Many of you may be wondering about how the rest of my "potty palooza" weekend went. Read on, if you dare... I apologize ahead of time for my ranting.

Sunday was the exact opposite of Saturday; awful! That's when we noticed how bad Payton's poop issues have gotten. She tried to (not) poop 13 times that day (and no, that is not a typo). She sat on the potty for 4, but 9 times I caught her standing up and straining, trying to hold it in. She would poop a little bit, but no where near what she needed to. Her constipation has gotten to the point where she's now afraid of having a bowel movement because she associates it with pain, so she tries to hold it in in an attempt to avoid the pain... which makes her more constipated... which means when she finally does go, it really is painful... and the whole process starts all over again! After repeating this on Monday, I was about ready to pull my hair out from stressing about it; I just wish I could talk to her in a way she'd understand: you're making it so much worse for yourself! Just sit down and push it out and it will be over! But alas, Payton would just hear the word "poop" and start whining and crying. I was really glad that I was seeing her pediatrician the next day (2.5 year check-up), because I was at my wits end. Plus I had this dilemna; do I keep potty training? I really don't want to give up, but I also don't want to emotionally scar her or make her afraid to use the toilet for life! Plus by the third day she wasn't drinking as much, and she would grab at herself and complain of pain. I thought great, now she's going to hold her pee in too and get a UTI... what do I do???

When I presented my dilemna to the pediatrician, he told me to back off potty training for the time being. He said that hopefully she will be potty trained by 3, but we're still six months away from that. Plus he said if she's afraid to go, we won't be successful anyway and it will just put more stress on us, and especially her. I definitely agreed with that! He said that it can take a child up to a year after starting miralax (she's been on it probably 4-5 months so far) for them to stop being afraid of going, so we basically have to wait it out. I HATE it though, I hate watching her cry and push and be in pain... which is why I took to the internet! More on that in a minute though... here are Payton's stats at 30 months:

Height: 37" (85th percentile)
Weight: 33.2 pounds (90th percentile)
BMI: 75th percentile (previously 90th percentile!)

So he said she's really starting to thin out, and was very pleased with her growth and development. He noticed she has some eczema that's flaring up, so he told us to start putting lotion on her twice a day instead of just at night. She needs to have the lotion on within two minutes of being out of the bath so that it can really lock in the moisture. Now she's my little grease monkey! She got a flu shot too while she was there, and took it like a champ. Didn't even want a band-aid, just wanted to play with a latex glove! We don't go back until she's 3!

Anyway, back to my good friend, the internet... I was determined to try something, anything. I didn't want to just wait for her to get it, which could take months. So, I began my research in earnest... and have decided to try a few new things.

1) This was a great idea my mom gave me. I give Payton her miralax in the morning in her milk, but she doesn't always drink it all. So, I started to mix it with just a little bit of hershey's syrup, so she would want to drink it, and I told her it was her special medicine. I told her the doctor wants her to drink it, and when she does it won't hurt to poop anymore. Payton was really excited about her "medicine" as she calls it, and drank most of it down this morning! I kept repeating to her "that's great honey, now it won't hurt when you have to poop because you drank your medicine!" She didn't cry when I talked about pooping, which was a big step in and of itself!

Drinking my special milk at breakfast! Out of a big girl cup no less!

2) After a lot of research, it seems that dairy doesn't settle well with some kids, and is really constipating. Now, do I think Payton is lactose intolerant? No, I have no reason to think that. Could she be sensitive to too much dairy? It seems a possibility, especially when I think back on her constipation problems, and realize they all started when we transitioned her from formula to whole milk. So would it hurt to try soy milk? In my opinion no, I'm willing to try anything at this point to see if it helps! So I went out and bought my first half gallon of soy milk, and she actually seems to really like it! She calls it her "special milk". We'll see if it helps!

3) I also picked up several things like white grape juice, prunes, that sort of thing. She actually really likes the prunes! I don't give her too many though, because I don't want her stomach to cramp either.

Are you tired of me talking about my daughter's poop yet? :) Sorry, it kind of rules my life right now! Tonight Kyle and I gave her yet another suppository, and about half an hour later we noticed her trying to push and straining. We kept telling her it won't hurt, you've had your special medicine, you just have to push... and yes, I am not ashamed to say it, I bribed her with a cookie. I don't usually believe in that, but I was so desperate! And she actually pooped! Kyle and I were so relieved! I'm REALLY hoping that from here on out, she won't be afraid anymore now that she's done it and realized it was ok. I can't stand watching my baby in so much pain!

And for the rest of potty training? I'm actually really pleased to say that even though I have completely backed off, Payton has continued to go in the potty without me saying a word to her. Not all the time, but usually at least once a day. Today she went 3 times all by herself! In fact, we were all in the family room today when she said "I have to go to the potty" and left the room. We kind of just laughed because sometimes she just says that and doesn't go or she gets distracted. Well about a minute later she came back in, and even though her pants were pulled up I noticed her diaper was off. She said "I went in the potty!" I followed her out, and sure enough she did! She went there all by herself, pulled her pants down, took her own diaper off, peed in the potty, pulled her pants back up, and came to tell us! I was very, very proud. Funny how when I backed off and stopped caring, she stepped up and did it anyway! Hopefully things continue to go this well.

Believe it or not, there are other things that have been happening around here that don't revolve around Payton's bodily functions (not a lot, mind you, but some!). Kyle started school on Tuesday, and although his schedule was a little crazy at first, he's really looking forward to getting this year started. His voice wasn't used to talking so much though!

Annual first day of school picture!

My parents came down this weekend to see us! My dad and I went to the Duck game on Saturday, and my mom babysat my kiddo so we could go. Kyle was actually in Portland doing the Warrior Dash, he finished in 32 minutes! The Duck game was really fun, but also really hot. We played Fresno State, and although they put up a good fight, they were no match for mighty Oregon!

Go Ducks!

On Sunday we relaxed at home, then ran to Costco. We found Payton's Halloween costume, she's going to be a cowgirl this year! Then the men took the baby home to nap so my mom and I could enjoy some time together and have a relaxing lunch. All in all it was an excellent weekend! 

Have a wonderful week!