The Birth of Caden Michael Britton

I know its late in coming, but here is an update on the birth of my second child, Caden Michael Britton. I'll try to keep it short and sweet (and not including every detail--since I'm pretty sure my memory won't allow me to recall that long ago and also not everyone wants every detail anyway :-P)

Caden was born on December 8, 2012 at 6:22 pm. He weighed in nice and hefty at 8 lbs 10 oz and was 21 inches long. The labor and delivery wasn't too awful and started off pretty similar to my labor and delivery of Sydney, but like almost everything else in the pregnancy, soon became completely different!
When I first went into the hospital for induction I was already dilated 4 cm, but had been for over a week.  We (the Dr. and I) were really concerned that the labor would go pretty fast, so we both wanted the epidural first thing.  So around 9am, very shortly after the nurse started the pitocin, I got my epidural.  I felt it a tiny bit more on my right side, but they assured me it shouldn't be too big of a deal and they would lay me on the other side to counteract it. I didn't think anything of it.  I was doing really well most of the morning and into the afternoon but wasn't making much progress for dilation.  The nurse (Melissa-the last of the 3 that kept getting assigned to me then reassigned) said that it could be due to excessive scar tissue from the LEEP surgery I had in 2010. [sidenote: the LEEP surgery was a laser removal of cervical displasia or possibly cancerous cells on my cervix in April of 2010] She said that it was possible that the scar tissue was acting as a glue keeping my cervix closed but that once I did start to dilate it would be pretty quick.  
Sometime after noon (i have no recollection of most of the exact timing of things) I started to feel really uncomfortable on my left side.  When asked if I tried pressing the button I said I did and it didn't work.  So the nurse asked if I wanted the anesthesiologist to top me off. Why not I thought? So in he came and gave me what he said was a stronger dose to top it off. ( I realize now this is getting longer and more detailed than I originally planned. Oh well, I'll continue) It worked for a little while but I still felt a little bit of discomfort. Then a couple of hours later, I think before 4ish I started to feel a kind of cramping right above my pubic bone--not too horribly uncomfortable, but it definitely didn't feel good. The nurse asked again if I needed a top-off and I said no, that if I remembered correctly when I started feeling a discomfort that wouldn't go away with the pressing of the button it meant I was pretty darn close to delivery. But I was wrong. I was definitely closer, dilated to 8 cm and almost fully effaced but Caden was still pretty high.  We were entertaining the notion that maybe he would be born at the same time Syd was (4:45pm) but obviously that wasn't the case.  By around 4:30 i was fully dilated and effaced and the nurses thought I should maybe practice some pushing before they called the doctor. 

[Now another side note here: For some reason they sent this "new" nurse to kind of shadow my nurse, Melissa.  Supposedly she was not new to L&D, just new to St. David's but boy did she seem a little behind.  She wasn't very good with the computer system they had set up and at some point before I was fully dilated she did something to the computer and they could no longer read or pick up any of my contractions.  This caused her and Melissa to ask me NUMEROUS times once I was fully dilated and practice-pushing (and also while I was in active labor which was very frustrating) whether or not I could feel the contractions.  I could NOT tell when I was getting a contraction--mostly because of the top-off to my epidural I really couldn't feel much, but also I still had the CONSTANT discomfort on my left side and the cramp like pain right above my pubic bone and couldn't tell the difference.  At one point I was in tears and yelling at her that NO I COULD NOT TELL WHEN I WAS CONTRACTING and just GET THIS KID THE HELL OUT OF ME! (more on that to come)]

