The Great Potty Chronicles

Potty Trained!

2009-11-02T19:59:00.000-08:00

Evi has been out of diapers during the day for about a month now. In the beginning we had about a missed pee a day, and then it dwindled to about a miss every other day. Now her only misses seem to be our fault - either we move to slow or think she can't possibly need to go. She puts her poos exclusively in the potty; she is very adamant about that point.

Yesterday, Evi was running around the dining room. She suddenly paused and turned, saying "pee-pee, pee-pee" and ran to her potty in the other room. When I followed her, I found she had started to pee herself in the dining room, stopped, and ran to the potty to finish.

I am officially making the announcement today. Evi's potty trained! Well, at least during the day. Is it considered potty trained if she still pees herself at night?

Back in panties

2009-10-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

I decided a few days ago to restore Evi to her "Diaper Free" status. She hasn't been diaper free since before Guatemala. Because she has been occasionally telling me when she needs to pee or poop, I want to see if she can be officially potty trained. She has done great; we have only had two accidents in three days. I am going to try it for two weeks and then evaluate if its worth continuing. Stay tuned!

Twice is nice.

2009-09-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

It is only 10:00 AM and Evi has told me twice today that she needs to pee and then peed!

Evi is fourteen months today.

2009-09-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

I realize that going four months without blogging can hardly hold one's interest. I can hardly call what a do a blog. I'll call it a slog. Or a bog. Or a bore.

As Evi's vocabulary has budded, she's learned to say "pee-pee." She says pee-pee when she sees the potty, when I ask her if she needs to potty, or - the most revolutionary of all - when she has to pee! The latter has only occurred about four times now. The first time, Samy, Evi, and I woke up from a siesta and after a few moments she began saying "pee-pee, pee-pee, pee-pee." I set her on the potty and the little doodle did her deed.

Evi's other words include agua, leche, gato, doggie, duckie, uh-oh, night-night, mommy, and papi. You can ask her age in English or Spanish and she will proudly raise one finger high. She is walking now and I am following. She unpacks and I pack. Today she pulled nearly an entire box of Kleenex before I noticed. She is fast.

The Perfect Potty Day

2009-05-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day 2009 will go down into history as Evi's first Perfect Potty Day. She kept her diaper clean all night and all day. Not bad for a 10-month, 3-day old.

Samy took Evi in the lake for the first time yesterday. I wanted to swim too, but my toes felt the water and my body said "no way." Despite the cold water, Evi cried for a couple seconds and then was fine. She did great. The swimming at the YMCA seems to have paid off.

Hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend.

Hi again.

2009-05-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in 3 and a half months. So sorry to leave you dangling in the depths of my potty despair. Things have been considerably better than I left them and the Great Potty Chronicles will go on.

Evi crawls everywhere now, but prefers to stand up supported whenever possible. She is very vocal and prefers forbidden items, like stereos and cords, over toys.

Lately we have been back to one or two diapers during the day and one at night. Evi uses the potty much more often than the diaper and she rarely poops in her diaper. It is fantastic.

Serves me right...

2009-02-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

Why is it the minute you brag about your child, they turn? Ever since my post about having a baby who never poops in her diaper, she has presented me with numerous full and stinky diapers. She prefers to do so in front of avid readers of The Great Potty Chronicles, readers who only hours previously had read my brag, I mean, blog.

I'm not eating my words, I am wiping them off her bum.

At least she's peeing in the potty more again.

2009-02-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

Evi conquered her first fear yesterday. Apparently she developed a doggie fear on Saturday, when we visited a neighbor. They have a large and crazy, but very friendly, dog who exploded to the gate upon our arrival . He jumped on the gate barking furiously and happily while we waited outside so he could be put away. The second Evi saw him, her lower lip popped out, she squeezed me tight and started bawling.

I didn't give this episode another thought until she repeated the reaction at a friend's house with their two small and comparably calmer dogs. She had a fear of dogs! Not good considering we would love to have a dog someday. Under our friends' advice, we allowed the dogs to get much closer than Evi was confortable with. We showed her that we were okay with the dogs and she was safe. She gradually got calmer and began reaching out to touch their fur. The second her fingers met the fur, she would jerk them back and shiver.

A few days later, Evi met Max (the original dog) again and after a few tears, settled down and made friends. Yay!

How many times can I say "poop" in one blog?

2009-02-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

The greatest thing about pottying Evi? Catching poops. Lately we miss alot of pees, but we catch ALL the poops. And her poops these days are not small. When she is done on the potty, I just clean the tiniest amount of poop off her bottom. I still feel dainty afterwards!

Here are some bathtime pictures for your enjoyment.

