Warning - contains toilet talk!

Ember toilet-trained a little later than some of her peers, partly because she just didn't show any signs of readiness and partly because she had a pretty major illness in September last year, which I haven't blogged about yet, but might another time.  Anyway, a little while ago I decided enough was enough and while changing Ember's nappy I said "Ugh, that's it! No more nappies!"  Ember looked at me and said "Are there no more nappies Mummy?"  "Uh, yeah, that's right, there are no more nappies." I replied.  "So do you want to put on some knickers?"  I held my breath but she just said "Yep, ok!".

We had accidents all that day, and a couple the next, but with a combination of over-the-top wees celebrations, and jelly bean bribery, by day three she was an expert and we've really had no puddles since.  However, "number twos" have been much more of a struggle.  Like many kids, the idea of sitting on the loo for longer than necessary and putting in the effort required for "twos" didn't appeal to Ember, so she got in the habit of waiting till bedtime when she had a night nappy on.  The added bonus of this (for her) was that once stories were read, the calendar day was 'ticked' and the other sleep delaying tactics exhausted (pun intended), she could then summon an unwilling parent with a cry of 'Mummy, I've got poos!"

Speaking of bribery, there was a great moment in the FourSquare when we were buying a bag of jelly beans as reward for going to the toilet.  A lady behind us in the queue was talking to Ember and said "Ohh, they look nice, can I have one?"  Ember laughed and grabbed them back, saying "no!".  The lady said "They look yummy - what are they?" Ember replied "Poos and wees lollies" which both puzzled and amused all onlookers!

Since bribery worked so well in the initial stages, I've been trying to convince Em to complete her toilet training by promising to buy her the Scooby Doo toy she was desperate to have in a shop a few weeks ago, if she can do poos in the toilet all the time.  We had a couple of successes, and I think at one point she asked "Can I have a Scooby Doo now?"  My reply was something like "Only when there are no more poos in your nappy."  Apparently I should have been more specific as shortly after that she stopped going altogether and lasted nearly a week, despite twice-a-day doses of lactulose for the last three days.  I finally said to her "Please just go poos Ember, you're going to have a really sore tummy!  I don't care if you go on the potty or in your nappy, just go!"  She looked at me all confused and said "But you said poos in nappies wasn't allowed" and I felt like the worst mother in the world!  At least the 'drought was broken' after that.

Anyway, all of that is leading up to a little conversation we had last night, after I came in to change the second nappy of the evening.  Quite often Ember wants something to eat in bed (a habit we accidentally got into and haven't been able to break) and this evening she said to me.

Em: When you finished getting away the poos, you can go and wash your hands and get me a sandwich.

Yes Ma'am!