Milestones

This summer we tackled two milestones with Hannah: (1) potty training and (2) transitioning into a big girl bed.

Potty Training

(This is the only appropriate picture I had. Can you tell what’s on her mind?)

The potty training was actually her idea. It couldn’t have been any easier. She just decided one day that she wanted to go in the big girl potty. I had a little potty chair sitting out for a while just so she could get used to it, and we talked about it a lot around the house. Then one day, she just started taking off her diaper and going to the potty. Then we got her some princess panties and said bye-bye to diapers (except for naps and bedtime). It was that simple. No three or five day method. Just going in the potty.

I know. If you’re a mom, you hate me. Please don’t. I’m sure I’ll get my fair share when Nathan’s turn comes around.

Don’t get me wrong. We’ve had our fair share of accidents and now she’s developed a fear of pooping in the potty, but overall she’s done a great job!

Big Girl Bed

Next, we decided it was time to get Little Brother out of the pack-n-play and in the crib. That meant Big Sister had to give up the crib and start sleeping in her big bed. It was so sad the day we decided to move the crib. She cried the whole time Scott was wheeling it down the hall. It was very traumatic (I think we did everything the books say not to do). But this twin bed had been in her room for several months now, and like the potty, we had been talking about how it was going to be her bed soon, so we didn’t do everything wrong I guess.

This didn’t go as smoothly as the potty training. There…I already got my pay back. Happy now?

She pitched some HUGE fits when it came to naptime and bedtime. She also simultaneously started getting scared of her room and it was literally a nightmare trying to get her to sleep. We would leave the room and she would get up and take her diaper off and pee on the floor (oh yes…she did). She would take down all her bows and throw them around the room, then stand there and just scream…I mean…scream. She would bang on the door and roll around on the ground. I know what your thinking. “No, not sweet little Hannah.” Yes, I’m talking about my precious daughter. The same one who was singing hymns with me not too long ago. This same little princess…

Well, we figured out she is motivated by two things: stickers and sweets (or as we refer to them…sweet treats). So I  made a chart for her to put stickers on when she didn’t pitch fits and went to bed. After a certain amount of stickers, she would get a sweet treat (I would show it to you, but she ripped off all the stickers a few days ago).

We also invested in The Goodnight Light….and I have to say….this really helped. She knows when Mr. Moon comes on, it’s time to go to bed and Mr. Sun lets her know it’s time to wake up.

After about a week or so, she settled down and now we really don’t have any problems. As we speak she is sitting in her bed “reading” to her babies. She does this for about thirty minutes before quietly falling to sleep…mission accomplished!

Oh, except the pooping problem. She gets up and stands in the corner of her room and poops in her diaper during naptime. I’ll let you know when we work through that one….