Leilaland

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Potty-training is exhausting...

Having a ~~stubborn~~ independent child and being eight and a half months pregnant makes everything more difficult.

Excited to be wearing underwear

Since 8:50 this morning we have been sitting on the floor outside the bathroom in our underwear. (Yes, me too. It was the only way I could convince her she didn't need to bother with pants.) At 12:45, I finally got her down for a nap in her "nighttime underwear" (aka Pull-ups) after exhaustion had gotten the best of us.

Lots of fluids = lots of opportunities to practice using the potty

Leila is 28 months old, the smartest child I know (I'm the mom. I am allowed to be biased.), and also the most independent. She does not fit the profiles of the young children in the book, Toilet Training in Less Than a Day, who seem to do everything the mother asks of them without protest. I'm thinking it's because this potty stuff is not new to her.

Leila has been randomly going pee on the potty for a few weeks and before that would pretend to go when I did. She already knows how to sit down, what it feels like to pee, how to use toilet paper, and how to flush the toilet. We've been talking about the importance of keeping our underwear dry and the people she knows that wear dry underwear. She's been anticipating this "Underwear Party" since last weekend.

We kicked off the party by getting rid of the diapers

None of this is bad, it's just different than I expected, based on the plan I read in the book.

She had no interest in teaching her stuffed animals or dolls how to use the potty.
She was very reluctant to drink all the fun drink choices I had for her.
She initiated her own "dry underwear checks" just to get more treats.
She did not realize (or point out to me) when she was wet. Yet she stopped herself from peeing any further, and then finished peeing in the potty after I noticed.
She did not care to make up any potty songs and got tired of talking about pee, the potty, and dry underwear by nap time.

Leila did an amazing job!

She learned how to pull her underwear up and down (and of course still needs my help).
She choose to use the little potty instead of the potty seat that goes on the big toilet because that is what we saw in all the videos and books.
She LOVED the Potty Time application on my phone. It made her so happy to get positive phone calls from Rachel and the accident calls made her unhappy.
She changed out of her own wet underwear, put it into the hamper, and picked a new pair out without a fuss.
She helped me clean up the one small accident that actually got onto the towel we were sitting on.
She only had three small accidents in the 3 1/2 hours we spent outside the bathroom.

I felt defeated by nap time, due to our exhaustion and being uncomfortable sitting on the floor for that long. After talking to my potty-training "coach" Renee I feel much better about our morning. She put it into perspective for me. It's always easier for an outsider to do that!

Where do we go from here? Well, I do not be sitting in that 4x4 foot space outside our bathroom after nap time. But I will NOT be giving up either.

I plan to spend our afternoon down in the main living area of our house, doing what we normally do...AND checking for dry underwear every 5-15 minutes, offering a lot of drink choices (with extra bribes if necessary), and continuing to reward her efforts with praise, treats, and love.

Yummy bribes

We are doing this 100%. I am committed to potty training Leila...and very happy I will be going to work tomorrow. (Thank goodness my mom is here to do the follow up!)

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

34 weeks {Bumpdate}

Leggings...my pants of choice.

How far along: 34 weeks

Weight gain/loss: No weight gain this week. Up 19.5 lbs total.

Feeling: Honestly...over it. I know, I know, I still have a lot of time. But I am tired of being tired, annoyed that I have to choose sleep over exercise, and uncomfortable in all pants except leggings and yoga pants.

Maternity clothes: I went ahead and bought 2 more pairs of leggings and three tunics with only 6 WEEKS TO GO! It seems like such a waste, but after feeling miserable in my clothes for two days in a row I decided the clothes will be worth every penny if I am happy!

Stretch marks: No, no, no.

Sleep: Eh, naps instead of workouts and an early bedtime is what's getting me through it.

Best moment(s) this week:  Giving in and buying comfortable clothes. So what if I wear leggings 4 out of 7 days a week. I'm pregnant, I can do what I want.

