POTTY PARTY! Day 2

11:16AM -- Still no pee pee on the potty... we got him on at 8:15am -- however his diaper was very wet from over night, but yesterday he woke up dry so we had an extra advantage... so today we have given him LOTS of fluids!!!  He is in a good mood so far... and every once in a while he says he is gonna go pee, but nothing happens... but I think we are getting close -- yesterday he sat for 4 hours before he finally let a little bit come out... right now we are at 3 hours... we'll see!!!

12:33PM -- Aden started getting very fussy and antsy -- he was obviously holding it and getting very uncomfortable.  We tried to cheer him on like yesterday and tell him it was OK to go pee pee in the potty, but he was just getting more upset.  He finally did let a very few small squirts come out, but we wanted him to let more go before we let him get down for a break, but he was holding out pretty good.  So we told him one more pee pee and he could get down for a break.  He kept asking to be done for the day, and we told him he could have a break if he just went one more time in the potty... so after about 5 minutes, he finally let another tiny small amount come out, so we let him get down and put his new SpongeBob underwear on him and we let him play downstairs for 5 minutes exactly -- and he stayed DRY on his break! That was the first break he has taken yet that he didn't go pee in his underwear!  However he still really needs to go potty -- so now we have him back on the potty and he is all fussy and upset and irritable... I wish he would go so he could have some relief... We also need to eat lunch soon but we can't do it right now while he is so upset...

1:15PM -- He finally started letting some pee pee go!  He did really good, but after every time, he kept saying he was all done and wanted to get down and be done for the day... we knew he still had a lot in there, so we kept prompting him to keep going, and after about 5 minutes of start and stop pee (and lots of cheers and praises),  we let him get down for his next break.  This time we were going to try for 10 minutes, but he only made it 7 minutes before having an accident... so back up the potty we went! And he was finally calm enough to have lunch, so we ate while on the potty.  He must have let a significant enough amount go because he is no longer squirming and fussing like he was earlier.

2:15PM -- another round of stop and go pee pee -- this time the amounts were a little bit more, but he didn't do it for as long -- more like 2 minutes of peeing stop and go, but the amount was more.... So we kept cheering him on, but nothing else came... then by 2:30pm he let another big amount go! So he got to have a break, but this time he only went 2 minutes before he had an accident...  *cute side note -- Aden LOVED playing with his aide's iPad while waiting on the potty!*

3:28PM -- we think he has to go #2 and he is all upset about it... what a scary feeling this must be for him!  He just doesn't want to let it happen... he has had a little bit of pee come out though, but not consistently...

So then at 3:45pm I had to run to the grocery store -- I didn't want to leave, but I desperately needed some stuff that we were out of, so I ran to the store.  When I came back at 4:45pm, they informed me that he had gone 3 times and had 3 breaks and he was up to 15 minutes of a break without having an accident!!!!!  All of the action happens in the afternoon for sure!  And the last one apparently was A  LOT of pee! They said it was a big amount, and that it came out in a much longer stream than what we had been seeing (tiny stop and starts) -- they were all so excited!!!! 

So the day ended on a success for sure -- he finally let a bunch out and he was able to stay dry for 15 minutes before having to go sit and pee again... what will tomorrow hold? :)

