Potty Training Week 3

Week 3 of potty training is off to a great start! Last week, Shelby only had one accident. She is now wearing regular non-absorbent undies and pants around the house, and while she isn't great about telling me when she needs to go, we go pretty frequently since I am pregnant, and she does a great job of telling me at the last second if she is about to have an accident (legs suddenly crossed and a high-pitched “no,” “pee-pee,” or “potty” accompany the worried look on her face). I know that we will probably have plenty more wet days in our future and I'm not sure when I will be brave enough to put her in just undies (as opposed to the absorbent undies and waterproof trainers she wears out of the house now) for outings, but for now, I'm feeling very optimistic! She still won't poop in the potty and sleeps in diapers, but I'll be happy if she's just in undies for the daytime by the time the new baby is here.

Shelby's New Tude

Recently Shelby has learned some new words that have allowed her to develop a major 'tude: namely, “stop,” “stay,” and “away.” Today at lunch, I picked up a piece of Shelby's sandwich to offer it to her, and she said in an exasperated tone, “Mommy, mommy, mommy. Mommy, stop. Mommy, stop,” as she shoved my hand away. A couple of days ago, I told her it was bath time and as I walked toward the bathroom, she grabbed the back pockets of my jeans doing her best to pull me away from the bathroom, saying, “Daddy, daddy. Mommy, stay. Mommy, stay.” Daddy's baths are a lot more fun than mine and it got me out of bath time, so I didn't mind it in the least! When Dave is home, Shelby only wants her daddy to do the potty with her because he got in the bad habit of showing her an Elmo potty video whenever she pees. So if Dave is home and I even say “potty,” she will push me away and say, “Mommy, away. Daddy, Elmo goes pee-pee.”

What we are eating 2/18/12

Saturday: We were supposed to have dinner with friends, but Shelby has a fever, so now we are in for the evening. Luckily, I never needed to cook the slow roasted beef with all purpose gravy, glazed pearl onions, and roasted red potatoes with rosemary and garlic (Test Kitchen348, 136, 141) that I had planned for last week, so that will be tonight’s dinner.

Sunday: leftovers

Monday: salmon & leek pot pie (Test Kitchen 250), salad

Tuesday: roast lemon chicken, broiled balsamic asparagus, creamy rice casserole (Test Kitchen 318, 121, 154)

Wednesday: leftovers

Thursday: seafood bisque, salad, crusty bread from Artisan Bread(another meal we never did from last week)

Friday: take out

Saturday: dinner out for our anniversary

Lunches: French onion soup and chicken salad (if I get around to making broth, I’ll use the chicken from that), grilled cheese & tomato soup, something TBD with ground turkey

Potty Training Week 2

We are midway through week two of potty training, and things are getting easier! We have had two no-accidents at home days (accidents still happen out and about though)! We spent a day of going commando (her, not me) around the house and this seemed to help Shelby to become better at “catching” herself in an accident or telling me when she needs to pee. I still put her on the potty every time I need to go and then also try to get her on it every 45 minutes or so. Today we started wearing undies with no absorbency around the house and so far Shelby hasn't had any accidents! She still doesn't like pooping in the potty, so she is holding her poop until diaper time (at naps and bedtime) which is fine by me. Since she is still a very frequent pooper, I am glad she is learning to hold it and do it at specific times of the day. It is also getting easier to travel with a potty training toddler. I initially found all of the extra luggage (the travel potty, which I do find necessary since she is still pretty small; the change of clothes; the extra undies and extra diapers and wipes since I am never certain what I will need) to be overwhelming and had trouble adjusting to the extra time I need for any given errand (need potty time before leaving the house, immediately upon arrival, frequently while we are out, and again before we leave, in addition to the fact that she needs to be undressed and then clothed again from the bottom down every time she uses the potty).

