WE HAVE A CATCH!

Even as I type this, I'm in awe of the whole process. But Emil seems to be well on his way to being potty trained. He has successfully been pottied about six times since last night! He has caught on immediately, and seems perfectly happy to pee in a bowl instead of his diaper. All I have to do is hold him over the bowl in a supportive way, with his back up against me so he's comfortable, make the cue pssss sound, and he immediately begins to pee and/or poop. I know he has to go pretty soon after he wakes up and pretty soon after he eats, so all I have to do is get him over the bowl at those times. It's amazing.

And I have to confess something. The EC lingo has been creeping into my head as my enthusiasm for this whole process grows. I feed him, and my thoughts race unbidden to this new language: "Yes, it's a pottitunity! Maybe we'll get a catch!"

I have decided to keep using diapers on him as if they were underwear. That way accidents - or misses, as the EC community would say - aren't as frustrating. Reading other women's accounts, many people choose to take that route and continue to be successful.

Today comes a new challenge - getting the nanny to potty Emil. I think mother's intuition plays a large role in my knowing when he has to go, especially when he has to poop, since we haven't seen an identifiable pattern there yet. But in 24 hours we have already gone further with Emil's potty training than we have gone in six months with Esme. She knows how to use the potty, but simply refuses. And if she does go, she sets a limit of once or twice a day. No amount of stickers, jelly beans, or praise is reward enough to train her away from that nasty habit of peeing and pooping in her diaper. Better to prevent the habit in the first place!