Building a Blessing: Potty Training

22 Months Old and Growing Faster Than I Want...

March 20th-March 22

This weekend was supposed to be set aside for spring cleaning, getting rid of the clothes that don't fit, the toys we've outgrown, tossing the extra tupperware that have no lids, packing the snow clothes away and finding the swimsuits for swimming lessons. But with Kamden's recent interest in using the potty, I figured this was the weekend to try to start since it was a three day weekend for the kids. That makes my days of teaching Kamden to use the potty easier since I do not use pull-ups and on an average day I make three trips to the school. So undies it was on Saturday.

I kept a record of how many times he wet his pants and how often he went on the potty. Sometimes when you are in the moment it seems like you just left the bathroom but it has indeed been an hour already. It can also seem like he has wet his pants more times than you are willing to deal with.

At one moment I had just jumped out of the shower with enough time to wrap a towel around my hair and nothing else, when a small boy barged through the bathroom door with his legs apart as if he had just gotten off a horse. It is at that point when he had wet himself 6 times within 2 hours that I wonder if he was ready. Even Skylar said, "Mommy, I don't think he is ready for undies yet." Listening to her say it I realized that I needed to not get discouraged as the other two did the same thing on the first day. And afterall, that is why you gave him the juice in the first place, because you wanted him to go pee, no matter where it was, right?!

Sure enough that was the last time he wet himself for the day. He was dry for nap. The count for the weekend was as follows:

Day 1: wet 6 times-peed on potty 10-made stinks on potty 1

Day 2: wet 0 times-peed on potty 8- made stinks on potty 1

Day 3: wet 1 time -peed on potty 9- made stinks on potty 1

Day 4: wet 0 times-peed on potty 9-made stinks on potty 2

I do know that he will still have accidents especially if I am blogging and not paying attention to offering him the potty about every hour. Opps. But he does rely on me to bring him rather than to voice that need himself, each time. On day 2 and 3 he did cry at bed time and was anxious to go, "Peepee, potty" when one of us went in to get him. And sure enough he went when he asked. We will remind him regulary and have a potty on hand for times when he is reluctant to sit on a potty that he thinks is going to swallow him up. (The gymnastics potty seems a little big for such a tiny behind. He was reluctant to go and it did not have a splash guard. So on day 4 I offered him the van potty when we finally were able to leave the house. He did go peepee on that one. And keep dry the entire day!)

I am so thankful to have two little helpers who are patient with our need to come in from the warm weather just so Kamden can use the potty.

They are excited about him becoming big like them. They even took their turns reading to him...

and listening for the peepees. (Check out the pink shoes Kamden snagged from his sister. He likes to wear other people's shoes.) Dustin insisted on being this close for his helper shot.