What was I thinking? Seriously, what was I thinking? Why did I listen to my inner voice repeating 'Don't miss the window, don't miss the window'?!? Ok, that sounds pretty dramatic, but I'm not sure I've done anything that requires this much endurance. I should probably train to run a marathon now ;)
So I started off the week with a 3 day intense bootcamp-like potty training event. You know where you lock yourself in a room for 3 days and the only thing you do is teach that kid to pee (well and poo) in a froggy potty. Can you picture this? Nate (with pretty much just a shirt on for 3 days to increase his odds of figuring it out), me in comfy clothes, 2 VERY bored dogs towels all over the rug, one huge waterproof blanket for us to play on, an endless supply of water/juice to make the kid go a lot, the timer on an iPhone to remind him at certain intervals and lots of toys to make the hours fly by (thank goodness for cartoons too). To say we had cabin fever at the end of the 3 days is an understatement. I didn't realize how antsy of a person I am until I'm stuck in a room.
Now you probably wonder, 'was it worth it'. A definite YES. I think he *got it* by the end of 3 days. When I say *got it* I don't mean he is off wearing underwear all day with no accidents. I just mean he can tell when he has to go and somewhat alerts me on occasion. The 3 day bootcamp really is a jumping off point I think. It is kind of like how a catalyst works in a chemical reaction. It gets you to that next step quicker and easier.
On Day 3 I actually had him wearing cotton underwear instead of nothing and I cut back on the water/juice. Trying to gauge what a normal day might be like. I don't have anything to compare his success or failure with, but I feel like it went great. I've heard of nightmare stories of pee puddles everywhere. I didn't even need to wash a towel in those 3 days. A few wipe ups, but nothing major.
The next few days we stayed at home mostly except a few short outings. Oh man was I nervous to leave the house. I just envisioned that all of our efforts would be out the window instantly. I mean the kid gives me 2 seconds to no warning and I'm pretty sure bathrooms just aren't that close all the time haha. Plus, Nathaniel hadn't used a normal toilet only his froggy potty so I brought the froggy potty anywhere we went. This isn't always convienent to carry around. I didn't want to slow down the progress though. Go with what works, right? Plus, I got some great advice that by doing that it helps keep it front of mind (thanks Kiera for helping me out so much). I didn't want to rush the big toilet either. I have heard a few stories where the kids used the big toilet when they aren't prepared and it scared them. Then it takes a while to get them to try it again.
We didn't have any accidents while we were out. He actually used the froggy potty a few times while we were out either in the store bathroom or the car. He did really well. We had a few accidents here or there at home, but overall I still feel like week one went pretty well. If he had an accident it was usually outside while he was playing or when he was just a little tired. I think he was getting tired of hearing me nagging and saying 'Do you have to use the potty? yes or no? just as much as I was tired of saying it. The pressure the pressure!!
I'd be lying if I didn't say I got frustrated on occasion. It is more exhausting than I thought it would be, I have had a little cold and a touch of cabin fever too. There was one *poo incident* that I wish I could have handled better. I, of course, didn't yell or anything, but was a little more abrupt than I normally am and he got a little sad. Nathaniel is pretty sensitive and I know that, I felt horrible. On the happy flip side, we used a sticker chart which he filled up pretty quick with successes and loved. We did lots of fun potty celebration dances too. Some family members got called so that he could share his good news. He was so proud to tell them he went pee in the potty.
Week 1 was over and while I have no clue exactly how 'potty trained' Nathaniel was, I do know we were headed in the right direction. With some renewed energy from the weekend because of Kevin's help we headed into Potty Training Week 2.
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