~PROUD PROUD PARENTS~

So many happy exciting emotions are running through my head as I write this post. I have to share with you why Nathan and I are so proud of Ethan. Well.....Ethan is Potty Trained!!!

Potty Training with Ethan did not come easy. To be honest we never even used the term "potty training". We kind of just went with what Ethan was telling us. As many of you know, Ethan has a mild condition called Prune Belly Syndrome. We were educated by his urologist, pediatrician, and other PBS mothers, to not stress on the Potty Training. Actually, we were told by his urologist that he doesn't even care for the word!  Ethan's urologist compared "potty training" to breathing, parents don't necessarily need to teach this, it is acquired. We were scared to death the first time Ethan showed interest in wearing big boy underwear and using the potty. As parents of a child that has a condition that mainly deals with his urinary tract, we were nervous "medically" that learning to hold his urine could hurt him or teach him to retain urine at unsafe levels.  Since Ethan has a larger bladder, holding his urine could risk the repair that his last surgery fixed.  It has been an emotional roller coaster. 

I have spent a lot of time educating myself by reading (blogs, books, articles, etc), discussing options with Ethan's doctors and talking with family and close friends about this Potty Training business. I have to admit as a mother, I was so nervous and discouraged. I was to the point where I wanted to forget about it completely and deal with it when I had no choice but to deal with it.
We never gave up! We were incredibly laid back and let Ethan run the show. He had many accidents, would go for many days wearing a mix between a diaper and underwear, etc. 
A huge impact on Ethan's potty training success is because of Miss Lyla.  Lyla is a sweet, perfect little girl we get to watch a couple days a week. After Christmas break, she came here fully potty trained (so proud of her).  Ethan wanted to do exactly what his girlfriend was doing, and that is going potty on the potty and wearing underwear all day. These two are an amazing duo! They have huge support for one another. It is incredibly priceless and at times brings tears to my eyes! Can you imagine two little toddlers side by side going on their big boy/girl potties? Then after going potty ,they scream with joy each time clapping! It's the best thing ever!

So folks, at age two,  Ethan is officially potty trained! He DID IT , We DID IT. It did NOT happen overnight, it was a long journey. Ethan showed us that indeed he potty trained himself. He continues to show us that he can beat all odds and is a fighter.

I have to say, the cutest thing ever, is Ethan in his big boy character underwear running around like he owns the place. Nathan and I are PROUD PROUD PARENTS!