A Big Girl!

Abbie is officially a big girl…she uses the potty! We are on day three of our potty training adventure. I have been dreading this for a year now. Before last Friday, Abbie would sit on the potty at home and had even used the potty a couple of times at school but had never actually used it at home. When we would come home from school the days she used the potty there I would ask her if she wanted to use the potty at home. She would always reply that she didn’t need to because she had already gone at school! Sorry Abbie…that isn’t how it works! She said she would rather go to the bathroom in her diapers. Since she is so stubborn, I did not even bother with trying to potty train her. I had just decided to wait until she was ready.

Last week, I was starting to think Abbie would never be ready for the potty. I had already decided that I was going to attempt to potty train her over the Christmas break, as we really had no big plans and Mimi would be here to help. Much to my surprise, Abbie woke up Friday morning and said she wanted to use the potty! Not wanting to discourage her in any way (but secretly thinking it was a big waste of time and she would never actually go) we all went in the bathroom and she sat on the potty. Poor Carter was starving as it was well past his breakfast time. Just as I was about to hurry her on to breakfast, I couldn’t believe it when she actually went! We were all so excited and had to call Daddy and Mimi and tell them right away! She wanted to wear her big girl pants right away, so she picked some out of her drawer. She wore them the rest of the day! Abbie only had two small accidents her first day. She even wore her big girl pants for her nap and woke up dry and went straight in to use the potty!

She has continued to wear her big girl pants all weekend, except at night. She has only had one accident each day and just gone a little after her nap in her bed. We are all so proud of her! I was a little worried about constipation, as she refused to poop the first day. She always goes at least once a day, so I knew she must just be afraid. By bed time of day two she still hadn’t gone but needed to. We finally had to just sit in the bathroom forever until she finally decided she had no choice but to go in the potty! She went again twice today, and I am so proud of her!

She is by no means completely potty trained and probably not ready to go to the bathroom in public yet, but she is on her way! We spend ALOT of time in the bathroom, which means I spend a lot of time trying to keep Carter from grabbing at the toilet while she is trying to go. I was so relieved to have Steve here to keep him occupied this weekend during the hours Abbie and I spent in the bathroom. I can’t wait for reinforcements when Mimi comes.

Abbie and I have both had to face our fears and anxieties during this adventure. I am so proud of my big girl!