Potty Training

We started working on the potty thing more seriously about 2 weeks ago.  I will admit that I've had a bad attitude about it, mostly because I know that it's one of those things that really isn't much fun.  It's also something that you have to be on everyday, every minute for a long while.  To our surprise, Vera has done really well.  She doesn't tell us that she has to go potty, but she will go if we put her on regularly.  We also discovered that Vera does much better if you put her on the potty and then walk away for a few minutes.  If you sit with her and wait for her to go, she usually doesn't go.  We've had lots of success with doing both #1 & #2 on the potty. 

Our incentive has been M&Ms and a sticker.  I made Vera a sticker chart about a month ago, and it clicked really quickly with how to earn more.  She's was very proud of her stickers for about a week.  Now she knows that if she doesn't go, she doesn't get a treat.  Sometimes when we stand her up and she doesn't go, she says "aww..." because she knows she won't get a treat.  She already has gone through 1.5 bags of M&Ms herself.  I told Adam our next issue will be a dentist bill. 



This is the first sticker chart from most of February.  As you can see, she likes to put the stickers on top of one another.  She also scribbled on the chart one afternoon when we came home from school.

The Dora sticker chart was a hit.  Stickers are more plentiful than they look.  Notice how she separates the different kinds of stickers.  Stars all together (and on top of each other), Sesame Street together and butterflies/flowers together.

She's been wearing Pull-Ups and doing a decent job at keeping them dry.  They have Diego on them because I bought the boys' version instead of the girls'.  They work just the same.  Vera calls them "Eggo" pants because she can't say Diego.  Pretty cute.  Patty has been on-board and Vera uses the potty at her house too.

Vera tried wearing panties this weekend, and it didn't go so well.  I thought that maybe it'd keep the process moving forward.  Wrong!  We had several accidents.  I piled the soiled laundry in my laundry area and washed it all at the end of the day because I knew if there was one accident, there'd probably be two. 

I'll admit that this is going better than I thought, but it's a lot of work too.  I told Adam on one of the first days that all I feel like I do is take her to the potty.  But, on the plus side, I've enjoyed not changing diapers as often and I appreciate even more that I don't have to buy them!