Big Steps for a Toddler

Okay, so this isn't the most mannerly post, but here goes. Ella has been potty-training for the past 4 or 5 weeks with great success. She's been staying dry during the days for at least 3 weeks and mostly dry nights. She's great to run to the potty when she feels the urge to tee-tee, however, she's been so scared to do #2 that I haven't pushed her until today.

When she was learning to use the potty early on, she would get to the point where she knew she had to pee in the potty but was scared. She also didn't want to wet her pull-ups so she would freak out a little and didn't know what to do. She no longer has the fear to pee, but we're back to square one with doing #2. Today, she had her freakout moment. She had to go. She didn't want to dirty her panties, but she was terrified to use the toilet. I sat her down on the toilet, sat on the floor myself in front of her and wrapped my arms around her in a big hug. Not only to secure her place on the potty and keep her from moving off, but to hopefully reassure her that it was all going to be okay. After about 5 minutes of screaming hysterically and kicking and sliding around (her not me), she did the deed. I praised her so big, jumped up and down, clapped my hands and made myself to look like a real idiot, but it worked. She was proud of herself, and so was I.

I said, "Now, Ella, that wasn't so bad afterall, was it? Next time you have to go poopy are you going to go on the potty?", to which she replied "NO!"

Well, we're almost there. I'll be so glad to get rid of pull-ups and put her in big-girl panties.