So there I was fully dilated. I did a couple of practice pushes and they decided to call the Dr. in (i guess it was around 5ish.) Caden was still pretty high and the epidural had made my legs (and lower half) so numb that I couldn't really feel enough to be able to push properly.  Also the discomfort on my side was steadily getting worse and the epidural wasn't doing anything to help.  I was getting so upset and so frustrated and the stupid new nurse was AGGRAVATING the CRAP out of me and I just wanted to be done. Also I had been in the hospital since around 5:30am and in the room itself since about 6:30am so I was pretty exhausted.  I had so hoped it would be an easy delivery--with Syd I pushed 3 times and she was out (I even remember them telling me specifically to try my hardest not to push because they had to wait for the Dr. to get there.) I pushed for about 30 minutes or so but Caden was still so high and my pushing was so ineffective that the Dr. told me to take a break from pushing and that they were going to sit me up and hope that gravity would help move things along.  Meanwhile, I'm still feeling this pain on my side, but not really feeling any pain in my nether regions and still getting frustrated with this stupid ass nurse who is STILL asking me "do you feel a contraction? is that a contraction? does that feel like a contraction?" I DON'T FREAKING KNOW! I JUST WANT TO HAVE THIS KID!"  Anyways, after about 30-45 minutes of sitting and waiting and praying gravity helped a little, the epidural has worn off enough that I have gotten a little more feeling in my legs (still not hurting down there, but enough to be able to push i think) and I relay this info to the nurse whose throat I don't want to rip out.  She has me try to push and low and behold it looks like a good push.  She calls my Dr. but Dr. Collins has left for the day (WTH?) and the Dr. on call is Dr. Mills.  Ok whatever I don't give a crap at this point, just send in the Dr and get this kid out of me! was pretty much all I was thinking. Harsh I know, but this was going on over an hour that I'd been fully dilated and having already tried (and failed) to push him out I was more than ready.  The Dr. comes in, I'm definitely pushing more effectively, and low and behold @ 6:22 pm my beautiful baby boy is born.  They put him right on my chest after pulling him out and Dr. Mills asked Chris if he wanted to cut the cord (which of course Chris didn't want to do at all) and I was crying my eyes out--tears of relief and joy that my baby was finally here.  That also was different from Sydney's delivery in that after she was born they moved her directly to the newborn table and I remember being worried because it took a few seconds for her to start crying.  Not so with Caden--he was a noisy little booger, with his adorable little conehead from being stuck in the birth canal too long :-P

I only needed one stitch this time around and amazingly felt pretty good after Caden was born.  I was also much more lucid as I can still remember pretty well when the nurse came to help me clean up and change gowns and wheel me to the postpartum room.  I don't remember at all what happened after Syd was born until we were already in the pp room.  I don't remember them telling me about her being bathed or when they brought her to feed--there are just very few things I recall at all from that hospital stay.  But, I remember most if not all of the stay with Caden (could just be because its so new and Syd was over 2 years ago though too :-P)  We got out of the hospital on Saturday (the 8th was a Thursday) and everything was going pretty well.

Ok so I'm cutting this now and putting all the other fun info in other posts.  I still want to post about his first few weeks and months, the breastfeeding jaundice, the problems with his circumcision right on up to today when he may or may not get or have RSV like Syd does.  Just wanted to give an update to those who are interested and I haven't already told on the ins and outs of his birth--and of course for my own memory months or years from now when I forget--silly mommy brain :-) Until next time!

I'm almost 100% positive Sydney is going to be a WONDERFUL Big Sister

Sydney is in love with babies! If she sees a picture of a baby or a baby out in public she says "Look a BABY!" in this delighted little voice that always makes me smile. She is practically obsessed with all of our friends' babies to the point where she gets right in the baby's face, says"Hey BABY!" and babbles some incoherent baby talk and either tries to tickle them or play with them in some way to make them smile/laugh.  I'm always a little concerned she may play rough, but my other mommy friends always assure me she's fine (babies can be much more durable than you think...and Sydney can be alot more gentle than i expect :-P) 

She is also in love with Baby Brother (no he still doesn't have a name) and it makes my heart melt.  For now I am almost 100% sure she is going to be a fantastic Big Sister.  I say almost 100% because although she is very loving to him now that he is in my stomach (and she loves babies) I can't be sure how she will react to a baby that stays forever and doesn't go to a different home after a few hours.  But for now I can't get enough of her little arms wrapping around my giant belly and hearing her voice "I lub you Baby Brudder!" then kissing my belly.  Or when she lays her head against my belly and asks if he is awake.  Or when she tries to feed him some of her dinner or feed him her pretend cake from her very own kitchen.  Or when we are in the bathtub--yes Syd and I take baths together (it is just too hard to bathe her with my huge 35 week belly in the way so to make it easier for everyone we jump in the tub together)--and she lays her head on my belly and asks if we can sing to baby brudder.  And yes we do sing to baby brother in the bathtub....at least three songs or we have a temper tantrum (and it's always the same 3 songs with Row, Row, Row Your Boat or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star thrown in for a little variety :-\)

