Adventures in Pottyland

Our kid (who just turned two) has expressed a lot of interest in the potty as of late. Off the top of my head, some of the signs are: beginning to tell me when his diaper's dirty; trying to "pee" standing up in the bathtub; asking the daycare workers if the potty is in the bathroom; etc. etc. So. The daycare employees suggested to me that I start training while he has an interest -- apparently if you don't jump on it the interest abates, and then it's hard to get them out of diapers.

So yesterday -- an half an hour after the day care people told me about interest abating -- I picked up a potty. I figured we would open it up Saturday, talk about it a little...

No. The kid saw the box as I carried him in the door, and immediately, "potty! potty!" Let's take it out of the box. OK, I figure -- I can show him how it works. Oh no. Kid already knows! He pulls out the plastic removable cup that holds the goods and pretends to empty it in the kitchen sink (yuck, day care! Is this what you do? Surely not. Too "Big Love" for me.). Then he wants to try it out, RIGHT NOW. So I strip him in the kitchen and watch while he sits on the pot. I can't help it -- I'm pregnant -- I grab a slice of the pizza I'd baked that was cooling off on the counter and eye him.

He says he's peed. Oh reallly. But by golly, HE HAS! Just a couple of drops, but still -- success! OK, now we really do need to go upstairs. Except that kiddo is leaping on and off the pot to see if he can have any more success.

An half hour later, we make it upstairs and empty the potty. It turns out the kid is like our family dog -- he can really make a bladder last a while. (My mother made a game of counting how many times our dog peed on her walks -- the record was 28.) I explain that he'll make more pee.

Suffice it to say, we have been spending a lot of time in the bathroom the last two days. He still has to figure out that he can hold it, and then have one long whiz, instead of just sitting there and trying when he doesn't really have to go. I have kind of tried to explain, but this wasn't one of our best days, even with the excitement of the potty, and his screams kind of drowned me out. (Caillou first! Bottle! More potty! No outside -- cold! Want Daddy!). But I think he will get the picture soon, and then I will be in HEAVEN...


... until June, when the next one arrives.