I am really happy with the Gerber undies/Bummis Whisper Pants combo. I don't really care for the Kisaluvs because I find the side snaps to make it too similar to a diaper and too difficult to pull up and down like undies. But on the other hand, I like that I can stuff the Kisaluvs to make them more absorbent. I like the Blueberrys and am considering purchasing a couple more, but am not sure if I really need them in addition to the cheaper Gerber/Bummis combo. The other benefit of the Gerbers is that I can continue to use them when Shelby no longer needs the cover but isn't quite ready to wear undies with no absorbency.

Ice Cube Paints

What an easy craft this was: ice cube trays, water, food coloring and popsicle sticks. Conveniently, this box from Old Navy just happened to arrive that day. I wonder what they will think when I ship my returns back in this box.

Look at our own like Michelangelo painting her little Sistine Chapel!

Potty Training Take 2

After a few days of going back to diapers, Shelby awoke from her nap on Sunday and asked to use the potty. She had a terrific afternoon! Every hour or so I set Shelby on the potty and she peed in it. And between potty visits, she kept her undies dry! Since then, we have had undies days and diapers days, and I generally let her choose because she almost always chooses undies. Even our undies days are mostly wet, but she is still peeing in the potty frequently so I'm letting her set the rules for the most part.

We are using the Gerber padded underwear (not waterproof – I bought these and they were huge and noisy!) and Bummis Whisper Pants. We also have a pair of Kisaluvs pocket trainers and Blueberry trainers. I've been using these for outings.

Felt Board Craft

How cute is this? My mom made this felt board and the felt cut-outs for Shelby. In fact, I had one when I was toddler and I have distinct memories of sitting in the kitchen playing with it.

Potty Training Take 1 (a.k.a. How Not to Potty Train)

The following are my potty training diaries from our cold turkey attempt at potty training exactly two weeks ago:

Potty Training Day 1

Shelby started showing an interest in peeing and pooping at 15 months, at which point I purchased a potty and a few potty training books for her. I decided not to push her, but just let her use the potty whenever she wanted. Within a month or so, she was in a pretty solid routine of using the potty before her nap and before bed, and she would, on rare occasion, specifically ask to use the potty at different times of the day. I had considered potty training at various times in the fall, but it always seemed that I couldn't free up enough days on the calendar, and then I was too tired from first trimester pregnancy, and then we had the added stress/excitement of my mom moving in and the holidays in November and December. I decided to potty train this week only because it happened to be an especially open week with no scheduling conflicts that was far enough removed from the excitement of the holidays.

I decided to wait until after breakfast to introduce potty training to Shelby. So, after breakfast, we went upstairs to the bathroom, took off her diaper, grabbed one of her babies (I at first grabbed a baby baby doll, but then grabbed a more mature baby doll with pigtails who seemed to better fit the bill), and led her and baby to the potty. I set baby on the potty and said to Shelby, “Baby is going pee-pee on the potty. Yeah, baby!” And we both applauded baby's efforts. Then, I took one Reese's Pieces out of the bag and explained, “Since baby pee-peed on the potty, she gets a candy!” Then baby “ate” the candy. I then gave Shelby the candy and said, “Every time Shelby pee-pees today, she will also get a candy!” Shelby played with the candy in her hand until I explained that it goes in her mouth. After eating her first candy ever, her eyes grew really round and she furiously pointed toward the box yelling, “More, more!” I explained that she would have to go pee-pee on the potty for more, and this resulted in a first rate meltdown. So then I thought maybe I should show her again how this game works. So I put baby back on the potty and rewarded baby with a candy, but then didn't give the candy to Shelby. Shelby immediately plopped herself down on the potty, and I was delighted that she was getting it so quickly. But then she jumped back off the potty without peeing and pointed at the box yelling, “More, more!” I explained to her that she couldn't have more unless she peed in the potty, and this resulted in a heaped mass of toddler kicking and screaming on the bathroom floor.

This was an appropriate start to our day. For the remainder of the morning, Shelby refused to sit on the potty at all. We had started the day with Shelby just in cotton undies, but after her second accident on the carpeting in her room, I decided pants and socks were the way to go so they would at least absorb most of the pee before it hit the carpet! I think we went through at least 8 pairs of undies in the morning! After about an hour of this business, I sent Dave out on an emergency mission to Barnes & Noble to buy an Elmo potty training book. Shelby already has three potty training books, but she was refusing to look at any of them, angrily smacking them away or grabbing them from my hand and then tossing them across the room (or at least 2-3 feet away – her best effort to toss across the room). In addition, he downloaded a potty training Sesame Street special.

