Yes, Caleb has learned the fine art of peeing and pooping in the toilet. I checked out pretty much every book on toilet training from the library to prepare myself for this big event. I eventually settled on the "train your child in a day" theory which consisted of planning a potty party. I decided to do a camping theme complete with a tent and picnic table (our coffee table with a checkered tablecloth on it). During the morning Caleb "trained" his bear to go pee and poop on the little potty. Bear had some "accidents" (water and prunes worked great. Good thing I never really liked prunes before.) Caleb did a great job eating bear’s treats when he successfully "went" in the toilet and having bear sit on the potty when he had "accidents." We watched potty videos, drew pictures, played with flashlights in the tent, read potty books, etc. We had a big celebration for bear at McDonalds for lunch.
After Caleb’s nap it was his turn. I presented his big boy underwear, and right after we put them on he had an accident on the carpet. We continued the training, which meant trying to get him to drink a lot of liquid and sit on the potty every 20 minutes or so. He got a treat every time he sat on the potty. However, after two hours, he still hadn’t peed. I was getting discouraged until he finally went. We had a big celebration at Chuck E Cheese that night, which Caleb loved. He went pee at Chuck E Cheese, and he didn’t have any accidents. The following two days he was about 50/50 of going in the toilet and having an accident. Don and I wondered if we should quit and try again later, but we decided to give it a week. I reviewed "The Everything Potty Training Book", and read that going bare-bottomed can help. So, the following day, Caleb ran around with just a shirt on, and miraculously he didn’t have one accident and was going to the potty all by himself. It was wonderful! That was the big turning point, and from then on, he only had two accidents. Every time he went in the potty he got to put a sticker on his potty chart and eat an olive. Caleb loves olives! After two weeks Caleb traded in his potty chart for a special present, a Curious George bacpack. He still wears pull-ups at night, but we’re hoping to phase those out soon as he is waking up dry most mornings. So, we are happy to report that Caleb is now a "big boy" wearing big boy underwear. He has Thomas, Cars, Spiderman, and Nemo underwear. His favorite is Thomas.
Caleb is such a good boy, and we feel so privileged to be his parents. He’s so much fun! I guess the next big milestone is preschool in the fall. I can’t believe my baby is old enough to go to preschool! Crazy how time flies!
Hyun Family 