Potty time! Excellent!

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, 

LO was stalling and playing my spouse. 

When I in my pjs and the babe in my arms had just passed the bathroom, 

they sounded the alarm. 

Then what to my wondering eyes should appear, but LO on the potty? (DH gave a cheer!) 

Yep, Christmas eve we were running way behind schedule and LO had busted out a bunch of Santa talk that I hadn't seen coming.  My head was spinning a little trying to keep up with the new expectations surrounding that. (Cookies and milk? check! Stay asleep or he won't stop? check! What else did Mom used to say?) DH had promised we'd keep bath time quick and get him to bed. We'd kept NB up late too with all the new traditions and excitement we were unveiling (new pjs on Christmas Eve were supposed to make LO excited to get ready for bed...FAIL!).  I heard some mumbling about using the potty from DH who asks most evenings if LO wants to try so he won't pee in the tub. I scooted past the bathroom headed to nurse  NB and get him to bed.  As I did time. slowed. down.  What? There stood my big boy standing naked as a jay bird and there sat DH holding the insert to the potty so LO could pee in it.  Of course my guy wanted to stand like his Da and pee.  Of course he'd find a way to make us do all the work for him.  I gave quick praise, then proceeded on as planned.  I told LO that sometimes it's harder to pee with an audience and I didn't want to make it harder for him. DH managed to convince him that sitting was a good idea.  He could get tired standing and waiting for the big event.  (Let me say here that for us the "big event" was peeing in the potty, but LO might have just been waiting for the big man in the red suit at any cost.)  The good news is that both big events happened.  LO proudly announced that he had gone in the potty, and finally made it to bath and bed just an hour later than usual. 

Needless to say DH and I were excited, but one trip to the potty does not make a habit.  We didn't say a thing about using the potty all day on Christmas.  There was too much going on.  LO didn't ask, so we didn't push it.  In fact, that has been our MO all along.  I'm pretty sure other members of our extended family were more eager for LO to learn this skill than we were.  I had thought a little about what we'd do if we made it to next summer and he still hadn't shown interest (he has to be in undies to go to his next class up in school, and I'm thinking about letting him try a tumbling class which also requires he be trained), but otherwise I figured he'd do it when he was ready.  That's easier to have confidence in now that he has turned the corner.

Thomas the "potty train" gets moved down the tracks as a reward.  One track for dry undies, one track for pee or poo in potty. When he reaches the end, LO gets to choose from the treat bag of toys and stickers.

Anyway, we kept him in diapers for the three days that followed.  He asked to use the potty some and we let him.  Sometimes he'd use the potty just enough to "move Thomas" or get a reward, then announce that he was peeing as soon as I put his diaper back one. He was with Nanny K for two days and he tried once for her.  Friday night DH and I decided we'd put him in undies the next day.  LO was out of school until January 3rd and if he was going to be serious about using the potty, we needed to help him have some practice before then.  I fully expected us to be cleaning up the floors a lot that Saturday, but boy was I wrong!  DH and LO went to the pool for a couple of hours (where I'm sure some pottying happened, sorry swimmers!), but otherwise LO was in undies and kept them dry all day!  DH and I were thrilled. In fact, he has been in undies all day every day since and has not had one accident yet.  We are letting him choose to sleep in undies or pull-ups, but he has kept both dry for naps on most days and even kept a pull-up dry overnight once.  On New Year's eve we went on a play date to Sam's house and took our potty with us.  There was a lot going on there with five boys and three mamas, but LO kept his undies dry and even had his first BM in the potty there.  His friend gave him a big hug and cheered for him. 

Here let's pause for a little truth in blog-posting.  I am writing this January 2nd, but not planning to post until January 5th.  We don't count any behavior as an official trend around here until it has been consistent for at least a week.  We are only five days into wearing undies full time, but I am so pleased with how well LO has done that I have the confidence to write ahead.  Tomorrow he goes back to school and I plan to send him in training undies.  I have every confidence that he'll keep them dry at school as he has at home, in the car, and at his friend's house. I'll finish this post with those details when I know them.

So we've now made it a week in undies with NO accidents!  I sent LO to school in training undies and DH and I anxiously awaited a text from Kate about how his day went.  He exceeded our expectations!  I knew they had miniature real toilets at school, but didn't realize they have urinals.  Apparently LO was very interested in using the urinal.  The first two times he didn't get his undies down enough so they were a little wet from splashing.  After that, he used the urinal every time (six times in the four hours he was there!) and loved it!  When he got home I asked if he liked peeing standing up.  "Yes" he said, then added "do you like to pee-pee standing up mama?"  I actually think he might look forward to school next week just so he can use the urinal again.  Also Nanny K took the boys to the indoor playground at the mall yesterday.  LO told her he needed to go potty and they made it all the way to a nearby store for him to go.  She was so impressed by that and by his urinal usage there. I am so impressed both by my big boy's skills and by my Nanny's willingness to take a potty- learning toddler and baby to the mall!

Needless to say we are well on our way.  I think there's a good chance we'll have naps in undies within the next week.  Not sure when DH and I will be brave enough to make the leap to undies at night, but I hope it will be soon.  Thanks to friends and family who have participated in random (and sometimes early) potty calls.  Your encouragement has been very helpful.

(By the way, if you got the movie reference in the title, you might be almost forty!)