And so it begins...

We started potty training Aida this week. So far it has been a complete failure but it has only been a day and a half. I started on Tuesday afternoon after her nap and she was really excited to wear her big girl underwear and sit on the potty but not so much with the actual going in the potty.

I put her underwear on at about 2pm and then spent the next couple of hours following her around wondering when she was going to go and then making her sit on the potty about every 15 minutes just in case. By around 4pm, still nothing and I was anxiously thinking "Is she dehydrated or what? GO TO THE BATHROOM ALREADY!" And then I let my guard down and went upstairs for a few minutes and of course, you can guess what happened next... But fine whatever, accident #1 is FINALLY done and out of the way and now she will know what it feels like and want to go on the potty next time, right? HA! Sigh, I remember Tuesday, when I was so hopeful and idealistic.

Yesterday we were out of the house all day so it was back to the diaper but today I decided to just stay home and let her try again. And again, she loved wearing the underwear and sitting on the potty but never when she had to, you know, actually go. So far its Aida - 4, Potty/Mama/Carpet - 0.

Although, I do have a small confession to make: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING! I mean, logistically, I'm not quite sure how this is all supposed to work. This is when I sometimes miss the daycare with their kid-size toilets and been there, done that expertise. "OK, I'm dropping Aida off now and if you could have her potty-trained when I pick her up at 6:00 that would be great. KThanksBye!" I've talked to some of my friends that have gone through it and picked up some good tips but mostly I'm just making it up as I go along.

And what I've decided is she needs some sort of motivation to want to use the potty since, so far, diaper or underwear, it seems all the same to her. I still change her into a dry pair of underwear as soon as she goes, and she's like "Oh! Look! These ones are pink and have monkeys on them! I can't wait to see what color the next pair will be after I pee in these!" And since I'm the one cleaning up the carpet, I'm not sure she is quite understanding the difference. So motivation it is, and by motivation, I mean bribes and since we're talking about Aida, by bribes, I mean jelly beans, lots and lots of jelly beans. I'm betting on the fact that once jelly beans are introduced we'll start to see some progress a little more quickly.

Disclaimer: I can't promise that all things potty training won't be the theme of some of my upcoming entries, so for all of you who don't want to read about a toddler's bathroom habits or those who can't stand seeing the word potty (potty, potty, potty) typed out so much in one post, I apologize in advance.