Adventures in Potty Training

WARNING! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! CONTAINS GRAPHIC, GROSS CONTENT!

I thought potty training DD2 would be easy, since she has such an awareness of wanting her diaper off if it is even slightly wet. I thought we were starting a step ahead. But no, this time potty training has been worse than the other three combined.

She loves to take off her own diaper. She won't even come to me at all, unless she has a problem. For example, she will take off her diaper, wipe herself, and then come to me for a new one. After a doing this a couple of times, I decided it was time for actual potty training. My earliest ever, just before turning 2.

You would think with this early "readiness" it would be easy, but her independance is its own problem. I am sure I will appreciate this independance when she is 18 and ready to leave the nest, but for this adventure, it is frustrating.

Example #1: She takes off her diaper in the morning and climbs out the crib herself. She gets poop everywhere - in the crib, on the floor. A lot of little pieces everywhere. Well, DH is cleaning it up (I was teaching Seminary at the time). But, since the carpet in the girl's room is dark brown, he misses as spot. He steps in it and doesn't know it, and tracks poop all the way from the girl's room to the laundry room. On the stairs and everything. This clean-up was so bad, I had to rent a rug doctor.

Example #2: I can smell the poop somewhere downstairs, but I can't find it for 2 days. Turns out, she had pooped into one of her toy bowls. While it is not the floor, and she had some effort in mind, it was not exactly the toilet either.

Example #3: Today, she pooped on the floor (right after being on the potty, of course). The other kids come running up telling me about it. I gather my supplies and head downstairs, but the poop is gone. I asked Lydia what she had done with it. She pointed to the toy kitchen. She had put it in the "microwave." Gross! It's not like we don't have plenty of real "fake food" to play with.

My mom says, as she is laughing, that it will be over soon, and I won't really even remember it. I may even be able to laugh about it. While I am not there yet, at least you can have your laughs now.