Of Potty Training (God help us all)

So we've started the potty training adventure and I gotta say (in the immortal words of many a Star Wars character)... I've got a bad feeling about this.

For those of you who don't know, William has had poop issues from day one (sorry to be blunt, but as a parent you get used to talking bodily functions). So now we get to add that to his unwillingness to use the potty. Every once in a GREAT while, he's cool about using it. And apparently, my son is a sucker for peer pressure, because he offers no such protest at day care. Agh! I hear from Deb (his sitter) about how he calmly walks into the bathroom and does his thing and I feel like the most inadequate mother ever. I think he has calmly accepted the potty, like 3 times at home max. Otherwise, from the screaming and protesting that ensues, one would think that Mike and I have installed a medieval torture device in our bathroom.

When we first bought the potty, many moons ago just to get him used to it, he liked it. He would sit on it and celebrate the fact that it plays music each time he manages to make a deposit into the bowl. I should have tried training him then, because now, it's a nightmare. I swear the child would prefer a time-out to the damned toilet. The fact that we're doing this while I'm at the end of my pregnancy, in mucho pain and on bedrest, is not helping. But it would be torture either way.

The thing is, once he does the deed, he's thrilled. The toilet plays its little royal trumpet music (it's shaped like a throne, get it? someone had a sense of humor!), he gets to flush it all down the big toilet, wash his hands in the big sink and announce loudly that he's peed or pooped. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to remember the thrill of victory the next time he tries. Again, he's already had major poop issues and gets TERRIFIED about going, so whenever we mention the toilet he assumes it's about poop and the wailing begins.

The sitter, Deb, keeps assuring us this will go quickly because he holds it so well, is great about it at her place and is old enough to want to please. Apparently she gets good William while we get Satan, so I will just pray she is right. Is this one of those things where kids are just awesome with the sitter and terrible s@#!s to their parents? Hmmm... I don't know, but I'm telling ya... I've got a bad feeling about this.