I'm really excited by how well elimination communication is going with Sadie!

For awhile I was frustrated because I felt like there was so much going on and we weren't catching ANY pees…

…and I even missed a few poops (which I feel horrible mama-guilt over missing)!

Then Sadie decided to be an…

Easy, Breezy, Fountain!

Yep, every time we opened Sadie's diaper, she started peeing! That really got Scott and I in gear and we began take the diaper off and immediately pick her up and hold her over the sink.

I like the arrangement we have in our bathroom because there's a long counter. So we have the changing pad up on the counter and next to the sink. It's quick and easy to lift her up and hold her.

We have caught so. many. pees.

It has become such an easy routine that I've begun to feel like that “intuition” might be coming in – sometimes we get to the bathroom and she's totally dry, so I hold her over the sink and she goes!

Even if she's wet (which she usually is), she still goes as soon as you hold her over the sink.

She'll go for me or for Scott, which is wonderful because I like having help 😉

Mirror, Mirror

I've also gotten to where I like holding her over the sink much more than using a potty bowl because the mirror is there.

She loves the mirror, so it makes her happy.

I can see her in the mirror, which makes ME happy. I'm almost always holding her in my arms (or she's riding on my back), so I don't usually get to see her “straight on.” I think that's why I really like watching her in the mirror – seeing her facial expressions and her beautiful smile.

We had a checkup recently and the nurse asked me what my favorite thing about caring for Sadie was. I probably should have said “EC'ing her” (lol) but I said “watching her in the mirror” because it really does bring so much joy!

The other big benefit of the mirror is I can watch to see if she's gone. I can also see if she needs to poop because she starts kind of squeezing and opening her little bum cheeks.

Over the Potty

I know that we'll probably get a little potty out for Sadie so she can be more independent… but right now I am really liking the way we handle bowel movements.

I can usually tell that Sadie is going to need to have a bowel movement because she starts passing a lot of gas. So I watch the next time we try to potty to see if she starts her cheek squeezes 😉

If I see that, I take a step to the left so we're not in front of the sink anymore, but rather over the toilet (Scott helpfully pointed out I should lift the seat – something that would occur to a guy!). So for the past couple of weeks, all of Sadie's poops have gone conviniently into the toilet! No mess at all, no bowl for me to clean up!

I just hold her at a comfortable height for me and a little angled out. At this point her poops are a little more formed so that works well. With little newborn poops, it might be easier to squat (or just use a potty bowl).

I'll probably keep right on holding her over the toilet for now because it's so nice to just give her a quick wipe, flush, and go 🙂

Excited to See Where We Go

I'm excited that things seem to be going so smoothly with EC'ing Sadie, especially since I feel like I got a little slack after her initial newborn period. Sadie is a pretty intense baby and we have had a lot going on with our family (plus everything I do for the website and my students!). I just didn't have a lot of energy.

It helped me to think back to my very first EC'ing experience – Cassidy was 6 months old when I discovered elimination communication by chance. It only took a little time for me to decide I wanted to try it for Cassidy, and we were off and, well, pottying 😉

So here I am with Sadie at about the same point, and I'm a lot more confident than I was then. So we'll see where the next few months take us. I'm excited to think Sadie might graduate as easily as Corwin did – maybe even more easily, because she's really taken to our renewed “EC efforts.”

Remember, you and your little one can start where you are – and enjoy the journey!!

(NOTE: Want proven, practical strategies to make elimination communication work for you? Use these 5 proven techniques to connect when your baby and have EC success! Get them here.)