Potty training…

*This might get a little lengthy… considering I like to ramble and go in to detail a lot…  But I just want to get it all down for my records, mostly. 

I’m not really sure how to start this post out…  I guess I will just go day by day.

I started reading a 3 day potty training guide a couple of weeks ago.  Truthfully… I was putting this off as long as I possibly could.  I read the guide like 2 or 3 times so I could have it etched in my brain.  I didn’t want to get to “the big day” and forget how to handle certain situations.  So, I decided that this last off week was THE week to potty train.  I really wanted to have Sweet Pea trained before the baby gets here and I thought that if this didn’t work this time, I would have to wait the 30 days to “unprogram” my child and start from scratch.  (The baby is due in Decemeber.  If I had to wait another 30 days, it would be then end of October…  We don’t really have a lot of time to wait around!)  So, I decided to get this show on the road!

Wednesday Sept 21st , I had my OB appointment.  (Everything was good.  Heartbeat 146, my weight was down a half pound, I’m measuring 29 weeks.)  I took Sweet Pea with me since it was just a regular check up and I wanted to take her shopping for “potty supplies”.

We went to Target and I let her pick out her own big girl panties.  This is funny…  I kind of had to force her to pick out panties because when I first asked her what kind of big girl panties she wanted… she pointed to the Toy Story BOY underwear.  And then she wanted the Mickey Mouse BOY underwear.  I had to explain to her that she couldn’t have those because they were for boys and they wouldn’t fit her right…  So she finally settled with some Minnie Mouse panties.

We walked down to where the potty chair’s were.  We already have a potty at home, but I wanted to let her pick out her own (because the guide says to….) and I figured we could leave one in the vehicle for when we are out and about and for emergencies.  So, she picked one out and let me just say, don’t ever get a cheap potty (just sayin’…)  We bought stickers and poster board to make a reward chart.  And we were set!

Thursday morning, we woke up and had a talk over breakfast.  It went something like this…

Mommy:  Sweet Pea, are you a big girl?

SP:  No…

Mommy:  Yes you are!!

SP:  No big girl.

Mommy:  Do you know what big girls do???

SP:  Go potty… (I was telling her the night before that we would be trying the potty the next day, so she remembered.)

Mommy:  That’s right!!!  Big girls use the potty and they wear big girl panties and they say bye bye to diapers! 

So… we finished eating breakfast and we went to say bye bye to the diapers.  We got all diapers up and “threw them away” (I sat them on the front porch so the “trash man could come get them” but we were going to save them for baby boy.  Diapers are just too expensive to just throw away!  Ha!).  We put big girl panties on and we were ready to do this.  I was constantly reminding her to “Let mommy know when you have to go potty!”  “We have to keep our panties dry!”  I noticed that she was doing the leg cross thing and holding herself down there and I could tell that she had to potty, but I was going to trust that she was going to tell me (because that’s what the guide says…).  So, I reminded her to let me know if she had to potty.  I even did the no-no phrase, “DO YOU have to go potty?”  She said no.  So, about 10 seconds later, she had an accident.  We ran to the potty to finish, and she put a few drops of pee pee in the potty.  I assured her that it was ok, and that we would try to make it next time.  I showed her that she DID pee pee in the potty (yes, the few drops DO count for something!) and she got a sticker for it. 

She was excited about the sticker!  The day went on….  I offered popsicles, juice, milk…  I constantly reminded her to let me know when she had to go.  I started noticing her “signs” of having to go potty. 

She started telling me that she did have to go potty, and I was just thrilled!!!  I thought to myself, “I CAN DO THIS!!!  It’s not going to be as hard as I thought!” 

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

11:00 rolled around….  She had gone potty several times successfully…  She told me she needed to go potty again.  So we did. 

I took her to the potty, sat her down, and waited.  She was wanting to play, and kick her legs, turn this way, and turn that way…  Anything but go pee pee!  The guide told me to not let her just sit on the potty.  That if the child doesn’t go after a few seconds, get them up and just remind them to stay dry…blah blah blah…

Well…  I told her to come on and we would go play some more.  She got up, and wanted a sticker.  I told her she couldn’t have a sticker because she didn’t go potty.  I told her that she would have to put some pee pee in the potty and then she could have one.  Well…….  she did not like that at all!!!  She wanted a sticker and she wanted it NOW!!!!  She started throwing a tantrum in the bathroom floor.  I knew she had to go potty because she was showing signs of it before we went in there.  I even got her old potty out to see if she wanted to try it.  The new potty (the one she picked out, the cheap potty) was pinching her butt somehow because she said “ouch” every time she sat on it.  (And that’s why you don’t buy a cheap potty!)  She didn’t want to use ANY potty and started throwing an even bigger tantrum.  I started having a mild panic attack because I didn’t know how to handle the situation.  The guide didn’t tell me how to handle THIS!!  Haha!!  The guide just told me to not let her see me get frustrated and STAY POSITIVE.  But… I was obviously getting frustrated.  I started crying with her because I really wanted this to work!!!  I was hell bent on having my child potty trained in 3 days!!!!! 

Between her tantrum and my sobbing because I was a failure, we both woke her daddy up (night shifter). 

He came in there and I was just having a mental breakdown.  I told him to go get the diapers and put one on her.  I wasn’t doing this!  I COULDN’T do this!  I told him I would just try again in 30 days.  I put both of the potty chair’s  in the closet and I sat and cried for a little while.

We all ate lunch and went at and took a nap.

The next day (Friday), I woke up and decided that I was going to give this another try.  Forget waiting 30 days and “unprogramming” my child.  I decided that if she wasn’t potty trained in THREE days, it was no big deal, as long as it is done by December!  I could tell that she understood what was going on and that she is capable of telling me when she needs to go to the potty just by seeing how well she did that first day.

So, we gave it another try and it went very well.  She had two accidents that day, which isn’t bad at all, in my opinion. 

The next day was (Saturday), my mom and dad came up to visit us.  I know y’all are going to think I’m crazy, but we ventured out that day… with panties on!  And she did great.  No accidents!  We took the potty with us.  She told me while we were eating lunch that she she needed to go.  We attempted the big potty in the restaurant, but she didn’t go.  So, before we left, she used her potty in the back of the SUV.  Haha!  I did pull the hatch down so she could have some privacy!  And we did the same thing when we left the mall. 

So, that’s how we do potty out in public.  We go to the truck.  :-)

Today, I did purchase a “fold out potty” thingy that sits on top of a toilet.  It folds up and fits in a diaper bag (yes, you still need a bag of extra panties and a change of clothes for accidents) or decent size purse (in a ziplock back, by the way).  And of course, I have sani-wipes to clean public toilets before it goes down.  :-)  I’m not a germophob at all. 

Night time and nap time have been really successful also.  She has yet to wet the bed.  I’m so proud of her!  She must have some serious bladder control.

As far as I know, she is doing well with going potty at daycare.  I only know what I’m told because I never take her or pick her up.  My work schedule doesn’t really allow me to, which sucks!  But anyway.  I called the first day she went with panties on and her teacher said she was doing wonderful.  She had put a pull up on her during nap time, just in case.  But as far as I know, she hasn’t had any accidents while at school. 

That pretty much sums it up…  If you are still reading, yay for you!!  Like I said, it would probably be a long post, but I wanted to document our potty experience for our memories. 

Sweet Pea, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!!!!!!  We love you so much!!