We are hosting Thanksgiving again this year, and I'm so excited for our family to be here. I am really, really hoping NOT to go into labor until at least Friday. At my 39-week appointment on Monday, my doctor thought I would probably go into labor in the next 4-5 days (but no guarantees.) I was dilated 3 centimeters, and my cervix is soft. I haven't had any contractions that I'm aware of yet, so it's just a waiting game. I scheduled an appointment for next Monday in case nothing happens.
My sisters and families are going to arrive tonight, and Travis's parents are meeting us early tomorrow morning to do our annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. I signed Avery up for the Kids Fun Run (it's pretty short) and I'm hoping to encourage her to participate...even if it means someone running with her. Travis, Lindsey, and Kelsey (my sisters) and Kyle (Travis's brother) are all planning to run the 5K. I'm planning on walking as much as I can, along with Travis's stepfather. I really think I can do it, but I don't want to put myself into labor, so we'll just see how it goes.
Afterward we will come back here and start cooking. Avery's cousin Cooper who is almost 11 months will be here to play with Avery, and I'll turn on the parade to see if Avery recognizes any of the characters (and because I love the parade!) Travis's grandparents will be here early in the afternoon and we're planning on a 3-3:30 mealtime. We are having so many good foods and I'll have to be extremely careful not too overeat. At this point I am super uncomfortable when I eat too much, and I don't want to be sick and then go into labor haha.
Now I'm off to make sweet potato casserole and set the table! Happy Thanksgiving!
November 26, 2014
November 18, 2014
Last Minute Baby Thoughts
Now that I am less than 2 weeks away from my due date, I am really trying to prepare for this baby in every way possible. I feel like I am in the "nesting" phase that people say happens at the end of pregnancy. I keep thinking of random things that I need to do, and add them to my lists that I have going on. However, I've been able to cross most things off my list by now.
On Sunday I brought up the infant car seat from the basement and cleaned it and the two bases and they are ready to go! I was also motivated to organize our kitchen junk drawer since I KNOW I won't be doing that again for awhile after he baby is born. Today I went through my bags of samples that I received from Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us, and organized my coupons, and put most of my samples (diaper rash cream, wipes, sunscreen, etc.) in the diaper bag. The samples are perfect travel size. I totally reorganized my diaper bag to include items for both Avery and a newborn. I absolutely LOVE my diaper bag - JuJuBe B.F.F. - it has so much room and is so easy to organize, but it's not giant and heavy (somehow.)
I have a small list of things I still need to get for the baby, but the major thing is the monitor. I considered getting a video monitor, but we never had one with Avery, and I don't think we are going with to get one for this child either (at least for now unless I change my mind.) After reading a lot about monitors, I realize the problem with many of the video monitors is that the audio isn't what I want, and the audio is the most important feature to me. Most of the wifi monitors that connect to phones don't have voice activation audio settings, so they are either totally on or off. We are planning to put the baby in the crib to sleep from the first day, instead of our room. We had Avery in our room for 10 weeks before putting her in the crib, and as soon as we moved her she started sleeping through the night. I think we were keeping her up as much as she was keeping us up!
But back to the monitor...the monitor that I am going to use is the Angelcare audio and movement monitor. There are several reasons I am choosing this over the video monitor. First, the audio is very highly rated, and it's voice activated, meaning there will be no static or noise unless that baby is crying or making noise. It also won't be affected by white noise/Sleep Sheep. Our old monitor was voice activated too, and I liked it, except it was cheaper and couldn't always find a good connection so sometimes it would start beeping and wake me up for no reason...which is annoying when you are already waking up several times at night. Travis and I are both light sleepers and we don't want something that is loud all night, and will be keeping us up, so this seems to fit the bill. We also plan on using the movement sensor, mostly just for the first 3-4 months. The movement sensor makes sure that the baby is moving/breathing, and I think it will give me a little more peace of mind having the baby in the other room. The reviews are somewhat mixed on the movement sensor, but most people say the audio is so good that it's worth it even if they didn't use the movement sensor as well, so I'll be interested to see how it goes.
