Potty training

Sal has been making big strides towards being able to say zaijian to the daytime diapers over the last few weeks. To date, we've only had one pee accident, and it was just a little one because oh.my.goodness.we.live.on.the.25th.floor and it's a long elevator ride from playing in our courtyard to our toilet upstairs. He actually held it til we hit the 23rd floor. 

Sooo close.

We've had a small toilet living in our living room (keepin it classy) since last summer. He's been able to get to it before he has had any accidents since last summer, but he hadn't yet mastered putting undies on and taking them off until recently. Now that he is an awesome self dresser, we only use diapers for sleep times and when we are going out of the house for a long stretch of time. As kosher as it is for kids to cop a squat anywhere here, I don't want crowds forming around the little white boy as he learns how to navigate the world of "holding our pee til we get home". Believe me, if you saw Chinese toilet holes, you would become a master holder too. He gets enough attention as it is, I don't need people voyuering around as he pees on a tree. That being said, he will be in diapers for outings for a bit longer....but he is doing sooooo good. I'm quite proud.

The newest breakthrough has been pooping on the toilet.

How'd I get him to do it, you ask?

Money.

My son loves money. Mostly "toins".

 I hear "mama, can I have a toin?" everytime he sees the chance to grab one from my wallet. 

We initially paid one coin for each time he peed in his toilet. Each coin is the equivalent of 1.5 cents--just enough to buy one ride on the mechanical train that blares "Gagnam style" in front of the local convenience store. After a while, the novelty wore off, and he just peed on his own accord, no bribe necessary. He occasionally wants a "toin" for peeing still, but most the time he goes without compensation.

      Sal and his Vera Bradley coin purse. Stylin. 

He's been apprehensive about the whole pooping business, which I hear is quite normal. He requests a diaper, but I've stuck to my guns the last two weeks and we have had zero poop left anywhere but the bowl. (Can I get a hallelujah?). He earns "paper money" for poop, which is super exciting for him. I settled on a 5 yuan bill, which is equivalent to about 75 cents--just enough to buy a snack size pack of "kittles". Sure, I'm double dosing on the parenting no no's (1-don't bribe. 2-candy?! You give your kid candy?!), but just as the coin payments for pee have died down, the paper money for poop will have the same fate. After the newness of it all wears off, we will have a happily potty trained son without much of a power struggle.

            Enjoying the fruits of his labor

I love how excited he gets about putting his money in his wallet, and taking it out to pay. He's never too young to learn that nothing in life is free.

Especially skittles.

Let's just hope the local convenience store keeps them in stock. At the rate he's going, they'll be fresh out in another week.