Just a couple of days ago Baby Brother was rockin and rolling in my tummy, moving all over the place and I told Sydney to hurry up and come over so she could feel him kick.  She has felt him move a handful of times before but she usually gets pretty impatient when he goes dormant again and isn't moving as much as she would like.  It's usually the way it works--whenever he starts moving I call Syd or Chris over to feel and the second they touch me he STOPS (he's already proving to be a bit of a booger :-P)  This particular time he was pretty rambunctious and didn't stop moving when Syd came over.  She held her hand to my tummy and after she felt him, she got this HUGE grin on her face and practically screamed "He kicked my hand! Baby Brudder kicked my hand!" I'm pretty sure it was the cutest thing that I have ever experienced in my life :-)

So, Syd swears she is going to help change diapers, feed baby, read him stories and sing him songs.  I really want to believe she will do these things, and for right now I'm pretty sure she is going to be an amazing help.  However, I also KNOW she is a strong-willed and extremely independent little so and so, therefore I know there will be good and bad days to come.  However I am confident Syd will be an amzing big sister for the most part, and absolutely, positively can't wait to see how they interact with each other--once he's born and as they continue to grow together.  It really is an exciting time :-)

Preggo Update: 30 weeks 5 days

Wow! It's been a little while since I've posted so there is alot of catching up to do. This first post (there is very likely a chance to be multiple posts today) will try to keep strictly to updates about the pregnancy and Baby Boy (no still no name picked out :-P)

Today I am exactly 30 weeks and 5 days and I have been doing pretty well. In my previous post I mentioned my awful case of pregnancy carpal tunnel. It got pretty bad there for awhile, to the point where I was wearing wrist braces as often as possible. My hands and fingers would tingle and go numb at various points during the day. But there was also a dull shooting pain all the way up my arms to my shoulders.  It was hard, even painful, to type, write, hold any kind of utensil, put on make-up...you name it. It was hard to sleep at night because being pregnant I have to sleep on my side, but whatever side I would sleep on that hand and arm would fall asleep. I learned that if I propped enough pillows under my head and shoulders, I could sleep on my back with my arms out to my sides, and that seemed to help for a while. Lucky for me for the past 2 weeks or so the carpal tunnel has been practically indistinguishable and I've been sleeping much better and not having the pains. A friend of mine loaned/gave me a maternity pillow that has been a lifesaver for me and I am so much more comfortable sleeping on my side. It was great! But of course all good things must come to an end...and starting I would say a day or 2 ago, the carpal tunnel has come back--not as bad as it was before, but the joints in my hands and fingers have been swelling a bit, and the tingly numb sensations have returned, especially at night. Man I can't wait to have this kiddo so I can feel normal again! lol

Let's see...what else to catch up on? At 26 weeks I did the glucose test for gestational diabetes and everything came back normal and fine. Then at 28 weeks I had to get the RhoGam shot. Simply put (and this is to the best of my understanding--if you want more info about it Google it cuz I'm not a great source of info :-P) because I am Rh-(negative) and Chris is Rh+(positive) I have to have this shot to make sure that my white blood cells or antibodies or something don't attack the baby thinking it's some foreign virus/bacteria/nasty thing that is invading my body.  Its not a big deal at all....just a shot in the butt which I'm fine with. No weirdo side effects or anything to worry about.  That same day, my OB office asked if I would like to take the flu shot while I was there since they had it and it's a good idea to get it if you are pregnant (well i guess it's supposed to be a good idea to get it no matter what, but whatever).  So Syd held my hand while I got both shots and told me to be a big girl :-) and I was.  I've never had a problem with the flu shot before (or any other vaccination) so the nurse told me I should be fine, that I shouldn't have any side effects and besides it was not a live culture of the flu virus in the shot so no big deal. Well, that's what they SAID. The next day I felt AWFUL! Nauseated all day, tired and gross--just awful. At one point I threw up and heaved so hard I popped a blood vessel in my EYEBALL and had a huge red spot in the corner of my eye (i still have a small red dot in that eye...at least it doesn't look as bad as it did) Thankfully grandpa had taken Syd for the day so I was able to just lay around and be miserable and the next day was Saturday so Chris could play with Syd while I laid around being miserable.  I was still a little gross that Sunday too, so I missed church, but by the end of the day Sunday i was feeling much better.  I still am not sure if it was just some 24 hour bug or if it was due to the flu shot--but either way it sucked!

