Kate is now 21 months old and cute as can be. She takes this little dance class once a week and another mother in the class asked me if Kate was potty trained. I quickly told her no, but that I had been wanting to start. I would love for her to be out of diapers before our second baby comes (in March).
With all that in mind.. we were snowed in our house last week from Thursday until Tuesday. On Sunday (or it could have been Monday - the days were running together) I decided that we should start potty training. I had done some preparation. My friend Amy has 4 kids and she gave me the potty training 101 low down. I bought everything she told me to, so I was ready (I thought). I read the Babywise Potty Training book and even though Kate did not show signs she was ready.. I thought I would just go ahead and give it a try (big mistake).
I won't go into all the details... like all the times she would sit on the potty, tell us she was done, and then pull her big girl panties up... walk away and start peeing all over our floor. (yes, that happened more than once.) We did have some breakthroughs (she did go pee a few times and even pooped once on the potty). It is amazing what bribing her with M&M's will do. Sorry, I know that is TMI, but this is my exciting life.
Potty training and going stir crazy being cooped up in a house is not a good combination... we (meaning Justin) hit a real low point on Tuesday... a low point that had me laughing so hard I was crying.
It was Tuesday night and we were getting Kate ready for bed. She was sitting on the potty (trying to go) one last time before bedtime. I was doing laundry, so I got up to go to the laundry room and of course Kate followed. Please note, she had just gotten up from the potty, so she did not have any pants on. Justin followed after Kate to try to get her back on the potty and this is what I witnessed...
Kate and Justin were in the Kitchen.. he was trying to talk her into getting back on the potty. I heard Justin yell, "Kate is peeing all over the floor!" He picked her up like he didn't know what to do... so he ran one way... then the other way. I told him to just put her in the sink. He stood her up in the sink, but she wasn't peeing in the direction of the sink.. it was still getting all over him... so he proceeded to hold her in the Superman flying position so her pee would go in the sink. Here is my poor child, crying because she doesn't know what is going on.. and her father is holding her like Superman over the sink... trying not to get any more pee on him... I will tell you... it was quite a hilarious scene. After the whole dramatic episode was over, we gave her a bath and put her to bed.
I was laughing so hard... I seriously couldn't stop laughing... and I am sure that it still funnier to me than it will be to anyone else, but I had to write it down.. so I would never forget. Even later that night when we were laying in bed, I started laughing about it and couldn't stop. BTW - Justin did not think it was as funny as I thought it was.
Needless to say... we are not pushing the potty training for a while. It may have to wait 6-8 months... until after the baby comes and I am somewhat coherent. It was the most stressful thing I have had to do as a parent so far. Don't worry, I'll be watching for the signs... and next time I'll make sure she is ready!
I'm laughing - seriously - out loud. Deep belly laughs, imagining poor Justin needing some help from you and you laughing hysterically, maybe even pointing at him while you laugh.
ReplyDeleteThen getting that snicker you get when you're tired and laughing all over again at his expense.
I wish you guys lived closer so I could be there laughing with you!!!!
Sorry, Justin. Gotta be there for Nicole. Mike would be there to help you and then we'd all laugh later.
Nicole: I have laughed so hard!! It reminds me when I was potty training you. It was a Saturday morning and I had left you on the potty while I waxed the kitchen floor. Of course you came to the kitchen and I asked if you had gone and you said no. Just then it was like someone had turned a faucet on and you went all over my just cleaned floor. I yelled for your dad who was outside mowing the lawn and I just started to laugh. What else could someone do. Love, Mom
ReplyDeleteWith our boys, we usually did a potty-training day when they showed readiness. And then waited. On their 3rd birthdays, we said, "Okay! You're a big boy now! You're potty trained and use the big boy potty!" And, with minimal accidents, it seemed to "click."
ReplyDeleteI think it helped having an early pt day (like you had), but then just wait for them to REALLY be ready and able to do things on their own. FWIW. . . Every kid is different, so. . .
I am laughing out loud as well and can't wait to read this story to Mike! It is soooo hard at least for us with both girls. Ellie a little more so than Anna. Ellie was 3 and Anna was 2 1/2, but I would really say I can trust her now that she is 3 w/o asking her every 5 mins. if she has to go potty. Way to try it and it will be sooo much easier when she is ready. I am still laughing and I agree to wait a few mos. after baby boy is born so that you feel rested and ready to go as well!
ReplyDelete