Potty charts

We've been - how should I put it - struggling with potty time lately. Allie started off really strong when we first began the potty training. She understands the point of the potty and why you need to go...and for a few good weeks, she was consistently going to the potty. Even at daycare, they told me how good she was about going to the potty!

And then, out of the blue...it stopped cold turkey. We tried to up the stakes on the pee pee and poo poo prizes. Nothing.

I asked the daycare how Allie was doing during this cold turkey time frame and they said she was on and off...even telling me about one day that she pulled her pants and her pull ups off in the middle of class and decided to potty right there...in the middle of class! During this time frame they also told me she was treating babydolls pretty rough. Stepping on them and throwing them. They asked how she was with the baby and she has always been gentle with teh baby. We saw NONE of this behavior at home. None.

They had the opinion that the baby was causing her to revert back. In talking to some of my friends, they said that some kids just revert on their own...nothing causes it. They're kids! It's their way of showing their independence. It's one of the few ways that they have control over the situation. I even had a few friends tell me to back off the potty training for a while because she was so young.

So we let it go for awhile.

But...I....can't....let....things.....go. I have to be in control (which is why I KNOW God gave me these girls - to teach me that I can't be in control of everything!)

I decided to take a different approach. We decided a sticker chart may be the way to go with an even BIGGER potty prize at the end. The first few days, it seemed to work and then the interest wore off. We did it on and off for a week or so and then finally - out of nowhere...she decided that she was ready to finish her potty chart and get that huge lollipop!

And she loved that lollipop...all 5 minutes of it. After 5 minutes she brought it back to me and said, "I'm done!"
We still are struggling through the potty training...although it may be completely normal. Who knows! I haven't been keeping up on my reading with this activity and what is normal and what is not. We've converted to wearing cloth underwear at home. Allie is definitely showing us that she will do it on her own time...since she will walk around in wet pants and tell me that she just wants to be wet...stubborn kid. But she is MY KID! :-)

And she is so in love with Kaiya!


And still is watchful and gentle as ever. I worried about what the daycare said for quite a while, but then realized that it was their opinion. They deal with so many children a day...I deal with 2. So I get to see how they really are...and as far as I'm concerned...Allie loves her little sister just as much as we do!