The potty training has worked! Ander is doing extremely well and I can scarcely believe it. The first few days were some of the most difficult days of my life as a mother (I am not joking). Ander wasn't trained in 3 days, as Lora Jensen's e-book states, but on day 5 it clicked and today day 8, he's doing awesome. Of course there are accidents, but he's doing really well. I did go back to diapers at night, though. Once we get the days really well, I will try nights again. Pooping is also difficult to time for him, but he told me immediately after he pooped that he had gone and we went in and changed him. I praised him a lot for telling me.
Ander even went in a public restroom yesterday when his grandparents took him out (they brought his potty chair along to take to the restroom). I still have to keep him nearby me, because when he says he has to go, you have to move fast! I also have to remind him often to tell mommy when he has to go.
I think it took me a few days to get in the right mode for training Ander, so I'm not sure if I was the best coach at first. This challenging experience taught me a lot about myself and helped me to grow a lot as a mom. I feel more prepared for having two kids and now know how to keep Ander involved in what I am doing.
Before the potty training started, I was often glad when Ander would go play in his room by himself so I could get things done. Since we've had to stay side-by-side this week, many times I closed the door to Ander's bedroom so he couldn't go off alone to potty or poop. This made me realize the value of doing things as a family: laundry, making meals, sweeping, cleaning the bathroom, etc. A lot of laughter and sharing takes place during those times! I thought about when my kids are teenagers and want to go spend time alone in their rooms a lot, I would like to require us to have some family time--hopefully most days where bedrooms are off-limits and we are altogether for maybe a half hour or so even if it's doing chores together. It makes me glad for our little apartment and that we get to have a lot of "togetherness".
We praise Ander for now being a "big boy" using underwear and not a diaper. When I started using this phrase with him, "big boy", I didn't really think of him as a big boy, but still my baby. But now when I pat his bottom and there's no diaper under his pants, just underwear I am surprised by my son's growth and development. When Ander says "pee" in a quiet voice and we go into the bathroom and he actually goes I am amazed and I look at my son and think "He is a big boy!"
I do recommend Lora Jensen's method, but it is not easy! It's great if you understand the difficulty potentially involved in this kind of short-term training for a young child and you are willing to persevere. The best part about it was the mentoring they have on their website. When you pay the $26 for the ebook you have access to their mentoring. They were so encouraging. I probably would have given up without the creative suggestions and encouragement from the mentor I had.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Potty Training Update
I think I do recommend Lora Jensen's 3-Day potty training if you are very serious about training your little one completely in a very short period of time. I stopped doing the training during the night and at naps, so I don't expect to see such quick results, but we're making progress and Ander is doing slightly better. We're on day 4, but I've followed the method quite close enough to have seen the promised results. It is an exhausting program!
I was about to give up completely at the end of day 3, but I read this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kirsten-dirksen/who-decides-when-to-potty_b_265227.html
Brenton and I like to "stick it to the man" whenever we can. We hate it when Wallstreet, big corporations and the like rule our lives. The article explains that children used to be potty trained in America a lot sooner and they still are potty trained earlier all around the world--it's the diaper manufacturers who have us believing we should wait to train our children later and later. Grrrrr...so I hope to stick it to the man this time, the diaper man-unfacturers. I'm still going to try my best to potty train my son at 23 months.
I was about to give up completely at the end of day 3, but I read this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kirsten-dirksen/who-decides-when-to-potty_b_265227.html
Brenton and I like to "stick it to the man" whenever we can. We hate it when Wallstreet, big corporations and the like rule our lives. The article explains that children used to be potty trained in America a lot sooner and they still are potty trained earlier all around the world--it's the diaper manufacturers who have us believing we should wait to train our children later and later. Grrrrr...so I hope to stick it to the man this time, the diaper man-unfacturers. I'm still going to try my best to potty train my son at 23 months.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
In The Throws of Potty Training
We just finished Day 2 of a 3 Day Potty Training Method by Lora Jensen recommended for children ages 22 months and up. Here is a link to the website: http://www.3daypottytraining.com/
I will write in a couple days about whether or not I actually recommend this method. Jensen says it is totally realistic for a 22 month-old to be potty trained for day time and night time (Ander is now 23 months). She has you throw out all the diapers and go straight to underwear and a t-shirt. As much as possible you stay around the house for those 3 days and totally focus on your child and taking them to the potty when they start to go. All day long you say "Tell Mommy when you need to go potty, okay?" and do checks for underwear dryness praising the child every time you find their underwear dry. You do not take the child to the potty regularly, you teach them to tell you when they need to go. Of course you do all of this with love, encouragement, patience, praise, rewards, etc.
