It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....it was.... potty training weekend at our house the past few days. I recently obtained a fabulous copy of an e-book which detailed this crazy 3-day potty training plan that I put into effect on Friday. The book specifies that you will basically be on lockdown for the weekend, so I planned ahead and literally canceled (or no-showed) on EVERYTHING!! The main concept of the book is FOCUS on your potty trainee, meaning...you are basically on them like white on rice. Me and Frankie are literally the best of friends after spending 36 hours straight together!!
Day 1 - went pretty well. We had her throw away all her diapers, which caused a little strife, but she let us put on her panties and then proceeded to hold her pee for like 3 hours with an absolutely full bladder. The e-book said to "watch for signs" that your child has to go. Frankie was crossing her legs and everything trying to hold in her pee, but when I'd take her...she wouldn't go! Finally, I think it just got to be to much...she wanted me to carry her and she even started almost crying. I knew then that she really had to go, so I ran her to the bathroom and she went - a bunch!!! We had a few minor accidents that day, but I stupidly followed the advice of the e-book that she would be able to go through naptime with just her panties on. She started crying so loud only minutes after I had checked on her and I went in to find her lying in a puddle!! The day continued going well and even ended with a cherry on top when Frankie pooped in the potty!
Then came Day 2 - we had more accidents this day! I was a frustrated, horrible person this day. The main issue we had was that Frankie would go in her panties....but just a little dribble....like not enough to have drip down her legs, but enough to wet her undies....and then stop. Can you imagine the bladder control? Think of a time when you needed the bathroom super bad...now imagine just dribbling out about a second of all the urine you had to get out and then stopping the flow and going on about your day for another oh 15 minutes or so with your STILL full bladder! So anyway, then a bit later she'd wet her undies again, but when I'd take her to the potty, she still wouldn't go! Finally, she'd do the above-mentioned crying and wanting me to carry her until I knew she just couldn't hold it anymore and then she'd finally go! We dealt with this issue all day on Day 2. After her nap, she hardly drank anything so we went outside with some colored bubbles I had bought. Another stupid move on my part...these things were a total effing MESS! They dribbled all over our patio and actually stained it. Of course I gave Laynie one color and I used the other one so we now have BOTH purple and pink splotches all over. I got so concerned about Matt getting mad about that that I totally let Frankie just run all over the year without doing a "potty check". Finally, I helped her go up the ladder to the slide and got a feel of her undies which were of course wet. We came back inside and I started getting Laynie and Frankie both ready for bed. I finished up with Frank and sent her to the living room with Nana while I washed up and combed Lane. Next thing I hear from the living room..."Jess! Frankie peed on the floor over here!!" Great. Turns out the wet undies from outside were just one of her little dribbles. The full flow came out on the floor! I was hollering and hooting about how I wasn't going to continue this stupid program for about an hour, until I finally wised up and got real. I gave Frankie more water, got Lane and Gab to bed, and just spent some one-on-one time with Frankie. We ended on a good note when she went pee one last time.
Day 3 - not ONE accident today. I took her and she peed every single time. Her bladder muscles finally learned what to do. By the end of the evening, she actually came and told me, "Go potty." and when I took her in the bathroom...she went! I'm still a little shocked! So happy I stuck with it, though...onward and upward from here! So, so proud of my Frankie, and of Laynie for being mama's "helper" the whole weekend.
Thank God it's over, and yes...it was worth it.
Mama's Loves
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Patting my own back.....
As anyone who has kids knows, any family outing can turn suddenly from a fun-filled time of pure joy into the deepest depths of hell in a few minutes. Happily, I can report that I have had two (count them...TWO) successful outings to birthday parties with all three kids and just little old me to handle everyone. I am really coming into my own as a mom, I think, and learning to not stress the small stuff. I think it's because I literally can't....I don't even have time to do so.
Outing #1 was to our friend Olivia's party. This one was a good test run, as it was at my good friend's home who is another fellow mom of three girls (shout-out to Lauren!!) The only mishap happened when I had to take Laynie to the bathroom, during which I got distracted on my way back to the backyard by who knows what and heard a cry I knew could only be Frankie's. It seems she had walked right into the patio table because she couldn't see it due to a sun glare. Other than that, I silently praised myself for bringing everything I needed to feed Gabster, getting food for both girls and actually getting Frankie to eat, and even making Frankie wear a napkin bib to avoid getting herself dirty with dripping watermelon. Those were rookie mistakes I made when I only had two kids...now I'm a pro!! (Yeah, right...until the next time I forget something and/or get to the scene of an accident too late - you'll see what I mean, below)
Outing #2 (and far more complicated) was to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate Laynie's friend Carmella's 6th b-day. I wasn't planning on bringing Gabi to this shin-dig, as I wanted to have FUN with Frankie, but since Gabi is on a bottle-strike...she had to come with. I was so proud that I got Frankie all strapped into a high chair and brought Gabi her Bumbo. I felt like a real mom as I whipped Huggies out of my diaper bag to clean up pizza and frosting and oatmeal from my girls' faces. Sure, I lost Frankie for a few minutes, and had to leave her and Laynie to fend for themselves when I had to rush Gabi into the bathroom for a pooped out diaper...but we all survived...and actually had fun! I thought ahead and brought in the stroller, and even though I got some crazy looks, I strolled Gabi all around the place until she fell asleep. I gathered tickets and fed them one by one into the ticket machine so we could scram once the party was over. I was awesome, and so were the girls!
