matt is a cute dad..
here are a few more pictures that make me smile :)
[chet said they were 'playing hiding']
[buddies.]
[holden is such a smiley boy.]
[my mom sent us an 'elf on the shelf'. chet doesn't get it.
every time he sees it, chet remembers that the elf has something to do with presents.
and then he informs us that 'he NEEDS presents'.]
[at subway. only in rexburg!]
[little bums in little underwear are just so stinkin' cute.
chet hasn't mastered pulling his up.]
[this is chet sitting on the potty in the back of our ford escape..
with me and our double stroller.
talk about cozy.
oh ya, and it all went down in the very frontest of front parking spots!]
oh, potty training.
you have been quite the adventure.
i think we can finally say that chet is 'potty trained'
.. for the most part.
we still don't have a ton of time from when chet tells us he needs to go and when he goes,
but accidents are very rare these days.
we just have to make sure we are always close to a potty.
(even if that means taking a potty with us!)
it is an exciting step. chet is growing up!
i am certainly NOT claiming to be any sort of potty training expert,
but here are some of my thoughts on the subject:
i read a ton of potty training methods that told me how to do it in ONE DAY.
but those methods are lies. all lies.
i honestly don't believe that any kid could be trained in one day.. unless you waited until they were like 9 to train them.
potty training takes time. and patience.
if you lack patience, things go downhill. (trust me!)
and it can be kinda scary for a kid. it's a major life changer.
when i wasn't sensitive to that fact, chet's feelings were hurt. and he regressed.
---
potty training is gross.
if you think getting rid of diapers makes life less icky, you are oh so wrong.
public bathrooms are the worst.
i am a germ freak in public bathrooms. i don't touch ANYTHING.
if only i could levitate, so i didn't have to touch the floor.
but chet doesn't have that same fear of germs that i do. aaand he is curious.
so i find the whole situation quite stressful, to say the least.
and honestly, where i am supposed to put holden when i'm helping chet?
i just can't bare the thought of putting my car seat on the floor.
---
kids have no shame! and it is hilarious.
---
bribes worked for chet.
every time he does #1 he gets 2 potty treats and a 'cars' sticker.
(it started out as 1 treat, but chet changed it to 2 treats.
matt and i both thought each other had changed it to 2 treats, so chet got away with it!
tricky little boy.)
he collects the stickers on a piece of paper that is right next to his potty. he is proud of it.
for going #2, he gets a lolipop and 2 stickers.
it works like a charm for chet.
i didn't like the idea of him eating him a ton of candy, but he doesn't go potty a ton.
so his treat consumption isn't as bad as i pictured it would be.
and, did i mention, it works? so bring on the bribes!
---
you have to be dedicated.
i tried training chet a couple months ago, but i wasn't 100% dedicated.
the weather was still nice and i wanted to be outside enjoying it.. not inside potty training.
so it didn't work.
matt and i started this attempt over the thanksgiving break when matt had a 5 day weekend.
we could spend 5 whole days focused on chet.
i am so happy matt was willing to be so involved. i'm not sure i could do it alone.
---
if someone asked me the same question 8000 times a day, i would lose my mind.
and probably punch them in the face.
but chet doesn't seem to mind me constantly asking him if he 'needs to go'.
---
we have started out with using pull ups for naps and nights.
and we have managed to trick chet into thinking that he can't go pee in them.
so he doesn't! haha.
i have no idea how to TEACH a kid not to go while they are sleeping.
chet just doesn't.
we make him sit on the potty before we put him in bed.
and we let him out if he tells us he needs to go again, after we put him to bed.
...and then he wakes up dry.
it's the craziest thing. we are lucky.
---
it IS worth it.
but i am already not looking forward to potty training holden!
