Potty Training Grace

Well, Vic gets all the credit for finally convincing Grace that "panties are for big girls and diapers are for babies". When GG and I spent the weekend scrapbooking in Corsicana this past weekend, Vic had two days in a row of nothing going on that he could help Grace concentrate on potty training. That tends to be the hardest part of potty training during the week. We might get one day to do it, but otherwise, we have two days of school and many times Wednesdays are a playdate and then other errands, etc. that keep us from spending a day on potty training. And Grace has gotten upset and not into wanting to tell us when she goes or even wanting panties on, that to do it for a couple hours at a time has just not been in my game plan. So, on Saturday, she wore pull ups and on Sunday she wore panties and only had one accident on Sunday. Yesterday, we were at home all day and she didn't have any accidents! Of course, we spend a lot of time asking her if she needs to potty and watching her body language to just put her on the potty. But, yesterday, for me, she told me twice when she needed to go. For Atticus, that is what it took - once he told me he needed to potty, then we were on track to be trained. If they won't tell you, I just don't think there is much need in pushing too hard because it's way harder on the parent cleaning up messes than it is on the kid making the messes. But, we are so proud of the progress in the last 3 days. Of course, today, she is back in diapers for preschool, but she has very specific, repeated, thoughts as mentioned below:

Grace: "I a big girl and I wear panties. Diapers are for babies."
Me: "What about pull-ups? Do you want to wear a pull-up?"
Grace: "No, I poop in my Minnie pull-up." (her accident on Saturday was in a Minnie Mouse pull-up.)

Atticus, being a normal big brother: "Grace, you are a baby."
Grace: "I not a baby! I wear panties! Big girls wear panties! Babies wear diapers!"

I find the above conversation funny because 1) she is SO proud to be a big girl these days (even though she will tell you she is still tiny) and she takes great offense to Atticus calling her a baby at all; but, now that she has decided as well that babies wear diapers and she does not wear diapers, she takes greater offense and gets her feelings hurt over being called a baby. 2) Atticus actually gets into trouble right now if he calls her a baby because we are encouraging him to encourage her on the potty as well.

Also, there is nothing cuter (and I realize this is only cute because we are her parents) than watching her run to the potty and then light up and smile so big as she potties because she is waiting for you to respond with such praise! We do happy dances and she LOVES those and we praise her over and over. Atticus is also good at that when he wants to be encouraging. He is just so excited when she potties too. And when she pooped on the potty yesterday (TMI, I know), she was so thrilled (and so was I for so many reasons) and told us all day that she pooped on the potty.

She does not want to wear diapers, but she accepts that she has to wear them at nighttime right now and for school. She has to have two full weeks at home of no accidents before they let her wear panties at school, and of course we are probably a ways from that. But, this morning, when I explained to her that she had to wear a diaper and it was ok for school, she told me she would wear a diaper and then "I wear panties and poop on the potty like my fiends." So, maybe peer pressure will also help her along.

So, that is our current 3 day potty training update that Vic gets all the credit for. I don't know that we will actually have a break from diapers 100% between this new baby and Grace, but we will be close!