Sentimental Sunday

5/17/09

Well, my plans to do a "Sentimental Sunday" every week were almost foiled again. But here I am and wanting to share one of my favorite older photos:

Oh, yes. The "Eat your heart out, Hanes, I rock these panties!" photo. (I've posted it before.) It was from October 4th last year, when I'd already been trying to potty train Madelyn for a good ten months. Here it is May, seven months later, and today for the FIRST TIME, she has not only stayed dry all night, but all day today too!!!!

Madelyn has known perfectly well how to go on the potty for months (around the time we moved back to Hurricane almost six months ago, she decided that she could indeed produce something when sitting on her little potty, instead of just sitting there to amuse herself and get my hopes up), but being the most stubborn child this side of the Continental Divide, she would not consistently go. If she did wear panties she'd continue to just pee/poop in them and not be phased at all. Bribes and a sticker chart worked for a while, but she'd go on potty strikes just when she'd start making progress again.

So imagine my shock when this past Wednesday, she all of a sudden only wanted to wear panties, and has been remembering to go on the potty ever since! She has had a few accidents, but she really is doing very well. She won't even wear a Pull-Up at night, which made me nervous at first but so far she hasn't wet the bed. I always knew that it would have to be her decision to do it, because the two things you can't force a child to do are go on the potty or eat. (Well, so all my college childhood development courses said. But I happen to believe them.)

My mom thinks that my Grandma Nora was giving her some help from the other side, because the day after she died was the day when Madelyn made up her mind to do this "for reals," and Grandma was always concerned about her lack of interest in getting out of Pull-Ups. I am just happy and proud of her--no matter what the reason!

Madelyn is also proud of herself and her panties, and she likes show them to her friends and to strut around in them in front of our big wall of mirrors. Today when we were in Primary, she was so excited because we were going to sing "Little Purple Pansies" and she thought we were going to sing "Little Purple Panties." "Mama!! Just like my panties!" She was saying to me. Ha ha.... I hope she keeps it up!

Sorry for the novel, but this has been a looooonnnng journey to get here. I'm praying she'll help her brother potty train at a younger age--4 1/2 years is quite old. (....Sigh of relief that something finally went right this past week.....)