Pee pee in the potty

Last night my baby peed in the potty. I'm not sure how I feel about this milestone. I'm thrilled that we're making progress on the road to potty training -- being free of diapers is going to feel like getting a raise. But a housebroken baby means she's not a baby anymore.

Ellie peed in the potty at Miss Dee-Dee's a few weeks ago, but I wasn't there to see it, and it wasn't a phenomenon that lasted long. Ellie wasn't really ready yet, and Princess C, her partner in crime, was preparing to have tubes put in her ears -- what with recovery time and all, not a good time to tackle something like potty training. So I didn't get too excited about it.

But last night was different. We took her diaper off in preparation for bath time, and she said "pee pee" and pointed to her potty chair. This is nothing new -- she sits on the potty before bath time nearly every night, but nothing ever comes of it. It's just an excuse to play with the toilet paper roll. But last night, when she sat down, I immediately heard a tinkle. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So I settled for swooping her up in a hug (and dripping pee all over us both) and shouting "YAY!" while we danced around the bathroom like complete fools.

Maybe this was a fluke. Maybe it was just that the water was running in the tub, and it made her have to go, sort of like an old man with prostate issues. But I suspect it was NOT a fluke. I suspect it was the beginning of Ellie's "big girl" days. And while I'm delighted that she's growing up, I also hate it that she's growing up.

Who knew pee could conjure such mixed emotions?