Potty talk

For those of you that have kids, you know that after you have a baby you can forget about ever going to the bathroom alone again. For those you who don't have kids, or don't have kids yet, this may fall under the TMI category. Either way, consider this your warning that I'm about to use some potty talk.

Since my daughter was old enough to pay attention to where I take her around the house, I have been narrating our adventures. One of her favorite trips is to the potty. I think it's a mix of looking and smiling at herself in the mirror and mommy saying "Mommy go potty" with lots of excitement. (I'm about 8 months pregnant, so this happens quite often during our day)

Each time I say the words "Mommy go potty" I also do the sign for POTTY. (The sign for POTTY is the ASL letter T shaken slightly left to right) A few days ago, as I said and signed my potty mantra, I looked over and my little signer was signing it with me! So, now when she gets that strained look on her face and I know she is in fact going potty herself I sign POTTY and say "Tori go potty". She is only a year old at the moment, but by assigning a word and sign to this action, I hope to eventually make the transition to potty training that much easier.

There has been an added bonus to this lesson as well. Being a year old, she is also experiencing a bit of separation anxiety. So, if there is another person in the house (Daddy, Grandma, Deb Deb the babysitter, etc) I can let her know when I leave the room that "Mommy go potty" and to her that means I'll be right back. It works to an extent right now, but after a while I'm hoping it will help her understand the difference between leaving the room and leaving the house. When I see her sign POTTY I know that she understands, and to me that is comforting.