Adventures in Potty Training: Take 1

Day 1 Tally:

18 pairs of underwear used
11 successful pee-pees on the potty
6 bottles of Propel drank
267 times the words "do you have to go potty?" uttered
2 very happy and relieved parents

PRICELESS!


Okay, I couldn't resist.


Today went sooooo much better than I thought it was going to. I thought Addison would be extremely resistant to throwing out all of his diapers but he was so excited to do it. Here he is getting ready to pitch them:

Then it was off to pick out what pair of underwear he was going to start off the day with!

Decisions! Decisions!

The morning went awesome! We had so much fun with it and made a huge deal out of it.

Then naptime came and that was a little rough. Addison is used to having a clock in his room and not being able to come out of his room until the 2:00 turns to a 3:00. I knew this could no longer happen.

I told him that he would have to take a nap and that once he woke up from his nap, he could come out of his room. After several unsuccessful trips to the potty and 1 accident, he eventually drifted off to sleep only to awake, crying, about 30 minutes later.

I rushed him to the potty, thinking he would for sure have to go right after waking, only to realize that he was clearly not awake. It was quite humorous to watch and I wish I had thought to videotape it.

Unfortunately, he was an absolute grouch potato after that and I was not impressed with how the afternoon was shaping up. But we had our snack, did some dancing, and everything was back to normal.

By the end of the evening, Addison was completely wiped out. We were reading books and he commented to me that he was "tired of reading books." This kid NEVER tires of reading books!

We tucked him into bed and reminded him for the 134th time to keep his underwear clean and dry. He rolled over, grabbed his blanket and was out within a matter of minutes.

*sigh* Overall, I would say today was a success.

Now on to Round 2!

Let the potty training games begin!

We have decided to use the 3 day potty training method with Addison starting tomorrow morning. What is the 3 day potty training method? It's basically potty training bootcamp.

Tomorrow morning, we will get up and have Addison throw the rest of his diapers away and then it's only underwear from here on out! We will pump him full of liquids. I'm thinking Propel in this case, or mommy and daddy's water, as he likes to call it.

Then you basically have to become his shadow. Stalking him like an animal stalking his prey. The idea is to always catch him in the act of going and quickly rush him to the potty so he can finish going there. Eventually it will just click and he will start realizing the sensation of having to go.

To be completely honest, I'm terrified! The thought of trailing after him all day long and asking him if he needs to go potty every 15 minutes isn't exactly my idea of an awesome weekend. Neither is cleaning up after all the accidents that he is going to have.

Where I'm torn is using underwear at naptime and bedtime. The author of this method says you cannot use pull-ups or diapers because it sends mixed signals to the child.

I don't know. I think I might just have to invest in some rubber sheets. Do they still sell those things?

Pete has taken tomorrow off to aid in the process. The author also says to only have one parent doing the training but I just can't see this being possible with me nursing Amarah so I think it's going to be a tag team approach.

This afternoon I am off to stock up on Propel, big boy underwear and some snacks. Wish us luck!

Wait! Isn't this weekend Mother's Day? What the heck was I thinking?

April showers bring...

May flowers? NO! They bring a big freaking lake in our backyard! When the winter snow melts away or we get just a little too much rain for our liking, we suddenly look like the house on the lake. Do you think we could list that as a selling point when we get ready to move again?


So what do you do with a very active 2 year old boy that is just itching to get out of the house? Just add water!

To heck with May flowers! I'll take a very happy (and soaking) little boy anyday!

I want my baby back baby back baby back...

No, seriously, I want my baby back! I don't know what has happened to my laid back, easy going little girl.

I swear she has been teething for what seems like months now! And just recently she has decided that she doesn't want to nurse. Not because she's distracted but because she appears to be in pain.

This has not been going over well with me. I told you Addison was a champion teether and never seemed bothered by the fact that teeth were trying to cut through his gums. OUCH! So I'm having a very difficult time dealing with Amarah's constant fussiness.

And I don't even know for sure if it's teething! Thought it might be an ear infection so I took her to the pediatrician last week. Nothing.

I feel like I'm torturing my child by forcing her to eat. I feel like she is slowly going to start rejecting me or have a negative association with breastfeeding.

Many tears have been shed over this by both of us. I don't know what to do anymore! Do I take her back to the pediatrician again only to be told there's nothing wrong?

A couple of my friends have suggested having her seen by a chiropractor. Still not sure how I feel about this.

I just wish that if it was indeed teething, I would see a stinkin' tooth already!

Maybe I'll just have to resort to rubbing a little whiskey on her gums like they did back in the day.

Here you go Amarah! 1 shot for you and 2 shots for Mommy!

A conversation with Addison

Addison: I'm short Mommy.

Me: Yes Addison, you are short.

Addison: You're tall Mommy.

Me: Yes Addison, I am tall.

Addison: You're tall like a mountain.

Me: (laughing)

Addison: Amarah is short...like a blueberry. I'm going to call her Mr. Blueberry.

Addison to Amarah: Hey Mr. Blueberry! How's it going Mr. Blueberry? Do you like your crib Mr. Blueberry?

Ahhh...the mind of a 2 year old!

Happy 5 Months Amarah!

You're getting bigger and bigger everyday! Love you baby girl!

It's official!

We have a finger sucker! Neither Addison nor Amarah took to a pacifier, much to my dismay. It would have made our lives so much easier those first few months but no such luck. I know I will appreciate this later.

Just recently, Amarah has discovered her fingers. Not her thumb but her fingers. 2 fingers to be exact.

































She even enjoys them with a side of bathwater.




















Ok, I'll admit that I think it's too cute now, but ask me again in 5 years how cute I think it is. Can't complain right now though. Self-soothing at it's best!