Diary of a Mad Pregnant Women Trying to Potty Train- Day 8 & BASKIN ROBBINS

Day 8 - MONDAY

Today was a good day. In the morning she had an accident, it was partly my fault because I was on the phone. But the rest of the day she did GREAT. The second time Lizette went pee she came and told me and she peed a little, and I told her to run to the bathroom, she held it and ran to the toilet, and peed on the toilet, and the rest of the day she did amazing. She didn't poop today, and she is usually at least once a day pooper. But I was really proud on how well she did.



We decided to go to Baskin Robbins for family night, since Lizette did so well. Lizette doesn't get ice cream or dessert very often, and she had NEVER been to Baskin Robbins before so I thought it would be a fun treat for her. Lizette did really well, when we went to Baskin Robbins. After Baskin Robbins, Tyler had to stop at a store in the same shopping center. Lizette and I were waiting in the car. She told me she had to go pee, so I took her out of the car seat and set up her "little potty" in the cargo area of the car (I bought it for potty emergencies and when we go camping in July) and she went pee. I was even happier that she told me and she went pee. I love the Fisher Price Potty on the Go. It is worth every PENNY.















I couldn't help but take a picture of her on her potty in the car. It was so white trash, but at least she didnt' go pee in her car seat. The funniest part was when she waved to some guy when she was sitting on it, luckily he wasn't looking.

Boy, was Tyler surprised when he came out of the store.

Diary of a Mad Pregnant Women Trying to Potty Train a Toddler - Day 5,6,7

Day 5,6,7 - Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Boy it is so much easier having Tyler home to help with potty training, but it is awful potty training during a holiday weekend.

Friday- Lizette did well in the morning, but in the afternoon we went to a Barton family get together. Tyler wanted to put Lizette in a diaper so she wouldn't have an accident at his sister's house. Lizette did really well. She told me she needed to go pee so she was able to go pee on the toilet, but she then went poop two times in the diaper.

Saturday - Lizette did really well on Saturday again. She didn't have any accidents in the morning. Tyler even ran a couple of errands with her in panties, and she didn't have one accident. After nap time, we went swimming. When we were at the pool, she told us she needed to go pee and she got out of the pool to use the bathroom. When we were done swimming, she went poop in her swim diaper. Then we went to a bbq to watch fireworks, she was in a diaper, and she did pee once. At least, she is doing well going pee.

Sunday - AWFUL -We woke up late due to the Fourth of July, Lizette went pee in her diaper before she woke up. We tried to get her to go bathroom before church at one o'clock, with no such luck. She didn't go. We got to church, I decided to put her in panties for the first hour. We sat in the very back closest to the bathroom. She kept on saying potty and then we would run to the toilet and she would not go pee. After the fifth time, it was Tyler's turn to take over. I didn't want to ignore her and have her pee everywhere.

Then it was time for nursery. We put her in a pull up and Tyler and I were going to take turns taking her to the toilet every half hour. But guess what she did: peed and pooped in the diaper. I was so sad. I know she is capable of going on the toilet, but at least she was in a diaper. Since Sunday is a no nap day, due to church. She was having meltdowns. She didn't want to sit on the toilet, she didn't go pee in the toilet before bed time. I feel like she is doing better peeing on the toilet, but not so good on the poop. At least I haven't had to clean any off the floor in the past three days. WHY ARE SUNDAYS SO HARD... Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Moving on Up

The beginning of June, Tyler decided to change Lizette's bed to a toddler bed. The two previous nights, Lizette was some how pulling her elbow out - Nursemaid's elbow - luckily Tyler and I were able to pop it back into place. (this happens every so often) But it is AWFUL, especially when Tyler and I can't pop it back. Tyler thought she was trying to climb out of the crib but I wasn't convinced because she has NEVER tried to climb out before.

I have been so tired lately the last thing I wanted to deal with is fighting with a toddler to take a nap or to go to bed. Lizette has been pretty good. We had to walk her back to her bed a couple times at night time, but so far so go. She has been playing so hard that nap time has been pretty good, there have been a couple of napless days. Hopefully it will continue to be a great adjustment. But she looks really cute sleeping in her big girl bed. Lizette also loves to tell Daddy it is bedtime and have him sleep in her bed and shut her door, and say, "Good night. I love you."













But for the record, she did pull her elbow out the first night in her toddler bed. I don't know what she has been doing, but luckily she hasn't done it since.

