Potty Training, Pt. 1.

My life revolves around bathrooms these days. When I'm not in there for my 34-weeks-pregnant self, I'm probably in there with the almost-22-month-old toddler. Now I am by no means an expert in potty training, but I found it really helpful to read blogs and message boards before we started the process, so here's how things are going for us so far. Plus I want to have a record of what we did because I always forget these kinds of things.

Note: This post is really long. I didn't even include cute pictures of Avery in it. If you want a quick recap, scroll to the bottom. :) 

A few months ago we bought a potty seat (one that sits on a big toilet) because Avery was obsessed with all things toilet-related. We really didn't do much with it but set her on it a few times a week just to see what she would do. I think she might have peed on it once. She showed many of the signs of readiness that all the "experts" say are required for successful potty training (stays dry for a few hours at a time, follows directions, communicates well, interested in the bathroom, etc.), but we were too lazy to weren't quite ready to put in the time and effort to really potty train.

Last week, however, we decided that we were done buying diapers, Avery was ready, and we were just gonna go for it. (Plus, how nice would it be to not have two kids in diapers at the same time and not have to buy swim diapers for the summer?!?) We bought some Pull Ups and underwear and were determined to start on Monday.

I tend to be a little obsessive about information when I start something new, so I read lots of opinions on message boards, blogs, and potty training websites beforehand. Holy cow, there are lots of varying potty training methods out there! And everybody who has potty trained a child has their opinion about which one actually works.  All I know is that every kid and every situation is different. I didn't really have a game plan, but we decided to just do it.

Monday was grocery shopping day, so I just put Avery in a Pull Up in the morning so I wouldn't have to mess with it while we were out. After her nap we tried wearing big girl panties, and I would take her to the toilet every hour or so. She went on the toilet once, but other than that, she really didn't show much interest at all in going on the toilet (great.), so it was a frustrating day. She had a few little leaks on the carpet, but I just tried to stay positive every time (so much easier said than done!) and remind her to tell me when she needed to go potty and that we don't pee in our big girl panties, but I was second-guessing our decision to start the potty training process when she peed all over her high chair before dinner. Sigh.

On Tuesdays she goes to Mother's Day Out, so I just sent her with Pull Ups and asked her teachers to try to take her to the bathroom every couple of hours to see if she would go. When I picked her up, her teachers said she wouldn't go on the potty and wet her Pull Ups more than she ever did in a diaper. They said I could just send her in panties on Thursday and see if that worked any better.

I was really frustrated by this point (and we were only on day two!), so we made a stop at Walmart on our way home, and I bought a kid-sized potty (thinking that might not be as intimidating as the big one) and let Avery pick out her own panties (She LOVED that her Pull Ups had princesses on them, so I was steering her toward the Disney Princess panties, but she wanted Tinkerbell instead, go figure!). Well, she liked sitting on her little potty, but she still wouldn't go on it. She did love her new panties though, so I set out to have a really good attitude on Wednesday and start over again, this time with rewards added in (one Finding Nemo fruit snack [aka "Nemo snacks"] for peeing on the potty, and two for poop).

But then Wednesday arrived. I made no plans and dedicated our entire day to the bathroom. When Avery woke up we went straight to the potty, and she started to pee on her little potty, but then she started crying, saying she wanted the big potty. So I set her on the big one (with the Sesame Street ring inset), and she only started peeing because she absolutely couldn't hold it anymore, but she was completely traumatized by the whole thing. I ended up hugging her the whole time she peed, wondering what in the world my life had come to that I was hugging my distraught toddler over the toilet while she was obviously terrified of peeing in it. She was totally fine after she was done, so she got lots of praise and a Nemo snack, and since Matt hadn't left for work yet, she got to go brag to Daddy that she peed in the potty. I thought it was a promising sign that maybe Wednesday would be our turnaround.