I wish I could have blogged last night to write about day 1, but I was too exhausted and frustrated to do anything but go to bed! I will try to summarize day 1: intense! We started the day by looking together for all of Ander's diapers in our apartment. We threw them in a bag to take to Ander's friend Baby Emma (9 month old). Ander was very excited about this and about all the "big boy" attention he received. He likes the characters on his new underwear: Nemo, Wallee, Mickey, Elmo, Oscar, etc. I spent the morning following Ander around and trying not to leave him for a second because then he would try to potty and I would miss the chance to grab him up and run him to the bathroom. He did not tell me he needed to go potty, sometimes he would start to go and then say "uh-oh". Then once I scooped him up, he would stop urinating, not continue on the potty and hold it for a couple more minutes and then start again--not fully emptying his bladder. He really does not want to go in the big boy potty! By nap time Ander was totally exhausted from all of this back and forth to the potty. He woke up from his nap soaked and I took him to the potty while he was still sleepy and he actually went in it a whole bunch. I made a huge deal, but that was the only time he went potty in the potty chair all day. In the afternoon, I relaxed more and had Brenton spend more time with Ander. This really didn't work, Jensen's method says it should really be just one person doing the training. I was really getting tired of spending so much time with Ander, every second trying to be with him. Also, we didn't go out except for a little walk down the road. Ander's last accident was in his pajammas right after I put him to bed he did call me and tell me "mamá, pipí!". I felt like giving up at the end of the first day. I felt confused, doubted whether I was doing the right thing, desperate to hear from God.
I woke Ander up one hour after he went to bed to put him on the potty and to remind him to tell Mommy when he has to go potty. He didn't go then, but just fussed and went back to sleep. Ander had one accident during the night and woke me up at about 3:30 am. I had layered 3 sheets and waterproof pads so I could be prepared for accidents during the night. Thankfully, that was the only one. Jensen recommends waking the child up also 1 hour before their normal wake up time to go potty again. I didn't do this because I could see Ander was so exhausted from the first day that if he was fatigued we would not have much success (and I was exhausted too and wanted to sleep--hey I'm almost 7 months pregnant!).
Day 2: I woke up with renewed strength and had received a touch from God, that was unlike anything I'd experienced in awhile. I prayed with desperation after day one and cried out to God for wisdom and love for my son. I woke up with so much more love for Ander and for others than I had had the day before. Amazing! My heart was soft towards Ander and I really felt like I was shepherding him through the day with love and encouragement. We had a very fun day together, just being together and doing little projects around the apartment. We did go outside to play for about a half hour in the morning. We went through probably 13 or 14 pairs of underwear and did 3 loads of laundry today (2 mostly from accidents). Ander did seem very determined today not to wet his underwear, but equally determined not to release in the potty. He tried so hard to hold it! He woke up in the morning dry and held his potty from I'm guessing 3 am until 9:30 am when the dribbles started happening again. I felt really bad for him! He has not pooped since the morning of day 1 (before we had started potty training). He soaked himself at his afternoon nap again, being alone and asleep he finally released and went potty.
My frustration level is up again and I am having doubts. For example, is this going to cause my son to have sleep problems if he knows he can get me up any time to take him potty during the night? Will this become a game? Will all of this work be undone when baby Mirren is born? Ander did not go in the potty at all today, other than a drop! But we made a huge deal about that drop and praised him a lot! We've given him prizes.
Something funny is I made a chart before we started potty training and it was supposed to be every time he pooped in the potty he could put up a sticker. Now I am at the point if he will just say "peepee" or "poopoo" and we go to the bathroom together he gets a sticker. One good thing, right before bedtime I felt like something changed in Ander and he realized it was a "fun thing" to go to the potty. This could help us a lot tomorrow!
Whew! I will write more hopefully by the end of tomorrow about how this has finally clicked and Ander is really doing well going to the potty. Please Jesus, PLEASE!!! I'm ready to go pray for more strength, love and wisdom. Goodnight.
