Cutie Booty

Some of you may think I'm crazy. We are potty training Bella. That's right. She just turned two at the end of December and so I know she is fairly young for all of this. But, because she has been interested in the potty for soooo long, I decided we would give it a try. I would commit to it for a few days and if it seemed like she was catching on, we'd move forward, if not, we'd put the diapers back on. This, alone, is a huge feat for me because once I decide something, it's kind of hard for me to let it go. This is both endearing and frustrating to those who know me. But, I promised myself, and those around me, that I would not let this make me crazy. That if she wasn't into it, that would be that.

Well, as it turns out, she's all about it. Actually, she has done really well. In only two days she mastered the teetee thing (teetee is what we call pee around here because, as my mom says,"girls don't PEE, that's just gross"). She hasn't had an accident of that nature in the last three days. That's pretty huge, right? She is also holding it so that we don't have to go every fifteen minutes, only to get a small trickle, which is then rewarded by a gummy bear that is probably twice the size of the amount of urine that she just put out. We have even ventured outside of our home successfully. This is progress.

She does however tend to fake us out a lot. We hear, "I go potty" A LOT. And so, guess what I have learned? Bella is a liar. Yep. My sweet little girl is a liar AND a manipulater. She has figured out that we are not yet brave enough to call her bluff and so she says that she needs to go, even when she doesn't. It is no coincidence that she often has to "go" when she is not satisfied with her current situation. Buckled in the car seat, buckled in her booster seat, in bed, riding in a shopping cart through Wal-Mart....you get the idea. I'm not really sure what the solution is to this little problem, and I'm pretty sure that she knows she has outwitted me at this point. That is not a good feeling. Luckily, the sight of her cute little booty in big girl panties pretty much makes up for the fact that SHE IS A LIAR.

Now, I should probably mention that she has not yet pooped on the potty. She, in fact, has exhibited complete and total control over her bowels and holds it until my back is turned, at which point, she hides...and poops. Gross. Luckily, the holding it makes it fairly solid and fairly infrequent. I am thankful for these, the little things. I am also definitely in the market for ideas on this one, if you have any.

So, there you go. That is what is going on in the Kolman household. That is really ALL that has been going on in the Kolman household because it is ALL-comsuming. And that's really okay, for now. Cause Hope reminds me that all too soon, it'll be a distant memory.