But it wasn't so much. I put Avery in panties and watched her every move for signs that she needed to pee. When she started crossing her legs and doing a little pee dance I'd take her to the bathroom and sit her on her little potty. She very obviously needed to go (since she was leaking on my carpets!), but she is a stubborn little booger! (I know, I know where she gets it.) After sitting in the bathroom for an hour while she refused to go (while we're reading books and singing while I'm sitting on the very uncomfortable ceramic tile), I just decided to screw the experts (figuratively speaking, of course), and I pulled her legs apart so she couldn't clench and hold it in anymore. She cried about it, but she PEED! In her little potty!

And then before nap the nightmare started again. She started to pee in her panties, so we raced to the bathroom but had the same traumatic process. We sat in the bathroom for another hour before I decided to move her potty to her room (where I could sit on something other than tile!), and there were LOTS of tears (from both of us) before she finally peed in the potty.

I was so ready to give up already, but I guess she wore herself out from fighting the potty because she slept for over three hours and was still asleep by the time Matt got home from work. And then a miracle happened because when she woke up, he went and got her out of bed, took her to the bathroom, and she peed on her little potty right away! We ate dinner without incident, and when we took Avery to my parents' so they could watch her while we were at Lifegroup, she went on her potty again right when we got there! No crying or forcing involved. :)

On Thursday she wanted to pee on "Daddy's potty" when she woke up, so she did with no problems. It was a Mother's Day Out day again, and I was so nervous about it but sent her in her panties anyway (with four extra panties and shorts, lol!). She told me she needed to go potty right when we got there, so I took her to the little potty after we dropped off her stuff. Well, it was shorter than a normal toilet, but the seat wasn't any smaller, so I wasn't surprised that she refused to go. They were having their Easter egg hunt that morning, so I stayed, both to take a few pictures and to clean up after her should she need it. She made it through the hunt though, so I left, hoping she wouldn't go through all of her clothes and that her teachers wouldn't have to clean up too much Avery pee.

When I picked her up that afternoon she was in different shorts, but when I asked which pair it was, I was shocked to hear that it was only her second! They tried to take her to the potty after the egg hunt, but she wouldn't go and ended up having an accident. After that though, she went on the school potty! Twice! And she told them both times that she needed to go. And they forgot to put a Pull Up on her at nap, but she woke up dry!

I was completely encouraged by her progress, but I was even more encouraged that afternoon when Avery told me she needed to poop in the potty and she did. And then that evening we went to Costco, where she peed in her first public restroom (thank you, Costco, for keeping your restrooms so clean!!), and it was a big potty with no kid-sized inset seat.

Friday was a great day with no accidents (we even went out to the library in the afternoon and church that night for the Good Friday service) and another poop on the potty.

I'm not naive enough to think that we're totally done with the potty training process. I know we'll have accidents and setbacks, but so far it's been surprisingly easy. You know, minus a hellish couple of days.

So here's the recap:

• If the kid's ready and you have the time to be home for a couple of days, just do it.
• Consider putting aside the Pull Ups (except maybe at bedtime) and just going cold turkey. Yes, it means you'll have to clean up some messes, but I'll gladly take a few days of potty training over a few months of it.
• Positive reinforcement is crucial, whether it's just tons of praise or a Nemo snack (or M&Ms or jellybeans) or whatever. 
• Don't always listen to the "experts." Know your kid and figure out what works. And that might not be your original game plan.

Friday Five

1. Well potty training has officially gotten underway at our house. Yikes! Minus a few tears (both from Avery and Mommy), things have gone really well so far. I'll write a separate post about it later, but highlights so far include pee and poop and her first use of a public restroom (thank you, Costco, for keeping your bathrooms clean!). Is it sad that those things have really been the highlight of my week?!?

2. I think the nesting thing has finally set in for me. I stayed up until 1:00 in the morning last night cleaning out the closet in what's becoming Landon's room. I even sorted through my massive box of cards and notes that I've collected since I was a little kid. I only kept about half of them, but it was a nice little walk down memory lane. And now I'm on a mission to get the rest of the house in order. If only Avery would cooperate with that plan. :) She's just so darn cute when she wants to play! That definitely takes priority.

