Potty Training Part II

      When Maddi went through the potty training thing, she was quite the little perfectionist.  I feel like it took her a long time because she was so nervous to get things wrong, to make a mistake, or to gain control of that feeling.  Michaela is a totally different child.  She is not nearly as cautious or careful as my first child.  She is much more of a "jump first, assess later" kind of person.  It is so interesting to have so many different personalities develop so very young in my kids.... but this is not the time nor place for the nature vs. nurture talk.

     Backtrack to the week we returned from Punta Cana in January.  Michaela told me she wanted to wear underwear.  We'd talked about it in the past and even had a few successes on the potty when she wasn't even 2, but the timing just was never right with new Baby Billy.  However, I wasn't about to tell my then 2 year old that she HAD to remain in diapers, so undies it was! :)  She peed ALL over the house that week.  It never seemed to bother her.  She wanted to get right back into underwear (albeit clean ones! :)  I was staying positive to her, but, inside, I felt like it was some sort of punishment she came up with for me being away from her for a week! :)  Ha ha!  :)
  The weekend came.  I wasn't about to let the "underwear" keep us detained.  We had a full schedule as usual of baptisms, birthday parties, shopping, etc.  I put her in a big girl pull up, and we headed out.  When she said she had to go, if it was a bad time, I'd tell her she had to wait until we got to the potty (in my head thinking the accident might just happen in the pull up).  Pull ups were DRY all weekend.  She waited at Shop N Save until we got ALL the way home to go.  She was trained!!

       I rewarded her with candy, but she didn't care all that much.  Just flushing the toilet was sometimes enough excitement for this little lady!  She's been in underwear ever since!  She was even having dry diapers through naps and some nights, so we wear underwear to bed on occasion too (depending on liquid intake and such).  She's doing GREAT!  She does have accidents every now and then, but that is okay..... that can happen for awhile.  In the meantime, I'm just so proud!  I can't believe my baby girl is growing up so fast!! 

Cue inappropriate and embarrassing toilet picture from last April when she first tried to potty train herself and the 9 month pregnant momoftheyear squashed (neigh) postponed her dream! :)