love the excitement that comes with potty training, my time is hardly my own to dedicate to such a task right now.  And, if we're being completely honest with all parties involved, after the initial thrill of wearing panties was replaced with the confusion and mild disgust of feeling wet and poopy without her diaper on, Emma was perfectly fine to put a diaper back on.  So I'd say no, we're not potty training just yet.  We're getting close, but I know the process is long and if we're not both in it to win it, we'll just shelf it for now.

Emma was completely adorable and thrilled to watch her undies drying.  She refused to get dressed until they were out.

And, because I've mortified her brother and sister in the same way on this blog, here is a proud portrait of Emma's first pee in the potty.  Yay!

Monkey See

Emma has been cracking us up lately- insisting on doing this-

The best part is stuffing the toilet paper between her legs!

And no, no success yet, but wouldn't that be awesome?  I have a sneaky premonition she will be one oddly tough cookie to potty train.

Potty Training- The End

I had a dear friend ask me about potty training success with Adam, and I realized that I have never wrapped up the saga here on the blog.  It seems small now, but I know when I am getting ready to potty train Emma I will be scouring my blog for clues on how long the joy of potty training lasted the last time around.  So, here are the details.

For a long time, Adam would NOT pee on a toilet without the potty chair.  We carried the potty chair around with us everywhere we went.  We eventually had a day when I forgot to take it along, and he had to go, so a choice had to be made.  Either he sit on the toilet seat or stand in front of it (another step of potty training that took quite a while to warm up to).  He chose to sit and has been fine with using the actual toilet seat sans potty chair ever since.  He can stand just as well, but he seems to prefer sitting.  I'm fine with that as it tends to leave less mess behind. 

We took the potty chair with us on our Disney trip.  We got to know the locations of the bathrooms at the Magic Kingdom very well.  He had several accidents on the trip, but it was just a hard time to be potty training.

I learned that I could expect to take Adam to the bathroom about every 2 hours during the summer.  He still says no when I ask him if he needs to go, but I have learned not to ask.  I just remind him that it's time to go.  The 2 hour time frame has since dwindled down to morning, noon, afternoon, and night. At least one of those trips to the potty each day is taken by his own initiative, and he never needs help finding the potty when it's number 2.  On his own, he is finally starting to admit yes, I need to go to the potty.  He is just starting to voluntarily remove himself from whatever toy, show, game, or book he is engrossed in to get to the potty on time.  Usually I have to herd him in the right direction before he will go, but I rarely see him doing the potty dance.  Last week he was just too busy running and jumping and being silly before bedtime to sit on the potty, and as a result, 5 minutes later when he was standing on the toilet to brush his teeth, he couldn't hold it any longer.  I realized I couldn't remember the last time before that that he had wet his pants.

That is pretty darn impressive.  The boy has come a looooong way.

Even more impressive is the fact that, somewhere along the way, he night potty trained, too.  He has never (knock VERY LOUDLY on wood) wet the bed, and we have long since packed away the pull-ups.  He seems to have a bladder of steel, and even after a long night, he doesn't need to rush to the potty right away in the morning.  That is very, very nice.  I fully expect set backs to come in the months ahead, particularly after we move to Iowa.

So, in closing this chapter of potty training, it was just about the same as Leah's experience.  It was dreadful for me.  It was hard work and lots of effort for him.  It was totally worth it, and I'm so proud of my little buddy for reaching such a huge milestone.

Hello, Kettle?

It's potty training, week 10,346.  At least it feels that way.  The joyful high that we were experiencing a few weeks back has worn off again, and we are dealing with wet pants way more often than I'd like.  And, once, poo in brand new Woody underwear.  I think that both Adam and I were sufficiently traumatized by that experience enough that we won't be dealing with that again.  Please.... oh please.... not that again.

I want Adam to be potty trained, but we are still potty training, and as long as I keep up with the work- the reminders, the encouragement, the praise- Adam goes right along with it.  But if I start to ease up and assume that he'll go when he needs to go, he eases up, too.  I have tried to explain to him that it is JUST NOT OKAY to wet your pants.  Wet clothes are gross and stinky.

Today at dinner we were talking about what to do at Disney World if you get separated from Mom and Dad.  I was using a full cup of lemonade and a sippy cup to illustrate how we could never find each other if Mom (represented by the the lemonade) and the kid (the sippy cup) both kept moving all over the park.  It would be much better if the kid would stay put and wait for Mom to come find you.  Somehow, in my excitement over the demonstration, the two cups collided and the lemonade spilled all over the table, the floor, and straight into my lap.  I just laughed- Mommy wet her pants!