3. The closer I get to my due date also means the closer I get to VBS. While I'm SO excited about it, there is still a lot to do to get ready. I'm so thankful that we've already had so many volunteers sign up to help, including an awesome assistant coordinator, who's keeping me sane when I remember that VBS is only two weeks after my due date. Eek! I truly believe that God is going to use the week to bring glory to Himself by giving our kids (and hopefully the kids in our surrounding communities) a picture of who Jesus is.

4. I've never posted a video to my blog before, but on this Good Friday I want to share one of my favorite songs with you. It's called "Why" by Nichole Nordeman, and it gives me chills every time I hear it. The video isn't the greatest, but I'd encourage you to at least click play so you can hear the song if you've never heard it.

5. I'm excited about spending time with friends and family as we celebrate Christ's resurrection this weekend. I hope your weekend is filled with the same.

Coasters

So my (male) cousin is getting married this summer, and there's a shower this weekend. I can't make the trek up to Oklahoma, so I decided to just send my gift with my mom who is going.

I'm obviously on a sewing kick, and I love to make things for people. I'm trying to find a balance though because 1) I don't want to be too lame and be that person who everyone dreads getting gifts from, and 2) not everybody really likes homemade/sewn gifts. (Whereas I love when someone's put the thought and effort into making something they think I'll appreciate.)

Anyway, hand-sewn baby gifts are easier to think of than wedding gifts, so it took awhile for me to decide on coasters, but I was planning on buying their drinkware, so cute coasters seemed like a natural fit. But then stupid Bed, Bath, and Beyond didn't actually carry the ones they were registered for, and the only set they had at the store was a broken return. Since I had already planned on the coasters, I went with a coordinating gift Plan B: Keurig K-Cups. Coffee needs coasters, right?

Okay, so now that you know way more of the back story than you ever wanted to, here is the final product:

I found the tutorial here (thanks to my sister's recommendation to obsess over Craftgawker), and it was super easy to follow since it was written for beginners. My mom and Darla (practically my second mom) even enlightened me to the easier way to make these in bulk (sewing one long strip and cutting to size). Granted they told me after I had already made two sets, but it's helpful nonetheless. (I made two sets because I bought WAY too much fabric and a friend from church hinted that they would match her living room decor. Plus, they really only take about an hour to put together.)

The hardest part (as always with gifts) was picking out fabric for someone else's taste (especially someone I don't know!). I just went by the dishes she registered for and chose a coordinating color scheme.

I have realized that I need to start buying a variety of thread colors. I only have brown, black, and white, so my options are super limited! I mean, one of those will work with any fabric I use, but sometimes you don't want such a contrast (especially when sewing straight lines is not your forte, ahem).

This is a great project for your fabric scraps. It really was easy (and would've been inexpensive had I not gone overboard with my fabric purchase, oops), so I definitely recommend giving these a try.

34 Weeks

Yep, this picture is pretty indicative of how I feel today. Bleh. But don't worry, I speak whale.

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 34 weeks! Only 6(ish) more to go!

Size of baby: About 18 inches long and 4.75 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 24 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I'm in mostly maternity clothes because I don't want to stretch out my "real" clothes, but I still wear a few regular tops.

Gender: We're having a boy! Landon Matthew. :)

Movement: This baby is very active. All the time.

Sleep: I decided to try sleeping without the body pillow, and that was the best decision ever. I've been sleeping SO much better now!

What I miss: Feeling normal. :) Everyday tasks are getting more difficult (argh, I hate having to bend down to pick up stuff. I'm glad Avery likes to help clean her toys!). I just feel awkward. 

Cravings: I've had a major sweet tooth this pregnancy, but today for lunch all I wanted to eat was a turkey sandwich. So I did and it was yummy. Oh, and last night all I wanted for dinner was a salad. What's up with me? I think my stomach is running out of room. I have been craving Rice Krispies Treats since I made them for a kids activity at church, but we have no marshmallows. Or Rice Krispies. :( Bummer.

