I’m sort of afraid to post this because I might jinx it… but
I can’t keep it in any longer – I think we made a breakthrough on the potty
front!!  After quite a few days of urine
soaked pants, one after the other, spending WAY too much time in the bathroom
hoping to catch an inadvertent drip or two to bolster confidence about this
whole potty training business, and more than a few frayed nerves… something
clicked. I think it was a combination of
Chance figuring out when exactly he had to pee (step 1) and knowing how to hold
his bladder (step 2). Hey, you try
wearing a diaper for 2+ years… you won’t notice when you’re going either.

Anyway, Tuesday Chance managed to whiz a few times out of
the many, many trips we’d taken to visit the potty. We’d been “potty training” (if you could call
it that) since the previous Thursday. I know no one goes to college in pull-ups
but you sort of start to freak out anyway.  I just wanted him to make it a couple of
times in the pot, even by accidental pissing, so he would start to “get it”,
you know?  (Don’t laugh but one time
previous to Tuesday I’d actually even tried sticking his hand in warm water in
hopes it would make him pee. (It didn’t
work, but he found it quite amusing.))

Wednesday – almost all day successful tinkling in the pot
when I took him in.  I think there was a
turning point when, at one point, he started to go on the floor and he shut
that valve off and walked to the potty instead! Yeah, baby!  However, I did/do
have to remind him to go.  He wouldn’t
tell me when he had to pee.

Thursday – first day back at preschool and no
accidents! And then best of all, the
last two potty trips of the day… he actually told me he had to pee. (Step
three!)

*sniff* I’m so proud!

Prizes, man. That is
key. And, of course, much discourse on
how cool it is to be a “big boy”.  And screaming excitedly (that one is
always a plus for our kid). But the
prizes went over big. I know this sounds
excessive but every time Chance made it in the potty he got five M&Ms, a
sticker to place on an ultra-cool “Cars” poster (conveniently
placed where he could stare at it while on the john), and a prize of his
choice. The prizes were mini Play-doh
tubs, stickers, stamps, left over Halloween toys, whatever. (Play-doh is huge. I’ve got to restock.) I think the coolest thing to him was the
aspect of choice. I put all the prizes
on a shelf and he could check them out and pick whatever he wanted each
time. I knew it was working when I could
see his little brain planning the order of toys he was going to pick out ahead
of time. That’s planned pissing, my
friends! You can’t do that without being
potty trained!

Of course, he hasn’t eaten much over the last couple of days
except for M&Ms and juice… but well worth the hyperactivity!  Bravo, little man! Bravo!

Pooping, on the other hand, is another matter. We still have some muddy pants around here. I figure that’s the step four hurdle.

I know it’s not over yet but I’m very relieved. And even though everyone is totally sick of
diaper stories, I had to share… just a little.  (I promise I won’t give you a play-by-play of the poop progress.)

– wg