I should have used this opportunity to teach Adam how to promptly change out of wet clothes and back into dry ones.  But then I started cleaning up the dinner dishes, Emma needed a diaper change, the bathrooms still needed be to scrubbed before bedtime, and somehow changing my clothes just didn't happen. 

I spent the evening in wet pants, and I didn't really care.  They were dry before I had time to change them.

Touche, little pot.  Touche.

Potty Training- Week 1

We started out with a bang.  Adam was very interested in potty training, especially the part where he gets to wear truck pull-ups, put stickers on charts, and eat apple rings- his favorite candy.  He was all over reading books on the potty, going to the potty instead of going to bed, asking for more drinks to make more pee, and running to the potty to get even a teaspoon of pee into the froggy potty so we could cheer and high-five and wave the pee bye-bye.  He was happy to sit and sing songs like this- 

Jingle bells,
Jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!

Oh, what fun it is
To ride in a
Sle-e- e-e-e-eigh!

He has even had success with putting poop in the potty!  He seemed mildly disgusted by the first one ("really?  That's what it looks like fresh out of the shoot?") but he was so proud of the second one, he carried it (in the bowl) through the house and up the stairs to show me (I was nursing Emma).  Ack!  After he ran through the house to find me the third time around, we had to institute the no running through the house with poo on your bum rule. 

So!  Is Adam fully potty-trained?  Not even close. 

Sometime in the later part of the week, he lost interest in the potty, the rewards, the staying-dry-just-because-you-can fun of it all.  I asked him a few days ago if he wanted to check to see if his pull-up was dry (which earns him a sticker on the potty chart) and he said, "No, Mom.  It doesn't really matter."  Well, how can I argue with that logic?  He went on to tell me that he had already peed in his pull-up, so the truck wheels were gone.  Yesterday, we were out for way too long without a potty in the car, and he Will. Not. sit on an adult-sized toilet.  Oh, the sad look of confusion on his face when he had to poo in his diaper because there was no froggy potty to be found. 

There is a pull-up in that picture up there, but we sure have seen a lot of toosh around here lately.  And did you know that washable markers on a kitchen floor make for a great shapes lesson?

Some potty thoughts...

I know that we are going to have to dedicate more attention to this effort if it's going to get done.  On one hand, I want it to get done- I think he's capable of being potty-trained with a LOT of encouragement and reminders- but on the other hand, diapers are pretty darn easy.  And to think of going on a 10 day vacation lugging around the froggy potty?  That thought alone makes me want to shelve it until we get back.

I know that pull-ups are just glorified diapers, but I don't think we're ready to graduate to big-boy underwear and all of the wetness that come with them just yet.

Whatever I said last week about potty-training Adam being easier than Leah because he is older... I take it back.  Adam has two sisters that are distracting me from the sole task of teaching the boy how to use the toilet!  One has to be picked up from preschool, the other needs to be put down for a nap.  Or I am feeding the baby, or taking someone to the doctor.  It takes a concentrated effort to get a two-year-old on and off and on and off the potty, and I haven't been putting my best effort into it.  Most days start out great, but by the afternoon, when I know that his post-nap pull-up is soaked, I kind of give up.  This is presenting me with all kinds of mommy-guilt, but I'm not sure that it's even really time to be potty training, so I am trying not to be too hard on either of us.

At this point we have one foot in potty training, so I feel like we can't back out now.  I'm just worried that this road is going to be a long and harder one than necessary because we jumped the potty gun.

Potty Training 2.0

Adam using the potty is a topic we have been discussing around here since February.  When we set our family goals for the year, I told Adam, "This year you will turn three, and you will learn to use the potty."  He took that to mean, "You will turn three and then you will learn to use the potty."  And he's been telling me such ever since.  "In July, I will turn three and den I will use da potty."  Jason has mentioned moving his birthday celebration up a few months just to get him potty trained.  Last week I tried to put him on the toilet before getting into the bathtub- a colossal mistake that transformed Adam into a sobbing puddle of tears- "I will use the potty when I turn three!  When I'm dis many!"  Okay, well, that's just fine with me.  No need to permanently scar the boy over it. 

