Potty Training - Ready or Not

I had no idea what I was getting into. Absolutely no idea. We had been talking with Katie for months about using the potty, reading a potty book, and modeling. For weeks now, her favorite thing to do has been to watch Elmo's "Potty Time," where Elmo and friends run through about a dozen repeating situations in which one of them "has the feeling" that he or she "has to go." With the research I've done in the last day or two, I now know that this was "Pre-Potty Training." Ok, makes sense. So with all of this preparation, I though that all I would need to do was set her on the potty and tell her that this is where she's supposed to go from now on. Yup, just like that.

Needless to say, apparently that's not how it works.

We decided to start on a Wednesday. For the last few days, she had leaked out of her diaper and "it" had gotten on her clothes and blankie. I had had enough, so on Tuesday I told her that Blankie didn't like to get dirty, so now was the time to switch from diapers to potty. I didn't start right away, though, since it was the middle of the day. Later on that day, I quickly took my younger daughter upstairs for a nap. As I was returning, I saw Katie running from the couch where she had been watching Dora. I though she was looking for me, but she ran right past me and into the bathroom. Confused, I followed her in and discovered that she had just wet in her diaper. That convinced me that it really was time to start.

Of course, having made the decision at the last minute, I was utterly unprepared. I had not read ANYTHING about how to potty train, and I didn't have any supplies except for diapers and a toilet insert. I did a quick 10-minute search online that night, and found what I considered to be enough information.

Potty training, here we come!