A happy ending to the toilet-training saga

Perhaps you read it on the front page of The New York Times, or heard the news on CNN: Max is toilet-trained. It's like things often go in Max's life—it may have taken him awhile to get there, but he did it.

Weekend Boot Camp training back in April was a good start, but Max still resisted going at home even though he regularly went at school. The hardest part of potty training was carving out the time—you basically need a repeated series of days at home, life centered around the toilet. As devastating as Superstorm Sandy generally was, it did the trick for this; we devoted ourselves to potty training while we were cooped up inside a hotel.

Max had a whole lot of accidents, but they've dwindled in the weeks that have followed. Now he regularly tells us when he has to go (no. 1 and no. 2!), whether we're at home or out running errands. He's loving his Cars potty seat. We're working on timing because he tends to let us know approximately a minute before he really needs to go, and he doesn't always make it. At night, he's still wearing Pull-ups.

He is sooooo proud of himself. Dave and I are even prouder. And seriously thankful, a major milestone close to Max's 10th birthday.

We took him to Toys 'R Us to check out the Cars 2 electric ride-on car we promised him when he aced toilet training, but he was too big for it. He had his eye on some ATV type vehicle that fits two kids, only we'd practically have to take out a car loan to get it. I'm pretty sure he'll find some other Cars 2 object of desire.

It's still a little hard to believe, so long have we waited for this.

It's another one of those times when I'd like to go back to those grim doctors at the NICU and say: See? Look at my boy now.

See also:

Kamikaze potty training
Potty training a kid with special needs: Yet more inspiration
Potty training kids with special needs: Weekend Boot Camp, Day 1
Potty training kids with special needs: Weekend Boot Camp, Day 2

Image/etsy

Max needs a driver's license. Plus, potty-training armageddon is near

Last Sunday, Sabrina and I were cruising around. She had strep throat, and I took her out for ice-cream because of course that and antibiotics are the best possible cure, but mostly Mud Pie ice-cream.

My cell rang; it was Dave.

"Can you come pick us up?" he asked.

Max had decided to pedal his tractor into town. Mind you, it's a good half mile from our house. And then he kept right on going past town. He was showing no sign of letting up, and Dave figured he was going to run out of steam at any second.

The tractor, circa 2009

I found them. Max didn't look very pleased to see me. In fact, his exact greeting was "Noooooooo!" He didn't want to stop. We hauled him into the car, looking to all the world like we were kidnapping him off the street, and then Dave told me about the excitement I'd missed.

Max had decided he was driving not a tractor but a REAL car. And he tried to drive smack in the middle of the street, along with the other moving vehicles. Dave finally convinced him that his plastic John Deere kiddie tractor is not an actual car.

Then Max decided he needed to park his fake real car in a parking lot in town. He drove into a spot and hung out as a policeman watched, smiling (evidently, idling in a plastic car is not yet considered a violation in our town). Some guy drove up and waited for the spot; Dave finally lured Max away with the promise of a milkshake.

So, I'm thinking of getting Max a new set of wheels, and it's all about bribery. We are going to immerse ourselves in potty training in two weekends. As in, we're dedicating an entire weekend to staying home and being all potty, all the time. No Pull-ups, just underwear and lots of drinking (water, not beer, although I might need a couple of glasses of wine). Plastic shower liners on the floor. Plus some amazing, absolutely irresistible prize-bribe. Like this:

It fits kids up to age 7 but since Max is well under the weight limit of 65 pounds,  I'm figuring he'll be fine. So what if we have to take out a second mortgage to pay for it. If it inspires Max to go potty, it will be worth every cent.

I just keep picture Max in it, jetting away from us to, like, Florida.

But at least he'd be potty trained.