Potty Training..........SUCCESS!!!!!!

We've been working on something pretty big in Mia's world. Something that makes her feel even more like she's just your average kid. And she's nearly mastered the skill.

We've been working on, POTTY TRAINING!!!
How did this breakthrough come about?! Potty training was something I'd been working on over the years. But, when it wasn't being done the same way in every place that she went, she never grasped the concept. As one of Mia's goals in her I.E.P., potty training was added as a skill for her to learn. When asked how I thought Mia would best learn this skill, you can bet I gave my input!

First, Mia went from wearing pull ups all the time, to only wearing them at night. Big girl underwear during the day meant that every time she had an accident, she would feel it. And since she hates the feeling of wet clothes against her skin, I knew without a doubt that this was the best method to get Mia on her way to toileting success.

The transition from one to the other took her a while to get used to. Because she's a very tactile being, the pull up was a comfort she had grown accustomed to. Underwear left her feeling odd, as though nothing was there. For a bit, it was hard to get her to keep her pants up! But after she realized that she had no other choice but to wear these thin monstrosities, she gave up and taking her pants down!

Then, her school started taking her to the bathroom in short intervals through out the day. Though, because they were seemingly spending more time in the bathroom than anywhere else, they lengthened the amount of time between bathroom visits. The pattern was continued at home as well, and Mia only wore a pull up at night to prevent her from wetting the bed.

Because Mia has always had a hard time figuring out what her body is telling her (i.e. pain means something is wrong, this sensation means you have to go to the bathroom), I assumed it would take a while for her to catch on to these signals the body sends. But, as usual, she surprised me! In just a short couple of months, Mia went from six or seven accidents a day, to NONE! Minus the number two issue, which she's now catching on to as well.

Now, Mia is wearing big girl underwear to bed as well. She has no night time accidents, though now she wakes up confused in the middle of the night when she has the sensation to pee. Cutting back on fluids in the early evening and making sure she goes pee before bed time help, but once in a while she still has to get up. Though she might be a bit cranky about it, I'm proud that she knows when she's got to go!

And, in most recent weeks, she's been going number two on the potty as well!! Well, Some of the time anyways! She still hasn't quite figured out when she actually needs to go, and sometimes her seizure medications bind her up, making it even more difficult for her. But she's getting there!

I'm so excited for Mia's progress in this area! And even more excited that when the weather warms up, I can start teaching her a new bathroom skill. HOW TO PEE IN THE WOODS!! (Yes, her teachers laughed when I exclaimed this notion!)

What, that's a normal motherly reaction, right?!