I've also been reading of my two favorite baby books every night - Babywise and Secrets of a Baby Whisperer - both of which give me a sense of how a routine and planning can make life with a newborn easier. With Avery, I bought these books when I was in "survival mode" (around 6 weeks or so) and it was hard to get a lot out of them because we had already created some bad habits that were hard to break, such as walking with Avery around our kitchen island for 15-30 minutes to get her to sleep. It was exhausting! This time my plan is "start as you mean to go on" and my priorities are to make sure that this baby has full feedings and a simple eat-activity-sleep schedule. I know it won't be as easy as it sounds, but at least this time I feel prepared having goals in mind, instead of just flying by the seat of my pants, and barely surviving. I'm looking forward to seeing how my planning strategies pay off, or if I'll be laughing at this post in just a few short weeks.
Lastly, I had my 38 week doctor appointment yesterday, and all is well. My doctor offered to sweep my membrane...which she said has about a 50% chance of starting labor. Travis freaked out and said no, haha, and I agreed. As much as I'm ready for the baby to come out, I'm also trying to be patient and let the baby come when she's ready. I also want to spend as much time with Avery as possible - knowing that this chapter in our life is about to close and a new one will start soon enough!!
On Sunday I brought up the infant car seat from the basement and cleaned it and the two bases and they are ready to go! I was also motivated to organize our kitchen junk drawer since I KNOW I won't be doing that again for awhile after he baby is born. Today I went through my bags of samples that I received from Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us, and organized my coupons, and put most of my samples (diaper rash cream, wipes, sunscreen, etc.) in the diaper bag. The samples are perfect travel size. I totally reorganized my diaper bag to include items for both Avery and a newborn. I absolutely LOVE my diaper bag - JuJuBe B.F.F. - it has so much room and is so easy to organize, but it's not giant and heavy (somehow.)
I have a small list of things I still need to get for the baby, but the major thing is the monitor. I considered getting a video monitor, but we never had one with Avery, and I don't think we are going with to get one for this child either (at least for now unless I change my mind.) After reading a lot about monitors, I realize the problem with many of the video monitors is that the audio isn't what I want, and the audio is the most important feature to me. Most of the wifi monitors that connect to phones don't have voice activation audio settings, so they are either totally on or off. We are planning to put the baby in the crib to sleep from the first day, instead of our room. We had Avery in our room for 10 weeks before putting her in the crib, and as soon as we moved her she started sleeping through the night. I think we were keeping her up as much as she was keeping us up!
But back to the monitor...the monitor that I am going to use is the Angelcare audio and movement monitor. There are several reasons I am choosing this over the video monitor. First, the audio is very highly rated, and it's voice activated, meaning there will be no static or noise unless that baby is crying or making noise. It also won't be affected by white noise/Sleep Sheep. Our old monitor was voice activated too, and I liked it, except it was cheaper and couldn't always find a good connection so sometimes it would start beeping and wake me up for no reason...which is annoying when you are already waking up several times at night. Travis and I are both light sleepers and we don't want something that is loud all night, and will be keeping us up, so this seems to fit the bill. We also plan on using the movement sensor, mostly just for the first 3-4 months. The movement sensor makes sure that the baby is moving/breathing, and I think it will give me a little more peace of mind having the baby in the other room. The reviews are somewhat mixed on the movement sensor, but most people say the audio is so good that it's worth it even if they didn't use the movement sensor as well, so I'll be interested to see how it goes.
I've also been reading of my two favorite baby books every night - Babywise and Secrets of a Baby Whisperer - both of which give me a sense of how a routine and planning can make life with a newborn easier. With Avery, I bought these books when I was in "survival mode" (around 6 weeks or so) and it was hard to get a lot out of them because we had already created some bad habits that were hard to break, such as walking with Avery around our kitchen island for 15-30 minutes to get her to sleep. It was exhausting! This time my plan is "start as you mean to go on" and my priorities are to make sure that this baby has full feedings and a simple eat-activity-sleep schedule. I know it won't be as easy as it sounds, but at least this time I feel prepared having goals in mind, instead of just flying by the seat of my pants, and barely surviving. I'm looking forward to seeing how my planning strategies pay off, or if I'll be laughing at this post in just a few short weeks.