Symptoms: The constant need to pee, trouble falling asleep, this huge belly, and other stuff that you probably don't want to know about.

Best Moment this week: Finding out that Landon's already head-down (which was a huge relief since Avery was breach until the very last minute). I took Avery with me to my appointment on Tuesday, and she was an angel. We've had a really good week (since my last post), so I'm very thankful for that after the last few weeks of terror. 

I still haven't finished Landon's room yet. Sigh. It'll get done. We did get a couple more boxes out of the attic the other night, so maybe I can get some baby stuff organized soon. Maybe. 

The Weekend.

Our weekend wasn't a terribly exciting one, but I'm posting about it anyway. This post will include a couple pictures of an adorable little girl, so that makes it worthwhile, right?

FRIDAY.

Matt was on bedtime duty while I went to scrapbook night at Amy's house because I hadn't been in months and I needed to get some fabric cut for a project I needed to start. Amy is just one of the sweetest people I know, and I love that she hosts a craft night once a month for anybody from our church who wants to come. Chatting with her and Kristina made my fabric cutting (my least favorite part about sewing!) much more bearable.

I fell asleep on the couch promptly after arriving home. I'm lame like that. We were in bed by 10:30 on a Friday night. What?!?

SATURDAY.

Our yard is was out of control. Matt spent a good chunk of the day mowing, weed eating, and edging. And while he did that, Avery and I stopped by a little coffee/breakfast thing for the ladies at church. Our pastor's wife (love her!) was the hostess, and Avery had a blast playing with her grandkids' toys while we were there. She was so well-behaved, and I was very relieved proud that she threw no tantrums. 

After spending the afternoon playing outside, Avery took a four hour nap while I worked on my coaster project and Matt got some guy time working outside with our neighbor Dave. (p.s. I finished the coasters and will post pics and the tutorial link later this week. I love the way they turned out!)

Matt didn't like my idea of chili, rice, and cornbread for dinner after he had been outside all day, so we ate chicken nuggets and mac n cheese instead. :) And since it was gorgeous outside, we ate on the porch (at our tiny little Ikea makeshift patio furniture, haha!). 

Because it was Saturday and it's almost summer and sometimes you just have to break the rules, Avery even got to take breaks from eating to run around the yard and then stayed up way past her bedtime while we talked to Brooke and Dave next door (we're SO thankful to have good neighbors!). They were babysitting their adorable 4-year-old niece, and Avery was so funny trying to copy everything she did! She loves big kids. :) 

SUNDAY.

Today was a pretty typical busy Sunday. Church, grabbed pizza (thank you, $5 Little Caesars!), ate it at my parents' since we were in one car and Matt needed to go back to church for choir right after lunch, I took Avery home for a nap, woke her up in time to go back to church for the prayer gathering, fed Avery dinner when we got home, got her to bed, and then Matt and I ate salad (of all things) in front of the TV for dinner.

Avery had a pretty rough day though. She tripped and fell into my parents' barstool after lunch, scoring a nice bruise line on her forehead. The girl rarely cries when she falls, but she was a mess, poor thing! She did land some ice cream in the deal, so I think she was okay. I was probably more traumatized than she was! 

And then right before bedtime, she was crawling on Matt's back and just face planted into the floor. I'm pretty sure she hit her nose because it definitely bled a little. She had a hard time recovering from that one (no ice cream the second time around), but I think the exhaustion was getting to her, too. Anyway, she's getting much more adventurous these days (which I love), but it also means there are more bumps and bruises to come. I'm sure it'll be even worse with a little boy!

Bedtime was so sweet though, and I've been so thankful for our little family this week. They really are my favorite people in the world, and I love spending weekends with them.

