Potty Training | One Month In

So.  We've survived a month.  

It has been exactly one month since I blogged about our 3-day training success (HERE).  While the 3-day method is effective in getting the idea of going potty out there, it wasn't a one-and-done type deal.. for us anyway.  At the end of the third day we were definitely trained-ish.    

Week ONE: We rarely left the house (I was terrified, actually) and we spent a lot of time (A LOT) on the potty.  We still were having accidents more than once a day, and I honestly wasn't sure how to fuss with it outside the home just yet.  While this was all new to Parker and Jolie, I'm a first-timer myself, so I was learning how to go about all this as well. To keep up with the underwear we were going through, I was doing a load of laundry every evening after the girls went to bed. 

The girls were very unsure of using the 'big' potty, and there was no way we could convince them of attempting number two in anywhere else but a diaper.

We didn't wear much more than a tank top and panties for most of the day at this point. 

Week TWO: Much improvement from the first week!  We began to sleep through nap without a wet diaper, and felt comfortable with the idea that 'yes, I do have to go potty'.  They began to tell me when they needed to go, instead of me having to prompt them often throughout the day. Parker found success pretty quickly, and week number two is when she stopped having accidents all together.  Jolie, however, continued to have an accident about once or twice a day.  There was a 4 day period when Jordan and I seriously discussed putting Jolie back into a diaper.  She acted like she was stressed out over the potty, and would potty on the tile/carpet/sofa and refused to come and tell me and fussed when I asked her about the potty. She was such a rockstar during the first week, so we were all confused as to what was going on with her and what caused the minor regression, but just about the time we decided, yes, lets put her back onto a diaper for now, the accidents stopped.

We left the house for the first time.. and used the public restroom out of necessity.  The girls did absolutely fabulous!  We finally used the 'big' potty without a peep of complaint, and danced our little hearts out in the bathroom stall in excitement over it.  

Week THREE: We made our first trip to the church nursery since we started potty training.  AND we did it!!  I was so proud of my girls.  Walking to there class to pick them up in the same outfit that I dropped them off in made me a proud momma.  I stressed the entire church service, and even had anxiety walking to pick them up - but I shouldn't have doubted them for one minute!

Leaving the house became much easier.  I brought 2-3 pairs of pants and several pairs of panties along for errands any time we left the house, but rarely if ever had to use them.

Parker finally used the 'big' potty to go number 2.   Up until this point the girls were going 1-2 times a day at their normal time (first thing in the morning and then usually at nap) in their diaper.  This particular morning, Parker woke up with just a wet diaper, and shortly after her morning smoothie came to tell me she needed to go.  I was WAY proud.  Is it weird to be proud of poop?  Because I totally was.

Jolie has yet to go number 2 in the potty.  

We taught them how to 'wipe'.  Surprisingly they picked this action and 'requirement' up in a snap.  Parker requests the toilet paper immediately after finishing, and wipes herself and throws it in the toilet.  Of course mom does a quick inspection to make sure we are good before we pull up our britches.  

We are usually DOUSED in hand sanitizer.  Especially when we are out and have to use to public potty.  One thing I've had to basically 'get-over' is the fact that my kids are going to touch the toilet.  After all - the act of going potty and everything that goes along with it (toilet, toilet water, panties, girly parts, and flushing the potty) has been glorified as GOOD, so why would they think any different?  

At any given time I have at least three bottles of hand sanitizer in my bag for fear I run out while we are away from home and a bucket-o-suds.   

Week FOUR: We are wearing panties about 90% of the time.  We wear diapers at nap time and at bed time, although nap time we are nearly always dry. Going without the diapers at nap is the next step, but I don't think we are quite there, yet. There is very little prompting to go potty at this point, the girls most always tell us when they need to go.  If we leave the lamp on in the bathroom, we can help take their panties off for them, and they'll take off to the bathroom to do their business on their own - which is insanely convenient.  The girls have become very curious.  We have found them without panties on at all, playing all over the house, half nakey, and I've even found Jolie, of all babes, on the toilet.  I've read that this curiosity is basically because of all the attention we have given this entire process, and the ease of taking on and off their own panties.  Just last night Jolie brought me her underwear to have me help her get back into them, and it was later that I realized what she had done.  She had taken off her panties, gone potty, and come back for mom to help.  She'd done it all on her own.

We are in a good place with potty training right now. We still have some boundaries to overcome.  Number 2 is a struggle, getting easier, but still a struggle.  Breaking the diapers at nap and bed time will be the next hurdle.

 Things can only get better (right??) and I couldn't be more proud of my sweet littles.