Potty Training: Intensified

I'm taking a short internet break while Lia is still asleep and Desi is full. Soon I will have to sign out again because this is Day 2 of our Potty Training: Intensified. You might remember this entry, and the following entry, and no more references to potty training after that. Mostly that was because I was busy giving birth and adjusting to life with a new infant. I wasn't able to really give proper attention to Lia's potty training, I kind of assumed it would happen by itself, the way Lia somehow learned to walk or talk. I guess I was a little naive to think that. Anyway, for the next couple of months, Lia never got better at going to the potty. In fact she would often refuse to go to the bathroom all together.

I read up about it on the internet, and didn't learn much. I did see that one of the worst times to potty train a toddler is if there's going to be a new baby in the house because you'll be too distracted. Duh! Plus my mother-in-law was always taking Lia to her house, and of course every time she's not here, she'd wear disposables and potty training is suspended. So, I told Yaya Felma, just put her in disposables all the time na lang, but try to get her to weewee in the potty before baths or whenever she could get her in the banyo and we would resume potty training, REAL potty training once Lola Cora was in the States. That way, Lia was always at home, and I could monitor her progress, and also Desi was two months old already and I'm not "too distracted" by the new baby anymore.

So I bought a book, Potty Training in One Week by Gina Ford. I bought it based on how it was the smallest potty training book on the shelf, it had bullet points and anecdotes and not a lot of technical stuff. So I read it and thought, hey this is doable, this is easy... And then Lola Cora left and I got wishy washy. On the first week, we went with Ana and Baston to Fun Ranch, so of course potty training had to be postponed till after. And while we were together, Ana mentioned that Baston isn't potty trained yet, and that she'll probably start when Baston is about 3. So I was like, why am I in a rush then? It's so convenient to just let her stay in nappies for a while longer. So I hedged, and hmm, and thought and struggled, and told myself maybe Lia isn't ready, or maybe I'm not ready, or maybe next time na lang... And in the end came to the conclusion that I'm too tamad to potty train.

So that week, I told Mike, I won't potty train Lia na lang first. I took her on my errands, to the grocery and even to Tito Jojo's clinic when it was Desi's check up, and on the week of Angie's Shower, I was too busy preparing it was impossible for me to focus on her. But then Jerry told me about his niece who's the same age as Lia and potty trained, and I looked at how smart and good Lia is, and figured, you know, she is ready and smart enough to get trained. And this is really the perfect time to do it, while Lola Cora isn't around. And after she comes back from missing her darling apo so much, she may never ever leave again (which is not a bad thing, except I don't want to deprive her of playing with her apo in her room, and potty training while she's here would do just that) so I have to grab the chance.

Yesterday was Day 1, I took Lia to SM and we picked out a whole bunch of panties for her. Dora panties, Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and some regular run of the mill SM floral panties. And we went home and got her out of her disposables and into big girl panties. By the way, I'm not following the Potty Training in One Week method to the letter because it involves star charts and whatnot. I'm just taking some of her tips and applying them, such as only panties all the time from now on, even when going out, except when sleeping at night, then she can still wear disposables. Hopefully it will work.

As of now, she weeweed in the potty once. Last night before bed. And pooped once, this morning before breakfast. All the others were spilled on the floor, sometimes minutes after half an hour's singing in the bathroom just waiting for her to go. But I'm keeping up the faith that by the time Lola Cora comes home next week, she'll be able to say when she needs to go and will weewee in the bathroom everytime.

Please please send us good potty training vibes! I'm a little nervous about this. I've never done this before and really really hoping I can take her to my mom's house on Sunday in panties already and she'll be totally dry the whole day.