Adventures in Potty Training – The Dreaded #2
Elijah has been accident free as far as urine is concerned for two days now, and we have limited our false alarms. Mike and I could not be more proud! It took us some time to get there though. I cancelled most of what I had to do this week and on Sunday I nearly had a melt-down for lack of getting out and the incessant running to the toilet what seemed like every five minutes. Today I have finally allowed myself to think that there will be a day I can leave my house with my toilet trained son!
However, I didn’t realize there were so many phases to potty training.
We have been having some trouble in the Number 2 department. Elijah is not at all resistant to the idea. He actually very much would like to go poop on the potty, but for some reason it is very difficult for him. He will let us know he needs to use the toilet, sit and try, but usually ends his attempt with a whimper and plea to be removed from the toilet. We’ve also noticed he’s not going as much as he usually does (little scary!). He usually attempts this a couple of times before he melts into tears, at which point we ask if he needs a diaper. Once the diaper is on, he can go, but continues to cry throughout the process because it’s not what he really wanted to do in the first place.
Today was difficult, especially because he was able to have a very small bowel movement in the potty yesterday. Yesterday he was so proud. Today he went through the same cycle (as described above) but once he went in his diaper, he walked up to his chart with tears streaming down his face pointing to the sticker he knew he couldn’t have, and the car he wasn’t getting any closer to. He kept saying “poo poo – sticker – car.” It literally broke Mike and I’s hearts.
We knew it was less about the stickers and car and more about the fact that he thought he disappointed us, or that he knew he wasn’t able to do something that he really wanted to do . . . yet. We stood there with tears in our eyes trying to console a little boy who so desperately wanted to be “big,” but was still struggling with the process.
I had no idea potty training could be such an emotional experience.
Why am I writing this entry you ask? Because when I looked up information about potty training – I got the standard stuff from pretty much every source. You don’t get to hear the stories of individual victories and challenges. True, your experience will not be my experience, but I know that the ideas I’ve gotten from other moms and dads in person and on Facebook have been invaluable . . . a little trick here or there . . . all things I generally wouldn’t have ever thought about. Did I use all of them? No. But some of them were really great.
I also know that I have a terrible memory and am pretty positive I won’t have a clue about how to do this with Noah. At this moment I’m wishing I had taken detailed notes on nursing . . . :).