Hooray for Underpants!

A couple weeks ago we went to DI for Kyler to pick out a toy he wanted to get when he went #2 in the potty. Since that has never happened and I was planning on potty training over my spring break. He picked a big lizard toy. While there I also saw a small 25 piece Spiderman and friends puzzle that I decided to get for Jaden for his birthday next month. Both were just 50 cents! So I came home and put the puzzle in the office and the big lizard on the wall between our kitchen and family room so that Kyler would see it often. Thursday night last week (April 1) Kyler really did it! He went #2 in the potty! I was so shocked! I praised him again and again and was so excited for him to get his big lizard. He kept saying he wanted the cards too. (Kyler loves to hold stacks of cards all the time and was just holding the ones to Candyland before going potty, so I assumed it was those that he wanted.) Of course I was willing to give him just about anything!!! #2 in the potty is so awesome!

So he got done, and ran straight to the office! A little confused I went to get his big lizard. He began crying and said "no, I get the cards." Suddenly I realized what he wanted! It was the puzzle. Not wanting to make going in the toilet not a big deal anymore, I just let him have it. And told him he got the "cards" because he just went pooh pooh in the potty. Guess I'll have to keep looking for something for Jaden! :)

I quickly called my mom and told her what had happened! This was NO APRIL FOOLS joke! I just kept saying how excited I was and what a HUGE step this was! Then I called Annette, my sister and began relaying the story to her. After I told her what he had done on the potty I said that "it was HUGE." She quickly responded with "eww gross!" We laughed so hard, as I tried to explain that I meant him going was huge! It was a big deal! Not what he'd actually done in the potty was huge. Silly silly.

Since this is my Spring Break Week for work, and it was conference weekend last weekend (meaning no where I HAVE to go), no scouts, no playgroup, nothin'...I decided it was a perfect week to try and potty train Kyler. (After what had happened the night before I was even more optimistic.) I told him I wanted to take a picture of him and to go sit by the wall. He sat sideways. So I told him to turn forward. He still didn't understand. Then I said show me your feet, thinking he would scoot around and finally face me. But there he sat, and just picked up his leg to show me his foot! :)


So we started this all last Friday, April 2nd, after I got home from work in the morning. He's been in underwear since! I think he's doing really fantastic too. Right now we are just learning bladder control and to only go potty when Christian or I take him to the potty. Whether it's 45 min, or 2 hours he seems to really be getting it. Only a couple times has he said "I need to go potty." Usually this is when we are sitting at the table eating. Whatever it is, I'll take it. We're still putting him in a diaper when he sleeps, but so far since last Friday he wakes up with a dry diaper after naptime so we just use that same diaper for bedtime. (Only 1 diaper a day baby! Gotta love it.) My baby sure is growing up!

On a separate note, we have been playing lots of Candyland lately. Last week Jaden asked if we could make a real gingerbread man. So last weekend we did! The boys loved rolling out the dough and pressing the cutter into it. While decorating them, I asked them where they wanted frosting and then they put the candy on. They both look so proud of their "real" gingerbread guys.


I totally loved the recipe and will definitely use it again!

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons McCormick® Ginger, Ground
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Nutmeg, Ground
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. (Just like when you make sugar cookies. You'll need to get the dough out of the fridge a bit before, to let it soften up a bit. Otherwise, good luck rolling it out. It's like a brick. But it does get softer, you just gotta be patient!)
   
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days.