So far in our parenting careers, we've successfully potty trained 4 children! Hurrah! I feel like I should get a medal, or maybe a bottle of wine?
But it's not quite a 100% success with the four oldest quite yet...
There's one lone nighttime holdout.
Our oldest was night trained by the time he was 3. Our 2nd was 18 months (I KNOW. It was the BEST.) The twins took longer to day train, so I wasn't surprised that night training took a while as well - both were day trained by about 2.5, but it wasn't until after their 3rd birthday that we started having dry nighttime diapers every once in a while. And then... It stopped.
Well, one of them continued doing really well staying dry every night. The other twin? Had a dry diaper at Thanksgiving and still talks about it.
It's May.
Just another Catholic mom blog - crazy, blessed, happy, silly!
Did Somebody Say Potty Training?
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
"Twins! I always wanted twins!" Say approximately 50% of women who find out we have twins. And for the most part, yes, what they see of twins is rather cute and appealing.
Exhibit A: Twins admiring flowers while praying the Hail Mary together.
Reading Material:
Some people like to prepare with many, many "potty readiness" books. But there are wiser ways:
Forget to throw away that very old, very annoying copy of Once Upon a Potty. Cave to requests to read it over and over again, then hide it behind a cushion because the trash can is too far away. Kick self again when copy is unearthed and the requests begin again. Never learn your lesson.
Resign yourself to the fact that you will have to say, "Bye-bye poop, bye-bye pee!" every time you flush the toilet from now until the end of time.
Find yourself doing this even when you're by yourself.
Outsource:
It gets old sitting on the edge of the bathtub reading the same book over and over again. That's what older siblings are for, right?
She may not know how to read, but she recites a mean Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Goodnight Moon
Wisdom:
Never ever check their diapers for poop before you remove them in the bathroom. This will lead to lovely fun when you go dashing for wipes at the changing table and they have the opportunity to explore site of origin!
Consistency:
If you are too tired to get up off the couch every time they ask to go to the potty, tell them "Just use your diaper! That's what it's for!"
Then get annoyed every time they poop and you actually have to clean that out of their nasty diapers...
Inequality:
Get one "good" potty seat for the toilet, and one regular potty for the floor. Watch fights ensue as they both fight over who gets to use the Lion potty and who has to use the bear potty. Because twins.
Toilet paper:
For the love of all that is good and holy, DO NOT TEACH THEM ABOUT TOILET PAPER! While it's fun to watch one twin very carefully pick every wad of toilet paper out of the trash can and try to wipe her sister, it's also disgusting.
And then, of course, when they run out of toilet paper they try to find anything they CAN use, including but not limited to that dirty hoodie that's been lying on the floor just shy of the laundry basket for far too long...
Language:
Be prepared to yell "HANDS OFF YOUR CROTCH" more in 5 minutes than you ever have in your life (and I have a 5-year-old boy, so that's saying a lot...).
What, you thought this was going to be a helpful post?
Okay, I do have some pointers, just so this isn't entirely a post about poop:
1. Books in the bathroom DO keep them entertained for long enough to actual sit still and take care of business. But maybe consider keeping library books OUT of the bathroom...
Exhibit A: Twins admiring flowers while praying the Hail Mary together.
But if you're one of these people, imagine if you will what potty training twins might look like.
Heck, you don't have to imagine - I'll give you a little glimpse into the wonder that is our lives right now!
How (Not) to Potty Train Twins
Some people like to prepare with many, many "potty readiness" books. But there are wiser ways:
Forget to throw away that very old, very annoying copy of Once Upon a Potty. Cave to requests to read it over and over again, then hide it behind a cushion because the trash can is too far away. Kick self again when copy is unearthed and the requests begin again. Never learn your lesson.
Resign yourself to the fact that you will have to say, "Bye-bye poop, bye-bye pee!" every time you flush the toilet from now until the end of time.
Find yourself doing this even when you're by yourself.
Outsource:
It gets old sitting on the edge of the bathtub reading the same book over and over again. That's what older siblings are for, right?
She may not know how to read, but she recites a mean Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Goodnight Moon
Heck, she even volunteers to escort her baby sister to the potty!
Wisdom:
Never ever check their diapers for poop before you remove them in the bathroom. This will lead to lovely fun when you go dashing for wipes at the changing table and they have the opportunity to explore site of origin!
They're going for yogurt here. Let's just say the term "poop mustache" has unfortunately entered into our vocabulary...