POTTY PARTY! Day 1

So here we are, Tuesday May 31st, 2011 -- the first day of our "Potty Party" for our son Aden!  Our day started at 8AM when our case supervisor Jenn (for his ABA team) arrived so she could be there when Aden woke up.  As soon as he got up, we took him straight to the potty and started the Party!  Well, it wasn't much of a party yet, but I was still pretty excited.  Not long after he sat down, I had to run to Kohl's to buy him some "big boy underwear" since we didn't have any yet.  I managed to find 3 different 5-packs of SpongeBob underwear! Score!  So I came home (nothing happened while I was gone) and washed all his new underwear, then came upstairs to see all the action (or lack of)... and pretty much he was just sitting on the potty while Jenn read him a book. And then they did some puzzles, and drank some juice, and sang some songs, played some games, drank some Pediasure.... and just sat there!  He was being a really good sport just sitting there!  So then we read the social story that we wrote about the potty, and we talked about what we do on the potty, and we told him that as soon as he went pee pee in the potty, he could get up for a break...  but still nothing was happening... but then around noon (12:09pm to be exact), we could tell that he was really holding it in, so Jenn turned on the water and that's all it took! He went a little bit in the potty, and as soon as he did, he said "Ok, now I can get down" -- we were amazed! So he really did understand that if he went in the potty, he could get up -- this was great news because we weren't even sure that he knew what we were trying to get him to do... but sure enough, he knew that he did something right because he knew it was time for a break!  So we got him off the potty and put his new big boy underwear on him, and he wanted to go downstairs and play.  At first it was really funny watching him walk in his underwear -- I guess he had just never felt what it was like not having a big diaper or pull up on him!  So we let him play for about 6 or 7 minutes, then brought him back up to sit on the potty again.  When we took his underwear off of him, we noticed they were wet -- he did go in his underwear, but not a huge amount -- but he didn't tell us or seem to mind.... So then we just waited for him to go again....  I brought out daddy's Xoom (its a tablet, like an iPad, but with Android operating system instead of Apple) and played some SpongeBob videos on it, and he really liked that... and then at 1:05pm he went a little more in the potty!  This time we could kinda see it on the seat (haha!) so we congratulated him, and he wanted to get down again for a break -- so we put new undies on him and let him go play, but this time, after just a few minutes, he started to make some whining sounds (I figured he had lost his toy -- usually he'll make these "upset" sounds when he looses something or needs help) so I came over to him and brought him his balloon back because I thought that was what he wanted, but he wasn't taking it - he was just standing there and fussing, and I realized he had peed in his underwear and some was on his leg.  So we took him back upstairs and put him back on the potty and talked to him about telling us when he has to go, and that is ok to go on the potty, but if he goes in his underwear he will feel all wet... so then we decided to eat lunch since it was a little past his lunch time anyways.  We brought a tray table upstairs and had him eat lunch while on the potty... but then he started getting fussy and Jenn had mentioned that the aides had been tracking his bm's and wet diapers for the past few months just to get an idea of his patterns, and she said that typically every day around 1pm or so, he has a BM (goes #2) -- so we figured he must be feeling like he has to go... and now that he was eating food, it was probably increasing that feeling... and then it kinda smelled like he was going to go too... so we put on the water again and waited... and he started to hold himself up kinda funny and we really thought he was going to go, but nothing.... and then at 2:36pm he let a little bit of pee come out again and of course we celebrated! And we asked him if he still had to go, he said yes, but then he said he wanted to get down, so we let him get down and we put another set of undies on him (3rd set of the day) and I told him that if he had to go poop, he needed to tell us and we will put him on the potty and that he can't go poop in his underwear.  So he went downstairs to play, and we let him do his own thing for a few minutes, but then he said to us that his "shin" was wet (needless to say, he knows all his body parts, even unfamiliar ones like shin, calf, and ankle, haha!)... and sure enough he had peed a little bit more and it was on his leg.  So I asked him if he needed to go poop and he said yes, so I said "ok, let's go upstairs and poop on the potty, and then you can come back downstairs and play" and he agreed to go back upstairs (I was very surprised -- you would think that after being on the potty for hours, he wouldn't want to go back up -- but we figured he must really need to go and want to so that he could go back to playing)... so back up to the potty we went... but no #2 or #1 for that matter... but then at 2:56pm we heard him get upset that some got on his leg again... So we waited to see if he would go some more...

Basically we have discovered this pattern happening... he will hold it as long as he can on the potty, then he will finally let a little bit out, and then we put big boy underwear on him, let him go play, but he then starts to let some more pee come out while he is wearing his underwear and he gets all upset that he is wet... so we bring him back upstairs and sit him down thinking he will finally let it all out... and instead we wait an hour or so, and some more will dribble out here and there -- so far, he hasn't let it all go, just a little bit here and there.  To be honest, I think it startles him when it hits his legs or shins (in case you haven't figured out, we are having him SIT on the potty to go pee -- I would have no idea how to potty train a visually impaired child how to stand and where to aim and all that stuff!!!!) and the few times it has shot out and hit his legs, he got upset and asked for us to dry it off...

