Ben's a big boy now!

Extra! Extra! Ben is potty trained! Ish...

After feeling no urgency to delve into the world of potty talk, potty trips, and of course, potty accidents for months now, I decided to give it a go for the following reasons: 1. he starts preschool tomorrow, so for consistency's sake in training, we were able to stay close to home for the past two weeks, 2. several of his same-age friends' moms were giving me good reports of success, and 3. compared to Katie Beth's little diapers, his make me want to faint...or worse.

So, off we went on the PT adventure. And as most of Ben's big-boy transitions have been, this has been easier so far than I expected (knock on wood). I ordered a bunch of supplies and motivational dvds/books, but by the time they arrived, he was doing so great that they are all sitting in their boxes waiting for their return trip to the Post Office.

He was just very excited about his own little potty, and for the first day or two, the only reward he needed was a sticker for his progress chart. In fact I was a little concerned that he was going to injure himself as hard as he was trying to use the potty - all for one little sticker! Once he had completed his chart, we moved on to M&Ms and now gummy bears, which I let him pick out for himself at the store.

As you'll see from his expressions, potty training is serious business for Benjamin TP. (ha! TP...get it?)

First pit stop of the morning

Ben's pretty fond of his "yittuhl bitty" potty. It sings to him after each successful trip!

All children must wash their hands before returning to play.

(I'm not usually one to drink my coffee in the bathroom, but we spend a great deal of time in that room these days!)

finding the perfect spot for his sticker

Double-fisting his drinks and loading up on magical fruit so that he can use the potty soon!

We parked the potty outside and spent a lot of time in the backyard, enjoying nature, au natural.

(cannot figure out a not-gross way to describe what he's doing here, but the picture cracks me up)

After completing his sticker chart, he got a certificate, lollipop, and big-boy underwear!

checking out Buzz and Woody on his less-padded rear view

bottom's up!

enjoying a very special treat after a very special potty trip

After a few days camped out at home, we started making a few field trips. Nine out of 10 times, these have been successes. But sometimes, there is just too much fun stuff to do to think about the potty. We've lost a couple good pairs of undies this way.

Nothing like the Great Outdoors to get the pipes working!

Now the question is, what to do with all those unused diapers? We haven't tackled sleep training yet, so I think those will see us through that. And Ben has already found a use for the diaper box!

It's not perfect, and now there are new issues to contend with, but it's more evident that our baby is not so much a baby now that the last bit of evidence (wearing diapers) is circling the drain!