Domesticity

I've never really been the domestic type. I'm just now at the point that I can cook an edible meal. I've been able to bake decently for awhile, but following and tweaking recipes has just has never been my thing. I married a man who could cook, and I most definitely took advantage of that while we were both working (especially when I was a coach!).

But I ran out of excuses when I became a stay at home mom. There wasn't really a valid reason I couldn't get dinner started before Matt got home from work, so in order to avoid being lazy, I just started cooking. And honestly, the more I did it, the easier it got.

I'm no gourmet chef, but there are nights that I definitely surprise myself with a dang good dinner.

I learned to sew in January, and so now I'm going all Suzy Homemaker and cooking, baking, and sewing as often as I get the chance. I know, it's so unlike me.

Anyway, now to the point of this post.

I would like to let you in on a few of discoveries I've recently made.  You're welcome.

{1} Craftgawker. Y'all, this site will be the death of my free time. I just want to sit and look at all the pretty things and tutorials all day long. If you sew, knit, crochet, scrapbook, or just like DIY projects, you have to check it out. Be sure to start with the "popular" tab so you're not overwhelmed with all the cuteness. It'll show you the the most popular tutorials first, and you can go from there. I've already gotten some great ideas for wedding and baby shower gifts.

{2} Chocolate chip cookie pie. Yum. Really, just yum. It's a mix between a pie and a cookie cake. And you can't go wrong with cookie cake. It's impossible. Be sure to use the oatmeal crust she links to; it's ridiculously easy and tasty (and cheap!).

{3} Okay, this one really isn't a discovery, but I finally mastered the art of sewing velcro! This accomplishment at least deserves a mention. I made my second diapers/wipes case and changing pad, this time for my cousin Kari, and I love the way they turned out! These are seriously so easy to make. Now I just need to make one for myself. Can someone please come and clean my house so I can just sew all day?

Speaking of cleaning the house, I really need to get off my booty and get some work done before Sleeping Beauty decides my time is up.

33 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 33 weeks! Only 7(ish) more to go!

Size of baby: 17 inches long and a little over 4 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 21 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I'm in mostly maternity clothes because I don't want to stretch out my "real" clothes, but I still wear some regular tops.

Gender: We're having a boy! Landon Matthew. :)

Movement: This baby is very active. All the time.

Sleep: What's that? I don't sleep very well these days, even with a body pillow. However, I somehow managed to sleep through a major storm last night (tornado sirens included), so I guess my few hours of sleep were quality, haha.

What I miss: Being skinny :) Okay, so that's a little vain. Sorry. Yesterday at church I bumped into no fewer than four different people because I no longer realize the size of my belly. I also miss being able to bend over like a normal person. Everyday activities are getting a little awkward. Hey, I can still see my toes though.

Cravings: Pretty much anything sweet. I'm making these tonight. Just try to stop me. 

Symptoms: I have to pee like all the time. TMI, but annoyingly true. And I'm pretty sure I'm starting to waddle. I feel like a whale these days. Please tell me I don't have 7 whole weeks left...

Best Moment this week: Finding out some exciting secret news last night. :)

Avery is having some major almost-two moments these days. She will just be the sweetest thing one minute, but then she'll go all Hyde on us and throw a full-fledged, screaming, hitting tantrum. Unfortunately, these are not restricted to when we're at home; I've started getting nervous anytime we have to go anywhere in public with her (church, the store, wherever). She's also going through a picky phase with her food, when she's always been a great eater. And bedtime? It has become a nightmare. I ended up just leaving her room in tears tonight and she eventually fell asleep.

I know these things are all normal at this age, but it's making me a little anxious for how she's going to adjust when she's not the center of attention at home. Who knows, maybe it'll be a good thing. And maybe her teeth are just bothering her. Sigh.

I've started feeling more pressure to get Landon's room finished (7 weeks really isn't that long!), and I'm just waiting for that whole nesting instinct to kick in. Right now I'm just trying to have enough energy to keep up with the normal housework. Maybe I'll have some progress to report next week. :)