Potty training, here we come!

Today's the big day (hopefully).

Today we start potty training boot camp!

Three days of Lucas-you-take-the-other-kid, chugging-the-fluids, sitting-on-the-potty-every-20-minutes, wearing-undies-and-no-pants, no-trips-outside-the-house. At least that's the plan.

The dispenser is full of M&M's.  Daniel and Prince Wednesday Go to the Potty is on the DVR.  Potty books have been gathered from library branches across Lexington.  Potty seats are ready in both bathrooms.  Thomas undies are washed.  I think I'm as ready as I can be.

I've been dreading/looking forward to this day for awhile.  Most of Carter's two-year-old friends are already potty-trained.  As much as I didn't want to have to deal with 2 kids in diapers, I realized that I'd rather do that than deal with an infant in diapers and a toddler who has accidents.  Changing diapers seemed easier to control.  And so I put off this day until the summer (as suggested by my OB-GYN, mom of 3 boys).  Once summer came, I put off this day until now, my last full week of vacation.  It's now or never! (well, not really -- as they say, there aren't many college students walking around in diapers).

Carter hasn't been super interested; in fact, most of the time he screams "No! I not use the potty!" when I say things like, "This summer, Carter, you're going to start using the potty!"  We've been reading some potty books from the library, though, and he has started to be intrigued. At the end of "Potty Superhero," it says something like "Soon you'll use the potty, too, and wear big boy pants like me!"  To which Carter screams, "NO!!!! Yet's (let's) read it again!"

He's also been intrigued by the M&M dispenser that Melissa Tibbs let us borrow.  I let him try one and then told him that he'd get more once he peed in the potty.  One day, Lucas showed Carter how he peed in the potty and then got himself an M&M.  This was very motivating to Carter.  He promptly sat himself on the toilet and pee actually came out! He's been on the potty several times before and after without anything happening, so that was exciting! I thought that he had made the connection to being able to make himself pee in the potty, but it may have just been a fluke.  Since I don't remember my own potty training experience and can't remember what it was like not to be able to pee in the potty, I'm not sure how to help him understand! (hmm...kind of like how it's hard to help students with something that came easily to me).

Anyway, I've been intimidated by the unknown of this whole potty training deal, but today's the day! We'll see how it goes! (and I'll let you know!)