Still, he has been showing interest in using the potty- he had been reading the Big Girls Use the Potty books that we have left over from Leah's potty training days, and informed me that he needed the Big Boys Use the Potty books.  So we got them.   We've looked at big boy underwear and talked about what kinds he might like to wear when he starts using the potty.  A few days ago he pulled the froggy potty out from under the bathroom sink and set it up in the bathroom.  He tried the cushion ring on as a hat.  The next day he explained a caveat to his 2012 goal of turning three and then using the potty.  "When I turn three I will use the big potty.  When I am two I can use the froggy potty."

Woo-hoo!  That sounds great to me!

Yesterday and today I mentioned sitting on the froggy potty a few times- especially as he assumed the pooping-position- but he wasn't really interested.  At bathtime he sat down on the potty all by himself and decided it was time to see if he could produce anything.  I offered him a cold drink of water and even stuck his feet in a little bowl of warm water, but nothing. 

After bathtime we were getting everyone dressed in our room when Adam disappeared for a few minutes, then came back and casually mentioned, "I peed in the froggy toilet".

And upon inspection-

Ta-da!  He did, indeed, pee in the froggy toilet!  I was so excited, I ran and grabbed the camera.  (Jason was mildly disgusted that I took a picture of pee, but this is a BIG deal!  And in the back of my mind I knew there was a picture of Leah's first potty pee on the blog, too.)

Adam was SO proud of himself.  We went through the process of dumping the pee into the toilet and flushing it down.  He tried again, and after a few minutes, more pee!  This prompted conversations about underwear and then it was off to bed. 

Are we officially potty training?  I guess we'll find out tomorrow. 

Some thoughts on potty training Adam...

Just as it was with Leah, I'm not terribly excited about potty training.  I guess I don't know anyone that does look forward to it.  We have been talking about it for a long time, but I want the timing to be just right.  I just don't have the energy to push something this big if Adam's not interested in it yet.  I don't like the thought of getting up first thing in the morning (which is usually right after I've gone back to bed from feeding Emma one last time) to sit on the potty, or the wet pants, sheets, and carpets that inevitably come with potty training.  It should be a bit easier this time around, because Adam is older and already in a big boy bed.  Leah was still in the crib when she was potty training, which meant every time she had to go, I had to go get her. 

I have been feeling short on patience lately.  I don't want to create one more thing that will require me to stretch my patience even more.  But if tonight's enthusiasm is any indication, this could be fun and a great chance for Adam to be proud of himself.  That would make it worth the extra work. Once upon a time we told Adam if he learned to use the potty then we would buy him a Lightning McQueen bicycle.  I wonder if he remembers...

Random Thoughts for a Rainy Afternoon

I made indoor s'mores today. They take me right back to my mom's kitchen, where we all stand around and pick out the marshmallow-est pieces while chatting. Yum.

Never say never. I swore several years ago that I'd *never* live without a dishwasher again. While we technically do have one, I'm pretty sure the dishes come out dirtier than they were when I put them in. We've been washing dishes by hand for about a month now, and haven't looked back once. (Plus, Jason prefers doing dishes by hand, and there's just something kinda sexy about a man up to his elbows in bubbles.)

I've been thinking a lot about balance lately. As in, how do I balance motherhood, housework, and me-time? How do I know when I've struck the right balance? Obviously I haven't yet, or I wouldn't keep badgering myself about it.

It has been raining A. LOT. lately. And every time it rains, I can feel my hair get a little poofier, and the carpet get a little soggier. Love the green, though.

We've been dealing with wet-the-bed issues for about a month now. I have a rank of the Worst Smells In The World, and wet-the-bed is third only to burnt eggs (No. 2) and fresh fruit rotting in a hot car (No. 1, by FAR). We've started waking Leah up to go to the bathroom before we go to bed. Another thing I said I would *never* do. But guess what? It works! Now if I could just figure out why she's having this sudden set-back...

I came across this picture (on the left) the other day... oh, how I wish I could say that I was 9 months pregnant here, but this was in 2005, when Leah wasn't even a twinkle in her daddy's eye. I am always amazed at how much weight I have gained and lost over the years without really noticing. The picture on the right was last month when I got my hair cut.

So, this picture has inspired me to try and exercise more. I love the Wii Fit Plus. I'm so sad that my weight-loss program (read: nursing) is coming to an end. That's the selfish reason, of course I'm also slightly sad that my little man is growing up so fast.

