Potty update

Emma is almost 100% potty trained! Yippee! Hooray!

The almost part comes in to play when we cover the poop factor. Pooping in the potty is still scary and hard to time just right. The typical progression for the pooping process is as follows:
1) Emma is pacing with her knees bent and somewhat pained expression on her face.
2) We ask: Emma do you have to go potty?
3) Emma answers: No. while sort of grunting.
4) We head into the bathroom while explaining that bodies really do not like to hold poop in.
5) Emma may or may not sit on the potty and always nothing happens. She may or may not grunt and make "poopy" faces.
6) She then states: I do not have to go anymore.
7) To which we reply: are you sure? Please listen to your body. It will not be comfy to have undies full of poop.
8) repeat steps 1-7 up to 5 times.
9) Successful pooping in the potty most of the time!

Just today she had to poop; well it was clear to us but maybe not to Emma. She disappeared around the corner and was quiet for a bit too long. She came back and said: Mommy, I just had a little poopy on the floor. And sure enough there was a little poop plop right on the carpet next to the couch! Of course nothing else came out in the potty.... until later and then it was only because I put her poop there.

Emma was all tucked in for the night when I heard her crying in her room. Since she cannot get out of her room by herself anymore (starting yesterday at nap time) due to the door being in sleep mode (AKA lock mode) I went up to check on her. Emma was doing a half cry when I peeked in on her and she said: I have to go poopy. When she walked past me I said: It looks like you already went poopy. Her pull up was quite droopy in the back and had a foul odor. :) So we dumped it in the potty and cleaned her up. She didn't get any chocolate covered raisins for that poopy scene.

But Emma is doing great and I am very pleased with her potty skills. More importantly, Emma is very proud of herself. She has become quite good at telling us in public places that she has to go; and then peeing in the big toilets with help. She is also using the potty at preschool after having one accident and two days of wearing pull ups. It is all undies from here! And all of this is due to Grandma. Thank you Grandma! If it weren't for our trip to CA I don't think that Emma would be as successful as she is at using the potty. Grandma just laid it all out on the line and had Emma cruising around in just undies all day- even for naps. There was one accident in her bed while we were there and a couple on the floor, but Emma quickly found out that Grandma knows best- it does feel icky to have pee run down your leg and poop stuck to your bum. I owe my mother-in-law every ounce of gratitude and appreciation for pretty much potty training my daughter. And I would do that all again!