Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Potty Update

I thought I'd keep the title pretty straight-forward this time so that those of you who don't give a hoot about Emma's potty training can skip this. I realize it is really only of interest to 1. my family; 2. mommies who are either going through it or about to attempt it; or 3. mommies who want to laugh at (with?) me and remember those days! :)

So I have to say that we are doing pretty darn good. No more diapers around here except for during "night, night" times, which include nap and bedtime. And to be honest, even those are pretty dry.

She tells me every time she has to go and chooses either Emma's potty or Mommy's potty, whichever she prefers. Usually #2 is in Emma's potty, which I can't really blame her. Bearing down while hovering over the black hole doesn't sound too fun to me. I'd rather be closer to the ground! ;)

Anyway, the few accidents we've had have been at home and usually because she either 1. misjudged how long she could hold it (she told me, but then decided she could "pee pee later") or 2. didn't want to stop playing.

We haven't ventured out a ton, but I have decided to go all underwear, no diaper, even on outings. So far, so good. No accidents yet. She tried to go potty at Sam's Club for me, went three times at church (#1 and #2), went several times at a family party at my in-laws' house on Sunday, AND all morning today when my mom-in-law watched her for me. I'd say that's pretty good. She even got out of the bath tub the other day to pee. That's my girl!

She does have a few quirks... The first being that we go #2 in stages. In other words, she doesn't like to continue her duties unless the potty is empty. I'm hoping this is temporary, as it makes the whole process long and sometimes, messy. She likes to bring toys with her, which is a little gross, but I'd rather her think the fun can continue than feeling like it is a total inconvenience. She also isn't crazy about washing her hands afterwards. Again, I figure one thing at a time, but I insist that we do it after she goes #2.

I honestly think it has become second-nature to her at this point, although I know we will still have our share of accidents as we start our usual errand routine. But as long as we have an extra pair of Elmo panties and some shorts, I think we'll survive this potty training thing after all.

Praise God!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just a passerby...and I'm J.E.A.L.O.U.S!!! My child is almost 3 and we've been working at it for several months with accidents all the time. What's your secret? Did you use pull-ups? Does she drink a lot? HELP I need to know your secrets

Anonymous said...

That's my big girl! Now, I get to tell the funny mommy potty training stories...Auntie Jenni was SO easy (she actually trained herself) that when #2, aka Lisa, came along, I thought "No biggie, I'm a pro". Well, 'Little Miss Independent' had other ideas - you actually picked up the entire potty chair & threw it at me ;-) And then there's the story about you insisting that you "could too stand up & go potty just like my boy cousins!" I thought I had convinced you that nice little girls always sit down, when one day I heard screaming coming from upsatirs and there I found you standing on top of, straddling the toilet with a very triumphant grin on your face :-) And some people wonder why my hair is so grey!

Mommy Brain said...

So jealous! Wes will be three in October and we are still fighting over #2. He will stay dry all day, all night, all nap time but refuses to go #2 in the potty...so I have to keep him in pull ups or diapers because washing out poopy underwear is well, just gross...

Anonymous said...

I think you're both doing wonderfully! Congrats on all the successes... things are definitely moving in the right direction! Hooray!

Jane, Pinks & Blues Girls

Anonymous said...

I knew she was smart just like her Aunt Nenni! ;) j/k, it's prob a first child + girl thing. I hope your #2 (baby that is) isn't as stubborn as you were! I bet you do too! Lol! Love you all! Good Job! Gold stars for mommy and Emma. *****

Anonymous said...

Lisa, I'm laughing so hard at your mom's comment...man, you were a stinker!!! :)
Now, as a mom who has struggled with potty training all 3 of my older kids, I think you are BLESSED to have such a quick learner! Way to go Emma!!!! :)
One thing you might want to try to help with the handwashing is some hand sanitizer. My kids LOVE that stuff. Just keep it out of her reach...kids can literally get drunk off of it (or worse) if they ingest it. Or try some of the special kids' soap (I think there's a brand called Kandoo...it's foamy and comes in a cute little kid dispenser). Good job sticking with it...you're doing awesome!

Glass Half Full said...

Oh boy, I am preparing for this and hope for an easy time too. People say boys are hard, but Matt was SO easy. I pray the same goes for Mark!

Anonymous said...

We need to move in with you guys and help us get over this hump. Great job Emma!

We have a hard time with the hand washing and Cricket also likes to empty the potty before he's fully done. Yes, very long and messy. Although the pee is the messy thing for us around here. We also aren't great about hand washing. He was good, we had our motto "flush down, wash hands." Then hand washing turned into a way to make a huge mess and run the water for 40 minutes until we were fighting over it. So, like you, I'm not pushing it because I've found when I force something then ALL of it stops. I think Cricket is regressing, he was pretty much trained now he's having all kinds of accidents (which I don't always think are really accidents). I'm glad to hear things are going much smoother for you!

You're mom cracked me UP! I'm not surprised though ;)

Anonymous said...

I fit in your category #2 and am VERY interested and impressed with Emma's potty training.

Rose has been doing well too - even down to the Elmo knickers! Where did you get yours? Ours are from Kohls. They were a present / bribe for her to do poo poo on the potty. She just wears diapers at night & naptime now too. She'll sometimes start to go in her underwear, but is able to stop herself, as she says "Potty! Potty! Potty!".

I prefer to take her out in a diaper, but Daddy has been taking her places in underwear, so the last few times I tried a diaper for going out, she asked for underwear instead.

Rose is similar in her #2 quirks too. She was doing really well with #1 in the potty for 3 weeks + and doing all of her #2 upstairs in her diaper at naptime. So now we have "poo poo upstairs" time - before nap - where I put the potty in her room, in the corner, with the lights off. And she's all like "bye bye Muma" and I wait outside. She'll use the potty then - in stages too and with toys to watch. :)

It'll be interesting to see how things continue when they both become big sisters.