Potty Training- The Real Deal

You may recall the first time I mentioned we were potty training Emerson... it was pretty much a year ago.  I was so optimistic and thought it would be so easy and fast.  But it wasn't.  Emerson absolutely hated sitting on the potty and it was punishment in her mind.  So we stopped and decided to wait "for a better time".  But then the timing of potty training didn't get any easier.  With us taking frequent trips to Austin we were not going to have a long stretch of time that was the optimal travel free time.  So potty training was on the back burner for a while.  While I still felt all these social pressures because everyone else's perfect kid figured it out at 19 months, 1 day and 2 hours I was ok with her wearing diapers.  But then it crossed my mind that her third birthday was just around the corner and I felt another urge of pressure to try it again.  My little baby is growing into a little girl... she will be in preschool three days a week next year and taking dance and I know she needs to be potty trained, so one Sunday I decided to try it again!!

What the other moms didn't tell me....

I, of course, have asked my other experienced mom friends about potty training.  I always got the generic, you just have to constantly put them on there and be consistent, etc.  It is logical and I thought, "yeah, yeah, I get that!".  And of course, using rewards.  I had been talking to Emerson about using the potty for a while and I told her that day that we were going to start using it and no more diapers.  She would get 1-2 M&Ms each time she used the potty.  She wasn't too enthusiastic about it, but we started.  And let me tell you, it was so B O R I N G!!!  No one told me about this part... My strategy (after consulting with my expert friends) was to keep her on the potty for a bit, let her run around for a bit, then back on the potty, etc.  It really just felt like eternity with nothing happening.  Sure enough, we had 2 accidents.  The first was when I gave up doing this downstairs and took her upstairs to get ready for her nap.  Poor girl peed on the carpet!!  Then that night she peed on her high chair (not to worry... I had a thick towel under her bum just in case!).  She was upset, but I told her it was ok, and that she would continue trying to use the potty.  The next day and week KK took over during the day and I resumed at night.  On Monday she had another accident, but also had successes using the potty.  We were pleased that she was not having accidents and found that Emerson can hold it for over 4 hours!!  Wow!!  I guess it was Tuesday that Emerson just wasn't using the potty much, but also wasn't having accidents either and it clicked with me....  she was holding it.  Smart little girl decided she would hold it until nap time or bed time.  Once we realized that we told her no nap time until she went potty.  And that was NOT what she wanted to happen.  Kristen first witnessed this, but Emerson got so upset she was shaking and saying she wanted a diaper and she wanted to go to bed and then it would happen, she couldn't hold it any more and would pee!!  This freak out situation happened for a few days, and then it got better.  Then the next concern was poop... oh no, that just never goes very well it seems...  Her first time to do that was a big deal too... she was so upset and then it happened!  And then she was proud of herself.  She then started telling us when she needed to go pee and then she started wearing big girl panties!!  Yay!!!  So while we still have work to do with getting her to go # 2 normally on the potty, she has the #1 down.  She rode all the way down to Austin and back without having any accidents!!  She has been out on lots of errands and no accidents!  The last accident was the 2nd day of potty training, so I say this has been a huge success.  The first two days were the hardest, and then once we figured out she was holding it we just had to get her to feel good about peeing.  It really is a relief... I am proud of our sweet Emerson.  She caught on so quickly and I am so glad that she can hold it for longer periods of time... that is a relief too!!

And I wasn't going to post a pic of her on the potty again, but this one just makes me laugh so I have to share.  :)