Ugh to Potty Training

So my least part of parenting thus far is potty training.  I've never been very successful at it whether that is my fault or the fault of my kids.  It usually takes months, and a couple cases a year, to complete.  I've tried a range of books, rewards, and ages to accomplish this but it comes down to my kids are stubborn enough to only do it when they want to.

So in getting to that age with Andrew I again started a new approach and started it earlier in age.  He has been able to hold it for hours on end and on our last trip to TN he held it through 2-3 cups of juice or water for over 5 hours.  I knew the problem for him would be the BM.  He has been able to hold that since he was an infant for days on end.  We've tried diet adjustments, mineral oil, and laxative in order to get him routine.  Finally around 2 he decided it wasn't such a big deal.  So I muscled up and decided to do it as soon as the boys were in school but Rachel wasn't.  Rachel's preschool is on the other side of town and I was worried about commuting while potty training. 

Well it went as horribly as I thought.  Andrew can hold everything, and hold it, and hold it!  We had 2 days of just him and me working on potty training.  The first day he had to go BM but wouldn't so he couldn't take a nap.  He finally conked out on the pot at the end of the day. 

Yep, I'm really showing pictures because of all the yuck I've had to deal with the last couple weeks I needed a good laugh.

So after holding BM for 4 days we finally worked it out in a traumatizing experience.  Afterward he refused to even sit on the potty.  Andrew is big in to play fighting, swords, lightsabors, guns, etc.  So in one of our down times I was sword fighting with him when I started thinking if we called it a shooter and had a big brother shoot if he would go for that.  So Aaron volunteered to "shoot" standing up in the big potty with Cheerios and wouldn't you know it when I told Andrew it was his turn to shoot he got up there and did it.  Everyone cheered and I laughed the rest of the night.  Who would have guessed calling it a shooter and putting Cheerios in the potty would make a difference. 

So for the last week and a half we've had the most success with a big brother, usually Aaron, invites Andrew to go "shooting" and it's all good.  We're still working with him initiating it but he has amazing bladder control and can hold it until I take him. 

BM we have not come close to mastering.  I'll follow him around for days and he just holds it until I miss him for a couple minutes and he goes in his underwear.  He promptly tells me he's "bombed" but it is after the fact.  SO we have a ways to go but we're trying.  I hate potty training and all that goes with it but I was hoping that if I do it earlier I don't run into the terrible 2's and 3's attitude that I have had such a hard time with.  We've been homebound for most of the time just in case but we'll get there; it's only been 1 1/2 weeks.  I look at the bigger kids and they were all a pain to potty train but they all eventually do it so I just need patience and a lot of Clorox wipes.