So right now its 3:50pm and he's getting kinda fussy.  I think he's tired of sitting on the potty (obviously) and he's probably uncomfortable from having to hold it all day... He is squirming a lot like he's trying really hard to hold it in... We are getting to the really tough part where he is getting upset and starting to cry.  This is very sad for us to watch - he is obviously miserable trying to hold his pee... Hopefully he will let it go soon...

Ok, so at 4:48pm, we had our breakthrough.... we had the water turned on, and he was all squirming and fussing -- and we just kept encouraging him to go pee pee and let it out -- his bladder must have felt like it was going to explode because he was doing the potty dance on the toilet, and squirming around and his face was all red -- and we were cheering him on, telling him it was ok to let it go in the potty and that he would feel much better... and then he let a little bit go and I immediately cheered and clapped for him, and we told him to keep going... and then a little bit more came out, and then a little bit more -- each time we clapped and praised him, and he was starting to get excited!  Although he wouldn't let it all go and have a full stream at once, he was letting it out little by little... but it was starting to click - I think he finally made the connection that it was OK to do what he was doing!  The more we praised, the more he went and the happier he got! He must have been so relieved to finally let some of that pressure out!  So after a few minutes of the start and stop pee, we asked him if he was all done and he said yes. 

So we happily let him get up and have a break.... And we thought that maybe we should call it a day since he did so good finally... we thought he really made the connection and we wanted to reward him for what he did... so we thought that maybe we would tell him he did a great job for today, and that we would do a potty party again tomorrow.... But we had another surprise...

So during this last break, he did pretty good... he played for about 10 minutes without an accident (the previous breaks he was going pee after only 5 minutes or less), so when he did start to go, I could see it through his shorts and I asked him if he had to go pee and he said yes, and I asked him if he wanted to finish going potty upstairs, and he said yes!  So then we took him back upstairs and turned on the water and watched closely to see when he would start to go so we could praise each and every little drop that came out... and he started to let little bits go here and there -- and he was really getting excited! Every time he would go, he would laugh or say "woah!" and we would clap and cheer!  I kept telling him that he was doing great, and to keep going... but then he sat up a little bit more and a stream came out and hit his leg and that upset him -- so I quickly put a hand towel over his lap and said that it was ok, he was fine, I wiped him off and said the towel will keep him from getting wet while he goes pee pee... so then we just watched the water (since we could no longer see if pee was coming out of his "winkie") and we kept seeing the water moving -- he was going!  Again, it wasn't a full stream or anything, but I think he was slowly getting used to the feeling of going pee on the potty -- it must be such a different feeling than going in a diaper since you can't even feel the wetness because the diaper is so absorbent!  Think of how different that would be, sitting on a potty, all out in the open, feeling like you don't know what is going to go where and if its ok to let it go and afraid of what might happen if you do let it go... So after about 15 minutes of tinkle....... tinkle.....tinkle..... I didn't see the water moving anymore, so we asked him if he was all done and he said yes. 

