Another parenting milestone!

1,161 days of diapers

Months and Months of Training & Tears (from child and parents)

LOTS of bribing going on

First POOP in the toilet today!

Whoever said potty training would be easy and quick was joking.  It is cruel to make a first-time parent think that it's going to be rainbows and butterflies.  I took the tough route. No manuals, no 3-day training, nothing of that sort. Winging it was my idea of potty training.  I totally had this in my pocket! Just plop our little man on the kiddy toilet and let him work his magic.... 

I WISH!

We spent MONTHS of little man going potty in the toilet 1-2 times a day.  He never had a dry diaper. I begged. I bribed. I did everything short of crazy to talk him into being a 'big boy'.  I tried to then focus more on the pooping part and encourage him in that avenue.  My son just wanted to hide in his closet and poop in private. If I came anywhere near his room, it's a major fit of slamming doors and yelling at me to get out. So I went back to the peeing part of training and focused more on that. At least there was some progress there...

After a few months of this, I figured "oh what the heck. Lets put him in underwear! He's got this down. He pees in the toilet 1-2 times a day. He's ready!". WHAT WAS I THINKING??!!! One day of underwear and I gave up on it... 4 wet undies within an hour and 1 messy poop.  Back to square one.

For a few weeks I have not pushed Joshua to do anything. Pretty much gave up and told myself we'd start over during Spring Break. 

As I am talking on the phone today, my big boy runs up to me, butt-naked, and screams, "I POOPED on the potty!"  Seriously?! That was completely random. Kids have a mind of their own. They will do things at their own timing and when they feel like it. No matter how much insisting on your part independent kids will do it when you least expect.

I still don't understand the ins and outs of potty training, but somehow he FINALLY caught on.  We are soooo proud of him. We reached another milestone in parenting and survived :)  Now we just have to work on continuously using the toilet every time, and get him in big boy underwear.

Thank God he won't be going to college in diapers!

Next time I have a child, I will be reading Potty Training books-- that's for sure!

*The snail photo actually does go along with this post, believe it or not. I gave Joshua 2 snails a few weeks back, and told him that when he poops on the potty he will get the next 2.  He was soooo happy to have an entire collection after his efforts today! Yup, I am a bribing mom. I told myself that I never would be THAT kind of mom, but you take things back when you actually have children.