PT Day 10 recap

Hooray! Just over 1 week and E is (mostly) potty trained! The most amazing part is, we are still using a diaper for naps and at night but they've been dry for the last 3 days - he night-trained himself! 

I say mostly because he seems to still be having a little trouble determining when he has to go #2. He waits just 10 seconds too long and then, well, it's 10 seconds too late. And his favorite place to do this is at day-care (church, gym) where the caregivers are not able to devote their full attention to Mr E. 

All in all, though, we are just astonished with how well our 20-month-old guy (yesterday was 20 months!) has figured all this out. He either tells us he has to go or walks right to the bathroom himself, then waits while we help with his clothes. He loves flushing and especially loves the high-five he gets from mom and dad. Such a cool kid. 

PT recap, day 3

* huge disclaimer - this is not a fun or particularly entertaining post. If you do not want to read about pee and poop then please jump right past all the potty training posts - it's just a poop diary of sorts. *

 

The primary recap is, we have one amazing kid.

 

On day 2, he had almost no accidents. No, we're not potty trained by any stretch of the imagination, but he figured out that he's not supposed to pee on the floor. Problem is, he really doesn't like peeing in the potty, so he holds his pee till nap time or outside time. He likes to sit on the potty but not to empty his bladder into the potty - that just makes him cry.

 

On day 3, he started really showing off his pee-pee dance. But even more amazing, when he has to pee he usually walks into the bathroom himself - we just have to get there in time to assist him on sitting on the potty or there's a lot of pee on the floor. Tonight, I learned the pee-pee dance's significance about a minute too late - he shuffled around then walked over to the couch and let loose. We got a little into the potty and he was very proud to pour it into the toilet and flush. Yay!

 

Day 3 is Monday, and I had to go to work, so Daddy was in charge. They both did a wonderful job and had some really great bonding time! There were many books to be read, over and over and over. Much of the day E wore clothes but went commando. In the evening he was bottom-less.

 

 

He had some tiny poops which didn't quite make it to the toilet but were definitely on their way. I think it was a timing issue and I don't think it's going to keep happening.

 

So that is the story of the pee and poop so far. I think we're really making progress. I think the main obstacle (which is also a strength) is the fierce independence of our little guy. He does not want to be placed on the potty, he does not want to be told what to do. He will do it himself. If he needs help, he will ask for it. Problem is, he does not always realize he needs help, so sometimes he gets very frustrated that we are providing it.

 

Day 4 will be another adventure, sure to contain some joy, some pain, and much wine consumption. To Tuesday!

Day One recap

Actually, Day 1 1/2. We told E earlier this week that we were taking the diaper off on Saturday. Friday evening when I came home from work, I mentioned it to him and he immediately began pulling off his clothes. He was soon stark naked, so I felt that was a good sign it was time to begin.

News flash: potty training is hard. I'm exhausted. So is E - he went to sleep almost an hour earlier than usual (which works out quite well, since we lose an hour to Daylight Savings tonight). It's hard and it's frustrating and it's a huge strain. BUT E did so very well. Spending an uninterrupted day with him, without TV, without iPad, without clothing (for him at least) was such an excellent experience. I learned his pee habits - every hour or so, he has 4-5 little pees followed by 1 gusher. By later in the day, he was consolidating his pees more, so if I could get him to the potty by the second pee he would let loose and have nothing left. I also learned how much he loves cars, particularly driving them on my head. He also loves pushing my hair in front of my face, reading the same book five thousand times in a row (and there were 4 or 5 of these books - I'm a bit hoarse), walking in circles around the hot tub, and pouring cold pool water over his legs while outside naked in 60-degree weather.

We explored the backyard, where we studied a worm, some ants (watch out - they bite!), and several doodle bugs. We played follow the leader around the couch, cuddled a lot, and did a lot of peeing on the floor. He's getting it, though, In terms of the guide we're using, he's gone from Clueless to I peed (still has I'm peeing and I have to pee to go). I only wanted to give up maybe 50 times. I didn't give up yet (though I do have a healthy dread of tomorrow). Tomorrow we're keeping him naked again. Good news is, he loves being naked.

Oh, and he poo'd in the potty. Which was amazing. If you're into that sort of thing. It turns out I now am.