I go back and forth as to how baby-bookish I want my writing to be, but this time it was non-optional. Because in the future - three, four, maybe five years from now - I'm certain I'll be racking my brain for this very information. I'll be turning to Rob, saying, "I don't even remember potty training Westley!"
.....................................
Because I'm not potty training Westley. He's potty training himself.
Three months ago, I bought Westley a potty. And he used it all evening. He couldn't get enough of the whole potty-usage thing. And then a switch flipped and he lost interest in it.
However, since I knew he was perfectly capable of using the potty, I decided to make it super-easy for him. I let him go around naked all the time at home. Every now and then I would remind him, "Remember to use the potty if you have to pee or poop," and I cleaned up a couple of puddles every day. But that was about it. That was my whole potty-training plan: compulsory toddler nudity and gentle nagging.
Then, a few weeks ago, I bought Westley some underpants. It wasn't in an effort to advance the potty-training. I just got tired of seeing a little naked boy running around the house like some kind of lost woodland sprite. (Yes, over time, even my son's adorable toddler nakedness gets old.) He was totally thrilled with the new threads, and promptly peed in them.
Somewhere between then and this week, Westley "got it." The switch must have flipped again, because I've just soldiered on with the nudity and the nagging. It's all him.
On Monday, at my parents' house, Westley actually climbed up on the big toilet by himself (I was getting his potty out of the car) and used it without any trouble. On Tuesday, he used the potty in the back of my car twice.
I'm going to interrupt myself for a minute here to sing the praises of hatchbacks. Oh my God, I stinkin' love my hatchback! When we bought the car, I was glad we'd have more space for rear passengers. (That's what she said.) But with a child in tow, that hatchback cargo area is a lifesaver. It's a changing table, it's a great setting for a picnic, and now, it's a perfect potty platform. High-five, car!
Then yesterday, again at my parents' house, Westley used the potty all day. Wednesday's diaper total was just two: the one Westley woke up wearing yesterday morning and the one he wore to bed last night. (Technically that's four diapers, since we double-diaper for nighttime, but only two diaper covers. Cloth diaper math is funny.)
This morning, Westley asked me to help him out of his nighttime diaper so he could use the potty. Then he asked for underpants. Westley is definitely running the potty-training show. And I wouldn't have it any other way. It makes both of our lives easier.