Lastly, I had my 38 week doctor appointment yesterday, and all is well. My doctor offered to sweep my membrane...which she said has about a 50% chance of starting labor. Travis freaked out and said no, haha, and I agreed. As much as I'm ready for the baby to come out, I'm also trying to be patient and let the baby come when she's ready. I also want to spend as much time with Avery as possible - knowing that this chapter in our life is about to close and a new one will start soon enough!!
November 13, 2014
Living Room Update
We've been talking about upgrading our living room carpet for awhile now, and yesterday it finally happened! Our new carpet was installed yesterday, and it looks fabulous! The old carpet was really worn down, and we knew that the living room carpet would be a nice upgrade since that is where we spend most of our time.
When we built our house in 2007, I was unaware of what a difference a nice carpet pad would make, and we went with the basic carpet pad for all of the areas with carpet. I remember walking through our house soon after and realizing that decision was a big mistake because it felt like there was no padding underneath, but it was too late. We learned our lesson, and when we finished our basement, we upgraded the carpet and pad and it turned out so nice. We thought about doing our living room, but we always had other priorities and projects going on. Finally with another new baby on the way, it became a higher priority because I now realize how much time I will spend sitting on the floor with the new baby. We considered doing the playroom too, but decided to hold off for now since that will be the main space where the kids will play, and make messes - for example Avery was playing with Play-Dough in there just yesterday. She is pretty neat and keeps things on her table for the most part, but for now I think it's better to leave it as is.
Anyway, the new carpet is super soft and comfy, and it's the perfect color! It's light enough that it won't show Ranger's white dog hair immediately, but also has shades of brown mixed in so that it won't show dirt either. We love it! Here is the before and after pic.
Before After
November 10, 2014
37 Weeks - Early Term
Seems like my last pregnancy update was yesterday, but it was about 9 weeks ago!! Now I have less than 3 until my due date!!
How far along: 37 weeks and 2 days - not much longer now!
Baby Growth: According to my BabyCenter app, the baby weights 6 1/2 pounds, and is around 18-19 inches long. Measurements are all right on I think, and the baby is head-down and sitting low (much lower than Avery was.)
Gender: Still girl. The nursery is pink and we've talked to Avery a lot about having a baby sister, so hopefully this is accurate!!
Weight Gain: At my doctor appointment today they let me know I'm up a total of 18 pounds from my start weight. Since I lost weight in the first trimester, it's actually about 23 pounds of baby weight, but I'm happy with that! I feel like I've been more aware this time around to avoid overeating on a regular basis, although I've had my moments - normally only if we go out to eat. We don't eat out as often as we did before kids, so that has probably helped. Also when I worked, I would eat out at lunch more often, and now that I stay home, I eat lunch at home 99% of the time. To compare, at this
point in my last pregnancy, I was up a total of 27 pounds (and I lost a little in the first trimester that time too, so baby weight was closer to 29-30 pounds.)
Symptoms: I have a lot of pressure, aches and pains. I wake up feeling ok, and as the day goes on I feel more pressure (like the baby will just fall out) and more lower back pain. Yesterday I had what felt like side stitches, mostly on my lower right hand side. I asked my doctor about it today and she said it's probably just ligaments and things stretching. I am stil getting heartburn and/or acid reflux pretty regularly and hoping this baby will have lots of hair to make it worth it! I still have some nose bleeding, and a nagging cough which is causing me to clear my throat a lot, and annoying Travis. Also, I've been very emotional, and I cry during random things (like Huggies commercials.)
Cravings: I wouldn't say I've had any really strong cravings recently, other than my normal Starbucks habit - which only grows with the holiday season upon us.
Concerns: Mostly the concerns I have now are about how Avery will do with the new baby, and my own concern about her not being my only baby anymore. I have randomly cried about it, but talked to friends who have assured me this is normal, and as soon as the second baby is here, I will love both equally. Also, not looking forward to labor pains and pushing.
Looking forward to: This baby coming out, and the holidays!