Tonight Nana and I had another crazy outing (with three....they almost all are this way!) I had promised Laynie I would take her to the Bellagio garden. I decided we'd all go at the last minute, and though I'm glad I made that decision...it was rough going at first. Trying to avoid traffic on I-15, I took the airport exit and ended up going through the acutal airport instead of bypassing it. I then took a series of wrong turns and missed opportunites until we ended up going to eat first..it was getting too late! We got to In-N-Out at a crazy busy time and my poor mom had to stake out for a table while I went to order food. We made it through the meal though (I even NURSED whilst eating...go Jess!) and had a good time at the Bellagio.
Other highlights:
Frankie started gym class at a real gym this week! She is so athletic and daring that I think she's going to thrive! Within the first minutes of walking into the class though, she wandered over to these little parallel bars they had and toppled over them, landing smack on her face. I saw this happening from afar, and arrived on the scene seconds AFTER she fell...doh! She also had her first fall from her swingset this week. What sucks is that me and her dad were both outside, but thought the other one was watching her. She didn't get hurt really, though....this time! We were lucky, and I vow to be more vigilant when she is climbing up that thing!
One of my favorite moments ever happened one night this week when daddy was home. Me and him and Laynie and Frankie all squooshed into Laynie's bed to sing our lullaby "Johnny's Daddy" together. Frankie just LOVED it. She sat up after we sang and said "Friends.....singing." When I asked her who her friends are she said, "Mommy, Daddy, shee-shee, Fa-fee" as se pointed to each one of us. Me and daddy just awwwwed and hugged her.
We also set up the good old tent this week and told spooky stories when daddy stayed home on Monday. Frankie was so cute holding the flashlight up to her face and saying "Once...ty-eene" for once upon a time, and then "Beee...ennnn" for The End. Nothing in between, just once upon a time and the end. My kinda story!!!
Laynie is finally coming into her own as a big sister. She guides and holds Frankie's hand wherever we go, and has really been entertaining Gabi. The other day she was playing like she was going to tickle Gabi while Gabi was on her swing and Gabi laughed like it was just the funniest thing! It is the best thing ever to see this whole "sister" thing finally happening! Today Laynie put stickers all over Frankie's legs telling her that they were "badges". I'll be darned if I could get Frankie to take them off..even for our outing to the Bellagio! I kinda had to sneak them off one at a time, but she was so proud that she had gotten those!
Frankie has taken to saying EVERYTHING that Laynie does, and Laynie takes full advantage of it by making her say silly phrases that she just makes up like "Poky wawa"....WTH?!?!? Frankie has been roaming the house saying this for weeks now and I did not know what she was saying. Luckily I asked Laynie and she said it was just "something she had made up." Great. Laynie also has made Frankie say "tushie" and "poopie" more times than I care to admit. It is so cute, though! Again, I am just happy to see the sisterly bond so I kinda let some stuff slide if they are having fun.
Gabi has officially started playing in her Jumperoo and boy does she love it! She continues to be the best, most loving and happy baby ever. Only when she is truly tired can I not coax a beautiful smile out of her! It is readily apparent when she is hungry or tired, because she is so happy otherwise that we know something is wrong when she starts being a crank-monster. Her little crying face looks so much like Laynie's! I literally am not going to be able to tell these two apart in their baby pics. She is constantly trying to sit up! She loves watching Yo Gabba Gabba episodes, and she still loves to EAT my little chunk! Daddy has started calling you his little "Chubby", and it is so cute because you ARE and we adore you!
We had a wonderful time last weekend at our church's fair. Daddy had to work before and during it at times because he was performing community service there for a "no passing" ticket he got in Hoover Dam when Mar passed away, but he still had plenty of time to play with us, and I was so happy we were all together...and at a church function! God has his ways of answering prayers, I think.
I'll have to make an effort to blog more often so as not to end up with a novel everytime I make an entry!! Mother's Day this weekend, so I will try to write after the weekend with my thoughts.
