Don’t forget to tell Mommy…

I apologize now if you come by our house and I do one of the following:

1. Ask you to tell Mommy if you have to go potty

2. Forget to tell you that the bathroom door downstairs is missing

3. or offer you an M&M and do a dance when you go potty

Can you tell what Taylor and I have been up to the past couple of days???

After a few failed attempts at getting Tay to use the potty and figuring out the cost of two kiddos in diapers, I decided to get real about accomplishing this task.  It helped to see that a friend found a method that worked.  Armed with lots of juice boxes, capri suns, M&Ms, a bucket of surprises, LOTS of panties, and a sweet friend to text for moral support I entered into the world of potty training on Tuesday.  Here’s a look at our adventure:

Day 1:

Door removed from downstairs bathroom since a pregnant mommy can’t find through very well

 

We colored, practiced our somersaults, and drank LOTS of juice

T: 5, P:0, Accidents: 18

I was completely discouraged by naptime because 14 of those 18 accidents occurred before nap and one time Taylor even angrily told me to leave her alone when asking her to tell Mommy when she needed to go potty.  She LOVED the massive amounts of attention that Mommy was giving her and all the different games we were playing.  After waking up from nap(dry) and going on the potty it seemed to kinda click with her and the afternoon went much better.  When she got to pick a prize from the bucket for staying dry during nap, she insisted that I get to pick a prize too since I kept my panties dry during nap time too.  I love how sweet she is and how she is learning to share.(when she wants to)

Day 2:

 

We did puzzles, pretend call Daddy, and not sure about the last one(Daddy duty picture)

T: 13, P: 1, Accidents: 9

I think Taylor was just teasing me with a great afternoon on the first day because day two started off AWFUL!  We had lots of accidents, but a few were my fault.  I learned that when the author talks about being consistent in asking them that you need to.  I also played around with her hair style to keep it out of her face during this training process.  We had a whole different experience after lunch.  No more accidents and she even started running to the bathroom by herself!  She also informed me that babies wear diapers, big girls wear panties, and she’s a big girl.  I love it!

Day 3:

   

Today we practiced our flying skills while watching Tinkerbell and Mommy got braver(and the rain stopped) so we played outside.  After playing for a little bit, Taylor insisted that she needed her potty outside too. 

 

Bubbles were a must, tantrums occurred later(not potty related), and we played outside some more.

T: 6, P: 0, Accidents: 2

I finally felt like I could relax a bit because she was really getting this.  Taylor was running to the potty herself and could hold it long enough to inform me to wait outside the bathroom.  Then she exclaims ‘Look at me!’ to inform me that she’s going.  I should show the accidents as 1 because one of them is completely my fault.  She made it to the potty but couldn't get her panties down and I didn’t pay attention to where she had gone until it was too late.  Bad Mommy!  We had a few false alarms, but I would rather have those than accidents.  Favorite quote had to be ‘It not coming out’ or ‘Nothing coming out Mommy’. 

Day 4:

I know the method is actually only 3 days, but ‘day 4’ is when you have to leave the house and hope that said child remembers everything they learned while at home.  I was so nervous to leave the house, but didn’t have much of a choice today.  I had two outfits, waterproof pad, probably 8 pairs of panties, grocery sacks for wet clothes, wipes, post-it notes(to cover automatic sensors on toilets), sticker rewards, and her potty chair all in the car so that we could be gone for a couple of hours.  I know it sounds crazy, but I have no clue what to expect once outside the safety of our home.  After reminding her like ten million times, she told me when she needed to go, went, and acted like it was no big deal.  I was so surprised when we came home in the same outfit she left in.  I know not all trips will be like this, but it was nice to get out of the house.  Isn’t it funny how when you want to be home you have to be gone, but when required to stay home for a few days it seems like a lifetime???

To my little love Taylor: I award you with the title of Big Girl and the Badge of Patience.  You let Mommy tell you so often and were kind enough to only ignore me a few times, and stuck with the program for the three days.  You dealt with Mommy needing lots of potty breaks too(6 months pregnant causes additional obstacles) and were truly a sweetheart during this process.  Please bear with me over the next couple of weeks as I continue to remind you of our potty goals and as I dance around each time you keep your undies dry.  I promise that I won’t bring this process up too much to your future dates/husband.

(sorry she’s not looking at the camera, but she was busy telling me about her necklace and this was her smile)