L.A. Toddler has been (FINALLY!) asking to wear underwear.  We, along with Grandma, Grandpa, have obliged by getting her all set with oodles of Curious George, Dora, Princess, and Ballerina undies. All week she has refused to put on her diaper unless she can wear undies also.  So on goes a diaper, and on go the undies over top.  This has created quite a “baby got back” look.  I’ve further prepared by talking potty talk with her and L.A. Daddy and I made an event of watching “Once Upon A Potty” with her last night. Twice.

Day One – Friday
I am awoken with a gentle tap-tap-tap on my forearm and, “Mommy, wake up.  I want to watch Potty Show.”  I obliged and set her up while I made breakfast.  She watched 4 times before she would eat.  I made sure she drank lots of juice and milk with breakfast. She watched again.  Prudence, the star of the show, is cool.

Then we headed off to her room and chose some fabulous George panties.  We discussed the whole “No More Diapers” thing and… we’re off!  I’ve got throw blankets strategically placed on the couches and am trying to keep her occupied in the kitchen / dining room (where there’s easy-clean tile).  I ask every 1/2 hour if she’d like to use the potty. “No,” is always the answer.

Two hours pass – still no pee-pee. I begin to worry. Then I realize – it’s almost 80 degrees outside today!  So out we go.  We take the portable potty and some TP with us and set up a semi-private potty zone in the backyard.  We play for another 45 minutes. Maybe she needs more liquid.  As I’m about to get us some water she hops up from her chalk artwork and bursts, “Mommy, I have to pee-pee!!!!” And off she goes running for the potty.  She makes it just in time, finishes, hops up to inspect and screams “Mommy I put pee-pee in my potty like Prudence.  I’m like Prudence! I did it!” I congratulate her, tell her I’m proud, and I clap for her.
She looks at the pee-pee in the potty, exclaims “Mommy we have to empty it!” She grabs the inner pot out of the chair, lifts it up… as high as her arms will go, and - you guessed it - dumps it out.

Thank you to my inner-mother’s-intuition – cleaning pee off the patio is a lot easier than cleaning it off the carpet.

Day Two – Saturday
We awaken to L.A. Toddler having no interest in the potty or underwear.  Then something clicked and she came running from her room in a pair of undies.  Cool!  We repeat yesterday’s two hour pee-holding marathon.  I am bored so we begin finger painting – I don’t know what I was thinking but we made it through and managed to clean up without a potty break. And then she peed on the floor. OK… mistakes happen.  We have another two hour session of no urges, we eat our lunch and prepare for naptime.  She will not calm down for her nap.  You know what this means… she’s got one brewin’ as L.A. Daddy would say.  She takes a seat on the throne with a book and I leave her to do her business. From the other side of the house I hear “Mommy, Mommy, I did it!  My poo-poo fell in the toilet! And there’s TWO OF THEM!”  I come running to check out the fabulousness of these turds, but they’re not turds.  They are small children.  Not kidding. She is her father’s daughter.  I am proud… they are IN the toilet… size does not matter here.

So, we’re on the road to potty training success. I think a few more evenings and weekends, coupled with the work going on at daycare, and she’ll be good to go.