Heartwrenching

My thoughts and prayers are with those in Joplin, MO. Going to college so close to that town meant that I had many girls in my sorority and cheerleading squad from there, it's where we went shopping, and on dates, and when we just needed out of the 'burg. It's hard to see the pictures. It's hard to know your friends are going through such tough times and that there is little I can do from where I am. Thankfully, everyone I know is accounted for, some of their family homes did not fare so well, but they are alive. If you can, please donate to the Red Cross. They will need our help now and for quite some time as they recover and rebuild. But above all, please keep them all in your prayers.

Potty Training 101

We are in the throws of potty training. And, she is doing FANTASTIC. We started on May 2, about one month before her 2nd birthday. She had been sporadically sitting on the toilet for quite some time but we never had made a schedule of it or pushed the potty training. With another baby on the way I knew that I would love to not be a two diaper kid household. So, we set out on our potty journey. I made a potty chart, set up the "rules", had marshmallows for good potties, and Toy Story stickers to mark the good days. I also set up goals - for the first accomplishment it was a Dora dinner set, 2nd was a pack of panties, 3rd a pack of panties, and the 4th is a trip to the zoo. Her first week she did well and the 2nd week was about the same. She had been keeping herself dry all night for about a week. Then last Saturday she just got it. She woke up that morning with her dry pull up and hasn't gone in one since. She has had a few close calls where she starts to go in her panties, realizes it, then tells us to hurry to the potty. Amazingly awesome, if I do say so myself. She is now the proud owner of Yo Gabba, Kai-Lan, and Princess panties. We still put her in a pull up if she is taking a nap or going down for the night or if we are leaving the house to be on the safe side. I'm very proud with the progress she has made and I know that there will be accidents, that's no biggie. She has it down for the most part and that is what we are most proud of. A few suggestions that I have for those trying to get their kiddos out of diapers and into the world of panties - Have goals but be flexible. It took her almost two weeks to get her first prize and she has plowed through the rest (mostly because a three pack of panties gets used up quick). Just keep asking if your child has to go, I ask if she has to go potty countless times just to remind her to let me know if she does. Usually, she just tells me if she has to go but for right now, I keep asking. Have a chart, she gets really excited when she gets to put a sticker on her chart. It shows her progress and lets her know how awesome she is doing. Finally, go to the library and find some potty books. We found the book Danny is Done With Diapers at our local library. She loves it so much I just renewed it today. I like it not only because it encourages good potty habits but it also teaches the abc's. We typically read it 2x a day. I think that's it. I'm so proud of my girl.