Mon: Hair is always in their faces. // Tues: The girls got a little present in the mail.
Wed: Half naked babies sitting on their new potties.
Thurs: They walked up and down the sidewalk saying "han, han" over and over. I love moments like this - moments when they are actually getting along.
Fri: Swinging in Aunt Patty's tire swing while Daddy helps Uncle Bob.
Sat: A half naked baby reading about one of her favorite characters: Winnie the Pooh!
Sun: Lyla helping Johnny use the potty.
So, I'm sure you've gathered by now, that we started potty training the girls this week. It has been interesting. I tried so hard to be ready and to make sure the girls were ready. I read lots of articles and tried to prepare myself. The articles I found were about the "speed training." You know, like "Potty train your toddler in 3 days!" So that's what I tried. We got the potties and helped the girls pick out their new panties and showed them how to sit on their potties. So on Wednesday when they woke up, I stripped them of their pants and diapers and let them run around the house half naked. Every time they started to potty I whisked them to their potty or the toilet. I reminded them, pretty much constantly, that they needed to sit on their toilets if they had to potty. I tried to put them on their potty every 15 minutes. If they used their potty, I praised them and hugged them and gave them high fives, and sometimes they got a Skittle or a chocolate chip. They seemed to kind of catch on, but I hoped things would go better on Thursday. Thursday, they woke up and I again stripped them of their pants and diapers and we tried again. We had a few accidents, but they really seemed to be catching on. By the weekend, we tried putting the girls in their new panties, and letting them run around. I feel like it went pretty well, but the more I tried this method, and the fact that they were still having the same amount of accidents, I just felt like I was doing it ALL WRONG!!! I was getting so frustrated with the fact that I was doing everything that the articles told me I should be doing, it just didn't seem to be working as fast as they said it would. Of course I knew that accidents are going to happen, but I just kept getting more and more frustrated with the process. I know that potty training is difficult, but I don't think I should wake up in the morning dreading the fact that I was going to have to work on potty training the girls for another day. I KNOW that I set my expectation WAY TOO HIGH for what my girls were ready for. So I called my mom and broke down. I had no idea what I was doing! I knew the method I chose to try potty training was not the right method for us, but I just didn't know what else to do. After talking to her, I woke up this morning (Tuesday) with a new resolve. I put them back in diapers, and kept an eye on the clock, and every 30 - 60 minutes, I would try to get the girls to sit on their potties. If they refused, I didn't make them. If they sat down, I gave them lots of praise for at least trying. We went to the park and once we got to the park I took them to the bathroom. They both tried to go and then we went and played. I have tried really hard today to not bother them too much about going potty. As we were leaving the park, Lyla asked to go "potty." Then on our way home from the park, she asked again to go "potty!!" And by the time I laid them down for their nap, Lyla was still dry. Alya's diaper was a little wet - just like the few accidents she was having on our "naked" or "undies days." So I think it's getting better! I am pretty excited about Lyla's progress. I hope it continues. The thing about this new method that makes me the most happy is that I am not frustrated. I don't have any expectations for the girls to be potty trained in an unreasonable amount of time, and that has taken away SO MUCH stress for me. I feel like I am finally being realistic about the process and I am finally being fair to the girls. I know we are still only on the first day of this "method" but I am feeling good about it. So anyway, wish me luck. Wish them luck! :)
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