Potty Training Day 1

If you don't like potty stories, skip this post...

So last Fall Zoey seemed really interested in pottty training but being at my in-laws and about to move, I postponed it.  She lost interest and I've been waiting for her to show intrigue again.  Dallin has been really good at giving her opportunities to go to the bathroom when he changes her diaper and she's had some success.  To the point where she pooped in the potty and it seemed like timing was right.  Miraculously, my weekend opened up and I had Friday-Monday with nothing pressing (even Stake Conference on Sunday, it really is the perfect weekend to try!!) where we could just hunker down and do this!

Her tummy issue was finally on the mend and we talked all week how on Friday we were doing no more diapers and only undies!  So this morning we dumped the diaper and started out commando.  She sat on the potty for a solid hour, watching a show, and did nothing.  I had prayed really hard to have the patience and positivity needed to help her in the process as the last few days she'd been a monster with horrible tantrums.  I quickly learned that she hasn't quite mastered when she needs to go at the start.  I'd catch her starting to tinkle and run her to her potty chair and she'd go!  I was proud of her.  It got tricky as we'd be cleaning out her potty, wiping, flushing and both washing our hands, then getting a sticker for her sticker chart and she'd inevitably start to tinkle on the floor.  So we'd start cleaning up the floor and start the process all over again and then more tinkling.  The funniest part was as we were cleaning, she'd tell me, "uh oh, pee pee coming!" and we'd run over to her chair and she'd say, "whew, that was a close one!"   So she knows when it's coming after the initial start.  So she hasn't quite mastered completely emptying her bladder either.  We went through tons of pairs of undies.

The biggest mess/laugh was during lunch.  She went right before lunch so I figured we'd be good through lunch.  While we were eating her eyes got a little watery and I asked her if she needed to go (she has yet to tell me yes, it's always no.  I should have gone with my instinct...) and then there was a pool of pee on her chair with a little turd floating in it.  So we run to the potty and strip her down and poop smears all over legs which proceeds to get all over my newly cleaned toilet as I set her on there.  I did't know what to do with the undies so I just set them on the floor.  Anyway, she finishes pooping in the toilet which was a huge win!  (She got a "potty present" we picked up from the Dollar Store for that one.  She wanted her "trumpet"/cheerleading horn which makes her even LOUDER!)  I had to get her in the tub to clean her off and Oxiclean her undies.  Somehow a little ended up on the floor which I unknowingly STEPPED in and proceeded to smear all over my bathroom rugs.  UGH!  The mess!  So II pretty much had to Clorox wipe my was-clean bathroom and do loads and loads of laundry.

I've decided to keep her in pull-ups during naptime and night diapers during nighttime since I'm not quite sure how to break her sippy habit at sleep time.  And until that happens, she'll pee while she sleeps.  Also, she's still in her crib without easy-access to a toilet at sleep time so once she starts waking up dry and has a bigger bladder, that's the plan.  I hope it doesn't confuse her too much.  I read moving her to a big girl bed is a big change too so I'm just trying to focus on one thing at a time.

After naptime we kind of left the undies behind again.  She didn't seem to think it was bad to pee in them and she didn't mind the wetness so I didn't see how beneficial it was (except for catching little tinkles but then I didn't know when she was starting to go).  When we finally had some shade out back we moved to the backyard where she had 2 more accidents.  I think we went through 9 undies.  Grandma and Grandpa stopped by and she was a crazy person, so hyper.  It's just hard to get her to focus. 

So I wouldn't say Day 1 was a complete failure.  Neither of us had any meltdowns (besides regular 2-year-old stuff) and I feel like we made some baby steps.  I'm hoping we make some leaps and bounds tomorrow so I don't get too discouraged.  I'm exhausted and super sore from grabbing her and running her to the bathroom and I'm starting to question if she's too young - to wipe, pull undies up and down, to let me know she needs to go, etc. but I'm pretty committed to give it through Monday before throwing in the towel.  We're just keeping it positive, realizing accidents are just that - accidents, and it's a completely new thing to her.  

After four days and she still wouldn't tell me, I decided we needed a step back.  It was stressing me out to go anywhere and I realized we couldn't be home-bound forever.  She still asks to go potty whenever I change her diaper and usually pees but I'm going to wait until she's totally ready.  In the meantime I hope to break her of her nighttime drinking habit and hopefully get her in a big girl bed so we when it does happen, night and day are done at once.  It's so disappointing but she's been known to play dumb for a little while then turn around and do something so I'm hoping that happens sooner rather than later.