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Nicole has officially started potty training.  We’ve had some early attempts to train her whenever she has shown some interest in the potty or underwear, but each time it quickly became clear that she was not really ready to start using the potty everyday.  Sadly, all of my children are late potty trainers.  So far each one has been a struggle.  I don’t really know who would want all the details (maybe some family members or friends who are into potty training right now), but if you do, then click below.

On August 17th, Isaac was miserably sick and vomited the entire day.  While I was busy with him, I found Nicole completely naked and sitting on the potty.  This happened twice that day, so I decided to gage her interest in potty training by putting her in underwear and starting the process of repeatedly taking her to the bathroom.  
It’s been almost 3 weeks and she’s still in underwear.  Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go to complete bathroom Independence.  She can stay dry all day as long as I vigilantly take her to the potty throughout the day.  If I get busy with other things, she will wet her pants.  She never, almost never initiates a trip to the bathroom.  

We have had more trial than success with #2.  The first incident came on Day 2 (8/18) as I was on the phone trying to arrange babysitting so that I could take Isaac to the Doctor.  Just as I hung up the phone, Nicole appeared downstairs covered in poo with a trail of poo smashed into the carpet all the way up the stairs, through the hallway, and in her room.  It happened again another day as I was cleaning up breakfast, I went upstairs to find soiled underwear and poo all over the carpet.  The third time, I was in the shower and came out to another fecal carpet surprise.  The fourth time I was in the hallway just outside the playroom when one of the kids informed me that Nicole was getting poo everywhere.  My carpet cleaner has had quite the workout these last few weeks.  As you can imagine, I have spent the last few weeks keeping Nicole close to me at all times.  We’ve had a few half successes.  The first two times, I caught her in the act of filling her underpants and was able to rush her into the bathroom and have her complete the job on the toilet.  The third partial success (today) she said “I need to go potty”and ran towards the bathroom (this shocked me since she has never recognized the need and gone on her own).  She had started the job in her underwear, but she finished it in the potty.

I still feel like we’ve got a long way to go, but hopefully she will be fully trained by the time #5 comes in February and I will avoid having 3 kids in diapers at once!