Watermelon

A couple of weeks ago, Tyler's niece, Mercedes, graduated from High School and we were going to a graduation party. I was bringing watermelon. While I was cutting it Lizette wanted to watch. then she wanted some watermelon. I tried giving her some, but she only wanted to eat the rind. It was so gross and funny I had to take a picture. After 10 minutes of convincing I told her to eat the watermelon. It was almost like she had never eaten watermelon before, but she has had it all the time... SILLY TODDLER.

FRIENDS

Tyler and I swap babysitting with some friends in our ward. They have a little girl, Penny, 5 months older than Lizette and a baby, Ginger, that is under a year. We baby sat for them a week ago. Lizette wanted to hold Ginger right away. It was so cute I had to take a couple of pictures. Ginger is such a happy baby. She was such a good sport with Lizette and her obsession with holding her.

Father's Day 2009

Father's day this year, we got together with Tyler's family on Friday, the day before Father's day, to celebrate it with Grandpa Tickles. So Sunday we had the morning to ourselves. I let Tyler sleep in until 8:45. Then Lizette and I woke him up with some songs and gifts. He got some books from Lizette, unborn baby, and me. Then we let him read while I made breakfast. Then Lizette did the funniest thing, unprompted... She was rubbing his feet, it was so funny. She would rub his feet then run to her play kitchen wash her hands then go back to rub his feet.

Lizette and I are so blessed to have Tyler in our lives. He is such a wonderful husband and father. He does so much for our family. We are so grateful for Tyler and all his hard work!




Flashback of Father's Day past..

2008 - The day before swimming in Grandpa Tickles and Grandma Diane's pool..



Father's Day 2007 - Tyler's graduation day with his Master's Degree at UCSB - who holds a graduation on Father's day...

Diary of a Mad Pregnant Women Trying to Potty Train a Toddler - Day 4

Day 4 - Thursday

Today was a better day. Lizette went poop in the toilet TWO times! I was very happy. After the first time she pooped. She was washing her hands then peed. At least it was in the bathroom and I had my shark steam mop to pick it up right away. My mother-in-law was going to watch Lizette while Tyler and I had to go somewhere, and of course she had another accident right before I was going to drop her off. Diane, my mother-in-law, was nice enough to be willing to watch a potty training toddler. I thought she wouldn't have an accident for her, since she had an accident right before we left and she already pooped two times. But, I was wrong. She went pee and poop for her. I think it is harder when we are somewhere new or if Tyler and I are not around.

Lizette does like to play the "poop" game. Right before she goes poop. She will come and tell you and you will put her on the toilet and two seconds later she will say that she is all done. She will do this a couple of times before she has to go. I think she is still trying to realize how her body works.

At least tomorrow Tyler has the day off. So I will have lots of extra support, and I won't be the only one picking up poop and pee.

Diary of a Mad Pregnant Women Trying to Potty Train a Toddler - Day 3

Day 3 - Wednesday

Today was a good day, but a bad day potty training. We went to the beach in the mid morning, and Lizette peed in the sand. Then she pooped in her swimsuit, so we ran to the car to use the potty-to-go. Even though she has accidents I still have her sit on the toilet afterward so she would connect the two. After the beach it was nap time. After nap time we had a pee accident.

Then Tyler had to go to Scouts and I had a Primary Presidency meeting. So I called the Primary President, who I have known for a very, very long time and told her that I was potty training and I wanted to keep Lizette in big girl underwear as much as possible. She was really nice and said that I could bring Lizette in underwear. I put really thick sweats on just in case there was an accident that they would absorb most of the wetness. And of course she peed, mostly because I wasn't watching her and asking her, 10 minutes after I changed her she pooped. I think it was because we were somewhere different and I wasn't watching her. Tyler came to pick her up, luckily she hasn't had any accident in the car seats. I do have an old towel that she sit on just in case. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Diary of a Mad Pregnant Women Trying to Potty Train a Toddler - Day 2

Day 2

Today was a lot better than day 1. In the morning I gave Lizette tons of liquids, in the hopes to get peeing in the toilet down. But she didn't go pee until 11. She tinkled a little bit on the carpet, but I have her run really fast to the toilet and she finished peeing and there was a lot of pee. Since she had such bad diarrhea yesterday, for some reason she was really constipated today. Which was awful, but at least I wasn't picking up poo everywhere. After nap we had a friend come over and play outside with some buckets of water. Lizette peed outside in her bathing suit, she told me and we ran to try to make the rest in the toilet, but we didn't make it. AT LEAST IT WAS OUTSIDE.

