Potty Training Challenges

Can't believe it's already been a year since we last posted to this Blog. Everyone's posting to Facebook and Twitter these days, but I want someplace to write more. This Blog was originally intended for prospective birth parents to be able to get to know us a little better in hopes that they'd select us. Now that the most amazing two children have joined our family, I'd like this Blog to be more of a "In the Life of the Crane's" blog.

My most recent challenge is potty training. Noah turned 3 in September and we're still working on perfecting the potty training. We started back when Noah was about 2 years old, but based on Noah's lack of communication, there was no way we would be able to master it. So we waited and started up again when he was about 2.5. We tried asking him, we tried forcing him, we tried M&M and Swedish Fish as potty treats. Treats were a hit for about 1 day, but then he'd just go into the bathroom and eat the treats without sitting on the potty. We tried putting him in underwear. The underwear turned out to be a big failure since Noah would just run around the house and suddenly stop. You could see that he was peeing and by the time I'd get to him, he'd say, "I peed!!!" All proud of himself and everything. We went through about 8 pairs of underwear and shorts each day for 2 days until I couldn't handle it anymore and we'd run out of underwear. We've now resorted to a sticker chart. Once the sticker chart is filled up, he gets to go to the store and pick out a treat (toy, candy, balloon, whatever he chooses). We are also still doing the potty treats. That seems to be working, but only when Noah wants to. He takes the treats and stickers if we happen to force him to the potty, but whenever we ask him if he needs to go potty throughout the day, he adamantly refuses. He's definitely a strong willed little one. Of course, when it's time to go to bed, Noah tells us he needs to pee 4 times and poop twice. We spend a lot of time on the toilet when it's bedtime. How is it I can be manipulated by a 3 year old? I don't dare not let him go to the bathroom though, because the few times I've called his bluff and refused to allow him to go, not more than 30 minutes after I shut his door for the final time, I'll hear him crying that he's peed and sure enough, he's gotten naked and peed on his floor or his bed and now wants me to clean it and him up.

Well, something has clicked in little Noah's head because we've come to discover that he's learned he doesn't like to have poop in his diaper. However, his way of handling it definitely not appropriate. About 2-3 times a week, I go outside to find Noah, naked from the waste down saying proud as punch, "I potty! I potty!" I ask him where and he goes to show me where he's taken off his pants and diaper and pooped in the yard. Oh My!!! What am I to do? We've told him time and time again that we poop in the toilet, but it doesn't seem to phase him. The best part is when the neighbors see Noah out there naked and us cleaning up poop in the yard. How embarrassing. Thank goodness they just shake their head and laugh. The other issue is when he does this at other people's homes. We were recently in Boise with my aunt when I temporarily lost track of Noah. Oh, but don't worry, my aunt quickly found him and my 2 year old niece in the yard where Noah was proud to report he had pooped in the garden. Grrrr! Can't we keep our little secrets safe at our house?