Potty Training Begins (and Ends?)

This post may fall into the category of "too much information"! If you do not want to read about my child's potty training, please check back tomorrow. However, this is my blog and I just know that when it is time to start training Elsie, I will have forgotten all of this and will wish it was on my blog for me to refer to.

So . . . here it goes.

What I mean by that title is that this week of potty training has gone so well that we may be officially potty trained soon. By "we", I don't mean myself, my husband, or Elsie. I mean Abigail. Not sure why I typed "we". Oh well.

It started off about 3 weeks ago by offering to let Abigail wear underwear instead of diapers. She was ALL over that. She went in the toilet a few random times but still had quite a few accidents in her underwear.

I decided to take a step back and try again in a month.

Well . . .

My little girl didn't want to do that. She wanted to wear underwear and asked for them frequently. So instead of discourage her attempt to be a big girl, I let her wear the underwear and just figured I'd clean up the mess.

She soon caught on to the fact that when she went in the potty, she would get a jelly bean (organic - from whole foods) or a gummy bear. She was hooked.

We started by reminding her every hour or so to sit on the potty and that worked pretty well.

Then Andrew caught her trying to do a #2 at his Grandma's one Sunday and sat her on the pot. She went and she was so proud of herself!! :)

After that one thing just led to another. First of all, she started to tell us when she had to go. Sometimes it is difficult for me to drop what I'm doing and run to the bathroom with her but I've made it a priority (today I carried a nursing Elsie to the bathroom with us!).

Then tonight she did the unimaginable . . . something I thought was weeks or even months away from happening.

When I was in Elsie's room putting her to bed, Abigail pulled down her own underwear, got up on the potty and went (#2). She waited for me to help her finish up. :)

To say that I'm thrilled is an understatement. I thought I was in for a much harder time than this. I realize that there will still be accidents and probably set-backs but so far it's been a breeze!

(Oh, and that kid-seat you see in this picture? She refuses to use it now. She wants to sit on the big potty like a big girl. What a waste of money for the little potty she never used and the seat she used for 2 weeks. Oh well.)