Food cravings: Milk! Been drinking an Instant Breakfast daily (sometimes twice)!

Gender: B-O-Y!

Movement: Yep and the Braxton Hicks contractions have started.

What I miss:  My non-pregnant face. Putting on shoes with ease. Having energy to do everything I want.

What I'm looking forward to: Selling all the baby girl clothes, the Superbowl party at my sister's place, and February being here.

Weekly wisdom: This will not last forever!

Milestones: It may be time to break out the granny panties. Ugg. I can't remember if I ran this week. The workouts are slowing to almost none. I feel guilty about this, then I remind myself that I have been doing great! 1-2 workouts a week is better than none.

Due date: 3-13-13

How many more days until she's a big sister?!?! Being in denial about this whole thing is just silly, but makes it easier to cope from day to day.

She wanted her picture taken like Mommy.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Potty-training in less than a day...

Is it even possible? According to my mother, cousin, and the authors of this book, it IS possible to potty train your child in less than one day.

Oldie but a goodie! The copyright date on this book is 1974.

My mom potty-trained all three of us using the method described in this book with no issues (that she remembers) in the late 70's/ early 80's. My cousin had similar success stories with her son at 26 months and more recently, her daughter at 22 months.

I've been against potty-training Leila (28 months) since way back when her pediatrician tried to convince me she was ready at 23 months. Just three weeks ago I tried to convince myself that Leila would be the first self potty-trained toddler because it just seems like too much for me to deal with...ever.

Despite my best efforts to keep Leila in diapers, the time has come. Time for this Momma to suck it up and spend an entire day in the bathroom talking about the potty, pee, poop, and dry underwear.

After talking to my cousin Renee I am convinced I can do this. She gave me the advice to follow the methods outlined in the book and some tips from her personal experiences. Renee made it clear that I should not give up and that it was necessary to go all in, meaning NO MORE DIAPERS.

I took her personal tips to heart and stocked up on soda (yes, soda), juice boxes, Raisnettes, M&M's, Swedish fish, underwear, potty-training apps, and potty-training YouTube videos.

She cautioned me about the six accidents her daughter had in the first 20 minutes and how sick of potty talk I will be after the first day. She even warned me that Leila might not poop for a day (or three), told me I am not to give up, and that she will eventually poop. Oh, and I forgot to mention, there will be meltdowns.

Renee also told me she used treat reward and potty reminders for about one week after the official training day. But the best thing she said, was that as of today, her daughter has only had two accidents in the 2 months she's been potty-trained. I'd call that a success!

Here goes nothing...

Our "Underwear Party" is scheduled for Wednesday...we even bought party hats for the occasion. Leila has 40 pairs of underwear to go through if necessary and I am prepared to utter nothing but potty talk until the day is done. Wish us luck!

Have a potty-training story, advice, or song/video to share with us? If you skeptical, share that too. I know a lot of my readers are in the same boat as us right now. Let's do this!

Monday, January 28, 2013

The Great List {01.28.13}

Happy Monday! Starting off the week right with my newest Great List...

Leila bug

1. Leila is finally starting to feel better! It was evident on Saturday because she did not whine or have one meltdown the entire day...and it was a rainy inside day! We spent the whole day together running errands, watching movies, and playing indoors. It was the perfect day!

2. This week my friend Amy and I finally unboxed, sorted, and refolded two years worth of baby girl clothes. Our daughters are seven months apart so Kennady got all of Leila's hand-me-downs (and had plenty of her own clothes too!) We are planning to sell some to consignment stores, give some away to friends, and give the rest to Goodwill. It was a looooong day, but it was fun to reminisce about growing girls.

3. I had a long overdue lunch with Betsy (whose new web design launches today!) We use to spend Tuesday afternoons walking to the Farmers' Market catching up on each other's busy lives, but with me working on Tuesdays we haven't had the chance to chat in a while. It was a nice, relaxing, kid-free lunch. We are officially caught up!