"Pee-Pee in da POT-TEE"

It's pretty exciting around here!

Miriam has been giving a lot of "cues" as to when she is going to the bathroom. If any of you have been around her lately, it is the most obvious thing in the world. Red face, scrunched over and a loud, "I pooped" at the end. When she goes #1, she puts her knees together like she is trying to hold it in.

I shared all this with the doctor on Monday at her 18 month visit. (by the way, she is 35 inches tall, off the charts for an 18 month old and she has lost 3 pounds...her thighs are slowly going away and I'm so sad!) The doctor suggested buying a potty to see how she does. Since she was ahead of the curve on several things, the doctor thought it might be time to play around with a potty.

We went yesterday to buy one. I was ready to be cheap on the potty...I mean considering it's purpose, this isn't a place I need to seek an expensive item. But, as soon as she saw the Elmo potty that talks to you, there was a near fit in the middle of the potty aisle at Babies R Us.

I don't think I've mentioned Miriam's current OBSESSION with all things Elmo. It's bordering on scary at this point. She lives and breathes him. She gets upset when Elmo pretends to be falling, "Oh NOOOOO, ELMO!" She can sing the theme song IN TUNE...except it's not, "It's Elmo's WORLD", she says, "It's Elmo's DUR" She can spot an Elmo from 100 yards away. We can be in the mall and some kid six stores up can have a small Elmo on his blanket and she starts freaking out with excitement. She loves him.

So, back to the Elmo potty. Near fit that I wasn't walking off with the Elmo Potty. I gave in. She loves him so much and if it would encourage her to go, we can spare the extra 15 bucks that it cost. We get it home and out of the box. It's only then and I think, "Wait, she is going to think this is a Toy and not a potty." She kept pressing the hand that tells her in Elmo's voice, "Good Job!" and "I'm so proud of you." It was cute her on the floor next to the potty playing with it. She moves it around and sits on it to read. That is the funniest. Looks like an old man with the paper.

But the big news is that she did pee-pee on the potty. Last night after her bath, she really wanted to play with it. I told her that she had to pee-pee on it to get to press the button that makes Elmo talk. So, she sat on the potty and got her little book and tinkled. It was super exciting! I know it was a fluke, but I yelled for Paul and we all got so excited.

Exciting times in the Hodges' household!!!