It's not something that you and I give much thought to throughout the day.
But Ella does. She has wanted to use the potty and wear "big girl" underwear for months now.
We potty trained both Ava and Henry right when they turned two years old. One day they wore diapers, and the next they wore underwear. Cold turkey. And it was actually quite easy. Of course there were some accidents in the beginning, but within a few days, they had it down.
With Ella it's a little different.
Once she's trained, the steps involved with each trip to the bathroom will look a little different compared to the "typical" toddler:
1. She'll tell us she needs to go potty.
2. We'll take her to a comfortable spot on the floor and lay her down.
3. We may or may not need to remove her TLSO (back brace)...currently she wears leggings that go under the brace, but hopefully we'll make it work so they go over it.
4. We'll remove her pants and underwear.
5. We'll carry her to the nearest toilet and place her on it.
6. We'll sit with her so she doesn't fall.
7. We'll wipe for her.
8. We'll flush for her.
9. We'll help her wash her hands.
10. We'll carry her back to the floor and lay her down again.
11. We'll put her underwear and pants back on (and possibly her TLSO).
12. We'll carry her back to wherever she was before she went to the bathroom.
Phew!
And the process will be like this. Every time. Always.
Michael and I made the decision not to potty train Ella at two years old like her siblings. We decided we wanted (and maybe needed) to prolong the convenience of diapers a little longer. We knew that once Ella is potty trained, we will always have to drop everything (every time) when she needs to go to the bathroom. Unlike Ava and Henry, there won't be a time when she can go to the bathroom by herself.
But over the past six months or so, Ella has been asking. And asking. And asking to use the potty by herself. Occasionally we've put her on the potty and she just enjoys sitting there, but she never does anything other than sit. But she continues to ask to use the potty and wear underwear.
So around Christmas time, Michael and I set the date for potty training...Spring Break. We knew it would be a good time since both of us would be home with the kids and we'd have a solid week to work on it with her.
Our Spring Break begins this Friday. And Ella couldn't be more excited! I don't quite share the same level of enthusiasm that she has since having Ella potty trained will add a new challenge to our life. But as with all of the other challenges and changes that we've had since Ella's diagnosis, I'm sure we'll get used to it in no time :)
And I am SO ready to be done with diapers! For GOOD!!
 |
| This is the potty seat made by Bumbo that was recommended by another SMA parent...it provides a lot more support than other potty seats! |