In the subject of water, Evi's first swim class is Thursday. I can hardly contain myself I am so excited. It's at the YMCA and you don't have to be a member to join, so bring your baby and join us! :) We decided to do this when we heard a story about one of Samy's cousins. She was leaving the park with her baby boy and packing up the car. When she turned around, he was gone. She searched frantically until someone saw a diaper floating in the pond; he was upside down in the water. Pulling him out, they tried desperately to revive him for about five minutes to no avail. When she stopped trying and started praying, he coughed water and came to - praise God!

Since Grandma and Grandpa live at the lake, it's important to teach Evi what to do if she fell in. I don't know how detailed this class will be (it's only 4 thirty minute sessions), but I understand you can teach babies to flip over and float on their back if they fall into water. I hope to teach her both respect and enjoyment of the water. What fun the lake will be this summer!

On another note, Evi has started eating some solids. So far she hasn't met a food she doesn't like. Of course, all she has had is avocado, sweet potato, banana, apple, and pees, in that order. I enjoy making her foods; what a $$ savings! That alone makes it worth it.

She eats very enthusiastically.

I know she lacks a bib. I realized it before we started eating, but I was too lazy to go get it.

Hit or Miss

2009-01-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

Besides being newly addicted to the show 24 and enjoying the January lull that follows the holidays, I am still toting Evi to the potty regularly. She is quite the little trooper. Her newfound joy is blowing juicy raspberries, so my arms can get quite soaked while holding her on the potty.

I have kept Evi diapered since the Providence trip. While we were going diaper free alot, lately I miss as many pees as I catch, so it's not worth changing her clothes 20 times a day. Since I said I would only do this as long as I wasn't stressing about it, we are just taking one day at a time, one pee at a time, and I try not to be disappointed when she uses the diaper instead of the potty. The verdict is still out on the whole success of this practice, but again, she is only 5 and a half months old and she has used the potty way more than most 2 year olds! That has to count for something. :)

I'll post more pictures soon (and I'm trying to catch a good video of the raspberries). It's late; I'm going to bed.

Providence...

2008-12-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

This is our friend Hilary with her 9 month baby and Ana with Evi. Hilary, her husband, and two children live in Pennsylvania now and we hadn't seen them since our wedding until we ran into them outside a restaurant in Providence! So exciting.

Evi's first Christmas. She got a little overwhelmed by all the kisses.

Evi's new best friend, second only to the thumb.

Potty Renaissance

2008-12-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

After a week of pee-filled frustration, we're back in the saddle again... on rather, on the potty again. Last Saturday, Evi came down with her first cold, what I know suppose was the culprit of her seeming inability to use the potty. Now, she has resumed diaperlessness. Yay!

2008-12-04T05:46:00.000-08:00

System breakdown.

2008-12-04T05:41:00.001-08:00

Evi is wearing a diaper, has a bit of a rash, and there is nothing in the potty. I'm not sure where the system is breaking down, but it sure is! Before Evi would pee almost as soon as I would put her on the potty, now she does only occasionally. I think that since my shoulder episode, followed by inlaws visiting, I maybe haven't invested the time. But now I have more time again, so I would think it would get better. It hasn't yet! Stay tuned...

BTW

2008-11-18T13:57:00.000-08:00

Here is my official EC line: "It's better in the potty than on the body." I'm thinking shirts and bumper stickers are in order. How many can I put you down for?

Breaking the Silence.

2008-11-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

We reached a milestone today. Evi rolled from her belly to her back. The first time I thought it was a fluke. The second time I saw the determination in her eyes. I knew she disliked "belly time," but I didn't know she disliked it so much that she would do something about it. Is she advancing along in months so quickly that now she feels she can determine for herself? Am I going to find her crib moved to the window because she likes the view ? I prefer to make decisions for her, thank you. Evi, no more milestones without permission; I am enjoying you as you are.

Today marks the end of a 12 day diaper-free strike. We are once again diaper-free, folks. Over the last nearly two weeks, I have been nursing my shoulder due to a case of tendonitis, which led to my shoulder becoming "frozen" in place. Quite painful and very limiting. Both pottying and blogging were out. Evi and I have been primarily holed up in the upstairs of the house. Thank the Lord, Sunday seemed to be the turning point; my range of motion in my arm and shoulder is speedily returning. Today we have once again banished the diaper, though not without consequence; I have already been peed on twice.

And Anita, I will work on your request for more pictures. I know Evi's sweet smile is the only reason people look at the blog anyways.

Writer's Block

2008-10-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

It is getting harder to blog this experience. I don't want to get redundant. So great; Evi pees in the potty! What now? It's been a great week for it though. I've been dabbling in the thought of trying it while we are out and about town, but I don't think we will for a while. Maybe when the duration between pees gets a bit longer. We are still at about 30 - 35 minutes between potty breaks, unless she is napping; then, she can go a couple hours.

