Potty Training Penn

Yep, that's right.  It's potty training time in the Melder household again.  Since I've been through this twice before, thankfully I know it's OK, but I still dread it.  For a neat freak, it's not fun chasing a toddler around cleaning pee up off the floor all day.  Not to mention, diapers are easy.  Pricey, but totally worth it when you look at the convenience.  Saying goodbye to diapers is a little sad because it complicates things...how is this going to affect sleep routines?  how is this going to affect us going out and about?  It always works out, but it still causes anxiety!  It's also exciting to watch your child have success, to learn something new, to be proud of himself.  But it's oh so stressful!  I've been talking it up with Penn for a few weeks now and this morning we went right to underpants after breakfast.  Here's the happy little potty trainer!

Here's his understudy (in the Bumbo for the first time!).

Little brothers.  Penn requested to hold Janse.  Sure, sweetness!  (Note that Penn is sitting on a changing pad, just in case.  Keeping accidents off the couches is one of my main goals in this potty training time!)

Penn got sad and frustrated a few times.  One time the only option was to console him, but my arms were full of Jansen, well, not quite full...I found room for Penn (Koen was photographer, he was at home all day with the cold that we've been passing around).

Well, so I guess you are curious...how did Penn do?  It was a VERY SLOW start.  Lots of accidents and lots of "I go pee" runs to the bathroom just to have him get off the toilet with it still empty.  Thankfully we had a huge success before naptime.  #2 in the toilet!  It seemed like a miracle because he wasn't even doing #1 in there and then he did that job.  I was excited for him to taste success and I was super happy I wasn't cleaning that mess up off the floor, but instead flushing it down the toilet.  After nap Penn was groggy and threw a fit when I took his diaper off (which was dry, by the way).  Thankfully after about an hour or so, he came to and got more in the mood.  He spent lots of time sitting on the toilet in the backyard and finally went #1!  It was a BIG deal.  After that he was more interested in trying again and again.  We went inside for dinner and after that Penn was very interested in running to the bathroom every few minutes.  He had another success with #1 and that time it really seemed to register how to make it happen.  And since he gets an M&M every time he goes pee, he proceeded to make it happen 5 more times before bath.  I was so thrilled that it seemed to really click.  Earlier in the day I was discouraged and was dreading the rest of the week of this, but now I'm excited to see how tomorrow goes.  Good job, Penn Rye.  We'll get this, together, bud.  I'm so proud of you.