Flush

Emmett's favorite part of the potty routine - climbing up on the toilet to press the "flush" button.

Potty training

We started potty training with Emmett last week, and (knock on wood) it's been going pretty well.  It's been different in many ways from when Annika was potty trained, but it works for Emmett, so we'll go with it!  Emmett was very reluctant to give up wearing his diapers, and he's still not wearing underwear.  He's wearing Pull-Ups during the day (and keeping them dry all day for the past few days) and disposable diapers for nap time/bed time (he's still wet every nap time and every night, but that will come eventually).  So we still have another transition to make, but I'm okay with it at this point.  With Annika I had more time and attention to give to her and I was okay with cleaning up more accidents, but this time around, I'm actually glad he wants to wear the Pull-Ups - easier clean-up for me! 

I decided to put away the cloth diapers yesterday, an almost bittersweet moment.  I decided that it wasn't worth it to use just one cloth diaper a day (at nap time; he's always worn a disposable for night) and I had a bunch of disposables that I needed to use up anyway.  I figured it would be easier for Emmett to make the switch if the diapers were all put away.  And I told him that he had to stop wearing diapers because we needed to give them to another baby (which is mostly true - I'll probably pass along most of my stash to my sister-in-law for their baby, due in July.  The baby won't need most of the diapers for a good 6-9 months, but Emmett doesn't know that!! ;) ).

So, fingers crossed, hopefully everything continues to go well.  The next steps are getting him to actually wear underwear and weaning him off the potty treats!!

Soon...

I don't have a picture for today, but the big news around here is that Emmett used the potty three times today!!  I think it's soon time to get serious about potty training, something I'm looking forward to and dreading in equal amounts.

Here we go again??

Please forgive my potty mouth - this post is about toilet training. ;)

Emmett will be 20 months next week, and I'm starting to wonder if he'll soon be ready for potty training.  WHAT?!?!?!?  I know, right?  I always thought that boys trained later than girls (Annika was 2 years and 4 months when she trained), but lately he's been giving off a lot of signals that make me think he might soon be ready.

For a while now he's been able to tell us when he has pooped in his diaper (he pats the front of his diaper), and lately he's also been doing it with pees (not always, but sometimes).  He's actually trying to say the word too - it usually comes out sounding like "bee bee", but I know what he means.  We've been spending a lot of time outside, in the kiddie pool, so he's been having a lot of "diaper-off" time lately, and it's funny to watch how he acts when he has to pee.  One time he peed in the kiddie pool, and that seemed to upset him quite a bit.  The next time, I watched as he got out of the pool, and headed for the house.  He seemed to be quite intent on going inside, and then I noticed him peeing on the deck (which also seemed to upset him).  But it was almost like he knew he shouldn't be peeing in the pool (or maybe I'm reading too much into things, which is quite possible).  No matter where he is, though, he seems to not like the feeling of the pee running down his leg, which I hope is a good sign for potty training. 

One other thing happened last night, which made me think that the time may be near.  After supper, I jokingly asked him if he had to go pee, and he headed into the bathroom and tried to lift the lid on the toilet!  So, he obviously knows what goes on in that room!  I actually got out the little potty for him (boy, I haven't missed that thing!) and he willingly sat on it for a few minutes, but nothing actually happened and I didn't push it.  I remember sitting with Annika in the bathroom, for what seemed like hours and hours and hours, just waiting for something to happen, so I wasn't quite ready to start doing that again.  Really, there's nothing that makes you want to pee more than waiting for a kid to do it (especially when you're also reading "I have to go!", which was Annika's favorite story to read on the potty).  But I left the little potty out, and I figure we may try again, if he's willing. 

I'm in no rush to go through potty training again, but I don't want to discourage him, if he's ready for it.  Of course, now that I've written about it, he'll probably stop doing it and not train until he's 3. :P  That's usually how it goes, right? ;)

Operation: dry bed - light at the end of the tunnel

It's been just over a month since we started "operation: dry bed" (that is, Annika not wearing a Pull-Up for night and staying dry at night).  You can see some of my previous posts about it here, if you don't remember what we've been through so far.

Despite a rocky start (that seemed like it would never get better), there now appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel.  For the past two weeks or so Annika has been dry almost every night, with a few little exceptions.  I was doing the "dream pee" with her each night around 10:00 pm, which really helped (she goes to be around 8:00 pm and sleeps until 7:30 or 8:00 am, just for reference).  The past few nights we've skipped the dream pee, and she's woken up on her own at night to go pee (YAY!!).  However, she comes and wakes me up when she has to pee, so my sleep is still a bit disrupted.  I'm sure though, that it won't take too long and she get the hang of just getting up, going to the bathroom, and going back to bed.

