Following Instructions

Lately we’ve been having a bit of trouble with Chancery at nap time.  Apparently her stuffed dog “Ginger” has a bit of a talking issue, & talks & talks & talks, keeping her awake for most of her nap (suspicious, no?)

 

So, as I put her down for nap yesterday, I warned her not to talk, & then I warned Ginger, that if she was caught talking, I’d take her away & put her in the closet.

 

Chancery took a nice, long quite nap.  When she awoke, she proudly announced, “I was so quiet, & I didn’t talk at all!  I didn’t tell you that my pants leaked & my bed is all wet!”

 

Me: “Was your bed wet for a long time, or a little bit of time?”

 

Chancery: “My bed was wet the longest time ever!”

 

Awesome.  I guess I’ll have to be more specific in my instructions from now on, & add that if she has issues with her pants, that she is allowed to voice them.

Parenting Fail

Asher has a habit that if he is in bed, if he thinks we might have some visitors, he always has to get up & see who it is.  He knows he’s not allowed to get out of bed for any reason other than going to the washroom, so of course as soon as he hears the creak of the front door, he’s out of his room announcing, “I have to wee!”

 

The other night, PChad was gone & I wanted to make some cookies, but I DESPISE scooping the dough over & over in the cookie making process, so I invited a friend over to help me.  I thought I’d try telling Asher beforehand that Miss Natasha was going to come & help me make some cookies, figuring that if he knew who was coming & for what purpose, he might stay in bed.

 

I put him to bed, & made sure he’d gone to the washroom, but of course as soon as the front door creaked, he was out of bed proclaiming, “I just have to wee!”

 

I went upstairs & told him, “I know you don’t really need to wee, since you just did less than 10 minutes ago.  You need to get back in bed, & if you get out of bed again, you won’t get any cookies.”

 

Half an hour later, I heard him yelling from his bed, “I need to poo!”  So, I went up to talk to him again.  As soon as I opened his bedroom door, he said, “I really need to wee.”  (See how the story changed right there?)

 

So, I set out the rule, “You can get out of bed to go to the washroom, but then you don’t get a cookie, so you have to decide if you really do have to go or not.”

 

Of course, about an hour later there was more yelling from his room.  I went up to investigate.  “I have wee in my bed, Mummy, but I didn’t get out of bed, so can I still have a cookie tomorrow?”

Big News!

Chancery has something exciting to tell you!

 

Yes, she actually chose a much smaller candy simply because it was pink.  There were no big pink candies to be had.  I’m not sure where she got her affinity for pink, but it’s not from me!  In fact, she threw a minor fit this morning because she got a purple vitamin instead of a pink one.  We tried explaining that the other colours have to be eaten too, but she was very upset.  She DID end up eating the purple one, but she moaned throughout the entire process.

Fair Treatment

Chancery seems to have taken a shine to the potty chair.  She constantly is asking to “poo on the potty, please!” and yet she has never attempted that feat.

 

The most common way for her to alert us that she wants to wee, is she says, “Chancery wants blue candy, please!”  And she seems to have the ability to wee on command no matter how short of a time it has been since she last wee’d on the potty.  She’s determined to get her candies! 

 

But now Asher thinks he needs a candy every time HE goes to the washroom as well.  We’ve tried explaining that when he was learning to use the toilet, he got candies too, but now that he knows how, he doesn’t need them anymore.  I’ve gone so far as to give him a candy when he poo’s just to even it up a little.

 

I know it does seem unfair to him that he’s not getting a Smartie for every trip he takes to the washroom, but he’s the one who gets a lollypop from the bank ladies, and then Chancery doesn’t.

 

So, we are hoping that he is learning that age brings DIFFERENT treats, rewards, & responsibilities, but on the other hand, he might just be learning that the world isn’t always fair.  I suppose they are both good lessons to learn.

Too Little

Chancery has been walking around saying “Potty” & pulling her jeans down the last few days.  So much so, that it’s near impossible to keep her from pulling them down.  I’ve tried telling her that she’s still too little, but she just pulls her jeans down & says, “Chancery, potty!”

So, I broke down yesterday & pulled out the little potty for her.  She has thoroughly enjoyed sitting on it, to the point that I have to tell her that it’s time to get off the potty sometimes.

Much to my surprise, the second time she sat on it yesterday, she immediately wee’d in it.  I don’t think she really understood what happened, but we all cheered for her and she started clapping too.  Asher has become a great encourager.  He likes to sit right beside her on the floor & offer her drinks.

