To Potty We Will Go!

Today, Elsie finally went potty in the big girl potty! And, I do mean FINALLY. We've been trying to potty train her off and on for over a year and a half now. She would always gladly sit on the potty, but she wouldn't go. You could tell she needed to, and she'd fidget like crazy, but she wouldn't go until she was off the potty. Lately, anytime we talk about potty training she tells us that she doesn't want to go in the big girl potty, and she just wants to wear diapers. Well, last week I decided that we were going to stop wearing diapers during the day. I spent all last week telling her that on Monday, no more diapers. She's going to wear big girl panties and go potty in the big girl potty. We'd put her in panties before, but never for extended periods of time because I always feared for the carpet. Last week, I bought a steam cleaner so I wouldn't worry so much about it. When she woke up today, we got her dressed and put on big girl panties. We brought up her little Fisher Price toilet from the basement and sat it in the living room for her...she was so funny all morning long. She'd sit on the potty, get up and get a book, then sit back on the potty. She'd get up and get a Barbie, then sit back on the potty. She spent most of the morning sitting on the potty of her own free will. No potty, but no accidents either. After lunch, she sat back on the potty and was telling me that she just wanted to wear diapers. So, I told her I'd make a deal with her. When she gets ready for bed and puts her p.j's on, we'll let her wear a diaper to bed, but when she wakes up in the morning, she has to wear big girl panties and go potty in the big girl potty. She didn't really respond, but she had gone potty by herself within 5 minutes! YAY! I'm so excited!

Just getting her to go on the potty has been a huge hurdle for us, and I'm sooooooo happy that we finally leaped over it!