Woo-Hoo for Poo!

I haven't really blogged much about our frustration over the last year and a half with Lily's refusal to go poo in the potty. When she potty trained a year and a half ago, she did it all without problems. But soon after something happened and she started waiting until nap or bed time, when she knew she would get a diaper, to go poo. I have no idea why -- she had done it before in the toilet, but suddenly refused. I decided not to push the matter and knew she would go back when she was ready. Since she was so good at holding it until bedtime, I never had to worry about her having issues when we were out or she was at school -- it was like it was our little secret. But after a year of patiently waiting for her to work it out herself, I realized that she wasn't making any progress or showing any interesting in going in the potty. We started offering her the world -- toys, dolls, shopping sprees at the Disney Store, ponies, a Ferrari . . . nothing seemed to be enough to really motivate her. She claimed she really wanted a Baby Alive doll and checks them out every week at Target, but even the promise of that didn't get her going. Then we started talking things away -- TV, Computer time, Katy Perry videos, goldfish crackers (gasp!). That didn't even work!!!! I promised her a big girl bed when she went poo and told her she couldn't go to Mardi Gras with us until she went. And she always just said she'd do it later. I did internet research and there are TONS of kids out there who are doing EXACTLY the same thing as her -- it is kinda crazy. It is a separation anxiety/loss of control issue. Even knowing that, it was still annoying. She claimed she was scared of the splash -- so we dropped grapes into the toilet to demonstrate that the splash wasn't that big of a deal. We bought a tiny training potty (since she had trained with a seat on the normal toilet) since there would be no splashing. Got a cartoony anatomy book and tried to explain the digestion and waste process and how poo was supposed to be flushed down the toilet. I cut holes in her diaper and made her sit on the toilet every time she went -- but she knew the holes were there and wouldn't go. Even her pediatrician had no advice for us. I mean, I tried EVERYTHING.

Then last week as we were packing up for New Orleans, she just went. It wasn't a lot, but she pooed in the potty!!! I was ecstatic!! She was pretty excited and proud of herself. She said, "I did it! I did it! I pooed in the potty! Now I can go to New Orleans!" I even took a photo of it and sent it to Chip since he wasn't home (don't worry, I am not going to post that here). She wanted to go out and immediately get her Baby Alive, but I told her she had to continue to do it -- and she has!!! She went one night in her diaper when we were in New Orleans and Chip and I were out, but then used the toilet ever since. In fact, she has been so excited about the whole thing that she goes poo every chance she gets!! It is crazy (and gross, sorry), but I think she is so proud of herself that she actually did it -- and we are pretty damn proud of her too! So now after 5 (LONG) months without any fish crackers, she got her favorite treat back and we got her a baby alive.

She named it Abby, like all her babies now, after Matthew and Carys' baby sister.

The ironic thing was that after the baby was done eating, she made ME change the dirty diaper -- I thought I was done with that for now! :) Next step for Lily is finally starting her night potty training. I couldn't really do it before since she needed the diapers for #2. It will be nice to have all this done with my the time the new baby gets here. But it is a little bittersweet that my baby girl is done with her diapers.