It's a Miracle!

It has actually been an eventful last few weeks, in a way. I just haven't felt like sitting down to blog about it for some reason, but now it is time.

It is official folks.

After almost two years of battling the potty, we are FINALLY pull-up FREE! Woo-Hoo! I am seriously so excited there are no words to describe it. Logan has been working on potty training since he turned 2. Last summer, when we drove out to Utah he was actually very close to being completely trained. We did keep him in pull-ups still, but he managed to stay dry in between pit stops on the drive. We never had to make any special stops for him either. Of course we let our attention to the subject slip when visiting family, due to the many distractions and lack of our regular daily routine. Here we are, almost a year later, and about 1 month until the little dude turns 4 and we have reached a potty training success! Hallelujah!

Our most serious concern was the #2 part of potty business. Logan would not go in the potty for anything. He was fine to go #1 in the potty, but the other was a different story. After consulting with several fellow mothers in the matter, one solution to try was to put Logan in a cold shower/bath if he messed his pants. I decided I was tired of buying and changing pull-ups, so we went pull-up free except at bedtime, and I had about 2 weeks of poop everywhere, all day. I have never done so much laundry, and I don't think Logan has ever been so clean from all the showers!I did feel pretty awful making him have a cold shower and hearing him scream about it.I was really wondering if this method was doing any good, or just making the matter worse. We had a week where I think he was so afraid of getting a cold shower, that he held it in. Of course this caused serious problems, and it was a pretty rough week. I felt like we were in the bathroom all the time.The one good thing about this was that he actually started telling me he had to go, and wanted to sit on the potty! So, I guess it had to get worse before it got better. After his little system got cleaned out, and he figured out it really isn't so bad after all to go on the potty, he has been going on his own, with no help or coaxing from us!I am so happy with my little buddy, and very proud of him for finally trying to be grown up.

We had been telling Logan for a long time that if he went in the potty, he would get a prize. He wanted a "bouncy ball". You know those balls with the handle that you sit on and bounce around on? That's what he calls them. So I bought one, and kept it upstairs in the closet to persuade him to go. It didn't work. He knew he would get it if he went, but he still never went. I think I have had that bouncy ball since August!So of course, during our rough week, when he went on the potty for the first time, I got him his long awaited bouncy ball...hoping that would encourage him to keep going. I would take it away if he chose not to go in the potty, and then give it back when he did go. I really only had to take it away about twice I think.



When we were finally pull-up free, and sleeping in big boy underwear and going on the potty all the time, we decided to take Logan to Toys R Us and let him choose his "potty prize".It was really funny. We wandered around the store and looked at all the options. He got excitd about a few things, so we put them in the cart so he could have a few things to choose from. The very first thing he saw and got excited about was a stuffed, animated Pablo from the Backyardigans. He went right up to it and grabbed the box and said "Oh, here it is! I'll take it!" Ha ha! It was funny! Then daddy came and started showing him different options, so he changed his mind. In the end, he had it narrowed down to a set of musical instruments (a tambourine, triangle, and two shaker things with bells), and a magician's costume. After much deliberation, he chose the magician's costume. Funny, huh? But ok! If that's what you want! We told him he could put the instruments on his birthday list.




We have only had to take away the ball AND magician's costume once, otherwise he has been accident free for a week! Woo-Hoo! It's about darn time!We are so proud of our big boy! Happy Day!

So, the lesson I have learned from potty training our first child is this: I will NOT go the pull-up route the next time around. Avery is going straight from diapers to underpants and she will like it! Ha ha! I will let you know how that idea goes in about a year or so!

Speaking of Avery...she is really starting to work on walking! She should be walking on her own fairly soon!I am going to say in about a month she will be walking by herself. That's my guess. We'll see how that goes too! Logan was 14 months when he started walking, and Avery is almost 14 1/2 months old right now. She has been pretty close with Logan on other milestones...like crawling and first teeth too, so I am sure it will be any day now! I can't believe how fast she has grown!