oh man. If you don't like reading another mom's super sappy goo over how proud she is of her child...then skip this post. My big boy is potty trained. Day and Night. I take no credit whatsoever, in fact, I continually look at him and wonder "how did this happen?"
Please rewind and remember this little incident:
Caden has always done things in his timing. If you try to do things he does not like or is not ready for, then frustration and many tears appear. Sometimes, even though he SHOULD be ready, he is not and thus amplified frustration for mommy. Exhibit A would be the sippy cup. The boy was 14 months old and STILL not drinking from a sippy cup. It is truly unfortunate for him that his mama is fiercely stubborn and does not like to admit defeat. (Yes, even three years into motherhood, I am still learning!) Anyway, I tried for SEVEN weeks - 4 straight, then a couple week break so both of us would live to see another day, then another 3 straight - to train him in using a sippy cup. You name a method, I tried it. Even the cold turkey method! And wouldn't you know that I have an equally stubborn son who went 4 days without drinking (during the day) just because of his refusal for the sippy. I had to give him like a 10-12 ounce bottle at night just to keep him hydrated, but during the day he would scream and kick and profusely sweat when I tried to lay him down or sit him up to drink out of the sippy. Ever since then, potty training has haunted me. Oh man, the stakes are higher when pee and poo are involved - not just milk and water in a cup.
I originally planned to train Caden and Jenna together in September. One horrible, pee and poo filled weekend but it would be done. As I was reading and getting my action plan together, it was evident Caden wasn't ready. So Jenna was trained first, relatively easy and that was that. Back to two in diapers! My first planned training date was after we had been traveling alot in October. Honestly, when we got back, on that Monday morning I just didn't want to! So I didn't. :) I was going to attempt Caden in November - I mean, the boy was 3 by that point and he had been watching his sister go and get praise/ treats for weeks! -but Jenna had to have surgery, so nope! Then December was here with constant daily activities, Ryan had to go to France for a week, Christmas traveling, so again, nope! That brings us to January where I just decided it was time. I had NO idea if he was ready - even the morning we started, when I asked him if he wanted to pee pee in the big potty like Jenna he confidently said "no!."
Morning 1: It started like this. Now that is a good man. I needed all the coffee I could stand!
We sent Jenna off with Gigi and Papa T for her big one-on-one weekend and so it began. I followed the same principles I did with Jenna from the book
Pottywise. Caden loves to be moving all the time so the only difference with him was that I parked him in front of Thomas the Train video's all morning just sitting on the potty instead of playing elsewhere and setting a timer to go try every few minutes.
It was very slow and easy - he just sat there - for hours! Literally, the boy sat there for 2 hours...happy as a lark. We had two successes off the bat! I was astonished! Easy Peasy! haha oh how I would eat those words. He wasn't a fan of the "straw juice" like Jenna so I had a hard time getting enough liquids in him to make him need to go often. Anyway, as the morning went on, the kid sat on the potty forever and ever and ever. Finally, it was time to go take a nap so he stood up and not 2 minutes later - not even to his room yet! - he has an accident alllllll over the floor. Like all mornings' worth of pee. It was the first accident so that's ok. Then after nap, we sit another 45 minute straight on the potty - nothing. I felt like I read every book we own. Then - from the bathroom to the kitchen (maybe 5 steps?) -he pees all over the floor. WHAT? Same story that evening. All of Day 1 - he went absurdly long times with no pee while he was sitting on the potty but as soon as he stood up - niagara falls. I was loosing.my.mind. Clearly he was not ready or didn't come close to understanding the point?
Mornings 2: More of the same. Nothing in the potty - everything all over the floor within minutes of getting off the potty. The only thing that kept me going was the commitment to follow through all weekend. But come Monday - I was done if this was how it was going to be. But then, after nap on Day 2-something miraculous happened! He went in the potty!?!? eureka! He still wouldn't drink alot so after that he didn't need to go for a while. But before we went to bed, I told him to go sit on the potty and pee-pee and he did! I audibly praised Jesus - Mommy, more than Caden, needed that little victory that night. That night we put him in "special night time underwear" and to my disbelief- woke up dry the next morning. He went to the potty at home before going to Church and I ended up helping out in his class that morning which allowed me to keep asking him if he needed to go. To my surprise again, he came up to ME and said he needed to go - and did! On the big potty, with kids running all around, in a new place! His second hour teacher told me he did the same thing with her!
The rest is history. He tells me every time he needs to go and has not had one accident while playing or due to him refusing to go sit on the potty. He had one accident during nap when he was sick and coughing a lot (hey, it happens to all of us, buddy), and one other accident that was totally mommy's fault for not taking you to the bathroom when you said you needed to go. #mommyfail
I feel like we have potty's all over our house now. I'm sorry if you come over to our house and all of the paraphernalia you will have to work through just to use the restroom. :)
He wakes up dry as a bone, he is thrilled to go sit on the "cars" potty and has just made my heart burst with pride. He was definitely ready and I grossly underestimated his big boy-ness! :) Here are the major two bumps in our road thus far:
1- Caden calling his new apparel "panties." But give him a break, it is all he has heard from his sister all this time. (But it is hilarious to hear him talk about his new Thomas and Lightning Queen "panties" and how Ryan about has a stroke each time he hears it!)
2- Constipation from gummy treats around day 3. oh my- it is rough. We had to work through the same thing with Jenna. Once we get through that, the treats become more and more spread out and we don't struggle with it again. But the first two days of sugary drinks and treats does a number on my little ones' tummies.
So I have nothing to complain about. For the FIRST TIME EVER, we have only ONE kid in diapers. Hello! Mama just got a raise. I will say it is quite tricky now in a public bathroom, undressing one toddler, hoisting them on the toilet while barely hanging on to an almost-upside-down baby and keeping the other undressing toddler from peeking underneath the next stall. But....it is life now so we roll with it!:)
I'm proud of you Caden! Love you! You deserved every bite of your doughnut breakfast reward outing!
