Potty Wars Part 2

It has been a month since I started this whole potty training ordeal and while I find it hard to keep up with on some days (I am trying to grow another human being after all) I feel confident that we are making progress everyday. As a whole Mason goes pee in the potty about 85-90% of the time. This of course is if I remember to prompt him at the right moment and we make it to the bathroom before it comes out. Hence why we are not always successful. It takes a lot of mental awareness to remember that one or two hours ago he sat on the potty last and how many cups of juice/milk he's had since then and are we anywhere near a bathroom. Sorry to say I haven't honed in my supermom skills yet and don't always remember the schedule. I don't blame Mason, I realize he just isn't at the stage of development yet where he can physically identify the need to pee and then verbally tell me before it happens. He is only 27 months after all. Though he has developed the keen sense of actually doing the deed;

"Mommy! I'm pooping."

"You're pooping?"

"Yeah. I'm pooping. Back here," shoves his butt in my direction. "You gonna check?"

And he can identify it once it has already happened;

"Piston cups gone," referring to the designs that disappear on pull-ups when wet.

Yes we are using pull-ups. And before you go into the spiel that pull-ups are worthless, just diapers in disguise because they absorb too well, I have to say that this is one reason I like them. That and they are put on and off like real underwear so he gets the practice of pulling them down and up by himself. Anyway, I like that they are still absorbent so when I miss the schedule I don't have a huge mess to clean up. Unlike others, I don't want to have to clean up accidents. I'm sure with training pants or underwear he might get the idea faster once he's had a few accidents but we didn't spend 6 months renovating this house, installing brand new carpet and hardwood floors to have Mason pee and poop all over the place. We invested way too much money to ruin it all. Not to mention, I clean enough stuff around this house as it is. I don't have a cleaning service, it's all moi! So to add cleaning up urine and poop stains and added laundry to the mix is just unneeded additional stress. Remember I am 6 months pregnant.

Besides I'm not in an extreme hurry to have Mason trained. I know it will take a while. So to all those of you saying, "I can't believe you are potty training already. 2 years old is kinda early isn't it? Boys are slower at this and take longer to train. I waited till mine was 3 years old and he was trained in a weekend." Good for you. Doesn't mean that it will work best for us. I know boys are slower which is why I have not put us on some unrealistic schedule. Maybe if I had waited until he was 3 it would all be done faster. But why put all that pressure on both of us when this whole process is already pressure filled enough? Mason had been showing increasing interest and was even begging to sit on the potty since this summer. I wanted to wait at least until all the chaos of moving, remodeling, and vacations were over. But once they were, I felt I couldn't put it off any longer, I was running out of excuses. What's the harm in doing it now? He enjoys using the potty like mommy and daddy and especially loves the gummy bears and m&ms he is rewarded with when successful. I like the lesson in patience it is teaching me to have with my son. His body will eventually catch up with his determination. We have come a long way already, making good progress in just a month. What we will be able to accomplish in nine more. He might not be out of diapers by the time the baby arrives, but I am sure he will by the time his third birthday does.