From the Mommy Files…

Surely you’ve heard the term “potty mouth.”

Well, we aren’t talking about THAT kind of potty talk.

We’re being literal.

You know, as in bathroom, toilet, toity, WC.

We’ve started trying to potty train the Bebs.

True to form, Miss LeRoux isn’t always on the program.

For months she’s been alerting us when she needs to be changed, and when one is imminent.

She also camps out in the bathroom with anyone who is using it.

She’ll sit on the little stool and hang out.

Sometimes she’ll talk to you, or just peruse her reading material.

Funny how she’s already mastered that! HA!

Earlier this year, she was spending a lot of time with the three year-old down the block.

This little girl is potty trained.

Bebs came home one day and insisted that she wear panties, just like her friend.

So for the past 6 months, she’s been wearing a diaper AND panties.

I know, it sounds pretty funny.

So with all this, we figured, it’s time to give it the old college try.

We tried to get her to sit on the potty seat and she would freak out.

We tried bribing her with M&Ms, a sure-fire trick recommended by many moms.

Nope.

One day I just picked her up and put her on there.

Her scream quickly turned into a giggle as she felt like big man – er big girl – on campus.

Well, we never got any ACTION on the potty seat.

I was starting to wonder if this wasn’t the time.

Since then, she has decided that she prefers the potty chair instead of the potty seat.

Though just the thought of having to clean out the potty chair was making me squeamish, I figured if this would get her to go and she’d be more comfortable, we should go for it.

She began to spend a lot of time there, and moved the chair from room to room.

It was a game.

She’d sit there with her clothes on, and would have no part of removing them to actually TRY.

While playing outside one day, I removed her diaper and just put on the panties.

I thought well, if she could feel the awful feeling of being soiled, this might help.

Nope.

She was walking around with a full load and never took a break from playing.

Bebs was upset when I took her inside to clean her up.

“But Mom! I want to play!” she yelled.

We tried this again another time and she had no issue walking around with soaked clothes.

Back to the drawing board.

We started again with the M&Ms.

If she’d sit, she could have one M&M, 2 if she actually pee’d. If she pooped, she could have 3.

The thought of all those M&Ms excited her, but I don’t think she was quite on board yet.

She’d sit on the potty – chair and seat – but without success.

Was I just catching her at the wrong time?

One night, she totally surprised me.

Bebs announced that she wanted to take a shower.

This was a first. She’d been leery of the shower, even when her sister took one.

After the shower, I dried her up and began to put on the diaper.

“No!” She screeched.

“I’m going potty!”

She went directly to the potty chair, sat down and did her duty. 

“See Mommy? Wanna see my pee pees?” she uttered.

Sure enough, there it was!

Boo and I cheered, hugged her and made a huge deal out of it.

I don’t think there was ever so much fanfare for peeing.

After Bebs got dressed, our designated candy distributor Boo got two M&Ms, and proudly presented them to her little sister.

I told Boo we had to make a big deal and cheer and all that so she would keep using the potty.

Then it came.

“Mommy, do I get any M&Ms for being a good helper?”

Ahh, can’t put anything passed Boo.

“Yes.”

“M&Ms are the best thing ever!” announced Boo.

The next night, the same scenario repeated.

And the following night.

Three nights in a row!

Note, this was the only time of day she would use the potty, but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

As soon as I mentioned it to the grandparents, the potty talk stopped.

That next night, Bebs took a shower, and then when she came out, she requested her diaper be put on.

“No pee pee,” was the answer.

There wasn’t going to be any discussion.

Miss LeReux proceeded to remove the potty chair from the scene.

I wasn’t sure where she took it.

“No potty! Quiet!”

She sure told me.

The night after, she took her shower and there was no potty to be found.

I asked and she replied, “shhhhh!”

Forgive me.

My little diva has spoken!

We didn’t stop the potty talk.

We offered M&Ms, but there was no interest.

We offered bubbles. Nope.

The little rascal chimed back one day.

“Lipstick!”

Yes, she has a thing with lipstick.

She was negotiating for a tube of lipstick.

She’s 2!

Sharp.

But Mommy doesn’t negotiate.

Certainly not on those terms.

Then the other night, she undressed herself (a new thing too!) and got in the shower.

I asked if she was going to pee when she was done.

She said yes.

She got in the shower and began to do her duty.

Well, at least it wasn’t the OTHER duty.

She showered, then proceeded directly to the potty chair.

Oh yes, we did recover the potty chair (it was behind the loveseat in my bedroom!) and put it back in the bathroom.

Success!

“See Mommy!” she called.

“Wanna see my pee pee?”

Sure enough.

“YAY! Two M&Ms for you,” I announced.

“I love M&Ms,” she said.

So we’re back on our nightly routine.

I ask her during the day if she needs to go potty and I always get the same answer.

“After my shower!”

Now I remember when Boo was potty training.

We made some progress here and there, but we weren’t 100% and we’d been at it for months.

Then one day it happened.

We found out the little girl down the street – 6 months YOUNGER – was fully potty trained.

All she needed to hear was that her friend wore only panties and went on the potty all the time, and that was it.

So.

Do we need a new trick with Bebs?

Is she just not ready for more?

Or do we plan for her to spend as much time as possible with the 3 year-old down the street?

All this talk about using the facilities.

I feel like a potty mouth!

I just keep reminding myself that the number of diapers in my future is indeed finite.

And that universe is getting smaller and smaller, each time she takes her nightly pee.

Viva la potty!