Like a hamster on a wheel not going anywhere

Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  What about fool me 8 times!!?!?!?!  Because that is how many accidents it took before I realized Sam is just not ready to be potty trained. 

I have a tendency to block out/soften the bad memories over time.  I no longer remember how hard the transition was for Ian to go from a crib to a toddler bed.  However, every time Sam gets out of her big girl bed and comes out of her room (when she should be sleeping), I think to myself, Ian never did this.  Good thing I've got my trusty, never-forgets-a-thing of a husband to remind me, that yes, Ian was the same exact way. 

And knowing after how horrific my first attempt at potty training Sam was on December 22nd, I will lose all memory of this event too.

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE WHY I WENT FOR IT
Everyone says that girls are easier to train and can do so at a younger age.  Sam was showing all signs of being ready and would frequently tell us to change her diaper when it was wet or that she had a "stinky butt" when she pooped.  And to top it off, we have two good toddler friends, born very close in age to Sam who are already potty trained and have some major success - enough to keep going and not look back.

Not to mention, Sam being off from school for Winter break is the perfect time to be at home for several days and concentrate on the new skill we'd be working on.    And the icing on the cake was the idea of going into 2011 and never buying diapers again. 

THE PLAN
Sam and I had picked out 28 pairs of big girl panties at Target the week before the big day.  She was extremely excited about having Princess, Minnie, Hello Kitty, and Dora themed panties to wear.  I have no problems washing the underwear if she only peed in it, but anything more substantial and I am throwing them away.  I figured 28 pairs could last us a few weeks before needing to replenish. 

First thing the morning of the 22nd, I eagerly told Sam she will only be wearing big girl underwear from now on.  Right away she replied back, "I am not potty training either."  This is her new thing; to put the word 'either' at the end of every sentence.  Like she is telling me something else she isn't going to do too.  I already knew I was in trouble as Sam is very headstrong.  But I wasn't going to be deterred and still continued on with the plan.

HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN
It took Sam 15 minutes to figure out which pair of panties she wanted to wear.  Then it took her another 10 minutes to figure out which pair of pants to put on.  Originally she wanted a skirt, but I wasn't going to deal with tights during the first few days.  That was a small battle, but I won!  Score one for mommy.  However, the rest of the day was score one for Sammy.

I kept tally on FB.  This was the only small joy I had through out the day.  Letting my FB friends and family know the torture I was going through as I was living it. 

One of my biggest obstacles was Sam not wanting to get on the toilet.  Normally she can't pass by a bathroom without wanting to go in.  So I was very surprised when she wouldn't even want to try.  I had to bribe her with an m&m for even just sitting there.  We so weren't off to a good start. 

The first accident didn't occur until 2 1/2 hours after she woke-up.  I was paranoid and tried to get her to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes.  Then during one of the next 30 minute stretches, she peed in her underwear.  She was not happy and cried, "I'm weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet".   I thought for sure this feeling would translate to her wanting to figure out the potty thing quickly.  After this, accidents started flowing pretty frequently.

At 9:40am
First accident has occurred. We both survived. Toilet = 0, Accidents = 1, m&ms = 3 (for trying).

At 9:55am
Accidents = 2, Toilet = 0, m&ms =3 (for trying)

At 12:17pm
Accidents = 4 (2 within 5 minutes of each other), Toilet = 0, m&ms = 5 (for trying)

At 12:41pm
Accidents = 5, Toilet = 0, m&ms = 5 (for trying)

At 1:30pm
Accidents = 6, Toilet = 0, m&ms = 5

At 1:52pm
Accidents = 7, Toilet = 0, m&ms = 5.

My new strategy:  Keep Sam "hanging out" on the toilet for the last 25 minutes. As soon as she came off the last two times, she peed in her underwear within 2 minutes. It's like she was holding it until she gets off.

At 2:40pm
Accidents = 8, Toilet = 0. Me = done.

I had so many people write in wonderful suggestions -- it's so much easier to give advice when its not you, isn't it?  :)  I did try to keep Sam commando the whole time.  Unfortunately, not only did she not want to go naked, she also needed to wear pants in addition to the panties.  The only saving grace was, by pair #4, she no longer cared which pair of underwear or pants I put on her. 

A few friends did suggest that Sam could very well not be ready yet.  I can now say I wholeheartedly agree.  SAM IS DEFINITELY NOT READY YET!!!!!!!   My one friend Amanda called and said I should try again in a few weeks.  Ha!  Are you kidding me?  Maybe, and this is a big maybe, I'll try again in the year 2013.  Why in the world would I put myself through this again?  Sam is currently in a great preschool where you don't have to be potty trained.  She can go all the way through to kindergarten before I am forced to relive this nightmare.

Once I finally surrendered and put Sam back in a diaper (with absolutely no argument from her), she said, "Sammy tired."  Given that she had given up her nap and hadn't had one all week, I could tell this ordeal really wore her out (and me!).  She went upstairs, crawled into bed and promptly went to sleep. 

Meanwhile, my golden boy Ian, was downstairs and once he saw me sans Sam, he said, "That was a disaster."  Yeah Ian, no joke.  Thanks for stating the obvious.  :) 

THE AFTERMATH
Once we both had a moment to regain our composure and breathe a sigh of relief that potty training was on hold (indefinitely!), Ian looked at me at 2:40pm and asked, "Did I have lunch today?"  Um, no Ian.  I totally forgot to fix you lunch.  OMG!  Poor thing was completely neglected for almost the entire day, other than when he was in school.  First in line for Worst Mother of The Year Award over here. 

So, if my memory ever softens on just how bad Wednesday, December 22nd was and I decide to give this a go again, please slap on the side of the head with this blog.  I am fine if I am still buying her diapers when we drop her off at college.