Day #2

Hello again!!!! We had fewer "successes" but also fewer accidents so I for one am going to count that as improvement :o) She even went #2 on the potty before bed. AND ---- she slept through the rest of the night last night until 7:15am. SWEET! AND --- we went to Maroa and she didn't have an accident in the car. Hallelujah. I admit I lost my cool a couple times today. I turned to my potty training book by John Rosemond and got a refresher: do NOT micromanage. let the child own the process - just make it easy for her to do so. do NOT micromanage. stay the course. do not give up when things get messy. do NOT micromanage. If you've never met me (welcome to my blog!) and FYI I have been known in some circles to be a micromanager. Some clasify it as OCD, some call it anal. Either way most of my life I was determined that MY way was always the best way and everyone should do all things MY way. And do it exactly as I would do ever step along the way. Nick has been a good influence on me for the last 9 1/2 years but it was definitely Nathan who taught me to let others do things their own way. Seriously, I would try to convince, persuade, influence, convert everyone I ever met to "my way". And then I had a child who turned two. Have you ever tried to convince your child NOT to wear his favorite shirt because it didn't match the pants you want him to wear? Or try to persuade him to watch The Lion King instead of having to watch Finding Nemo for the 963rd time? Or influence him to let you do the carseat buckle because you can do it like 8 times faster? Ha! Yea - you've tried but you have not been successful. When you have kids you learn very quickly that you cannot control all things in life. And...it doesn't REALLY matter that Nathan wears socks with sandals and stripes shirts with plaid pants. He gets himself dressed everyday and I have those 5 minutes to make coffee :o) Just because I can do it faster or "better" doesn't mean that Nathan - and now Hannah - can't do it themselves. So I will continue to pump Hannah full of milk and water and let her master the potty herself. I will not follow her around the house with a towel and mop trying to prevent messes. I will let her have accidents because in life that is the best way to learn - right? Learn from your mistakes. And looking on the bright side: if it takes really long I may just get a new couch out of the deal! :o)