Thanks, Dora

I'm ashamed to write that we're still potty training here. Well, it's actually a stalled endeavor since Sophia only goes potty on her time. Usually she'll go potty when she decides she wants something. Yes, a parenting fail. I know she's manipulating, Rick knows she manipulating, but we both fall for it because we so badly want her to just start going to the bathroom on her own--in the toilet. This day seemed like so long ago and it was, almost a whole year ago. Where did it all go wrong? I read an article recently in Parenting magazine that there is a window of opportunity to take advantage of to get maximum benefit of a certain age for milestone goals like getting rid of a pacifier, transition to a big kid bed, potty training. Potty training is actually closer to age 3. Which Sophia is. But because I've been harassing her for almost a year, I may have actually set the training back. Parenting fail. Yesterday I vowed to my friends that I'd shelf it completely and let Sophia make the call. Wouldn't you know that this afternoon she walks up to me with panties in hand and states, "I want to be a big girl and go pee pee in the potty--like Dora does, and Boots." Huh? So while I was on the phone with the Pharmacy that ships Ava's RSV antibody, Dora was babysitting Sophia. And apparently she can potty train Sophia in that 13 minute episode better than I can with stickers, M&M's, timers, marshmallows, letting her run around naked...all of that hard work trumped by a cartoon character and a monkey. Go figure. I actually have yet to see if Dora succeeds in this potty training business, but Sophia currently sports some Tinkerbell panties and promises to let me know when she has to go. To be continued.