I used to run. Kind of. A mile or two on a treadmill a few times a week. I'd like to be a Runner, but for some reason I'm scared to start. I'm not sure you can mess this one up, but I am letting my fear of getting it right keep me from actually doing it.

And now, naptime is over, so this post is, too!

Full Disclosure

Leah takes a shower!

I'm pretty sure no one else will care about this but me, but I feel like I have to be honest. We took a major step back in potty training this week. Yeah, I thought we were done with it, too. In the 3 or 4 months since Leah's been in big girl undies, she has had maybe a handful of accidents in the night. I thought we were done! But in the last two weeks, she has wet the bed more than made it though the night dry, and I've been going crazy! We've tried just about everything- less drinks at bedtime, training undies, plastic pants... but more nights than not, she has woken up soggy. So...

I put her back in Pull-ups. I'm sad that we're taking such a step backward, but I don't know what else to do. She has been waking up in the middle of the night, we've all been getting less sleep (so precious for these last few weeks!), and I'm sick of doing wet-the-bed laundry. And let's be honest- 12 hours without going to the bathroom in the middle of the hot Utah summer (read- more drinks during the day)? I can't do it either.

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That's all. Hopefully it will get better soon, but for right now, that's the whole truth. Sad.

Potty Training- The End?

I could have written this post two days after Leah graduated to her big girl panties, I just haven't gotten around to it. I was concerned about the next step of potty training- getting through the night- but the first night in big girl panties, Leah refused to take them off in exchange for pull-ups. I thought for sure she'd wet the bed, but she didn't! And she never has! It's been a miracle, but I'll take it!

We're still working on her getting into the potty and through the whole process herself, and we've had an accident here and there, but we'll get there! As long as I'm not changing soaked sheets and scrubbing pee stains out of the carpet, I'm a happy mom!

And now, to curse myself in all future potty training endeavors, I'll say that that was not as bad as I thought it would be. It's taken a lot of patience and reminders, but just like weaning, sleeping through the night, and the next 100 milestones Leah will go through, it was more about when she was ready than when I was. I guess that's what being a parent is all about.

Potty Training- Week 5

Potty training in a day? I'd love to see how effective that method really is. This past week I changed the potty chart so that Leah got one sticker at the end of each day that she didn't have any accidents. And, miraculously, she didn't have any! So today we went out and got Really Big Girl Underwear (literally- I accidentally bought 4T!) with princesses on them. She is thrilled, and so am I. She's doing really well. The next step is getting through the night. She already naps with undies on, because she hates to switch them out for Pull-Ups, and she's always dry after naptime. And I think she's getting the hang of nights, too. She wakes up once in the night to go the bathroom, and is fairly dry when she wakes up in the morning. Hooray! I hope we are closer to the finish line than the starting line!

And the cute picture of the day- we tried out braids for the first time!

Potty Training- Week 3

Today we upgraded from Pull-ups to Big Girl Underwear. It's the heavily padded kind, so I still have a little bit of help with accidents, but Leah is thrilled! Actually, she was thrilled for about 3 minutes, and then she forgot about them. I guess I'm just expecting more accidents, but she seems to be doing really well with holding it.

She does especially well keeping dry when we are in public- mostly because she loves checking out all the different potties that there are out there. We'll see how long it takes before she's in full-fledged undies!

My plan is to still put her in a Pull-up for sleeping. I don't think she's ready to hold it for 12 hours just yet! Any advice on how to navigate that terrain?

End of the day update: For the first day of unprotected freedom, I guess Leah did pretty well. She stayed dry all through the morning, including a trip up to campus to meet Jason for lunch. At naptime, I didn't know whether to switch to a pull-up or not, so I asked Leah's opinion (ha! like she'd go back to those old things- they're so yesterday!) and opted not to. She was exhausted, but after an hour and a half nap, she woke up to wet pants, clearly confused. Then she cried and cried, not only because she was still tired but also because she didn't want pee on her flower panties. It was pretty sad. The afternoon was good, including a trip to the museum, but at dinnertime she gave me a deer-in-headlights look and shouted, "It's pee!" And it was, in the pants before we could get to the potty. She' wearing a pull-up to bed tonight, and I just keep reminding myself that it was the first day, and it should only get better from here... I hope!

Potty Training- Day 6

This has been a long week in the bathroom department, but with the suggestions my sweet friends made (thanks, ladies!)and a few tweaks of my own, overall, I think the week has been a success. Leah is getting more familiar with the potty, and I have decided that it's going to happen, albeit slowly, so we're doing it. I'm learning a whole new level of patience, and I don't want to forget what a joy this experience is, so I'm posting details here for future reference. Feel free to skip this post if you're not into potty talk right now!

