Mission accomplished

Erika called today with thrilling news (thrilling is even more exciting than exciting...inside joke). Emelia went poo-poo and pee-pee in the potty all by herself! By "all by herself," I mean that she went into the bathroom all by herself without telling anyone, got her pants down, and did the deed. So after a somewhat rocky road, I am ready to declare Emelia potty-trained.

For the parents, this is great news because we have our Beaches vacation coming up and Emelia needed to be potty-trained to participate in the day care activities. So from a deadline perspective this is a major relief (pun intended). Aside from that, though, it's also a significant milestone in her life and ours, and one that sort of jumped up and hit me on the head today. My little girl is growing up.

Ever since Samuel's birth, I sort of feel like Emelia got pushed to the back burner. Not because I love her less, or think differently of her, but simply because a newborn is a LOT of work (A LOT, LOT, LOT OF WORK!!!), and that work has taken away from the "work" of raising a todler. Even though I have worked hard at being the same "daddy" to Emelia, I know in my heart that I have been tired and cranky and distracted and not giving her the attention that she deserves.

Our potty-training efforts, though, have sort of brought her back into the forefront, and I am struck today by the fact the she is almost 3 and that she is getting to be such a big girl. It's funny because with newborns, so much happens from 0-12 months. First they sleep and eat and potty; then they sleep less and cry more; then they smile and roll over and warm your heart; next thing they are crawling and eating solids and sleeping through the night; next minute they are babbling and laughing and standing up, etc. Now that Emelia is 2, though, the changes associated with her growing up are not as dramatic. It's perhaps easier to take the days for granted.

Like I said, though, the potty-training does give me pause today. Reminds me how much I love her. Hopefully she won't grow up too quick!