potty training

I just re-read my 'reflections' blog and was even more impressed with where Lucas has come. Especially now that potty training is tackled (for the most part). Here's our story:

Back in February of this year, Lucas was 4 1/2, and we were enduring another hospital trip for asthma. The doctor sent us home and on the way home, Lucas started screaming, hyperventilating and stiffening up his body. I thought he was dying or something, so I pulled into a parking lot, got him out of the car and held him, listening for wheezing. He couldn't tell me what was bothering him, but I soon smelled it. Poop! When I tried to sit him in the car seat again, the screaming got louder. He would not bend his body at all. He was stiff as a board. I had to think of how I was going to get him out of this diaper and cleaned up without any wipes with me.

I laid the front seat back and placed my stiff son onto it and buckled him in. I drove the 1/4 mile to the closest gas station, which happened to be in the middle of the ghetto. Fun fun! I pulled into a gas station and carried a stick-like, crying, autistic boy into the bathroom, amidst all the stares and glares of the after work rush of customers.

I managed to calm Lucas down once the poop was off his butt. With no wipes, I had to use a paper towel to clean him up. Ouch! And I had no spare diaper.

Back in the car seat, Lucas had to endure the rest of the trip diaperless. And I had to endure the sound of my son wheezing again, even harder than before. We made it home, put a diaper on Lucas, packed a bag and headed out the door to the hospital again, where I would force the doctor to admit Lucas (the next day they found that one of his lungs collapsed!).

After a few days in the hospital, Lucas was doing better and we were allowed to go home. The following morning, I was looking for Lucas. I found him sitting on the toilet. Pooping!

Apparently, he associated pooping in a diaper with a traumatic experience and he wasn't going to go through that again. We spent about a week at home naked, learning how to recognize when he had to pee. After that, underwear time!! At 5, he still wears pull ups at night, but during the day, he's diaper-free!

Go Lucas!