Potty Training

Disclaimer: Sometimes I try to think up clever titles for my posts, but this time, I want you to know exactly what you're about to read. Just in case some of you have problems reading about such things. I mean, I know everybody does it, but I also appreciate that not everybody likes to hear about it. So, use your own judgement. That being said, I'll keep the icky details to a minimum.

We are potty training today. And it is no joke. Violet is currently (fingers crossed) napping. I kind of wish I was, too. I am exhausted. My head hurts. My back hurts. My emotions are fragile.

I haven't spent this much one-on-one in-your-face time with Violet since she was an infant. We've been in constant contact and communication since she woke up this morning. I've barely taken my eyes off her. And that's intense. There have been few distractions such as tv or friends, because distractions are exactly that. They distract. And when Violet is distracted, she pees on the floor. Not in the potty. And we're aiming for potty here, folks.

As soon as she woke up this morning, she donned the Minnie Mouse "big girl pants" she picked out at the store. I set my phone to beep every five minutes and we were off. Phone beeps, she sits on potty, she gets an M&M. We probably did this six times in a row to no effect. And then she had three accidents in a row, often just a minute after getting off the toilet. Not cool. I tried not to get discouraged. I received multiple encouraging texts from my neighbor Kim.

Violet takes care of business while playing on the phone. Oh, like you've never done that.

Finally we struck gold and you should have seen my happy dance. This time, the reward was a fistful of gummy bears. That seemed rather motivating. Kim came over as emotional reinforcement and brought stickers and stamps to further bribe encourage Violet. And she brought lunch, which probably saved my sanity. We had some more success. And some more failure. Step forward, step back.

At last count, there have been nine accidents and seven bullseyes. I'm not sure if that is a good ratio or not. My biggest issue is whether Violet is truly ready for this. Because if she's not, I don't want to waste my time. After all, daycare can take up this cross when school starts again. But hey, if the time is right I want to take advantage of it.

Using stamps to count up our victories. Look how proud she is!

But honestly, diapers seem awfully convenient at this point. And the thought of continuing the effort when she wakes up in a few minutes is frankly exhausting me. Part of me wants to pat myself on the back, get a gold star for effort, and live to fight another day. Consistency - what a drag.

A friend from school gave me the best advice. When this is all over, I'm going to buy myself a present. Oh, I'm supposed to get Violet a present to use as motivation, you say? Nope, I think I'm the one that really deserves it!