Reflection on 2011 and Potty Training

This morning I was reflecting on 2011 and how much our little peach has grown.  It blows my mind to think about this time last year… how she was only 9 months old and on Christmas Eve I saw her stand in her crib for the very first time.

She was such a cute little stinker (still is!) and I remember holding her in her monkey footie pajamas and making her giggle as I’d cover her face in kisses. Now, she’s a big kid:

…and she absolutely hates footie pajamas. She has a meltdown when her feet are covered.

This year, she hit quite a few milestones:

• Learned to walk
• Learned to talk
• Started daycare
• Made new friends
• Learned to run
• Switched to whole milk
• Tried peanut butter (have I mentioned it’s her favorite food?)
• Learned to “dip” her food (want a trick to get a kid to eat anything? Give 2 dipping options. Sour cream and guacamole are her faves)
• Learned to answer “yes” and “no” properly
• Tried chocolate
• Learned to say more than 30 words by 18 months old
• Said her first sentence (on December 17 to be exact): “I want coffee.” Oh boy…

…and so many other things, I just can’t even think of them all! This was such a huge year for her and full of so much excitement.

So, what is in store for us in 2012?

Well, she’ll be 2 in three months, which is really hard for me to fathom. It also means we’re going to be……..

wait for it………….

POTTY TRAINING.

Oh Lord, please help me. I’m not looking forward to that adventure.  =x It’s the one part of parenting I always said I wished would just go away and happen over night, but I know it won’t. However, I’ve been investigating Naked Boot Camp as a method of training. What is Naked Boot Camp you say? You can read about it here: Potty Training in Three Days. This might occur during Memorial Day Weekend… it’s already a 3-day weekend in itself, plus I could take that Friday off to make it a 4-day weekend. I just don’t know yet. I know other parents who have tried it and it worked. The trick is to do it before they get to 28 months, because I guess after that age they become more defiant. I don’t want to push her. I won’t push her. But I’ll try this adventure if she’s ready. and we won’t know until we try, right?!

It’ll be nice to have less trash. I don’t care what the Diaper Genie or Diaper Champ claims… there is NO solution to rancid diaper stench. It’s horrible and hard to avoid. And by golly, I’m ready for her bedroom to smell clean!

If Potty Training wasn’t hard enough, we’re also going to convert her to the toddler bed along with the potty training, aaaaand taking away the paci. Yep, I’m going to be the mean momma who breaks her of diapers, crib and the pacifier in one year. Oh boy. Let the fun begin. =x

To be honest, if I could predict how 2012 is going to go: the crib-to-bed transition will be easy. She already plays in her friends’ beds and thinks they’re amazing so I think it’ll be pretty easy. Potty training may or may not go well. The most difficult task: the paci. It’s her BFF. However, we only allow her to have it at bedtime. She doesn’t even have it at daycare during nap. But boy, does she look forward to having it at bedtime. The only non-bedtime approved paci time is when she is severely teething. She tends to get 3-4 teeth in at once and has a really hard time with it, so we cave during that phase.

2011 has been wonderful. Full of so much adventure and so many wonderful memories. 2012 is going to be interesting to say the least. I hope I can remember to blog more often… please check in, comment, say hi… you there?