Let's sit on the potty!

This is a big time in Z's life. He has recently made the move into his big boy bed after a lengthy interim on his air mattress. He has been improving a TON with his speech. And... he wants to sit on the potty.

I have a bunch of pictures of Z on the potty but I figured I should probably not share those on the internet.

We've been dabbling in the potty waters (figuratively) for some time now. We started out having Z sit on the potty before bath time. Occasionally he would pee and we'd cheer but that was the extent. Then, one day Joe used his spidey sense to realize Z was about to poop and whisked him onto the potty, where he then pooped and looked completely shocked, which was hilarious. After that we got him to poop in the potty fairly regularly because it's very easy to tell when he's about to go since he suddenly and abruptly freezes wherever he is.

A few weeks ago Z started fighting wearing a diaper and I felt like the time might be upon us, so I ordered some training undies (we use pull-ups when we go out but just undies at home). When they arrived I had Z try them on and he got so excited, he started dancing around the room. After that glorious moment of freedom he became even less interested in wearing diapers and more interested in the potty. So, we took the plunge.

So far, so good I think. I downloaded a little app called "See Me Go Potty" that Z loves. It has a little Z avatar walk to the bathroom, use the potty, say bye bye to the waste and wash hands. It's hilarious to me but Z took it very seriously and every time we empty his little potty into the big potty we have to say, "Bye bye pee pee! (or poo poo)" The first day he peed in his pants seven times. The second day he peed in his pants two times. The third, one time. Fourth, one time, only he froze, grabbed his crotch and yelled, "UH OH! ACCIDENT!" I didn't laugh, but I wanted to. It was pretty comical. Today, we've stayed dry.

Honestly, I didn't think he would do as well as he's doing so I went into this thinking we would give it a shot but it probably wouldn't work out. Maybe I was wrong...

Bear's way of helping with potty training

A Potty Anecdote

Z has been resisting naps this last week, even though he is clearly tired. I think all the new excitement of the big boy bed and the potty are just too much freedom to handle, so he figures he should also defy me when I tell him he should sleep. The child will force himself to stay awake by any means necessary. This has resulted in some very crabby afternoons.

One such afternoon, Z came down from his much too short nap, very crabby and saw that a little wagon was in the living room. (It's a push walker that we got back out because, yes, Bear can walk with a push walker now. Yikes.) He was simultaneously thrilled and in despair because the wagon looked great but Bear was touching it (nooooooo!) and I was making Z sit on the potty. I tried to sweeten the deal by letting him watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates and I even put the wagon away, but Z would not be distracted or placated. He was sobbing and trying to get up from the potty, even though I knew he needed to go. I finally took him into the bathroom, sat him on the big potty, got a book and closed the door because he was in full tantrum mode and I figured if he was going to pee on the floor, I'd rather it be on the bathroom floor. Sure enough, as soon as I close the door, he runs to it, wailing and then suddenly the wailing stops and I see pee running out from under the door. I opened the door to help clean him up and talk about how it's okay to have accidents but he needs to calm down (because now he's crying hysterically again).

Meanwhile, the puddle is spreading across the floor, and Bear, ever curious, is cheerfully crawling towards it to check out the commotion. Here I stand, with a hysterical toddler who is holding up his pee soaked sock like his foot is on fire and a baby about to crawl straight into the pee puddle. I kick off my slippers and socks, whip off Z's sock in hopes that will placate him and yell, "Stay where you are! It's slippery! Wait for Mama!" while I run to intercept Bear. Of course, Z tries to follow me, slips in the pee and falls on his butt, ratcheting up his hysteria from an 8 to 10+ on the toddler scream scale. I quickly dump Bear, try not to laugh at how ridiculous Z looks, sitting bare butt in a puddle of pee with one sock in his hand, help Z up and clean him off, toss a cloth diaper on the pee puddle and wrap Z in a blanket.

Once Z was calm, I laughed so hard. These are the crazy moments that I will look forward to recounting for the rest of their lives. MWAH HAHA!



Now, let's all light a candle and pray for my sons to nap today and sleep tonight. Why developmental changes have to equal no sleep is a cruel, cruel trick of nature.