Potty Day

A while back Avery started showing all the signs that she was more than capable of potty training, but whenever we talked to her about it we were met with reluctance and stubbornness. "I will not go in the potty, I just want my diaper!" was the response from our almost 3 year old beauty. Avery thrives on routine and consistency. She does not like change. She wants to do things in the exact same way, eat the exact same foods, put her toys in the exact same places... every single day. We realized that she might never get to the point that she was going to embrace the idea of changing things up in the potty department, so we set a date on the calendar to declare "Potty Day" and decided we were just going to have to step up, be the parents, and let her know that this is how it is going to be. You wear underwear, you pee in the potty, and you don't get a choice anymore. We didn't see any other way to go about it. We braced ourselves for a battle. On Potty Day Eve, we got the house all ready... set up the bathroom, laid towels out over the furniture, got the carpet cleaner and disinfectant spray set out, and hung up a sticker chart for a reward system. The next morning when Avery woke up and I walked into her room happily exclaiming, "It's Potty Day! Are you excited?!". She burst into tears and went on and on about how she doesn't like Potty Day, she doesn't want to use the potty, and she just wants her diapers. I felt for the sweet girl, I really did, but it was too late to turn back now. I had to follow through. So downstairs we went and I wrestled her into her big girl princess underwear, showed her the brand new potty seat, and gave her a cup of juice to drink. Followed by another cup. And another cup. We were going to make this happen! Finally after a couple of hours passed, she gave me that wide eyed "uh oh" look and we RAN to the bathroom... success! That was it. All it took was that one time. Once she got past the initial fear of the unknown and figured out exactly how all this works, she never looked back. By the end of the day she was taking herself to the bathroom without even telling me that she needed to go, just like she'd been doing this for years. No big deal. At the end of the day I packed up the towels and household cleaners... It's been over a week and I haven't needed them yet. When it comes to parenting, I've always viewed potty training as the first really big hurdle... the first true test of your sanity. I feel like I just cheated on the test. It shouldn't have been this easy, but I'm certainly not complaining. Take notes, Norah!!

We had a sticker chart for Avery. Every time she went to the potty successfully she got a sticker and once she earned 5 stickers she would get a special prize. Based on her attitude leading up to the big day, we honestly expected it to take several days for her to fill her chart. We hoped it would offer a little motivation for her. She had it filled before dinner on the first day. She sure showed us.

Our big girl posing with her big girl present (thanks for supplying the gift Nana! She loves it!). We are so proud of her!