An Exciting End to a Long Ordeal

OK people, I'm about to share a secret with you- a secret that we've been keeping from most people for quite some time now...
Addie is almost four years old and up until last week was still wearing diapers!!!

A few of you knew- grandparents, Sunday School teachers, and neighbors. But mostly we kept it quiet so as not to incur any unsolicited advice. You see, we had tried EVERYTHING to get this girl to use the potty, and to no avail.

We began this endeavor a YEAR ago, and quickly realized that Addie didn't "get it" at all. After a few weeks of getting nowhere, we decided to go back to diapers and try again a few months later, just after her third birthday. Unfortunately, that is just the time we found out I was pregnant and I was sick, so the potty training got put off indefinitely. Spring rolled around, and I started feeling just a little better. As soon as I was taking care of Addie again, potty training was job one. She picked it up pretty well, and was on a roll. Then came a busy week with my parents visiting and no regular schedule and that's when Addie decided she just didn't want to use the potty anymore.

Now, we already knew that Addie had inherited her mommy's stubborn streak, but this potty training business gave us an opportunity to see it in all it's glory. She simply was not interested in going to the toilet, and she simply would not do it. We tried every kind of bribe/ reward you can think of. We tried charts, toys, candy, you name it. We nagged. We tried shame. We even made up a ridiculous song and dance that we would do if she'd just USE THE TOILET! We knew she was able to control it, she just didn't want to. So we disciplined her for it (we were desperate!). Nope. Wasn't gonna do it. Finally, with me 8 months pregnant and unable to get down on the floor and clean up the messes, we gave up, put her back in diapers, and waited.

At this point I have to tell you about one of the episodes when we really wanted to strangle her. We were eating dinner and Addie announced "I have to go potty!" Thrilled, Greg got her out of her highchair and told her "go in the bathroom and go!" (She was able to get herself up and all that no problem). She got down, went into the bathroom, stood in front of the toilet, and peed in her pull-up. She didn't run out of time, she just purposefully stood in the bathroom and peed while looking at the toilet. There were many, many of those moments. That is why we thought Addie might be the only child that would never use the toilet.

Here is our daughter, showing off her diaper.

A while after Scott had made his appearance on the scene and things had begun to settle down, we decided to try yet again. Here we are with more attempts at the brainwashing.

Then came "The Stool Day."
In another attempt at training, we had declared nakedness at our house and made Addie run around with no bottoms. After the first few days, she had been doing pretty well at going pee, but had been holding in the poop. For days.
Addie has a favorite step stool that she loves to play on. She moves it around with her to where she's playing all the time. Loves it. Well, one evening we were all playing together and Addie took her stool and announced, "I'm gonna hide from you guys, don't come over here." She then went over to the corner near our front door, which is a common spot she goes to for privacy when she's going to poop in her pull-up. Yes, I know, disturbing. Well Greg figured out pretty quickly what was up and followed her. He asked "you're not going to pee are you?" She looked right at him and said "no." "You're not going to poop are you?" he asked. And as he was saying the words, he sees our precious daughter bend over and poop. Right onto the stool. In the living room.
And yes, we took a picture.

Not exactly a parent's proudest moment, but memorable nonetheless.

Happily though, this opportunity ended up being a turning point, a little "aha!" moment if you will, and Addie is now
USING THE TOILET!!!!
She is wearing big girl underwear, keeping it dry, taking herself to the toilet when she needs to go, and making her parents very happy.
If you don't have kids, you are probably reading this and thinking we are nuts. Or that you never want to have kids. But if you've been down the potty-training road before, you know how exciting it is when you finally can stop being personally involved in your child's excrement! I can't tell you how happy I am to see that poop in the toilet instead of having to clean it up!
We are celebrating at our house!