Our morning of potty training completely exhausted both of us, and after her nap, I just decided to lay off of it a bit. She opted for undies over a diaper, and had several more accidents and refused to use the potty, but I just stopped offering the potty as well.

Potty Training Day 2-2.5

Well, I will let it suffice to say that days 2 and 2.5 of hardcore potty training were a failure! A couple of hours into the day on day 3, I found Shelby lying on her bedroom floor attempting to put on a diaper. I decided to throw in the towel. I think that Shelby is the sort of kid who wants to make her own decisions and she seemed angry when I would tell her to use the potty. After reading a bit of Diaper-Free Before 3 (which would be more aptly titled Diaper Free By Two) by Jill M. Lekovic, M.D., I think we are better suited to a longer term, old-fashioned approach to potty training, so I've ordered some old fashioned waterproof covers and we will see how things go. I think this approach will also better fit our lifestyle since Shelby and I are both the type who enjoy getting out of the house and socializing and since we do a good number of classes and playgroups.

What we are eating

Saturday: Out to dinner on a double date! (What? I need to feed the kiddo? Thank goodness for leftover chicken and broccoli.)

Sunday: Burgers with bourbon, mustard and chives; salad with honey dijon vinagrette (Test Kitchen 51 & 383)

These burgers were really good!

Monday: Seafood bisque (made by my husband and frozen in the freezer), Artisan Bread boule (you can google this recipe and find it on the authors' blog), salad

Tuesday: Mom is making dinner for my birthday: grandmonther’s deep fried tacos, enchiladas, and lemon cake with lemon buttercream frosting! Yum! I will be making my own birthday cake because I enjoy baking.

Wednesday/Thursday: slow roasted beef with all purpose gravy, glazed pearl onions , roasted red potatoes with shallot, lemon, and thyme (Test Kitchen 348, 136, & 141)

Friday: take out or leftovers

Saturday: dinner in with friends (menu TBD)

Lunches: egg salad with bacon & radishes on whole wheat bread (Test Kitchen 83 & 457), salmon patties, grilled cheese on Test Kitchen whole wheat bread (457) & tomato soup (Baby 140)

To cook like me, use the cookbooks I use.

What we do with ourselves...in case you are dying to know

We are in two playgroups, both of which formed when Shelby was 4 months old. Some of the babies in her playgroup are a full 6 months younger than Shelby, so we have known some of these cute little munchkins for nearly their entire lives! It's a really special thing to see a group of babies (and now toddlers) grow up together, learn each others' names, learn to play together (as Shelby is just beginning to play games like ring around the rosie with her friends!), and an even more special thing to have a group of moms to bond with and seek support from.

We take an art class once a week. It has been great for giving me ideas of arts and crafts to do with Shelby.

We also take a music class once a week. This is our second time taking music, and Shelby really enjoyed it the first time around though it took a few sessions for her to come out of her shell. This time around, we are taking the class with a different franchise and things are a little bit different from the other class – younger instructor, slightly different ways of doing things – not bad per se, but different. We are three sessions in and Shelby doesn't seem engaged in it, but I'm not sure if it's just that she needs a bit more time to warm up to the new environment.

We are currently on a break from our gymnastics classes and won't be resuming for a couple of weeks, but Shelby is 100% in her element in these classes and I am eager for them to begin again.

Cook Like Me

80%ish of what I make comes from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

15%ish comes from one of these cookbooks:

The Baby and Toddler Cookbook by Karen Ansel and Charity Ferreira

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois

The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

The remaining 5%ish? I occasionally use a recipe from the The All-New Complete Cooking Light Cookbook (2006) or The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (1997). Once in a while I use an altogether different cookbook, but that is pretty rare.