She's a Big Girl

A new year brings the promise of new beginnings. For Madison, 2008 brought panties.
That’s right, Madison is potty training and she’s proving to be a pro at it. We’ve tried numerous times in the past six months without luck. When I found that both she and I were getting frustrated with the process, I decided to abort Operation Flush and revisit the plan after the new year. Waiting until January also brought us closer to her third birthday which I’ve been told produces a higher success rate.

Since Tuesday, she’s gone on the potty eight times on her own. Seeing how happy she gets from her accomplishments brings me great joy. Sure, we bribed her with M&Ms but it worked - and I’m not above bribery. I tried for a few years to do this parenting thing without any leverage and it sucked. We’re all happier now and besides, I got her to use the potty! I would have given her a pony to get her out of diapers but M&Ms are cheaper.

The sad part: As I was getting Madison into her first pair of big girl underwear on Tuesday, Jacob crawled up and quietly to observe the situation. I looked up to find a sad look on his face so I asked him what was wrong. He told me that he was upset because he is older than Madison and wants to utilize the bathroom like his friends at school. He knows the situation with his catheters and medication which prevent him from being potty trained but apparently his feelings are still being hurt. It doesn’t seem to matter how prepared I think I am to handle these incidents when they arrise - they always seem to catch me off guard.