Today Leah completed her first potty chart, so we made a BIG deal out of it- taking lots of pictures and heading to the Disney store to pick out a little toy, which she "paid for" with her potty chart. She was thrilled, and now she knows that there are rewards for filling potty charts with stickers.

Things I like:

*Our new potty charts. I decided to use these templates, because it makes more sense to put a sticker on each flower, rain drop, Easter egg, etc., than to have to fill in a bunch of boring ol' boxes. And Leah loves it! Plus, there is a different number of dots on each picture, so I can up the dots as she gets more successful. I love this idea, and yes, thank you, I came up with it myself (I think).

*Successful trips to the potty. Leah is starting to hold it long enough to get to the bathroom, and her pull-ups are staying drier longer every day.

*Pull-ups. This is actually a toss up, because they are much easier to get up and down than a diaper, and they leave her feeling more wet and smelly than a diaper, so she doesn't really like them. However, she knows it's just like a diaper, and if it gets wet, she gets a new one. I'm looking forward to big girl underwear, but I think we have a few more successful weeks of potty training before we get there.

Things I don't like:

*Naked days. I tried this on Tuesday, and Leah does not yet understand that no diaper=no peeing unless you're on the potty. I cleaned sheets, chairs, and carpets that day, and was just about to give up before the day was over.

*Early morning potty trips. A few days this week, Leah has woken us all up at 5:00 AM with shouts of "I have to poop! I have to go to the potty!" Ugh. I don't mind once, but three times in one hour tells me that she's just playing games. So we're still trying to figure out the mix between going because you have to go and staying in bed because it's not time for games.

*Number 2. A lot of moms have told me that this is the hardest part of potty training, but Leah will not go unless she's on the toilet. That means lots of trips to the toilet before she will sit long enough to feel the urge and get it over with. I'm glad she's going in the potty though. I certainly don't miss stinky diapers and wipes.

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We're getting there. I'm confident that Leah will be in big girl undies before the summer is over- and that's my goal. One diaper wielding baby at a time!

Portrait of a Potty-Trainee- Day One

I call this Day One because we have finally run out of diapers, and I told Leah that I wasn't going to buy any more. She is very excited to be wearing "Princess Pants", and I guess I thought they would be the miracle potty-makers... not so much.

As you read, keep in mind that I am not really interested in potty training. But Leah hasn't pooped in her diaper since this day, so she's on the potty whether I like it or not. We've been half-heartedly getting her on the potty a few times every day for a month or so, and usually she will produce a little something. But now that we're out of diapers and the weather's warming up, I'm officially committing to GETTING IT DONE. Bear with me. And pray for me.

Day One

7:10- Leah wakes up, as she does most mornings, saying "I have to go to the potty!" Jason springs to action, gets her on the toilet, and we have a small ceremony to introduce her to the world of Pull-ups. No more diapers here!

Attempts on potty: 1 Pee in the potty count: 0

8:00- After breakfast, we head to the potty. Leah mildly resists, insisting that she does not need to potty, she needs to play.

Attempts on potty: 2. Pee in the potty count: 0

9:00- As we're getting dressed and ready for the day, I remind Leah that if she needs to pee, she needs to sit on the potty. No peeing in the princess pants!

Attempts on potty: 3. Pee in the potty count: 0

10:00- Getting ready to leave for the grocery store, I insist that Leah try sitting on the potty one more time. Better at home than in the store. Leah throws a small fit and insists that she does not need to potty.

Attempts on potty: 4. Pee in the potty count: 0

11:00- In the grocery store, I ask Leah if she needs to potty. Intrigued by a public toilet, as she usually is, she says yes and we head to the bathroom. Yuck.

Attempts on potty: 5. Pee in the potty count: 0 Princess pull-up is pretty much soaked by now.

12:00- Back home for lunch. One more try on the potty before naptime.

Attempts on potty: 6. Pee in the potty count: 0

3:00- Up from nap. Perfect time to potty. Leah throws a fit, and I get desperate. Surely there must be something in there? Most days I can get something out! Slight hysteria sets in (me), bribes with M&Ms ensue.

Attempts on potty: 7. Pee in the potty count: 0. Second pull up fairly soaked, but she doesn't seem to mind.

