Walking the long road one step at a time

With Mia, everything is slow. We take the long view with everything she does, because even if she really wants to do something, it often takes much longer for the mechanism to do it to stick in her head than with someone else, like Demon Child #2. So we're very patient with her. Occasionally, she surprises us, though.

I mentioned she's on Spring Break, so I've been able to put her on the toilet much more often. We got her toilet seat a while ago, but because she's at school so much, it's hard to get her on it regularly. I told her that this week is just a preview of summer, when she'll be on it far more often. She simply doesn't seem interested in going when she's on the toilet. This is quite vexing.

Yesterday, however, she did go when she was on the toilet. I put her on and strapped her in, then left her alone for a bit. I try to give her some privacy, but of course Norah bothers her and she bats at the shower curtain and tries to reach things she can't reach, so it's not like she's really concentrating on going. I cleaned up some dishes and went back in. As I walked in, I heard a tell-tale plop. Yes, she had pooped ... and quite a bit, too. So there was celebrating all around. I know you're supposed to make a big deal about it, so I did, but it's not like it's going to inspire Mia to do more. I just wanted her to know how proud I was of her.

I doubt if this will help in the long run. But each time she sits on the toilet and manages to go is a small victory. Maybe in a few years she'll actually be potty-trained. That would certainly be nice.