Potty Training Update

So I am not going to say that Wyatt is potty trained, but he is amazing me with his progress and we wear big boy undies during all of our awake times...sometimes even in public.  I am going to detail his potty training progress because I like steps and days and plans and prefer scientific based over analysis.  If you don't, check out the pic and then move along.

Day 1: Go to the red store (Target) and make a big deal out of all of the potty training items we buy. 

• Disney Planes Undies - 3pk
• Training Undies by Gerber - 3 pk
• Lightening McQueen Potty Seat
• Pull Ups (maybe shouldn't have bought)
• Animal Flash Cards

After nap time, I tried to explain how we are wearing underwear now and we have to go potty on the potty or it will make a mess.  I also explain that we have to play outside or on the tile since we aren't wearing diapers.  The book warned me not to expect him to understand, but letting him pee on himself will teach him how things work fast.  He was shocked the first time he peed.  And the second. And the third.  After each time I would explain how we should try to go on the potty and take him in there even though he was already all done. He learned to tell me "mess" real quick and we would get a towel and clean it up.  By the end of the day, he would go, and then run to the potty.  I was happy with the progress. 

Day 2: I was a bit more prepared.  I had Clorox wipes, old towels, and baby wipes stashed strategically all over the house.  We changed into his big boy undies after we woke up and peed on the potty.  Yay! Make a big deal.  You are such a big boy.  I was kinda excited because he was telling me potty, and we were going in there and making progress.  I could also tell he wasn't really getting it because he went through all 6 pairs of undies before lunch time.  I did a load of laundry during nap time.  I think I figured out that he was going just a little bit on the potty and then would stop because I would cheer.  After nap, I convinced him to stay on the potty a lot longer so we could get all of it out.  The flash cards came in really handy. He enjoyed going to the potty and sitting in there looking at the  animals. The afternoon was a total success.  He would tell me potty, and we would go running. I was so impressed. 

Day 3:  We stayed in the same pair of undies all day!  He got it.  I was taking him to the potty about every hour, and he would go.  He would also tell me when he needed to go.  When I heard potty, we went running.  Magically, he got the concept for poopies too.  By the end of the day, I let him sit on the couch on a towel. 

I think we are on day 9 and are still going strong.  We sleep in a diaper at nap time and bed time but go in undies all other times.  We don't always get all of it in the potty, but he always tells me and tries to get all of it in the potty.  In summary, we had 2 days of messes and then the light bulb went of.  This 2 days of messes required constant hovering from me and sitting on the hard tile floor non stop (my back!).

Things I have learned so far:

• Do not ever put him in a pull up or diaper unless you absolutely have to.  You can call them pull ups or big boy undies all you want, but they feel different and Wyatt immediately goes back to peeing in them. 
• When you go out in public, the first thing you do is find the bathroom. 
• Take off shoes, shorts, and undies before trying to pee on the potty in a public bathroom.  Lets just say I have dropped some items into gross public potties trying to get him situated.  
• When going on the potty loses its excitement, use the timer on your phone to enforce a potty try.  For some reason, when Wyatt hears the timer, he will cooperate.  When I tell him its time to try he says "nope".  
• Have spare socks, shoes, undies, shorts, and shirt in the car.  Sometimes they ALL get dirty. 

Thinks I have not learned so far:

• How to keep all the pee in the potty.  He is too short to pee standing up so we sit (should I buy a stool?) . He is too young to understand pointing and aiming.  I use a lot of clorox wipes. 
• How to teach him to put on or take off his clothes to go potty. 
• How to get on or off the potty himself
• Best way to wipe him.  Do I leave him on the potty? Do I take him off the potty? I think I need to google this.

One more thing...he looks so grown up in his big boy undies.  It makes me happy-sad.