BTW, I have been realizing that we are down to using about 1-2 diapers a day when we are home most of the day - one overnight and one if we go out for a bit. What a cost savings! We haven't bought diapers in a while!

So, since I would love to make a convert, let me tell you - if you want to save money on diapers, try just catching a few pees or poops! Each one you catch is a diaper saved. Sweet!

Iron Man, a Giggle, and a Poop

2008-10-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

The most exciting scene of Iron Man was eclipsed tonight by Evi's first giggle. Grandma was swinging Evi's arms about and engaging her in silly conversation and noises. When I heard it, a second passed before it registered what had happened, because what popped out of her sounded so natural and normal. Then I looked at Mom and said, "Was that her first giggle???" Indeed, we think it was; although we tried for a repeat performance to no avail.

We shall try again tomorrow.

In the middle of said movie, Grandpa held Evi on his lap a bit, during which time she decided to poop quite loudly. Knowing Evi's potential diaperlessness, Grandpa passed Evi off like a hot potato. She was, in fact, wearing a diaper, but you can see the fear that this practice can instill in your guests!

Getting peed on...

2008-10-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

I missed blogging all of last week! I will do better than that! I promise. Now I have to update you. Last week was kind of busy, so we didn't go diaper free very much, but I still took Evi to the potty when I thought about it. Sunday and Thursday I got peed on (I hear you snickering.). Sunday, I am convinced she peed on me out of spite. Five minute previously, I had given her a chance to use the potty; she politely declined. I then proceeded to clean her eye mucous, which she hates. She quickly put a stop to that by emptying her bladder onto my lap. Little stinker.

The Thursday pee was more caused by my not paying attention. We had been airing out her little bum (the more I diaper it, the more dry her skin becomes), and I was distracted by cooking. When I set her on my lap, she peed on me! I have found that if I set her on the potty about every 30 minutes, she is normally ready to give a little pee.

On Saturday, we went for our first little car trip. River turned four and we celebrated in North Carolina at a park. The trip took the entire day and Evi had only three potty opportunities; 9:00 AM, 5:00 PM, and 10 PM. The cool part was she didn't poop in her diaper once, only in the potty on those rare opportunites.

She isn't arching her back anymore like she had been. That makes things a little easier.

Exerting her will

2008-10-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well, I never realized how early children start exerting their wills, but I can say for sure that Evi has a will of her own already! As she is growing stronger, placing her on the potty is becoming a bit harder. She enjoys arching her back and stiffening her entire body, so as to make it impossible for me to set her on her potty. It will be interesting to see how we work through this one, as she is only getting stronger and more in control of her body every day!

Brain Spurt.

2008-10-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

So everyone talks about growth spurts, but after observing Evi these last few days, I think there must be such a thing as a brain spurt. During these last three days, not only has she been completely diaper free for hours on end (with no accidents!), she has also begun to roll to her side, mastered the fine art of thumb sucking, and started interacting much more with objects around her. She is beginning to reach for toys and just seems much more visually stimulated by things around her. She is more content to lay by herself with less need to be held. Sad, I know. My baby is growing up!

Amazing.

2008-10-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have to share my excitement, because Evi stayed dry from morning till evening yesterday! In the morning around 9:00 am, I got out of bed to potty Evi and found that she had pooped a little in her diaper. Since she generally has more even if I miss a little, we continued on to the Baby Bjorn, where she completely emptied her bladder. Afterwards, I decided to air out her little bum for a while (great preventative measure against diaper rash!) and allowed her to go diaper free, offering occasional "pottytunities" just in case. Each time, she would empty what bit she had in her bladder. Around noon, I decided to put a coverless cloth diaper on her, so if I missed a pee, it would still be caught in something, but I would know it right away. Evi stayed completely dry until we left around six in the evening for dinner with my parents and then a game night at our friends' house.

Staying dry while we are out and about town is a different challenge that we haven't mastered yet! I still give her pottytunities, but tuning in is difficult with so many distractions. If I figure it out, I'll let you know! :)

So yesterday marked the first day we stayed clean for so long all at once with no missed pees. Evi, you amaze me more everyday.

On a non-potty note, Evi is growing everyday; she is getting quite long (don't know where she gets that one from!). She has been able to hold her head up well for quite a while now and every day she gets better at finding that elusive thumb. She is quite a personality; if you talk to her, her dinnerplate eyes will meet yours, and she will stare intently into your eyes, drinking in everything you say. Then she'll respond with all kinds of squeals, squeaks, and gurgles. We are still waiting for that first giggle. I'll let you know when that happens. When she gets super excited, her legs start pumping and she twists back and forth. Evi loves when I sing to her; I suppose she doesn't know anybetter. ha ha! It even calms her down sometimes. She does not like to be put on her belly, but I try to occasionally to give her practice in lifting her head.

Crying on the potty.

