(Potty Training Buddy)

(Having children has taught me one thing above all else: I cannot predict what they will do, and once I decide I've found a pattern to their behavior, it changes. So, if it's a GOOD behavior I want to encourage, I just don't talk about it out loud, for fear of jinxing the groove.)

(Hence, the parentheses. This is a whispered conversation just between you and me. I'll be stating the actual facts, not making predictions about future behavior.)

(Buddy has made progress. After five days of wearing underwear during the day and diapers at night, he finally stopped himself from having an accident, brought it to my attention, and we rushed him into the bathroom just in time to catch the second half of it in the potty. Once. A miraculous "once" that signals progress. He also mildly resisted the night diaper, which is glorious progress as well.)

(I'll spare you the messy details, but share that his success:accident ratio is about 50:50 right now. The first few days, I was asking him about potty turns every couple of hours. The last few days, I've eased up on the offers and only asked at critical times (i.e. at waking, before/after quiet time, before an outing, 30-45 minutes after a large drink or helping of fruit, etc.). We're also spending quite a bit of time at home so it's easier to keep his potty schedule in mind.)

(Potty training is messy business. I don't enjoy it. I do, however, secretly love the visible/tangible example of a life skill being mastered. I don't know what will happen to Buddy's potty training ability when Bo-gah is born in October. We'll deal with that when it comes. I'm just happy to see progress right now. Wa-hoo!)