Adventures in Potty-Training

We started trying to potty-train Canon when my mom was here.  So I guess we've been doing it for almost 4 weeks now.  He understands the concept of using the toilet, and he recognizes the feeling of when he needs to go #2.  I think he knows what it feels like for #1 too, but he's usually so interested in whatever he's doing that he doesn't pay attention to #1.  We're still working on that one!

He has his good days, like yesterday where his only accident all day was when he was upset and crying so he lost control.  He also has his bad days, like 2 days ago where all he had were accidents.  That was an interesting day... Canon was hitting me repeatedly with his stuffed monkey, and I told him to stop.  When he didn't stop, I grabbed his arm mid-swing, and that made him mad so he started crying...which of course meant he started wetting his pants.  I told him to get up and go to the bathroom because I was holding Cadence and couldn't drag him there myself.  He refused and just cried some more, which got me upset so I started counting toward a time-out because he was not minding me.  I got all the way to 5, so I put Cadence down and picked him up to take him to the bathroom.  I couldn't really see where I was going with the way I was holding him out in front of me, and I tripped on the car seat behind the couch.  I had a pretty nasty fall  (giving me a skinned knee), and therefore, so did Canon. Now he was really crying, and by the time I got him to the bathroom, there was nothing left to go into the toilet.

This was the same day that I asked him if he had to go pee..."nope!"...what about poopies?..."no, I not need that!"  So I made a 5 minute phone call, and when I got off the phone he was in the corner where he peed on the floor and pooped in his underwear.  I had to give him another time-out for that one because he knows better than that...and I had JUST BARELY asked him if he had to go.  Ugh!

After that ordeal I've decided to give Canon the choice of underwear or a diaper. If he chooses underwear, then he's choosing to go use the toilet...and I remind him of that often throughout the day.  So if he refuses to go potty when I tell him he ought to try, which he ALWAYS DOES, I remind him it was his choice to use the potty.  So far (in the 1 1/2 days I've been doing it) Canon has responded very well.

At the beginning he had to go sans pants to get the concept.

Very proud of himself for going poop in the toilet for the first time!!
Showing off his reward- M&M minis.