Motivation or maturity?

Its no secret that the potty training thing has been a struggle for us. It seems that training Ally to do anything is a struggle for us. You'd think that after almost 3 years we would get it - Ally will do things, achieve milestones, develop etc on her terms in her own time when she is ready - not when we are ready or when a child development book or when the doctor or a child behavior specialist says but when Ally decides she is ready. It was that way with eating solid food, with rolling over, with crawling, with walking its still that way with drinking milk out of a vessel other than a bottle (no bottles in 14 months means no regular milk consumed) so its no surprise that potty training has been this way. On her 3rd birthday her preschool teachers told us she was ready for "big girl panties" and suggested we send her to school in them. We were skeptical - she'd been battling us on using the potty for some time, but they said she was dry almost all day. So we did - she has only had 3 accidents total since she started wearing panties - which was when she was ready, not when we were ready for her to. It was like she has to prove to herself she could stay dry and then she would wear them.

So that was peeing on the potty. Poop is a different story. I know this might be too much information for some of you, but I try to blog to remember stuff, all the stuff and so I want to get this documented, even if its weird and goofy. Ally has always been a once a day (or every 2 days) kind of girl - and it always happens at night. So as you know for the past few months she goes in her diaper in her crib before she goes to sleep. Well in the last week she has gone on the potty as many times as in her diaper. Its like she is finally deciding that she is ready. No amount of bribery, motivation, encouragement nothing has really worked to encourage this, its like she has finally decided "I can do this - I am a big girl now" I totally expect set backs and battles and such, but the other evening she calmly told Becky "I need to poop" then went right over to the potty, did her business and called for us to come see and clap and cheer with her. It was amazing and a big reminder of "Ally-time - its when Ally is ready, not mommy and not mama and not anyone but Ally" I hope that I can keep this in mind as she continues to grow up.

She does get a treat - ice cream with mini m-n-ms (we were out of chocolate chips).

Last night she went on the potty with her babysitter here.

Tonight again - all on her own and she did not even ask for a treat afterwards. I thought Becky was going to cry she was so proud of Ally! This growing up thing is rough on moms sometimes.