A Moment of Insanity

Ever since we moved back to Utah, Bryn's napping schedule has been erratic at best. Before the move, she would nap from 1-4 PM, wake up, play and then go down easily again for bed at 8PM. Now, trying to get her down for a nap usually ends up in tears (Bryn) and frustration (me). I was certain that once we moved into our house, and she was in her own bed surrounded by her own toys that she would magically go back on schedule. That happened. . . for about two weeks, and then things took a turn for the worse. On the days Bryn actually took a nap, she would stay up and wouldn't fall asleep until after 10:30 which wasn't going to fly. I need a few hours to myself every night for my sanity. I tried curtailing her naps and only allowed her to sleep for a hour and half. But, I quickly learned to never ever wake The Beast. If I did, then the rest of the afternoon and evening was filled with tantrums and meltdowns. So, just like that, I got rid of her naps. As if that wasn't crazy enough, I decided that if she is old enough to not take a nap, then she is old enough to start officially potty training. There you have it, my moment of pure insanity.

Now, we have dabbled a little bit in the potty-training business before. Bryn had shown interest in the toilet last February, and Nate and I became excited about the possibility of having Bryn potty-trained before Hudson's arrival. Alas, it was not meant to be. Bryn had a few accidents and then got to the point where she absolutely hated sitting on the toilet. Fine. No big deal. After all, she wasn't even two yet. We decided that with a new baby coming, a move across the country, and living in a place where she wouldn't have access to all her old surroundings would be a lot for a little girl to take in, so we talked about potty-training again once we moved into our new house if she seemed ready.

And boy did we run with it. Bryn got some new Minnie Mouse and Princess panties and was as excited as could be. We stayed in the kitchen area and her room for about 5 days. She had a few accidents at the beginning but is doing great. Every time she went, she was rewarded with her favorite treat, a Dum-Dum sucker. Best $3.49 investment I've ever made. After a couple of weeks, she got so good at going to the bathroom, that anytime she wanted a treat, she would go to the bathroom, push out a few drops, and then looks at me with a big smile and say, "Sucker please." The Dental Hygienist in me kicked in and I had to think of another alternative because I didn't want her eating so many treats. 

I was browsing the Target dollar section and found some flash cards that had famous landmarks of the world. Nate and I came up with idea of letting her pick one out every time she successfully went to the bathroom. We now have a wall of photos from around the world. We have over 30 of them up and Bryn can recognize each one and pronounces them very clearly. I am talking about landmarks like Chitchen Itza and Machu Picchu. She is also quick to tell you if she has been there (Washington Monument, White House, and Niagra Falls). Just the other day, I was sitting at the counter looking through a travel magazine featuring a tour on Israel. Bryn looks at the picture in the magazine and says, "Look Mom. It's the Dome of the Rock." Bryn loves her pictures and always wants to show Grandma Steph her new ones whenever she comes to visit.

Getting her to go poop on the toilet proved to be a bit more difficult and we really had to up our bribes. We asked Bryn what special toy she would like if she went poop on the toilet. For a week, all she wanted was a "Buzz and Woody" toy. And then it happened. We screamed and shouted and barely stopped short of making a parade out of the whole ordeal. Poor Hudson thought we lost our minds but found the whole ordeal thoroughly entertaining. We went to the store when Nate got home from work to get her toy. Her obsession with stuffed animals won out and she decided that she needed a "Baby Simba" instead of a Buzz and Woody.

And then this is what happens when Hudson tries to play with a stuffed animals which in fact is his. Bryn has claimed every stuffed animal in the house and obviously isn't afraid to use a little muscle to enforce that claim.

It has been a little crazy around the house. Sometimes we wonder what we were thinking potty training her so early. It makes long road trips even longer and shopping excursions can turn into a "we need a bathroom right now" adventure. But when we go to Costco and fork over $40 for a box a diapers for Hudson, we are grateful that we have one child out of diapers. Even if that means she no longer takes naps and sometimes doesn't make it through dinnertime.