ViviBear Milestone: Potty in the toilet (by herself), and Juliette is a poo machine (fun fact)

chamber
Chamber Pot

First off, what is potty? I never liked that term. I remember in preschool people used the term “potty”. I was like, wtf is that? I always knew it as going to the bathroom (in english at least). Then in 2nd grade, this one blonde chic Paige Patacky (sp) kept saying “I need to go potty”. I just let it go, and never used the term, well until ViviBear came along.

Maybe kids associate better with the term “Potty” rater than “Urinate/defecate” or “go to the bathroom”. Maybe it’s just me. Of course I figure the term derives from the good ol’chamber pot. Well according to Wikipedia, that is where it is from. It took me all these years to actually google that.

On that note, I am happy to say that today 10/9/2013 ViviBear stated “I NEED TO PEE PEE”, ran to the bathroom. As I followed her as per routine, she stuck her hand out and commanded “STOP! I do.” She proceeded to take pants and diaper off, then climbed onto the toilet. Drained that bladder. took a piece of TP and wiped. Flushed. Then proceeded to climb on the sink to wash her hands. Obviously she will need some more help in the meantime, but not bad I’d say. I wouldn’t really say she is potty trained, but this is a first for me to see her do all those steps independently.

Penguin Poop Seat
Penguins Pot Topper

Many people have differing opinions regarding potty training, i.e. when the appropriate age to start is, and how to go about doing the training. As in an earlier post: Initially we are not really potty training, more just saving diapers

Grandma really started things with having ViviBear piddle in the sink or while holding her over a toilet when she was an infant around 5-6 months old. We also would use this penguin toilet cover that would sing. We got it as a baby shower gift, but of course I added it to our registry since it is a penguin.

Bombs in the Baby Bjorn
Censored-Deuce
We also have this great Baby Bjorn mini potty, that she really got into using. It was always easier to figure when she would need to poo vs pee. Over the past year, I thnk she may have had only one or two poop diapers. You go Vivi. You will love this post when you are in highschool:-)
Once around 1.5-2 years old and we were more serious about trying to potty train, and MommyMD purchased these toilet steps (Little Looster’s Looster Booster from Amazon.com) to make it easier for ViviBear to use the toilet
Little Looster's Looster Booster,
Little Looster’s Looster Booster,

We also use a different topper now (a baby bjorn. for some reason MommyMD didnt like the penguins one). ViviBear actually can climb up and situate her on a regular toilet seat without falling in, and proceed with dropping #1 or #2.

Now climbing up the sink to wash her hands is cool and all, but this scares me. She has become more resourceful and daring. She is dragging her kiddie chairs and placing them next to a counter to climb up to the kitchen sink or dining table. Obviously this reinforces the fact that she needs to be in eyes view at all times. Who know what she is going to get into. Hmmm… now this is getting me to get more paranoid and think of the potential dangers. ack.

So back to “pottying.” I was fully expecting the “regression” to occur with the introduction of Juliette, but Vivienne has been doing an amazing job as the “Big Sis.” She is very gentle with Juliette, and is always concerned when she is crying. It’s rather cute. Speaking of Juliette, holy crap. rather, just CRAP. she poops a lot. I forgot how much a little baby can poop. She eats, she poops. Maybe falls asleep, but when you change her, she has a FIT. Then the only way to calm her down is shoving a boobie in her mouth (or a bottle). Then you repeat the process, because she will inevitably poop again. Props to MommyMD for taking this like a champ. I am trying to help out, but I know I could be changing a few more diapers. At least I am changing ViviBear’s diapers.

Enough of this ADD-style blogging. My Paternity leave ends tonight. Off to bed I go. ViviBear and Julietter, please sleep well tonight.

Poop(ing)! So satisfying yet so smelly.

Censored Image Poop Trials
Censored Image Poop Trials
Per "the boss" demands, images have been censored

So “the boss” has had Vivibear using the baby bjorn toilet for a while now. When we tell other people that we are using a toilet to let Vivi do her business, a common response is “it’s too early to potty train,” “you guys are crazy,” “you are going to cause anxiety issues in the future.” Well thing is we are not “potty training” perse, more so just utilizing our understanding human nature and trying to conserve money on diapers. She cant tell us when she needs to do her business, nor do we expect her to.

The basic concept of what goes in must come out applies. There is the gastro-colic reflex that is innate in animals, where when you eat, you will want to poop. Same idea behind house breaking a pet. When we feed vivi, she is likely to poop within 10 minutes or so. Also when she farts or starts to grimmace, we know she likely will need to poop. Nowadays, she poops about once a day, so it’s easier to gauge.
Another thing we (“the boss” does I suppose I should say) do is set her on the toiler each time she wakes up from a nap, because she likely will need to pee.
When “the boss” is around we really dont have any poop/pee diapers, so now while at home Vivi is using cloth diapers.

Bombs in the Baby Bjorn
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Well since “the boss” has been battling a virus of sorts, I was tasked with entertaining and tending to the ViviBear. I will admit my participation with child-rearing is below 50% as of late, but today I got my first Pee and Poop in the baby toilet today! Now this may seem like a trivial accomplishment, but grandma, and mum have had success with this toileting. I felt like I was missing out.
I will admit I did try to cheat. I figured if I pressed on her bladder a few time I could encourage her to pee faster, and I also tried some (OMM) Manipulation, namely mesenteric lift. Who knows if this really helped, but hey, she still plopped down! [boy it stinks, but I guess it is not supposed to smell like roses]. Now I took a photo of this, and was told if I post it, she will be embarassed for the rest of her life. I disagree. I dont think she will remember. Heck, I have taken pictures of my own and am proud of the caliber I can produce. I think she will be happy to have this documented. Shall I post? [i posted it] By the behest of the boss, any potential damaging images had to be removed. I opted to censor them instead. I guess this is for the good of my future relationship with my daughter. I mean, would you really be mad at your dad for pooping up your #2 for the world to see when you were 7 months old?

Penguin Poop Seat
Penguins do everything! Even train you to poo!

On another note, we have been using this BabyBjorn toilet for a while now, but we still have to clean the commode after use. With pee, it was easy. fill with water and pour into the regular toilet, and flush. With the #2, the residual residue is just nasty. I figured it would be time to bring out the Penguin Toilet Cap. We had this on our baby registry and our friend Dr. K, (aka Melen Cantelope) was nice enough to get it for us. Now this rocks. Well maybe kinda creepy. It sings and plays music to encourage “potty time.”

O the joys of being a parent.

Vivi you’ll forgive me one day right?

Penguin Potty Topper