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Daddy's Girl

Ginny & DH, July 2013

When I was growing up, I always considered myself to be a bit of a "daddy's girl." My dad meant the world to me (and still does). I guess there was some hero worship thrown in there too. It seems appropriate, somehow, that my oldest would feel the same way about her dad. Ginny is a "daddy's girl" through and through.

It was clear that Ginny would be a daddy's girl even when she was a baby. After I would be done feeding her, she wanted my DH holding her. She loved how he would play with her toes. Once she reached toddlerhood, her admiration of my husband became even more apparent. It was beyond clear that not only did she love her daddy, but he was her favorite. Heck, what am I saying. He IS her favorite.

Helping Daddy out! February 2012

Ginny adores her daddy. I don't blame her. He is pretty fantastic. But she adores him in a very visible way. On days that he is home, she will follow him most anywhere. I will ask Ginny for something. If her daddy is in the room, she won't give the item to me. She will give it to her daddy. Right now, in the midst of potty training, it is her daddy she goes to for help. I will tell her to come to me so I can help her out. She ignores me and goes straight to her dad.  Even at dinner, I'm relegated to second class citizen. She wants her daddy to blow on her food, not Mommy. It is her daddy that she gives her plate and fork to once she is done eating, despite the fact that I asked for them or that Daddy gives them back to me.

Chicago, July 2012

I know that part of her Daddy-worship comes from him not being home as much as me. She wants to soak up as much time with him as she can. And, her daddy complies with her wishes. After all, she has him wrapped around her finger. She will demand something of my DH and he often does as she asks. The other day my husband and I were discussing Ginny. He mentioned that "Ginny wouldn't let him do" something. I balked. I reminded him that she was two-years-old, and he was the adult. He gave me a look and mumbled something and the issue was dropped. My husband is firm with her. I'm not saying he is a push over. He isn't, but Ginny does get away with a few things I wouldn't fall for or allow her to do. For example, I still change Ginny's diaper on the changing table. It is far easier on my back to do so. Apparently my husband does the changes on the floor because Ginny insists. I find it rather amusing how much he has fallen under her sweet, adorable spell. They have a mutual admiration society that is endearing to watch.

 I wonder if Grace will also become a daddy's girl too. Right now she prefers me, most of the time. If she does join the Daddy fan club in my house, I won't blame her one bit. He has captivated all the females in the house, even our dog. Not bad for a man who struggled with dating when he was younger. Not bad at all.

Playing around with Daddy earlier this week.

And So It Begins....

Ginny on her potty last night.

Not long after the new year started, I began contemplating when I would start to potty train my toddler, Ginny. Her second birthday was coming up. Logically, that meant it would soon be time to stop using diapers with her. In an effort to start the process, I bought her a potty and placed it in her bathroom. She would follow me into to the bathroom and would sit on her potty when I sat on the toilet. It became a game, of sorts.

Yet, I kept putting off the inevitable. I wanted to make sure she was ready. I even bought a book, "Toilet Training for Dummies" (yes, that is real), plus two read aloud stories for Ginny. Reading done, I still felt (and still feel) ill-prepared for potty training. Potty training a two-year-old is not nearly as easy as potty training a dog. That was easy! My dog was potty trained in less than three days. I stuck her in her crate then took her outside every couple of hours. Apparently, that method is not recommended for children.

So, after delaying and delaying, I made the decision to go for it. I'm not 100% sure if Ginny is ready to be potty trained. I keep hoping she will be like other kids who self-train. My husband has a cousin who has a son that is 6-weeks younger than Ginny. He potty trained himself at 18 months old, maybe younger.  A college friend's daughter did the same right around the time she turned two. Why can't Ginny be that motivated?

Watching Sofia the 1st while sitting.

Since that miracle of self-training seems unlikely to happen, I am doing my best to get Ginny out of diapers and using the potty. Yesterday, I introduced the concept to my daughter. After dinner, I took off her pants and diaper, leaving her half-naked. I placed the potty chair in the living room and put Ginny on the potty. She happily sat there as she watched Mickey Mouse on T.V. I let her get off the potty after 15 minutes to play and then 15 minutes later, repeated the process. It was difficult to get her off the potty. It bothered her that she was lacking a diaper. We did this pattern for an hour and half until it was time for her to go to bed.

This morning, I started everything again. First thing after putting a top on her and taking off her diaper, I had her sit on the potty for 15 minutes. Then, we ate breakfast. When she was done, she had to sit on the potty again. We did the same pattern for a while, but after about an hour and half, Ginny rebelled, refusing to get back on the potty. She was done with sitting on the potty and not having a diaper on no longer concerned her. For over three hours, she ran around the house half-naked until it was time to eat lunch and take her nap. She sat on the potty a good portion of that time. Did she use the potty though? Nope. Not once. Luckily, she also didn't have any accidents either.

The empty potty. Ginny rebelled.

I suppose it was too much to ask that my daughter would miraculously take to the potty right away. I did learn that she has a greater deal of bladder control than I had ever realized. We will try again after her nap this afternoon and try again tomorrow in the same manner. I don't have high expectations, just high hopes. If nothing happens, then we will take a break for a couple days and try again next week.