experimenting

today js and i decided it would be a good day to get out for a little while. we went to old town for lunch at a little french crepe place. pbs wasn't thrilled with it but he did tell us when he had to use the potty. so that was a success in the experiment! yay!

then we walked down to the potomac river and ran around in the park for a little bit. that didn't go quite as well. pbs had an accident. he was playing hide and go seek and was hiding behind a tree when he realized he had to go potty. we had extra clothes with us but had also driven instead of taking the metro, so js walked back to get the car. pbs and i watched two saint bernard puppies play in the park while we waited for our ride. those are going to be some big dogs!

as we were waiting, pbs wanted to pet the puppies but got a little scared because they were bigger than him. their owners were telling the puppies that they needed to focus on going potty. i just thought it was kind of ironic that pbs is in the same stage of development as the puppies.

we came home and pbs took a nap for a little while. js and i started working on our taxes. so not fun. there are so many new things that we have to consider this year...new house, new business...just to name a couple.  this has to be right up there with potty training when it comes to things that i "love" to do. yuck!

after his nap, the three of us raked some leaves in the backyard and then took a walk to the park. we took the soccer ball along. pbs played on the slides for a little bit then we all kicked the soccer ball around for a while. a little girl joined in our kicking the ball game and then she had to go home. we left the park then too. when we got home, pbs had to use the potty. another success! yay!

so i guess all in all, it was a pretty successful day of experimenting in the world of potty training.

what a process!

potty training is definitely not one of my favorite things to do. pbs and i have been quarantined, in our own home basically, since february 18th. just over a month with very little tv or contact with living people or animals.

i think we are both going stir crazy and are so ready to get out and do something. but, i am extremely nervous about getting out and not being near a restroom for those necessary, extremely urgent potty runs that i know will happen.

he seems to be getting it. (quick! knock on anything that is a wood product so that i don't jinx myself!) like i said in my last post, he has been telling us when he has to go both number one and number two. we've had several days of no accidents, but we've always been at home and close to the potty.

i think i need a little more confidence and courage to get myself and pbs out of the house to do lunch with a friend, go see the dinosaurs or trains at the museums, go shopping. i realize that i'll probably have to take a few outfit changes with us, for him and maybe for me, when i finally get nerve up to go on an outing of any length.

we have gone on a few walks around the block in with him wearing his "big boy underwear". we have gone to church too but he's been in a pull-up and that seems to give him the idea that it's okay to go in his pants because it feels like a diaper. maybe this sunday we should try going with the "big boy underwear" instead of the pull-up and see how he does. it's all such a process! it will be over eventually, right? right?

getting there

we're getting there. potty training is moving along. pbs seems to be getting it. he's been telling us when he has to use the potty sometimes, even when we're out and about. he still has a few accidents but we're getting there.

i think js and i are getting there too. we're talking about going to counseling sessions to talk through our grief, uncertainties and everything we haven't really dealt with in regards to all of our losses. we're hoping that will help us move forward and let us make decisions about whether or not to try again. so we're getting there too.

i think we're always trying to get there, but sometimes we have to figure out where the there is before we can begin "getting there." eventually we will be where we need to be, but for now we're still getting there.

riding the potty train...and going crazy!

we are definitely riding the potty train right now. pbs is on high alert for potty runs and training purposes. we've been riding the potty train hard and consistently for two and a half weeks now. he's doing really well. (knocking on wood so that i don't jinx myself! knock, knock, knock!!!)

pbs and i have been stuck inside ever since i decided to jump on the train on presidents' day. we are driving each other crazy! i'm nervous about getting out because of accidents. i don't know how many outfits to take with me for an outing to the museum or shopping in old town. i don't know where all the restrooms are to make the much necessary potty runs. would i get there in time? would i have a huge mess on my hands, (literally and figuratively)? how long until i know that we are finished with riding this train?

we've had several days of using the potty every time for going number one, but number two is still very much an issue. i've caught him starting to go in his pants the last three days and have run him straight to the potty. he's made it. we're able to make it an hour or more at a time for going number one. i've been putting him in a slip on diaper for his nap and that has been dry almost every day for about the last week. i consider that to be a huge success. he's still in an overnight diaper but we're taking this one step at a time.

i'm worried about getting out because he's not really telling js and me that he has to go potty yet. we have gone to church and he's told us that he has to go. so maybe i'm just petrified of not being near a restroom and him having an accident.

i know that every parent has to ride this train at some point, so good luck and i hope it doesn't drive you and your little one crazy!