Notes from Past pregnancy: I did an update at 37 weeks with Avery - to see that post click here. It used to be that 37 weeks was considered full-term, but now it's considered early term. Below are pictures of me from last pregnancy on the left, and this time on the right. Definitely the picture from last time around was not as flattering, and I feel like I have a cuter belly this time around. I also think most of my weight is in my tummy this time, as opposed to more all around last time. My hair looks better too haha...I just got highlights and I'm loving them!
How far along: 37 weeks and 2 days - not much longer now!
Baby Growth: According to my BabyCenter app, the baby weights 6 1/2 pounds, and is around 18-19 inches long. Measurements are all right on I think, and the baby is head-down and sitting low (much lower than Avery was.)
Gender: Still girl. The nursery is pink and we've talked to Avery a lot about having a baby sister, so hopefully this is accurate!!
Weight Gain: At my doctor appointment today they let me know I'm up a total of 18 pounds from my start weight. Since I lost weight in the first trimester, it's actually about 23 pounds of baby weight, but I'm happy with that! I feel like I've been more aware this time around to avoid overeating on a regular basis, although I've had my moments - normally only if we go out to eat. We don't eat out as often as we did before kids, so that has probably helped. Also when I worked, I would eat out at lunch more often, and now that I stay home, I eat lunch at home 99% of the time. To compare, at this
point in my last pregnancy, I was up a total of 27 pounds (and I lost a little in the first trimester that time too, so baby weight was closer to 29-30 pounds.)
Symptoms: I have a lot of pressure, aches and pains. I wake up feeling ok, and as the day goes on I feel more pressure (like the baby will just fall out) and more lower back pain. Yesterday I had what felt like side stitches, mostly on my lower right hand side. I asked my doctor about it today and she said it's probably just ligaments and things stretching. I am stil getting heartburn and/or acid reflux pretty regularly and hoping this baby will have lots of hair to make it worth it! I still have some nose bleeding, and a nagging cough which is causing me to clear my throat a lot, and annoying Travis. Also, I've been very emotional, and I cry during random things (like Huggies commercials.)
Maternity clothes: I am wearing maternity clothes sometimes, especially my one pair of jeans that I wear on a daily basis (don't worry I do lots of laundry with potty training going on.) I am proud of myself because I've literally only bought about 5 pieces of clothing since March, and made most of my regular clothes work. I'm looking forward to shopping for myself after I am no longer pregnant!
Stretch Marks: I am not totally sure. There is a chance there is a few on my lower abs, but if so they are very faint. I'm putting lots of cocoa butter on, and it's hard for me to see. At this point there's not much else I can do.
Belly button in or out: Still in, but almost flat.
Belly button in or out: Still in, but almost flat.
Sleep: Not too great. Luckily I seem to have a lot of energy during the day still, but I am waking up a lot and thinking of things I need to do, and what it will be like with 2 kids. Also I wake up to pee 3-4 times a night.
Best Moment this week: Date night with Travis on Saturday. We went and picked out a big sister present for Avery, and walked around Barnes and Noble and the mall a little bit. We also went to Applebee's and shared an appetizer sampler for dinner. It reminded me of how we used to do that on a weekly basis. Also, on Saturday morning I went for a 3 mile walk, but I ended up doing some light jogging too! My overall pace was 16 minutes/mile - which is not bad for a walk/run combo. It felt great to get some exercise and enjoy the fall temperatures!
Miss Anything: This week I am missing sushi, beer, and running. I did run a little Saturday, but I miss feeling good while running, and running faster, and doing races. I think now that this pregnancy is almost over, I'm becoming impatient, and it's getting harder not too think about things. I had not thought about sushi for awhile, but Travis brought it up in Saturday, and now I really want it!! Also I saw this is Giant Eagle and my mouth was watering. I know I'll be drinking Christmas Ale soon!!
