on potty training (part 2)

So remember last week when I posted about potty training? I was not ready for it. E had been asking for a while, but I was ok to put it off. until last Monday. She was asking and I couldn't make up excuses anymore.

All during breakfast we talked about the potty and underwear and how she was too big for diapers. As soon as we finished eating, E and I went upstairs and I showed her the drawer in the dresser that held all her new underwear. It was on the very bottom so she could open and shut it herself.

After she picked out a lime green minnie mouse pair, we walked around the house and looked at all the toilets. One bathroom upstairs and one downstairs had little pottys in them. I explained to her all about the bathroom and how she should tell me whenever she thought she needed to go.

That was the start. Every 20 minutes after that we stopped whatever we were doing and went to sit on the potty. I took some of her favourite books with us and we read a couple each time. If she went, I made a really, REALLY big fuss and lots of high-5's were given. If nothing happened, I congratulated her for sitting on the potty and said we would try again later.

After the months and months of her showing interest in the potty the day we actually officially start she could care less. It was a struggle to get her to even want to go into the bathroom. I didn't want to push too hard for fear she would look at it as a punishment, but I also knew that without a diaper on if she didn't use the potty we would have loads of accidents.

and we did. starting about an hour after the diaper came off and continuing all day.

after dinner she seemed to warm to the idea and every 5 minutes she would yell 'potty, potty' and run to the bathroom. she would strain to pee even the tinniest bit and would dance around so proud of herself. and then want to go put her underwear in the wash and get a new pair.

uh, yeah. not quite the point.

and i got discouraged. I know it was only day 1. I know that it is a big deal and can be a process and she is not even two...but I still was discouraged. I posted a status updated on facebook of something to the effect of 'potty training, not as much fun as you might think' Of course everyone and their dog had an opinion about that comment, but I just couldn't understand how she could be so far away from understanding the concept when for months she had been asking to use the toilet. I even went on amazon and bought 4 potty books and a elmo uses the potty dvd.

I was not excited about day 2.

I had always said whenever I started, I wanted to go straight to underwear and only use diapers for nap time/bed time. No pull ups, no switching back and forth. So I was all in. When I woke her up, we went to the draw, picked out some underwear and went straight to the potty. and she peed.

after breakfast she said 'potty, potty' and ran to the bathroom. and peed. and the rest of the day she went on her own and went when I asked. no accidents at all.

Day 3. the same. she asked and went and no accidents.

So on day 4 I decided to go to the pool. I know they say to stay home when potty training, but I am a rule breaker- a maverick if you will. so off the pool we went. We brought our little potty with us and she got out of the pool twice- all on her own- went to the potty and peed. twice. all by herself without me prompting. again, no accidents.

So it went the rest of the week. I stopped asking her and just let her tell me. If it had been a while, I would mention it but if she said no I wouldn't take her. If she said yes, we went and she went. We went to the park, the mall, out to eat and to see friends. She went on big toilets, public toilets and her little potty (which we took with us in the back of the car) She asked to go when she needed to.

And get this- poop and pee. I know, more detail than you wanted, but hey that is pretty amazing. We even went to church on sunday, left her in the church nursery and she asked the teacher in there to use the potty. Twice she went during church, with a stranger, in a strange place, with no accidents!!

So here we are on Wednesday. 9 days after we started potty training and we have been 8 days accident free. She is even dry at nap time. Only in diapers for night. I can't believe I was so uptight on day 1. I would have never imagined that potty training would be this easy. I am blessed, really. Ele is pretty great and I am pretty excited to be done with diapers. Ok, I know we still have night time diapers and I am not about to take those away any time soon, but I am pleased with the day time potty progress. She uses the potty whenever she needs to go! (again too much information I know, but poopy diapers were way easier to clean up than poopy potty!)

and nothing is more adorable than a little girl running around in tiny, tiny minnie mouse underwear. my little one is a big kid now.

My only problem now is messing with amazon returns of 4 potty books and an elmo dvd!