Potty Progress

About 2 weeks ago, we decided that Luke may never become interested in using the potty on his own and that we'd just have to make him do it. So I wrestled (literally!) him into a pull up and started putting him on the potty every 30 minutes or so. The first day we had nothing but accidents, but on the 2nd day he went for the first time in the potty. He was so proud! Since then we've practiced for a few hours every day. After the first 2 days with a lot of accidents we've mostly switched to big boy underwear during our practice time at home. (Pull-ups are too expensive for lots of accidents and they weren't good at helping Luke recognize his accidents.) When I'm consistent in taking him to the bathroom he'll go several times a day in the toilet. We usually only do a few hours a day because he has too many accidents to wear underwear at other people's houses or out while we're running errands, etc. And to be honest I can only deal with so many accidents and bathroom trouble each day.

The best way that I've found to keep him on the potty is to let him draw all over the toilet seat with bath crayons. He has to sit for quite a while before he goes, so sometimes I have to pop in and out of the bathroom. He's figured out all the fun, naughty things to do in there, so when I open the bathroom door he usually tries to push me out saying, "Help mama go bye." Some of the things he has done are:

1. Draw all over inside the toilet with his crayons. Note for anyone out there who wants to try the same thing: if you leave the crayon in the toilet for a few days IT WON'T EVER COME OFF.

2. Load up the toilet with toilet paper.

3. Throw his toothbrush in the toilet, fish it out, suck on it, repeat. When I caught that one I almost threw up. I threw away said toothbrush, scrubbed his hands and face with soap, and have since hidden the new toothbrush in the medicine cabinet.

4. Escape into his bedroom and hide all of his big boy underwear. Don't worry. I found it.

We deal with the trouble as it comes. No one can say he isn't creative!

And speaking of creative, potty training has inspired some pretty funny phrases. I was trying to teach Luke how to relax and pee. I told him to push on his tummy to help the pee pee come. I was trying to show him where the muscles are. Anyway, he started pushing really hard and looking down at his (you know). When nothing happened he looked back up at me and asked, "Is it broken?"

But we applaud his progress! Late last week he told me that he had to go potty for the first time. When I let him into the bathroom he got right onto the potty and went! I was so proud of him. Luke got 3 m&ms for that potty trip. Little Luke is becoming such a big boy.