Surviving Potty Training

YEAH FOR UNDERWEAR

     So I started a post called week one of potty training but I didn't get it ever posted or finished. I will tell you why. Potty training is exhausting. I have been collapsing every night. Ray and I watched Iron man 2 the other night so that I could watch the Avengers (I know it came out a million years ago but still). I made it all the way to the final battle and then fell asleep. Of course Ray harassed me about falling asleep at the most exciting part possible. I just told him it must have taken too long to get to that point and it just wasn’t that exciting if I fell asleep during it. (No offense Jon Favreau your movie was good it just can't compete with the exhaustion felt by a stay at home mom who is potty training three little boys all at the same time) With that being said here are our experiences.     


   I have read lots of ideas on potty training. I tried last year doing the 3 day method with James and it was an epic fail. James was not interested and we were also at the begging of our months of constipation issues with him. So here we are a year later. The main thing that most theories say is take some time and dedicate it to the child who is potty training, in the hopes that you always catch them and get them to the toilet quickly. Also, it is good if you just don't go anywhere for about several days until they really get the hang of it. Well it will never happen where I have three days in a row to purely dedicate to one child. I have four, three need to be potty trained and it’s just not going to happen. Also we have a lot of activities that we had scheduled but I was determined to start, otherwise it was going to keep getting pushed back further and further.     


    So Monday June 18th we started. In the morning I had them help me make sticker charts for the potty and I had them help me unwrap the packages of underwear. They were super excited about the characters on their pants. I don't quite understand because a lot of the characters they have never seen like aquaman. Around ten we were all set to start. All the boys had to go sit on the potty and try. SUCCESS, everyone went. Each boy got one sticker for their page, which made them so excited. Then they got their new underwear on and ran around like crazy. The rest of the day was a disaster of pee and poop everywhere.  Each time they went they got a sticker or two if they had stayed dry    

Joe showing off his stickers

Lilly has her chair outside the bathroom so I can keep and eye on her. 

 Tuesday morning we were going to my dad’s work for his last day of school. I told the boys when we left the house they are going to wear pull ups so that we don't have accidents but that they still need to tell me when they needed to go to the bathroom. They didn't. They just went in their pull ups. I didn't fight them on it I just changed their pants when we got home. Then we had a twin play date. Four of my mom friends who all have twins came over. I didn't want the boys peeing all over the place while their friends were playing. So Tuesday  they stayed in their pull ups. It wasn't my best effort at training, but it was so much less of a hassle to have them not peeing all over the floor

Even Darth vader needs to learn to use the potty

 Wednesday my dad wanted to take the boys for Sheldon’s (from the Big Bang Theory) train day. So into the pull ups they went and off to Travel Town. The boys did pretty good. They went several times in the public restroom but they also had accidents in their pull ups. We stopped for lunch at Carney's (restaurant in a train car) for hotdogs. They all wet their pull ups at that point. I was determined to go home and really get going again. James had other ideas.   
    
    We had several massive stand offs where he tested my will and was searching for lines that he could cross just to watch my head explode. I often felt like I was in a western during a duel at high noon. I at one end of the hall him at the other, staring at each other to see who would crack first. Many resulted in screaming fits and pee everywhere. One for example started with me telling each boy to go to the bathroom. After the twins ran in and used the toilet successfully I looked and James and told him to go. He screamed no, stomped his feet then threw himself on the floor. I told him that was unacceptable and he was going to have to go on time out then use the bathroom. He looked at me screamed at the top of his lungs and peed on the floor. I took him in the bathroom changed his underwear then put him on time out in his room. He then walked over and jumped on his bed. I told him to get off his bed and if he peed on his bed I would be mad, not that I wasn't already. He scowled at me and stood there and peed again. Seriously kid? For someone who said they didn't have to go to the bathroom he had an awful lot of pee in his bladder. I closed the door and did a little silent clenched fist scream. Then I walked in took his underwear and sheets and left him standing in the room naked screaming bloody murder. I'm sure if he had more pee in him he would have marked the entire room. We had several more like this throughout the afternoon until Ray got home. I learned from my mistakes and made him stay in the bathroom so even if he peed all over everything it would be easier to clean.    


    Wednesday night I thought I was never going to survive potty training. It was crazy. James was so stubborn. How was I ever going to get him to do it. I had horrific images of a 15 year old boy going off to high school still wearing diapers. Extreme I know but I had completely lost my mind. Luckily Thursday was a new day and I had my nice little boy back instead of the crazy nasty little man that I had the day before.

Lilly felt left out so we let her go around in her diaper.

  Over the next two days we had some great success.  The amount of times they made it increased and the accidents decreased.  We even had our first number 2's in the toilet.  In our house the incentive is a hot wheel car.  I know that this means I will have a lot of hot wheels by the time this is over but if they train then so be it.  Once one of them got a car then the race was on for who could get the next one.    We have spent a lot of days hanging out at home with the boys in the underwear.  Most of the boys conversations revolve around pee and poop and other such lovely topics.
    On Sunday we were brave enough to take on Disneyland. This is not for the faint of heart with potty training kids but we did it anyway. With the protection of pull ups we forged our way through the Disney crowds to take our first look at Cars Lands. I have to say the boys did great. James didn't wet his pull up once. Joe had one accident in line for the storybook ride. It made him so sad he almost had a meltdown but we talked him off the ledge. Nick had several wet pull ups but I wasn't too worried Disneyland is a hard place to remember about using the potty.

Disneyland while potty training, what an event

    We are now almost done with week two of potty training. The boys got a little tired of their stickers so we have moved on to M&Ms. One for going potty in the toilet and two if they stayed dry. I think I will make a return of the sticker charts soon and maybe have them earn extra prizes so they aren't getting too much candy. The hot wheels prizes are still good. The boys have deemed them poo poo cars and run around the house saying "I've got a poo poo car".     


    Our next hurdle is a trip to San Diego. We are visiting Rays parents for almost a week. I really hope the boys don't do anything horrible on my in laws carpets but we will see. The important thing is we are making progress and the horrible images of my sons being in high school and not potty trained have vanished from my brain.  We will do it, and I will survive!