One day, shortly after Christmas, Lauren told me that she was going to practice sitting on the potty to make Daddy happy. And she did.
The next day, she asked to wear her princess underwear. I agreed, told her not to have an accident, and then completely forgot she was not wearing a diaper. We ran a bunch of errands without a second thought about the potty or the fact that we might need one for her at some point during the day.
Sometimes I'm on top of things, but those moments are becoming more rare as I delve deeper into parenthood.
But it all turned out well in the end. When we got home, I ran upstairs to change the laundry. I came back down to find Lauren using her potty chair...all by herself. She knew all along what to do, but finally decided it was time to do it. YEAH!
There have been a few accidents, near misses, and close calls since that day, but for the most part, she has never looked back. I am SO proud of her.
When we originally tried to potty train Lauren months ago, we promised her a bike when she no longer needed diapers. We thought her fascination with bikes would be all the motivation she needed. Not so. But a few days after she started using the potty, she asked, "Mom, when is Daddy going to take me to get my new pink bike?" She doesn't forget many things.
Upon returning from their bike shopping trip, Russ and Lauren pulled this out of the back of the car:
I noticed Russ was watching my reaction carefully and then asked, "Is it okay? She picked it out herself."
Russ knew I had my heart set on a two-wheeler complete with streamers, basket, and training wheels. One that she could grow into and ride for a couple years. Russ, on the other hand, had his eye on a Skuut...a peddle-less bike that teaches kids balance first. But Lauren clearly had her own ideas. After a moment of reflection, I said: "Since we didn't potty train her, I guess we don't get much of a say. She gets to choose."
And she chose well. Lauren had put miles on this bike before they even brought it home. It was the floor model that she "test drove" on our many (MANY) trips to the bike store. (When Daddy commutes on a bike, you spend a lot of time at the bike store...beats the auto mechanics shop at any rate). Lauren was so happy (GIDDY) that she finally got to bring the bike home with her. It was a match made in heaven.
2 comments:
That's awesome! Way to go Lauren! I learned with the twins that it's much easier to train an older child when potty training. At least in our case. Less issues and headaches on the parents part. ;). We love you guys!
And that smile of hers on her bike is SOOOOO cute. That's framable, April! Totally totally precious!
A Skuut? I've never heard of them but my neighbor just took the pedals off of her kids bikes and they coasted around the neighborhood for a summer. No pedals = no brakes though. I don't know anything about the Skuut. Ken taught April at the church parking lot like my dad had taught me. He didn't want her to not have brakes but she just put her feet down on the ground and scooted around for a while. And it worked. So fun to watch these girls of ours grow!
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