Potty Adventure!

Last weekend Jack sat on the potty twice (because he asked to) and each time he waited for an hour or so (I know, he's a determined little kid) before he tinkled. It was pretty exciting for me to have him pee on the potty and he seemed to really love it too! With this interest in mind, I decided that it was time to potty train Jack. I've been wanting him to be potty trained for a long time (what mother doesn't?), but I didn't want to force him and turn it into a hugely horrible experience for both of us. With baby #3 on his way I really wanted to get Jack potty trained before #3's arrival. Three in diapers just seems like too much.

So, I decided that Tuesday would be the big day. We pulled out his SpongeBob underwear. He was happy about wearing those and he really was happy that he didn't have to wear a diaper. I set my phone alarm to sound every 30 minutes. We sat on the potty a lot that day. By the end of the morning we were 1 for 6. I was running out of clean underwear. It was easy to want to quit, but I got some encouragement from Michael and continued on. That afternoon went more smoothly and when bedtime came, I was relieved to put him in a diaper for bed. I could finally relax.

Day #2 started out with a lot of poopy pants. But after naptime, Jack was clean the rest of the day! I was beginning to see hope. I think I owe it all to fruit snacks. I had been using M&Ms which he seemed to enjoy, but once I pulled out the fruit snacks he wanted to go potty CONSTANTLY. Seriously, I was watching a 40ish minute t.v. show with Michael and Jack probably peed six times during that episode! As soon as he'd finished his fruit snack, he was ready to go sit on the potty again. It was a little annoying, but I was just glad that I didn't have to clean up accidents. Day #3 I actually ventured out of the house. I was nervous, but it turned out fine. It was really good for all of us to get out of the house and see some friends. We went into a public restroom and I tried to get Jack to use the toilet, but he freaked out at that idea. We made it home accident-free anyway, thankfully. The only accidents that day were poopy ones, Jack had figured out peeing on the potty! Day #4 (yesterday) we saw progress again! Jack pooped on the potty...and he initiated going in the bathroom and everything! It made my whole week! We aren't in the clear yet, there are still some obstacles to overcome and learning to be done, but I have high hopes that my little Jack will be potty trained in the near future. And now for your entertainment, you get to see a little video clip of Jack's celebratory potty dance which I've seen quite a bit of lately: