No Baby Yet!

The baby isn't here yet, but we are in full baby-prep mode here at the Bamford-Armitage household. This weekend I sorted through all of Clara's old baby clothes and put them in drawers according to size. Greg bought a new phone (a Dorkberry, I mean, a Blackberry) to replace the one he lost, so I can call him should things start moving along here. Greg also installed the infant car seat, which has been endlessly fascinating to Clara. Clara now says she'd like to ride backwards in the car. Clara is also very attuned to what babies do, as evidenced by her care of her doll. She says, "My baby is born" when we talk about baby sister still being in my belly. Clara also wanted me to nurse her doll on my belly button. (Actually, Clara had to help me find my belly button since I can no longer see it.) She also likes to swaddle her doll and read to her. She's a good little caretaker.

I've also tried being more encouraging with Clara going on the potty. I've been pretty hands-off because when I've suggested potty ideas in the past, they were nearly uniformly rejected. So, we've been at an equilibrium whereby Clara will use the potty when it's time for a diaper change, but almost never at any other time. So Sunday after her afternoon nap, I suggested she try out her training pants again, thinking we're staying home anyway: If she wets her pants, who cares? After wearing them for 1.5 hours, Greg asked her if she needed to go potty. Yes, she did, so she went over to her little potty, asked for help when she couldn't get her training pants down, then used the potty all by herself! So now I'm thinking, maybe it could work to push her a little bit.

Then yesterday afternoon, she awoke from her nap, I suggested the training pants, and she agreed to put them on. After a little over an hour, we told her we were going to a neighbor's house for a party, so she'd have to use the potty, or else put on a diaper. She wanted nothing to do with the potty, so Greg got her undressed to put her diaper on, and discovered she'd peed in her training pants.

So today, I'm back to no suggestions. This morning she said she wanted a new diaper but didn't want to try going on the potty. Fine. Then when I was changing her for her afternoon nap, she said she wanted to go potty. Ok! I sat with her for a little bit (while I "nursed" her doll), and then asked me to give her some "privacy". I went out in the hallway where I heard her tinkle and shout: "I did it!" We put on a clean diaper, she washed her hands by herself, and went down for a nap without a fuss.

So, I'm going to continue to be supportive without being suggestive. Clara just needs to decide when she's ready to give up diapers, and then she'll be fully trained. She has all the other parts down. She even said to me the other day when she walked in on me in the bathroom, "Mommy, I'm proud of you for trying." I guess she's heard that line from us a time or two before.