Consistency:
If you are too tired to get up off the couch every time they ask to go to the potty, tell them "Just use your diaper! That's what it's for!"
Then get annoyed every time they poop and you actually have to clean that out of their nasty diapers...
Inequality:
Get one "good" potty seat for the toilet, and one regular potty for the floor. Watch fights ensue as they both fight over who gets to use the Lion potty and who has to use the bear potty. Because twins.
Toilet paper:
For the love of all that is good and holy, DO NOT TEACH THEM ABOUT TOILET PAPER! While it's fun to watch one twin very carefully pick every wad of toilet paper out of the trash can and try to wipe her sister, it's also disgusting.
And then, of course, when they run out of toilet paper they try to find anything they CAN use, including but not limited to that dirty hoodie that's been lying on the floor just shy of the laundry basket for far too long...
Language:
Be prepared to yell "HANDS OFF YOUR CROTCH" more in 5 minutes than you ever have in your life (and I have a 5-year-old boy, so that's saying a lot...).
What, you thought this was going to be a helpful post?
Okay, I do have some pointers, just so this isn't entirely a post about poop:
1. Books in the bathroom DO keep them entertained for long enough to actual sit still and take care of business. But maybe consider keeping library books OUT of the bathroom...
Because twins. And books in the toilet.
2.
We have a Baby Bjorn Potty
and a couple Prince Lionheart potty seats
that work great, especially for itty bitty kids who are just too small to sit on a big toilet by themselves without falling in. It gets old holding them up, believe me...
and a couple Prince Lionheart potty seats that work great, especially for itty bitty kids who are just too small to sit on a big toilet by themselves without falling in. It gets old holding them up, believe me...
But the wonderful thing about the potty seats that suction onto the toilet, like ours, is that our kids have been willing to stay on the "big potty" WAY longer than on the little one, because they can't just kind of get up whenever they feel like it. And they can't stick their hands into the bowl to explore just how much they've managed to produce. So yeah, potty seats FTW.
3. Cloth diapers!
Even if you don't cloth diaper, I highly recommend finding some sort of cloth training pants or inexpensive fitted cloth diapers to use for this phase - it's SO much easier to make a toddler aware when she can actually feel the wetness. We've got some cloth diapers that are "stay-dry" and the twins totally don't care if they pee in those, but they demand to be changed immediately if they're in a fitted diaper or a prefold.
4. Training pants?
Once our kids are dry during the day, they're in underwear. Sometimes I'll stick a cloth doubler in if they're prone to pee accidents, but we don't do training pants. I will do training pants at night, but not Pull-Ups. Flip Training Pants
have worked awesome for us - John Paul was always a really heavy wetter at night, and even when he had accidents these held everything, plus they're easy to wash and last foooorever (well, we've had two kids go through them and our one set still looks like new). A starter pack seems pricey, but when you compare it to the cost you'd be saving over Pull-Ups? Totally a deal!
have worked awesome for us - John Paul was always a really heavy wetter at night, and even when he had accidents these held everything, plus they're easy to wash and last foooorever (well, we've had two kids go through them and our one set still looks like new). A starter pack seems pricey, but when you compare it to the cost you'd be saving over Pull-Ups? Totally a deal!
5. It doesn't have to work immediately!
If you find yourself getting frustrated by the whole process, give it a break. Stick with diapers for a while and try again in a few weeks, or a few months. We started trying to train John Paul a little before he was 2, and he wasn't fully day-trained until 2.5. Loooong, arduous process. Cecilia decided at like, 17 months that she wanted to be potty-trained, and she was totally day-trained before she was 18 months old.
Mary Claire has been asking to use the potty since she was 15 months old and I only *really* started letting her use it on a regular basis in the past few weeks (she's 20 months now), and she probably gets about 50% of her waste in the potty. Elizabeth is just along for the ride and almost never accomplishes anything. I don't really care - not like we're buying diapers, since we use cloth!
Just don't put more stress on yourself than is necessary, and remember that there's a WIIIIIDE range of normal for this sort of thing. Some kids make it CRAZY easy, and that probably has nothing to do with your parenting skills. And the ones that make it crazy hard? Probably not your fault, either :)
Linking it up with everybody's favorite, Heather at Mama Knows, Honeychild - go check out more favorites!
PS links are Amazon Affiliate links, so you can show me a little monetary love at no extra cost by purchasing items through my links so Amazon sends a few cents my way - thanks :)
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Just when I feel like things are getting under control at home, maybe even comfortable, something throws me for a loop.
