The NAZ

Tonight, we brought Katie into the "NAZ" (Nature Adventure Zone) at the "Y". This is like the McDonalds tunnels or Chuck E. Cheese. I have not wanted to bring her in there because of all the germs that fester in there. But, because it is in a glass enclosure at the gym, she sees it every time I bring her there for her classes and she always asks me what it is. I reply, "that is camp and you can't go in there because you are not potty trained. You have to pee in the potty before you can go in there." It really didn't phase her until last Monday night after Tumbling class when her friend, Honor, was going into the NAZ to play and I told her that she couldn't go in there with her because she wasn't potty trained. Honor reinforced my point by telling Kaitlyn that she pees in a potty...THANK YOU HONOR!!! Well, needless to say, she was really mad. She yelled and screamed all the way home, but I kept telling her that it was up to her to pee in the potty and that she couldn't go in there until she was potty trained. Well, apparently this finally sunk in because she took off her diaper as soon as we got home and hasn't put one on since!!! Every day she has asked me if she could go in the tunnels "today" and I replied that she had to pee in the potty for a whole week and that if she made it the week, she could go in the tunnels after tumbling class. I never expected that she would actually do it, but SHE DID!!! We even had one night where she woke up at 3am to pee on the potty. She had a few little drips and dribbles and two small accidents, but she really was determined this week to go on the potty and she refused a diaper every time I told her I was going to put one on her, so I didn't have the heart to tell her that she couldn't go in the tunnels tonight. She really did do an excellent job this week and I am SO PROUD of her!!!

She was SO excited that she got to go play in the NAZ tonight.

As I watched her play, I couldn't help but to think of how something like this used to be so ordinary (before diagnosis) and somehow tonight, it seemed extraordinary. I actually expect that we will probably be in the hospital because of this trip to the NAZ, but she really worked hard for this and I couldn't deny her this "prize" for doing so good this week on the potty. I told her tonight that we are DONE with diapers and I am giving them away...YIPPEE!!!

Now, if only we could get her to give up the binky...