Potty Training Update #2

Day 6 – Livi partially pooped in the toilet for the first time! We had some friends over and one of the kids was a one year old still in diapers. He had a poopy diaper. While he was being changed, Livi also started pooping… she told me while she was going. I raced her naked body inside to the toilet (they had been in the pool) and had her finish going on the toilet! I thought we had got it all in the toilet at the time. Hooray! I’m counting that as a partial win. To my dismay when we were outside later, I had the misfortune of stepping on a  runaway turd.

Day 7 – Livi has peeing in the toilet down but she did have a pooping accident today. We cleaned it up and put it in the toilet. I was showing her where it was supposed to go, hoping she figures it out.

Today we also started trying to get Livi to pee in the toilet without her potty seat. She was having none of it. We were on a walk and happened to be close to a corner store when she had to pee. I tried to get her to use the big public toilet but I think she was too scared. She held it for 15 minutes until we got home! In the afternoon we went to hang out upstairs with Auntie Maggy and Marmee. When she had to pee I just took her to Marmee’s toilet, without the little seat. She didn’t like that and wouldn’t pee. This happened two or three times until she couldn’t hold it anymore. She peed in the big person’s toilet! Hooray! I feel much better about going out in public now.

Day 8 – We went shopping in the morning and she had to use the toilet so here was our test… she passed! Without even blinking she let me hold her up on the big toilet and peed! YAY!!! Still no accidents with peeing.

Day 9 – Livi woke up from her nap and was still wearing her diaper when I realized she was about to go poop. I scooped her up, told her to hold it in and put her on the toilet. She didn’t want to sit there and poop until I handed her one of her favorite books… and she did it! Mommy was REALLY proud. I’m hoping she has it figured out now and will tell me before she has to go poop instead of me having to read her properly.

She also had her first two accidents this day but I’m chalking them up as my fault. I was busy cleaning and unavailable to her. I didn’t immediately jump when she said she had to go so we didn’t quite make it. The second time she was in time out. She isn’t supposed to talk in time out so she ended up having an accident. She was so upset about it too. I felt pretty bad 😦 Every time out since I’ve explained to her that she can’t talk unless she has to go to the toilet.

Continuing Potty Training – Since then I’ve lost track of her progress. She is doing great though! Basically she is pee trained… with only the odd accident very occasionally. We are still working on the #2 part though. It is hit or miss with that. Thankfully she doesn’t have very messy bowel movements 🙂 We went to the Island last weekend and she stayed dry the entire trip to Port Alberni! We had used extra precautions and put her in pull-ups, but put her on the toilet every stop we made. She stayed dry! One accident on the way home because we were in the car in the ferry line-up when she told us she had to pee. Jon jumped out and threw her on his shoulder and ran. I don’t think the bladder bouncing on Daddy’s shoulder was very good for her control because half-way there Jon heard “uh oh” from Livi. I laughed 🙂

All in all, potty training has been way easier than I thought it would be. I hope any other children I have are going to be this easy! I’m not holding my breath 🙂 We haven’t attempted nap or night time training yet, I think I’ll wait until she is in a big girl bed and has conquered dressing herself.

6 Months

It’s been six months since we committed to adopting a little girl and giving her a family, bringing home a sister for Livi, another daughter for Jon and I. I am definitely getting impatient. I’m ready to see her face, hold her in my arms, give her a kiss, start discovering her personality, see her playing with her sister (who is already starting to talk about her!), and bring her home! I try not to think of where she is right now, the possibilities make me too sad. I pray that she is in a good orphanage, if there is such a thing, and not in an institution yet.