Warning: This is a story about poop.
I got this email from the babysitter at 10:39 today: "hey john Paul peed on himself where are his clothes please"
Why yes, he has been potty trained for over a year! Lately he's been holding it as long as possible and then freaking out and running to the potty while ripping off his clothes. Once in a while he pees a *tiny* bit in his underwear and has to grab a new pair. But today? Nope, didn't run to the potty. Just peed all over himself.
So I get home and he's just gone down for his nap and so has Cecilia and I think, "Okay, I've got maybe an hour with *just* the little babies!" Nope, Cecilia decided not to nap and was VERY upset when I suggested that she go to sleep. Must remind the babysitter to close her bedroom door so that she doesn't see me putting Mary Claire in the swing to go down for HER nap.
So Cecilia comes downstairs with Elizabeth and me and we play and read for a while, swapping Elizabeth & Mary Claire at some point. Then she decides she needs to use the potty and we realize the potty bowl is downstairs. "I NOT poop on da floor! Never never poop on da floor!"
So we head to the basement and it reeks of poop. My first thought is, "Did John Paul poop in his pants?" But I quickly dismiss it because he has NEVER had more than a skidmark in his underwear since we started the whole potty training process over a year ago. We walk into the room and John Paul immediately jumps up saying, "OH it was an accident!" and starts peeling off his pants. On the white carpet (not my idea, stupid rental townhouse). So I pick him up and bring him to the bathroom (while nursing Mary Claire), hoping against all odds that maybe this will be one of those super-solid non-messy poops?
Nope. All those lentils I've been feeding him have been great for his digestive system. So we have the most disgusting of situations on our hands (and feet, legs, posteriors, etc...) and Cecilia still needs to poop and Mary Claire is still nursing... So I send Cecilia upstairs with the potty bowl, hoping she'll just take care of business herself. Meanwhile, Mary Claire is now on the floor, looking around calmly and happily. John Paul is still sticking his booty up in the air in the bathroom. I clean him off as best I can and hear Cecilia coming down the stairs...
"I did NOT poop all over myself!"
No. She. Did. Not. She potty trained herself more than 6 months ago and I can count the accidents on one hand. Now is not the time.
She's coming down the stairs with her pants and underwear around her ankles and I'm BEGGING God to be merciful and He is because she has NOT pooped all over herself. She hasn't done anything, she just decided to take care of business on the big potty instead.
Thank goodness.
So John Paul's butt, thighs, feet, ankles, and hands are finally clean. My hands are clean. Cecilia is wiped and clean. Elizabeth is still asleep. Mary Claire is still calmly lying on the floor. And I try to calm myself by thinking of all the things that I'm thankful for that made this a somewhat bearable situation.
Like a sleeping baby upstairs, so I didn't have to find some way to clean this up while nursing both babies.
And the calm and satiated baby who was happy to amuse herself while I cleaned up.
And the self-sufficient toddler who happily took the potty bowl upstairs and came back to use the big potty instead, eliminating another possible clean-up task.
And the somewhat helpful preschooler who went upstairs with minimal fussing and got himself a clean pair of underwear and pants.
And the big kids who potty trained at 2.5 and 1.5, respectively. Because I could very easily still be changing their diapers if they were different children.
And the fact that I just got a Pim DVD from the library and it's definitely time to send the kids downstairs to watch that so I can take care of the twins without yelling at the older kids for waking them up every time they fall asleep...
What would have been better? Um, maybe no poop in the pants? But it's kind of a theme in my life that when things get too easy, God gives me a reminder of just how good I have it.
And maybe this is the last time He'll have to take me down a notch by employing defecation...
Warning: This is a story about poop.
I got this email from the babysitter at 10:39 today: "hey john Paul peed on himself where are his clothes please"
Why yes, he has been potty trained for over a year! Lately he's been holding it as long as possible and then freaking out and running to the potty while ripping off his clothes. Once in a while he pees a *tiny* bit in his underwear and has to grab a new pair. But today? Nope, didn't run to the potty. Just peed all over himself.
So I get home and he's just gone down for his nap and so has Cecilia and I think, "Okay, I've got maybe an hour with *just* the little babies!" Nope, Cecilia decided not to nap and was VERY upset when I suggested that she go to sleep. Must remind the babysitter to close her bedroom door so that she doesn't see me putting Mary Claire in the swing to go down for HER nap.
