Potty Training Update

I know potty training is a very boring subject, so this will be the last time I post about our recent potty training progress.  I just find myself so excited every time Luke uses the potty successfully.  Since Luke is the oldest child, he unfortunately is the "guinea pig" of sorts.  Sometimes I don't feel guilty that Luke is absolutely spoiled because everything is trial and error on him.  Clara will get more experienced parents, and Luke just gets whatever we can think of at the moment to try.

I have been so impressed with Luke, this second time we tried potty training.  He has a sense of arrogance now, and the light in his eyes after he sees how proud we are of him when he has successfully used the potty is priceless.  We have had a few accidents, mostly because Luke gets distracted or busy, and going to the bathroom is such an inconvenience.  Other than that, prizes such as suckers, stickers, and monster trucks that were very visible were the reason for our success.  We have also watched "Elmo's Potty Time" dvd at least 20 times.  Luke likes to repeat all the different words that you can use for going poop.  He mostly likes the word "duty" and repeats it several times.

Luke thrives on repetition and doing things correctly.  He often tells himself "good job" after he does something that he thinks deserves a "good job."  So I think just more practice using the bathroom will do the trick.  We will be enrolled in preschool with no speed bumps! (like not being potty trained)

Clara is trying so hard to keep up with Luke.  Luke makes a game out of Clara chasing him around.  Its really not fair because Luke can run, and Clara is stuck with crawling for the moment.  Luke thinks is hilarious to run circles around Clara.  He thinks he is winning because she can't keep up.  Clara is trying to stand up and take steps by pulling herself up on furniture.  She just isn't strong enough yet and does a lot of head bonking for the moment.  She is so dramatic about falls, something Luke was totally over the minute it happened, so this is a new experience for us.

Clara doesn't want to miss a thing.  If she hears Luke's voice or sees him out of the corner of her eye, she wants to be involved.  It's funny to see them interact in the car.  Clara faces backwards, and Luke faces forwards.  They both have to lift their heads up to see each other past the sides of their car seats.  They ofter are looking at each other.  Clara holds her head up as long as she can to watch what Luke is doing, and Luke is constantly asking her, "you ok baby?"

We set up our Christmas present from grandma and grandpa- a trampoline!  It's still a little cold out, but I am sure we will spend many many hours on it when the weather is a little warmer.  We are looking forward to spring, sunshine and healthy bodies!