Potty Talk

... potty trained!?!?

Here is our synopsis thus far:

Day 1: started with the method of putting in underwear (big to-do of throwing away diapers), watching like a hawk, sprinting to the bathroom every time you saw him start/need to go, telling him to "tell mommy when you need to go potty" and "stay clean and dry. are you dry?" constantly. Eh, disaster? He wasn't caring when he had an accident (would just want to keep playing) and FLIPPED out when I would run him to the bathroom or tell him we needed to change underwear bc his were wet. I was being really calm and nonchalant about it but he was not calm at all. It was really, really bizarre to me because we had had success with the toilet before - he had used it and had a good attitude with it, etc. Where was this anxious, stressed attitude coming from??? Nap time came and went and after nap he woke up in the same mood. I was 2 seconds from calling it off and just trying again another day, but was trying to tell myself to just wait. At 4:15 (man, from 8:30 A-4:15P felt like THE LONGEST DAY EVER), I saw my little lady bug timer in the basement and had inspiration: use the timer to "tell" him to go try to go (no more trying to catch him in the act). Alas, from 4:15-8P we went potty about every 15 mins (ha! I figured we'd start short!) thanks to the lady bug's instructions and made it to bedtime without any more accidents... or tantrums.

Day 2: Lady Bug continued her presence - although I gradually extended the time from 20 minutes and up over the course of the day. He had a tiny accident mid-day and a pretty good one late afternoon as I was pushing the length between bathroom visits (whoops!). It was a very successful, low-stress day!

Day 3: Only one tiny accident and I phased the lady bug out completely by mid afternoon. I continued to tell him to go try every so often, but just by how long it felt like it had been.

Day 4: No accidents and he even told ME he needed to go once! (my biggest concern has been when he would be the one deciding to go to the potty....).

Day 5: No accidents again!

Day 6: No accidents!

I am still prompting him to go (when waking, before napping, during play, etc) but he is also occasionally telling me he needs to go. We've managed to run an errand once, go to dinner once, and go to our 3-hour block of church accident free.

I AM SO EXCITED! And SO PROUD of him!

He has been spoiled with (mostly dollar store) presents, lots of stickers, and M&Ms. I think he now expects everyone coming over to bring him some kind of a present. :-p One day this week I asked him if he wanted to call my Dad to tell him he had used the potty (reinforce, reinforce) and when he called he says, "Pop Pop, I peepee in the potty! You bring me present?" LOL He told him he'd give him some corn from the garden :)

Somebody pinch me. I really thought this was going to be dreadful, but it has gone so smooth overall! Sure hope this continues!

Way to go Mase!