By the end of the night, Lizette's stomach was hurting probably due to the constipation. We spent a lot of time on the toilet the whole day in the hopes of a bowel movement. Hopefully tomorrow she will be back on her normal cycle and all will be well. I almost don't know what is worse diarrhea or constipation.

While we were getting ready for bedtime we put Lizette in a diaper, and about 5 minutes later, she said, "Mommy, pee in toilet." So Tyler and I ran to put her on the toilet, Tyler thought she was trying to get out of going to bed, but a minute later, SHE PEED IN THE TOILET! She didn't do a drop in her diaper. I was really proud of her. I hope that tomorrow will go even better than today!

Diary of a Mad Pregnant Women Trying to Potty Train a Toddler - Day 1

Today was the official first day of potty training. I tried to get myself really pumped up for today. I have read a couple of books about potty training, and Lizette has been watching Elmo's Potty Time DVD for the past couple of months. I have TWO buckets outside the door one for peed on things and the other with water and detergent for pooped on things. We have to toliet set up and ready for when she needs to go. We also have plenty of Elmo underwear and Princess underwear.

Lizette went poop in the toilet about 2 months ago but hasn't done it since. Today we started off the day with sitting on the toilet for a couple of minutes with no success. After breakfast and a little bit of playing and peeing on the floor, she asked to watch Elmo. So I turned on the 30 minute Elmo Potty Time DVD and 15 minutes later she told me," Poop, toilet" so we ran to the toilet and SHE WENT POOP. In one of the books I read it says that you praise them when they sit on the toilet and nothing comes out and when something does come out you act REALLY REALLY EXCITED. So we called Tyler right away, and told him that Lizette went poop on the toilet.

Unfortunately about an hour and a half later, she got a mild case of the diarrhea she pooped in her panties. Then a couple of hours later I was letting her "Donald Duck it" or "Porky Pig it" (for those who don't know that phrase - when you are wearing only a shirt) and she pooped all over the floor, but she came and got me right away. Then after her nap, we sat on the toilet for about 10 minutes, and nothing happened, and an half an hour later she pooped in her underwear, and it got all over me. Poor kid getting diarrhea the day we started potty training.

I have been really good and I have not gotten frustrated yet, even for picking up poop 15 times - not joking. She hasn't peed in the toilet yet, but she tells me every time she gets wet. I WISH I had hardwood floors at the moment, but she loves to help me clean the floor after accidents, of course I only let her help me when I have already cleaned everything up. I am very hopeful that after today only good things can come. Luckily for Tyler he had to work until 9:30 tonight.

I AM ALIVE

Yes, I am still alive. I have many postings to add.. A lot of people have been asking for the black bean recipe, so here it is until I can update more.

Black Bean Recipe

BLACK BEAN RECIPE

1 pound of black beans
1 small - medium minced onion
4 pieces of chopped bacon
2-3 garlic cloves crushed
1 bay leaf

1. Rinse the beans thoroughly and discard any discolored ones. Soak in water overnight.

2. Tip the beans and their soaked water into a large pot, adding more water bring the level to about 4 - 5 inches about the beans. DO NOT ADD SALT at this stage, as it hardens the beans. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then lower the heat. Simmer for about 2-3 hours, or until the beans are soft. When necessary, add more water so the beans do not dry out. The beans are done when you take a bean and crush it.

3. While the beans are simmering take the 4 pieces of bacon (whole or chopped - I have done both ways- If I cook it whole I will chop it once it is cooked.) and cook it. You DO NOT want it crispy just lightly cooked. You mostly want the grease from the bacon in a pan. Once you are done set the pan aside, and add the bacon in about an hour after it starts simmering.

4. In the frying pan that you used for the bacon, use that bacon fat to saute the minced onion until the onion is lightly colored. Then add crushed garlic to the onion for an addition minute. Then add bay leaf for an additional minute - Add some bean water if you need some more liquid.

5. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf mixture about 45 minutes before the beans are done. Some times I add some bean juice to the frying pan to make sure you get every piece of garlic and onion.

6. Once the beans are done season with salt and pepper to taste. I don't crush my black beans but if you want to after the black beans are done take about 2-3 ladles of beans crush the beans to a puree and cook for an addition 15 minutes.

If you want more meat you could add shredded sausage or chorizo as well. I haven't tried either.

After dinner once they have cooled. I will put the remaining beans into several glass jars, and freeze them, and take them out when we want them.