Letter 29

Dear Lincoln,
Let's get this "potty" started! It's about time I sit down and write about this week. =) Friday night, Papa and I went to the see a movie and afterward headed to Walmart to fill our cart full of candy, juices, toys and (drum roll).... toddler underpants! I stayed up till 1:30 am (bad idea!) reviewing key notes from our training guide and making sure I had everything ready. Saturday morning, Papa took Shea over to Grandma and Grandpa O's house while you and I locked ourselves in the bathroom and began our potty boot camp. It was hard. Very hard. I was nervous, frustrated, tired! and worried you were just imitating but not learning. I let the title of the book (Toilet Training in Less Than a Day) put too much pressure on me. Plus, I was getting lightheaded from using that high pitch soprano praise voice for three hours (and I'm sure those sugary drinks we were throwing back didn't help either). Even so, you were wonderful; quite the trooper. Sure, you threw a tantrum around the 4th hour and itched to get out of the bathroom, but overall you were great. Within that first four hours you learned all that your crash course had set out to teach: run to the toilet, pull down your underpants, sit on the potty, wipe, pull up your underpants (though you needed help with this every time) flush and wash your hands. Who wouldn't be pleased! Your only handicap was not getting to the potty in time. We went though 6 pairs of underpants that could have been saved given 4 more seconds. You went potty twice, successfully, pooped, and napped two hours without an accident.
Day two, however, was more difficult than the previous. Papa took Shea to church so we could avoid any kind of traumatic experiences that would scar your potty training permanently. It's a good thing too, because I'm convinced you had stored everything into your short term memory. I grew increasingly frustrated and so did you. I could tell you were disappointed in your inability to hold your urge to go before you got to the toilet and I tried not to heavy that load with my own disappointment. I had spoke so highly of this book and I knew others were waiting, earnestly, for the show and tell or crash and burn of this pedestal. I prayed for the fruit of the spirit and stacked your fruit of the looms in the bathroom as we took two steps forward and one step back. By the end of the day, something clicked. You not only knew "wet bad", "dry good" and the mechanics of using the potty, but you had figured out the timing.
Today is day five and you are having rare accidents (Three in the last three days but two of them were more my fault... taking you to the park and not getting you back to the house in time, etc.).
I'm so proud of you. You are proud of you too, which is sweet. Every time you run out of the bathroom you clap and gleefully inform everyone of your business. Ha!
Of course, with this new territory comes new discipline. You've already started coming out several times after you've been put to bed saying you have to go potty. So sneaky! You've also sat down and pretended to go potty followed by a, "I wanta sum cannndy!" Talk about behaviorism to the MAX. Ha.
I'd take that over potty training for another month (or more!).
All in all, I'd say this was a pleasant experience, of course, that's in hindsight...

To my trained tinkler, I love you!