So my month of thankfulness posts is over and from what I can tell by my readership stats, it wasn’t a big hit! Lol
That’s ok.
It was good for me to spend the month reflecting on all that I have to be grateful for. I originally planned to post every single day as a kind of “undercover” commitment to NaBloPoMo but it just didn’t happen so I’m glad I didn’t make some grandiose promise of daily posting up front.
No one needs to hear me apologizing up and down like I did with my very embarrassing Weigh-In Wednesday series. My sister and I crack up regularly about what a flop that was!
But now I’m back to regular ramblings and I’m kind of relieved. There will be lots that I want to capture this month and it will be nice to just spill it out.
Baby girl #2 is due in only 27 days! I can hardly believe it.
I’m starting to get really uncomfortable, so I’ve transitioned from worrying about life with 2 littles to just wanting her out and figuring it may be tiring but at least I won’t be so dang uncomfortable.
I could eat those words when the time comes, but for now I’m glad to be less anxious about having a newborn around.
Grace is growing up by the second! Her communication and imagination skills have surged in the past few weeks. I love to listen to her playing with her toys and it blows my mind when she pretends about things like “the woods” and “the garden” even though we never even talk about places like that. A couple weeks ago she stuck a large super-ball into the top of a toilet paper roll and called it an ice cream cone. I about died from the cuteness and creativity!
She’s also recently started to hate the feeling of her diaper. Mostly when it’s wet because it gets lumpy, but most recently she complains about it even when it’s totally fresh and dry. I can understand how uncomfortable it must be since I know I’d hate to have a bulky diaper between my legs all day, but I’m kind of surprised by how this discomfort has come out of nowhere after having worn a diaper constantly for over 2 years!
It’s obviously a sign that she’s ready to start potty training which is exciting, but comes with it’s own set of challenges…
She loves the free feeling of her “big girl undies” but gets all freaked out about sitting on the potty to actually pee or poop. So she just pees in her pants making a mess and then ask for a diaper which she freaks out about because it’s so bulky.
Vicious cycle!
Don’t even get me started on pooping in the potty. She totally knows when she has to poop because it’s preceded by a series of very loud toots (which, for the record, is totally hilarious). She’s even willing to sit on the potty, holding the jar of treats, tooting loudly and accumulating praise from us for her good efforts.
But the second the poop urge becomes real, she hops off the potty and demands a diaper.
Oy.
I know I’m not the first mother to go through this kind of rigamarole, but it’s throwing me for a loop. I guess the answer is probably patience and persistence while maintaining a willingness to clean up endless accidents.
Part of me just wants to forget the whole training thing and keep her in a diaper until she’s smart enough to understand the whole concept and just start wearing underwear.
But at the same time I get creeped out when three and four year olds are still wearing diapers so I guess I have to suck it up!
Any tips from veteran mamas??
I’m all ears!
Yeah, you are definitely in a rough spot…can’t avoid the crying with the diaper OR with the undies and going on the potty. Fun times! No advice there. Just prayers for you to be able to deal with all of that crying. I’m sure Grace looks adorable in her underpants which might be the only brightside right now:)
I do remember using those thick underpants with you, they do work well! Knowing Grace it will be in her time!
:)
grace might regress when baby girl arrives and you are already about to go through a lot with all of that, so I highly recommend not training her right now. Also, since I’m such a pro, I will comment that I don’t think she’s ready. Dr. Roi told me that if the child is at all freaked out about the potty, they aren’t ready and to just stop. And from many “experts” I have been told that the closer they are to 3, the faster it will happen. I started trying with Abbey at 28 months b/c she was showing lots of signs of being ready….talking about it, telling me she was going, etc. Lo and behold, she would freak out just like Grace when it came time to actually sit on the potty and go. so we just stopped completely. Then at 3 years and one month old, she was potty trained in 1.5 days. I would wait until the spring. You can tell her that you know the diaper is uncomfortable and when she is ready to actually sit on the potty and go, she can tell you. That’s my advice, take it or leave it:) And, Ann Catherine would say the same about the toilet training, in case that adds weight:)
I’m definitely not trying to push it or get it done before the baby comes. In fact, I’ve been TOTALLY ok with her wearing diapers. I’m not ok with her freaking out every time she has a small dribble of pee in her diaper. I’m not willing to change barely wet diapers all day long and it feels “wrong” to refuse big girl undies when she asks for them. I keep telling her she has to wear the diaper until she is willing to pee on the potty, but so far it isn’t having an impact. It’s just a tricky spot to be in when ever diaper comes with a bunch of crying about how uncomfortable it is.
I’ll bring the potty video on Saturday, unless you already have it (I hope I do!). Nora was so easy, God must have known I didn’t have patience for prolonged training. I’ve always heard not to use pull-ups as it’s just like wearing a diaper. Grace may actually “get it” when she sees her baby sister in a diaper and she’s a big girl still Ina diaper. I’ll add that to my prayers Rebecca. Hope that we’ll be seeing you on Saturday?!
Aunt Becky, I’ll be there and I’d LOVE for you to bring the potty video!! Thank you :) Can’t wait to see your smiling face!
ok first of all..I loved your thankful post.. :) Like you did not notice right?? Is it odd to post on every post.. I just read them and feel the urge so I figure why resist hahah.. Plus you need something to read too right?
Potty training.. Uh those are always fun times.. My best advice is try it here and there but do not freak out.. She will get it and be a pro in her own time.. Which I know when you are a control freak like me.. It is hard to understand why everything just does not go as “I” have planned our hoped for.. I will say.. I did use the panties with sadie that are thick and have a heavier padded crouch area so it would not be as huge as a mess for me. I can see I might have them packed away and you can certainly use them. It just made mess cleaning up so much easier.. I am not even sure if they still make them in the stores. of course i just looked and they do.. Check out this article http://babyclothes.about.com/od/babyclothingbasics/tp/Best-Underwear-For-Potty-Training-A-Baby.htm
They have a link to the panties.. I have to agree the best panties for training :)
Good advice about potty training! I remember those thick undies…I may have to get some! Also, I love that you comment all the time!