IMG_7743, a photo by RachSal on Flickr.
Normally February is a month mostly about Jason, but lately Elizabeth has been showing us what a big girl she is. We decided to start potty training her about a week ago and she has done so well! We used a book called "oh crap potty training" for both kids and although I don't love the title, it works pretty well. Monday was our naked day and it was a great day for the kids. We played all day at home and they even got a few treats. I spent the day watching Elizabeth like a hawk and any time she looked like she was going to start going or did start going we would rush off to the potty and she would get very high praise if she did anything and if not we talked about coming back and trying again later. By the end of the day I think she was getting the idea.
For the next three days Elizabeth was still learning and I was doing lots of watching. After Monday she wore clothes, but no diapers or underwear. One of the things in the book talks about how pull-ups are really diapers and underwear feels too much like diapers so they should be avoided until potty training is more established. We did take a few small trips out of the house, but mostly stuck close to home. I was getting a little frustrated on Thursday when I still didn't feel like she was getting it and kept peeing in her pants. I tried to keep my frustration to myself since the whole program is about instilling pride and confidence in Elizabeth for what a big girl she was becoming. Friday morning I woke up ready to tackle this and we had a chat about how Elizabeth was going to be a big girl and use the potty every time. I guess she had a change of heart also because since then she has done so well! Elizabeth stayed dry all Saturday even though we were in Dallas for half of the day and she wasn't used to being in those different bathrooms.
Sometimes I tell Elizabeth that she needs to go potty and if she doesn't go we talk about getting up and that she should tell Mommy or Daddy when (not if) she needs to go. I am so happy when she just comes out and tells me she has to go and we race to the potty. She still wears diapers for naps and nighttime and she does still have a few accidents. Since we aren't wearing underwear or diapers we have been avoiding dresses and skirts for a while (sad Mommy) so I got her nicest pants outfit on her on Sunday morning and we were getting ready to go to church when Elizabeth raced out of the room. I guess I was still half asleep because I didn't think about where she was going until a few seconds too late when I found her in the bathroom next to her potty trying to get her pants off. Sorry sweetie! later that day we were all playing in the backyard while Daddy mowed the lawn. I was doing something with Jason when I heard Elizabeth say "pee on tree?" When we are playing in the backyard we let Jason pee on a tree since no one can see us and obviously Elizabeth was trying to do that also. I know you've enjoyed this post all about potty training, I didn't realize I had quite so much to say about it.
There are other ways Elizabeth is turning into such a big girl. It seems like we can't do much for her anymore. She always tells us "I do it" and she is talking up a storm! Thank goodness she still loves to cuddle and it is so nice that she doesn't fight naps and just tells us "I go to sleep now." Who is going to fight her on that? I can't believe in just over a month my little baby girl will be 2!
