Light at the end of the Tunnel........

It's been a year since I posted that Gracie was potty training; It has been a tumultuous one. After 8 months of little to no success, Gracie finally showed some huge progress in December after her cousin Kaylynn's 3rd birthday party. While in the bathroom she observed Kaylynns fully stickered Potty chart, (although we had used potty charts they didn't seem to interest her) and when we got home she had initiative to produce in her potty. This was a huge step because it wasn't just this once she continued to go, although we still had many accidents (Oh did I say Many I meant Many Many Many Many Many Many Many............ accidents) There were times when I was going to give up completely, but kept pressing forward!! We had potty seat changes, chart changes, we borrowed books from the library on going potty (for mommy and for Gracie), we played going potty games online and watched over 7+ movies on going potty, learned songs about going potty, set the timer for going potty, posted signs in the house to remind me to be patient and to keep trying, cried to grandma about potty training(that was me not Gracie), gave rewards for going potty, read article after article about potty training and listened to lots of well meaning advice from friends and family, used pull-ups then transitioned into Gerber cloth training pants with vinyl cover sewn-on then finally into training panties and then now into regular girly cute panties. I was resolved to the fact that I would have to remind her and physically escort her to the potty for the rest of her natural life, and never rest from the constant observance of body language and the clock.

But just in the last couple of weeks we've had a major break through: Gracie has been vocalizing the need to go and going potty!!!!! Also she has been observed taking herself potty!!!!!!!

This is wonderful and then today (the day of miracles) Gracie my sweet little Gracie went potty,without a parent, pulled down her own pants (which we have vigorously been working on) sat on the potty without assitence of stool or potty seat insert and went potty and not just # 1 but the infamous never to have been seen in the toliet ~ #2!!!!!!!!!!!!! (This all secretly observed by me, because Gracie is a netoriously private girl) She then flushed by herself and ran out of the bathroom to procalim "I DID IT!!! I WENT PEE AND POOP IN THE POTTY!!! I WANT 3 CHOCOLATES!!!!!!" (she usually only gets one for a #1 ) So after quietly praising her (although I wanted to scream "YES!!!!YOU WONDERFUL GIRL ! YOUR AMAZING AND SMART AND SO BIG AND GREAT AND YES!!!!!!!", but Gracie is embarrassed easily and crys with too much loud praise) and reminding her to wipe and wash hands -I got down her 3 chocolates and we called Grandma and Aunt Tammie and did a happy dance.

So Yes there is a Santa Claus Virgina, and now after a year+ of potty training I see it...the Light at the End of this long, dark smelly tunnel...it's still a little ways away but its there we won't be in the dark much longer...I see the Light!