Potty Training the Princess

We started this journey about ten months ago...not our choice...she wanted to sit on the potty!  So we thought she might be ready at 18 months.  It did not happen!  No big deal...we would just try as she felt the desire to try.  After five children going through the process, if we learned nothing else it was not to rush the experience.

Now she is actually getting to the potty before she wets herself so we thought this was the time to try with more earnest.

Yes...she actually fell asleep on the potty and Michael had to catch her!

It just so happened that I was at the park with another mom of many children.  She said that she pays an older sibling a small fee to keep track of the potty use...they seem to have more time to follow the two-year-old around without distraction...HA!

So...we gave this a try.  I chose Edward to follow Little Miss around for a week to try to make that magical experience take hold.  He was paid a quarter for every time she used the potty correctly and a dime for every time she tried.  The idea was that he would earn an extra ten dollars if he was successful without accidents for a week.  A good incentive for him, but she just did not quite get the hang of it.

SO...we went up a sibling...Henry got his chance for a week.  He did better but still no real progress!

So funny to see but whatever works!
In the end it was just a reason to ask to watch her TV shows!

AND THEN...one day Zaira decided she did not want to wear diapers anymore!  Just like that....and she has never gone back to diapers.  She even has the night time potty situation down without any trouble!

I usually do something really big when the child is potty trained.  It is really based on something specific for the child.  It was not a hard choice for Zaira.  She was going to have her own room!

We are a co-sleeping family...well...we let the babies sleep with us until they are two-years-old.  Then out they go into their own bed!  Zaira was well past this mark BUT...when we moved here a year ago, she did not need her room so it became the storage room!  Boxes we still had not unpacked, tools, unused household supplies, and things we really just needed to take away....we had it all stuffed in that room!  What a mess!  We also had pulled all the carpet and had not tiled the floor.

We had our work cut out for us.  However, after much ado, we got the job done!  She slept in her room all by herself...until she slumbered into our bed around 4am this morning.

The only issue in all of this is TOILET PAPER!!!!  Why is so hard to tear off a small amount and not clog the toilet!  BUT...I know she will get this too!  She is growing up so fast!  Why do babies have to grow up so quickly!?!?!?!