We hit a bit of a road bump with being away for the weekends, but we managed it.  We told Annika that she would have to wear Pull-Ups while at the lake - just in case - which was something that she really didn't want to do (shortly after we started this whole thing she told me that she NEVER, EVER wanted to wear Pull-Ups again).  We talked about it a few times before going to the lake, and I expected quite a scene when it was actually time for her to get ready for bed, but it wasn't that bad.  I gave her the option of wearing her underwear under the Pull-Up,because she said she didn't like the Pull-Ups because they weren't comfortable, and she tried that out, but in the end she went with just the Pull-Up.  And she was dry each night (granted, though, she was going to bed a lot later than normal).

So, now it seems like this experiment is coming to its long-anticipated end.  I have no doubt that there will still be accidents from time to time, but we'll manage.  I'm just so thankful to be done with stinky, wet Pull-Ups, and I'm really proud of Annika and her determination to do this.

If there's anyone else who's contemplating trying this out with their kid, let me offer just a few pieces of advice (I'm no expert - these are just a few things I've learned from our experience):

• Have patience!  Success may not come right away (and you may find it frustrating and extremely tiring), but if your child is willing to keep going with it, then persevere for another night (and another, and another).
• Listen to your child.  I think this is a big one, and it's the reason why we are where we're at today.  Annika was very insistent on doing this (although it was our idea initially), so that's why we kept with it.  If it was up to me, I probably would've thrown in the towel (or rather, the absorbent bed mat) long ago, but I'm glad I listened to her.  On the flip side, if your child really doesn't want to do it, don't force the issue. 
• Get the proper "equipment" - we've used disposable GoodNites bed mats, some hospital-type washable bed mats (borrowed from my mom) and I also bought a few washable absorbent bed mats from Walmart (which I don't like as much as the hospital-style ones, but they'll do in a pinch).  I've also seen ones online that have "tails" on either side that you tuck under the bed, to keep them in place better.  We have 6 mats, which meant that I didn't have to do laundry every single day when Annika was having multiple accidents in one night.  Also have plenty of underwear and several pairs of pajamas (I think Annika also has 6 pairs of pajamas) on hand.  With using the bed mats I didn't have to change the entire bedding, except for occasionally the top sheet if she had it under her, but if you decide not to use the mats, then you'll need several sets of waterproof mattress pads and fitted sheets.  I recommend "double-sheeting" the bed (mattress pad, sheet, mattress pad, sheet), so if one layer gets wet at night you can just rip them off and you've got another layer ready to go.  If you don't have already, you'll also want to get a night-light for you child's room, the hallway and the bathroom (or leave a light on in the bathroom), so they can easily find their way in the night, if necessary.
• Experiment with what to wear at night.  Annika's tried sleeping with and without underwear, jammies with shorts and nightgowns (and for a short while - nothing but a t-shirt!).  Give your child options and let them figure out what feels comfortable to them.
• Make sure everything is easily accessible.  We moved Annika pajamas into the top drawer of her night table, so that she could easily find a new pair in the middle of the night.  You may also want to designate a special hamper or laundry basket for wet stuff (we just told Annika to throw her wet stuff on the laundry room floor, which is just down the hall from her room).  I also put the extra bed mats and sheets in a drawer next to her bed, so that I wouldn't be fumbling around for stuff in the dark (Annika would change her pajamas herself, but always asked me to change her bedding).  Also make sure that there are no toys or stuff on the floor to trip on (or at least clear a path from the bed to the door).
• Make sure your child is ready.  I totally believe that a child's body has to be ready for night-time dryness before this will work.  Sometimes it's hard to know if they're ready or not, and you may have to accept the fact that now is not the right time.

So hopefully this is my last "operation: dry bed" post, and we continue to have dry, happy nights. :)

Just what I needed to hear...

For almost 2 weeks I've been waking Annika to go to the bathroom before we go to bed (usually around 10:00pm).  You may recall we started "operation: dry bed" about two and half weeks ago (you can read more about it here and here, if you want), and we're still going at it, with limited success, at Annika's insistence.  However, the past two nights Annika has stayed dry all night, with the help of the "dream pee".  Usually she is very unresponsive - barely awake - when I get her out of bed.  I make her walk to the bathroom, though - I don't carry her (except for a few nights when she seems completely out of it).  Last night, though, she said something to me in her semi-conscious state, when I was helping her wash her hands afterwards.

"Mommy, you're the best."

:)

1000 gifts: #171-180

Gifts this week...

171. Long distance chats that only cost 70 cents (yes, I know Skype is free, but sometimes I prefer a phone call!).

172. Exploring a great park on a beautiful morning.

173. Annika's s-l-o-w-l-y growing sense of adventure.

174. Sidewalk chalk

175. Homemade popsicles (recipes coming soon!)

176. Emmett sitting so well for his haircut.  Note to self: just before nap time is a good time for a hair cut - he was practically falling asleep in the chair!

