So I almost hesitate to even write about this because I fear it will all come back. With regards to potty training these last 4 months. I hope that today was a HUGE milestone for Lily. Let me first start with if you don't like to read about pee pee and poopy please just stop reading now. I've learned that since becoming a Mommy its inevitable that you will talk about peeing or pooping with regards to your children on a daily basis. It almost always comes into the conversation. Its simply a part of being a parent. That being said. Lily has been pee pee trained (for the most part) for the last month or so with the exception of going when we are away from home. Which she is getting better at as of this past week. For the first couple months she has gone really good at home and at places she's familiar like Grandparents' houses. Only recently, as in the last week or 2, has she gone when we are away from the house like the Doctor's office, Target, and Church. Not for lack of throwing a fit mind you. It finally took her doctor telling me that she's past the point of it being "up to her" to learn and train. She's (Lily) where she knows what she's doing and is the one in control. Dr. Ray said that WE need to be the ones in control now and to turn her little fits and "I don't need/want to go potty Mommy" into--No you are going potty and you are going here right now. Now don't get me wrong please, in the beginning this is not the way to approach potty training. My doctor only suggested this because she's past the point of the early training and is now into the stage where she could develop bad habits that we need to end now. So she suggested that instead of letting her "get away with" not having to go potty by yelling and telling me she doesn't need to go when I KNOW she needs to. So we'd just let her tell us that and we'd stop making her go. So she's learned that this works with Mommy and Daddy. She thinks all I have to do is throw a fit and they won't make me go. Then she just would wet her pants. So Dr. Ray suggested the next time we are out that if she acts like she needs to go that we need to MAKE her go by giving her 2 choices. One, if she can go potty where we are on her portable Dora potty seat, or two, she can put a diaper back on. Lily now does not like diapers and is VERY fond of her princess and various big girl pants so I knew that would work. After talking to Dr. Ray about it, Lily immediately wanted to go potty so, much to my surprise, she went in the potty at the Dr's office! I was so stunned and proud! She got to pick from one of the big stickers and they sent me home with some that I could use to give her when she would go while we are out somewhere other than home. I am so glad she didn't fight me. Then last weekend we were at Target and she had to go. I am so thankful they had a family restroom at this Target because I knew she'd be crawling under the door at a regular one. She screamed and cried at first, but I just kept telling her its just like the doctors office and that I had a sticker waiting for her. So I held her on the potty while she cried and we counted to 30. (another thing I've started doing when she says she doesn't need to go, but I want her to at least try). She almost ALWAYS goes by the time I get to 15 and she forgets she's upset because she starts counting with me. So when she went in the potty I started clapping as I finished counting and I told her how proud I was of her. By now she was excited and happy she went! We washed our hands and she ran out the door yelling that she had gone potty. That night she wanted to wear the Dora sticker (from the doctor) on her jammies to bed too. It was great!
Then this past Sunday I got her to go at Church in between services. Course she cried again but didn't fight me near as bad and didn't crawl under the stall. The counting worked again this time. I have found that creating things that are familiar to her has helped. By counting she forgets where she's at and now has a "routine" we do when we are out. I was so proud of her!
Now Monday I thought we hit a big milestone, but it ended up being one step forward two steps back. She pooped in the potty at home after telling me she needed to go but then later on she pooped her pants while in her room for her nap. I was so excited that Monday would be THE day....which is why I hesitate to say that TODAY is the day but, I feel if I have high expectations for her maybe that will help.
Last night I went to Target and bought Lily 2 packs of princess big girl pants. 7 Repunzel (tangled) and 7 Little Mermaid. Two kinds she does not have already. I decided that each time she'd go poopy on the potty I'd let her pick a new pair of princess pants to wear. So today we were at my friend Steph's house playing with her kids outside and Lily comes to me in the middle of playing to tell me that she needs to go potty....that she needed to go POOPY!!! She RARELY if EVER has told me this especially while in the middle of PLAYING, while OUTSIDE, at SOMEONE ELSE'S HOUSE!!! And she went! She was excited about it too! I was still in shock. So I showed her the new princess pants and told her that she could pick one of them each time she pooped in the potty. She was pretty excited about this. I am hoping and praying that TODAY is the day that she decides to only put her poopy in the potty and not in her pants. I feel like we've tried everything. From buying her toys in the beginning when she pooped the very first time in the potty, to giving her 2 stickers and 2 pieces of candy, to giving her cookies w/ sprinkles on them, to now the princess pants. I have learned so patience so much through all of this. Whoever said girls were easier to train has not worked with Lily, my VERY smart and independent little girl. I pray that Charlee is easier and that Lily will train her. I've often joked that Charlee would end up training Lily because at times I have feared that she would never get it that she would never go away from home and that I would always have to carry extra underwear and pants with me everywhere we went. But I am seeing hope now. Seeing a light at the end of this 4 month long tunnel. My goal is to have her going poopy in the potty and going places other than home before we leave for San Diego in 2 months. That is my prayer. I give it to God because only He can help me through this and give me the patience to endure the clean-up. To God be the Glory.
