Its a Potty Training Miracle!

Sawyer hasn't had a lot of interest in potty training and the few times we have tried it out for a day he had little success and I was too overwhelmed (and lazy) to actually buckle down and do it. But for a while I have noticed that when Sawyer wakes up in the morning and from naps he is dry so I started thinking he was ready. And then we were watching some of our friend's kids who are potty trained boys and when I changed Sawyer's diaper he would not let me put his diaper back on and he ran to get some of his underwear. So I told Sawyer that after Halloween (I didn't want pee in his costume!) we would do it!
So Sunday was the day. He wore underwear all night and stayed dry and then woke up and we went to church with a pair of extra clothes and our fingers crossed. I took him to the bathroom before nursery and no success and I told him I would be back after Sunday school. When the time came I walked in to find him in the act of peeing on the floor. Nice. I was also regretting our choice of cowboy boots on his feet because he had filled one of the boots up with pee. I got him all changed and cleaned up the floor and we were good to go. That afternoon he kept telling me "mama, pee pee" and I would rush him to the potty. We would sit for a long time and nothing happened and he said he was done and would run off...and then be back 5 minutes later telling me he had to go. So I knew he was recognizing the urge but he didn't know how to let it go on the potty...and eventually he would just burst wherever he happened to be standing. We had no success all that day and I wasn't looking forward to another day of it.
Monday I sat him on the potty from the time he woke up until we left for the gym because he HAD to go before we left the house and he did it! But it was more just because he was on the potty when he happened to pee. We left with the plan to go the gym, the library and then Target to pick up another pack of underwear. Our 4 pairs weren't cutting it with all the accidents! Sawyer was really excited about that part and kept talking about "Woody underwear". We were all good at the gym and then we headed to the library. When we got there Sawyer was telling me he had to go and holding himself so we ran to the potty and sat...and sat...and sat....finally he said he was done and we went back to the books. 2 minutes later he said he had to go and this time I was determined to wait it out. We went and sat...and sat...I was sitting on the bathroom floor making my grocery list for Target and I kept encouraging Sawyer and nothing happened. Finally after 10 minutes we went to the books and I tried my hardest to hustle us out of there. It didn't take a minute before Sawyer was saying, "uh oh...mama!!!" and peeing all over the floor. Like a gallon. So we did a quick change and I used up all my wipes mopping up the floor. Nice. We made it through the rest of our errands dry and then headed home to more accidents. At this point I was totally confident that he was realizing he needed to go but he still just couldn't get it out at the right time.
That night we had the biggest, loudest thunderstorm that I have ever heard in my life. I am a heavy sleeper and this storm even woke me up! It woke up Sawyer too and at 3am he was in our room saying he needed to go peepee. So I got out the little potty and set it up in front of the TV and went back to sleep. A while later Sawyer came in with his pants and said, "Did it, bed." So I got him dressed and put him to bed and went and checked the potty...and he had done it! It was half in and half out of the potty but it was success! The next day he peed on himself in the morning. After the gym I was determined he would go in the potty so we sat through all of Toy Story and half of Toy Story 2 and there it was! Success! That night at dinner he told me he had to go and then went right as Ryan got home for dinner. We were all excited and gave him his prize and then Ryan came to the table and we started talking over dinner. All of a sudden Sawyer ran up and said, "I did it!" and Kate ran to the potty and said, "He did do it! Poo poo! And its big!" Sure enough, all on his own, he had sat on the potty and went #2!
Wednesday we had a totally and complete accident free day that included the gym and then playgroup at Chickfila where I was hoping I wouldn't have to mop up an accident!
Thursday he went on his own before the gym and then we came home and he went again before we left the house for a long afternoon out. We first went to our friend's house and I kept reminding him about the potty and he finally came up to me and said he needed to go and we went and I sat him down and immediately the pee came! It was the first time I think he really could just turn it on by himself. After our friend's house we went to the Dr where he went twice! And again, it was the same thing where we sat and he immediately went.
So here it is Friday, 6 days into potty training, and I am pretty confident in him! I feel like I can take him places and that he will tell me when he needs to go and he can do it. We have gone 3 days without an accident and that makes me so happy! I know he will probably slip up here and there, but I am just so happy that it has been so much easier than I thought!
Hooray for all my kids being potty trained!

stuck at home

today I couldn't go to the gym because kate woke up still sick and I'm going CRAZY. the gym usually keeps me sane so today I'm in trouble. I was watching a taped episode of teletubbies for the third time and kate kept whining and crying about her blankie being in the wrong position and such and I was about to pull my hair out. we regressed back into a diaper during this whole explosive diarrhea thing, but I told her she could still go in the potty if she wanted to. I said "you're only wearing this right now because you're having funny poo poo while your sick" and she giggled and said "yeah." (apparently she thought mommy really thought the poo poo was literally "funny") so anyways, in the middle of her crying and my frustration she said "I want to go pee pee" and so I took her diaper off and she was sitting on the potty crying again because one of the 2 blankies she was holding was touching the floor and other reasons I don't understand...and then she stood up. I was like "did you do it?" and she said (still crying) "yes. pee pee and a little poo poo." sure enough, thats what I found. so we have had constant clean diapers today! wow, I'm impressed! and now she's in a better mood (and so am I) and we're about to cuddle up on my bed and watch the movie cars.

*** this is what she looked like halfway through the movie!

Alma and Bananas

Kate still just ADORES her children's Book of Mormon (or "Alma" as she calls it!) She can't go to sleep without reading it and when I go and get her in the mornings she is always just sitting there in her bed reading. (I leave it at the end of her bed just for that purpose....I get more sleep that way!)

Last night, as I put her to bed, I just thought it was too cute so I took some video of it.

LOVE her!

On the potty training front, we have had some success! Today Kate went pantless and pee peed twice in the potty and zero times on the floor. (I won't discuss our #2 experience! Hopefully that will come later!) I was so proud of her, but it was an all day struggle. I was constantly reminding her and talking to her about it and I was so frustrated because she started doing this potty dance and crying and I knew she had to go so I sat her on the potty....and nothing! and then she was just playing for a while. and then the potty dance....sat her on the potty....and then still nothing!! her poor sphincter was working overtime because she was NOT going to let it come out no matter what! Finally, I saw the dance, sat her down, gave her a puzzle and she went!! She was so happy and I was so proud and she got a sticker on her potty chart and some m's. HOORAY!! Then the #2 incident happened and then tons of pantless hours later I was expecting something else to happen. And then I spotted it, the potty dance! I sat her down on the potty and the same thing happened!! NOTHING!! I did this several times with her running up to me and crying like she had to go and I put her on the pot and nothing. I kept checking the floor thinking she had to be going because there was no way she was holding it so well! Finally, I was on the phone with someone and she ran into the kitchen saying she had to go. It was really embarrassing, but I was like "go sit on the potty!!!" and then she circled around and ran into the kitchen again, still upset, and I had to tell her "go sit on the potty!!!!" and I was so frustrated! I got off the phone and she was saying "hold me!!" and I said "sit on the potty!!!!" so she did and I was like "kate, did you pee on the floor? Where is the mess??!?!?!" (really frustrated) and then I heard it....tinkle tinkle tinkle....IN THE POTTY!!! She did it again!! And I was SO PROUD!!! Daddy got home a few minutes later and she was able to show him! So now we're getting the hang of it and I'm not backing down. Tomorrow is day #2 of focused potty training!

and here is Kate eating a snack and pretending to talk to Ryan on the phone. I thought it was too cute!