A few months ago we began hearing the word ‘potty’ fly out of Emerson’s mouth left and right; it was time to shop for her special seat. Of course we ended up with a decked-out throne complete with side compartments for reading materials/entertainment and the doodad necessary for a fully functioning toilet paper roll. It may not play music, but the lid folds down to serve its dual purpose as a sturdy step-stool or bench so we hope it will be used during potty training and far beyond.The plan was to make it available to her for familiarization but not force it until we knew she was completely ready. She immediately identified it as her potty and was excited to sit on it before I even had it out of the box.  After her bath that night she had a seat, explored the compartments and found an instruction manual which she began reading without hesitation (go figure, human nature). I had no expectations of any sort of pottying — especially on the maiden voyage… especially after a marathon bath session — so after a good ten minutes of hanging out I swooped her up, flicked the lid closed and we left the room. The next day during our bath routine I opened the lid to the potty for her to try again and was completely shocked to find a surprise! I was in such disbelief I actually yelled, “Nic, did you put apple juice in the potty…?” Of course he hadn’t. My amazing daughter had tinkled on her very first try and I was in denial of this milestone to the point of forgetting to even check the potty! It definitely explained her excitement the night before and I realized how pleased she had seemed with herself. Contrary to my worry that neglecting to congratulate her on this vast accomplishment would derail progress and possibly even damage her attitude towards the matter, she has successfully tinkled on several occasions since then — all of them at her own request.I’ve been enjoying her toddler-hood so much I don’t want anything to change! Luckily she has taken the potty training into her own hands because this mama is not ready for her to start growing up yet!