Potty? Yes!

Last night, for the very first time, Ava pee peed on the potty! All by herself!

I was changing her diaper and she asked to go sit on the potty. I was in the zone, wanting to get her ready for bed, diaper changed, PJs on, so of course I said, 'You just went in your diaper honey, you don't need to go on the potty'. She insisted, 'Potty? Potty?' so I gave in. She was already half-naked, why not let her go sit her cute little bottom on the seat for a minute.

She ran over to her potty and sat down while I retrieved her favorite Elmo potty book, and then I joined her and began reading. Not five words in, I realized she was sitting on the back of her onesie, I thought, 'Eh, may as well move this just in case'. I reached down to pull out the dangling cotton and snaps only to feel it soaking wet... I looked in the potty and there sat a puddle of beautiful pee! Now for all you non-parents out there, it is amazing and shocking how normal words like pee pee and poo poo become in your everyday language, and even more surprising the level of excitement and pride that bursts forth when your child goes to the potty for the first time by themselves. In my highest and most shrill, excited voice I said, "Ava?! Did you go pee pee on the potty?!" to which she of course answered, "Yeah!" I clapped and cheered and she got soooo excited for herself. If mommy is getting this excited, I must have done something really great! We cleaned up, de-clothed and triumphantly flushed the specimen down the toilet (to which Ava always screams, "Rolling!" as the water whooshes down).

Ava continued to sit on the potty for about twenty minutes, insisting that she would poo poo in it (though I knew she wouldn't), and drool on herself the sticky sugary goodness that was her first potty treat--a yellow skittle. My my, I remember the pride I felt the first time she smiled at me, rolled over, crawled forward, stepped forward, mastered using her little fingers... this is right up there!

Now I've heard the stories of moms whose kids pee on the potty around this age but later refuse to have anything to do with it, or whose journey toward diaper independence is a long one. But, nevertheless, I am still so proud of my little girl and can't wait to see how she continues in this process!