Potty Trained!!!

Well, it's official....

Lukas is potty trained!

It came on without much warning and at first I didn't think I was ready for it but now I'm so glad I don't have to change diapers anymore. :)

It all started on March 13th. After one of the little boys in his class (who's six months younger than Lukas) started training, I made a joke in passing to the director of the program about peer pressure and how it's "supposed" to making potty training easier. At that point, I didn't feel we were any closer to training than we had been in months. Lukas was showing no interest in the potty seat and while he was waking up dry some nights, this was few and far between and the only "sign" we were seeing that he was getting ready. Well, she took my comment quite literally and responded with, "Well, if you want to send him a few extra days next week, I know we can do it." Before I knew it, my head was spinning and we had made plans for him to attend school Tuesday through Friday the following week.

I left school that day in a bit of a panic. What had I just done?! I didn't think he was ready for this and I knew I wasn't ready for this! After all, no more diapers means no more "babies" in the house. Was I really ready to let go of the fact that my little boy wasn't my "baby" anymore?! It's so much harder to let go of things like this when you know you're not having more.

That night, I forced myself on board. This couldn't be about me, after all. This needed to be about Lukas. He's 2.5 and while it wasn't clear that he was ready, it was worth a shot. He was the oldest boy in his class not potty trained, after all. I made plans to take him to the store the next day to look for Spiderman underwear because if you know my child right now, you know he's OBSESSED with Spiderman. The next morning came and once we got home, we began our efforts. Stickers were ready, charts were made, candy was set out. Positive reinforcements were everywhere. It was just the two of us at home that day so I had plenty of attention to give to him... but yet, no success.

Saturday and Sunday slowly got better but not by much. A few successes were had the entire weekend but mostly, we had accidents. Mike and I gave up, thinking it just wasn't worth it in the moment as we knew he'd do better once at school.

Come Tuesday, we got the kids ready and put Lukas in his big boy underwear before heading off to school. He had a couple of accidents that day but also had a few successes. His teachers were vigilant about putting him on the potty every 30 minutes until they realized he had a stronger bladder than that and increased it to every hour. Wednesday was more of the same and both nights, I ended up throwing his shoes in the washer. Poor kid!

Thursday, the improvement really started to show. We were so proud of our little guy but most importantly, he was so proud of himself! One more day of daycare and the consistency they provided really sealed the deal. It was amazing! Potty training had been such a feat with Liana and with Lukas, it seemed so easy. I know that's because they did most of the hard work for us but hey, I'm okay with that. It's been two full weeks now and we've only had a couple of accidents since then. The kid has the bladder of a champion (something that's appreciated since his 5 year old sister certainly does not) and can go hours without a potty break. He wakes up from his naps dry most of the time but usually wets during the night.... we're continuing to use diapers/pull-ups during sleep time to be safe.

Surprisingly enough, all of the positive reinforcements we had on hand and used for Liana weren't needed with Lukas. Once in a while he'll put a sticker on his "potty chart" but other than that, it seems he finds enough satisfaction in the sense of accomplishment he feels by succeeding. As a mom, that's really encouraging and I hope this personality characteristic stays with him for years to come. :)

I'm so incredibly proud of my little boy.... just knowing he's not wearing diapers anymore makes him seem so much older. But more so than anything, I love to watch the pride he feels in himself knowing that he's "one of the big kids" now.♥