So Cecilia comes downstairs with Elizabeth and me and we play and read for a while, swapping Elizabeth & Mary Claire at some point. Then she decides she needs to use the potty and we realize the potty bowl is downstairs. "I NOT poop on da floor! Never never poop on da floor!"
So we head to the basement and it reeks of poop. My first thought is, "Did John Paul poop in his pants?" But I quickly dismiss it because he has NEVER had more than a skidmark in his underwear since we started the whole potty training process over a year ago. We walk into the room and John Paul immediately jumps up saying, "OH it was an accident!" and starts peeling off his pants. On the white carpet (not my idea, stupid rental townhouse). So I pick him up and bring him to the bathroom (while nursing Mary Claire), hoping against all odds that maybe this will be one of those super-solid non-messy poops?
Nope. All those lentils I've been feeding him have been great for his digestive system. So we have the most disgusting of situations on our hands (and feet, legs, posteriors, etc...) and Cecilia still needs to poop and Mary Claire is still nursing... So I send Cecilia upstairs with the potty bowl, hoping she'll just take care of business herself. Meanwhile, Mary Claire is now on the floor, looking around calmly and happily. John Paul is still sticking his booty up in the air in the bathroom. I clean him off as best I can and hear Cecilia coming down the stairs...
"I did NOT poop all over myself!"
No. She. Did. Not. She potty trained herself more than 6 months ago and I can count the accidents on one hand. Now is not the time.
She's coming down the stairs with her pants and underwear around her ankles and I'm BEGGING God to be merciful and He is because she has NOT pooped all over herself. She hasn't done anything, she just decided to take care of business on the big potty instead.
Thank goodness.
So John Paul's butt, thighs, feet, ankles, and hands are finally clean. My hands are clean. Cecilia is wiped and clean. Elizabeth is still asleep. Mary Claire is still calmly lying on the floor. And I try to calm myself by thinking of all the things that I'm thankful for that made this a somewhat bearable situation.
Like a sleeping baby upstairs, so I didn't have to find some way to clean this up while nursing both babies.
And the calm and satiated baby who was happy to amuse herself while I cleaned up.
Edit: Shortly after writing this, I found out that she's capable of projectile vomiting all the way to her feet when lying in the swing. Put a blanket on it, changed the onesie, we're good.
And the self-sufficient toddler who happily took the potty bowl upstairs and came back to use the big potty instead, eliminating another possible clean-up task.
And the somewhat helpful preschooler who went upstairs with minimal fussing and got himself a clean pair of underwear and pants.
And the big kids who potty trained at 2.5 and 1.5, respectively. Because I could very easily still be changing their diapers if they were different children.
And the fact that I just got a Pim DVD from the library and it's definitely time to send the kids downstairs to watch that so I can take care of the twins without yelling at the older kids for waking them up every time they fall asleep...
What would have been better? Um, maybe no poop in the pants? But it's kind of a theme in my life that when things get too easy, God gives me a reminder of just how good I have it.
And maybe this is the last time He'll have to take me down a notch by employing defecation...
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Cecilia stayed dry all night a couple of days ago, AND peed in the potty when she woke up. Pretty sure it was just a fluke, but she spent a lot of time sitting on the potty all day because she was so proud of herself. And since John Paul was playing with the measuring tape on the potty, she decided that she had to as well...
Saturday, June 23, 2012
I rotated the toys the other day, and of course John Paul found the most annoying toy of the bunch... And proceeded to play with it during a particularly difficult trip to the potty.
So Cecilia picked up on it and thought, "OH, so THAT'S how you play with that toy!"
Perhaps not the best/most hygienic precedent to set?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Apparently the excitement over new clothes begins earlier than I expected... Got a box of spring clothes in the mail and BOTH kids were so excited to try them on. There's John Paul in his new argyle sweater vest and seersucker blazer (the pants never made it back on after he used the potty...).
And Cecilia in an adorable new pair of flip flops! Girl LOVES shoes and was super-excited for these :)
And that's a scrape on/under her nose - someone decided to run downhill on the sidewalk while refusing to hold Mom's hand. Shocker, she fell.
In other news, John Paul's current favorite song is "If I Had A Million Dollars" which has prompted an obsession with Curious George, because one of the 3 verses I'm willing to sing (it's a LONG song, I've pared it down to about 30 seconds) is the one about a monkey. And now he's making up his own verses, which is pretty amusing. "I would buy you a TWUCK! I would buy you a FWONT-END WOADER! I would buy you a BIRD! I would buy you a GEORGE! I would buy you a MOM!!!"
