PeePee in the Potty

Sheena, who loves the water,  got into the pool with us one day

Ironically, just when I had been writing last time about how I didn't know when I would want to begin to potty train Eric, he surprised me by showing me that it really could be possible.  If only he weren't so stubborn!!!
So, I will tell you the story...

That Friday, being a hot summer day, Eric and I started to play in our "pool pool" after I picked him up from school.  I had just bought him some new little guau guau floaties at the store after seeing how well a pair of twins, that were Eric's age, were doing with them in Maite's pool.  The mother explained to me how if she didn't use things like the floaties, she wouldn't be able to go to the pool by herself with two little boys their age.

Despite the fact that Eric wouldn't let me try their Cars floaties on him, I was determined to give the concept a try.  I figured maybe if I were to find some guau guau floaties, that it would be enough to make him want to try them out.
He was very happy to see the new guau guaus, but he still fought me when I tried to put them on him.  That is very typical of him; he always fights everything new.  Even his new Crocs (or should I say guau guaus) are impossible to take off of him now, but the first day we tried to get them on his feet, it was a huge battle!!
Back to the story...

We played in the pool with the guau guau floaties, but they didn't really help much in our pool because Eric can touch the ground with or without them on him.  I did manage to pick up his feet and get him to float a little bit, though.  He seemed pretty surprised by it, but rushed to get his feet back on the floor of the pool.
When we were sick of playing there, We got out of the pool and I set up a little inflatable pool that I had also bought him with our upcoming cruise in mind.  Knowing that kids who aren't potty trained aren't allowed in the pool, I have read that many smart parents bring along a little inflatable one so that their toddlers also are able to splash around a little bit onboard. (Plus it also serves the purpose of being a tiny "bathtub" in the room.) They just fill it in an inconspicuous place, using a small pail, with a little bit if water from the big pool, and dispose of the water after their child is done playing.
To my surprise, Eric seemed to enjoy the tiny, tiny pool almost more than our big pool, and spent a long while getting in and out, in and out.

Eric also loves his swing!

At one point, I noticed Eric starting to pee in the little pool, and, seeing my opportunity, I quickly pointed it out to him.  "You're doing pee pee!! You're doing pee pee!!"
Eric looked down at his stream of pee pee and started to laugh.  He got out and ran around a little and I asked him if he could show mommy how he did pee pee again.  Surprisingly again, he obliged, and instantly I saw another little stream of pee pee followed by a silly little laugh.

Then, mommy got another idea.  It was probably better to get the pee pee to go somewhere other than Eric's little pool pool.  So, I brought out the little portable potty that I had at home, just waiting for the right moment to be used.  I knew that Eric had been watching the other big kids at school using them when playing outside, so I figured it wouldn't be that foreign to him.
"Can you do pee pee in here?"

At first, Eric was hesitant to sit on the little potty, but after thinking about it a little bit, he did.  To mommy's amazement, he even did a little bit of pee pee in the potty!!  It was enough to make the music sound.  (Eric's potty has two little metal sensors on the bottom that, when liquid touches them both, closing the circuit, makes music sound.)
He didn't seem to care about the music much, but he did seem proud of having gone pee pee in the potty.  The only thing that didn't impress mommy much was his obsession with now wanting to pour the drops of pee pee each time into the pool pool.
Being later in the evening, I decided I would let Eric run around without a diaper just to see what would happen.  I had been wanting to do it anyway because Eric has an ongoing rash from the heat of the diaper on one of his hips.

We went inside, and Eric peed on the floor.
No big deal...  mommy wasn't surprised, and calmly cleaned it up saying that Eric should go pee pee in the potty.
We ate dinner without any more accidents, and Eric started to play a little bit.  He, at one moment, though, stopped, and looked at me, and said "pee pee!!"
I quickly brought him the potty, and he sat down, and then I heard something new...
He hadn't gone pee pee, but had actually gone a little bit of poo poo in the potty!!!
Wow!!  What a big boy!!!  Mommy is so proud!!
I never thought it would be this easy!!!
So, mommy went to clean the potty, and on her way back to the room, noticed a bigger mound of poo poo on the floor.  It turns out, that he must have started to do poo poo when he noticed that he was getting dirty, and then called out pee pee to me.  I hadn't noticed because he was standing behind the coffee table.

No matter what, mommy was still impressed by her little guy, and started to wonder if she should actually start to potty train.  After reading more about it that night, I realized that a lot of little boys have successfully begun even months younger than Eric is now.  I know that Eric has the ability to control the pee pee and poo poo to a certain extent, and that he does have awareness, now, of the idea of pee pee and pottys.

So, Saturday, I figured I would let him run around without a diaper, with potty in hand, just to see what would happen.  We went to visit Tita (aka Maite) and her pool pool.
Saturday, though, despite the fact that Mamá was very excited to show Tita how Eric goes peepee in the potty, Eric no longer showed any interest in it.  He decided that pee pee was meant for the pool shower, and kept yelling out pee pee, and running there to pee standing up.
Sadly, though, it really only seemed like an excuse because he wanted to go to the showers to play with the faucets, turning the water on and off, on and off.

I guess, for now, it will just have to be very informal.  I don't want to push things and scare him away from wanting to potty train.  At least now I know that he understands it all to a certain extent, and that it probably won't be as difficult as I originally expected once he decides that he wants to do it.
That is the big issue.  So, I'm hoping that as he continues to see the other big kids using the potty at school from now on, that he might think it is cool and want to give it another go.  Stranger things have happened...
I didn't think I could ever get him out of his Luminaters, and then he loved the new Nike sandals that he refused to try at first... Then there were the Crocs...
For now, he's been screaming for his diaper again.  Only the future will tell!!