177. Some progress on "operation: dry bed" (at least enough to give me the motivation to keep going with it!)

178. My boys :)

179. My dad, and the opportunity I've had to get to know a different side of him as "Grandpa".

180. Time well spent as a family.

Update on "operation: dry bed"

It's now been a week that Annika has gone without Pull-Ups at night, and I'm not sure exactly what our next step should be.  She's had one night when she stayed dry all on her own, and one night when she stayed dry with a little help from me.  That night I took her pee before we went to bed, and then again around 2:00am when I heard her wake up crying (she wasn't wet though - I think maybe it was a bad dream or something because she was almost back to sleep when I went to check on her, but I figured since I was up, I'd take her to the bathroom anyways). 

The past few nights I've been waking her up to go to the bathroom before I go to bed (around 10:00), which I'm not sure is the right course of action, but I figured we'd give it a try.  I know that some think of this as "parent-training" rather than "potty-training", but I did find some research and support for it when I was Googling info on night-time dryness the other day (of course, you can find support for just about anything on the web :P).  One of my reasons for wanting to try it is that I was hoping that perhaps with this "scheduled" bathroom break, she might be able to stay dry for the rest of the night, and that having some successes would encourage her and make her feel good about herself.  Like I said in my previous post, she's been a champ about the whole thing so far, and it's even been her decision to keep going with it.  I'm not sure that I would want to continuously wake up in a wet bed, but she is sticking with it.  Yesterday she even told me that she wasn't going to wear Pull-Ups again.  And when we put the last disposable bed mat on her bed today, she said "I guess I'll have to get up and use the potty from now on, because that's the last mat!" (I do have washable mats that I plan to use from now on, though).

I love her enthusiasm and positive attitude, however, it also brings me a bit of concern.  She doesn't want to wear the Pull-Ups any more, and while that's great - what if she just keeps on wetting the bed each night?  I'm finding it quite tiring, physically, being woken up every night.  Some nights it takes me quite a while to fall back to sleep and then I'm exhausted in the morning.  Nevermind the pile of stinky laundry, once we switch to the washable mats. :P  How long do we keep this up?

In terms of laundry, I have to say that Annika is thoughtful in that regard - she figured out pretty early on if she slept in just her jammie shirt then there wouldn't be wet underwear or shorts, so that's at least few less items in the laundry.  Or maybe she just likes the comfort of going commando.  No wonder she doesn't want to go back to wearing Pull-Ups. ;)

Anyways, that's where we're at.  I guess for now we'll just keep at it, as long as Annika wants to, and I'll just have to start using the BIG coffee mug each morning. :)

Operation: dry bed

As I mentioned in my last 1000 gifts post, we've been trying a little experiment with Annika at night.  She hasn't worn a Pull-Up at night since last Thursday.  So, how's it going?  Well, not that great.  She's had one dry night so far, but she's been wet every other night (or even wet multiple times in one night).  I was hoping that maybe going without the Pull-Up would help her body become more aware and she would either stay dry (which she used to do on a regular basis, and now does once in a while) or she would start waking up to pee (which she also used to do, but now never does), but so far that hasn't really happened.  However, she's being a really good sport about it and tonight she actually decided on her own not to wear the Pull-Up.  I was quite willing to put her back in the Pull-Up to get a good night's sleep after several disturbed nights, but I didn't want to discourage her.  We've been using GoodNites disposable bed mats, so at least I haven't had to do tons of laundry so far.  However, they're not cheap and they create quite a bit of garbage, so I don't want to use them long-term.  I've got a few washable bed mats (like the ones you have in the hospital - but I didn't take them from there!  These were from my mom), so maybe we'll give those a try next, if Annika wants to keep this up.  I'm also looking into buying some cloth training pants, just so I don't have to keep investing in Pull-Ups!

One funny story from Friday night, the first night - I kept waking up, almost every hour, as I was a bit nervous about the whole thing and I was expecting to be woken up.  However, each hour passed and it was all quiet from Annika's room and I was starting to get excited that she would make it through the night dry.  However, on Saturday morning Annika came into our room, fully dressed, and told us that her bed and underwear were wet.  I asked her why she didn't come and tell us when it had happened during the night.  "Well", she said, "I just put on different underwear and slept at the other end of the bed."  What a resourceful girl. :)

1000 gifts: #161-170

I'm thankful for...

161. Sunny days and rainy days.

162. The fact that both kids enjoyed their swimming lessons.

163. Coffee with friends.

164. Sunday school teachers who care so much about our kids that they continue to make an effort to connect with them (and us) even though Sunday School is finished for the summer.

165. The fact that Annika will now go down to Children's Church because Emmett is now allowed to go down as well (which means no kids during the sermon - I can actually sit and listen!).

