I’m beginning to think a little kid lives here

Well, Saturday was a big day here in our little world.

Saturday marked Day Number Three of Claire being in big girl panties…all day!

Over the last few months, potty training had been on hold per the pediatrician’s advice. We’d had a very common issue rear its ugly head, and that was putting a crimp in our plans. So, we stepped back and stopped the training (which really hadn’t been “training” in the first place. Claire had shown an interest, so we were casually following her lead.) Well, things were starting to run smoothly again, and she was still dry every time I’d get her in the morning or up from her nap (and she had been for months…that never changed). So, I had another chat with Dr. B. He said that it was fine to go ahead and go forward with the training. He said it would be difficult, but that it would be okay to challenge her.

So, go forward we did, and challenging it was.

Without getting into too much detail, it was a struggle…and “struggle” doesn’t quite describe it. It was the most challenging job I’ve tackled yet. She would fight me tooth and nail but then be so excited with the end result. That was frustrating, to say the least.

Then, when we went on our trip the first week in June, we took the potty with us. Claire used the potty every time I suggested it. Her diaper was dry 99% of the time. She not only used the potty at every location where we were staying, she used real toilets in restaurants and rest areas. And, she was doing everything in the potty. The special stuff we have her on is helping everything go smoothly (so to speak), and it’s been a blessing in disguise. I was amazed, and this was a clear sign that once we returned, we could bump the training up a notch.

I got some Training Panties from Target. I’ve always used Target Brand diapers, because they fit Claire well and they are cheap(er) compared to the name-brand. The Training Panties are like pull-ups in that they are disposable and you put them on like underwear. I got the kind that have little girls on the front.

Claire rarely had an accident in them…mostly because I was taking her to the potty throughout the day. I would also watch for intricate little details in her facial expressions or body language that may indicate that she had to go. She’d vehemently deny that she had to go, which was a sure sign that she needed to. I’d take her to the potty and she’d go. I’d do the happy dance. She was so proud of herself, and I was so proud of her!

Soon, she stopped refusing to go and would jump up and go with me willingly.

“I wanna pat-pat-pat, Momma!” she’d say proudly, when she was done. I’d grin the biggest grin and hand her the toilet paper.

So, a few days ago, she comes running to me, all upset. “Momma!” she screamed. “I accidentally peed on my girls!! But I stopped!! I need to go to the potty to finish!!”

So, we ran in there, and she finished what she needed to do in the potty. (She still needs me to assist her in getting up on the potty quickly. The potty we have can be used as a free-standing model or you can dismantle it and use the potty ring on the big toilet and flip the base over to use as a stepstool. This is the way I prefer, because of the clean-up factor. And, Claire likes it, too.)

This was a sure sign that she not only had enough control to stop what was happening, but she really understood when it was going to happen.

We went that afternoon to pick out her very own big girl panties. That afternoon, it was like something clicked in Claire’s head. All of a sudden she got it. She told me she had to go. We went, and she did! She’s been telling me ever since. It’s amazing.

So, for three days now, she’s either had Ariel The Mermaid™ or TinkerBell™ emblazoned on her buns. She told me that “Ariel will cry if I pee on her,” [her words, not mine. I swear!] so she does everything in her power to see that that doesn’t happen. Luckily, TinkerBell feels the same way. And, Claire hasn’t had any accidents yet.

I know that accidents are bound to happen, but that’s all part of the learning process. And, even if they do happen, we’re done with diapers. We’re not looking back.

Yes, my job has gotten a little more stressful and a little more complicated, and I have to actually pay attention to everything she says now. But the freedom I feel when I realize that we’re done with diapers is overwhelmingly refreshing.

And, in other news…

On Thursday, a friend mentioned to me that they hadn’t put their little girl in a big girl bed yet. (This girl is just two weeks older than Claire…they are both just 2 ½ years old.) I’d emailed her back about how we hadn’t put Claire into a big girl bed yet either. She still has plenty of room, and she hadn’t tried to escape, and I really liked having her caged. That sounds bad, but if you’ve ever had a toddler, you understand that sentiment.

On Friday, Claire apparently read my email and decided to show me a thing or two. She tried THREE TIMES to climb into her crib. She didn’t let her lack of stature thwart her, because when she wasn’t able to scale the side without assistance, she was quick to find two different step stools to use. Granted, this is slightly better than figuring out how to climb out of your crib, but still…I nearly had a heart attack.

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Problem Solved

Saturday morning, Daddy and I dismantled the crib. We’d planned on just moving it to the basement for now and dismantling it later, but it wouldn’t fit through the doorway. So, apart it came. Claire is now sleeping on her “big girl bed” which consists of her crib mattress on the floor. Right now, it’s exactly where her crib was, so she doesn’t seem to be having any trouble adjusting to it. She loves it. In the future, we’ll get a real bed frame and a larger mattress, but we’ll see how this goes for a while.

We also removed the screen door. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with that door lately. I loved that I could have her room closed and open-and-airy at the same time. But, once she learned how to open it, it became this annoying finger pinching toy. We could latch it, but she’s so stubborn (I wonder where she gets this trait?) that she would get it open, even if it meant ruining the screen in the process.

So, we took the door down on Saturday, too. We’re using a gate in her doorway at night and will give her more and more freedom as time goes on…or not.

With all the changes around here, I hardly recognize the place. No diapers, no crib, no screen door. I’m beginning to think that a little kid lives here and not a baby girl.

I wonder how that happened.