My dad has a saying. When he knows he needs to get something done, he'll take some kind of action or announcement or purchase that takes him past the point of no return. The saying is "I threw my shoes over the fence." In other words, I don't really want to go over the fence, but now that my shoes are over there, I have to. This weekend, I am making a blognouncement that we are officially beginning potty training this week. I'm hoping that by telling all of you, you will keep checking in and we'll stick with it. I'm throwing my shoes over the fence. :)
I know that being 9 months pregnant and then having a newborn may not be the best time to go for this big undertaking, but Carson is giving us crystal clear signs that he is ready. At least 4 times in the last week he has stopped one of us, or grandma, in public to say that he has to go to the bathroom, and wants to go right now. He has even gone #2 on the toilet in our house twice. Now, he only tells us about once a day that he has to go. The rest of the day (how many pees is that?!) he is perfectly content to go in his diaper. So, it's not like we have this in the can. (Haha. I'm so funny.)
My last day of teaching is Tuesday, so we plan to start on Wednesday. I'm writing now in case some of you with older kids (especially boys) can give me any of your success tips or ideas.
Here are some pictures of recent events leading up to the big training. The thing is, we have TWO toddler size potty seats--one stand alone chair and one for the big toilet. And yet, he likes this method. Go figure. So, stay tuned for what I'm sure will be some very funny and probably gross updates on the PT. (potty training)
11 comments:
Awesome pictures! You got me laughing out loud!
We have two trained boys so far... I can't really remember how it went. Maybe Lindsey can. Good luck!
I think you threw your Huggies over the fence!
Gma Jo Jo
oh, i'm totally looking forward to the stories to come!
btw... the "who's been blogging" is cool... I like it.
I *so* did the "let's potty train while pregnant" routine as well. Nothing more comfy than sitting on the edge of the tub for what felt like HOURS at a time while reading books from the dollar store and doing flashcards with a gargantuan belly. But your belly is much cuter than mine was.
Yay Carson! Nice work, dude. And way to find your own style. Judah likes to put up the seat, both for the peeing and the pooing. He's only fallen in once, and boy howdy, that was a hoot. :)
How it worked for us (which it works different for every child, of course, but you can glean bits from different folks' experiences):
-- Find what they love and give it to them. Judah salivates for one-on-one attention. So I gave it to him. He loved reading books and doing alphabet flashcards. He also loves stickers, not for a chart, but just to have. So he got stickers (again, dollar store). And at the end he got to pick out a balloon from the dollar store special for not having an accident for a certain period of time.
-- A special bucket of goodies that can only be used while on the potty. I got him a Thomas the tank engine phone that he could only play with then.
-- I put him in underwear and never went back (except for pullups at nighttime). Part of me freaked out feeling like I was walking around with a ticking time bomb, but then I realized that the worst thing that could happen is that he'd have an accident, and I can clean that up, as annoying as it can be.
-- I carried around ziploc bags with a full change of clothes - one in each car, one in my bag, one in a bag for him when going places that I dropped him off. They also had ziploc bags in the bags in order to contain the offensive materials. :)
-- Limited beverages and sitting on the toilet before naps, after naps, and half an hour after drinking (which usually was just at meals).
It's not fun, but it's SO freeing. And some of my friends' kids only took a weekend. I wish the same upon you.
Good luck, friend!
I love the pictures! Is that how Trent uses the bathroom?
Thanks, AJ! I actually took some notes and made a shopping list from your suggestions. :)
I'm actually commenting on Roy's approach. That's funny to see as I have the exact same mindset. I'll often do something intentionally to put myself past the 'point of no return' and force myself into motion. Example: Applying for a job I'm not sure I can get, or talking to someone I'm uncomfortable reaching out to. I've never had a saying for it, so thanks Roy for giving me "shoes over the fence!"
I am this way, too. The only way I ever got the painting on the stairs and hall done was to paint one strip on the wall. Then I HAD to finish. How annoying.
Also, the thought occurred to me...I'm so glad that the technology to post pictures on a screen seen 'round the world didn't exist when we were kids. :) On that note, cute pics!
Okay, I seriously love AJ's advice! We did similar techniques, but girls are so different (from what I hear) that I won't even go into it. Funny enough, Elisha wanted to try some of the same positions Carson is using. Only, I had to explain that her personal plumbing doesn't require sitting backwards or standing over the toilet.:) Once Elisha had it mastered she really got creative...she liked to dip her buns in the water to "keep them cool". Oh the logic of a two year old. Good luck with it all!!
Steph says she's glad technology wasn't available for her parents to post this kind of picture of her for the world to see... Jen, I think readers of your blog might like to see the one of you during your potty training days (the one I just emailed you labeled "boots n buns". ;=)
Oh and the saying about shoes over the fence - Mike got it from me too... no idea where I got it. (PS...new screen name, but I'm sure you've figured it out)
Those pictures are adorable! They just made my day. Best of luck to you!
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