Potty Progress Report

***warning: drawn out post ahead, feel free to skip***

After four days of Potty Boot Camp, two of which were hard core, I have learned a lot about the topic, Christopher and myself. First of all, I wish I could have realized that I didn't have to take the "all or nothing" approach. We were on the right track earlier, I just should have added potty time more often to our routine. But nooOOOooo, I am stubborn as they come. I thought if I was diligent enough, Christopher would potty train quick, cause he's so brilliant and all (tongue in cheek). What I ended up with was lots of pee wiping instead. I was so nervous leaving him alone with just training pants on. It was exhausting following him around all day. For two days. Two sunny, beautiful days. At first I thought he wasn't physiologically ready, because he went so often. But later I realized it just correlates with drinking large amounts of fluid. He can stay dry 2-3 hours at time otherwise. The good new is, by having him wear the cotton pants, I know exactly when he goes, and so does he. Every time he would stop and say "poo-poo" (for some reason he calls both actions "poo-poo", another valuable piece of info I learned.) He understood the entire process: he'd pull down his pants, sits FOREVER on the potty, sometimes go sometimes not, put his wet pants in the hamper and get out fresh ones. The biggest problem was his brain couldn't get the message to the bladder fast enough. I kept waiting for him to announce the need before he went. By Wednesday's end, I was so confused about the path I should take with this endeavor. So Thursday morning I decided to back it off a bit; have patience. My new approach is this: potty him in the morning, around meals, before and after naps and outings, and before bedtime. As often as I can tolerate, he'll wear the training pants, to help him and me stay aware of his bodily functions. For outings it will be diapers.

Today we had a big event. He announced "poo-poo". I found him dry so I helped him to potty. While I dressed in my room, I overheard him saying "yay, yay" very calmly. I came out to find him carrying a bowl of pee very carefully to the toilet to dump it. He was so independent about it, the way he congratulated himself, taking the pot to the toilet without me and flushing. I was ecstatic! He got it! He felt the urge, responded and went! And cleaned up to boot! This was just what I needed for my spirits. I know it'll be a long road ahead, but at least I know we are getting through. We actually are having alot of fun with the process, and he and I have somehow gotten closer through this. Lesson learned: don't rush things, slow down and enjoy all the milestones, even the tasking ones.

A Great Leap Of Faith

After several months of dappling in the land of potty training, I have decided to take the great leap of faith this week. For months Christopher has shown interest in the potty. Awhile back I made it a part of his morning routine: breakfast, brush teeth, wash face, potty, get dressed. He'd have #2 successfully about 2-3 times a week, but with #1 we didn't have as much luck. Either way, he loves sitting on the potty, which he'll gladly do for over 30 minutes as long as I'm reading to him. The fact that he'll sit still for so long makes me think that this has to be half the battle. It gives me the confidence to move on. He just seems to like potty time so much. He shows other signs of readiness: holding his bladder for 2 hours, following directions, taking steps to independence, and we all know he's great in the communication department. So over the weekend, I took out books from the library on the topic, and stocked up on cotton training pants. I don't think we'll go the "Pull-Ups" route. This is mainly because I feel that our major roadblock to overcome is this "diaper barrier". With the safety of diapers catching the inevitable, it allows me to be lazy and confuses Christopher about when he is wet. So my approach is to rip it off like a band-aid. Starting Tuesday morning, no more diapers. I am putting us on house arrest and I will pay close attention to my little boy's bladder. I am prepared for a messy week, with lots of frustration. That's why I am blogging this. As long as its in print for you all to read, I have to go through with it. I may be too early, which is ok, we will try again at a later date. I just feel that lately Christopher is so amicable, willing to please and interested in this topic that if I wait too long, the "terrible two's" will rear its ugly head. Then I'll really kick myself for not taking advantage of a more prime situation. And I am just curious to see how it goes... wish us luck!

Here Christopher tries out his new potty seat. Its the kind that sits atop a toilet. He got a real case of the giggles while swatting at the shower curtain. Some things just really get him giggling and you never know what it'll be!

Marriage Recharge

While on our hike, we saw two deer run across the path just in front of us. We also saw deer in front of our B&B.

Something about hiking along a river just puts the soul at ease.

Too bad our flash didn't go off. This is Muddy Creek Falls. So magnificent.

So strong!

We braved going out onto Toliver Falls. This was such a sweet little spot of woods.

My handsome hubby.

To celebrate our 4th Anniversary, Ryan and I decided to head to Deep Creek Lake. We left Christopher with Ryan's parents, which we knew he'd have no qualms over. At first it was hard to say goodbye, but once on our road trip I felt at ease and our little vacation began. Its funny, but after 19 months of caring and doting over another individual, I forgot what it was like to be just Ryan and I. At first all we could talk about was the little guy, but soon we made efforts to leave him out of most conversations and try to reconnect. It wasn't long before we found ourselves being silly (adult silly, not kid silly- there is a difference). We laughed alot, had some good talks but also found ourselves in long stretches of comfortable silence. At some point on Saturday afternoon I suddenly thought "oh my gosh, I haven't thought of Christopher in over an hour!". It was a good feeling, it meant I was fully in the moment with Ryan. I loved every minute of the weekend. We left Friday morning from his parents house in Pennsylvania and arrived at our Bed and Breakfast at 2pm. A converted Monastery, Carmel Cove Inn was located off the beaten path, completely surrounded by the colorful autumn woods. Yes, the color change was in full swing, the air was cool and crisp and some leaves already found themselves on the ground. Saturday we hiked. It was a leisurely gorgeous hike, with three waterfalls and never-ending beauty. It was so wonderful. We stopped several times to take in the sites and breath in deep the crisp mountain air. In the afternoon we went on a short canoe ride on the lake. Afterwards we visited Simon Pearce Glass Co. where we could observe Master Glass Blowers creating works of art. We walked through sleepy towns and poked our heads in their stores. Saturday we met friends of Ryan's for dinner who were ironically visiting the same weekend. The day ended perfectly back at our B&B, with hot cider around a campfire beneath a full moon. This was our first time staying at a B&B, but hopefully not the last. The place was quaint, the location secluded, the food delish and the staff super friendly. We got all the privacy we could want. We sat out on the decks and just sucked in the Fall weather that was a preview of what is to come back home. We took our time returning Sunday, stopping to see the Casselman River Bridge; a national monument that is one of the largest spanning stone bridges in America. It was funny though, on our return home we noticed that the leaf change stopped right at Cumberland. Everything East is green. We are so grateful that we had such gorgeous scenery and weather. This was just was we needed for a marriage recharge. Today I found myself driving around with a smile on my face thinking about Ryan. That's how it was when we first met and shortly after we were married, I was still a little ga-ga over him. But I think its healthy to be a little love crazy over your spouse isn't it? Mission accomplished.