Outing #1 was to our friend Olivia's party. This one was a good test run, as it was at my good friend's home who is another fellow mom of three girls (shout-out to Lauren!!) The only mishap happened when I had to take Laynie to the bathroom, during which I got distracted on my way back to the backyard by who knows what and heard a cry I knew could only be Frankie's. It seems she had walked right into the patio table because she couldn't see it due to a sun glare. Other than that, I silently praised myself for bringing everything I needed to feed Gabster, getting food for both girls and actually getting Frankie to eat, and even making Frankie wear a napkin bib to avoid getting herself dirty with dripping watermelon. Those were rookie mistakes I made when I only had two kids...now I'm a pro!! (Yeah, right...until the next time I forget something and/or get to the scene of an accident too late - you'll see what I mean, below)
Outing #2 (and far more complicated) was to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate Laynie's friend Carmella's 6th b-day. I wasn't planning on bringing Gabi to this shin-dig, as I wanted to have FUN with Frankie, but since Gabi is on a bottle-strike...she had to come with. I was so proud that I got Frankie all strapped into a high chair and brought Gabi her Bumbo. I felt like a real mom as I whipped Huggies out of my diaper bag to clean up pizza and frosting and oatmeal from my girls' faces. Sure, I lost Frankie for a few minutes, and had to leave her and Laynie to fend for themselves when I had to rush Gabi into the bathroom for a pooped out diaper...but we all survived...and actually had fun! I thought ahead and brought in the stroller, and even though I got some crazy looks, I strolled Gabi all around the place until she fell asleep. I gathered tickets and fed them one by one into the ticket machine so we could scram once the party was over. I was awesome, and so were the girls!
Tonight Nana and I had another crazy outing (with three....they almost all are this way!) I had promised Laynie I would take her to the Bellagio garden. I decided we'd all go at the last minute, and though I'm glad I made that decision...it was rough going at first. Trying to avoid traffic on I-15, I took the airport exit and ended up going through the acutal airport instead of bypassing it. I then took a series of wrong turns and missed opportunites until we ended up going to eat first..it was getting too late! We got to In-N-Out at a crazy busy time and my poor mom had to stake out for a table while I went to order food. We made it through the meal though (I even NURSED whilst eating...go Jess!) and had a good time at the Bellagio.
Other highlights:
Frankie started gym class at a real gym this week! She is so athletic and daring that I think she's going to thrive! Within the first minutes of walking into the class though, she wandered over to these little parallel bars they had and toppled over them, landing smack on her face. I saw this happening from afar, and arrived on the scene seconds AFTER she fell...doh! She also had her first fall from her swingset this week. What sucks is that me and her dad were both outside, but thought the other one was watching her. She didn't get hurt really, though....this time! We were lucky, and I vow to be more vigilant when she is climbing up that thing!
One of my favorite moments ever happened one night this week when daddy was home. Me and him and Laynie and Frankie all squooshed into Laynie's bed to sing our lullaby "Johnny's Daddy" together. Frankie just LOVED it. She sat up after we sang and said "Friends.....singing." When I asked her who her friends are she said, "Mommy, Daddy, shee-shee, Fa-fee" as se pointed to each one of us. Me and daddy just awwwwed and hugged her.
We also set up the good old tent this week and told spooky stories when daddy stayed home on Monday. Frankie was so cute holding the flashlight up to her face and saying "Once...ty-eene" for once upon a time, and then "Beee...ennnn" for The End. Nothing in between, just once upon a time and the end. My kinda story!!!
Laynie is finally coming into her own as a big sister. She guides and holds Frankie's hand wherever we go, and has really been entertaining Gabi. The other day she was playing like she was going to tickle Gabi while Gabi was on her swing and Gabi laughed like it was just the funniest thing! It is the best thing ever to see this whole "sister" thing finally happening! Today Laynie put stickers all over Frankie's legs telling her that they were "badges". I'll be darned if I could get Frankie to take them off..even for our outing to the Bellagio! I kinda had to sneak them off one at a time, but she was so proud that she had gotten those!
Frankie has taken to saying EVERYTHING that Laynie does, and Laynie takes full advantage of it by making her say silly phrases that she just makes up like "Poky wawa"....WTH?!?!? Frankie has been roaming the house saying this for weeks now and I did not know what she was saying. Luckily I asked Laynie and she said it was just "something she had made up." Great. Laynie also has made Frankie say "tushie" and "poopie" more times than I care to admit. It is so cute, though! Again, I am just happy to see the sisterly bond so I kinda let some stuff slide if they are having fun.
Gabi has officially started playing in her Jumperoo and boy does she love it! She continues to be the best, most loving and happy baby ever. Only when she is truly tired can I not coax a beautiful smile out of her! It is readily apparent when she is hungry or tired, because she is so happy otherwise that we know something is wrong when she starts being a crank-monster. Her little crying face looks so much like Laynie's! I literally am not going to be able to tell these two apart in their baby pics. She is constantly trying to sit up! She loves watching Yo Gabba Gabba episodes, and she still loves to EAT my little chunk! Daddy has started calling you his little "Chubby", and it is so cute because you ARE and we adore you!
We had a wonderful time last weekend at our church's fair. Daddy had to work before and during it at times because he was performing community service there for a "no passing" ticket he got in Hoover Dam when Mar passed away, but he still had plenty of time to play with us, and I was so happy we were all together...and at a church function! God has his ways of answering prayers, I think.
I'll have to make an effort to blog more often so as not to end up with a novel everytime I make an entry!! Mother's Day this weekend, so I will try to write after the weekend with my thoughts.
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