Three Days and Counting

Well, Sinatra has finally arrived: number four is potty trained! Can you see me doing a happy dance!?!!! Congratulate me!!! What a perfect Christmas present. Merry Christmas to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Believe me, it deserves that many exclamation points. Three days, no accidents. Hark, me thinks I hear angels singing. What relief (pun completely intended).

Poo-poo Party!

Well, this post is a repeat. Yep. He did it in the potty then followed up in his pants. The only thing that isn't repeated is that we were quicker with the party. We lit a candle on the week old cake and sang a song and he blew out the candle. Yes, I actually let the kids eat the dry thing--not the candle, the cake. Don't judge me: there wasn't mold or anything. He also got to choose a prize--an Elmo stamp. He stamped all of our hands, the table, a piece of paper, the neighbor, and Lord knows what else.



We're gettin' there. At least he's telling me some of the time. He has stayed dry for three days. Maybe they have a 12 step program for toddlers.

Poo-poo Party...

This week I joined Facebook. If you visited me there in the last day you already know the punchline to this update. For the rest of you...

We've been potty training Sinatra for five months now. He has finally reached the point that he will pee in the toilet every time, but number two has been a different story. We've encouraged, rewarded, cajoled, bribed and downright begged the little booger, but nothin' doing.

I've promised him all sorts of things: a toy school bus, bubble gum, a ride on a golf cart at the campus, and even a toy gator to ride around the yard. But the thing that he really attached to was something that I did not really mean to offer. One day as he sat there trying I sarcastically commented, "We're going to have a party when you poo-poo in the potty, Bud." Yep, he wants a party.

He has been in big boy underwear for two weeks now and has made messes once a day faithfully. But yesterday we had a breakthrough. He finally did it! After running to the toilet off and on for a few hours he made a tiny deposit. We put him to bed and 10 min. later he made another tiny contribution to the world of the toilet trained. Then he fell asleep. At 12:30 AM the kid came into our room and woke me up so he could finish his business. I've never been happier to be awakened in the night. He immediately looked up at me with a beaming face and asked, "I get party now, Mom?" It was with much difficulty that I got him back to bed. He had his heart set on a candle on the top of a cake.

This morning we baked a cake and iced and decorated it. We let him pick a place to eat--McDonalds. We went there for lunch, planning to come home and celebrate. Guess what he did at McDonalds. Pooped his pants. The poo-poo party was postponed.

We went to Target this evening and raided the dollar aisle for prizes. Every time he goes he gets to pick one. I pray he does it tomorrow so we can celebrate with cake and presents!

To Potty or Not to Potty?

That is the question.

And the answer seems to be a resounding, "NO!"

Jon is gone with the big kids to Alabama for the weekend, helping some friends move to NC. Since Popcorn is as good as absent if I let him play video games, I thought I would take advantage of the one-on-one time with Sinatra.

It took 20 min. to cajole him into his training underwear--bad start. Then he was happy to slug down two cups of Gatorade and a cup of apple juice. Then...the refusal: no sitting on the potty: doesn't want to, won't do it, not for candy, not for juice, not for a story book, just not.

Finally, I put him back in his baby diaper. He threw a fit. He's in between worlds at the moment. Baby/big boy. He's naked from the waist down and still refuses to sit on the potty.

Pray for me and send lots of dark chocolate!

I'll update later.

***Update***
He peed on his brother who was sitting in the direct path then agreed to put on a baby diaper. I guess it just wasn't time. We'll try again before the new baby comes.