Elimination Communication is still going really well with Galen.  I've been surprised looking at my site's statistics – my update pages on Galen have been getting a lot of visitors.  I'm glad to know that sharing our experiences with Galen may be helping some other families out there 😉

Galen has had some fussy days lately, and along with fussiness he's been resistant to use the potty some.

He'd fuss and fuss and we'd take him off the potty bowl or move him from the sink and diaper him.  Then just a few minutes later he'd soak the diaper.  He kept using the potty for all poops.

Thankfully the past couple of days have gone much more smoothly – he's back to peacefully and happily peeing over the potty.

It's sometimes frustrating when I can tell he really needs to go (or it has been hours since he went last, which was often the case!) but he just wants to fuss.  I don't want to hold him over the potty if he doesn't want to be there.

If possible I try to let him lay on his lambskin with a couple of prefolds underneath him.  Sometimes he enjoys kicking around and I'll pick him back up after a few minutes and he'll go.  Other times I can wrap a prefold around him and nurse him to calm him, then he'll go.  But if I need to be up and moving around I usually diaper him and he uses the diaper.  Not the end of the world of course, but I don't like him having to be wet!

Most of the time Galen is cue-ing he needs to go by fussing.  It's either fussing or I just offer the potty to him because it's been awhile since he's gone.  I also usually know when a poop is coming because he'll start passing a lot of gas or leave little streaks on the diaper I have him on (unless he's wearing his trainers I always have a prefold under his bum).  Sometimes I'll feel little bubbles/air in his belly and I usually offer if I feel that because it sometimes means a poop is coming.

He still goes over the sink for Scott better than he will for me.  Maybe he associates Scott with the sink and me with the potty bowl?

I've gotten one little pair of trainers done for him and I'm almost done with another pair (that's what he's wearing in the pictures!)  They fit him really well.  I'm going to modify the pattern a little and make some more for him.  A friend sent me another pattern I may try working with it as well to see which I like best.  The one thing I don't like is stretching the elastic while I sew.  That's a complete pain!

I also think I'm going to try some of the work at home mom designed trainers made for families using elimination communication.  I've been debating with myself for days about which ones I want to try and I think I've finally made up my mind 🙂  I definitely want some waterproof ones and they can complement my own non-waterproof design.  And someone else deals with the hassle of the elastic on those! I'll be sure to update with pictures and a review when they come in. For now, another parting shot of Galen in his “mama-made” trainers!