The Potty Train Has Arrived!

Well, after months of going back and forth between diapers, pull-ups and underwear, Annie has finally taken the "plunge" and decided to potty train herself. She has been experimenting for quite awhile, but I wasn't willing to deal with cleaning up messes when I had just had a baby. She would tell me she had to go potty and I would literally tell her to go in her diaper, even when she would ask to go on the toilet. I just didn't have the time or energy to drop everything (usually a nursing Sam) and run someone to the bathroom. Plus, we are in the car so much these days because Ella has 1/2 day kindergarten. We go back and forth to the school about 3 times a day, not to mention the extracurricular stuff that Olivia and Ella are doing. Anyway, a week and a half ago, Annie begged me to wear panties. I looked at her and said very sternly, "If you want to wear panties, you have to go potty in the toilet EVERY TIME...by yourself!" She said she promised to do that. I had my doubts, but I put some panties on her; I figured I could deal with one accident and then put her back in diapers. To my surprise, however, she ran to the bathroom each and every time she had to go! The first three days she had no accidents and I didn't really ever remind her, unless we were about to get in the car. We had two bad days in the middle where she would forget if she was playing really intently (i.e., at McDonald's Playland...that was fun!). By this time, though, I was committed because I knew she was capable of doing it with minimal assistance from me. She is doing great and rarely has any accidents now. I think one or two months before they turn three is the magic age. We had almost an identical experience with Ella and it was so great to have them potty train themselves, rather than me being the one who is "trained" to remember to have them go potty every 30 minutes.