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The time has come for Clara to step out of her diapers and become a big girl, complete with big girl underwear. The decision to potty train Clara was a tough one -- Megan argued that it was time, while I was fine with continuing to let diapers catch whatever wanted to come out of her. But I was no match for Megan's tactic: bullheaded insistence. So the Potty training began.
Foolish man that I am I thought the child was the one being trained. Not so. I was clearly the one in training. For the first few weeks I had to place Clara on the toilet quite frequently, before and after meals, naps, and baths to get her used to this new experience and to keep her big girl underwear dry.
Progress was slow, and though we still have a long way to go, accidents are becoming less frequent. Success in the Bittle household is measured by how close to the bathroom the little puddles of pee are. Not quite able to understand her little body yet, Clara gives me a one second warning, stiffening up and declaring, "I have to go to the bathroom!" before letting it all go down her legs. At such times I calmly pick her up and carry her to the toilet, clean her up, and change her, then clean up the carpet - all the while keeping curious Kate at arm's length from all the fun.
Do I pull my hair out or otherwise bemoan the fact that cleaning up bodily fluids has become my occupation? Nope. I'm just glad there was no poop involved.
A couple of days ago Megan put Clara in a new bathing suit and shoes, which she promptly filled with pee. But just yesterday Clara told me she had to go, walked quickly with me and made it to the potty - a first that prompted quite the celebration.
Man, my life has changed.
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3 comments:
Silly people. You and Megan don't get to decide when Clara is going
> to be potty trained. She gets to decide. :) Boy, do I remember
> those days with Mia. It was a big struggle with many, many accidents
> to clean up and limited outings--only to places with clean, easily
> accessible bathrooms. I said enough is enough and let her be in
> diapers until she told me SHE was ready, which was about a month
> later. With Jack, I'm turning it over to Dmitri since I don't have
> that equipment. Good luck.
i am so with you. Today Andrew proactively told me he had to pee out in public. Which was a first. So I scooped him up & ran to the bathroom in the park (hoping pee wouldn't end up on me). Sure enough, he didn't like the park potty, so he wouldn't pee. So I said, let's try mommy's potty in the car. We went there. He didn't like that potty, so wouldn't pee. Clearly still squirming & trying to hold on as much as he could. I decided to pack things up & head home. So I told him to keep sitting on the potty chair in the car, while I got our stuff at the park. I came back 2 minutes later & voila... pee & poop in the potty. First time EVER .. and it was in the trunk of our Acura MDX. Definitely not what I was expecting. Potty training seems to filled with moments of glory and moments of crap (literally).
Hello,
I am a stay at home dad in Sacramento CA. I can safely say, that I don't remember my potty training my 3 girls to be as humorous(the youngest is 3).
I became a stay at home dad because I became too ill to work(contracted a bad case of Lyme when we lived in Mahopac, New York)
I had enough nephews and nieces to know that potty training really begins when they are still in Pampers. All I can say is Thank the Lord for Pull Up's...
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