We're officially potty training now and Ella is wearing pretty panties! She was already using the vocabulary and peeing on the toilet, so on July 3 when she asked to wear her big girl panties for the first time, I said, "Sure, why not?" I wasn't ready for this yet, but if she was ready, then I needed to be too.
We put all of her diapers in a large trash bag. At first Ella was a little reluctant. "Mommy, I NEED them," she pleaded. But I told her that if she was ready to wear big girl underwear like Mommy, then she didn't need her diapers anymore.
Then we made a quick run to
Meijer for some juice boxes, salty snacks, and more underwear. We sure went through a lot of underwear in the first few days! I just kept giving her treats every time she went wee wee in the potty!
This first day was a huge mess! She had pee running down her legs, in her high chair, on the living room carpet, on her wooden chair, in her bed (yuck!).... but I
persevered.
My friend Kendra gave me some tips on how to potty train in three days and I was trying to follow some of this advice. Those of you who know me, know that this black and white, all or nothing training fits my personality well. But would it fit Ella's?
Day two was also bad with lots of accidents. I felt like I was mostly asking her if she had to go to the potty instead of her telling me. But every time she had an accident, I would tell her gross, wee wee goes in the potty. So by the end of day two (also the fourth of
July) she was asking to pee instead of me asking her. This is a marked improvement! But I was so tired of washing her underwear and bed sheets.
Day three: I woke up very sick... too sick to potty train? Probably so, so Ella carried on without me. I put her potty chair in the family room and she would pull her panties off and wee when she needed to with me applauding from my reclined position on the couch. Now she really was a big girl doing it all without Mommy's help.
By the end of the day I was feeling better, so we ventured to travel to my parents house in Ft. Wayne. Ella kept dry the whole three-hour trip. The last hour she kept saying she had to pee but she wanted to pee in
Grammy's potty. When we finally arrived, she showed off her new big girl skills to Grammy and
Grandpa. Their praise was just what she needed to feel so proud of herself!
She's kept mostly dry ever since!
Occasionally she starts to let it go, but then catches herself and finishes in the potty. She's just so much more aware now. And she is staying dry during
nap time and night time too. Our new rule is no drinks after dinnertime. She does miss her nighttime milky.
She still cannot make poo poo in the potty, although she doesn't want it in her pants and has made a mess on the floor a few times during nap time. So, that's where we are in the whole process. It was horrible in the beginning, but it has gotten so much easier. Plus, Grammy has been a huge help since we've been at her house all week!
Ella rides a camel at the zoo with Nanna. 
We enjoyed two days at Millenium Park with Nanna and some of our friends too!
Ella loves splashing in the water and Nanna gives her some beginning swimming lessons.
Ella rides a camel at the zoo with Nanna. 
