potty training.

One of my most important goals for the summer was to potty train Clara.  We were gone once a week throughout the month of July, so potty training wasn't in the cards for the entire beginning and middle of the summer.  So the Monday after I got back from wine country, I knew it was time!

That was August 5.  So she's been working on potty training for the last two weeks.  Except, it really only felt like training for about 3-4 days.  She was just ready to use the toilet!  Clara had pooped and peed on the toilet many times before, but we hadn't been rigid about only going on the toilet until now.  She still wears pull ups during nap time and at night, but boy oh boy, I think we can say she's potty trained!

Day 1 - 1 big accident (potty) in the morning.  After that she had two tiny accidents that day when she started to go in her undies, and then stopped and yelled that she needed to use the toilet.  We sat on the potty about every 30 minutes or so (or whenever I thought about it!).  She resisted pooping on the toilet at first, but after trying a couple times and her refusing, she finally gave in and just went on the toilet!  Yay for 2 M & Ms!

Day 2 - she was with Grandma Janet so I could work in my classroom.  She didn't have any accidents that day.  They were outside a lot in the pool, and Clara just swam in her natural state, and Clara would pee in the grass.  She loves peeing in the grass!

Day 3 - I took Clara in to my classroom for a short amount of time.  We brought her potty seat, and I have a toiled IN my new classroom which actually worked out wonderfully for potty training.  She was pooping and peeing on the toilet at this point without problem.  She may have had one accident this day.  Or the accident happened on day 4.  I can't quite remember.  But I need to note that I forgot our potty training reward (M & Ms) at home, so this was the day that she started going without rewards (by accident, but hey!  I'll take it!).

Since day 3, we've tried to only go out of the house for very short times.  When we go somewhere, I usually make her sit on the toilet right before we leave, and sometime while we're gone we visit the restroom.  She didn't love public toilets at first, but she can potty on them just fine now.

I am so glad to have gotten this done before returning to work two days ago!  I panicked a little when I realized how little time I'd have to train after all the time away from home mid-summer.  But I think the waiting may have helped us in the end!  Like I said before, she was just ready!  Yay for undies!!!

And BTW, we love boy undies on Clara (even though in the photo she's wearing girl undies), and she loves them too.  Her favorites right now are Cars undies (like the movie!).  I have a real problem with how little coverage some girl undies provide.  Seriously...she's two!