Success!

I am soooooo excited right now.  Seriously, I do not know the last time I was so excited about something.  This might be the most exciting thing in my life to date.  Pitiful life? Maybe.  But it just might be true.

JACKSON USES THE POTTY!

This has been a loooooong time in coming.  We've had the little potty for probably 2 years.  About 8 months ago we did the "potty training in a day" thing.  For a week.  Didn't work.  He knew how to use it, but just refused.  I don't know how many different incentives I've given him...but until he wanted to do it, it just wasn't happening.

For about two weeks now he's been changing his own diaper---a little help with the wiping, but he did the rest of the process on his own.  Every time he'd change his diaper he'd sit up on the potty, but refuse to go in the potty.  And I'd always give him the option of putting on a new diaper or underwear, but if he wore underwear, he'd need to try to pee and poop in the potty.  Over the course of the past two weeks, I could tell he was actually starting to consider it.

Then, May 10, exactly 3 months to his 4th birthday...Thursday around 4 pm, we were outside playing with the neighbor and I told Jackson we needed to come in so he could change his diaper, but we'd come right back out as soon as he was done.  We came in and he took of the soaking one, but was just playing around and not putting on the dry one.  I asked if he wanted to put on underwear and instead, and he said yes ...he'd been saying yes, but that he still wanted to pee in his diaper.  Then I asked if he was ready to pee in the potty.  "Can I have THREE M&M's if I do??"  me: "You can have a whole bag of M&M's if you pee in the potty."  Jackson: "Ok!"  ...what?  Just like that??

So he put on his Lightening McQueen underwear and we went back outside to play.  I set the timer on my phone for 10 minutes for us to come inside and sit on the potty.  Fortunately the neighbor girl had to go in at the same time so there wasn't any fuss.  Jackson tried peeing on the potty a few times over the next little while and then had a little accident on the steps in the garage as daddy was coming home.  A few minutes later he went to sit on the potty.  I was next to him and when he actually did start going on the potty I screamed in excitement and scared the boy.  But I was so so so excited!

An excited Jackson watching his Buzz rocket zoom across the floor

It's been three days now, and since the first success, he has gone in the potty every time.  No accidents at all, even staying dry at night.  He does it all on his own.  Whenever I ask him if he needs to go, he doesn't.  But if he needs to go, he'll run in there and do the whole thing without any help.  He has remembered every incentive I've ever offered, and has asked for them---gum, M&M's, his Buzz Lightyear toy, stickers, etc.  He's also remembered all the things we've told him about it--"You and dad said underwear is easier than diapers and it is!"  "You told me I could learn new things and I am doing it!"  "I am a big boy now! I am!"

 And we are all just so excited!