It's a "Pee-utiful" Day

Sorry, I couldn't resist the corny title. Can I just tell you how stinkin' excited I am! Lucy announced yesterday afternoon that she wants to wear her big girl panties, and she has been accident-free since. (Now, she hasn't pooped yet, but she has gone pee three times in the potty. This is a HUGE accomplishment considering a few months ago when we tried this whole PT thing, she only went pee in the toilet TWICE in TWO WEEKS!) So, I'm thrilled!

Audrey prompted this blessed occurrence...she was over here playing (and fighting :-) with Lucy while her mom, Tiffany, took her other daughter Claire to the doctor. Audrey has been potty-trained for a while now, and back when she first started using the potty, I tried to use it to our advantage, prompting Lucy, "Lucy, don't you want to go potty like Audrey?!?" To which, Lucy loudly and without hesitation replied an indifferent, "No..." Darn! Guess that wouldn't work...

Guess it wasn't quite time to begin potty training. So,a few months later, back around early September, I was positive Lucy was ready. I had read the literature, and I could check off each benchmark that suggested a child was ready. Lucy was two and a half exactly. It wasn't me pushing the issue, according to experts, Lucy was ready. Well, two weeks later, after too many tears (from Lucy and me), too many Elmo panties in the trash, and too many lysol wipes used to clean up messes, I waved the white flag. Lucy had only gone in the potty twice during those interminable fourteen days. So, after crying to the pediatrician (again! :-)and feeling like a huge failure, I did what I SWORE I'd never do... and went back to diapers. This was the first thing I couldn't keep my word on, and it just killed me. But the struggles I had breastfeeding Lucy had taught me a valuable lesson: if a child is not ready or just has their mind set against something, your efforts (no matter how consistent) are futile.

So, we decided January would be a good time to try again. And sure enough, here she is in November telling me she's ready. Awesome!!!!! I'm so proud of her! She's so excited, enthusiastic, and seems to be motivated intrinsically this time-which is so important. It's only day 2, so I don't want to jump the gun, but if Lucy follows in the footsteps of how's she's been in her life thus far, it won't be a surprise if HER making the decision rather than ME makes all the difference in the world.

And this time, I'm not even going to crack open the pages of any potty-training book! We're two smart girls, we know what to do! :-)

Will keep you posted!