I was not a huge fan of our Curious George anthologies until this obsession started - now I don't have to read the *same* book over and over, I can pick one of 8 every night! And I pretty much get to pick... I read all the possible titles while emphasizing the ones I haven't read, and he generally picks one that I want :)
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Okay, before my adoring public (oh wait, my mom and sister...) gets annoyed at the lack of posts, I have to let you know that the camera battery is dead and we don't know where the charger is. So the posts will be a lot less fun for a while because they'll mostly be text-only. And let's face it, you probably just skim the text and read the captions under the pictures, like me!
So John Paul has been potty trained (not counting naptime and nighttime, which are not even short-term goals right now...) for almost 2 weeks now - we've been going out with just underwear and haven't had a single accident (knock on wood!)! He is VERY pleased about this - he loves his "cool" underwear and he REALLY loves using the potty in new places. That's honestly his favorite thing about leaving the house now.
Yup. Potties. We tell him where we're going and he immediately starts talking about the potty they'll have there. Then he starts talking about ALL the potties he's used. "Nature center potty! Waymond (St. Raymond - they're on a first-name basis) potty! Howwy Spiwit potty! Store potty! Westauwant potty!!!" Etc. We went to a one-hour concert at school and he used the bathroom three times. But hey, it's better to be over-enthusiastic than a pants-wetter, right?
One of the nice things about him being potty trained is that he poops a lot less often (this paragraph is about flatulence and feces - skip ahead if you're eating!). The not-so-nice thing is that he's REALLY gassy because he's holding it in. And the gas smells like poop. So for about an hour before he poops he smells like he pooped in his pants. And I'm constantly checking to see if he did, but no, he didn't. Not even once. He just has NASTY farts. But since he's pretty much continuously vile-smelling, I can blame any of MY gas on him :P
He is also VERY excited every time he uses the potty at home. For a while I had to remind him to use the potty, but now he's almost entirely self-guided. Problem is, as soon as he gets the urge, he drops his pants. WHEREVER he is in the house. And then waddles over to the potty, pants around his ankles, pants and underwear often falling off as he crawls up the stairs to get to the potty.
But then he's SO excited when he's all done - "A BIG bit of pee!" or "Just a wittle bit of pee." or "I pooped AND peed!" or "Just a wittle turd." or (my personal favorite) "You did NOT have a wittle turd!" For some reason he can only refer to himself in the first person when he manages to poop.
And he's excited to tell everyone he knows that he wears underwear now. He spent a good portion of Mass last Sunday saying, "You're weawing UNderwear!" Which I'm sure prompted many of the ladies around us to check and make sure their skirts were properly adjusted... Of course, he's also very excited about anything that happens while he's wearing underwear. "You farted in your underwear," he says, matter-of-factly. I promise, that time it really wasn't me... Or "You did NOT pee in your underwear!"
And that's a (almost) 2.5-year-old giving you his perspective on being potty trained. You can tell our lives are exciting!
So John Paul has been potty trained (not counting naptime and nighttime, which are not even short-term goals right now...) for almost 2 weeks now - we've been going out with just underwear and haven't had a single accident (knock on wood!)! He is VERY pleased about this - he loves his "cool" underwear and he REALLY loves using the potty in new places. That's honestly his favorite thing about leaving the house now.
Yup. Potties. We tell him where we're going and he immediately starts talking about the potty they'll have there. Then he starts talking about ALL the potties he's used. "Nature center potty! Waymond (St. Raymond - they're on a first-name basis) potty! Howwy Spiwit potty! Store potty! Westauwant potty!!!" Etc. We went to a one-hour concert at school and he used the bathroom three times. But hey, it's better to be over-enthusiastic than a pants-wetter, right?
One of the nice things about him being potty trained is that he poops a lot less often (this paragraph is about flatulence and feces - skip ahead if you're eating!). The not-so-nice thing is that he's REALLY gassy because he's holding it in. And the gas smells like poop. So for about an hour before he poops he smells like he pooped in his pants. And I'm constantly checking to see if he did, but no, he didn't. Not even once. He just has NASTY farts. But since he's pretty much continuously vile-smelling, I can blame any of MY gas on him :P
He is also VERY excited every time he uses the potty at home. For a while I had to remind him to use the potty, but now he's almost entirely self-guided. Problem is, as soon as he gets the urge, he drops his pants. WHEREVER he is in the house. And then waddles over to the potty, pants around his ankles, pants and underwear often falling off as he crawls up the stairs to get to the potty.