We are still waiting to be accepted and registered in Bulgaria and we are not expecting that until the end of August or even September, assuming all the paperwork is in order. Apparently, August is a really slow month in Bulgaria for getting things done because everyone takes time off and holidays. We are really hoping for a referral any day, but I get the feeling that the agency in Bulgaria is not trying very hard. I get the feeling that the children with special needs are not very high on their priority list. They have our Homestudy so they can match us at any time but the system in Bulgaria is a little crazy. Agencies only have the files for adoptable children for two months before it gets sent on to another agency. I think there were some changes recently made to develop a national registry but it is still new and I’m not sure how efficient it is… or how it incorporates children with disabilities or in institutions.

I know six months isn’t long to wait for an adoption but it still doesn’t make it easier. As soon as our Homestudy was over I wanted my baby home! If you pray, please pray that things continue to go smoothly and we get the right referral for our little girl tomorrow!!!

Potty Training Update

Potty training has been easier than I expected… I may have just jinxed myself. This is a detailed post about every thing we have experienced so far with potty training. If you don’t want to read about Livi’s pee and poo adventures, I suggest you stop reading.

Day 1 – Panties-4  Toilet-1
Livi went cold turkey from her diapers during awake time. She was pretty excited about her big girl panties 🙂 She didn’t make it to the toilet at all with me. I was questioning whether Livi was actually ready. But, later that evening, while I was at work, Jon called me and told me she had used the toilet! Hooray! I was so proud!

Day 2 – Toilet-4  Panties-0  Pool-1
Livi didn’t want to pee in the toilet or in her panties this day. She woke up early, refused to drink hardly anything and didn’t pee for 4 hours! The little clencher does come by her stubbornness honestly! When she finally did pee though she made it to the toilet!!! She got a diaper for her nap and we went in the pool in the afternoon. I never actually saw Livi pee in the pool but I think it is safe to assume she did. After the pool though, she made it to the toilet 3 more times! Basically she had a flawless day!

Day 3 – I don’t know the score for day 3 but she didn’t have any accidents with peeing 🙂 She had that down pat! Her bowel movements where another story though… she hadn’t pooped since potty training began. She pooped twice on day 3 though. She didn’t tell us she had to go like she does for going pee. The first time we didn’t even notice until after the fact and it was a really easy clean up. Not a big deal. The second one was not so easy. It was MESSY! Yuck! I’m hoping she has figured it out though and she will tell us next time 🙂 Wishful thinking maybe?

Day 4 – Livi had her first accident since day one on this day. Only one though! She did tell us she had to go, but she was across the yard, up high in her play castle and with the time it took her to climb down and run to the toilet, she didn’t make it.

Day 5 – She pooped again today but it was during her nap so it was in her diaper. I suspect she was holding it in for her nap. I’m not sure I’m ready to start nap time potty training. She is still in a crib. Otherwise, she has had no accidents again today. We even ventured out in public today. She didn’t have to go while we were out though. In the next few days I think I’m going to try to wean her from her potty seat, so if we are out in public she won’t be afraid of the big bum toilets 🙂

Like I said, this potty training has so far proven to be easier than I thought. I’m so proud of my “baby”. I’m so excited she is growing up and becoming a big girl, but I’m losing my baby! She is sick of us asking her if she needs to use the toilet and basically yells NO TOILET! at us when we keep asking. She gives us a look like “Seriously Mom! I’ll tell you when I need to pee! Stop asking!” Since day 1, Livi has told us that she needs to pee before she does… although sometimes there is a little drip in her panties when we get to the toilet. Those are getting less frequent though. I think she is just figuring out what all the different sensations are 🙂

Instead of telling us she needs to pee, use the toilet, or go to the bathroom, she just says “poo” (even though she just has to pee) and runs while clapping and saying “lets go, lets go!” It is pretty cute. She is so proud of herself and demands her chocolate chips after every accomplished pee in the toilet. She likes wiping, wants to see what is going on in the toilet while she is peeing and must flush the toilet after she is done. I have given over my personal boundaries to show Livi how to use the toilet and said things with great zeal and excitement that I never thought I’d take so much joy in saying… although the humor of the situations are not lost on me 🙂  The joys of potty training, right?!