Potty time!

Well, we are in full on potty mode with Henry. I hadn't planned on starting until tomorrow since school and all the associated end of the year activities would be complete by then. But low and behold, on Monday afternoon we ran out of diapers. I had a few stashed in the car, but I wondered what Henry would do when I said they were gone. His reply, "I wear underwear now!" And that was that. Of course, we had two accidents and no successes that day, but yesterday was better. It was his last day of school and I hated to send him there in underwear, but he insisted. Of course, he come home with two sets of wet pants. After what seemed like hours, he finally had a successful trip to the potty. He went two more times later and had only one accident. He was so upset when he did and cried for dry clothes. It broke my heart, but also gave me great hope! Aubrey was not easy to train. She just didn't care about wet pants that much. So this seems like a big deal to me. I could see the lightbulb come on by yesterday evening. He started making funny faces and stopping what he was doing, and I think he realized he needed to go. We would run to the potty over and over, but it took a long time for him to let it out. Poor thing. He was wiped out. We had pushed through nap time and his usual poop (sorry to be blunt) time, and he was really struggling. He was holding everything in. He woke up with a dirty diaper this morning, but I could tell he still needed to go. He was so uncomfortable he couldn't eat breakfast. I couldn't get him to sit on the potty at all this morning. We had to get Aubrey to school for her last day and I was so stressed he would have an accident on the way there. Finally, we just had to go. Little guy held it in from 7am until 10am when he was in full on tantrum mode over sitting on the potty and finally wet his pants. I was not upset about the accident, but by the fact that he was clearly NOT wanting to sit on the potty. How was this going to work? He had no problem sitting yesterday. Today was so stressful. Aubrey was graduating from pre-school and i was afraid I would miss the whole thing. After his accident, he cried over wet clothes again, but still didn't get that to stay dry he HAS to let it out on the potty. He pitched several more fits and refused the potty. Finally, we just had to leave to get back to to pre-school for Aubrey's ceremony. Thank goodness Brian returned from a business trip just in time to go with me. Henry was so uncomfortable he could hardly walk. After several trips to the bathroom at his prompting, he still refused to sit once we got there. I missed a good portion of Aubrey's ceremony but finally he could take it no longer, and while kicking and screaming no, no, no, getting up and down from the potty over and over, he finally went pee pee. He was instantly a happy camper.

Once home, I got him down for a nap and put him in a diaper. I felt sure he would finally release it all. He cried for me over and over and I finally held him until he fell asleep, which has never happened (a least not since he was a baby. He did wake up with a dirty diaper, but otherwise dry. I knew the second I took his diaper off that he needed to pee, but he screamed no and was holding himself trying to keep it in. He finally peed on me and the floor. Nice. I was super frustrated by this point. Mainly, because he is trying to hold it in for soooo long! It's crazy. The good news is he has pretty good control, he seems to know when he needs to go, and doesn't want to wet his pants. The bad news is he doesn't want to do it AT ALL, so he's making himself sick.

Tonight I got him to go one more time and sit several times without screaming. HUGE improvement from this morning. But peeing only one time between 3:45 pm and 7:30 pm is NOT good. Tonight he had a hard time going to sleep. He would call for me and he was holding himself. Trying not to pee even though he had on a diaper. He was super gassy too, but just is scared to let it go. By now, I know he's really constipated and I'm sure he can't really get it out without a lot of work and pain. We will be loading him up on fiber tomorrow for sure! He is torn between wanting me to hold his hand and be with him while he sits, and not wanting me to watch. He never once pooped at school this year, and almost never does it anywhere but our house, where he can be alone. I know this is a huge part of the problem.

So, it's definitely a roller coaster. The is very different from how it went with Aubrey. Better in some ways, more frustrating in others. It's only been 2 1/2 days, and we've made some huge leaps. But if I can't get him to relax and not fear letting it out when he sits on the potty, he will be very unhappy for a while! Breaks my heart and wipes me out at the same time. I have dreaded this moment for soooo long. I know now not to expect him to be potty trained overnight. It was more like 8 months with his sister, but I can't help but loathe the process. I hate seeing him in pain, I can't take my eyes off of him, the house is a mess and poor Aubrey is having to take a back seat for a while.

This post is way too long, and too much information, I'm sure. But I just had to get it out, and it helps to think things through. He's a trooper, for sure. He has only once requested a diaper, and that was short lived. There is no going back now, and at least we're underway. We will all have to sacrifice over the next few days, and maybe weeks, but he will get it! Praying more for his comfort than anything else. Thankfully, there is nothing we have to do until swim lessons on Monday. I think the crazy schedule of the last few days made it really difficult for both of us. OK, enough of this. I will move on to way more excited things in the next post!

This look sums up how he felt most of the day. Hang in there Henry!