Potty Trained

(this happened Saturday, September 17th)

My Potty Training Philosophy

1) wait til they're ready 

(I don't really know how you ever really know this...

I should really say here, wait til I'm ready, because that's really what I go by)

2) do it in a day...

block everything off the calendar for that day...

ignore phone calls, texts, side conversations, etc

3) give them LOTS and LOTS to drink

4) ask them often if they need to pee (I didn't really do this part with SG)

5) make a REALLY big deal when they do go in the potty

(call friends and family and pick out a treat)

Sarah Grace was so easy...I thought Ellie was easy, but SG just may have been easier.

She basically needed a pair of panties and a potty and she was good to go!  

Sweet Ellie went and picked out a variety for her to choose from.

We did it on a Saturday when nothing was going on.

I got Ellie fully on board to help me out (i.e. every time SG went potty she got a treat, too!)

We stayed outside all day (one of the luxuries of living in the desert).

And here's how we did it.  

 I gave her LOTS of fun drinks. 

A huge help in this is that my kids only ever drink water or milk.

I've just never done the juice thing with them so that is a HUGE fun treat. 

You'd think they were drinking straight nectar the way they gulp it down.

And of course, the more you drink, the more you need to pee (or tee tee as we say),

and the more practice you get.

And then every time she went in the potty she got to pick something from all the treats (JUNK),

that we had picked out at the grocery store the day before.

So, we got her panties on, talked about what she should do if she needed to potty

and then she started drinking.  (I think it helps if you have fun new cups to drink from too.)

This one is Ellie's that she so graciously let Gracie borrow.

One hour in, 4 juice boxes, a cup of milk, 

and a water bottle and nothing.

No pee, anywhere.

Good sign for me later...I think she can hold it for a long time.

But then all of the sudden she just walked over to the potty and went.

And that is how the day went.

Just like that.

Think she was ready?

Ummm...yeah!

All day long...one accident.

Yay!  She did it!

(I can't really even say "we" did it, because I didn't do much,

actually Ellie should get more credit than me!)

I would walk over and say, "Gracie, do you need to potty?"

And Ellie would say, "She doesn't.  I just asked her."

Way to go, Sarah Grace!!  And thanks for the help, Ellie!

And just for a side note...
what Daddy was doing while we were potty training:

The view from their hike at the Mogollon Rim.

Cliff jumping

I have no idea how he got up there.

Just a fun day out with some guys.  He left a baby in diapers

and came back to a little girl in panties.  We always say they grow up fast! :)