Potty Ponderings

It feels like just when my daughter accomplishes something it's time to move on to the next milestone.  She is growing up so fast and I know that every parent says that, but now that I am one, I totally understand.  

At my daughter's 18 month check up her pediatrician told me that it would be appropriate to start potty training her if she showed some of the signs of being ready.  After telling the doc about how she is very interested in what mommy does in the bathroom she suggested that we could start trying.  

I didn't want to push things, diapers are still okay, and for goodness sake she was only 18 months old.  Most people don't start until their children are at least two.  So, I decided to wait.  That was until what happened a couple of days ago.

My husband called me into the bathroom where I found my daughter sitting on the toilet (seat down) with a piece of tp in her hand making grunting sounds.  Then after she climbed off the toilet she went to flush the toilet.  My husband and I just looked at each other and we knew what the other was thinking before a word was spoken.  It's time!

So I went to Walmart and got a potty seat to put on the toilet along with a step stool to climb up onto the toilet.  I got stickers and found a potty reward chart online. I got some picture books about potty training at the library.  And finally, I got some training pants.  We were ready.

I explained to the Peanut that we were going to try to start using the big girl potty.  I gave her the full run down on how this was going to work and then the fun started.  

I found that she became very proficient at getting up onto the potty and sitting there, but there was no pee or poop.  That's okay right, she has to get used to sitting up there.  Then tonight we saw her take a step in the right direction.

My husband and I filled her full of fluids and right after dinner we took her to the potty.  The diaper came off and she climbed up onto the toilet seat and sat there.  After getting a little restless she climbed down, moved her step stool over to the sink and motioned to brush her teeth.  We got her the toothbrush and she started brushing, but as she was brushing she decided to pee too.  We quickly swooped her up and put her on the potty toothbrush and all and, yes, it happened.  She tinkled in the toilet!  It was just a few drops, but she did it!  My husband and I were so excited and she got pretty excited too.  We wiped, she got off the potty and flushed and my husband presented her with her reward, a sparkly princess sticker and that is when she peed all over the floor.

Accidents are going to happen.  We know that and we don't even care that she she did pee all over the floor.  What's more important is that she actually tinkled in the potty!  

A New View

I recently had recommitted to being more consistent in posting and then I let three weeks go by with nary a word.  I really am not trying to make excuses, but I think I have a good one.  We moved.  We moved and I have an 18 month old and a puppy, so I might have a good reason for not posting.  Moving with a toddler and a puppy was a little challenging, but we had a lot of help from family.  They entertained the Peanut and puppy while my husband and I unpacked.

The move went very well.  We got of our little condo and into our house without a hitch.  We've been in the house now for a little over two weeks and it feels like we have been here forever.  And it is wonderful being in a house.

I'm thankful for our condo and having had it the past few years, but our little family was starting to outgrow it.       Now, I am thankful for our house.

Every morning I used to sit at our dining room table and look out our patio door while I drank my coffee.  I had a lovely view of the building across the way, the parking lot, a couple of trees and the sky.  No complaints here, I just loved looking outside.  Now, I sit at my kitchen table and look outside to our backyard.  I see vines growing on the fence, the crystal clear pool, blooming lantana, and an occasional bird flying by. I like the new view.

A New Friend

Let me introduce you to our family's newest addition, Oswald.  My husband and I had been discussing getting a dog and we finally just broke down and did it.  He is a rescue dog that we got from the shelter and let me tell you, he is a very good dog.

It hasn't been all smooth sailing since he joined our little family last week.  We've had multiple visits to the vet at the shelter to fix sutures that opened and we've had accidents while trying to house break him.  At first, my daughter wasn't completely sure about him either, but that's changed though.  Overall, it's been more good than anything.

My daughter has really become attached to him so fast.  They follow each other around the house and she already has figured out how to use his toys to play with him.  She also has been helping us train him and has a few commands down.

The people that we have met along the way have been great too.  I am learning that "dog people" are some of the nicest people around.  Everywhere we go people come up to us and tell us what a sweet dog he is and you know what, they're right.  It's amazing how fast he has become a part of our family and a good friend.