Potty Party

All you people who hate when moms talk and write about this sort of thing on their blogs/facebook/in public can stop reading, but this is my blog and my way of keeping memories and recording what happens in our life- so I'm writing it.

Don't worry, there is nothing graphic or gross.  Nathan will not be embarrassed by this in 20 years- promise :)

Potty training with Nathan has been something that we've talked about for a long time.  Over the past 2 years with Nathan's IBD on bad days we were going through 8-10 diapers (or more on really bad days) with just Nathan alone, so with Abby we were spending way too much money every month on diapers.

We got him a little potty a while ago and never pushed the issue, just had it sitting around. He would use it occasionally but only when he wanted to.  A few months ago he became really interested in using it and we should have jumped at the opportunity, but I think it was really a blessing that we didn't.  He was on some medication for his IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) that was really helping- not making things perfect just making it better.  Anyways, I didn't do it, just too lazy I guess. Later the medicine stopped working so well, and we went through a phase where if he had been potty trained or if we had tried to potty train it would have been disastrous.  Phew.

But things have gotten a bit better so I thought that we should probably potty train him last month before he turned 3, but life got in the way; then this weekend I decided to bite the bullet.  Conference weekend is a great time to potty train- we were already stuck at home for 2 days anyways! Unfortunately I didn't think of this till Saturday night, so after the priesthood session Chris picked up some big boy underwear and I thought we'd talk about it with Nathan on Sunday.  Abby had a bad night so I ended up sleeping on the couch with the new underwear next to me on the floor.  I was going to do something fun and exciting for him, maybe have him open a present with the underwear in it? I dunno, something cool.  But he came out of his room and woke me up saying,
"Mom, what's this?"
"It's big boy underwear Nathan"
"Yay!"
And we haven't looked back since.

Sunday we had a total of 4 small accidents.  All of them occurred when he was doing something else (right before we went on a walk, playing outside...) and was distracted. Not bad for a first day I think.  He was really excited and liked it. I made a sticker chart and he enjoyed putting his stickers on and getting his treat ( 3 chocolate chips for #1 and 5 for #2).  I'm not ready to do the whole make it through the night/nap time in underwear so he is still wearing a diaper to bed, but that will come, soon.  I know everyone has their opinion about pull-ups, completely taking the diaper away....oh well- this is how we're doing it- whatever works.

Pretty sure there's not much cuter then Nathan in little boy underwear! 

Monday was kind of a weird day- not how I had planned on Sunday.  I ended up having to go to a funeral in the morning but Nathan was definitely not ready to do that.  So thankfully a friend volunteered to babysit so I could go.  He went right before we left for her house and made it there with no problems.  She made sure Nathan went to the bathroom and while he was there he had no accidents! I was so proud of him! I think his favorite part was using the potty at the same time as his friend (Dawson on the big toilet and Nathan on the little potty...so cute!) He then went right before we left and we made it back home without any incidents.  In fact, Monday he only had 2 accidents total.  Both in the morning before 9:00, and one of them was only a tiny accident as he was on his way to the potty.  Other then that the rest of the day went really well.
So thanks Jillian for watching Nathan and Abby- it seriously takes a good person to volunteer to babysit a kid who just started potty training the day before!

Tuesday was mostly awesome.  He did his own thing (we still kept a low profile, no outings planned) and staying on top of it.  No accidents to report! Wahoo! Our only problem is that he was a bit constipated...not usual for him.  So after some help in that department he finally went (with lots of tears and crying...poor kid!).

We're at the point already that I don't really need to remind him to go. He just lets me know when he needs to go.  I know some people do the whole set the timer, ask every so many minutes, which I thought about doing on Sunday morning, but he's doing so well I just bring it up occasionally when he hasn't gone in a while, but other then that he just tells me when he needs to go and then he goes.  Pretty sweet.

Today we're going out for the first time- it's the playgroup's Easter egg hunt.  Then tomorrow he has preschool, and we have parties Thusday, Friday, and Saturday to go to!...I'm a bit nervous how being out and about, not at home, and distracted will affect him, but we've got to do it sometime- the kids (and I!) are going crazy cooped up here at home! Here's hoping the rest of this week doesn't drive me crazy with pee everywhere!

I know we're going to have accidents in public and that for a while things won't be fun as we run to find bathrooms in every place we go.  And I am sooo not looking forward to car trips, but I know that in the end it will be worth it.  Right now we're just so grateful that his body is working well enough to allow him to do this.  And we're pretty excited to not have 3 kids in diapers :)