I began potty training Ava right around the time she turned one. I broke out the potty and began encouraging away. She faked interest in the beginning but soon it became apparent that the child was a little hopeless, to say the least. Throughout the year that followed I realized that this strong willed child would need a little more time, as well as mom backing the heck off. Before she turned two I came across a blog a mom was writing who made a bold statement of parents simply being lazy if they aren't potty training their kids very quickly. I was so mad about when I read that but also felt like maybe she was right all at the same time. It motivated me to simply take away Ava's diapers and sort of force her into being ready. I spent the entire day encouraging her as she had accident after accident. She managed to pee in her potty about 4 times and everywhere else about 347 times. I was so stressed out, so was she. At one point she peed on the floor and looked up at me...
Yesterday Ava was throwing a fit and I had her come sit on the stairs with me to have a talk. I said "Ava, you know fits don't work." She puts her hand on my shoulder, looks me in the eyes, tilts her head to the side and says "Actually sweetie, they do."
Today is a sad day. We lost Oreo yesterday. We knew his time was coming, but it's still pretty heart breaking. It's hard to believe he was once so tiny! I often referred to him as "big furred" as he weighed in at over 17 pounds. In the morning I went out to the garage and noticed everything was a wreck out there, like he got disoriented and trashed around, knocking everything over. He has been blind in both eyes for several months but this is the first time he has done this. He also went potty in the garage, which was unlike him too. I checked on him and he seemed fine. I took Ava to school and when I got home I heard a strange rustling coming from the backyard, I saw that he had somehow lodged his body inside a wooden trellis and was totally stuck. I'm not sure how long he had been thrashing about try...
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I had one of those little microphones too... they're the best.