Sunday, July 12, 2009

my girl likes to potty all the time

I know. I know. I've been a little absent lately.
No time for writing blog entries.
No time for reading blog entries.
No time for commenting on my friend's blog entries.

No time for anything but chillin' with a precocious 2.5 year old, a sweet-as-pie baby boy, and this:


this:


these:


these:


and cleaning a lot of this:

Between Potty Training and the ill-fated Dave Ramsey Diapers, my couch will never be the same.

Avery's new-found independence has launched an absolute barage of I Can Do It Myself-isms.

Let me help you put on your shirt: I can do it myself
Let me help you wash your hands: I can do it myself
Let's put on your shoes: I can do it myself.
You want some lotion? I can do it myself.


(It puts the lotion on)

Not only can she potty by herself, wash her hands by herself, put on her shoes by herself, and get gobs and gobs of lotion by herself... but she can also get her own dinner. By herself.

Just in case you were wondering, Avery's idea of dinner is a generous portion of marshmallows followed by a side of fresh... marshmallows.

This potty training thing been all- consuming. Tiring. Exhausting. Frustrating. and more frustrating.

The one beautifully satisfying thing about my potty training experience has been the fact that I've used NO treats, sticker charts, bribery, or begging to achieve Avery's non-diaper status.

Before embarking on our potty training adventure, there were a couple of things that I was totally dreading. One was the whole constantly cleaning up excrement thing, and the other was the sticker chart/rewards thing. That's probably why I whined and whined about it for months before actually gettin' down to business.

I gotta tell you, I just don't get it: Treats for pooping? Seriously?

Listen, I'm not judging...If poop-treats are your thing, that's cool. In fact, I have a ton of intelligent, lovely friends who've gone that route and had success with it. It just isn't for me.

Aside from the fact that I think we live in a world that rewards kids for things for every little thing imaginable, I guess my thinking is: how does one determine the stopping point for poop-treat giving... and how do you explain that you won't be giving continuous treats for pooping? Call me crazy, but I have no intention of giving my 14 year-old a treat because she stayed dry all night.

Thankfully, Potty Training may be the only thing in life that actually works better if you procrastinate.
Turns out the longer you wait to potty train your child, the more likely they are to actually be ready to be potty trained.
No bribing necessary. I love it.

As you can tell from this post, the main reason for my bloggy absence is that all I have to write about is poop. NO one wants to read about the daily musings of a potty training mommy. No one is googling "lady who is stuck at home while potty training her kid". And if they are, I don't want to meet them. Ever.

so...
I'll be back when I have something intelligent to say.
Hopefully it won't be too much longer.

13 comments:

Kodi said...

I've heard boys are much easier to potty train, so hopefully that is encouraging?! :)

Molly said...

Well, let me just say that potty training is horrible, nasty and awful!
All that being said from a Mom with grown and married kids. It is not an event that grows sweeter with time. Aren't ya glad I let ya know?!
I agree with you on no rewards....
Our society rewards way too much....

kris said...

well, you know we're doing the pt thing here too. and we used m&ms for about two weeks. but she doesn't expect/ask for them anymore, so we're past the rewards bit. of course, she doesn't poop on the potty much these days, so they might be coming back, lol!

but generally i agree with you on the rewards thing. i was just okay with using them for just a little while :)

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

Good luck with the potty training! With my kids I used a jar and filled it will clear pebbles from the dollar store. Each time they did something good, I would give them a pebble and they could put it in their jar. When the jar filled up they were able to go to the store and get something that they really wanted (we determined what ahead of time). And if they did something bad I took a pebble out of the jar. This worked well with potty training all the way up to the teenage years. My 13 year old is currently doing the pebble jar for some back-to-school clothes.

Have a super week!

XOXO
Jen

Jackie said...

Exactly one year ago, almost to the day, I think, we started with Savannah. How well I remember. I was SO dreading it, and I kept putting it off, and I agree - it turned out to be a good thing. Because then she was really ready.

We DID go the "treat" route. She got one minature M&M afterwards (not sure how much of a treat that was, but she was thrilled). She was pretty much fully trained when the little bag was gone, and so we told her that was it. No more. And she was fine. But good for you for accomplishing this with no incentive - you rock! And I'd LOVE a pair of shoes every time too. That sounds like a sweet deal.

quartermom said...

im right there with u.. boys aren't easier and it takes longer for them i believe. at least that's what i keep telling myself. my little guy is gonna be 3 in november. so i'm still working on it. he's in pullups but that is it. he has pee'd and pooped once. but if they aren't ready they won't do it. no matter what coaxing you do. i got some potty training propaganda like the vids. but that's all. i'm home to in the poop..good times!

Abbie Johnson said...

uggg-we started this past week with E and I HATE it!! I feel like I'm edge all the time waiting for an accident. It's so annoying. you'd think the 2nd kid would be easier, but no way--i can't focus just on him. He goes if I remember to take him but we aren't to the point of him asking yet. So far we've avoided the wet couch. Please let me know how you're going to fix it so I can be prepared! :)

Rebekah said...

Just wanted to say I'm in the same boat, too. Good luck to all!

Tiffany said...

Hey...potty training is not for the weak - it is serious business. Our Avery is finally potty trained at night after being day trained for like a year. Yikes. I loved this post, cracked me up. Oh, and my Avery LOVES her some marshmallows. So cute.

Kelly said...

Oh, the joys of potty training. We just full-fledged started today. I think we just had beginner's luck. No accidents all day. I do think that it will be easier this time around since Ava is all about imitating Emma. At least that is what I am telling myself...

Mommy of Tyler and Chase said...

I like the blogging mommy who writes about poop! You always make me laugh and start my day a little brighter! I pray today is a good day in this department and hang in there...boys don't potty train so early so you have a few years break:)))) Miss you!

Brittany said...

You crack me up!
Poop Treats?!

I am SO not a mom yet!

Thank goodness for couch slip covers and steam cleaners! :)

Unknown said...

Good luck with the potty training!!!!
i agree with you on the rewards thing...thanks for sharing..
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susana
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