Travelingjenny

Tess has been resisting potty training for quite some time
now. “You’re still a baby,” her big sister would say, “because you still wear
diapers.” “I want to be a baby,” Tess would reply. When I suggested that she
try to sit on the potty for a spell, she would holler, “No! I not want to!” I
tried to tempt her with M&M’s and glow-in-the-dark stars as rewards, to no
avail. I tried explaining that if she wants to go to school, she needs to learn
to use the potty. I tried pointing out that her best buddy already wears
underwear. None of this seemed to make an impression on her, so I took the
pediatrician’s advice and stopped trying to force the issue for a while. Last
week I was able to purchase a couple of used books on potty training, one of
which had a few useful tips. Those ideas, along with the fact that school will
be starting in a mere 7 weeks, pushed me to give it another try. 

One
morning last week while Grace was at camp, I took Tess to the store to pick out
some stickers and some Dora underwear. Wow. Who knew that this would be exactly what she needed to suddenly be interested in the
potty. Forget the glowy stars and the “Too Big for Diapers” book (featuring
baby Ernie) — Dora rules. And so do glittery dinosaur stickers. Last week she
wore her undies around the house for a couple of hours at a time, with mixed
success. We bagged the whole endeavor over the weekend, when we were insanely
busy and out-and-about almost the entire time. Then this morning, as I was
getting her dressed (at about 7am), Tess informed me that she wanted to wear
her Dora undies. I let her, and we headed off into our day. We were gone for
four hours, to the park and the playground — and visited many potties along the
way, with no success (except for when we stopped by a friend’s house just to
use their potty). That sweet little girl kept her undies dry the entire
morning. We had a big celebration, with stickers, stars and M&M’s upon our
return home (and after her successful trip to her own beloved potty). Tess then
napped with her undies on, and when she woke up (3 hours later — potty training
is tiring!), she quietly headed straight to the potty!! 

Grace told her that she
is the best baby sister ever, to which Tess replied, “I’m not a baby. I’m a big
girl.” So there you have it. Tess decided, all on her on, that she would become
a "big girl" today. And she did it. With no accidents. As I got her dressed for
bed, she said, “I’m bigger now. I can almost reach the ceiling. I’m almost as
big as Daddy.” She wanted to wear
her undies to bed, but I convinced her that she should wear a diaper at night
for now. So my big little girl put a fresh pair of Dora undies right outside
her bedroom door, so that she can use the potty first thing in the morning and
then put her undies on. I’m in awe of her, and very proud.