Around the House...potty training!

Things have changed in our home. For a very good reason. If you were to go into either of our bathrooms, most likely you'd find this upon entering.

I was so nervous about beginning this new phase. I'd heard way too many horror stories, imagined the loads and piles of laundry from wet pants and sheets, and calculated {in my head} just how many quarters we'd go through in a week. 

BUT...thanks to a dear friend's recommendation AND my daughter's tenacious/analytical/explicitly clean and careful self...it took 3 days. Nope, not making that up! Three.Incredibly.Intense.Worth-it.Days! You can find out all about how I/We did it HERE. Other than THIS book, it has been the best use of my time and money. I can't talk it up enough! And don't hurt me when I say that it all "clicked" the morning of day one. There were still some accidents here and there but she would cry as soon as she realized she hadn't told me in time. She had learned to understand her body's cues. 

We stayed home for three solid days. It kinda felt like the walls were closing in on me. We didn't even venture outside really so as to be within running distance of the toilet. By day 4, I needed new scenery and I know so did the girls. Our first time out had me a ball of nerves. I must have taken Reese to the potty 2 or 3 times before we left. I just didn't know what I would do if she told me she had to go enroute. We made it {yes Courtney...we went to Walmart} all the way there in tact, complete and most importantly DRY! We managed to get through almost my entire list once inside. And then those five little words, "Mommy, I need go potty." Thankfully our Walmart has a family restroom so in went our cart piled with things, Allie strapped into the front and Reese in the basket. Her first experience with public potties. I don't like them, so I didn't really expect her to either. The positive side: we were alone to do our business with no one breathing down our necks to use the stall we were in. The downside: this potty was automated and in my "are they thinking I'm stealing everything in my cart/mother-of-two/first time mom of a potty-trained kid" I failed to notice that I was the trigger making that silly thing go off. Every time I moved to help keep Reese on the toilet, it would flush. You can probably imagine. She didn't like it one bit and no amount of soothing talk or coaxing was going to get her to go. BIG BUMMER! So I did the only thing I could...pulled her pants up, told her she needed to be a big girl and keep them dry and out the door we went {still feeling ridiculous with my cart full of stuff I hadn't paid for}. And she held strong. All the way till we got home. I was so excited I probably gave her 3 or 4 gummy bears. 

Since then there's been an occasional one here and there but that's to be expected with a 25 month old. I'm so thankful for the Lord's kindness to us in this area. What a blessing!