| once upon a potty |

yes, today was  DAY 1  for us.

and while every mommy wants to say, "my child did so wonderfully..." at the end of each day

during the potty training process, i am certainly not the mom who anticipates

that i can- and will- potty train my child in 5 days or less.

to me, that's entirely too much pressure to put on myself, not to mention my baby girl!

and let's face it, we won't be sending her off to college without being potty-trained.

it will happen eventually.

like most things that occur during the "toddler" stage,

PATIENCE is always your best friend. 

you know, like the girlfriend you call when you're at the end of your rope.

yes, she has been a fabulous friend for me lately. 

the one who makes me stop and evaluate exactly what 

i'm teaching my child with every word and action done in frustration or distraction.

the one who is there to force me to stare into my reflection in Brynn's eyes long enough 

to take that deep breath, and find that last drop of patience at the end of the bottle... 

the same bottle that i thought was empty only a moment before. 

that's not to say that B didn't have a fabulous first day...

she had a few accidents, and, overall, she "gets" it,

but there are still a few bumps in the road that we're going to have to work on.

it's all a learning process... for me, and for her...  

the biggest challenge is that she absolutely refuses to #2 in her potty chair.

and i will admit that i am not one of those people who thinks it's 'no big deal' to clean up poop.  

UGH. i mean, when it's contained in a diaper, that's one thing... but when you're trying to get it off of little Tinker Bell panties...  well, then i am totally that mom who is trying like hell not to gag.

large amounts of blood, i can handle. copious amounts of phlegm, i can handle. 
but anything digestive-related... the old gag reflex is engaged and ready for action! 

one of my raunchy former coworkers once told me a little joke about "How God Decides Who Will Be A Nurse, and Who Will Be an Respiratory Therapist." And it goes a little something like, He buried us all in poop up to our necks... haucked a loogie... and those who "duck"... well, they are nurses, if you get my drift...

that might sound a little bit FEAR-FACTORISH,
but it perfectly explains the difference in occupation preference.

and needless to say... i would never, ever, ever- in a million years- even consider ducking.

my worst nightmare and biggest mommy fail- to this date- was the Great Pooptastrophe of 2011

but let's get back to B's first day...

as her momma, i can definitely say that i am very proud of my sweet girl after today.

immediately following her third accident, i picked her up to take her to the potty chair, 

and i think she could sense that i was very slightly frustrated...

mostly because i had just asked her if she needed to go only a few minutes prior to discovering her walking bow-legged over a puddle through our kitchen... 

but i also knew that she had been distracted by playing with her toys, 

and as i carried her to her potty chair, providing plenty of encouragement that she would "get it the next time"... she hugged my neck, and leaned back to say, "i sowwy, mommy," right before throwing herself into another big hug.

heart. officially. melted.

and after i pulled my soaring heart out of my throat, i hugged her back and said, "oh, baby... mommy is so proud of you no matter what."

 

it's moments just like that one that make every ounce of effort absolutely, 100% worth it all. 

i am definitely excited for this stage to be over,

but a big part of me will be so proud to show off the scars we have from enduring this challenge.

i am 100%  proud of my girl no matter what.

and onward we march...

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| once upon a potty |