I will write in a couple days about whether or not I actually recommend this method. Jensen says it is totally realistic for a 22 month-old to be potty trained for day time and night time (Ander is now 23 months). She has you throw out all the diapers and go straight to underwear and a t-shirt. As much as possible you stay around the house for those 3 days and totally focus on your child and taking them to the potty when they start to go. All day long you say "Tell Mommy when you need to go potty, okay?" and do checks for underwear dryness praising the child every time you find their underwear dry. You do not take the child to the potty regularly, you teach them to tell you when they need to go. Of course you do all of this with love, encouragement, patience, praise, rewards, etc.
I wish I could have blogged last night to write about day 1, but I was too exhausted and frustrated to do anything but go to bed! I will try to summarize day 1: intense! We started the day by looking together for all of Ander's diapers in our apartment. We threw them in a bag to take to Ander's friend Baby Emma (9 month old). Ander was very excited about this and about all the "big boy" attention he received. He likes the characters on his new underwear: Nemo, Wallee, Mickey, Elmo, Oscar, etc. I spent the morning following Ander around and trying not to leave him for a second because then he would try to potty and I would miss the chance to grab him up and run him to the bathroom. He did not tell me he needed to go potty, sometimes he would start to go and then say "uh-oh". Then once I scooped him up, he would stop urinating, not continue on the potty and hold it for a couple more minutes and then start again--not fully emptying his bladder. He really does not want to go in the big boy potty! By nap time Ander was totally exhausted from all of this back and forth to the potty. He woke up from his nap soaked and I took him to the potty while he was still sleepy and he actually went in it a whole bunch. I made a huge deal, but that was the only time he went potty in the potty chair all day. In the afternoon, I relaxed more and had Brenton spend more time with Ander. This really didn't work, Jensen's method says it should really be just one person doing the training. I was really getting tired of spending so much time with Ander, every second trying to be with him. Also, we didn't go out except for a little walk down the road. Ander's last accident was in his pajammas right after I put him to bed he did call me and tell me "mamá, pipí!". I felt like giving up at the end of the first day. I felt confused, doubted whether I was doing the right thing, desperate to hear from God.
I woke Ander up one hour after he went to bed to put him on the potty and to remind him to tell Mommy when he has to go potty. He didn't go then, but just fussed and went back to sleep. Ander had one accident during the night and woke me up at about 3:30 am. I had layered 3 sheets and waterproof pads so I could be prepared for accidents during the night. Thankfully, that was the only one. Jensen recommends waking the child up also 1 hour before their normal wake up time to go potty again. I didn't do this because I could see Ander was so exhausted from the first day that if he was fatigued we would not have much success (and I was exhausted too and wanted to sleep--hey I'm almost 7 months pregnant!).
Day 2: I woke up with renewed strength and had received a touch from God, that was unlike anything I'd experienced in awhile. I prayed with desperation after day one and cried out to God for wisdom and love for my son. I woke up with so much more love for Ander and for others than I had had the day before. Amazing! My heart was soft towards Ander and I really felt like I was shepherding him through the day with love and encouragement. We had a very fun day together, just being together and doing little projects around the apartment. We did go outside to play for about a half hour in the morning. We went through probably 13 or 14 pairs of underwear and did 3 loads of laundry today (2 mostly from accidents). Ander did seem very determined today not to wet his underwear, but equally determined not to release in the potty. He tried so hard to hold it! He woke up in the morning dry and held his potty from I'm guessing 3 am until 9:30 am when the dribbles started happening again. I felt really bad for him! He has not pooped since the morning of day 1 (before we had started potty training). He soaked himself at his afternoon nap again, being alone and asleep he finally released and went potty.
My frustration level is up again and I am having doubts. For example, is this going to cause my son to have sleep problems if he knows he can get me up any time to take him potty during the night? Will this become a game? Will all of this work be undone when baby Mirren is born? Ander did not go in the potty at all today, other than a drop! But we made a huge deal about that drop and praised him a lot! We've given him prizes.
Something funny is I made a chart before we started potty training and it was supposed to be every time he pooped in the potty he could put up a sticker. Now I am at the point if he will just say "peepee" or "poopoo" and we go to the bathroom together he gets a sticker. One good thing, right before bedtime I felt like something changed in Ander and he realized it was a "fun thing" to go to the potty. This could help us a lot tomorrow!
Whew! I will write more hopefully by the end of tomorrow about how this has finally clicked and Ander is really doing well going to the potty. Please Jesus, PLEASE!!! I'm ready to go pray for more strength, love and wisdom. Goodnight.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Guacala!
