Potty Wars Part 4

Day one

Knowing that there would be accidents and messes to clean up I headed to Walmart the day before to buy the cheapest pairs of under ware I could find. Because if I had to throw them away it wouldn't matter. They were so cheap. This first day didn't go so well. The nastiest poop in his pants and pee on the carpet. There was accident after accident, mess after mess for me to clean up and load after load of laundry to do. I knew it was the first day so I tried not to get so down but I wasn't feeling hopeful.

Day two

A repeat of the previous day. More accidents, more messes. Even with setting the kitchen timer for 30 minute intervals. Having him sit on the potty. Hoping he'd get the concept. We practice and have to pee throughout the day not just once. We even re-instituted the reward of M&M's for peeing in the potty. Still It didn't seem to be working. But we kept with it.

Day three

We had to venture out of the house for soccer class and I was terrified but armed with a zip lock bag consisting of two pairs of pants, three pairs of under ware and one shirt. Determined that I was going to get this right somehow. Grabbed the timeout timer and put it in my sweat shirt before we headed out the door. But we didn't make it that far. Just before leaving Mason grabs himself and looks at me, eyes wide. "Do you have to pee pee?" I asked. And he stood there looking right into my eyes and lied to me. "No," he said while standing in the living room and peeing his pants. Ugh! Though we managed to get through our outing without an accident. The rest of the day was the same as before. When asked he says he doesn't care that his pants are wet or poopy and it shows in his attitude. Accident occurs, he just changes his under ware and continues on as if nothing happened. Meanwhile I'm left confused and frustrated. Unsure if he really doesn't understand the feeling of having to pee or if he does and is doing this to be defiant because he knows it gets our attention. Either way it's upsetting because how do you teach that feeling?

Day four

After three days we finally saw a glimmer of success today. Mason had a small accident this morning but managed to stay dry and clean the rest of the day. He even informed us three times that had to go potty. He even kept his pants dry during his nap. ALL THREE HOURS OF IT. It was a very exciting, proud day for all of us. Hope it can continue.

Day five

He spent the day with my Mom because it was Grandma Sunday. Despite the tiny accident he had at Wegmans, she said Mason stayed dry the whole day. Yes! Another success. She even said he told her he had to poops in the potty. And this is where I stop and think to myself. I can't believe I just wrote an entire blog about pee and poop. But this is what our lives become as parents. Conversations no longer consist of the office, motorcycle rides and out all night parties; but of timeout techniques, poop and all night feedings.

Day six

We are hitting the end of the crucial cold turkey week in this new potty training adventure. What a success today. Kept his pants dry all day. NOT ONE ACCIDENT. Even headed to the bathroom on his own. He finally gets it, I think. He gets the feeling and he goes. No waiting for mommy to tell him, no waiting for the timer to go off to sit on the potty. You get the urge, you go. And it's not just pee. It's poop as well. He is telling us each and every time. And getting his M&M's of course.

Day seven

No accidents again today. HALLELUJAH! I feel much more confident that he will be fully potty trained in time for preschool. It might be in part due to us calming down about his accidents and making a big deal about his successes. Or maybe it was the M&M's and the Disney character under pants I caved in and let him wear.

Whatever it was, he is growing up. And I am so incredibly proud of him. And I have to say that each and every time I look at him in those big boy pants I can't believe how much older he looks.

No longer my baby boy. Becoming my little man.