At my 26 week appt with my OB I mentioned that I wanted to be induced again this time around. I was induced with Sydney 3 days before my predicted due date and it was wonderful to be able to have a date pinpointed and take some of the stress of worrying about when I would go into labor off of my shoulders. Also with Syd my blood pressure started to get a little high towards the end, so the Dr. would have ended up inducing me anyways--whether I had scheduled it or not.  This time I knew I wanted to do the same thing because I wanted to know the exact date (i mean unless baby boy comes earlier) and I wanted to be able to know for sure who would be able to come and be able to let those that are coming know when they needed to be here.  My dr and the hospital won't induce before 39 weeks (which I am totally fine with and agree with 100%) the earliest I could be induced was the 6th of December. I mentioned that I would be happy with the 8th or 9th because that was a Thurs or Friday and it would give both Chris and my mom a couple of extra days off without having to take more time (though Chris gets plenty of paid time off and mom is taking her vacation...it just gives a couple more "free" days lol). Also it just sounded like a good time.  Well, anyways, when I went back for my 28 week appt (and shot) my OB told me they had already gone and scheduled my induction! yay! So, as long as Baby Boy doesn't come earlier, we are scheduled to be induced on December 8, 2011 @ 6:00AM.  How exciting! I'm so stoked! Mom is planning on being here and so is my BFF Adrienne (though I'm sure she won't want to be there for the actual delivery ;-P)  Since we will have a full house, Chris' mom Sandi, and Gran-David will come either the following week (which happens to be Chris' birthday anyways) or for Christmas--since there is NO WAY we are going to be able to travel to NOLA for the holidays with a 2 week old and a crazy toddler :-)  Larry (Chris' dad) has already offered to take Syd the day of the induction but we haven't ironed out all intricacies of what we'll do with Syd while I'm in the hospital. I'm sure it won't be a problem for someone to stay with her at the house at night, and once baby is born she can come to the hospital....but anyways...we can wait a little while before all that needs to be worked out (not very long but a little bit at least lol)

Baby Brother still doesn't have a name yet.  I gave Chris an ultimatum a little over 3 weeks ago. I told him he had a month to decide on a name and if by the end of that month he did not, we were going with my top choice--and then he can decide on the middle name.  I thought for a while we were set on one particular name that Chris seemed to like at first. But now, Mr. Indecisive has changed his mind. Anyways, he has a little less than a week to decide or else :-P

Baby Brother's nursery is pretty much all set up. The room is painted--we decided on a sagey kind of green to go with the bedding.  The crib is all set up and made with the cutest bedding--its different shades of green and cream and brown and covered with Teddy Bears :-)  We are pretty much all set on clothes and almost everything else we could possibly need thanks to trading and/or buying from good mommy friends. The only thing we really need to get is a swing...but we are hoping to either get it as a gift or wait till closer to the holidays to get a better deal.  I also REALLY REALLY REALLLY want to get the Sit and Stand Stroller by Baby Trend and the matching car seat/carrier, but Chris and I have come to the decision that it isn't something we really need, so we can either wait till after the baby is born, or keep fingers crossed some loving soul will gift it to us :-)  We are registered at both Target and Babies R Us, but it is mostly for small things like towels and swaddlers, butt paste and wipes and whatnot--and mostly because I'm pretty sure both places offer some sort of discount if you buy (whatever you don't get) off your registry yourself--i mean it's only like 15-20% but better than nothing right?

Ok so that about sums it up I think for an update on the pregnancy. I'm going to have to do this more often so that my posts aren't like novellas once I do get around to it. Its just hard to set aside the time with a busy toddler and an exhausted pregnant mommy running around after her :-P Till next time! :-)

24 weeks, 3 days! IT'S A........................BABY!!!!!!!

So, I know its been a while since I've updated, and I know I've promised to be more diligent with my posts, but really, being pregnant and the mother of a 2 year old monster (j/k she's not a monster all the time) is time consuming and exhausting. I know, I know who would have thought? lol

I am right about 24 weeks pregnant which means that there is roughly 16 weeks left (fingers crossed) Since I haven't written in a few weeks, I will update you on what's been going on, both with life and the pregnancy, as well as I can without writing a novel. :-)

