Jumping for joy: He's potty-trained!

Yesterday, Soren and Jeff were on a "guys outing" to the PT Aero Museum and when it came time to use the bathroom, Soren wouldn't let Jeff into the stall with him. Our 2-1/2-year-old locked the door behind him, climbed up on the big toilet by himself, peed, flushed -- the whole works. Jeff reported that when Soren emerged, his pant waist was a little crooked, but that was all that needed parental follow-up.

Whoo hoo!

The breakthrough came 2-1/2 weeks after the day we switched from diapers to underwear and undertook an intensive training session. There were only two "dry days" (no accidents all day long) in that spell, and I was beginning to think we'd screwed up somewhere. The accidents (with both pee and poop) would happen randomly, but more often when Soren was away from home or deep into play and unwilling to take a break to use the potty -- even though he would be crossing his legs and holding his crotch. Sheesh, it was enough to make a parent flip!

But I'd read somewhere that three weeks was a common adjustment period, so I kept telling Jeff and myself we wouldn't panic until three weeks had passed. We did our best to be consistent in requiring Soren to do "practice" runs to the nearest bathroom each time he had an accident. He hated these, and would be screaming and crying as we steered him along with a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Soren wet his pants. Soren has to practice going to the potty. Go fast! Now practice going from the kitchen. Now practice going from the front door," etc. Our training manual called for 10 practice runs after an accident, but we contented ourselves with three or five.

I think it finally sunk in for Soren that he would have to keep up the hated "practice" every time he wet his pants; that it wasn't just a game we were playing for a little while. From March 2 on, he has not only stayed dry, he has also taken more and more responsibility for pottying himself without any help.

Now that that's behind us, we can look ahead... As Soren does here in last winter's rainbow stripeys. (I dressed him up one more time in this adorable but getting-too-small ensemble for this archival photo in mid-February before we handed down everything but the scarf and socks.)

Pottying milestones in just the last few days have included:

• Waking up from a nap on the big bed, which he can climb off of, and meeting me at the top of the stairs saying, "I have to go potty." And then going!
• Hopping down from the table as we lunched with Great-Grandpa Gerry, saying he had to go poop, and stopping me from following him to the bathroom with a traffic-cop hand. "No, Mommy, you stay here and talk with my grandpa [sic]." Then he pottied himself, accepting help wiping at the end.
• Peeing standing up, including outside at a roadside bus stop halfway through his first public transportation ride from Seattle home to PT (one ferry, two buses, and no bathrooms once we board the bus, which had me worried). We have to help him hold his penis for now, so it doesn't dribble on his clothes, but I very much doubt that will last much longer, at the rate we're going!

Nora and Gerry both witnessed Soren's skills, so they'll vouch that I'm telling the truth. We so enjoyed a four-day visit from Auntie Nono and a day visit with Great-Grandpa this past week. Here they are after helping Soren with a jigsaw puzzle. Our little boy has many reasons to be proud.