She is also having a hard time going to sleep at night. She was up 4 or 5 times last night after we had put her to bed, saying she heard a noise and was scared. I know she isn't making it up either-we have some new neighbors above us who are on the large side, so we hear every footstep it seems. They also have a dog who scratches on something up there, either a door or the floor, I'm not sure which. And barks too. On top of that, there is a train that you can hear every night and firetrucks drive by our complex frequently too, sirens blaring. So the poor girl really does hear noises, and I don't want to spank her when she says she's scared. But there must be some limit to this! We are losing patience with her-especially last night when she kept interrupting the season premiere of Lost! A lot of times I just think I have no clue how to raise this little girl, and often in my helplessness I lose my patience. My patience always runs thin at night, and especially the middle of the night, so I need extra help from the Lord at those times!
And then our little family has a moment like this...we went to the park the other night and Daddy and Abigail raced through the grass to Mommy. They were running full speed towards me and laughing. Such a precious moment. These are the ones that keep me going.
I welcome any advice or input on these issues...many of you mommies have been here before, so bring on the wisdom!
6 comments:
oh what fun! potty training while you are pregnant and losing sleep at nite. what a combination. i started potty training ella at about the same age abigail is....and i too had a very hard time. sooooo many accidents. i think i tried every trick in the book. the chart, rewards, etc. its seems like it just took time. its almost like eventually it just clicked with her on how to hold it. so just give it more time....i know how exhausting it is!!!
and do you have a sound machine in her room at nite? the other suggestion (which was given to me when ella was struggling with fears at night not too long ago) is to set up a palette on the floor of your room...let her sleep there if she feels more safe. i was worried that ella would be in our room all the time...but so far it hasn't been too bad. its better than the alternatives....her waking you up all nite or her sleeping in YOUR bed with you.
wish i could give you a big hug. potty training and lack of sleep can bring out all kinds of ugliness in our lives!! we've all been there. and still am there in other situations. love you lisa!!
It is death by potty training and it never ends! We have been "potty training" for 6 6 months and nothing. My parents said they left it up to the daycare I think I might enroll the boys!!
I think I've come to peace with the fact that just like Mason wasn't going to nurse throughout elementary school, he also will not being wearing diapers. We talk potty all the time (not "potty mouth" just potty talk) - and he always says no, he doesn't want to use the potty, he wants to wear diapers, etc. We bought big boy underwear that's just sitting in his drawer. We just have the diaper assembly line - Mason, then Miles Avery and it's fine (I hope)!
Well, sweet Lisa, first of all don't be too hard on yourself! You guys have had so many changes and stress over the past few months-maybe its affecting litlle Abigail as well.
My dad gave me a book by John Rosemond ( he's said to be the "dean of traditional, non-psychological parenting). Like most parenting books there is a lot of great stuff to read and some I don't necessarily agree with but he has a good section on the potty! He calls it "naked and $75". I'll try to sum it up( and btw, this did work for Ethan). First, you get a small potty for them and announce that they will no longer be wearing a diaper but will be putting their "stuff" in the potty. Then you let them walk around with no pants on(this part was a little extreme for us because Ethan was very private even at a young age). The thought is that they will learn faster as they feel "it" go down their legs. I bought many, many pairs of underwear and stuck with it and it did work for us.(same feeling going in normal underwear as going down the leg and not as much mess for us.) The $75 part is to rent a carpet cleaner and go to town once your child has mastered it.(kind of gross, I cleaned along the way)
Anyway, i think you're completely right that its all about training us-we're the ones that have to stick with it despite the mess and being worn out. I'll pray for you my little sister and remember that if she doesn't learn before Ava comes it will be OK! love you!
Jason says, "If I was Abigail and you gave me more m&ms, I'd pee wherever you want me to go!"
Of course this is coming from someone who has never had kids!
Hey Lisa,
I feel your pain. Potty training has been my least favorite part of parenting so far. It is not fun. A friend gave me her copy of the book, Potty training in a Day. I didn't do everything in the book (I probably should have), but I found some helpful tips. Don't be too hard on yourself. She will get it. I have to keep telling myself this about many things in parenting!
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