Since I can't take pictures, here's what you can imagine it looks like...
But then he's SO excited when he's all done - "A BIG bit of pee!" or "Just a wittle bit of pee." or "I pooped AND peed!" or "Just a wittle turd." or (my personal favorite) "You did NOT have a wittle turd!" For some reason he can only refer to himself in the first person when he manages to poop.
And he's excited to tell everyone he knows that he wears underwear now. He spent a good portion of Mass last Sunday saying, "You're weawing UNderwear!" Which I'm sure prompted many of the ladies around us to check and make sure their skirts were properly adjusted... Of course, he's also very excited about anything that happens while he's wearing underwear. "You farted in your underwear," he says, matter-of-factly. I promise, that time it really wasn't me... Or "You did NOT pee in your underwear!"
And that's a (almost) 2.5-year-old giving you his perspective on being potty trained. You can tell our lives are exciting!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Well, Cecilia's still pretty small... But when did John Paul turn into such a big kid???
He was VERY excited about his "cool" new 3T outfit from the consignment store. Everything "cool" is REALLY good, so he's willing to wearing underwear instead of diapers now because underwear is "cool" and diapers are not. Although it's tricky keeping his pants up now...
Look at how long and lean he's gotten!
I'm thankful that he's totally okay with Cecilia following him around and trying to do everything he does. He was eating part of a cookie after a successful potty trip and Cecilia came toddling over with her arms outstretched. I asked him to share a little piece with her and he immediately broke off a bit and handed it to her. No fussing at all, just straight-up sharing!
And then of course, there's the fact that last night in the car he asked me to turn off the music so we could pray the rosary together. And he did his half of almost every prayer! He even barrelled right on through the Fatima Prayer on his own without me to prompt him. We've got a rosary CD in the mail from Aunt Sister, and I have a feeling that'll be on loop for quite a while...
Friday, December 9, 2011
And I return to this:
I don't know which one of them found the wrapping paper, but I'm betting it was John Paul who decided to take it all out of the plastic. And then started ripping off tiny pieces and throw them on the floor...
Thankfully, I'm pretty sure little to no wrapping paper got eaten. And there were no tantrums when it got put away :P
And no, John Paul isn't wearing any clothes. We're potty training, okay?
I don't know which one of them found the wrapping paper, but I'm betting it was John Paul who decided to take it all out of the plastic. And then started ripping off tiny pieces and throw them on the floor...
Thankfully, I'm pretty sure little to no wrapping paper got eaten. And there were no tantrums when it got put away :P
And no, John Paul isn't wearing any clothes. We're potty training, okay?
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Yesterday the valve fell out of Cecilia's sippy cup during dinner, spilling water on her tray. At first she was rather dismayed, until she realized the splashing potential!!! This actually made for easier cleanup for me, so I was fine with it.
Unfortunately, in the absence of a sippy cup this morning she decided to improvise.
I got her diaper off and she played in John Paul's room for a while until she evidently felt the urge... She crawled into the bathroom and I found her splashing happily in a puddle.
Of her own pee.
Awesome.
So someone took a morning bath today!
I'm hoping she forgets about this by tonight...
Unfortunately, in the absence of a sippy cup this morning she decided to improvise.
I got her diaper off and she played in John Paul's room for a while until she evidently felt the urge... She crawled into the bathroom and I found her splashing happily in a puddle.
Of her own pee.
Awesome.
So someone took a morning bath today!
I'm hoping she forgets about this by tonight...
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Yes, another poop post.
John Paul is VERY good at using the potty on his own when I keep him naked from the waist down. We have issues with #2, however. He tends to hold it in until I put him in a diaper. This afternoon he was watching Sesame Street in the basement while I ran upstairs to nurse Cecilia back to sleep. She was almost out when I heard him coming up the stairs whimpering, "Pee in the potty? Or poop in the potty?"
Naturally I was excited that he was finally ready to poop in the potty! Until I looked down and saw that he was, in fact, in the process of pooping while climbing the stairs...
So I scoop up John Paul mid-poop while holding Cecilia, trying to race down the stairs to the potty without the poop making a full exit. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky... Poop on the stairs, on the floor, and one tiny little turd in the potty. Thankfully it was super-solid and easy to clean up. And it was our first accident in a LONG time. Thank goodness I didn't get pooped on!
