Happy to be Me

I finished a few more file folder games, this one is called "Heart Pattern Match Up" and J is pretty good at it.

I discovered this week that I am ready to be a Potty Trainer. I have the courage! For a few months now we have kept a container of candy on the counter in J's bathroom. He knows the rules, if he sits on the potty for 3 minutes he gets a piece of candy and if he goes #1 or #2 he can earn additional candy. Lately he has been getting 2 pieces of candy quite regularly and over the past couple of days I have noticed that he seems to have control over when he goes. This is one of the main reasons I suddenly have more courage. I also have noticed that he stays drier longer during the day and then gets wetter during long naps and at night- this leads me to believe that he is holding it and then when he is asleep it all comes out. I am tired of changing sheets every-time he wakes up in the morning or from naps in the afternoon. That tiredness lead to more courage. I decided to put him on the potty before he sleeps and last night he sat down and within a few seconds he began to pee! I praised him so much, he was smiling so big! This morning I went to him immediately when he called and put him on the potty and he went again- unfortunately he still needed his sheets changed. Can't win them all.

(Here is a picture of J with the "Tato Head" he built this morning)

So, to continue our story, J went potty at 6:30, he tried again at 7 more to get candy than out of a real need to go. I checked with him every half hour and he told me that he didn't need to go. I asked him to tell me if he needed to go, especially if it were #2, he told me he would, we practiced what he would say. At 8:45 he told me he wanted to take a bath (he had just given his "Baby Elephant" a pretend bath) and so I told him if he would sit on the potty while the tub filled up that he could take a bath. I was really happy because his diaper, the one he had been wearing for 2+hours was totally dry! I was hoping that he would go #2, he didn't. At 9 I put the baby down for his nap and then I heard J say "Uh-oh". I found him standing next to something brown and floaty in the tub. I told him that he didn't get any candy because he didn't go in the potty, he was sad. You win some, you lose some, right?

So here is the plan. We need a chart, some stickers and some pull ups and underpants.

I also need to get the books I requested from the Library- "Danny is done with Diapers" for J and "Potty Training Boys the Easy Way" for me. Then we change the candy disbursement. J will get a sticker to put on the chart if he sits on the potty, an extra sticker and a piece of candy if he goes #1. We will get pull ups! And if he goes #2 he gets to wear real underwear! YEAH!

So how long is this going to take? I hope that he is regularly wearing underwear by his 3rd birthday, which is in 2 months. Can we do it? I hope we can!