So we put a pull up on him and said the potty party was over for today since he did such a great job, and we would do it again tomorrow.  He gets to take a break for the rest of the evening (this is how their potty parties go -- they end at a certain time, and the child goes back into the diaper or pull up until the next day -- until all areas of potty training are covered -- ie, once they are willingly going on the potty, you then have to teach them how to tell you that they have to go, before they have an "accident" -- so this was a very successful first day for all of us).  Jenn told me that in all the years she has been doing Potty Parties, this was the first time EVER that she had a child request the potty on the first day (the last time Aden was having a break, when I asked him if he wanted to finish going pee pee on the potty, he said yes and went willingly -- you would think he would have wanted to stay on a break and just relax and not go back onto the potty he had been on for 9 hours! But he said yes that he wanted to go sit on the potty!).  She was very impressed with the progress we made in one day -- we finally had our breakthrough moment around 5pm and he was happy and excited when it did happen!  It was a huge success!  He didn't even seem to be upset at all that I said we were having another Potty Party tomorrow!  He told Jenn bye bye and "see you tomorrow!"  Oh that reminds me -- after the 5pm episode when he finally started to go, when we got up to take a break, we let him flush the toilet because he had gone pee pee in the potty (he had flushed it a few times here and there when he first discovered it and we put an end to that - he is not allowed to flush the toilet unless he has gone in it!) so he was super excited about getting to flush the toilet -- and then, he stood at the toilet and waved and said "bye bye pee pee!"  We all laughed and looked at each other like "did he just say that?" -- it was so funny!!!  And when we came up for the last time to finish going pee, he came upstairs, went to the toilet and said "hi pee pee!" and that was pretty funny too, but we had to tell him that the pee pee was not in the potty yet, and explain all that. 

Overall, I am completely amazed and so proud of Aden.  He is truly a remarkable boy.  What a long day to endure -- I know that he didn't completely understand everything in the beginning and it was kinda scary for him, and very uncomfortable at times -- but he did it... and when he made that connection, he was very happy!  I think that tomorrow will go much better -- I think he will go a lot sooner, rather than holding it for so long -- now that he knows what we want him to do, and what it feels like, I think he will be willing to do it more.  And then we just work on getting him to tell us when he has to go so we can make it there before an accident... and at some point he is going to have to go #2... so we'll see what happens then. 

I imagine that he is going to do that later on tonight since I'm pretty sure he had to do that earlier.  I just knew that as soon as we put his pull up on him, he would be soaking wet within minutes, and of course I was right.  It wasn't 10 minutes after he was in the pull up, and I just thought to ask him -- I said "Aden, be sure to tell mommy when your pull up is wet so I can get you a dry pull up" and he immediately said "yes I'm wet mommy!" so I changed him, and there was quite a lot in there -- all that juice and Pediasure he had been holding in all day, he had let a little bit out for us, but the rest was in that pull up! 

We'll see what happens tomorrow! :)

New Ohio State Jewelry!

Now that I've been living in Columbus for almost 2 years, I must say I am a true Buckeye Fan now!  Honestly I don't have much of a choice! Haha! Everywhere you look, you see OSU this, and Buckeye that!  I have never seen so many cars drive around with those flag things that stick out their windows on game day, flying the OSU flag, or vanity license plates saying some version of OSU FAN or OHIO!  And don't get me started on game day when at any random time, someone can yell out "OH" and inevitably at least 10 other people yell out in response "IO!"  I have been one of the fortunate ones to get to attend an OSU football game, and oh my goodness what a sight that is! These people are Buckeye crazy!  But its a lot of fun and that's why I love it so much!  So in honor of the Ohio State University Buckeyes, I have made a line of OSU Jewelry so you can be decked out even more with Buckeye gear! :)  Here are a few pictures of my newest designs.  Currently I have over 25 different bracelets, 9 different earrings and 2 different necklaces to choose from, and I'm always trying to come up with new ideas! I also enjoy making custom orders, so if you have an idea that you don't see on my site, please feel free to contact me at: Lola@AutismLoveHope.com

OSU Czech Glass Beaded Bracelet -  $14.00

 Scarlet and Gray Swarovski Crystal Cube Beaded Bracelet  -  $21.00

Swarovski Crystals, Murano Glass Beads & Buckeye Beaded Bracelet  -  $19.00

Sparkly OSU Buckeye Bracelet with Crystals  -  $20.00

All of these items are for sale in our online store:  AutismLoveHope.com -- as well as Autism Awareness Jewelry, Breast Cancer Awareness Jewelry and other Beaded Jewelry!  Please stop by and check out our new products!  I have more Autism Awareness items to add, including new necklaces, earrings, bracelets and now keychains!  Thanks so much for your support!

Link and Blog Hop!

