Potty Training

Warning- Do not read this if you are eating. Unless you are on a diet and shouldn't be eating those delicious midnight snacks. Content has been known to supress appetite and induce nausea.
I started potty training Amalie last Friday- August 8th. I started out by going to Wal-Mart and buying 9 pairs of panties (since I know we will be throwing away some!) and buying a HUGE bag of M&M's. (Amalie's favorite) I had been wanting to for awhile but Brad didn't want me to bribe her with candy. I asked him for other alternatives, but he couldn't think of any, so after a week or so, he relented. (I do the method my Mom used where everybody gets a treat when Amalie goes on the toilet- thus encouraging sibling help.)
I had heard that you shouldn't go back and forth between diapers and underwear, so I put the underwear straight on her and we started earning M&M's! She was great the first two days. No accidents at all, except for #2 (the icky kind). No problem, just toss those undies in the trash. (It's still cheaper than diapers! And I've only thrown out 3 in 6 days, not bad.)
I tried to make sure I did not FREAK out when she had an accident. That was one of my biggest problems with Noah- I lost my cool A LOT. (No wonder we battled it out so long.) The key word being TRY, I was stressed out when Amalie had an accident, then went on the toilet and then while I went to clean up, she pooped on the floor, and then stepped on it. EW! Amalie and I were both near tears.
But we got through it, and finally today, we had a mini-success. Amalie actually told me she needed to go on the toilet (#2) and we made it (mostly). But she TOLD ME! Big progress. Because she is so young, I don't expect her to tell me, I mostly remind her, and wait for her to decide, that seems to be the best way.
My expectations were so high with Noah in that I thought he should KNOW when he had to go to the bathroom and he should be the one to tell me, but it was a long while before that happened. Months, actually.
Anyway, on the third day of potty training, Amalie had about 3 or 4 accidents. I was starting to lose my cool, because she had been FINE with holding in Number 1. But she is back on track and doing great. She even will push out a tiny trickle if she wants an M&M bad enough.
She wet her bed every night except last night! I finally realized that I couldn't let her have her sippy cup all night long. Otherwise she just drinks . . .and drinks . . .and drinks.
Anyway, I am so excited that this time around is going so much smoother. Everyone says girls are easier to potty train- in my limited experience, I would have to agree. But I also admit that the controls are not the same, in that I am not as stressed out, my expectations are lower, and I am trying not to lose my cool. (It didn't help that I was pregnant with Amalie at the time, either.)
However, I do believe that physiologically, Amalie was ready much sooner than Noah. She seemed to have long periods of dry diapers at 18 months, whereas it wasn't until after two that happened with Noah. She woke up dry many times at 18 months, while it took Noah til after two to do that also.
I am so excited to have my little girl out of DIAPERS! I will be saving at least $20-30 a month! Woo-hoo! Now I can say "I don't do diapers." (Insert snooty tone of voice)