Walking!

Sunday was a big day.

At our house, our 8 month old baby took off walking to his daddy. It was so amazing! And Travis knew that it was a big deal. He was so excited as we cheered him on. =)

He is not proficient by any means, but he is stepping out, (pun intended), and trying new moves. =)

Catches...

I am somewhat aggravated. I have tried to write this post 3 times now. I was almost done, and the page I was working in refreshed. Lost my post. Grrrrrrrrr!

We have been doing better on our timing. I have been encouraged and have again become hopeful and confident.

I think a few things have helped us get through this potty pause.

1. I became more relaxed and communicated in a more laid back way with Travis. I was encouraged to do this by several online moms, and they were right. =)

2. I added a different cue sound. I started grunting, like when having a bowel movement. The first time I did it, Travis looked at me, immediately copied the sound and did his #2 business in the pot. I was amazed to say the least and very encouraged. Later, I tried it when he was resisting a pee. A sigh and a little sound, and he went.

3. A change of potty places. I am catching less at the sink and outside and more at the potty. This is mostly because it seemed like he would associate an unpleasantness with a place he was more used to doing it. I think he was so busy that taking him to the place to pee or whatever was not on his schedule. =) I started offering on his bjorn potty again and that did seem to be part of our breakthrough.

4.I also started holding him more when I knew he needed to go. He usually doesn't go on me unless I totally ignore all the signs. So, I have held him more, even though this is not convenient. But then, neither is cleaning up misses or changing diapers. =)

5. A more regular use of potty toys. This one really has been a help. My little man is so busy and sitting on the pot is boring to him. I have found that many times it helps him to get settled and go if he has something to do.

So, on we go!

Another Catch!

Yay! This morning I was very pleased to be able catch Travis doing a #2. Our timing has been off lately and if you have read my other posts, you might imagine my elation. =)

At first he resisted going, in fact once he just wouldn't have it at all. Then, I just knew

Image by Kassel via Flickr

he had to go, so I grabbed him up, set him on the pot and grunted at him like a person does when they have a bowel movement.

He grunted, grimaced, and went. Simple as that. He understood me. and I was able to communicate to him that I knew what he needed to do and this was the place and time. =)

The last few weeks have been very trying for me, but I am so thankful for all the help I have found online as well as in my books. But the biggest help is not getting down or frustrated, knowing that the only way to win and accomplish this for him and myself is to keep on keeping on.

But, boy is it nice to feel like I am seeing the crest of this mountain! =)

Successful Morning...

This morning I was able to catch another pee by using the same method as yesterday. The kids played with Travis while he sat on his potty. When he got up, there was evidence that he had done his business.

We shall see what the rest of the day brings.....

The Breakthrough?

Right after I shut the camera off, there was a pee in the pot!

Potty Pause?

Right now I hardly know what to do.

Travis is on what is called a potty strike. I go to pee him, he won't. He waits and pees on the floor or his diaper. You know it is bad when you're thankful that he peed on you. Wish I had an old granny to ask about this.=)

I am trying to not be discouraged, but it has been a few weeks now. I catch him now about as many times as I used to have misses.

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Okay, maybe this is some of the value of blogging this sort of thing. I was writing the above with Travis squirming in my lap. I knew he needed to go, so I decided to try something else.

I set him on his potty seat, and then moved away and sat back down at the computer, pretending to be busy. Jakin started playing with him, and he enjoyed it. He started to get up and I started to stop him, until I realized that HE HAD PEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, not exactly the kind of thing normal people think about or get excited about, but I tell ya, this is exciting to me. I may have just figured out my breakthrough.

Quick Update...

Wow, I haven't posted in quite a while.

Travis is doing great with EC. We still have some misses, but if I am on the ball, I am able to catch most of his business.

The most common times for him to go are,
1) right when he wakes up.
I have to get to him pretty quick to catch him before he goes, but lately I think he waits for me as long as he can. We haven't had many misses.....

2) about 5 min after he eats

3) about 10 min after we start eating sometimes he will get sooooo squirmy and I will know he needs to poo.

4) sometimes I just 'know' he needs to go. If I pay attention to that 'knowing' I am able to catch what I would have otherwise missed.

Have we had misses? Oh boy. But on the overall, I am not washing much laundry that is diaper related anymore. Some, but not much.

Things that are making some things hard.

1) I would like to wear Travis more, so I would miss even less. But wearing a 19 1/2 lb baby for very long gets to be hard. I can do it easier just walking, like when we went hiking, than I can around the house doing chores. The up and down, bending, etc is tiring.
So, he gets to play on the floor a lot. That is a good thing, but then I am not as aware sometimes of when he needs to go, until too late.

2) I know that if I was more experienced in this process that there are probably some things that I could do better. I just don't know what they are! =)

Things that are making some things easier.

1) Living in Texas with warm weather. Travis runs around diaper free a lot.

2) No carpet. =D

3) Support from David. This one is huge. There are times that I get flusterated with it all, and if David was not supportive, I think I would be more likely to be tempted to quit. As it is, he is very supportive. He doesn't take Travis potty as much as I do, but he does sometimes when needed. Knowing he is proud of me for doing this is a real moral booster.

When we went camping, it was a breeze taking care of Travis. Sometimes he wore a diaper, but mostly he was bare-bottomed in the wrap or Ergo. It was easy to stop on the trail while hiking and let him do his business.

I need to take more EC pics. It is hard to run the camera and the baby!

Maybe I will get some up soon................