4:00- Friends over to play. As a social potty-go-er, Leah insists that she "NEEDS TO SIT ON THE POTTY". After 20 minutes, Jason gets home and I take the friends outside to play. Without an audience, Leah hops up and joins us outside.

Attempts on potty: 8. Pee in the potty count: 0

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5:30- Jason gives Leah dinner while I spend a few glorious hours alone spending birthday money. He gives her privacy on the potty, per her request. When he checks in on her, finds her sitting on top of her potty, lid closed, reading a book.

Attempts on potty: 9. Pee in the potty count: 0

6:30- We're all hanging out in the bathroom while Leah takes a bath. She hops up, announces, "I need to go to the potty!" and actually sits on the potty and PEES! (Mind you, this was halfway through her bath! Surely she had let a little pee out in the water by now?)

Attempts on potty: 10. Pee in the potty count: 1. Yay! We do the celebration dance, and Leah gets a sticker and a tiny chocolate donut.

7:30- As I'm typing up this post, I hear, "Mommeeeee! I have to go to the potty!" This is her nightly attempt at delaying bedtime. I sit her on the potty, and tell her to call me when she's done. After 10 minutes of silence, I find her scrubbing her toilet with a washcloth. "I'm cleaning," she informs me. Back to bed.

Please tell me tomorrow will be a better day?!?!

Leah-isms

Thanks everyone for your comments about the baby. We're really excited- more on that later.

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Leah has so much to say- always has, really- and has started talking about things that are really interesting to me. Like whether the "baby in Mommy's tummy" is a boy or a girl. Her/his name is Alex to her, no matter what.

And she's started "remembering" things. Like-

*When I was a baby, I was taking a nap, and then I was born, and I was crying.

*Here's my medicine from when I was sick!

Yep- that's a potty chair bowl on her head.

Potty training is pretty much on hold since Leah just got over a scary case of croup, and I have a cold, but we're still trying a few times each day. Today I put her on the potty, and she stood up, closed the lid to the potty, and politely told me, "No thank you. Maybe tomorrow." Is this what it's going to be like for us? A battle of manners?

"Prince Eric takes Ariel for a tour of his kingdom"

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I'm also realizing a lot about what she hears me say. She found a secret spot in her closet yesterday, which she set up as her napping place, and then stuck her head out and told me, "I'm tired. I'm taking a nap. Don't wake me up!"

Okay, pregnant=tired=I like a nap just as much as any toddler should, so yeah, I'll own up to that one.

Or today in the bathroom, I was reading her the "Potty Book for Girls" during which the main character has a peeing accident and there is a puddle on the floor. Our conversation went something like this:

L: Uh-oh. She spilled.

M: Yeah, but it was an accident.

L: She made a bad choice!

M: But it's pee-pee and she just had an accident. It's okay.

L: She needs to pay attention!

So, I guess Leah does hear a lot of what I say, I just need to make sure that it comes out right when she repeats it all!

Is It Time?

Leah has gotten really good at the following things:

*Taking off her clothes.

*Seeking out a little privacy when she poops (aka- she freezes and waves me away until she's done).

*Letting me know when it's time for a diaper change.

So, is it time to potty train? I ask myself this at least once every six weeks (when I buy diapers) and I think the time is coming.

You may remember this moment from a few weeks ago, and we were about to relive the same pooping-in-the-tub-experience again tonight. So I quickly had Jason whip out her potty chair, and after a few minutes and good book-

Ta-Da!

This is a cropped-for-modesty shot of Leah watching her work flush away. She even waved it good-bye.

We are so proud. And Leah seemed fairly proud of herself. As I was tucking her into bed, she told me, "I pee in the potty like Mom and Dad pee in the potty!"

Now I just need to study up on this whole milestone- any words of comfort?

My String Bean

When I say 'smile', Leah really delivers!

Leah's two year check up was yesterday, and I was shocked to hear that she is now 24 pounds and 36 inches long! That means she's in the 25th percentile for weight, and the 95th percentile for height! My sweet little tiny! Who has never been above the 5th percentile for anything! I'm so surprised! And glad to know I'm not crazy- I thought she grew out of the last round of clothes fairly quickly!

But my favorite moment of the day yesterday was when Leah came screaming out of the bathroom- and the bathtub- "Dere's POOP! Dere's POOP in the tub!" hee hee- it was so funny to see how offended she was by it. Guess we won't be attempting potty training anytime soon!