Three Down. . .One to Go

For the record, I still HATE potty training. Derek has been the easiest of the kids thus far but it still sucks. Here's how it went. When school started, I decided to start working on potty training him. He was afraid of the toilet and would cry and scream "I can't try it" or "I'll do it tomorrow" every time I put him on it. I would give up and try again in a month. No progress. Then the weekend before his birthday when we went skiing with John and Lori, they gave him a bag of jelly bellys (one of his favorite treats that Norm always has at his house). The next morning, he wanted to have them for breakfast and I told him if he sat on the toilet without crying he could have ONE but if he peed, he could have TEN! For the first time ever, he sat on the toilet without crying. We did that several times with no results but by the end of the day, he successfully peed in the toilet. Much to my surprise, we only had a few accidents that first week. He hated pull-ups and refused to wear them so early on, I risked it and took him to the store or to the gym with underwear on (always with backup pants just in case). I knew we were golden when a week into training, we were at a McDonald's play place with friends and he stopped playing three times to tell me he needed to pee or poop! Even though the process was fairly short and painless this time around, I still loathe the peed laundry, the pee on the walls, rugs, etc. I don't like the stress of needing to know exactly where every toilet in Spokane is, just in case he needs to go. I don't like getting interrupted while eating lunch to wipe some one's butt. I must say though, it was a beautiful thing to go to Costco today and only buy ONE size of diapers!!! I am so close to being diaper free I can hardly wait!
(Looks like Derek has been watching Sydney pose for pictures. . .what is with the hand on the hip?)