Potty Training Update

Tim's Aunt Mary Ellen gave Collin an awesome potty training set with a book called The Potty Book for Boys and he's been reading it every night. The book talks about how Henry doesn't want to have a wet diaper keeping him from doing all of the fun big boy things he likes to do. We have another book that we've been reading for a good year now about going to the potty that has a button Collin likes to push and you hear the toilet flushing. Unfortunately, we've read that one so many times the flush isn't sounding so good anymore. The books seem to be really helping with potty training. Collin has been really good about going to the bathroom first thing in the morning after he gets up and before he goes to bed at night. Then he added in going right after he wakes up from his nap at daycare. Today when I picked him up his sitter told me he'd been dry all day long and used the potty 3 or 4 times! I was so proud of him. Of course, as soon as I got everyone strapped into the car and took off he announced that he had to pee again. I drove as fast as I could legally go to Grammy's because its much closer to daycare than our house but I was too late and Collin had a wet diaper. But he did have to go again by the time we got home and then again after his bath. Finally, as I was getting out of the shower I heard "Mommy, I'm gonna poop. I need to use the potty!" I threw on a robe and ran in to get him. He sat on the potty and for the first time he pooped! I was so proud of him and he was very proud of himself. We marched right downstairs to find Daddy and tell him what Collin had done. Daddy was very proud too and we made a big deal about it. I'm not sure what's going to happen tomorrow morning when Collin goes to the bathroom and discovers I'm out of both M&M's and fruit snacks so his only reward will be our praise. Now that he's starting to get pretty good at using the potty I don't think he needs M&M's every time he goes. Chocolate probably isn't the best way to start every day anyway (although.... it does sound pretty good to me-and he only gets a few M&M's). Potty training has gotten much easier since he decided he wanted to do it. I guess you really do just have to wait until they are ready and then be patient while it happens naturally. Since I stopped stressing about it, it's been much easier for all of us.