The truth is, I’m not ready to get her potty trained just yet.  Not because I’m not ready for my little girl to grow up, but because I’m just not convinced that she is old enough to be able to tell us when she has to go, and have the ability to hold it when there’s no washroom nearby.  Besides, do they even make pants for a 19 month old?

The Pitter-Patter Of Little Feet?

When Asher gets up in the mornings, he picks a few books from his room & brings them to us to read to him in our bed. The other morning, after hearing the *thump* as he jumped out of bed, we heard him exclaim:

"Aaahhh! I have to wee! Body, hold onto my wee until I get some books & bring them to Daddy & then I will got to the washroom & then you may push the wee out of me."

I Wonder.......

..... how much Victoria Beckham Jeans cost in the real world, of they are priced at $34.99 at Value Village.



..... why someone would open a door for a lone child of 3, to run out of a store into the parking lot, without a parent.



...... if it's true that if you can see clouds moving from the ground that the wind up there is blowing at least 60 mph.



..... at what point Asher will stop using, "I have to wee & poo really badly!" as an excuse to get out of bed.

The Boy Who Cried "Poo"

I know you are all DYING to discover how the potty training is going, so I thought I'd give an update.....

Asher is now fully potty trained for the daytime. We had 2 accidents of the stinky kind & one wee in the bed episode where someone forgot to put a pull-up on said child *ahem*

Now, of course, he has learned that he can tell us he has to use the facilities & be allowed to get out of bed. We make him wee before putting him down, but he has discovered the wild card that is pooing.

Since we have no idea what time of day the little stinker will show up, Asher will get out of bed repeatedly saying, "I have to poo!"

We've had to start giving him time-outs if he says it & doesn't perform.

I think we need to find a copy of "The Boy Who Cried 'Wolf!'", because at 6:00, 6:15, 6:25, 6:45, & 6:55am, there's nothing worse than being dragged out of bed for no reason at all.

He has also started declaring quite loudly, "My body is telling me, 'GO TO THE WASHROOM OR YOU WILL WEE IN YOUR PANTS!'" at the most convenient times, such as standing in the queue at the grocery store, walking the aisles of Walmart, & eating breakfast at McDonalds.

I Guess So

Asher has a new naptime trick. He waits until I have Chancery down for her nap & then comes out of his room claiming he has to wee. We quick run to the washroom, get him situated on the tiolet, only to sit & wait & nothing happens.

I ask, "Do you have to wee, or did you just want to get out of bed?"

"I have to wee," he replies.

Me: "Well, then tell the wee to come out, because it's naptime right now."

Asher: "COME OUT, WEE!"

Me: "Are you going to wee, or not?"

Asher: "Maybe not."

So we put his pants back on, & once again he goes off to bed. However, the other day as he was walking back to his room, he turned back to me & said in a sad voice, "I guess I'll just have to wee in my big boy pants then."

But he was still dry after his nap.

How Can You Tell?

Asher was sitting at the table yesterday when he turned to me & said, "Mummy, I am a big boy because I have a big head."

I replied, "Oh, really?"

Asher: "BIIIIGGGG head...... A BIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGG head!"

I guess he felt that he needed to emphasize that that was the way to tell if someone was a big boy or not since he had just poo'd in his pants not long before that & I had told him that that wasn't something a big boy would do.

Potty Training Asher: day 8

Potty training has gone surprisingly well so far. Asher got sick on day 3, so we resorted to pull-ups for the next few days, but apparently having put him in big boy pants for a day & a half taught him what he was NOT supposed to do in his pants.

He has an AMAZING ability to hold his wee for HOURS on end. I keep asking if he has to go & it seems he never has to, but he's not having accidents either, so that's a plus. I have put him in pull-ups almost everyday for the last week, just in case, since we've been going out quite a bit, but he hasn't wee'd in his pants once.

Unfortunately, he must have decided to hold off on pooing & then created a problem he couldn't fix. Saturday he spent more time sitting on the potty than not b/c he kept feeling like he had to go. We didn't have success there yet. He manages to go whenever he has "sleeping pants" (aka diapers) on. I'm not too sure how we are going to overcome that problem yet, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Potty Training Asher: Day 2

Up 'til naptime, here are the stats

Wet Pants: 5

Wet Shorts: 2

Wee in the Potty: 2

Not too shabby for the first real morning. Still haven't seen any sign of #2, hopefully that one goes where it's supposed to. I'm not really looking forward to cleaning up an accident of that.

