The Potty Training Adventures of Livy!!!

So...on April 26, 2012, we embarked on a new adventure in the Barnwell house!!! Fun times are sure to come from this new journey...but it will def be a while. Here is the story of Livy and how she slated the diaper monster!!!

So, last Thursday (April 26), I put Livy down for a nap. I kept hearing her talking and playing, but it was all very quiet. I didn't go in her room bc she just needs a break and doesn't sleep. About 1.5 hours into her nap I decided to go check on her. Well, she was bare butt in her bed!!! She was all excited about this, and I was fearful I would have a huge mess to clean up. She has done this several times in the last 2 months and today I just decided we were done with diapers. I was planning on potty training Livy the following week anyway, so we started a week early!!

We threw the diaper away first. Then I went and got one of Olivia's babies that could pee. We went into the bathroom and talked about big girls and how they use a big girl potty. I showed her the babydoll and we practiced with it using the potty several times. Livy also had to make the baby pee. Then I told her that she was going to wear big girl underwear and start using the potty. I let her know that when she tried sitting on the potty, she would get 1 M&M and if she pee peed or pooped she would get something special (Starburst, Smarties, cookie, brownie, whatever I had that was full of sugar!!).

So the adventure began. She sat on the potty and got 1 M&M. Nothing. We set a timer and every 15 minutes we did this sane routine...sit on potty, try to go pee pee, get M&M. We did this for over an hour and nothing.
Finally we decided to go outside for a bit. Our neighbors were out so we played with them. While outside, Livy kept grabbing herself. My neighbor, Chris, took her inside to potty. Nothing. Back outside and she starts grabbing herself again...go inside and try. Nothing. And again we do this but nothing. She was still doing it after the third time and you could tell she had to go so I took her home to try on her little potty and see of that would work. We were at home probably 20 mins sitting on the potty and nothing. So, we decided to go back outside. Not 5 mins after we got outside, Livy peed all over herself. So...we went home to get cleaned up to try again!!!

Later that night, Livy was holding herself again and I knew she had to go so I sat her on the potty and read books and sang to her...trying to relax her!! Not long after that she finally peed in the potty!!! And celebration broke out all through the house!!!

I ended up putting her back in her diaper for bed.

Friday (4/27), we started all over. We got up, threw away the yucky diaper, and picked out a new pair of underwear. We tried using the potty first thing but nothing happened. I set my timer and was ready for a fun day when I see a very upset little girl walking slowly out of her room. She had peed on her floor...so, we ran to the potty. We talked about how yucky the pee was and how yucky her clothes are. We again said that pee goes in the potty. We cleaned up the mess and tried again.

So...watching more closely this time, we went to the potty every 15 mins. Nothing was happening so I started cleaning up some. I was still stopping to take Livy to the potty. I could tell she was acting different this time so I was trying to read books and sing songs to her when she was on the potty, trying the same strategy I used the night before. I knew she had to go. So...we were going more frequently. After we were both getting frustrated she ran out of the bathroom and onto the couch. I was cleaning up something and when I came into the living room a minute later, I saw that same look on her face that I had seen earlier. She was peeing on the couch!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....I ran to try and grab her off but it was too late. Man, I was a little upset at this point. I put her on the potty and told her to stay there while I tried to see if I could clean up the mess. I was losing my patience at this point but luckily, people on Facebook kept telling me to try and that it takes time. I need to remind myself of that for the next one. It doesn't happen in a day no matter how much I want it too!!

So...we continued through the day. Livy did have an accident in her bed during naptime but that was the last one of the day!!! She peed twice on the potty and actually pooped in her underwear...but I wasn't upset by that bc most people say their kids won't even poop in underwear, they have to put them back in diapers. So we were making progress!! I again, put her back in a diaper that night to sleep and will probably do so for a while bc she is usually soaked in the morning.

Saturday (4/28), we had a low key morning. I needed to go to the store for a few items but was waiting for Livy to potty bc I didn't want any accidents in the car. Well...it got to be like 11:00am and she still hadn't peed so I decided to go anyway. We went to Aldi and got all our groceries with no problems until we got to the check-out line and someone started grabbing themselves. I asked Livy if she needed to potty and she said yes. We had brought the little potty so we moved out buggy to the side and ran out to the car. Livy sat on the potty in the car like 10 minutes and nothing. So...we went back inside. We paid for our groceries and then sat back on the potty in the car bc it seemed she needed to go. She didn't. We got back in the car and went to get lunch...then headed home. We did have to stop in a parking lot on the way home bc Livy said she needed to pee...but nothing. So we finally made it home...No accidents!!! As soon as we got home, she peed on the potty!!! YAY!!! So I was totally excited!!! She got to enjoy part of the Chick-fil-a milkshake for going out without an accident!!! I was stoked!!

After lunch it was time for nap...she stayed dry throughout her entire naptime too!!!! So excited...and it was a 3 hour nap too!!! So...she did great the rest of the day. We even went out to dinner at PF Chang's for Jay's bday and after going to try about 10 times, she peed in the potty there too!!! I was so proud of her!!! And she even pooped on the potty all by herself after we got back from dinner!!!

Sunday (4/29), we skipped church bc we didn't want her to pee in the nursery and wasn't sure how she would do without someone reminding her to go potty. She was still doing great. She even started telling me when she needed to go. She didn't always need to potty the first time but soon after!!! We headed to Walmart to get her a prize for doing so good. She picked out a shopping cart and some new My Little Pony underwear!!! We made it all the way home without any accidents again!!!

And we have continued to do pretty well with the potty. We have had a few other accidents...like peeing in the back of the car on the seat and peeing in Walmart at the checkout line...but, overall, she has done an awesome job in a short amount of time!! Go Livy!!