Ander is doing all kinds of new things. He is really starting to enjoy climbing and running. He loves going to the park and a day without the park is not a fun day for me or him. The fresh air and fun we have running around and playing make us both feel better, even if it is in the cold of January.
Yesterday at the park we saw some dog poop in the tennis court and that it was "guacala" ("gross" in Central American Spanish). The poop made such an impression on Ander he kept wanting to go back and see it saying "guacala pupó". He even told Brenton about it when we picked Brenton up from work.
We went back to the same park today with Ander's friend Rowan and even though we were having fun in other parts of the park, Ander kept wanting to go see that poop in the tennis court. He actually started whining about it and kept trying to walk that way saying "guacala". Oh boy. We finally went and saw it again and Rowan thought it was cool too. Rowan started walking around and over the poop and I was sure he was going to step in it any minute. Luckily he didn't step in it. Rowan has a dog and I'm sure he sees dog poop regularly! Thankfully the city maintenance workers were at the park at the same time as us and I am confident they cleaned it up today so it will be gone the next time we go to that park. Little boys and the gross things they love! Who can understand it?
Some things Ander likes to say these days: "No way José!". He actually runs around saying "Howay, Howay!" He also loved my dads stuffed fish in Colorado and learned to identify them, "musky, pike, bass, trout". He also really loves the book "Corduroy" right now and goes around saying "button" because Corduroy tries to find his lost button in the Corduroy book.
Yesterday at the park we saw some dog poop in the tennis court and that it was "guacala" ("gross" in Central American Spanish). The poop made such an impression on Ander he kept wanting to go back and see it saying "guacala pupó". He even told Brenton about it when we picked Brenton up from work.
We went back to the same park today with Ander's friend Rowan and even though we were having fun in other parts of the park, Ander kept wanting to go see that poop in the tennis court. He actually started whining about it and kept trying to walk that way saying "guacala". Oh boy. We finally went and saw it again and Rowan thought it was cool too. Rowan started walking around and over the poop and I was sure he was going to step in it any minute. Luckily he didn't step in it. Rowan has a dog and I'm sure he sees dog poop regularly! Thankfully the city maintenance workers were at the park at the same time as us and I am confident they cleaned it up today so it will be gone the next time we go to that park. Little boys and the gross things they love! Who can understand it?
Some things Ander likes to say these days: "No way José!". He actually runs around saying "Howay, Howay!" He also loved my dads stuffed fish in Colorado and learned to identify them, "musky, pike, bass, trout". He also really loves the book "Corduroy" right now and goes around saying "button" because Corduroy tries to find his lost button in the Corduroy book.
Mirren Elise
Well, it seems we have a name now for our little girl. Mirren Elise Leanhardt. (Mirren is pronounced "Meer-en"). The name Miren is a Basque name, as is Ander. Miren is their form of Mary. The problem is we found that people in the U.S. wanted to say "Myren" when they saw her name written out, so we're adding an extra "r" hoping that she will not be called "Myren".
For those of you who don't know, Brenton and I met in the Basque Region of Spain, so it's a special place for us, plus we think they have beautiful names.
It seems Mirren is growing well and is a healthy, big baby. I was told she's in the 85% for her size/age at my last ultrasound. I've been pretty well through the pregnancy except for a cyst on my ovary that is bothering me. Ouch! Mirren is pressing in on it as she gets bigger and it does not feel good! We're praying it will go away because there isn't anything my OB can do about it right now besides recommend tylenol. :-(
We're excited to see how Mirren will fit into the family and what gifts she will bring to enrich our lives. I can't imagine the world without Ander and I'm sure I'll feel the same way about Mirren.
For those of you who don't know, Brenton and I met in the Basque Region of Spain, so it's a special place for us, plus we think they have beautiful names.
It seems Mirren is growing well and is a healthy, big baby. I was told she's in the 85% for her size/age at my last ultrasound. I've been pretty well through the pregnancy except for a cyst on my ovary that is bothering me. Ouch! Mirren is pressing in on it as she gets bigger and it does not feel good! We're praying it will go away because there isn't anything my OB can do about it right now besides recommend tylenol. :-(
We're excited to see how Mirren will fit into the family and what gifts she will bring to enrich our lives. I can't imagine the world without Ander and I'm sure I'll feel the same way about Mirren.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
All done!
