Anita,

You could still take advantage of his fascination with things diaper-related and introduce a child's toilet if you haven't already. You can just put it in the bathroom at first and see what he does with it, and of course tell him what it's for. Then just see if he shows further interest, and if he does, encourage him to sit down and give it a go. It may sit in your bathroom for months, or he may try to use it, you never know. Just let him take the lead.

Also, I am going to officially declare Emma 99% potty trained! We just drove to Arizona for Christmas, and she didn't have any accidents all the way there. She had one small one at my father-in-law's house, and an even smaller one on the way home (by small I mean she started in her pants but finished on the potty), but she's telling us consistently now when she has to go. The only thing that isn't clicking yet is the nighttime thing, but I know that will come in time.

Patti
SAHM in SoCal and administrator of the Sleep Forum group, http://www.mothersclick.com/group/sleep-forum

Thanks for the tip. I was just thinking about that yesterday, actually, because she always knows when she has a Pull-up on and won't use the toilet then. It's almost like you read my mind, or I read yours, because what you suggested is almost exactly what I was thinking about! I think I will wait til we get our own place, though. That's just one more thing I don't want to do under the watchful eye of my MIL (sigh). Plus, even though her mattress is seriously like 50 years old, I'm sure my MIL would freak if Emma got the mattress wet. (Yes, she really would, even though she raised two children of her own.)

Sounds like you are already doing a lot to lay the groundwork for Robbie's PT when the time is right. I agree that if he's going in the shower after sitting on the toilet he has a level of control. I guess they have the ability to control urination fairly early, but the bowel control doesn't come until around 2 1/2 or 3 (that's what our doctor said anyway). So there's definitely no hurry; he'll let you know when he's ready!

Patti
SAHM in SoCal and administrator of the Sleep Forum group, http://www.mothersclick.com/group/sleep-forum

It is really funny, but so, so frustrating sometimes. It's also hard when your styles clash. My MIl isn't too much of a worry-wart when it comes to kids getting hurt (and not one inch of her house is child-proof, to my great chagrin), but she's a hard-core disciplinarian. She just believes in ruling with an iron fist and not allowing kids to argue their case (she would call this talking back). So our discipline styles differ from the word go, because I believe in teaching a child how to make choices and also explaining things to them so they understand why I'm saying no, etc. That's been the hardest part, but it's also been hard because she is a neat-freak (though not particularly clean by my standards), and also because there's, as I said, no child-proofing in this house, so I have to constantly watch my daughter, whereas in my own home I could leave her in the living room when I was in the kitchen and only have to check on her occasionally. We've had our challenges, but we of course are counting our blessings knowing that we're fortunate to have a roof over our heads and to have this opportunity for basically a fresh start. I know the job will happen soon (my husband is working hard to make it happen!) and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. And by the way, I don't just feel like my MIL is judging me, I KNOW she is, by the little comments she sometimes makes. My husband, while he sympathizes with me, says that this is the way she has always been. She's just a toughie.

On another note...wow, you really had your hands full as a teenager. My hat is off to you. That's a huge responsibility at that age, and it must have been really hard. Good practice for you, but still!

Patti
SAHM in SoCal and administrator of the Sleep Forum group, http://www.mothersclick.com/group/sleep-forum