Best Moment this week: Date night with Travis on Saturday. We went and picked out a big sister present for Avery, and walked around Barnes and Noble and the mall a little bit. We also went to Applebee's and shared an appetizer sampler for dinner. It reminded me of how we used to do that on a weekly basis. Also, on Saturday morning I went for a 3 mile walk, but I ended up doing some light jogging too! My overall pace was 16 minutes/mile - which is not bad for a walk/run combo. It felt great to get some exercise and enjoy the fall temperatures!
Miss Anything: This week I am missing sushi, beer, and running. I did run a little Saturday, but I miss feeling good while running, and running faster, and doing races. I think now that this pregnancy is almost over, I'm becoming impatient, and it's getting harder not too think about things. I had not thought about sushi for awhile, but Travis brought it up in Saturday, and now I really want it!! Also I saw this is Giant Eagle and my mouth was watering. I know I'll be drinking Christmas Ale soon!!
Movement: Lots of movement still, and a knee/elbow/something that has been poking me in the left side for over a week now.
Cravings: I wouldn't say I've had any really strong cravings recently, other than my normal Starbucks habit - which only grows with the holiday season upon us.
Concerns: Mostly the concerns I have now are about how Avery will do with the new baby, and my own concern about her not being my only baby anymore. I have randomly cried about it, but talked to friends who have assured me this is normal, and as soon as the second baby is here, I will love both equally. Also, not looking forward to labor pains and pushing.
Looking forward to: This baby coming out, and the holidays!
Notes from Past pregnancy: I did an update at 37 weeks with Avery - to see that post click here. It used to be that 37 weeks was considered full-term, but now it's considered early term. Below are pictures of me from last pregnancy on the left, and this time on the right. Definitely the picture from last time around was not as flattering, and I feel like I have a cuter belly this time around. I also think most of my weight is in my tummy this time, as opposed to more all around last time. My hair looks better too haha...I just got highlights and I'm loving them!
Belly Pics: Here are a few more pictures I took today. I'm excited that the end is near, and a new chapter of my life is about to start!
November 7, 2014
Potty Success! (So Far...)
The past two weeks have been full of ups and downs, but today is turning into a pretty good day - so far. As I mentioned, we have been potty training Avery for almost 2 weeks now, and it's taken a lot more patience than I thought I had. I wanted to document what I did, not only to help other parents who may be having trouble, but also to remember what I went through in the future.
There are a lot of challenging stages in raising a baby/toddler/child/teen, but so far for me, this has been one of the more challenging aspects. I previously made some unsuccessful attempts at potty training, and this time I decided I would just be patient and stick with it and see how it goes - no turning back!
I feel like I've learned a lot in the last 12 days, and what has worked for me is just getting to know my daughter and realizing that every child is different. I am one to try to read about everything, including parenting techniques, and attempt to do things "by the book." However, that doesn't always work for Avery haha. It's frustrating in this day and age seeing all these people that potty train their kids "in just 3 days" via Pinterest and other blogs, and it's hard not to compare. However, even though we aren't quite there, we've made huge progress and I'm glad we are doing this now. I feel like more progress will be made in the next few weeks, and even if there is a regression when the baby comes, I feel like we'll still kind of be in the 'training stage' and it won't be so traumatic (hopefully?!)
So what have we done? Well, I started putting her in regular underwear during all waking hours at home. I am using a little potty for now in our bathroom of the main floor. We have a potty chart with stickers, a toy box, and the toy box also includes lollipops and ringpops for her to choose when she stays dry by peeing on the potty. The first few days I tried to put her on there at regular intervals - maybe every half hour or so. I quickly learned that Avery will NOT pee on command, and it was better for her to figure out when she needed to go, and to let me know. Being 35-36 weeks pregnant, I didn't want to just have her sit on the potty all day, because I also didn't want to sit in the bathroom all day (I need to sit with pillows and back support haha.) I did read that it may take 4-10 minutes of sitting for her to actually go, but if she sat down and didn't go with 4-5 minutes, I took her off and said we'd try again in a few minutes. It took several days of many accidents, and just a few successes, but she finally started letting me know. It was frustrating going through so many pairs of underwear, but I just rinsed and washed them every day, and learned to deal with it.