John Paul is VERY good at using the potty on his own when I keep him naked from the waist down. We have issues with #2, however. He tends to hold it in until I put him in a diaper. This afternoon he was watching Sesame Street in the basement while I ran upstairs to nurse Cecilia back to sleep. She was almost out when I heard him coming up the stairs whimpering, "Pee in the potty? Or poop in the potty?"
Naturally I was excited that he was finally ready to poop in the potty! Until I looked down and saw that he was, in fact, in the process of pooping while climbing the stairs...
So I scoop up John Paul mid-poop while holding Cecilia, trying to race down the stairs to the potty without the poop making a full exit. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky... Poop on the stairs, on the floor, and one tiny little turd in the potty. Thankfully it was super-solid and easy to clean up. And it was our first accident in a LONG time. Thank goodness I didn't get pooped on!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
In the past couple of days John Paul has suddenly taken a SERIOUS interest in using the potty. He's constantly talking about, "A crotch for makin' pee, and a booty, and a little hole for makin' poop!" (edited wording to part of "Once Upon A Potty," one of his favorite books. He keeps finding underwear and trying very hard to put it on himself, and then he gets very upset when we tell him he can't wear that to bed until he learns how to pee in the potty.
He keeps reading another favorite book, "The New Potty" and reciting the beginning, "I. Am a big boy! I pee in the potty. I weah undah-pants with skateboards on it!" But Andrew and I remind him that he doesn't pee in the potty yet, and he seems to be very sad that he hasn't yet mastered that skill.
Two days ago he decided that he WANTED TO PEE IN THE POTTY! So he ran to the BIG toilet and had me sit him on it. Nothing happened. He tried, but he had no idea how to make himself pee. He was VERY upset when Andrew and I made him get off to take his bath. But then he had a lightbulb moment - if he can pee in the bath tub, he can use that same feeling to figure out how to pee in the toilet! He tried again the next day - no luck.
But this morning he was having naked time for a while before we got dressed for church. All of a sudden he paused and said, "PEE IN THE POTTY!" and RAN to the toilet, lifted up the lid, and sat down on his own. Nothing happened. And then, all of a sudden, he figured it out! Meanwhile I'm crouched on the floor in front of the toilet, holding his legs to make sure he doesn't fall in, hoping desperately that he doesn't pee on me...
He is SO proud of himself and keeps reciting parts of "Once Upon A Potty" while he sits on the toilet. He managed to go a tiny bit before his nap as well. He has yet to do anything on the little potty seat we got - maybe that's totally unnecessary? But I'm pretty excited about this new development - hopefully he'll keep improving and I won't have to worry about him still not being potty trained by the time he's like, 4!
*Edited to add - Before we went upstairs to go to bed he managed to produce a little #1 & #2 in his little potty downstairs - looks like we are ready to start taking this a little more seriously!
He keeps reading another favorite book, "The New Potty" and reciting the beginning, "I. Am a big boy! I pee in the potty. I weah undah-pants with skateboards on it!" But Andrew and I remind him that he doesn't pee in the potty yet, and he seems to be very sad that he hasn't yet mastered that skill.
Two days ago he decided that he WANTED TO PEE IN THE POTTY! So he ran to the BIG toilet and had me sit him on it. Nothing happened. He tried, but he had no idea how to make himself pee. He was VERY upset when Andrew and I made him get off to take his bath. But then he had a lightbulb moment - if he can pee in the bath tub, he can use that same feeling to figure out how to pee in the toilet! He tried again the next day - no luck.
But this morning he was having naked time for a while before we got dressed for church. All of a sudden he paused and said, "PEE IN THE POTTY!" and RAN to the toilet, lifted up the lid, and sat down on his own. Nothing happened. And then, all of a sudden, he figured it out! Meanwhile I'm crouched on the floor in front of the toilet, holding his legs to make sure he doesn't fall in, hoping desperately that he doesn't pee on me...
He is SO proud of himself and keeps reciting parts of "Once Upon A Potty" while he sits on the toilet. He managed to go a tiny bit before his nap as well. He has yet to do anything on the little potty seat we got - maybe that's totally unnecessary? But I'm pretty excited about this new development - hopefully he'll keep improving and I won't have to worry about him still not being potty trained by the time he's like, 4!