The last accident happened just before naptime, so I was going to put a diaper on, but Asher started yelling, "No baby pants! I don't want baby pants!" So we resorted to a pull-up. It was a good compromise. However, we're still going to have to use diapers at night b/c I'm not sure a pull-up could hold it all. Not sure how I'm going to win that battle yet.....

Another Failed Attempt?

Yesterday was the last day of Coffee Break at our church, so after we got home, I promptly took Asher out of his diaper & put some "Big Boy" pants on him. I explained that if he had to wee, he had to run to the potty, or he'd get wet all down his legs & he'd get his big boy pants wet.

We went downstairs & I rolled up the rug in the living room (hey, I KNOW there will be accidents) & said a little thank-you prayer for hardwood & tile throughout our home. We got through lunch fine without any accidents, but about 20 minutes later Asher came running into the kitchen saying, "I have to wee, Mummy! I have to WEE!" But it was too late & since it was close to naptime I put him back in a diaper.

After his nap, we had to run to a few stores, so I left him in a diaper, but once we got home he was into big boy pants again. he didn't last 10 minutes before he came running, but once again it was too late & his pants took the brunt of it... or so I thought.

I looked into the living room & there was a huge puddle & a little trail leading into the kitchen. I would have put him in another pair of big boy pants, but that was all I had.....

So, today, after naps, we are off to buy some more! I know there will be many accidents yet, but I have faith that he'll get it figured out at some point (hopefully sooner than later). I don't mind switching him back into diapers if we have to go somewhere, as long as he starts to get the concept of figuring out the signals before the event.

Luckily for me, he had run out of big boy pants before he did his dirty business!

I'm Not Sure Of The Problem

Asher has resisted potty training in every conceivable way. He does not want to try sitting on the potty, & has no bones about telling us that. However, he is just getting to the stage that he will tell us that he has just pooped, is pooing, or is weeing. Since I have decided not to push him in the potty training arena, I usually just tell him it's ok, & maybe we'll go in the potty next time.

This morning the kids & I had just left Value Village & were in the parking lot loading our purchases & the kids into the truck. Suddenly Asher says, "Uh oh! I'm weeing right now!" as if he was wearing underwear & not diapers. I don't know why that warrented an 'uh oh,' but apparently that was not in his plan.

Yesterday after he woke up from his nap he stood at the top of the stairs & told me to come look at what he had put in his pants. He has some interesting ways of telling us...... perhaps it's time to get a bit more serious about potty training.

He Was Really Confused.....

One of the things I do before I go to bed at night is clean out the litter box. I have a mat in front of the litter box so that litter doesn't get tracked all over the house. When I clean the litter box I set the lid on the mat & Thanet likes to hide in the lid. The other night was no different from any other night. I finished cleaning the litter box & lifted the lid to discover Thanet, but he didn't run off as he normally would. It took me a minute to clue in that he wasn't sitting on the mat, but he was hovering over the mat!

He finished weeing & I think that's when he realized he wasn't in the litter box. He looked around & then tried to cover up the wee spot. I think he felt kind of dumb b/c he kept trying to sweep w/ his paw, but he was doing it slower & slower like he knew it was futile. Luckily the mat has a rubber back, so the wee didn't go onto the floor at all. I gave PChad the honour of cleaning it up since I have to do the litter box every day I figured it was only fair that he take charge of the "special" situations. The funniest part was just seeing how confused Thanet was, he just couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong!

And now he's embarrassed too!

Buried Treasure?

This afternoon I could smell a pungent odour, so I decided I should check Asher's pants. Sometimes all I find is toots, & sometimes more.

So just before I took a peek I asked him, "What am I going to find?"

He replied, "Money!"

A Momentus Day!

Yesterday at lunch time PChad was holding Chancery & she keep reaching for his food. He'd push his plate out of the way & she'd just get upset, so I figured maybe it was time to try the baby cereal.

At first she wasn't so sure about it. I think I made it a bit thick. She kept gagging on it, so we thinned it out a bit & she did pretty well. She seemed to really like it, but wouldn't open her mouth very far. It made feeding her a bit tricky, but we muddled through.