On August 1st we had our 20 week "anatomy" ultrasound which is pretty much to check that the baby is growing properly; 2 hands, 2 feet, 10 fingers and toes, the heart is functioning, etc. But another component of having the 20 week anatomy ultrasound is to find out what the sex of the baby is. Although there are some who would rather be surprised, we HAD to know...or at least I did. I remember with Sydney that I had the anatomy ultrasound at around 18 or 19 weeks and the little booger was being stubborn and wouldn't open her legs so we weren't able to tell more positively until about 28 weeks. Little booger number 2 was also being stubborn and not in a very good position to help the ultrasound tech better view his heart and lungs and what not but eventually we were able to see pretty clearly that baby was...duh da da daaaaa..a BOY! The tech was actually trying to get a good view of his hands and fingers, having to poke and prod to get him to cooperate. Low and behold there were his little hands, right between his legs...along with another prominent part of his anatomy. the nurse even commented something like "naughty little boy...starting early huh?" I laughed and looked at Chris, who was grinning. That's our boy, i guess LOL.

Needless to say we were ecstatic that we were having a boy. I know alot of people asked me what we wanted and I would always answer the same: it didn't matter as long as the baby was healthy. And I wasn't lying. I would have been happy to have a boy or a girl (not that you can change that kind of thing once it is said and done lol) but its nice to have one of each now. And I know we both really, maybe secretly hoped for a boy. Chris was just grinning ear to ear. I will admit I am pretty nervous about raising and taking care of a boy. It just seems like it will be so different but maybe I'm just being a little crazy. I am crazy preggo lady after all.

Well anyways, I had my routine OB visit after the ultrasound (on August 11th to be exact--we were out of town for vacation from the 4th through the 10th--but that will have to be another blog entirely) and everything is pretty much right on target. Unfortunately I am gaining a little too much weight. I had gained 8 lbs in about 5 weeks--not good since I am only supposed to be gaining a lb a week--but my excuse was (and i stand by it firmly) I had just come back from vacation, where I ate seafood (fried or with butter) everyday and drank too many sodas, and pretty much didn't try to keep track of eating healthy or anything. So far I have gained about 23 lbs total which isn't great but isn't awful and looks to be pretty similar to what I gained with Sydney. At least I can say I weighed less and was in much better shape prior to getting preggo this time around, so getting rid of the weight after baby boy is born won't be so bad. I'm trying to stick to working out, but that's easier said than done since I'm so TIRED ALL THE TIME and have little motivation to get my butt to the gym. I am also currently a bit sick (some cold or sinus thing) so that is making it even less likely to get to the gym. But I'm making a promise to myself right here and now (not that promises I make in this blog mean anything--i remember promising I would actually keep up with this thing and we all know how that's been working out for me lol) but I'm saying it publicly anyway. Once I can breathe (meaning when I'm not hacking up a lung and both of my nostrils aren't stuffed shut) I will be much more diligent at the gym--cardio 4-5 days a week and strength training at least 3 days. It's tiresome, but honestly I feel so much better--emotionally and physically--after working out.

So at 24 weeks pregnant, I am doing relatively well all in all (besides being currently under the weather) Baby is moving really well, kicking and punching and whatever other baby acrobatics he's doing in there. I've developed an awful case of pregnant carpal tunnel which is no fun at all, but not surprising since I had it with Sydney too...i just don't remember it being this intense! Heartburn comes and goes--there have been days I've had it so bad I can't sleep, even after chewing TUMS like candy. But again, par for the course right? I have trouble sleeping on my sides because my hands fall asleep alternately, so I'm constantly waking up to rotate (which is getting harder and harder with this belly in the way lol) I've realized though, that if I prop myself up on pillows and sleep on my back, my carpal tunnel isn't so bad and my hands don't fall asleep, but I'm practically sitting straight up and its not always the most comfortable position. You gotta give somewhere.

Well...i guess that's about it for now. I will post some stuff about vacation and grandparents' visiting later. peace out!

I think I felt Little One move....unless that's just gas

I apologize in advance if this is a little crude and disgusting. You don't have to read it :-) but it made me giggle writing it :-) oh and I know I already wrote 2 other posts today...can you tell i'm bored and there is nothing on tv? why am i not in bed? who freaking knows!

