Potty Training Ian

Ian has been using the potty since last summer, but I would never consider him "potty trained". In February we had registration for preschool next fall which brought up the question of which class to choose for Ian. Technically he should go into the 3's since he'll be 3 by September 1; but the 3's students are required to be fully potty trained. I could always put him in the "2 and-a- half's"; but because of a program change, that's only slightly different than what he's doing now in the " young 2's". The dilemma was that I still had 7 months to potty train and had no idea if he'd be ready. If I put him in the 3's and he wasn't considered "fully potty trained" then I would have to pay the tuition anyway in order to save his spot, but he wouldn't be able to go to school. I don't think so!!!

So I started to "test" him to see if he was ready to be potty trained. Of course, I only had about a week before registration and I still couldn't decide. Then I heard that moms would be lining up way before the 8:00 registration time in order to get the classes they wanted for their children. The first one there actually camped out at 10:00 the night before!!! (From concert tickets to preschool.) Well I had middle school carpool that morning and figured, "I'll let God decide this one. Whichever class is available when I get there is the one I'll go with." Lo and behold! I was the last mom to register and I still had a choice, shucks! I went with the younger class because I didn't want to be stressed out or stuck in the house all summer because of potty training> wouldn't you know it--Ian was "fully potty trained" two weeks later! Now the 3's classes are all full. Figures.

The good news is that one of the most worrisome things I thought about when I first realized I was pregnant (along with morning sickness, sciatica, labor pains, epesiotomy, engorged breasts, sore nipples, and sleepless nights) had finally passed! It took a week or so before he'd use public restrooms. He'd call out, "Gotta go potty!", then walk into the stall and say, "No way." I've had that feeling many times. But after using the carry-along Elmo seat a couple of times, he's now a pro. Bedtime, naptime, preschool, car trips, and even Sea World have all been mastered in undies!

I'm so proud of my big boy and happy to lose the diaper bag!