Potty Training Update: ..... threw in the towel after 3.5 hours

Yep, that's right, we lasted all but 3 1/2 hours potty training before giving up and putting them back into diapers. I'm pretty sure they are ready, they understand it all .... but they just don't WANT to or seem interested. I think I would feel better about it all if they just weren't ready (vs. them just being stubborn about it) .... but that's what we're dealing with here. As many of you already saw on my status update on facebook: "gave up on potty training the boys after 3.5 hours this morning. Casualties: 9 pair of undies, pants and socks, 2 pair of shoes, 2 pair of rubber booths... and the sanity of two parents." That pretty much sums it up.

We started out our Saturday morning putting the boys on the potty (we have both a potty chair and one of those child seats that fit onto a real toilet) together for about 15 minutes after they got up .... neither one went to the bathroom, just sat there and gabbed (Oscar especially). We pointed out their sticker trees (see picture) that were taped to the shower door and how they would get to put more monkey (stickers) on their trees if they used the potty ... and once the trees were filled there would be a special treat for them .... they totally got it and seemed interested. So we put them in the underwear they chose .... Oscar chose a pair of Elmo undies & MacKay chose a pair with Cookie Monster (see pictures below). 30 minutes later I took them both into the bathroom again for another 10 minutes .... and again nothing. Within about 3 minutes of leaving the bathroom MacKay was damp ... not full on wet or full release or anything, but just a little wet spot. When I asked him if he was wet and wanted to go change he told me "No, I'm not wet." That was the first bad sign of the day .... not even knowing (or acknowledging) that he was wet. So I changed him anyway and he got another pair of undies and pants .... Then came bad choice/sign #2 when we decided to bring them outside for a while to play in the leaves before we mulched them all up. I thought going outside might help with the chilly air making being wet a little more uncomfortable and noticeable ... but I think it was more distracting than anything. As we were getting things ready to go outside, Chris found both MacKay and Oscar drenched and standing in puddles of pee. So they got changed yet again. About 10 minutes into being outside I had to run back in again with Oscar who had a big wet spot on his pants ... yet another pair of undies/pants/socks down. Sat him on the toilet while I stripped him down and cleaned up then got dressed and headed out again. No sooner did we get back outside and I noticed MacKay needed the same treatment..... again, on the toilet while being changed and back out again. I should note..... no where in this whole story will there ever be a mention of even the slightest drop of pee in the toilet as they just wouldn't do it. So by this point they had each been on the potty 4+ times with nothing to show but a ton of sopping wet clothing and shoes - at this point we decided to go with their rubber boots instead of ruining any more pairs of shoes. This whole going in with one kid, changing and coming back out was always followed by going back in with the OTHER kid. My last straw was when Oscar came to tell me he had "poopies" when we were still outside.... I checked and no poopies. (sometimes the boys say they have poopies when they are very wet - they get it mixed up). So I took that as a sign he needed to go and took him inside to go on the potty. Much like all the other experiences... Oscar just sat there and gabbed and pointed and talked the entire time. I kept telling him "No talking.... concentrate on pee'ing in the potty... that is what we are here to do, we can talk later." But the boy has the gift of gab, just like his mother ..... so after 10-15 minutes I pulled his pants back up and we headed out. Seriously, not even 2 minutes after getting outside he walked over to me all weird like and I could see the pee just dripping from him. Seriously? We went in and cleaned up for the last time .... I couldn't even believe it when I took off his boot and found about 1/2 cup of urine in there that needed to be poured out. I changed them both and put their diapers back on while they cried and cried about wanting to go back outside.... I just kept calmly telling them, "You can't go outside, you peed on all your clothes and shoes .... you have nothing to wear outside." And there ended Round One of potty training the Hoglund Boys.

I got a lot of good ideas from a ton of people on Facebook ..... I think next time we might try implement a few of those. My biggest challenge is that I want this to really take off over a weekend so that come the week (when all my help is gone .... Chris, possibly my mom visiting etc) I can handle keeping up with the potty needs of TWO children while also being able to keep tabs on my little one year old who wants to be right in the middle of things. Maybe I just need to take one of them at a time too .... it might be easier that way if I can get one to get the hang of it and then focus on the other. Who do you start with then? The one who just wants to gab on the toilet? Or the one who seems to be more bothered by being wet/soiled .... yet is much more defiant in what he will and won't do? Again....anyone know of any potty training services out there? :)

But... the plus is I got some fun pictures of Evie enjoying the HUGE pile of leaves we made in the backyard......

The boys in their first round undies picks ..... Elmo and Cookie Monster

The boys' "Potty Trees" (made by Gma Chris) .... they get to put monkey (and others) stickers on to fill it up as they use the potty successfully.

Some fun out in the leaves

Check back again soon .... who knows, maybe we'll have potty trained boys next time I post (highly unlikely though) :)