For a few weeks now, Tess has been telling me when she has a stinky diaper, by declaring: "Mommy, poopy coming." Except that by the time she tells me, it has already arrived. And then she stands stock still, often refusing to sit or even walk, until the offending diaper has been removed. This kind of behavior is one of the markers of readiness for potty training. However, despite enduring countless readings of "Too Big for Diapers," featuring baby Ernie, Tess has basically been uninterested in the real use of the potty — until today. Today she stood in the kitchen and said, as usual, "Mommy, poopy coming." When I peeked in her diaper to verify the accuracy of her claim, and discovered that the poopy had not yet actually arrived, I excitedly asked her if she wanted to sit on the potty. She said yes, so I scooped her up, ran upstairs, and sat her down. Then she asked me to close the bathroom door (a cute, but somewhat odd request, since we have basically given up on privacy around here). I left, and closed the door behind me, assuming I would find a potty full of clean toilet paper upon my return. A couple of minutes later, Tess called for me, and when I opened the door, there she was, sitting on the potty — a stinky, full potty. I jumped up and down, squealing with excitement, until I realized she was looking at me like I was crazy. Certainly, she was pleased with herself, but she was much more excited about flushing her, um, hard work down the toilet, and waving goodbye to it.
Travelingjenny 
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