Potty Progress

There have been days that Lilli would insist on going to the potty before/after each diaper change. We doled out stickers and m&m's for each success, along with mounds of praise and rounds of applause. Then, weeks of nothing, not even a spark of interest.  Some days there was an out right mutiny against any thing "big girl" related.  "I love my diapers! No panties! I NOT a big girl!!!" We tried a few weeks of Pull-ups, long talks, promises of too many bribes for #2 in the potty or any of the three Lilli-sized potties. We read all of the articles,  researched all of the options, talked to other people who had been there before us.  Nothing helped.

It was a constant mountain and valley of progress. The advice wasn't consistent, the suggestions were so varied it was hard to choose a plan and stick with it, especially since her interest varied.  Some people said "they'll do it when they're ready" while other's went with the "no more diapers, period." I looked into getting the old school training pants my mom used for all of my brothers and sister.  A far less expensive investment than the Pull-ups but not quite as cost effective as taking away all diaper related materials and just going for it.  Some days I was on board with waiting for her to be ready, other's I had enough of the diapers and was ready to face the inevitable tears of her losing a staple and super gross attachment.  

Most of the time, I try to involve Lilli in our decisions, especially those that have to do with her directly. So most of our talks about potty training, she was either in the room or involved in the discussion.  We had many talks about how she was too big for diapers now, how some day she would have to say goodbye.  We watched the videos, we discussed other people's "business", talked about how different animals did theirs (which resulted in peeing next to trees), we read any book we could find on the topic... She was well aware that the time was closing in and she'd have to make a move soon. 

We started to talk about having a "naked day." She seemed interested, a whole day with no clothes?! She even seemed excited. We made a plan for a week at home, there wasn't much planned and sitting out a few activities wouldn't kill us.  The weather was nice and we could take long walks instead.  And on the very first day, before lunch even, we had a purposeful #2 success!

It's been a few weeks, I have every week's potty chart labeled with the date. There are still valleys and mountains of success.  She's getting there, in her own time and no one else's.  The weekends are the hardest, since we're out most of the time. Monday's are always the best, we almost always stay home. We're sticking with the pull-ups and haven't bought or used diapers for weeks (with the exception of a tummy situation for a few days). Some days I fight her to not wear a diaper, some days I have to argue with her to wear any underpants at all! We've found something that works, she will get there on her own with a few pushes along the way. Until then, I bought a star-sticker pack of 750, I hope not to have to use it all for this milestone.  

Potty Progress

This post is not really a post.  It's a lazy attempt at blogging, half asleep and not motivated enough to think of anything else but the thing plaguing my sanity.

Over the past week, the three of us have lost quite a bit of sleep due to poor planning and potty successes.  It all started a few weeks ago when Lilli started getting really excited about Elmo's Potty Time.  She started singing the songs, asking questions, and generally getting SUPER pumped to go potty.  Then, she started getting up at 4-5:30 a.m. every day.  We figured it was our neighbors and cursed their noisiness until they moved last weekend.  Yet, Lilli was still getting up every morning crying for us to come get her.  After a few mornings of co-sleeping in "H" formation, my back had enough.

The early morning waking was just the beginning.  She started refusing to go to sleep, crying for us as soon as we put her down.  A process that normally is easy and relatively consistent, suddenly was drawn out and very much a struggle.  We usually spend about two hours relaxing at night, our together time, just Dave and me watching some adult television and talking.  It was now being spent consoling hysterics, questioning the problem, changing diaper after diaper, trying to figure out what foods may have upset her stomach, and wiping noses runny from crying.

The good news is that Lilli is on the potty training mission that we've been waiting for since it all started over a year ago.  The bad news is that all three of us are learning at the same time, and like every other bump in the parenting road we reach, we started researching.  We have been making bedtime routine adjustments and hoping for the best.  I think it's come down to too much liquid before bed and her sudden interest in keeping dry at night, but I could be wrong.  Maybe her imagination has started to develop and she is really scared of the windows and spot behind her bed. We're still making adjustments. After the bedtime struggle, we were up two more times last night.  The lack of sleep has hit all three (five if you count the poor pets) of us.  All we can do is try our best and buy more stickers.

"Song of the Entry"
Sleeper 1972 by The Manchester Orchestra

Potty Progress

I have been putting off this blog for a very long time.  Ever since we started potty training I thought about what I would say here, scared that as I typed out how far we have come she would revert back to old habits.  We've had ups and downs, accidents and on purposes. There have been cheers and tears. It's been a long trip so far, we're far from the end of the road.

When Lilli was 10 months old she loved the potty, I think she may have even accidentally peed on it once or twice before or right after her first birthday.  My aunt bought her first potty before she knew she had pants. She loved to pretend when mommy or daddy were using the potty. I can easily count the number of at home bathroom trips either of us have taken alone in the past two years on my fingers and toes.

Then she started to notice when she was wet or dirty, alerting us but not letting us change her. So, we started to talk more about it. We started putting her on the potty, reading potty stories and making a big production out of things when she had a success. Complete with a sticker chart and one M&M after every completed bathroom trip (including hand washing).  She knows the drill. She loves the attention and was doing extremely well for a while... She was going three to six times a day and asking us to take her when she felt wet.  We got her some panties to wear over her diapers, since she always loved dresses that came with those under pants.  She was on the track to early potty training!

Then... she just lost interest. She still would go every so often, but hardly six times a day.  She fights us for diaper changes, bribery and trickery are the only things that work.  She refuses to make any solid deposits, even when she knows it is coming. So we were back to square one. Reading articles, trying new things, and trying everything we could think of to get her back on track.

She still has ups and downs, some days she goes a few times and others she hardly uses the potty at all.  Personally, I don't think this is something we can spring on her and say "ok, you don't wear diapers anymore and good luck." I can see how that would work for some kids, but Lilli enjoys learning and being independent at her own speed.  Most importantly, she's been so interested for such a long period of time, I can't imagine that potty training is that far off for her.  We'll keep going down this road, trying new things every once in a while, hoping her interest in being a "big girl" is enough to make her want to take it upon herself to make the transition. She understands more each day and puts together ideas faster than we can teach them.  So we don't plan on pushing her. We're sticking to the basics with plenty of cheering along the way. We will try to never turn a learning experience into a stressful or pressure situation.  While I'd love to lose my diaper bag and sport a cute purse again, we're not going to rush into anything.  Like everything else I've ever worried about her learning, she takes it at her own pace.  Until then, we'll be on the sidelines cheering "Go Lilli Go!"

"Song of the Entry"
Starling by La Strada