Hey everyone,
I'm participating in a Link and Blog Hop called "Fun Friday Blog Hop" featured by "Michael's Creations" shop on Etsy. Its a fun way to meet new people to follow or have them follow you! Check out her blog to read more! :)

A New Banner - Wohoo!

I have decided to give my Etsy shop a makeover!  The first step was to design a new banner! I've done that today using Adobe Photoshop and I think I really like the finished product -- here it is for you to check out -- let me know what you think! :)

www.AutismLoveHope.etsy.com

Sale! Sale! Sale! ;)

I am part of a street team on Etsy called "Etsy Team Columbus" and its a great group of girls all over Columbus that share in the love of crafting and selling on Etsy!  This month we have decided to offer a group sale -- just in time for Valentines Day! The Gifts of Love Sale! You can go to www.Etsy.com and type in "sale111" in the search to see all of the shops that are participating in the sale! Each store is offering their own sale -- mine is 15% off your entire purchase -- others are anywhere from 10% - 25%!  Just remember to use the coupon code "sale111" at checkout to receive your discount! :) Thanks for your support!

Treasuries I'm featured in on Etsy.com

Some crafters online have put together their own collections of items on Etsy.com that have a common theme, and I was chosen to be in a few of them!  I love to look at Treasuries because they bring together such diverse artists to showcase a beautiful theme, and its just something nice to look through when you are bored! :)  So here are a few that I'm featured in!  Click on the link with the name of the treasury to be taken to the page with the pictures of the other items in the treasury! Have fun! :)

OHIO!

 

Must Have Dog, Gorgeous Gift Ideas 

Etsy Team Columbus

Joy 2 The World

For The Cure

Anything Whimsical

Thank you again for reading our blog!  I would like to write some more information about our son Aden's progress with his ABA therapy, but this year has been so busy for us!  After the New Years, I am hoping things will slow down a little bit and I can work on updating my blog more than just once every few months!  I did want to share the Treasuries though -- they are fun to look at! :)  Thanks again!

Sincerely,

Lola Lambert

And don't forget to visit our AutismLoveHope store! www.AutismLoveHope.com

2010 Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Daddy Jeffy, Aden and Mama Lola at the Walk

What a great event it turned out to be! Again this year we had thousands of families come out to support Autism Awareness and raise money for Autism Speaks.  It was a beautiful day this year -- not like last year when it was so cold we had to bundle up Aden in blankets! We got some great pictures too! :)

Our ABA aide Megan came with us this year (on the far left), and our mom did the walk with us too! (If you look closely, you can see my cute Autism Awareness flip flops that my crafty friend made for me - they have red, yellow, light blue, royal blue and puzzle print ribbons tied all around them)

That is BRUTUS BUCKEYE posing for a picture with Aden! (Aden wasn't interested at the time! Haha!)

Megan, Aden and myself (Aden is holding his leaf that I gave him while we were walking around outside - he kept it with him the whole time! It was so cute!)

That's Megan and Aden's teacher, Miss Tammy posing with Aden at the walk!

Of course I had to sport all of my Autism Awareness jewelry I made too! :)  And I saw a few of the OSU Students wearing some of mine also that had purchased some from me! It was very exciting! :)

My Craft Show Season Schedule!

I just wanted to let all my fans out there know of my fall schedule for craft shows this year!

Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
St. Joan of Arc Annual Craft Bouquet Show
10700 Liberty Rd, Powell, OH 43065
9am - 3pm

Saturday, November 6th, 2010
Alliance High School Annual Holiday Craft Show
400 Glamorgan Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601
9am - 3pm

Saturday, November 20th, 2010
St. George Romanian Orthodox Church Annual Holiday Craft Show
144 30th St NW Canton, OH 44709
9am - 3pm

Saturday, December 11th, 2010
Franklin Heights High School Band Boosters Craft Show
1001 Demorest Rd, Columbus, OH 43204

Thanks so much for your continued support! I hope to see new and familiar faces this season! :)

New Autism Awareness Bracelets I made....

Check out my newest Autism Awareness Bracelets in my Etsy Store: