Potty Training...FAIL

Sooooooo........potty training.

Why, oh why, am I SO daunted by it?  We haven't been pushing it too much, but have tried a few things to get the ball rolling.  Things are not going well.

A story from today:

After nap time I gave her the option to use either the green froggy potty or the Dora potty chair (I have learned to not ask her if she needs to potty, just to ask her which potty).  She picked the Dora potty and we got out the potty bag of fun (detailed below).  We read books.  We sang songs.  I even gave her a bite of the Twizzler to entice her to want more (ugh I'm such a sucker).  After 10+ minutes, she was just getting agitated (well...to be honest, she wasn't the only agitated one).  So I decided to give up, but to also give undies a try.  I figured we'd talked SO much about not peeing in undies that...we had to start somewhere, right?

**If you're an experienced parent who has been through potty training you are probably laughing at my rookie mistake right now.**

I kid you not- 30 seconds after I put the undies on, she peed in them.

So. Dang. Frustrated.

I feel like we are doing all of the right things.  Such as:

1) We have waited til we know that she knows exactly when she is peeing and pooping.  She tells us as it is happening. 

In theory, it shouldn't be too hard to use that knowledge for successful potty trips.  No luck.

2) We went to Target and gathered all kinds of fun potty things for our potty bag...Dora potty chair that fits onto the big toilet, fun potty books, cute stickers, whiteboard and markers for drawing, and various treats.

In theory, it shouldn't be too hard to bribe her into successful potty trips.  No luck.

3) We made a potty chart (about a month ago) to put the stickers on...a pee side and a poop side. 

In theory, it shouldn't be too hard to motivate her to do successful potty trips.  No luck.  Clearly.

The one sticker was TOTALLY lucky

I know that everyone says we need to just wait til she is ready.  But as I have said, IN THEORY, she should be ready.  Now it seems like just laziness and fear of the change...on both our parts.

So I have decided to bite the bullet and put "Potty Training Bootcamp" in my calendar from Sunday through Tuesday.  It's going to be all potty all the time. 

Wish us luck.  I hope we make it to the other side...because there are really cute pairs of little undies waiting over there.

Happy Birthday Auntie Cat!- Updated QOTDs

Yay!  We were able to hang out at Lake Nokomis and go to lunch with the birthday girl and Grandma today.

We love you Auntie Cat!  Have a great rest of the day!

Updated at 8:00pm:

I want to document a few more funny QOTDs from today, especially since Auntie Cat really gets a kick out of them.

While reading an ABC book
Me: There's a C for Callie!
Callie: I'm not C, I'm 2!

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While watching men's beach volleyball
Callie: Dirty, dirty!
Me: Would you want to play in the sand like that?
Callie: NO
Me: What would you want to do?
Callie: Sit on the sidewalk
Me: Sounds about right

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While reading a book about the letter I
Me: That's an island
Callie: Yeah.  I'll live on an island some day.

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Weekend Wrap-Up: The QOTD Olympics Edition

The first half of our weekend was spent at camp and was awesome.

We got home Saturday afternoon and ignored cleaning up/putting away all of our camp stuff in lieu of hanging out in the basement watching the Olympics.  In just a short time, our toddler spewed forth many amazing quotes of the day.  Here they are...

While watching women's soccer:

Callie: Those guys look like Carebears!
Me and Chris: (looking at each other...HUH?!?!)

--later--

Callie: (after watching a *female* goalie dive to block a ball) That man fall down! 

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While watching a women's basketball game, we saw a player with a big black eye.  Later, watching two different teams play:

Callie: Where's the black eye girl?

--later--

(Backstory: Callie LOVES the Lynx mascot Prowl.  Like, LOVES him.)

While we are watching more women's b-ball, Callie is playing away from the T.V.

Chris: FOUL!  How about a FOUL?!?!? 
Callie: (looking up from her toys) What are you saying, Daddy?
Chris: I'm saying FOUL.  They should have called a foul.
Callie: Prowl?  He's funny!

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While watching men's gymnastics (a Chinese guy)

Callie: Good job, boy!


While watching men's gymnastics (an Irish guy)

Callie: Good job, man!


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That's all we have for now, though I'm sure there will be many more throughout the rest of the Olympic games.

This morning we went to visit Dave, Cherilyn, Sydney and Baby Kylie!!!

Haha...love the faces on these two!

This afternoon we went to a BBQ at Brent and Bethany's house...there were a few other kids there, including Charlie, so Callie had a blast!

Watch out for toddlers and t-ball!

Currently it is 8:40 (she went down 45 minutes ago), Chris is at a movie, and I have turned off the monitor.  For as tired as she is, she is still working her I'm-Not-Going-To-Bed-When-You-Want-Me-To magic.  Listening to her blab her life story into the monitor just gets me worked up, so I've learned to just turn it off.  This is only a phase...this is only a phase...this is only a phase...

Camp du Nord 2012

We are back from the north!

We left for Camp du Nord on Wednesday and have had a fantastic few days up in the beautiful north woods.  Besides doing all the fun outdoorsy kind of stuff, we got to spend real quality time with a lot of great people: G-ma, G-pa, Auntie Cat, Uncle Dan, Anna, Arieanna, the Koch family, the Daly family, and lots of other fun camp people.

Callie did AWESOME (minus sleepy times, but we are used to that by now).  She even went to the two hour age group play time each morning to hang out with other 0-2 year olds (and Anna)!!!!! 

As usual, it is so hard to pare down over a hundred photos to share here, so I did some more collages and will post the link to all the pictures at the end.

Hanging out around camp

Boat trip #1 on the first morning

The beach!!!!!

Boat trip #2

Hiking to Old Baldy

Family

Slack line- Chris was determined to beat it...but no luck.  Maybe next year.

Ready to celebrate 7 years

Annual family picnic table picture

This morning we spent a little time on the dock saying goodbye to the lake.

 During the long car ride home, our little camper slept for less than an hour, but slept HARD.  She was a tired happy girl.

Thanks to everyone who made this trip awesome!  We already can't wait for next year!

Here is a link to all the other pictures: Camp du Nord 2012

Now onto a boatload canoe-load of laundry...

QOTD- Auntie Yoda is Back!

So Auntie Yoda is now officially a Minneapolitan (again)!  She and her roommate moved yesterday and are in the process of putting together their new uptown apartment together.  We went to see the place today and it was awesome.

Callie: (looking around Yoda's apartment) This place is messy. (pausing to look around some more) WOW!

It was pretty hilarious.  Then she did some improv singing into a curtain rod microphone.  Awesome.

And I'll leave you with a shout out to Dave and Cherilyn- their little girl Kylie Kathryn arrived early this morning!  Callie is excited that Sydney has a baby sister and we can't wait to meet her!

Weekend Wrap-Up: The 31-Months-Old Edition!

While this weekend didn't have much planned, we managed to keep pretty busy.

Friday

Dinner and playing at G-ma and G-pa's house with them and Chris' cousin Arieanna.

Saturday

We headed to the Children's Museum in the morning, had some quiet time home in the afternoon, and headed to Centennial Lakes and Jason's Deli for the evening.  It was a much needed family day.  We had a lot of fun!

Bubbles!

Kisses for Curious George

Being a tree during story time

Centennial Lakes fountains

Talking to the duckies and feeding them goldfish

Ice cream at Jason's Deli

Relaxing in the grass

Sunday: 31-Months-Old!

A quiet day- Church and brunch with Boom, Bops, Bob, Barbara and Mari

...then just some errands in the afternoon.  She got to hang out with Daddy in the evening while I went to my friend Adrea's house for some much needed girl time.

And in case you read last night's post and are wondering, today's nap time and bed time were both disasters.  So excited this phase is starting before we head to camp where we will be staying in a cabin with open windows on a lake where sound carries for miles.

Hope everyone at camp is up for hearing a very vocal 2-and-a-half-year-old.

Manipulation Station

If our toddler were a choo-choo train, her favorite stop these days would be Manipulation Station.

Especially at bed time.  She stops there an awful lot between 8:00 and 9:30 EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.

I guess we should be thankful that we have had fairly easy bed time routines up until now, but I'm already ready for the phase to be OVER.

Examples of the fun at Manipulation Station

1) If  Chris says he is going to put her to bed, she starts hyperventilating and crying about how she wants Mommy to put her to bed.  If I say I am going to put her to bed, it is all about wanting Daddy.

2) In order to avoid a massive meltdown, we NEED to read a downstairs book.  Upstairs books in her room are no longer sufficient.

3) When told to pick an animal to have in bed, first it is Greenbrier the bunny.  But no, she MUST have Heena the seal or she can't sleep.  Or no, it HAS to be Denver the giraffe.  NO NO, PIGLET. 

4) Gone are the days when we can hold her, sing, and she falls asleep.  If we try that now, her body flails as though there are twelve espressos coursing through her blood.

5) So we put her in her crib to sing.  She moves on her tummy.  Then her back.  Then needs a blanket on her.  Then off.  NO COVER MY FEET!  NO JAMMIES NO JAMMIES!  Not that blankie, THE OTHER ONE (to which I think, "what the heck are you talking about??")

6) After singing we emphatically whisper "Time for sleepies. NO TALKING!" and come downstairs to turn on the monitor, fully expecting AT LEAST 45 minutes of babbling.

7) Depending on how it is going, one of us goes up there to remind her to be quiet.  We reclose the door.  Then comes the hysterical "Open the door.  OPEN THE DOOR!" through the monitor.  One of us goes up to open the door, only to hear "NO CLOSE THE DOOR.  CLOSE THE DOOOOOOOOOOORRR!" 

8) "JUUUUUUICE!  I NEED JUUUUUUUUICE!"

9) On nights like tonight, after 1-7, the toddler thinks that the best way to continue hanging around Manipulation Station is to just scream and cry like her life is so horrible and she didn't just go to the Children's museum, on a couple of walks, run around Centennial Lakes, and out to dinner with Mommy and Daddy today.

After any number of these things that happen in any order at any time between 8:00 and 9:30, we (well, usually I) get fed up and just turn off the monitor for awhile.  And wish, hope and pray that the toddler choo-choo train is heading into Relaxation Station sometime very soon.

So my question for those who have gone through it:
*Do you just ignore all the demands and let them cry it out and assume they'll tire themselves out eventually?  It seems so hard to do because she is the OPPOSITE of ready to fall asleep when she decides she needs something. 
*Do we start the routine later?  We've always been strict 8:00 bedtime people (though a little later this summer) but we worry if we start later it will still take just as long and she'll be up even later.
*This is just a phase...right?  Please say yes!

Update: It is 9:05, officially 1 hour and 15 minutes after we started the whole bed time routine, and my amazing husband just managed to get her to sleep.

After #7 I gave up and started to blog.  Thank goodness for teamwork.