After a few days - around day 4 and 5, I felt like it was getting a little easier because even though she was still having accidents, they tended to be all in the bathroom. She was starting to figure out when she needed to go, but either not making it, or not letting it all out when she did, so she'd just pee a little on the potty, and then stand up and pee all over the floor. This was also frustrating because she was starting to understand the urge, but it was taking her some time to figure out how to control it. We then went through several days of her telling me that she had to pee, only to go in and have nothing happen. This would happen anywhere between 4-10 times before she'd actually go. However, she started actually going on the potty more regularly, so it was time consuming, but progress!
In the meantime, I am still putting her in a diaper at naptime (which is sometimes just room time when she stays awake the entire time) and bedtime. For the first week, she would only poop in her diaper, so we weren't having any accidents, but she didn't want to go on the potty. I was ok with this because she became the most regular she has been since December!! That was a success in my book, but I wanted to work on getting her to go on the potty. I bought her an awesome book - Even Princesses Poop - and started reading it to her a lot! She actually made the connection herself that Anna and Elsa (Frozen) are princesses and they must poop on the potty. Last Thursday I caught her pooping, and made her sit on the potty through lots of tears, but she did it and I gave her TONS of praise (and a lollipop of course.) She has now gone a few times. We aren't there yet, but making progress.
On Monday and Tuesday I was still feeling very frustrated that she wasn't totally getting it, and I was wondering if I would just be cleaning accidents for the next few months, but on Wednesday, I think something really clicked!! She let me know she had to pee right after breakfast on Wednesday, Thursday, and today. She went relatively quickly each time on the potty, and I am now starting to get to know her "patterns." It's easier because she's able to fully empty her bladder when she goes, whereas I don't think she was comfortable doing that in the first week. She can hold it much longer than I can right now (being very pregnant) and she normally only goes about 2-3 times before her naptime.
Since Wednesday, she has let me know every time she has to pee, and we have only had one pee accident, and that was because I was cleaning Ranger outside after we had gone for a walk, and Avery was helping and distracted. It had been the first time going for a walk in her underwear, and I think it will just take some time for her to get back to her normal routine without diapers. We're still working on number 2, but I feel like we're getting there.
Now, I would not say that Avery is totally potty trained yet - we still have a long road ahead. I just ordered a potty seat and stool that will come tomorrow to put on a regular toilet. She has not been comfortable with that yet, but I'm hopeful that will help. Once we do that, hopefully I can take her more places and she'll be ok to pee in public. I think that will be a learning curve too. We did go to Target last night right after she peed at home, and I knew we'd have a good chance of no incidents if we didn't stay too long. I did bring her potty with me in the back of the car, along with 2 outfit changes - for an hour away from home - but she did fine and had no problems! It would be nice if she would be able to go on command so that she could go at home before we go somewhere - without me having to wait for her to let me know - but I think that will just take time. Also I'm working with her through the "process" which right now is me helping her with everything except actually peeing. She still needs help with her clothes and wiping. She is able to wash and dry her hands by herself, so thats's a plus.
Overall, I'm very proud of both her and me for getting through the last few weeks together. I know it was stressful on her and I both, but I think even with the long road ahead, we've pushed through the toughest part and made it to the other side!!
There are a lot of challenging stages in raising a baby/toddler/child/teen, but so far for me, this has been one of the more challenging aspects. I previously made some unsuccessful attempts at potty training, and this time I decided I would just be patient and stick with it and see how it goes - no turning back!
I feel like I've learned a lot in the last 12 days, and what has worked for me is just getting to know my daughter and realizing that every child is different. I am one to try to read about everything, including parenting techniques, and attempt to do things "by the book." However, that doesn't always work for Avery haha. It's frustrating in this day and age seeing all these people that potty train their kids "in just 3 days" via Pinterest and other blogs, and it's hard not to compare. However, even though we aren't quite there, we've made huge progress and I'm glad we are doing this now. I feel like more progress will be made in the next few weeks, and even if there is a regression when the baby comes, I feel like we'll still kind of be in the 'training stage' and it won't be so traumatic (hopefully?!)
