Another Potty Success!

Fully dressed in a long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and- naturally- a diaper, Lily sat on the potty. "More?" she asked, wanting candy for her act. I sighed, and told her I would give her the candy, but only if she sat on the potty with no pants. I really didn't feel like going through the whole process today-constantly wondering where she'll pee next. But I did want to reward her for sitting there. So off came the jeans. Off came the diaper. I handed her the candy. And she walked away.

That seems about right.

I tried to put her diaper back on. "NOOOOOOO!" she screamed. Fine. We'll be playing the Pee On The Floor game. She returned to the potty a few times for a few seconds at a time. Then she curled up on the couch with me for a while. I was picturing what it would take to clean the pee off of the couch when she bolted up, jumped on to my lap, and threw her arms around my neck.

And then.

She ran over to the potty. And peed. A lot. No accidents, no dribbling along the way. We celebrated. And over the next three hours, she did it again. And again. And again. Four potties. No accidents.

When Ryan got home, he told her how proud of her he was and held out his arms for a hug. She reached out and shook his hand.

Who taught my baby girl to shake hands? And when did she learn to potty? And how is she almost 2?

Breakthrough!

I was in the kitchen when I heard, "eeeeeeeewwwwww yucky yucky yucky!" Then, quick little footsteps.

And then, it happened. The celebratory potty fanfare.

I ran into the living room, and Lily was sitting on the potty. The potty, which she had filled with pee.

I've been letting Lily just run around naked from the waist down. It's gross, I admit. But she starts to go, and I run and set her on the potty. Usually it's too late. And more often, she just holds it until she's wearing a diaper. (when she's sleeping, or when we leave the house.)

But today, when she started to go, she put herself on the potty.

Major progress. Major.

Potty Watch 2011

Yesterday we needed to leave the apartment. I teach on Mondays, and Lily hangs out with her babysitter in Larchmont. She was absolutely not ready to try to wear big kid underwear or use the potty anywhere but home. So, reluctantly, I put on the Pull-Ups. As anticipated, she just treats them like diapers. She took an insanely long nap when we got home, (also in Pull-Ups) so by the time she was home and awake there were only a few hours left in the day. Ryan did manage to get her to pee in the potty once- again catching her mid-stream and setting her there. But for the most part, she waits to go in the Pull-Ups.

We have to go out today, and again tomorrow, but then she has three days when she can stay put. So I guess we'll keep trying when we're home? Ugh. I know it's not going to happen instantly. It's not knowing whether I'm pushing her that's frustrating me.

It's a Privilege to Pee

I think we might be getting somewhere.

Lily only had two accidents today- a number one, and a number two. She does not like to have accidents. Both times, she let us know immediately before that she had to go. She just doesn't know what to do about it yet. But she is learning (and we are learning) that she can hold it. Our only problem is getting her to understand that she CAN and SHOULD go in the potty. Because instead of having an accident, she just doesn't go at all, holding it until she nearly explodes and can hold it no longer. I grabbed her mid-stream and we got a decent amount in the potty and of course had a giant celebration when we heard her throne play its song.

We've made a few adjustments to the plan:

*For the most part, she's just running around naked. It doesn't make much more of a mess, and it's easier to scoop her up and sit her down. It's also easier to see if she does go. Plus, it turns out, she doesn't just hate diapers. She hates pants, period. But that will be step two.

*As long as she's sitting on the potty, the fruit snacks keep comin'. She has no concept of "just one."

*The potty is in front of the TV now. I mean, that's where I'd have mine, if I could.

So we haven't given up yet! It looks like only one parent will be able to attend church tomorrow, but we're not changing horses mid, well, you know...

This is Urinetown...

It's the end of day one. Lily has peed on every surface of our living room. And I. Am. Exhausted.

But. She's more willing to sit on the potty now. She even sat her doll on it, then her monkey, then she sat down herself. We even had a time when I caught her peeing and put her on the potty. And she heard the music, and we made it a great big deal.

I'm guessing that she has no idea what's going on. But I'm going to give it one more day, since Ryan and I will both be home tomorrow. (I'm realizing it practically takes one person just staring at her, trying to anticipate whether she *might* have to potty.) I've decided to take away the fruit snack idea. She doesn't really understand rewards. She just gets frustrated that she can't have them all the time. But we'll try one more day. My hope is that she might develop the habit of peeing on the potty before she thinks to question it.

But for now, I'm just going to sit here and drink my beer and think about all of the cleaning I have to do tomorrow...

I'm a Big Kid Now!

Yesterday Lily was taking a bath when she looked at me, grabbed herself, and said "poop?" We have never discussed potties or diapers or anything, but I figured it couldn't hurt. So I put her on the potty. She seemed pretty pleased with herself, and then wanted toilet paper. (Any Mom of a toddler has taken the toddler to the bathroom with her many, many times. We are no exception, so she had seen Mommy sit there.)Of course, she didn't do anything on the potty. She just sat there. And eventually we moved on.

Then I was trying to dress her, and she threw a fit when I tried to put her diaper on. this isn't that unusual. She hates diapers. But it made me wonder. Is she ready? I examined the facts:

1. She hates diapers.

2. She knows when she is going to go #2. And then she hides to get some privacy. But she knows.

3. She hates diapers.

4. She's staying dry for much longer stretches.

5. She hates diapers.

6. She can follow easy directions.

7. Did I mention she hates diapers?

Anyone who has ever tried to change Lily knows how difficult it can be. It's not that I'm in a hurry, but it can't hurt, right? So I started research using my most logical resource: facebook. There are as many opinions as there are parents, but they all seemed to be saying the same thing. It couldn't hurt, give it a shot.

So, when Lily woke up from her nap, I sat her on the big potty, and took her diaper off. "Here we go," I thought. Naturally, she wet herself twice within the first fifteen minutes. OK, I was expecting that, I didn't even have any of the right potty training stuff, it was all just an experiment anyway... There was a time yesterday, though, when she looked at me, panicked, and said "bath?" We had already taken a bath. We were not taking another bath. Then she got upset and tried to get over the baby gate. "PLEASE!" she begged. "BATH!" And then she peed. "Ewwwwwww yucky yucky yucky." Was she trying to tell me she had to go? Who knows. She might have wanted another bath, that girl would live in there if we'd let her. But it's possible...

Last night the Smith Family made a trip to Target where we purchased a potty, (a pink one that looks like a throne. It plays music when you "go" in it. Once this happens for the first time, I am convinced it will make all the difference in the world.) some big girl underwear, ("Princess and the Frog," and Tinkerbell. Naturally.) some Pull-Ups, (for night time, naps, and if we absolutely must go somewhere in the next few days.) and some fruit snacks. I downloaded the potty dance, we're starting to learn the choreography, and I have the iGoPotty app. (yes. This is a real thing.)

Here's what Lily knows so far:

1. The potty is hers.

2. When she sits on it, she gets a fruit snack.

3. When the phone "rings" with the "I'm a Big Kid Now" song, it is "for her." It means she gets to push the answer button, sit on the potty, and listen to the music it plays.

4. She hates diapers.

So. When Lily wakes up, I'm taking off the pull-up, putting on the big girl pants, and we'll see. I have zero expectations. It may last a few hours, or she might be that kid who just gets it right away. I'll post our progress, feel free to laugh at us.