2008-10-07T14:24:00.001-07:00

Sometimes, Evi will cry if I take her to the potty. My potty book, "Diaper Free Baby," says to respect if the baby tells you "no" when you put her on the potty, but I have found that not all cries are "no's." I just have to evaluate the situation to decide if I keep her on the potty or not. Sometimes she is crying because of the discomfort of pooping, and when I continue to hold her on the potty, she will eventually get it out and then light up the room with a huge grin. Those cries have more of a complaining tone to them.

If her cry on the potty really is communicating anguish, I will take her off the potty, even if I am convinced she needs to go. I suppose it is far better for her to use her diaper backup than to create negative associations with her potty. This happens mostly during the nighttime - the hardest time, I find, for practicing EC.

Success! And failure...

2008-10-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

So, we began the trek into toilet independence on August 22nd with many ups and downs. Often, I'll have days where I catch every poop and quite a few pees. And then there are the days where I miss almost everything! But thank goodness for the diaper backup that I have chosen to use. There are some more courageous EC mothers who don't use any type of diaper, but I am not that good! ha ha!

EC benefit #1 - Save $$$ on diapers. One great thing about EC is I am able to keep Evi in the same disposable diaper much longer, because, when I know she needs to use the potty, I can take the diaper off her and put her on the potty. When she is done, I wipe her up and put the same clean diaper back on her. And there are those occasional times I don't put a diaper on her at all - mostly for 20 or 30 minutes after she has used the potty. I make sure during those times that I am not too distracted to noticed her (sometimes subtle) signals that she has to go.

Also, while many conventionally potty trained children stay in diapers until 3 years old, I believe Evi will be able to use the potty independently much earlier, thus saving money due to the shortened duration of diaper use. But that is yet to be seen. Stay tuned!

The first attempt!

2008-10-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

The number one principle that I just had to try is to take the baby to pee right after they awaken, because babies will rarely pee in deep sleep. Before they pee, they will generally begin to wake up and may start squirming or crying.

So the next afternoon after rereading portions of the book, I waited for Evi to wake up from a nap. When she did, I (feeling slightly - no, very foolish) began to remove her diaper and carry her to the bathroom. There, I suspended her over the toilet and began to wait... quite prepared for nothing to happen. Before I had time to blush, embarrassed at the failure of my silly, silly ideas, I heard a tiny tinkle-tinkle-tinkle. To top it off, Evi immediately finished it off with a grand POOOOP.

I felt a quiver in my gut. What had just happened? Surely it could not have worked on the first try! But I had the proof in the potty. Whoa.

So, for the historical record, Evi utilized the potty for her first time on her one month birthday - August 22, 2008.

The first month...

2008-10-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

So, for the first month of Evi's life, I completely forgot all the principles of EC. All...of...them. I felt overwhelmed by the prospect of doing it and bummed out because I had been so excited about it! I couldn't visualize HOW in the WORLD I could make this practice applicable to my daily life.

One evening on my way home, I chatted with my friend Meagan and we discussed it a little bit. Talking it over with her remotivated me to make this craziness work! That same evening, I sat in bed and reread all the principles in the book. I began remembering concepts I had completely forgotten and seeing ways that Evi and I might be able to incorporate it into our daily life.

The nice thing about EC is that everyone doesn't have to do it the same way. One person might start it in the hospital after delivery; another might wait for 6 months old; while a third might begin at the first birthday!

In the beginnning, reality struck.

2008-10-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Once I read about the elimination communication idea, it sounded just interesting enough that I had to find out more. I started following links and looking for books. I ordered the book, "The Diaper Free Baby" by Ingrid Bauer. The cover shows a wee naked babe sporting a bandanna seated in tall green grass, presumabley "diaper-free." Perfect.

Reading the book heightened my resolve; why not save money and the environment by using fewer diapers? Heck, why not have a child using the toilet independently by 18 months (more or less). What really could I lose by trying? I was pumped to try it!

And then I gave birth to a child and reality set in. I was healing from labor; my sciatic nerve made any moving horribly painful; between feedings, trying to find time to sleep, and trying to understand my new role as MOTHER, I am supposed to understand my baby and know when she needs to poop???? Bahahahhahah!

Thankfully, elimination communication is a very forgiving, pliable practice!

Backing up...

2008-10-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

So, I am a little late in starting this blog. Who'd have known how time consuming motherhood is? Regardless, I am going to try to catch you up over the next few days. For the sake of a brief overview, I gave birth to my first child, Evi Izabel, on July 22, 2008. Before she arrived, I had happened upon the random internet article detailing the previously unheard of (for me!) idea of elimination communication (EC), basically an alternative to the practice of diapering. So, now that she is here and we have been practicing it (in one form or another) for a little over a month now, I have decided to blog my experience for my own historical point-of-reference and for anybody else out there who might care (Anyone? Anyone?).