Potty Training Realities

I need to write this post for both of you so I do not become my own mother. When I started potty training Elle, I asked my mom how long it took to potty training us. She said that one day, Claire (my sister) just decided she wanted to pee and in the potty and I quote "that was that!" Um, ok. With Elle, we did the 3 day method where we stayed in the house for 3 days. Elle did great! By the end of that week, we were accident free.

So then I asked my mom how it was to potty train me and she said the most amazing thing. It turns out, my own sister potty trained me in one day! Amazing! Well, it would be if it were true, but this is an example of mommy memory- where you tend to forget the bad details of parenting and completely over emphasize the good.

With Brynn, I new the possibility of Elle potty training her was out of the question because: reality. So we started on the 3 day method 4 days ago. Here were our rules:

1. Underwear on in the morning
2. I set a timer on my phone for 15 minutes and when that timer goes off we run to the potty in a silly way (keeping it light) and she sits on the potty while I read a book.
3. If there is pee in the potty, she and Elle both got a jelly bean (this turned Elle into Brynn's potty cheerleader).
4. After the first successful potty trip, the timer is moved up by 5 minutes until we eventually reach 30 minutes.

Here is how it has been: First day we had accidents all morning and a pee in the late morning- followed by more successes (all pee). Finished the day with no accidents from noon until bedtime.

The second day, we had successes (all pee) all morning. Then I left for the gym and dad let you run upstairs to play and we had a pee and poop accident.

The third day, no accidents all morning until we went out to a kiddie museum where Brynn played for 3 hours. She had two accidents in a row right when we got there
because she was scared of the toilet at the museum then got over that and went successful the rest of the day.

The fourth day, we had another accident while Brynn was playing outside. It it harder when she is distracted. 

She is now holding her poop.... so we shall see. But this is my honest account so my brain is not taken over by selective parenting memory when you ask me.

Our yard.

When we were building our house, the backyard was of huge importance to me. I spent so much of my time in my childhood yard. We had 5 acres of trails, woods, and grass. My sister was always inside. She liked sewing and re-organizing her room and I lived to be outside. Mostly, I was alone. I had my springer spaniel Taylor.  I had big dreams of running and ball kicking and chasing done by two little sisters I know.

When we first saw the lot, the area that was going to be the yard was huge and flat and I was beyond excited. However, as the septic was put in and dirt was found to be extremely hard, a mound grew and grew and my "flat" when to hilly. It bothered me way more than it should.

Now though, with the warm air and the sound of the wind in the morning when I sneak out there after breakfast for a breath, it is paradise. And in the evening, when the sun streams through trees and the sound of both of you laughing fills the air, it is perfection.

She is....

Brynn.

She is up, padding down the hallway in her footie pajamas, sneaky.

She is fuzzy, her hair is matted and sticking up in a million directions from a night of good dreams.

She is asking for snuggles and her small body still fits in the curve of mine.

She is biting, ever so gently, her tiny thumb for comfort.

She is eating her breakfast very messily with her left hand.

She is laughing and smiling.

She is silly and hilarious, telling stories with her hands way up in the air and her face scrunched.

She is tired and wrapped up in dad's baby blanket.

She is sitting as close to me as possible at all times.

She is following Elle.

She is two and half.