Strange, but True

Having two children reminds me all the time that my children don't always reflect my ability to parent - for better or worse!  The latest case-in-point: potty training.

Joseph has been in undies for several months, now.  He does OK, but his underwear and the diaper sprayer on the toilet are intimately aquainted.  The kid does not like to poop on the potty. 

In contrast, Nora, my SEVEN MONTH OLD has not had a poopy diaper in about 3 weeks.  What the what?  I know, right?  It's as simple as this: she grunts a particular way.  I say, "Oh, do you have to poop?" and take her to the bathroom.  I sit her on the seat, and she does her business.  The end.  It could not be any more awesome (well, maybe if I could figure out her pee queues also). 

I don't think I should take credit for Nora's success any more than I have the burden of Joseph's reticent nature.  It just is.  Everyone tells me he won't go to college in diapers.  We'll see!  We started a sticker chart in a last ditch effort to appeal to his material side.  He's been eying a particular car carrier and I've promised it to him if he fills up his chart (10 stickers). 

I ain't too proud to bribe!

There is nothing funnier

Than getting cheered on when you're sitting on the toilet by your almost 3-year old. 

Joseph gets just as excited when "I make it" as when he does.  Haha!  He's my little cheerleader.

We're giving potty training (for Joseph) a real try this weekend.  Wish us luck!

Tales from the Potty

Joseph has learned to pee if we sit him on the potty.  Thi is good - very good.  But he doesn't tell you in advance yet.  The other day, he did a #2.  This is even better.  I'd change pee diapers forever, but I almost threw up last week.  I'M ready, even if he's not.

Today, I changed him after his nap - he had a heavy diaper.  He used the potty then, too.  Then he was very insistant that he wanted to put on Thomas underwear.  I say OK, since he must be pee'd out anyway, right?  He picked the red ones - James the Red Engine.

We literally got down to the kitchen and he's yelling "I pooped on James!"

Haha.  No, but he did pee on him.  how he had more in him?  I don't know.  Oh well.

If I'm lucky he'll be in underwear by summer.  I'm not even saying his birthday... that's only a month and a half away!

Adventures from the Poop Deck

Way back in April when Auntie Debbie came to visit, she taught Joseph to tell me that he pooped (I think so she could get his smelly self away from her). Ever since then, he's been doing his thing in his pants and then (usually) coming to tell us that he pooped almost immediately. It's been great - much less mess when he's not sitting down and squishing it in his pants.

Today, he started to grunt and then said "Mama, poop" so I asked if he wanted to go put his poop in the potty. He ran toward the bathroom and when I checked (I fully expected a full diaper) he hadn't gone yet! So I put him on the toilet and told him to push it out, AND HE DID! Then he promptly asked to read a book. Just like a man - why can't they read AFTER the get off the toilet?

I hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship between him and the toilet. It'd really rock my world.

Potty Training Try-Outs

Joseph and I picked up a potty book yesterday and he seemed really into it, so today we read it and I put him in his super-cool train undies, to see what would happen.

What happened was nice trails of pee all over my floor. The first time he just peed in one place and then came to tell me about the "mess" when he was done. The second time he ran to me while it was happening, which was theoretically a step forward (except for cleaning, that is). But the third time he just sat in his high chair and went, and didn't even say anything (perhaps distracted by breakfast). Regardless, I decided that it was 3 strikes and out, since he never made anything happen in the potty.

Oh well, we'll just call it spring training, and give it another shot the next time I have the urge to clean the floors.