So, from what I've read and what my dr. has said, you can start feeling baby move right around 18 weeks. Some say its like a flutter, like butterflies, or like gas bubbles. Hmm...interesting. Because, aren't pregnant women unnaturally gassy? I mean right? When you are pregnant, you fart, ALOT. And are gassy...alot. Ok well, maybe I shouldn't generalize and say "you" as in all pregnant women because maybe its not ALL of us. So let me ammend... I am ridiculously gassy and flatulent (sp?) And I know there is a real reason for this...i read about it i swear....but don't ask me to tell you why. But anyways....how the HELL am I supposed to know if what I'm feeling is the baby twirling and spinning and punching and kicking, or that burger I had for lunch...or just a little bit of bubble gut? hmmm????

I guess some mommies will say you just know, and I'm sure that's true. But at 18 weeks I couldn't tell you the difference between a fart and baby acrobats...so sue me. Now, however, I am a couple of days past 20 weeks and am almost 100% positive (maybe about 98%) that I can feel baby move. It is like a flutter, and kind of like gas bubbles but not quite....because now I can pretty much tell if its baby doing somersaults (or whatever it is the baby is doing) or a rumblin in my tummy :-P

I can't really remember when I started to feel Sydney move, but I remember it was sometime after 28 weeks when I could push in on my belly and she would punch or kick back. It was the most amazing thing in the world. Totally beyond cool! She never really moved alot when Chris was around, so I think he only felt her a handful of times. But I absolutely can't wait until I can put my hand on my belly and really feel this baby bust a move :-) Then and only then do I think I'd be able to tell you that I'm 100% sure baby is moving around in there and its not just gassiness.

Ok so that's it for my posts tonight, i promise. I hope its not another month before I post again. I apologize again if i grossed anyone out. For any man reading this...its all a lie! women don't fart...EVER! For everyone else, you know what I'm talking about :-)

SHOCKING NEWS--Sydney is a runner *gasp* REALLY?

Sydney will not EVER stay still. EVER. AND she will never come to me when I ask her to, whether to get her dressed, brush her teeth, give her a bath, feed her, give her a drink, ask her to play with me, get her to put her shoes on....nothing. She just RUNS. "Sydney lets get dressed so we can go to the park! Don't you want to go to the park?" Syd-"Yes MAMA!" as she runs as fast as she can in whatever direction I am not. I even use her best friend Jack or Seth as a bribe...don't you want to go play Jack(Seth)? Syd--"Yay Jack!(Seth!)" still running as fast as her little legs can carry her anywhere that's away from me. Sometimes its a little funny, but most of the time it INFURIATES me and I have to take a deep breath and calm down. Now why does this make me so mad? Because she does it ALL OF THE TIME! and I have no idea what to do about it, except just let her run, or threaten to stay home all day (which I can't hold to, because I would lose my marbles and doesn't work anyways because all she says is ok mama) or threaten a whoopin, or threaten to take away a toy or tv show (which doesn't work, EVER) or put her in time out(which also doesn't really work, because guess what? you still have to chase her and catch her first.) I'm pretty sure she just thinks its a big game, ALL THE TIME!

God, I love her, but she drives me BONKERS! Sometimes she'll listen and be good (once in a blue moon) and sometimes Daddy can get her to do whatever it is that I can't convince her to do. But mostly (i'll reiterate) she just RUNS. **i'm really praying this is a phase, or part of the terrible two's because I'm sure I can't keep up with her if this lasts much longer** Good part about it I guess (if you want to see a silver lining) is that at least I'm staying active, even on days I don't go to the gym. And at least she's getting some of her massive amounts of energy out, i guess....

Ok that was all. I just needed a little vent I think....lol i'll try to post again soon! (though not tonight, cuz i'm pooped) :-P

Potty Training Little Miss Independent

So its been a while since my last blog and there is a LOT of catching up to do. I'm just so darn TIRED all the time, by the time I get a chance to get online (on the actual computer and not just my phone) I have little desire to type anything but google searches and status updates. lol

There is plenty to update on--my pregnancy, potty training a toddler, terrible two's, life in general--but for this blog I am going to try to stick with one topic and focus on our lovely attempts at potty training for the past month
*DISCLAIMER* IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE INNER WORKINGS OF POTTY TRAINING A TODDLER, PLEASE DISCONTINUE READING NOW. :-) (although it can be a little entertaining...if you aren't the one wiping up the pee drops and poopie bottoms)