*Edited to add - Before we went upstairs to go to bed he managed to produce a little #1 & #2 in his little potty downstairs - looks like we are ready to start taking this a little more seriously!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
No sooner am I thinking about how well John Paul has been doing with no accidents during his naked time than this happens... He TELLS us he needs to pee but refuses to sit on the potty or get a diaper on. I figured he wasn't serious, because we haven't had an issue in so long.
Shame on me. But seriously, who poops standing up?
My goal was to have potty training accomplished by the end of the summer. I have not tried hard at all to accomplish this. It's not happening and that's okay. But let's hope this is the last time he poops on the floor...
Shame on me. But seriously, who poops standing up?
My goal was to have potty training accomplished by the end of the summer. I have not tried hard at all to accomplish this. It's not happening and that's okay. But let's hope this is the last time he poops on the floor...
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
It seems we have combined potty training and homeschooling. John Paul likes to sit on the potty while I spell words for him or write out math problems for him to solve.
The question is, which will happen first: Reading or staying dry? He's already recognizing quite a few words from sight, but he has yet to produce anything on the potty...
He's currently sitting in his chair eating lunch and reciting, "X says 'X' and X says kssss... Y says 'Y' and Y says yuh... Z says 'Z' and Z says zuh..." I think he's a little confused because his vowels all say things like, "A says 'A' and A says ah..." so he thinks that consonants work the same way!
The question is, which will happen first: Reading or staying dry? He's already recognizing quite a few words from sight, but he has yet to produce anything on the potty...
He's currently sitting in his chair eating lunch and reciting, "X says 'X' and X says kssss... Y says 'Y' and Y says yuh... Z says 'Z' and Z says zuh..." I think he's a little confused because his vowels all say things like, "A says 'A' and A says ah..." so he thinks that consonants work the same way!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
I've been awake since 5:30. Cecilia decided that she would rather blow raspberries than sleep.
Ugh.
We put her in her swing for like, 20 minutes. Didn't work. I kept hoping Andrew would just take her downstairs so I could sleep, because he always says he can't fall back to sleep after he wakes up. No luck. I took her downstairs at 6. And Andrew didn't even go back to sleep! Not fair.
John Paul woke up at 6:30, probably because Andrew was showering. He ran to the clock in our room and shouted, "SEVEN NIRTY-FWEE!" If only. Then he corrected him self. "SIX NIRTY-FWEE! SIX NIRTY FWEE! YAAAAAAAAAAY!" He clapped his hands enthusiastically and came running back to his room.
Ugh. If only 6:33 were "Yay." If only we had actually gotten to sleep that late.
Cecilia is already down for her first nap at 7:30. I don't know what this is going to do to our plans for the rest of the day...
So now John Paul and I are on potty watch while we read. We've read 8 books already... He keeps crouching and saying, "Pooooooping..." so I take off his diaper and put him on the potty, and then he changes his mind. He told me now he wants to be naked, so maybe that'll help things? We're definitely getting closer - if I put him in a diaper without a cover he tells me when he's peeing and wants to be changed immediately.
And our playground plans for today aren't gonna happen since it's already 82 out and we weren't gonna go for another hour.
Ugh.
It can only get better, right?
Ugh.
We put her in her swing for like, 20 minutes. Didn't work. I kept hoping Andrew would just take her downstairs so I could sleep, because he always says he can't fall back to sleep after he wakes up. No luck. I took her downstairs at 6. And Andrew didn't even go back to sleep! Not fair.
John Paul woke up at 6:30, probably because Andrew was showering. He ran to the clock in our room and shouted, "SEVEN NIRTY-FWEE!" If only. Then he corrected him self. "SIX NIRTY-FWEE! SIX NIRTY FWEE! YAAAAAAAAAAY!" He clapped his hands enthusiastically and came running back to his room.
Ugh. If only 6:33 were "Yay." If only we had actually gotten to sleep that late.
Cecilia is already down for her first nap at 7:30. I don't know what this is going to do to our plans for the rest of the day...
So now John Paul and I are on potty watch while we read. We've read 8 books already... He keeps crouching and saying, "Pooooooping..." so I take off his diaper and put him on the potty, and then he changes his mind. He told me now he wants to be naked, so maybe that'll help things? We're definitely getting closer - if I put him in a diaper without a cover he tells me when he's peeing and wants to be changed immediately.
And our playground plans for today aren't gonna happen since it's already 82 out and we weren't gonna go for another hour.
Ugh.
It can only get better, right?