Today she was all over that cereal. I'd get the spoon close & she'd open her mouth like a little bird, & if I was taking too long she'd protest. She even was trying to help me by grabbing the spoon & directing it towards her mouth.


Before:We decided later that evening that Asher really needed a haircut, so PChad bravely took the clippers & went at it. Amazingly the wiggling boy ended up w/ a pretty decent haircut (not to say that I didn't have confidence in PChad, I didn't have confidence in the little wiggling boy!).

After:

After he was finished, he set Asher on the potty to wait while he drew a bath & cleaned up the hair. When he put Asher in the bath, he noticed that there was wee in the potty! So we all did a bit of a happy dance, whilst Asher stood & stared at us from the bath. He finally got to rescue his new stuffed doggie from where he was hanging just out of reach in the washroom and he got to have a candy (we are not above using bribery).

Since his "new special doggie" needed a shorter name & perhaps something a bit more descriptive than "new special doggie" he was given some suggestions. PChad suggested "Russell" while I suggested "Yellow Dog" (yes, I prefer the obvious names, then we ALL know which toy he wants when he asks for it by name).

Meet "Russell."

It might be a one off that he used the potty, but at least now he knows he can do it, though I'm not sure that he realized that he DID do it.

And that, my friends, is a day for the history books.... or at least the baby books!

Leonard the Dragon

As I mentioned a few days ago, I bought Asher a dragon costume after Haloween b/c it was on sale for $3. I figured he’d have some fun wearing it from time to time, but I had NO IDEA that he’d want to wear it ALL the TIME!

It really is a cute costume, but it does cause some difficulty when he wants to go up stairs w/ anything in his hands. Also, he’s been throwing toys from time to time & in order to give him a time out has become quite the ordeal. First I have to wrestle the costume off him & w/o much help from him b/c he wants to keep it on & he also doesn’t WANT a time out. And potty training? Yeah, we’re gonna let that slide for awhile.

As for the name “Leonard”…. well, sometimes I randomly pick a few names & ask if that’s the name. Apparently it’s name wasn’t “Puff” or “Danny”, but “Leonard.” I’m sure my uncle w/ the same name will be honoured!

Don't Forget Your Special Treat!

We are trying to get Asher to poo or wee in the potty. We have tried promises of going to the toystore to pick out a "Special Treat" which has been described as a car carrier, garbage truck, school buss, etc. Whatever the toy of the moment is. We have tried candies & taking away all candies other than potty reward time candies. All to no avail.

So far, we have not had to give him any candies & he seems fine w/ it. He does know that's the only time he can have any candy, but now he just says, "I don't want a special treat, I'm pooping right now." Or I don't want any candies, I don't want to poop on the potty." We're ok w/ that. I understand he might be a little young yet, & it's not so easy to rush off to the washroom at the drop of a hat when I'm nursing, or trying to put Chancery to bed.

The latest ploy has been putting a jar of Smarties & M&Ms in the washroom so he can see it all the time. We thought that if he has a visual reminder of what his reward will be, it might help. And let me tell you, it has helped! But not the person it was supposed to help. Now everytime I go to the washroom I see that jar of chocolate tempting me, and I have to eat them. It's not that I don't have the willpower to say no, Asher stands outside & waits for me to finish & then reminds me, "Don't forget your candies, you pooped on the potty! Yay, Mummy!" So I have to have some to show that it's a great reward. And I don't mind taking one for the team every now & then. After all, it is a special treat!

"Stinky Pete"

When Asher fills his pants, we call him a "Stinky Pete." I'm not sure how this started, but we've been calling him that for a loooong time. Sometimes if we suspect him, we'll ask if he's a "Stinky Pete" & he has recently started to say, "No I am not, I'm just a Pete."

Today he obviously was doing some dirty work & turns to me & says, "Don't change my pants, I'm pooping right now." So I explained to him that if he didn't want me to change his pants, he should go on the potty instead of in his pants & then he could have some candy. It cut no mustard w/ him, he didn't seem to see the logic in my statement.

He then told me he was going to sit in his rocking chair. I said that won't feel very good b/c I hadn't changed his pants yet. Without heeding my warning, he sat down & promptly said, "SHOOT, I have poop in my pants, I'm a Stinky Pete!"

Later, he told PC, "I don't want to poop on the potty, I don't want any candy." He certainly doesn't have my sweet tooth, or maybe he just has better things to do than sit on the potty all day.