R.I.P. Pampers

This post is pretty lengthy but worth it. ( I think anyway.)

I don't want to jinx anything but I can almost safely say that Caroline is potty trained. I know that most books and experts say kids are not "officially" potty trained until they can stay dry through the night. Those experts can stick it. After a grueling week that doesn't look like it will let up anytime soon I am calling it: Caroline is potty trained. Here is a run down of what my week was like: (I am going to do it Aagard style. Here's to you Shelly!)

Monday: Only have a few Target diapers left. I used to love these diapers but they went and changed everything: box, design, print on diapers, shape of diapers, etc. I am not happy. So I compare and the Luv's are more but only by a few cents per diaper and they have Blue's Clues on them. Fine, grab them and let's go. Use the last one that night which only leaves the new ones for tomorrow.

Tuesday: After using her last diaper I go to open the new pack of diapers and Caroline flips out. She has gotten used to the polka-dot Target ones and refuses to use Blue's Clues.
"Don't like Cues Cues"
I explain that all I have are her big girl panties. (Sniff, Sniff) "Ok, Mommy" (We have had these for awhile to get her used to them. She picked them out herself.)
"You want to wear your princess panties?"
"YEAH!!!!" At this point she runs to her dresser and is dancing around while I find her a pair of Cinderella. I am shocked. She is actually excited. We'll see how long this lasts...
***BTW, We have been working on Caroline for awhile with going to the potty. We set up a system where if she just sat on the potty she got a sticker (princess or Cars). She loved it. I tried to get her to go Pee Pee in the potty but she always wanted to get down before it happened. As soon as I got on her diaper she would go. That is when I knew she was ready but I didn't want to push her. I have known moms who made their kids go just because they didn't want to buy diapers again. I would rather pay the $13.00 for the new pack of diapers instead of $100/ hour for the therapy they will need later. We did not push her. We looked for the signs and encouraged her. ***
After we put on the underwear she ran around the house jumping, playing, just loving the free feeling of big girl underwear. She got so excited that she wet a little before she could tell me that she had to go. She sat down on the potty and nothing. I made her sit for just one more second. Still nothing. A few minuets later she told me she needed to go, sat her down, and then it happened. She pee peed. Her eyes got so big and her grin was even bigger. "Mommy, I go PEE PEE!" I showed her how to wipe, we flushed the potty, washed our hands, and danced the happy dance. I knew Caroline would be the type that would need some over the top excitement when she went so we called aunts, uncles, and grandparents. She was so proud of her accomplishment and it showed. We made sure to praise her and make her feel special and it worked. She almost stayed dry all day. (One little accident that I made her clean up.) That night we put her in a pull-up and just told her again how proud we are of her.

Wednesday (early hours of the morning, around 3am): I awaken to Caroline by my bed telling me that she is poopy. She isn't, her pull-up is full. Put on a new pull-up put her back in bed.
6am - I awaken to Caroline again. "Mommy I need to go Pee Pee." This is great. Her little bladder is waking her up and telling her to go. I take her to the potty and she pees a lot, we do our routine and then she runs to our bedroom to tell her daddy. She is so proud of herself. We snuggle in bed and watch cartoons.
Later on that day: Caroline has been dry all day and now the big test: she doesn't want to put on a pull-up for her nap. YIKESSSS! I tell her ok. Lay her down for quite time. When she falls asleep I go in and put a towel under her. I knew if I put a pull-up on her it would hurt her feelings. She wakes up from her nap 2 hours later and comes out holding the towel and says, "here Mommy. Here is your towel." It is completly DRY!! We go to the potty and she uses it instead. We do the happy dance. Stays dry all day. Work it girl!!!

Thursday: Caroline has been doing great for the past few days but here was the test. We go to the library on Thursdays for storytime/art time. That would be a challenge alone but we are planning on meeting family who are driving through Greensboro for lunch after that. I insist she wear her underwear instead of a pull-up. I am either Brave or suicidal. I know that she would be scared to death of any public bathroom so we pack up her potty and put it in the back of the 4-runner. Our car seems designed for this thank goodness. She goes to the library and has a great time and even picks out a few books to take home. We go to meet our family at the restaurant and a few minutes later she tells me "Mommy, I have to go pee pee." Ok, folks. This is not a drill. This is what we have been preparing for. All systems go. I take her outside, open the back, get her settled, and she goes! In the potty! In the back of my car! She actually thinks it is fun, hence the getting up a million times at lunch to go. The rest of the day goes well and we let her know how proud we are.

Friday: Ok, so I am going to push my luck a little further. Kevin has to work all day and I need to run some errands. Caroline has been doing so well so I decide to take her run errands in her big girl underwear. She is pro at this. I teach her that we always go to the potty before we leave the house and we will use it as soon as we get home. She does a great job and I even get her a kids drink at the snack center. We pick up some of those toddler wipes to use with the potty. They were a big hit. The only problem we encountered was after she woke up from her nap she insisted on going to the potty every 2 miutes. She would pee sometimes but most times not. It was like timing a contraction. I could barely get dinner done or eat it for that fact. I am not sure what is going on but I know we will get through this.

Saturday: Great day except for the going every 2 minutes. This is getting old fast.

Sunday: OK. the big test. going to church for 3 hours. And nursery!!!!! So I pack up the potty again but this time I put it in the mother's lounge. We make it to sacrament meeting but 3 mintues in she tells me she has to go pee pee. It has begun. We actually made it through the sacrament but after that she just asks to go all the time. I finally pack her up and take her in the mother's lounge and stay. I set her on the potty one more time before she went to nursery and she seemed excited to go, but 10 minutes into Sunday School they brought her to me because she needed to go. She doesn't do anything on the potty so I take her back. When we change classes I go in and get her, try to potty, she does pee and then I take her back. She actually stayed the rest of the hour. It was great. It was progress and I am still proud of her.

It is amazing to watch Caroline come into her own. She has gained so much confidence with this whole potty training and it is spreading into other parts of our lives. She insists on doing things herself now. As a mother I want to give her so much. I thought that I would be the one who would give her confidence but I am finding that I can't give her anything, but I can help her find it within herself. I guess we both had a lot to learn this week...