I have let Ander wean himself over the past several months. He has slowly dropped one nursing period after another until we were down to just nursing in the morning right after he wakes up. My milk has pretty much dried up which is probably somewhat common for a pregnant momma doing only one nursing period per day (I'm 19 weeks pregnant now). So the past couple weeks although Ander would happily come to me for nursing time, he would just start to nurse for about 30 seconds and then stop so he could go on and play. The past two days, it was more like 10 seconds and then 5 seconds. Today after the 5 second nursing he happily said "por favor, all done!" So I take that as he is all done nursing. Ander is 20 months old and I am very thankful I was able to nurse him this long.
Before Ander gave up this last feeding, I had been praying about when and how to wean him, not knowing when we would want to stop nursing. Part of me felt it would be better if he were weaned before the baby is born, although I know of moms who nurse a toddler and their new baby. But anyway, it all worked out.
Something interesting though, the Lord showed me something recently in 1 Samuel 1 about Hannah's son Samuel and what his parents did when he was weaned. Samuel was then consecrated to the Lord and began to serve in the temple. No, it's not time to pack Ander's bags to serve the Lord full-time in the temple or something, but anyway read this passage:
"24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, e]">[e] an ephah f]">[f] of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. 25 When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there."
After I read this I felt like I would like to have a special prayer and blessing time for Ander after he was weaned, kind of a re-consecration to the Lord. He was dedicated in our church, but we will pray for him tomorrow (just Brenton and me) and bless him as he enters the next phase of his life--big toddlerhood. I believe there is no such thing as speaking too many blessings over your child--especially with the way the world is. How often are we all torn down? Let's bless our children! So we bless our son, Ander to continue to grow into the man God created him to be, to come into the fullness of the wonderful plans God has for his life. We consecrate him to Jesus, so that God can use his life for His perfect purposes, whatever they may be.
Before Ander gave up this last feeding, I had been praying about when and how to wean him, not knowing when we would want to stop nursing. Part of me felt it would be better if he were weaned before the baby is born, although I know of moms who nurse a toddler and their new baby. But anyway, it all worked out.
Something interesting though, the Lord showed me something recently in 1 Samuel 1 about Hannah's son Samuel and what his parents did when he was weaned. Samuel was then consecrated to the Lord and began to serve in the temple. No, it's not time to pack Ander's bags to serve the Lord full-time in the temple or something, but anyway read this passage:
"24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, e]">[e] an ephah f]">[f] of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. 25 When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there."
After I read this I felt like I would like to have a special prayer and blessing time for Ander after he was weaned, kind of a re-consecration to the Lord. He was dedicated in our church, but we will pray for him tomorrow (just Brenton and me) and bless him as he enters the next phase of his life--big toddlerhood. I believe there is no such thing as speaking too many blessings over your child--especially with the way the world is. How often are we all torn down? Let's bless our children! So we bless our son, Ander to continue to grow into the man God created him to be, to come into the fullness of the wonderful plans God has for his life. We consecrate him to Jesus, so that God can use his life for His perfect purposes, whatever they may be.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Diggers
In this picture, Ander is wearing his favorite shirt with the "diggers" on it. He is also napping with his favorite giraffe "Sorry".
(To Tune of "Favorite Things" from Sound of Music)
"Elmo and Sorry and buckets and shovels, lions and Diggers and little white tazas, sliding with Mommy and wrestling with Dad...these are a few of my favorite things. Bee song and Granny and kissing my Nanna, talking with Nayno on one of my tados, cuddling my blankie and play hide and seek, these are a few of my favorite things! When it's diaper time, or in the naughty chair, or fallen on the ground, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so down."
Okay, enough with the creativity already! :-P Since I'm taking a little Facebook break for the week, I guess I have a little too much time on my hands!
We had a great time in Greenville this weekend visithing Brenton's family. Brenton and I got some date time and Ander got some time with Granny Pat or "Pa" as he calls her and Grandpa Ducky. Ander got to see many "diggers" (dee-do) this weekend which are his new favorite. He seriously has a digger radar and can spot a truck or construction vehicle a mile away. Even today we saw a truck from the power company with a bucket. I can't ever remember stopping to watch a worker harness himself in and use the bucket to go up to fix the light, but it was actually pretty neat. The worker also seemed happy to have an audience and waved down to Ander. Ander has introduced me to to a whole new world of machinery that I never paid much attention to. I have got to get educated on the different types of "diggers" and "beeps" (cars and trucks) out there. He begs to go outside even when he hears the lawn mowers running. It will be interesting to see where his love of machinery will take him.
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