So what have we done? Well, I started putting her in regular underwear during all waking hours at home. I am using a little potty for now in our bathroom of the main floor. We have a potty chart with stickers, a toy box, and the toy box also includes lollipops and ringpops for her to choose when she stays dry by peeing on the potty. The first few days I tried to put her on there at regular intervals - maybe every half hour or so. I quickly learned that Avery will NOT pee on command, and it was better for her to figure out when she needed to go, and to let me know. Being 35-36 weeks pregnant, I didn't want to just have her sit on the potty all day, because I also didn't want to sit in the bathroom all day (I need to sit with pillows and back support haha.) I did read that it may take 4-10 minutes of sitting for her to actually go, but if she sat down and didn't go with 4-5 minutes, I took her off and said we'd try again in a few minutes. It took several days of many accidents, and just a few successes, but she finally started letting me know. It was frustrating going through so many pairs of underwear, but I just rinsed and washed them every day, and learned to deal with it.
After a few days - around day 4 and 5, I felt like it was getting a little easier because even though she was still having accidents, they tended to be all in the bathroom. She was starting to figure out when she needed to go, but either not making it, or not letting it all out when she did, so she'd just pee a little on the potty, and then stand up and pee all over the floor. This was also frustrating because she was starting to understand the urge, but it was taking her some time to figure out how to control it. We then went through several days of her telling me that she had to pee, only to go in and have nothing happen. This would happen anywhere between 4-10 times before she'd actually go. However, she started actually going on the potty more regularly, so it was time consuming, but progress!
In the meantime, I am still putting her in a diaper at naptime (which is sometimes just room time when she stays awake the entire time) and bedtime. For the first week, she would only poop in her diaper, so we weren't having any accidents, but she didn't want to go on the potty. I was ok with this because she became the most regular she has been since December!! That was a success in my book, but I wanted to work on getting her to go on the potty. I bought her an awesome book - Even Princesses Poop - and started reading it to her a lot! She actually made the connection herself that Anna and Elsa (Frozen) are princesses and they must poop on the potty. Last Thursday I caught her pooping, and made her sit on the potty through lots of tears, but she did it and I gave her TONS of praise (and a lollipop of course.) She has now gone a few times. We aren't there yet, but making progress.
On Monday and Tuesday I was still feeling very frustrated that she wasn't totally getting it, and I was wondering if I would just be cleaning accidents for the next few months, but on Wednesday, I think something really clicked!! She let me know she had to pee right after breakfast on Wednesday, Thursday, and today. She went relatively quickly each time on the potty, and I am now starting to get to know her "patterns." It's easier because she's able to fully empty her bladder when she goes, whereas I don't think she was comfortable doing that in the first week. She can hold it much longer than I can right now (being very pregnant) and she normally only goes about 2-3 times before her naptime.
Since Wednesday, she has let me know every time she has to pee, and we have only had one pee accident, and that was because I was cleaning Ranger outside after we had gone for a walk, and Avery was helping and distracted. It had been the first time going for a walk in her underwear, and I think it will just take some time for her to get back to her normal routine without diapers. We're still working on number 2, but I feel like we're getting there.
Now, I would not say that Avery is totally potty trained yet - we still have a long road ahead. I just ordered a potty seat and stool that will come tomorrow to put on a regular toilet. She has not been comfortable with that yet, but I'm hopeful that will help. Once we do that, hopefully I can take her more places and she'll be ok to pee in public. I think that will be a learning curve too. We did go to Target last night right after she peed at home, and I knew we'd have a good chance of no incidents if we didn't stay too long. I did bring her potty with me in the back of the car, along with 2 outfit changes - for an hour away from home - but she did fine and had no problems! It would be nice if she would be able to go on command so that she could go at home before we go somewhere - without me having to wait for her to let me know - but I think that will just take time. Also I'm working with her through the "process" which right now is me helping her with everything except actually peeing. She still needs help with her clothes and wiping. She is able to wash and dry her hands by herself, so thats's a plus.
Overall, I'm very proud of both her and me for getting through the last few weeks together. I know it was stressful on her and I both, but I think even with the long road ahead, we've pushed through the toughest part and made it to the other side!!
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