All aboard the Potty Training Train

It has been a while since I wrote.  I guess I have kind of been kind of getting my crap together.  Since my last post, things are looking up.  I am feeling better.  I got so many kind words and stories - I feel like I am not a freak, I am not alone.  The "baby blues" I wrote about are lifting.  Thank you to all of my friends - your kindness has meant the world to me. :-) Things can only look up from here.

In other news, this family has decided to get on the Potty Train.  That's right - somewhere along the lines, my biggest baby became a big girl and is old enough for the potty.  on the way home from WalMart on Wednesday night, we had this conversation:

Hoot: Hey, Mom.  I pooped.
Me: Oh, Hayden, seriously?!
Hoot: Yeah.  I pooped. Caca.
Me: (This part was pretty half assed, really.  You know how you say things to your kids just to say it but you know it is having no bearing on anything at all?  It was like that.) Oh, Sister.  That is so gross.  You should try to use the potty. 
Hoot: Nope.
Me: The day you use the potty, Hoot, I will drive you straight to WalMart and buy you a Rapunzel doll, day or night.

And with that, the seed was planted.  More for me than her.  Her answer was still pretty much "Nope".

So, I did a little bit of research, asked my mom-friends a few questions, and armed myself with some stickers and a handful of chocolate chips and into the trenches I went.

I made a sticker chart (a Princess one no less), hung it up by the toilet and made a game plan.

Pretty simple:  Pee in the potty, get a sticker for your chart and (just to sweeten the deal a little more) five chocolate chips.  5 stickers = a bigger prize.

I thought it would take some time to get five stickers, especially given that her answer in regards to the potty was still, "Nope."

I stripped her naked from the waist down and told her, "If you have to pee, you have to remember the potty.  You don't want to pee on the floor."

Her answer? "Okay, Mama."  I tried not to look TOO shocked.

So there she sat.

(taken with my crappy phone camera)

She was determined to get those chocolate chips.

Soon, she went.  We all screamed and laughed like maniacs and we were so proud.

And about it taking a long time to get the five stickers: the next day before noon, we were at WalMart for a "prize".  And remember that conversation up above where I promised a Rapunzel doll?  Yeah - the little stinker didn't forget.  On the way to WalMart, she informed us of this: "Haydie pick Pun-hul doll. And Flynn.  And that frog."  The kid was picking a toy store. LOL 

Thankfully there was this set that included all three.  Bugger was $25, though.  Damn you, Disney and your overpriced but adorable toys!

My husband started to get a wee bit nervous about the price of potty training here.  Less than 24 hours later, we were back for round two:

And, as you can see by our chart, we will be headed in for round three before noon tomorrow. LOL

So so far, this has been a breeze.  She is ready and willing, and so over the top proud of herself.  She has only had one accident in four days, is reminding herself to go sit on the potty and not pee on the floor and even POOPED once tonight!  Pooping was the part I thought was in the distant future, but nope.  She sat on the potty for a minute, stood up, pointed at the potty and said, "Dada.  Ew.  Caca." and sure enough, poop. 

I never knew I could be so very proud of poop. LOL

I am not counting any chickens before they are hatched yet, but it is all going way better than I expected.

The only issue now is that we are going to have to revise our potty policy so that we aren't sent to the poor house.  These big-ticket "prizes" are hell on our wallets. LOL