166. Little sprouts in our garden.

167. Our treadmill.

168. Annika's willingness to try going without a Pull-Up at night.  She's such a trooper to put up with our little experiment (which hasn't been overly successful yet, but we'll save that for another post!).

169. Rocking Emmett to sleep last night - haven't done that in forever.  I'm also thankful that I got to rock him to sleep at 9:00 pm, and that when he woke up crying at 2:00 am he just went back to sleep on his own. ;)

170. Pinterest and all the neat ideas for camping/the cabin that I'm finding (recipes, activities for kids, etc).  I'm getting excited for summer!

Night-time

I've put off writing about this for quite a while, mostly because I was hoping that the problem would resolve itself and would no longer be something to write about, but since nothing seems to be changing, I figured I'd put it out there and see if anyone has any advice for me.

The problem is that Annika is no longer dry at night.  In fact she's been wet almost every night since September.  Some of you may remember this post from the beginning of August last year, when we were just getting ready to start putting her to bed without a Pull-Up.  She had been either dry at night or waking up to pee for about 2 months at that point.  And before that, she was wet maybe once or twice a week.  So, we took the plunge, put an extra layer of sheets/waterproof protection on her bed (so we could quickly strip it in the middle of the night, if necessary), and she slept quite successfully without a Pull-Up for a few weeks.  Then September came.  She got sick (just a cold) at the beginning of the month, and after a night with 2 accidents, I decided to put her back in a Pull-Up until she was feeling better.  She also started preschool in September, a major change for her, but one that she seemed to adapt to quite well.

We planned to get rid of the Pull-Ups after her sickness passed, however, Carey and I were also planning to go away for a few days at the end of the month, and the kids would be staying with their grandparents, so we kept her in Pull-Ups until after we came back, so the grandparents wouldn't have to worry about wet sheets (and it wouldn't be a big deal about having to wear a Pull-Up at Grandma and Grandpa's house).  I figured after we all got settled back at home, we would make the switch back.  Except by then, she was wet almost every night again.  She'd have the occasional dry night, but it was the exception, not the rule.  And now I can't even remember the last time she was dry at night.  It's probably been at least a month or more.  Nothing has changed in her routine otherwise (she doesn't drink much after supper, and goes pee before going to bed; no other big "life" changes).

Just a side note - most of you know that we use cloth diapers, so you may be wondering why we buy Pull-Ups for Annika, and don't use cloth trainers.  There are several reasons for that.  One, she loves the princesses on them.  Two, initially I had a hard time finding a cloth trainer that fit well and didn't leak (if anyone can recommend one, let me know).  Three, before Emmett came along, I didn't want to worry about washing cloth trainers when I didn't have any other diaper laundry (I guess that excuse is no longer valid, now that I'm washing diapers twice a week :P).  I have been thinking about trying cloth trainers again lately, as I'm getting so sick of buying Pull-Ups each month, and I hate the stink of a wet Pull-Up.  Anyways, just wanted to address that.

So, now she'll be four in a few months, and she's still wet every night.  It feels a bit frustrating, because it seems like such a big step backwards.  I'm torn between trying to do something to "help" the situation (should we wake her and try to make her go pee before we go to bed?  Should we take her out of the Pull-Ups and let her wet the bed for a few nights??  Is there a different solution???), and just waiting for it to resolve on its own.  After all, we didn't do anything the first time around and her body figured it out.  Does she just need more time?  Anyone have any advice for us??

Photo challenge day 7: something new

Not much new and exciting around here.  This picture is of some new sheets that I bought for Annika the other day.  She's been dry at night (or wakes up to pee) almost every night for about 2 months now, but we still put her in a pull-up every night, just in case.  I think, though, that she's just about ready to go without the pull-up.  However, before we try it out, I had to buy an extra set of sheets, since I only have one set of sheets for her bed.  When we were at Walmart the other day, she picked out this pink set.  So the sheet are new, and when I get enough courage to let her go without the pull-up, that will be new too!

More potty talk

So far we haven't really gotten anywhere with the "potty independence" that I wrote about a while ago (I mentioned the idea of giving her little potty to a friend and Annika did NOT like it at all), however it seems that Annika has reached a different, and very significant, potty milestone.  She's staying dry through the night!  She's had quite a few nights in the past where she's stayed dry, but what has just recently developed is that she will wake up and go to the bathroom if she needs to go at night, rather than just staying asleep and going in her pull-up.  I'm excited that she's reached this milestone, however, it means that now I get woken up at night with a frantic "mommy I have to pee!!!" (how come it's always "mommy"??).  The first time she did it, she startled me so much that I had a hard time getting back to sleep afterwards.  Last night I think I was still half-asleep when I took her to the bathroom, because I told her to pull up her "buffalo pants" (I meant pajama pants - not sure where "buffalo" came from!).  So I guess this is more incentive to get her to go by herself, so I can stay in bed!