Okay, I have lots of blogging I need to do. There are the great blog postings I need to write about how great Hadassah Peiwu is doing. All the pictures you want to see of all our kids but especially the newest little princess. There is a really LONG post I need to finish writing someday entitled "Reality Check". It's about the not so great stuff, the challenges, and the hard parts of adoption, older child adoption, adjusting, medical and educational issues. I keep starting it, working on it, and then life or exhaustion intrudes.
Today's blog might make more sense if I had finished that posting first, but this is where I am today.
Hadassah Peiwu is seven years old, BUT right now she is NOT potty trained.
Are you feeling the joy yet?
Her orphanage had one theory as to why they couldn't potty train her to poop in the potty - too develpmentally delayed. WRONG!
Two big medical issues that she had working against her probably made it impossible for her. First of all we discovered that she has been chronically constipated, possibly for years. Secondly, she had an intestinal parasite, Giardia. Poor baby probably doesn't know what it really feels like to have the sensation of a normal bowel movement.
In China, she would tell us when she needed to pee. You have no idea how many Chinese bathrooms I got to enjoy! Restaurants, parks, stores. Squatty potty fun around every corner! However, since coming home to Western toilets and American Pull-Ups and diapers, Hadassah Peiwu has TOTALLY regressed.
Why stop playing when these wonderful pants will hold sooooooo much?!?!?
She NEVER tells us when she has to go. Never stops or even gives any visible hints as to what's going on down below, unless you count the odor. We have tried rewards, we get grumpy...really grumpy, but nothing has changed.
So today, I have been setting a time for every hour. Yep, taking her potty every hour. Would you believe that I still have had yucky or wet pants most of the day when her hour is over? Only once have I taken her and found her dry and clean!
Sorry if I'm whiny. This is just a challenge that has taken over our life. We anticipated that this could be an issue from the update we received last March, but living it out every day stinks...literally.
We've been home six weeks now. Wish I could say we have made some progress. Well, we did treat the medical issues hindering progress. Now, we wait, hope, and wipe. YUCK!
8 years ago
I'm so sorry. Wish I had answers. Makes me sad for her and makes me wonder so much.
ReplyDeleteWe have not had as much of this but I will tell you J had a ton of accidents b/c he was used to squatting anywhere anytime.
Have you thought of having her wear nothing on the bottom? I say this b/c I had one bio child who was a potty training … well I just cant' think of a nice word … anyway, the only thing that worked was him feeling it run down his legs! Finally he got it. BTW, he was 5! and had certainly not been neglected and was very capable developmentally.
Really though mainly just hugs from me as potty training I have likened to a day in … you know where … especially when it concerned above-mentioned child. :)