Fewer and fewer diapers

Now, let me start out by saying I am very aware that the subject of toilet-training is not interesting to most people. If you are one of those, feel free to skip the majority of this post. But let me tell you, as the parents of an almost-3-year-old, progress in this area is pretty darn exciting.

So far this process has had a lot of different stages. A few short months ago, he would never go when we put him on his potty chair, even if his diaper had been dry for hours. But, as I mentioned previously, then Scott had success getting him to go before and after his bath, and eventually before bed too. And by the time we left for Montana on Thursday, Zach was probably only going through three, sometimes four diapers a day, all depending on how often we asked him if he had to go and took him to the bathroom to give it a try.

But then we got to the stage I've been waiting for: him letting us know ahead of time that he had to go. Whoo hoo! That ever-important awareness! I think it was twice before we left that he successfully gave me the heads-up and completed the job. I was a little concerned we were going to lose that progress when we got to Scott's parents, with all the fun and new distractions awaiting us there.

But no... not only has he given us advance warning 6 or 7 times that he had to pee, today he told me he had to poop, and then he pooped on the toilet!!! Can you believe it?? I know, I know, it's exciting. :)

I think the Dora potty-seat has definitely helped our cause, but probably not as much as the peanut-butter M&Ms that grandma and grandpa have been offering as a reward. Whatever it is, I just hope it continues!

As another bathroom-related side note, I was quite surprised when I took Zach to the ridiculously-cramped bathroom on the airplane to change his diaper. It had been a couple hours and a lot of liquids, so I was expecting a pretty heavy one. Nope - totally dry. So I half-heartedly suggested he go potty... and the kid did it! I don't even like to pee on airplanes, and Zach did!

And finally, a non-bathroom story: as we began our descent into the Bozeman area, we hit some pretty wicked turbulence. It was the kind that makes your stomach rise and fall, like being on a roller coaster. We explained it a little to Zach, telling him we were going through some bumpy clouds, but then tried to make it seem like it was fun. Zach gamely smiled a little, and then said: "Mama, I'm not really scared. I'm just a little bit scared." Our brave boy. :)

I'll have lots more stories coming, and pictures after we get home...