Tales from the Potty

The timer on the microwave goes off - BEEP BEEP BEEP - signaling the end of a 60 minute countdown. "Abby and Ethan, time to go potty!" I call out cheerfully, hoping my children will not see through my smile to the dread of yet another session in the claustrophobic half-bath that is the stage for our new activity. Ethan's face lights up - "potty, too!" He runs full-force to the bathroom, anxious to beat Abby there. Abby herself has no desire to do anything on Mommy's terms... she leisurely strolls to the bathroom, stopping to put together some legos, pet the dog, run a lap around the living room, and grab her stuffed cat before meandering in. I help Ethan take off his pants and Pull-up diaper so he can try to "go." Abby has already stripped down and plunks herself on her "lellow" potty (which is teal with a yellow lid). Two seconds later, she jumps up and checks the bowl. There is a satisfying yellow puddle. "Alright!" she exclaims, jumping up and down. "High Five!" And she runs over to give me a high five after slapping Ethan some skin. Ethan sits determinedly, with full concentration on his face. "Push out the peepee with your tummy," I clumsily explain. He grunts and his face turns red. A burst of noise escapes. "Gas!" he cries. "Yes, honey, you tooted." He stands up to check the potty - nothing. "I's OK, Ethan," Abby consoles in her motherly voice. "Good try." Ethan sighs and sits back down. A minute later, he stands again. "I DEED IT!" he exclaims. And he has, indeed, done it.

"Great Job!" I say, gathering up two pairs of pants. "Candy," Ethan reminds me, and I retrieve the bowl of conversation hearts that have recently been our reward (two hearts for a poop, one for a pee). They're Pull-Ups are not soiled, so we put their "Buzz Lightyear" Pull-Ups back on, Abby's favorite part. "Abby's 'Lights!" she proudly announces. And so we wait another 60 minutes to do it all over again.

Abby in her 'Lights.

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The kids are not 100% potty trained yet, but we are well on our way. Abby is very close to being "on her own" as far as the potty goes - she tells us when she needs to go *most of the time* and can do the whole process by herself. Ethan still needs the timer to remind him, but just recently has made big strides in noticing when he has to go. He asked to go 3 times in one hour this morning, and actually produced results each time. We are working hard at getting Ethan to take off his own clothes without help, which will be a huge help in the process. Currently, if you don't catch him right away, he will go into the bathroom, sit on the potty and "go" - without taking off his clothes. Close, buddy, but not exactly what we're looking for! ;)

Ethan is adorable in underwear. He prefers his Buzz Lightyears, though. Sigh.

I will keep you posted on the progress we are making - we have already had one day last week where both Abby and Ethan were "accident-free" during their waking hours. We are so proud of them!! I will do a little dance of joy when we are no longer spending half of our day in the bathroom. :)