Ode to PMS

If I were a writer, or at least, a better writer, I would compose an eloquent, heartfelt poem about Aunt Flo.

But, I don't do poetry.

There really should be a rule that says you don't blog when suffering your first case of PMS in a year. Clearer heads are now most certainly prevailing. Oh, the bloating, irrational thought, and inexplicable bad feelings. I had almost forgotten what a pain all that is. Here we go, Mirena!

The potty training continues at our house. Ainsley has gotten the peeing on the potty down pat. Even when there is barely a trickle in there, she is ready to go "on the potty!" Poop, on the other hand? Not so much.

We started her using the "Naked and $75" method. The only thing this system seemed to teach her was how to squat. The idea is that the feeling of pee and poop on your legs would motivate you to sit on the potty. Ainsley just figured if she squatted, she'd stay clean. The jerk.

Then the week before last, after another accident, we sat her down and had a serious conversation about where you go potty. We told her that it was not OK to pee on the floor or the couch (ugh, don't get me started on that one!). She woke up the next morning and proceeded to go three straight days of using the potty like a big girl.

She then spent a couple days where she seemed to lose interest in the potty. She would rather continue doing whatever she was doing, instead of taking a potty break. So we instituted a reward system - one M&M for using the potty. And as Ainsley has had very little exposure to candy - and no exposure to chocolate - this instantly renewed her interest in the potty.

At the end of last week, Jason awoke to Ainsley sans pull-up. She decided she had to poop, but didn't want to actually go in her diaper. This seemed a good sign. So for two mornings in a row, she pulled off her pajama pants and pull-up, and proceeded to poop in her crib. While this was a horrible mess to clean up, we took it as a breakthrough of sorts - she no longer wanted to rely on a diaper.

So over the long weekend, I got up extra early, to get her out of bed before she managed to go. Which mostly worked. We were up at 7:15 and on the potty. But no poop.

In fact, Saturday morning we must have sat on the potty every five minutes for the first half-hour she was awake. Finally, I put her in big-girl panties, and let her go. Not a minute later, there was the poop - in her panties.

She seems to have developed some sort of aversion to pooping in the potty. We are working with the reward system - offering TWO M&Ms for a poop. We'll see how that goes. Of course, as smart as she is, this could all be an elaborate ruse to manipulate more candy out of us. I could be wrong, but she does show some evil genius characteristics....