Accident-Free for One Whole Week!

Last night, we celebrated one full week of zero accidents! When Grandma Cathy came to visit, she bought Ella the Grace doll and soccer outfit as a reward for potty-training. This was not a big incentive for Ella at first; she was more into candy. Once Ella decided she truly wanted to use the potty, though, she was virtually accident-free. She wants to exclusively use the seat on the big potty and will get out of bed or go indoors to use it! The girl also seems to have a bladder of steel - she can go for a couple of hours after waking up before using the potty and rarely needs to go. Once I learned I could trust her to tell me, I stopped worrying about asking. We just use the occasional, "Are you dry?" reminder. I only force the issue when it's been a long time or we're headed out somewhere. Potty training was painful, but now it's such a dream to only have 1 baby in diapers (more to come on this topic soon!)

Now that Ella is doing so well, I'm phasing out the candy. That's where the doll came in. I started showing it to her every day and her enthusiasm grew. Once I realized she'd reached our goal, we started playing with her other doll and accessories. As you can see, she was thrilled to receive the new doll from Grandma Cathy! She slept with the dolls last night and woke up this morning and told me how she earned them from Grandma. Thanks, Mom, you're the best!

Proud Ella!
Brushing the doll's teeth. I showed her how it could work on hair later. Hey, I love a duel-purpose toy!
Babies playing soccer together.

The excitement! She told me, "Say Cheese!"

I'm a bit embarrassed by the mess in these photos. It's the end of the day, plus the kids played with Scentsy packing paper, then my cookbook project is stacked by the computer. Big mess, but a happy one!
I'm so glad these dolls have hats. Ella loves hats!

Potty training challenged me both mentally and physically and clearly taxed Ella as well. Now that we've made it, though, temper tantrums and Mommy frustration have significantly decreased. Ella is proud of her accomplishment, we celebrate her successes throughout the day, and it feeds her need for independence. Hooray! Preschool, here we come!