It's Potty Time!


It is a lifelong skill that everyone attains. This weekend, Anna moved a step closer to learning an important life skill - going to the potty. Gramma Kohler has repeatedly told me that "you were potty trained by the time you were 1." Of course I was......Gramma was using cloth diapers. If Anna were using cloth diapers, she would be potty trained by the time she could sit up. After conversations with numerous "experts," the advice on when to start ranged from as soon as they can walk to whenever the child decides they are ready. We decided that Anna is ready now and found some good web references to get things started in 3-days. With that, the entire weekend was dedicated to non-stop potty training.


The events kicked off Saturday morning with the ceremonial presentation of the "big girl underwear" in assorted colors and characters. This choices included "Dora the Explorer," "Minnie Mouse," and "Sesame Street" to name a few. Anna was so excited about the big girl pants, that she decided to try them on....all at once. At one point, she was wearing 11 pairs of underwear. After getting her to decide on one pair of underwear to start, we had the presentation of the potty chair and the purging of the diapers. Actually, the diapers were just relocated as Mom and Dad are not ready to completly toss them just yet. As the weekend progressed, Anna started to catch on and we found we were not mopping the floor Sunday night nearly as much as we were on Saturday morning. The big motivator for Anna was not satisfation of dry pants, but the fact that she got a sticker if she used the potty. We also read a lot of book as well as National Geographic while waiting for something to happen. The true test will come tomorrow when Anna returns to Ms. Be's place. Stay tuned for more on the potty time progress.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Swimming with the Lakevale Dolphins

Image
The Swim Gang - Leo, Aidan, Megan & Anna Tonight Anna completed her third season with the Division II Lakevale Dolphins.  It was a great season for Anna as she improved her strokes and her times and made it to the "A"team to compete at Saturday meets.  It was an educational season for Joe and Theresa, who learned the ins and outs of life as swim team parents. The neighborhood swim team is the hub of neighborhood social activity in the summer.  There are events throughout the season, including Friday night pep rallies, and Sunday night fund events that include such things as the neighborhood scavenger hunt, laser tag night, bingo night, and even a team night at the Washington Nationals game.  In between the fun is the seriousness of the swimming, and there are definitely some top notch swimmers on the team. Anna with her lollipop for getting a "personal best" time Kids are motivated by different things. Some kids love to race.  Other kids try to beat
Read more

Camp Coles Trip & June Birthdays

Image
Anna at Girl Scout Camp Anna just returned from a fun-filled week at Girl Scout camp.  This year she was old enough to go to Camp Coles Trip, which is on a bay area off of the Potomac River.  This is a water camp, so she spent her days on the bay learning to paddle board and sail along with kayaking. Girl Scout Camp is definitely roughing it.  The camp is in the woods and girls stay in platform cabins with screens.  Anna shared a cabin with 4 other girls.  Mosquito netting is very important at night.  The only electricity is at the dining hall, health center, and activity building.  The girls are also responsible each day for doing "kapers" or chores.  They take turns helping serve meals, cleaning the bathrooms, and general clean-up.  They are also responsible for keeping track of their own things and carrying their bags. Anna had a fantastic time, despite the lack of modern conveniences, and is already planning her return next year.  She made new friends and her favo
Read more

Thanksgiving in New Jersey

Image
The Fagella family (or part of the Fagellas) celebrated Thanksgiving this year in Northern New Jersey thanks to James.  Since James was house sitting for his boss, they were very generous in letting us use their large home in their absence for a Thanksgiving celebration.  We joined Aunt Loren, Aunt Mary, James and Sundance for a Thanksgiving feast.  We could have easily fed another 20 people with all of the food, which meant lots of leftovers.  We also celebrated Aunt Mary's birthday (November 22) and Aunt Loren's (November 27) with a homemade coconut cake courtesy of James. Joe carving the turkey with his assistants. The festivities continued the next day when James hosted 22 of his high school friends for his annual Friendsgiving dinner.  Anna was kindly invited to attend the event.  Since she has attended previous dinners, she already knew many of James' friends.  Once again, the amount of food was staggering with everyone bringing a dish. Aunt Mary and Aunt Loren have c
Read more