the wilson's: 3 weeks.....3 LONG weeks......

~POTTY TRAINING~

Well, the day has finally come…to begin!

I wanted to write a blog where I keep track of how I did everything, so I can go back with Bradyn and look through my notes PLUS it might be useful to others. These excerpts were typed on different days as I was going through the first 3 weeks.

First off, may I start when it comes to potty training. What I dislike SO much is how society/people in general think potty training HAS to be accomplished at a certain age and within a certain time frame. Kinda just like bottle- 12 mos, Binki- 18 mos Walking 12-15 mos etc! I am SO against that way of thinking! I waited for Peyton b/c 1- he seemed finally “emotionally/mentally” ready and 2- b/c by holding out longer, the process would be quicker and fewer accidents. And that came to be TRUE! So for real, if a mom or anyone is lecturing you for having a boy over his 3^rd birthday not potty trained or a girl past her 2^nd birthday…realize that that person does not understand. There does not need to be this time frame attatched to it.

My friend something pretty cool- she said,

It does not matter when you begin potty training b/c each child will be potty trained at a certain age for that child no matter when they started. Just depends how long you want to endure the process of getting there.

Although for us, yes, peyton starting preschool- was a push, AND having a baby on the way BIG push too…3 in diapers…what the freak! Also, please note these are things that worked for us. SO…having said that on to what I did.

Potty trained: when a child can successfully unannounced walk into the bathroom, go (with little/no assistance, and walk out. (underwear being pulled down and up, toiled flushed, washed hands)

So I believe with potty training that there are different phases. 1- potty training in sessions and transitioning from the diaper to pull ups at sleep time and underwear all other times 2- potty training all day long 3- being potty trained within the home 4- potty trained outside the house

5- potty trained at night/naps

So we thought Jan 1^st would be a good start date. GOAL: JUNE 1^ST (conquered all 5 phases)

Things to Buy- stickers (we printed off a chart) treats, underwear, pull-ups, toilet cover, stool, toilet targets, potty watch, potty books, wipes, and JUICE (liquids)

So I thought that doing sessions for one week sounded great. (which is Phase 1) So with Peyton we did a 9-12 and 5-8 schedule for 7 days. The first 3 days were rough. Although he was soo enthusiastic when his potty watch would go off, he just would not actually go. We remained positive, pushed along. Stayed faithful to the potty watch. We really focused on lots of Capri- suns, juice boxes, chocolate milk…more than ever. Our schedule: At 9am when we started the session we put him in underwear and set the watch for 60 min. Once the potty watch would go off at 60 min, if he wouldn’t go for us…then it was every 15 min after that. Putting him on the potty for max 2 minutes, unless he wanted to stay longer. (the majority of the times he’s gone, it’s been way past 2 minutes) Like I said, for 3 days- nothing.zilch.nada. Frustrating? Yes. Doubts? Yes. But we began doing research online and it says some kids need their privacy and to try shutting the door and to give him a phone or a book to look through while he’s sitting on the toilet.

We did that the very next time, and HE WENT!!!

It was so fun to see his face, we gave hugs, he gave high-fives to Bradyn, we banged pots and pans, did summer saults, put a sticker up, gave him a candybar, and a phone call to someone he knows. So we continued on with these sessions. After he would actually go potty, I would set the watch to 60 min. And again, if he didn’t go after that 60 every 15 min after that. However, we have now very much so caught on that Peyton only goes pee once every 3 hours. So that’s now helpful to know. There have been a few times, I’ve tried setting it to 90min right after he’s gone- and it’s worked fine at the time, we were just getting the hang of his body routine. I would also experiment with how many ounces of liquids he’d have vs. when he’d probably need to go next etc. So…the big exciting thing was when he went poop…we didn’t even know it happened.

Story: He had just gone pee, so he was kinda off our radar back in his room playing and just went on in the bathroom without telling us went poop and ran out to tell us! What the freak! And ever since then, it’s been that way.

I find it important, that every day we’d read potty books to him. Especially after he’d have his accident, we whipped out a book to emphasize pictures. Also, what’s been fun has been the toilet targets. Although he has a funner time I think watching Steve sinking them than himself. Ha! Now, what were we doing between 12-5? That’s lunch, and Peyton still takes a 2.5 hour nap….so that’s pull up time. We have just kind of explained to him that he needs to wear these when he sleeps. But as far as diapers, NO MORE! I really liked the idea of going from the concept of “see ya diapers to pull ups.” I like how they still have a pull up- and- down method like underwear and our lighter than a diaper. Back 6 months ago when we were trying with Peyton, we’d slap on a diaper between sessions, and I just think it could have come off as confusing. Afterall, every picture in the books we were showing him had animals throwing away their diapers. SO..after this week- does Peyton tell us he needs to go before either the potty watch goes off or before he’s gone in underwear or pull up. Answer: No. But I’m sure, it will come. Please note: after this first week- is cabin fever really bad? Yes for sure! Especially in the winter time. Does having another mobile child around make it harder? For us, YES. Your focus isn’t on just the child you are trying to potty train. Is it impossible to leave the potty training child out of sight? Pretty Much. Very helpful that Steve is home so much!

