Go figure

I gave up today around 3pm.

This was the third day of potty-training, and by far the worst. For the past two days, Abbie has had very few accidents, but I suspected that she was just holding it all in until the evening when we put her diaper back on. So I stopped at the store this morning and bought a mega-jug of apple juice, and a pack of fiber-laced Pediasure.

It worked. It worked on the carpet, on a blanket, all over several outfits, and on those foam child-chairs with the cloth that can't be removed.

Abbie told me that she didn't use the potty because she didn't want to stop playing. At least she recognizes the problem. My (usually tried and true) method is to go straight from diaper to underwear (so no pull-ups) and make the child clean the mess themselves when they have an accident. I sneak in my own cleaning, of course, but the kid is given some paper towels to soak up the water and a bucket and scrub brush. They usually decide that it is less work to use the potty like a civilized human being, but it isn't working this time because Abbie thinks that the clean-up is fun. Meanwhile, I feel like I've been swimming in urine all day.

So I gave up after accident #umpteenth and put her in a pull-up. Not ten minutes later she jumped up and ran into the bathroom, executing her duties like a pro. Her pull-up was bone-dry.

I need a drink. (And I do not mean applejuice!)