On July 6 (a Wednesday--and no I don't have amazing memory...i posted it on Facebook so it will be forever immortalized on the internet :-P) Syd woke up and decided it was the day for NO MORE DIAPERS! "panties please!" she said to me as I was changing her diaper after she woke up for the day. Okey dokey then! No more diapers it was. This started the first day of what myself and other mommy friends may refer to as potty training boot camp. For those unfamiliar with the term, its basically supposed to be a 3 day "program" where you let the kiddo go bottomless all day long in hopes that they will make it to the potty when they feel the need rather than messing on themselves. It can be a hard and messy job but supposedly works wonders. Sydney took to it marvelously. We have a potty seat (Dora of course!) but she insists most of the time that she wants to sit on the big potty. The first day there was I think only one or 2 accidents and she pooped on the potty all by herself. As long as she was bare bottomed she made it to the potty when she needed to, would even go by herself, without being prompted and without me having to take her (she of course still needed me to help her wipe, although she would much rather do it on her own) After about 3-4 days she was pottying pretty much on her own, pretty regularly with little to no accidents. We could even go out in public, as long as it was somewhere with a potty and as long as I was with her (we had to stay away from the gym for a week or so since they are not required to assist with potty training or taking kiddos to the potty)

All in all I was really impressed with how well she was doing with the whole potty training bit. We used mini m&m's as treats if she went to the potty (1 for pee pee and 2 for poo poo) but she never really needed them and I usually only gave them to her if she asked for it. "I poo poo! Treat MAMA?!" Again I'll say as long as she was bare bottomed she had almost no accidents. If I put her in panties or in a pull-up she would almost ALWAYS potty in them...I guess they were just too similar to diapers. I realized that her panties were just a little too tight and it was hard for her to get them on and off, so once we got some bigger panties, she could wear them with no accidents. Most of the time though, she is just in shorts or pants (unless she specifically requests panties or she's in a dress). If we go out in public like to a park or the store, I make sure she uses the potty before we leave and once we get there and she does great. If we go to the gym I have to put a pull-up on her because I know she can't go there by herself yet and I don't want an accident. Usually when I get her we go potty and the pull-up is dry, but we have had one or 2 instances that she pooped in her pull-up while I was working out. Not fun at all, I promise you :-P

So, anyways, potty training was going wonderfully...until last Friday. I'm not sure what changed, or what happened. Maybe the novelty of using the potty like a big girl wore off, or maybe she is just TOO BUSY to remember to go potty, but since Friday we've been having potty issues. She had an accident at a playdate at a mommy friend's house that Friday morning (thank GOD it was on the hardwood and not the carpet :-/ I chalked it up to just having too much fun and not thinking about the potty. Then that afternoon she had 2 pee pee accidents and one time she pooped on the floor. After her accidents she would always go and sit on the potty to "finish" but I couldn't figure out what was different and why she was having the accidents to begin with.
I tried really hard not to get upset with her because I know that can cause setbacks, but I'm a hormonal and emotional wreck these days so it has been hard. I think at one point it crossed my mind that she was doing it deliberately just to spite me (OF COURSE that's NOT TRUE, but again I say i'm crazy pregnant hormone woman these days...)

Needless to say its been a tough few days. Potty training has been a battle! If we are at home, I've taken to asking her to go potty every 30 mins to an hour (which I think drives her nuts because she HATES it and always yells NO POTTY MAMA! whenever I tell her to go to the potty) If I ask her if she needs to go the answer is always no. Then a few minutes later she has an accident in her pants (or on the floor if she has already had an accident and she hasn't allowed me to put more panties/pants on her) then goes to finish on the potty. I still try to take her out in public without a pull-up (unless at the gym) and she tends to do really well outside of the house. I've even tried going back to using the treats but it only works a handful of times. I can't force her to go to the potty because it just turns into a fight, but I'm at a total loss for what to do. I mean I don't want to just give up on it, but its just become Crazy Town over here when it comes to going potty. I will say it is NOT 100% of the time a battle...there are a few times when she will go when I ask and THANK THE GOOD LORD she still does wonderfully for poo-poo (no poops on the floor since that friday :-P) Sometimes I just wish I could snap my fingers or wave a magic wand and she will be fully potty trained. I'm guessing this setback is just par for the course. Chris says she's just 2 years old. Accidents will happen. But its hard to keep that in mind when she was doing so well before. Does everyone have these issues with potty training kiddos?!?!?! It can't just be me and Syd right? lol

Well, that's about it for now. I will keep you posted about our potty adventures in the future. Hopefully everything will work out in the end :-)