So, after the 7 days- we moved on to “all day” potty training. (exception of naps/bedtime- pull ups)

With Phase 2- Steve’s been gone A LOT! He’s started his 30 hours a week at Jordan Valley for his clinicals (I know, I’m complain about him being gone for a whopping 30 hours a week ha!)- So it really has been me doing it all. When he is home though, I like for him to take the reins and to be the one to oversee. BUT- so far he’s been doing well. He averages one accident a day. And 90 percent of the time the accident is #2. He’s gone #2 about 4 times sitting on the potty, but all the other times has been in his underwear. And he needs to go #2 about ounce a day if not every other day. That part has been frustrating, getting him to realize he needs to run on in there when he feels the need to, rather than hiding somewhere and we are trying to look for him and it’s already been done. After he’s had an accident, we sit down and read potty books. However, I feel with #1 we are pretty solid on. I have even taken him out to do errands in just his underwear, I try to time it just right- and it’s been fine. However, I haven’t been in a situation out of the house yet where he tells me he needs to actually go in a public place. Looking forward to that one ha! After the first 1 1/2 weeks he got his potty sticker chart all filled out so we took him to get some toys. And then now at his 3^rd week mark, he’s completed his second one. It’s interesting b/c I feel like when you are focued on potty training all day long that you really start getting their “patterns” down to the T. I don’t need the potty watch anymore. I usually know when exactly he’ll need to go. I’ve even experiemented with how much he’s had to drink- realizing in my head when’s the next time he’ll need to go. There have been a handful of successful times, where he’s told us he’s needed to go- and we go. In the beginning, not so much. He never warned us at all- it really was a guessing game for awhile. I’m even to the point where I feel pretty confident whenever he’s sitting on the couch or my bed in just his underwear that nothing will happen. There have been a handful of times where he’s waken from his daily nap and his pull up is completely dry. But his pull up is usually pretty heavy after he’s waken up in the morning. I do feel like with having another child around it does make potty training more difficult. But Bradyn is pretty chill, so he hasn’t made it that hard. He just really likes to be involved and Peyton doesn’t want him to be. So overall, I feel like in just 3 weeks he’s made BIG progress. And that he may in fact, get this completely conquered in just a couple of months maybe? I’d say we’ve moved from Phase #2 to Phase #3 b/c I don’t even realize it’s a “thing to think of” to be having him in his underwear all the time that we are inside the house. I think we’ve moved on from all day potty training to close to being potty trained within the home. But for right now, I’d say we are for sure still in the “potty training at home” mode. And that once that is tackled and there’s been a couple of weeks of zero accidents (including #2) that we’ll move on to “potty training outside the home.” (Phase 4) I’m not nazi about leaving the house (well, kinda) I prefer to be here with Peyton. If there are errands to run, I’d prefer Steve to just go. I have LOVED seriously having nothing to do these past 3 weeks, for real! And have loved potty training during the winter. The reasons for that are, you are home more b/c of weather- more opportunities to train. Rather in the summer, we’d be boating all the time, going outside- I don’t think it would really register b/c we wouldn’t be inside as often. I feel like you are already indoors a lot during the winter anyways. I do feel the cabin fever- so we for sure do go sledding often or I do take him out at least once a day, but like I said if he’s just gone pee I know it won’t be for another 3-4 hours that he’ll have to go again, I will venture with him in his underwear. I am grateful for his 2 ½ hr naps- b/c it gives him and I a BREAK! Not just a break from daily stuff but also the potty training stuff too. Although, again- his naps have gone to every other day. It’s so interesting how he’s been going through these different phases for the past year, where I feel like he’s given up on naps and then in a week he’s back to right at 2pm singing our “nap time song.”

So- that’s our First update of the potty training process!

In other news, I am on to my 20^th week! HALF WAY!!! It’s gone by pretty dang fast, I do NEED the time to get ready though! Not only, is there the goal of Peyton potty trained day and night by June 1^st. But we have our baby’s room designed to the T and am so excited to begin. What’s really fun about this baby’s room is 90 percent of the things in the room will be handmade :) (by Steve, of course lol) So it’ll be fun to know, that the things in her room are original. So we have a whole list of projects that need to be done. I hope we will be able to find the time with 2 kids…lots of late nights, I forsee. Then there’s the transition of getting Bradyn use to sleeping with Peyton or should I say Peyton getting used to sleep with Bradyn! AHHH!! It sounds to me A LOT harder than I think it may be. Man, that will be interesting. But we don’t want to go through that until the beginning of May-ish. Bradyn will be sleeping in his room with pretty much all the girls stuff up. I just want May to be all about transitioning them to sleeping together and having Jordynn’s room fully complete:)