Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Potty Training - Day 3

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My last update on potty training with Ayden took place a year ago.  That isn't to say we haven't been working on and off, but I haven't updated because it's been much of the same thing:  Ayden holding it until we put a diaper back on him either for nap or bed time or until he can't anymore then having a meltdown because he peed everywhere.

Well, Mr Awesome and I decided we would have Ayden out of diapers during the day before he starts kindergarten in the fall.  It is our only focus right now with him.  In a perfect world, we will have him going to the bathroom as he needs but ... this probably isn't going to be the case with him right away.  At the very least, we are going to work on going on a schedule - meaning that he will hold it until his "time" to go.   We know he's capable of this, because he's been demonstrating that he can hold it for months and months.  The key for now is to get him going when we set him on the potty.  The rest will come, but he won't be in diapers.

So, Saturday morning we took off his diaper and put him in underwear.  We decided as well that this time Dad was going to be the one to start off.  Ayden has always responded better to his Dad, so I did not expect any exceptions when it came to potty training.

I've read a lot of articles on training kids with Fragile X.  I sent a bunch to Mr Awesome.  We are determined to make this time work out.  So, we're starting with the basic "sit your kid on the potty until they go then cheer them on" concept.  And hoping he doesn't hold it all day.

Day 1 - We had a decent amount of accidents.  The first was at lunch time.  Then a few more in the afternoon.  Then FINALLY in the evening he peed.  We made a really big deal.  We had him dump/flush (we're using the kiddie stool).  We cheered some more.  Then about 30 minutes later he did it again.   If we could have kept him up longer to keep him going we definitely would have, but it was bed time and after skipping nap he certainly was in need of some sleep.

Day 2 - We now moved to putting him on the potty seat for 15-30 minutes with 30 minutes in between each try.  We set the timer as he gets up for 30 minutes, then put him back on.  We had a few accidents in the morning where he started to go enough to dampen his underwear but not go down his leg.  We did a morning bath, so he probably relieved himself then too.  The afternoon was much better.  He leaked just once and went in the potty multiple times.

Day 3 - Only ONE accident all day, and it happened at the very end of the day.  We also had some poo, instead of just pees!!  Sitting on the potty every 30 minutes slowly lessening the time he is actually sitting on the potty to about 5-10 minutes (or until he goes or says he is done).  By the end of the day I increased the time between sitting on the potty to 45 minute intervals.

Three days in, and we're not doing terrible.  I think only time will tell if we're just happening to catch him going.  My guess is its' a little of both right now, but really any progress is great!  I'll keep updating how we're doing as we progress.
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Monday, June 18, 2012

Last Day of School 2012

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As I sat down to write this post out, I remembered that I wrote a nice letter to Ayden at the beginning of this school year.  So it is only fitting to end the school year the same way.

Dear Ayden:

Today was not just your last day of school this year, but your last day of preschool in the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) program.  At the beginning of the year I was wondering how you would manage without a nap in the afternoon and with a more demanding classroom experiences.  Now I'm finding myself amazed yet again at how far you've come over this past year.  Putting you on the bus the first day of school was fairly easy, but you still needed the support of holding my hand.  Today, I stood at the door and watched as you turned around and waved good-bye to me and ran yourself down to the bus.  You didn't stop when the sidewalk turned into the paved road, you didn't even hesitate.  I followed behind you and by the time I made it to the bus you had already sat down, backpack off, and ready to be on your way.  I was so happy to see your independence at the beginning of the year, but couldn't have imagined it would be so much more just 9 months later.

This year brought so many changes for you, certainly for the better.  Your social skills and communication have skyrocketed since school started.  You are now eating with silverware and will sit down and color with your brother even!  Such small things in the grand scheme of life, but these are huge steps for you!

Next year is going to bring even more changes for you.  You'll be starting kindergarten at a new school, and going all day!  I can't imagine entire days without you, but know you will once again thrive and continue to amaze me.  The one thing that won't change is how proud of you I am.  

I am just overjoyed at how much you have grown this year, and especially since beginning in the ECSE program.  It certainly is bittersweet leaving behind the amazing team and school you've been with since you were 3 years old, but I am comforted by the fact I know we made the best decision for you and excited to see what the summer will bring!

Always,
Momma


First Day of Preschool -  September 2010

Last Day of School - June 2011

First and Last Day of School - 2011/2012





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