Potty All the Time

So this morning when I got up and looked at my calendar I noticed an amazing thing. There was only one thing that had to get done today and I didn't have to leave my home to do it. It read, "Last day to call the cable company and cancel the free HBO." Had it done just after the girls finished watching Horton Hears a Who. It was really time to cut the strings on that HBO. I mean I was mindlessly watching the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 the other night. Traveling Pants 1 wasn't that great... Just because it's free doesn't mean one should watch.

So even though the refrigerator needed replenishing I ignored it and decided it was a good day to start potty training Little Girl.  Truth be told she has been ready for a while but I wasn't really in the mood to do it.  It's a messy business that requires a lot of time commitment.  I haven't had time to do anything lately (except watch mindless HBO-hey maybe these two things are related!), let alone add potty training to the load.  But she turns three in December, and I ran out of swim diapers last week.  

As I begin this endeavor I recall one of the moments I had back when I first found out I was expecting Little Girl.  We'd been trying for our last child for 18 months or so.  So you can imagine how pleased I was with the good pregnancy news.  I confided in an acquaintance from Big Girl's preschool.  Her first response was classic.  "Congratulations.... You know this means you will have to potty train again don't you?"  I thought that was the weirdest thing.  Like the last thing on my mind was pull-ups and teaching a 2 year old to wipe, but thanks for bringing me back down to earth honey.  To be fair she had a 3 year old boy and I know from experience how difficult it can be to train strong-willed boys.  Did it 3 times.  Not fun!  She was obviously still raw.  

So today we got out big girl panties that have been in my closet for 4 months, dusted off the potty chair and set the timer for 30-45 minutes all day long.  We are about 4 for 4 at this point. Four times on the potty, four times in her pants.  The darndest thing kept happening.  She'd pee just before our timer went off.  Like if we'd just shaved off 2 minutes we'd a been golden!  Oh well.  

The funniest part was when she'd come and tell me of her accidents.  She'd walk in with a certain look on her face and a squatty type walk and say proudly: 

"I did it!" 

"What did you do?!"  

"I peed my pants! : )"

"Okay- that's not what your supposed to do, but thanks for telling me, let's change you again"

Oh to be young and innocent again.  To think that peeing in your pants is like winning the lottery.  

In our household the prizes were thus: one butterscotch chip for sitting on the potty, 2 for actually producing pee, and 3 for producing poop.  I better go grocery shopping tomorrow, cause we're running low!  

lets see, here's my list: butterscotch chips, swim diapers...