Potties, Bugs, and "No"

I mentioned several weeks ago that Avery had some very successful days on the potty.  She was going frequently during the day at Jen-Jen's and kept it up pretty well at home over a weekend.  We continued into the next week, staying in diapers mostly but mainly staying dry during the day.  This week we went to big girl underwear full-time during the day, and she's done great with just one accident on Monday.  She wears a diaper at nap time and to sleep.  She sometimes wakes up dry from one or the other but not with enough frequency to stop the diapers.  For our 30 minute ride to Jen-Jen's and back home, I put a diaper on over her underwear, but she's been dry each time.  Sometimes she tells us she needs to go, and other times we're taking her.  She can go for several hours so I have to be good about not forgetting.  Are we potty trained?  I have no idea.

We hit a bit of a bump on Wednesday.  She hadn't pooped since the beginning of the week, and although that's not unusual, she's been doing much better.  In fact, she's been off her medicine since the summer.  Jennifer said on Wednesday she needed to go and couldn't.  When we got home she was uncomfortable, fussy, and wouldn't eat dinner.  She didn't want to sit on the potty, but she didn't want a diaper on.  She finally went in her underwear (and that's when I miss diapers...training pants are too expensive to just throw out, but I thought about it), so we tried dinner again.  She'd only eat applesauce but seemed happy, until she threw up.

I'm not sure if she had a bug or if her stomach was just out of whack from being constipated.  She hasn't thrown up again but hasn't had a full meal since Wednesday at lunch.  She slept a lot yesterday for Ned and was pretty quiet.  She used the bathroom for him but was not always excited about it.  Today I've gotten lots of "no" when I asked if she needs to potty, and that's just to pee.  She went a few times, some as the result of a bribe, but had no accidents.  I called the pediatrician and spoke to a different doctor after nap because she had pooped but didn't want to pee and kept saying "hurt."  I was worried about a UTI, but he said the antibiotic for her ears should prohibit that.  He said to do medicine for the constipation and that in a few days she should forget that it hurt to poop.  He also said not to push the potty, which I knew not to do, but at the same time, she's got to go.

I know to expect set-backs, especially during illness, and this may not even be one.  I just hate that it's happened so early and since we were off to a great start.  My anal, obsessive-compulsive, worrier self would really like to freak out, but I'm telling myself that she'll get back into the habit (if she's out) when she's feeling better.  And I know she's not 100% because she doesn't want to eat and is even refusing her M&Ms after a successful trip to the potty.  Thank goodness for stickers.  The "no" isn't just concerning the potty either.  I've heard it the last 2 days after every food I've offered, suggestions of activities, and half the songs I've sung.  Tonight I offered her lemonade, got a no and offered water, only to have her request lemonade.

Tomorrow I'm hoping for more meals, energy, and laughs, and well...more pee and poop too!