Potty Training Part 1

I had been talking a lot about starting the potty training process with Audrey. However, the process with John was a LONG one, and it hasn't even been a year that he's been fully trained. So I wasn't really all that excited about starting up again. However, Audrey had a habit of peeing on the bathroom floor every time I undressed her to take a bath, so about 3 weeks ago I decided to start sitting her on the potty as the water was running so that if she peed at least it was in the toilet and not on my floor. Wouldn't you know that once I started sitting her on the potty she stopped that silly habit, until this week. On Tuesday night as I was getting John and Audrey ready for bath I sat Audrey on the potty and she peed, not a lot but enough that she knew what she had done. I made a big deal about it, and of course John poured on the praise and join in on the excitement of the moment, and Audrey soaked it all in as proud of herself as she could possible be. I figured it was the first step in the right direction, but still did not have any plans to take it any further anytime soon. I thought if I was lucky she would continue to use the potty before bath for a while and that was about it. She (as usual) had other plans. The next morning when she woke up John was yelling that he had to go to the bathroom, so Audrey decided that she had to go to. As long as she was asking how could i say no, so I took her and she went....a lot! Again she was so proud of herself, and loved the attention it got her so she kept it up through out the day. At this point I decided I had to stick with it. So the lat few days have been spent running Audrey to the potty every 30-45 mins. It's a lot of work! And in just the 3 days we have been doing it she has had an awesome day where we only had 1 wet diaper, a not so good day because mom was busy working on a house project where she only successfully made it to the potty twice that day, and today has been a so so day. She started out strong this morning, but as the afternoon began she has seemed to have lost some interest for the time being. I was getting a little frustrated, but I'm not going to push it. At this point she knows that its there and I will continue to ask her to go, but not going to make a big deal if she doesn't want to. I'm pretty confident that her interest will peak again soon, and have a feeling that once she gets the hang of it, it's going to be a pretty quick process.

The one thing I did not anticipate was the jealousy John would show. He was excited for her, because I was excited for her the 1st night. The next day however, when she really took off with it and I let her call grandparents and aunt to brag about her new accomplishments, John's jealousy came to a head. He was one very unhappy boy that Audrey was getting so much attention. So not only was I busy running Audrey to the potty every half hour but I was also dealing with a very grumpy boy the first day. Thankfully John has a very good memory for a child his age. So we sat and talked about the time we spent with him, when he was potty training

and all the attention, and surprise he got during that time, and how proud I was of him for completing the process. I also asked if he would like to help Audrey along in her journey, by being excited for her and telling her what a big girl she is. After having our discussion he's attitude toward the situation has been much better. He is one of Audrey's biggest supporters now. Encouraging her to go when he has to go, and helping her count the stickers on her stick chart on a very regular basis.

Honestly, I still have mixed emotions. I would be thrilled to be past the diaper stage, we have had at least one child and 2 for a while in diapers for almost 4 years now! However, it's just one more step toward Audrey becoming a little girl, and I know that should be my goal to encourage her to grow and reach these milestones, but I'm not completely ready. There is still part of me that thinks of her as my baby girl. Which is getting harder and harder to do every day. She is growing and progressing so fast recently that it's becoming painfully obvious that her baby days are in the past, and she is now our vibrant and sassy little girl.