Potty training. Those two words can cause so much anxiety for parents of toddlers.

My husband and I have been working with our 2-year-old daughter since the beginning of the year and we still have a LONG way to go.

Emma is a very smart little girl and a part of me thought in the beginning, "This should be easy. We'll sit her down on the potty, she'll get it right away and we'll be sporting panties in no time."

Not so much.

In addition to being a "very smart little girl," Emma also is a very stubborn little girl and a very independent little girl. (I've been told by my mom a time or two that she may have gotten that from me.)

When it would come time to sit on the potty, she'd refuse. She would kick and scream and stomp her feet and that was pretty much the end of the story. So I decided she may not be ready and we scaled down the mission a bit. We'd put her on in the morning when she woke up and again when she got up from her nap; and I'd ask her if she needed to use the potty throughout the day ... and we left it at that.

But in the last two weeks a miracle has occurred. No, she's not even close to wearing the cute little Elmo panties that we bought, but she will now at least try to use the potty a few times during the day (and several times at day care), and if she has to go, she goes right away.

I picked her up at day care last Friday and she had gone three times (and once in the morning at home and once more before she went to bed). There was clapping and cheering and lots of puppy and kitty stickers being hung on her "potty poster." I think I also may have offered to buy her a house. And, yes, I did a potty dance.

We still have a LONG, LONG way to go, but I'll continue to rejoice with each accomplishment.

I know there are a lot of parents out there who have survived the potty-training battle. Please share with me and other parents who may be facing the same challenge what worked best for you (and what may not have worked so well).

Thank you in advance!!!