Potty Training - Day 4

In some ways, today was much better... in some ways, it was much worse. I think I'm more stressed out about potty training when Vince is in regular underwear (as he was for the whole morning, until lunch) than when he is in pull-ups (as he was practically from lunch time until bed time). He actually stayed dry the whole morning (except once, I think) and then right when Russ got home for lunch, Vince had another accident. 

Getting him to sit on the potty willingly was still an ordeal for most of the day. Finally, just before Russ got home, he started sitting on the potty willingly, and mostly by himself. He kept that up for most of the rest of the evening. He went through about four pull-ups, and while I'm sure him peeing in the pull-up isn't going to be particularily productive, I'm more worried about him willingly sitting on the potty. You win some, you lose some. Right now, I want to win the sitting-on-the-potty war more than I want to win the getting-him-to-ask-to-go-to-the-potty war.

As soon as we start the day with him being willing to sit on the potty, I will graduate him to normal underwear for the whole day (maybe... I might take that back... I just need a break some times - in a pull-up, I can read for a good 15 minutes before I have to put him on the potty again, and he usually stays dry between then). I have a Dr's appt in the morning, so that will kind of thwart our potty training for the day. I'm going to try to get up and get ready for the day before Vince is awake, so as soon as he wakes up, we can do potty training right up until we have to leave for the Dr's office. We should get a good hour and a half in. And then we'll spend most of the afternoon (until he naps) potty training in regular underwear, then after nap, do the pull-up routine again. I would put a pull up on him for our trip to the Dr's office, but I don't think he's ready to try out a big potty, and I don't have one of those convenient fold up potty seat things. 

He did say once to me this evening (around 7pm) "Mamãe, I pee pee in pants." While that's not exactly what I'm waiting for him to say, the fact that he informed me at all about his bodily functions is a HUGE step forward for us. We just change his pull-up and have him try to pee on the potty after a pull-up "accident". 

So, despite being very discouraged this morning (around lunch time... he didn't seem to be improving at all), by the time the evening rolled around, I was much more encouraged. I really think it has something to do with him wearing a pull-up instead of underwear. When he's in underwear, I'm all high strung, and watching him really closely to make sure he doesn't pee all over the house. If he's in a pull-up, I just let him do his thing, asking him every now and then if he needs to go potty, and making him sit on the potty every 30 minutes (or when I see him dancing around).

Oh yeah, that's the other step we've made - I think he's starting to better understand his bladder control, because he's started doing funny things when he needs to pee, like walking like a penguin, and the best one - lifting his leg (like a dog). Both are really hilarious, and I'm glad that he now makes some kind of sign that he needs to pee. I really think he's starting to understand the potty thing. It makes me feel like he will get it down before Little Sister comes. 

There is hope... and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And I am wearing out my poor pregnant body. I'm starting to regret having started potty training at 7 1/2 months pregnant, but we've made too much progress for me to feel good about stopping now. Heh, so as long as potty training doesn't put me into pre-term labor, he'll be potty trained before I have this baby!

I can't wait.