I Spoke Too Soon...again!

In looking back to see how our potty training experience with Elise went, I found that I had forgotten that we had tried earlier on with her and hit a brick wall. Just before she turned two, she did the same thing Ava did last week. She used the toilet really well for a few days, held her potty longer, and then just completely stopped caring and trying after about 5 days. Ava did the same.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. My days are already filled to the max at this point, so trying to work potty training into our schedule last week meant that I was even more exhausted at the end of every day after asking (seemingly endlessly) "Do you need to go potty or poopoo?" and spending many hours sitting a tiny stool (which is quite the feat for me at this stage of pregnancy) in the bathroom, encouraging and reading stories while she practiced the whole potty thing.

She could definitely do it, and I could keep pushing it and we could get over the hump eventually after many more potty accidents, and then she'd be potty trained, but I think given what we have going on in our lives right now, it's not a wise plan for our family. This was the reason why I wasn't going to try before baby in the first place. There is just too much going on, and when they are younger and they aren't fully committed to wanting to use the toilet, it's a lot of work for the parent. I say yes to far too many things already. With each blessing that we add to our family, I have to take another step back and realize that I have to stop accommodating everyone else and everything else, and make sure that our own little family is taken care of first. Ask Chris, and he will be the first to tell you that I spread myself far too thin, far too often. I'm a do-er, so I do. Or at least I try to do and do and do....until I am so exhausted, so upset, so frustrated, and have completely lost the peace that I began with. For me, reminding myself to slow down and allowing myself to say no to some things is necessary.

So, we are taking a break from potty training. Perhaps Ava will want to pick up again soon or perhaps she'll wait 6 months or so like Elise did. Either way, I'm allowing myself to step back and not feel that just because we put time and effort into this that we can't just take a few steps back and wait until a later date. The silver lining is that I didn't have to change any poopy diapers for 6 whole days, and it was wonderful!



I like pictures...so here is one that Chris captured on his phone of the girls when we went on a walk one evening. Kayla always walks, but Elise and Ava wanted to walk with her, so partway into our 2 mile walk, we let them jump out of the stroller and walk too. And they held hands. It was precious.