Potty Troubles and Triumphs

There are two times it's ok to discuss potty on this blog. For some unknown reason, in the CF community bodily functions are perfectly ok to share, so Ronnie's potty practices are fair game. The other, is Mckenna's because, well, she's a toddler. You're in luck, and today is not about a grown man's toilet troubles and triumphs, but instead about my sweet, innocent and far-less-stinky daughter's.

So a couple weeks ago Mckenna started running to the bathroom door and holding her diaper while making grunting sounds. I ignored it the first time or two thinking she was just being silly. When she kept it up, however, I decided to go ahead and toss her on the potty to see what she'd do. Sure enough, she pooped. I was certain it was a fluke, but praised her and told her what a big girl she was. She was as proud as a peacock. She admired it sitting there and, strangely, pointed and grunted at it (HA! I wish I got the grunt/screams at it on tape. It was like she was mad at it!). Much to my surprise, she did it another time that day, so I decided to keep rolling with it.

I hadn't given any thought to potty training since she is still "young" and not of conventional, American potty training age. How would I do it? Big potty vs. kid potty? Do I use a method? What does it look like in terms of timeline? It wasn't on my radar, so I was totally lost. I started googling (that is my method of seeking parenting "advice"..hehe) and found just about nothing helpful on potty training a 15-month old who was initiating the process. So I just took a few tidbits here and there from the different "techniques" I could find and went with it.

Pretty much I put her on the potty when she gets up and before she goes to sleep for naps and bedtime, as well as before and after we leave the house to go somewhere, and then I just pick random times and sit her on there to see if she will go (if it has been awhile). I tried putting her on more frequently at set intervals, but then she stopped telling me as much, so I just decide to go a bit more casual and she seems to go better with that. After all, she was the one driving the process initially, so I decided to back off a bit and let her continue to drive.

Well turns out she must have been ready because she's doing great. Ever since we started 11 days ago, I've only changed 2 poops (apparently she was really ready to do that on a potty) and she's now about 50/50 for pee. I am so proud of her!

It has been a good learning experience for me too. I've learned that she is very internally motivated, at least for this and I hope for other accomplishments in life as well. I started with a sticker chart and occasional little treats for her. But after a couple days of the sticker chart she was over it, and now I'm left doing it on my own. It's a bit pathetic, but I feel REALLY good to see all those stickers on the chart after what feels like a full day spent in a bathroom...so even though she's not into it anymore, I still do it! HA! As for the treat, I decided I didn't want to go down that path and axed them. She didn't even notice.

It hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies, we are still dealing with some sleep disturbances as a result...you know, the kind that leave you throwing your hands in the air and wondering what the heck you do to "fix" the problem. She was getting up early in the morning by just 30-45 minutes, which I don't mind. I get it. She learned to go potty on the potty. She now poops when she first gets up. So she wakes and thinks, alright, let's get this show on the road. But then last night, she was up at 3:30am AND DIDN'T GO BACK TO SLEEP. 3:30am!?! I don't so much mind for my sake and missing out on a little sleep. But I know that a lack of sleep makes her one cranky kid, and I don't want that for any of us. Not to mention I always feel it's my job to find "the fix" and so it stresses me out to no end. I've tried googling for answers (again, I wasn't kidding when I said it's my go to!) but couldn't find much that was practical for a 15-month old.

We will see how tonight goes. Hopefully last night was just a fluke and she will sleep like a baby (HA! What baby actually "sleeps like a baby'?!) tonight. But in case it wasn't...please feel free to post advice/suggestions.

Here's to another chapter in our little love's life...big girl underwear and bedwetting are in her fast approaching future :)

You want me to do WHAT??

**Do not eat before or during reading - you have been warned!!

This weekend was yet another CF-related first for me...bathroom scouting. Huh? You're thinking. Let me back up and start from the beginning.

Ronnie and I woke up a little late for church yesterday, and knowing that we were meeting some friends for lunch after, didn't eat breakfast, but did house a few cups of coffee. When we got to church, there were bagels, so we both happily devoured half a bagel to tide us over, but because we were eating on the fly, Ronnie ate his half sans pills. This combo (and who knows what else, maybe the pizza from Saturday night) resulted in Ronnie having a really upset stomach. As we were leaving church he was debating if he should go back and use the bathroom before trying to make the drive to meet our friends, and on top of that, his stomach was so upset he thought maybe he was going to have to call off lunch. Being the trooper that he is, however, he decided that he could hold it and that he could still hang out.

BAD IDEA!

By the time we arrived at the restaurant to meet our friends Ronnie had worked up a sweat clenching through the many waves of death. I know you know exactly what I'm talking about, so I won't say more! Another wave was hitting him as we pulled in the parking lot. He looked at me, sweat on his brow and looking a little tense and said, "Do you think this place has an ok bathroom?" Now let me explain, Ronnie's not usually bashful, but the restaurant is SUPER quaint and tiny, and if he can stink up 4/5 of our house on a good morning, he can certainly ruin most patrons' meals in a small restaurant. "I don't know" I responded. "Will you go look?" he asked, "If it's not, I'll drive somewhere else". I began wondering how this was going to go down. Our friends were inside. I knew if I went in, they'd see me, and I've have to say hi, but dart to the bathroom, which would require me outing Ronnie. "What do you want me to say??" "That I have to go to the bathroom and you have to scout the bathroom." DUH MANDI - obviously the man that still makes fart noises when he watches someone bend over wouldn't have a problem letting people know he was about to totally ruin this unsuspecting toilet!!

This wasn't a covert opp AT ALL. I ran in, gave the obligatory hugs, threw my purse down and said, "Ronnie's in the car and wants me to scout the bathroom to make sure it'll be a suitable environment..." AWKWARD! Luckily we were meeting with another CFer and her husband...so they get it.

Anywhooooo, just thought I'd sure that first. Needless to say, this is yet another lesson in never eating without enzymes!