I never knew I could be this happy and proud...

I have waited so long for this day that I thought that it might never come.  But it finally did and I am even more excited and happy than I ever thought I would be. 

Avinash is out of diapers!  With just a few months to go before he starts school and turns three. 

I started the process on a Thursday and was going back to work on Monday.  I felt like the babysitter could never handle the process and my looming end-date as stay at home mommy was fast approaching.  Somehow the pressure of a deadline actually helped me. 

The first day was just totally no diaper and rushing to the potty every 30 minutes.  Ok, it may have stretched out to 45 minutes.  Now Avinash is very familiar with the concept and has gone on the potty intermittently for a year but has never actually been out of diapers. 

We only had one accident that day.  Luckily it was in our hardwood living room.  Unluckily it was right on top of our little area rug.  Greeeat. 

I used it as a lesson and a reminder to myself to make sure I got him in the bathroom more regularly. 

The next day we did the same thing, no diaper and no bottoms.  Lots of trips to the bathroom.  We did have one brief errand and I put him in underwear and shorts for that.  I put a towel under him when he took his nap, but he woke dry from that anyway.  We had another small accident, but at least he kept off the rug this time.

Over the weekend we transitioned to underwear and kept reinforcing the need to keep them dry.  We also laughed with him about how only babies, like Nandini, wear diapers and that he is a big boy like his Bappi and Nana.  He loved that. 

He had a few more accidents that first week, but has been doing great since then for about three weeks now.  We remind him every once in a while, but for the most part he tells us now when he needs to go. 

And somehow the excitement still hasn't worn off for me and my husband yet when he poops in the potty.  (Wow...never thought I would be typing that sentence...)

If I have any advice to offer it is this: wait until your kid can communicate, be consistent and willing to put in the effort (it will pay off!), wait a few months if you try and it doesn't work, and can't hurt to invest in some plastic sheets!  I think the other trick is that he knows he can always get our attention with the potty and it is one way for him to feel more special than the baby a few times a day at least.

Now, he still pretty much requires our help getting up and down and stuff.  Any suggestions on getting him to be more independent with it?