Steps

Potty training for Olivia has been a battle.

Last year at this time, we thought we were on the home stretch. She was doing so well, telling us almost every time she had to go and holding it until we could reach a potty.

The fall and winter seasons brought us to a serious backslide to the point that she was back in pull-ups prett much full time.

When I got to my mom's on Wednesday for pick-up, she called me in and said that Livie had something to show me.

Olivia led me to the bathroom where she pulled down her undies, used as step stool to climb onto the potty, used it appropriately, wiped herself, stepped back down, pulled up her undies and washed her hands.

Wow!

Today, we went out and bought a step stool for our own bathroom. She's so excited to have her very own step stool here at home. She's used it several times for the very reason we bought it, but she's also brought it out to the living room where we have the mini-trampolilne and she's used the stool to step onto the trampoline and then to step back off. She's put it in front of the couch and climbed up and down.

This is just one step toward independence for our girl.

I don't expect this to be the magic tool that suddenly has her completely potty trained in the next week or even month, but it's a start. It's what she needs to feel like she's in charge of this whole potty thing.

She'll get there, one step stool at a time.