Something for the Scrapbook
Due to the graphic nature of this post (mentioning pee and poo which I refuse to call anything other than those names) viewer discretion is advised.
Okay. Something really weird happened yesterday. As Miss A was finishing her lunch she started getting what I like to call the “doin' her business” face. And let me say now if I haven't mentioned it before that we've had the potty set up in our bathroom for a while now. You know just for her to get used to the idea. She's sat on it many times (mostly with her clothes on) and wiped her (clothed) bum with toilet paper. So she had the idea. Also my mother had been hassling me lately, telling me that she was so obvious when filling her diaper that she'd be 'easy' to potty train. Ha! I thought.
But today when I saw that face I thought, what the heck. So I explained that 'we' were going to sit on the potty. We took off her diaper and down she sat. I read her a book a few times in a row as she sat there and wiggled around a bit. I honestly didn't think she was doing anything at all until I smelled a little something. I assumed that she may have left a tiny poo behind which I would celebrate with her anyway. Then we looked through a home decorating magazine after which she seemed to want to get off the potty.
When she did I was shocked and surprised to see that there was a tiny amount of pee and a very nearly adult sized poo sitting in the potty. Quickly I started clapping my hands (as I've been told you should celebrate and congratulate the child) and saying 'Yay! Good girl! You went on the potty!' She clapped her hands also but seemed a bit confused and also shocked about what was in there.
I had to take a picture (I know what you're thinking but I'm comfortable with the fact that I'm a sicko) and I immediately emailed it to Peter at work with little explanation. He promptly called me back for further details. I can hardly wait to scrapbook this poo photo using decorative brown and yellow paper and stenciling 'Miss A's first Poo on the Potty!' JUST KIDDING!!! But it will make a great bribery photo when she's a teenager. “By all means A, go ahead and disobey me. Just expect to see that photo of your first poo in the newspaper next week.”
Now before anyone gets all “I can't believe you potty trained your child at 18 months!” let me be clear. I haven't! In fact now I'm feeling all this pressure to start potty training. When I put her on the potty I didn't actually think she'd do anything! I started getting all stressed about it after it happened like, so does this mean I have to start potty training or what? But she can't really tell me that she needs to go. How are we going to do this? I don't know what I'm doing... AhhhhH! Then I took some deep breaths and realized that I can take things slowly and gradually. And that is what we are doing. Today we haven't used the potty at all. Maybe after her nap. Maybe not.
But it's still exciting. The prospect of not having to buy diapers anymore is exciting. I know I have the accidents, bum wiping and so forth to look forward to but still... exciting. And although the poo photo exists and I'm tempted to post it because I am sick like that I'll simply post a shot of the infamous potty...
6 comments:
Chuckled my WHOLE way through this post! I know all about the pressure that your mom can put on you to "potty train that kid already!"
OY!
I do have to thank you for refraining from posting the poo-photo-op. It doesn't gross me out, but I do see enough of that business in the course of a day to tide me over. Tee hee!
I totally hear you... At 18 months, B was convinced that diapers were awful, he would scream and cry and wriggle free every time I tried to put them on. We spent 3 days with the heat cranked while he ran around with a bare bum, and, with no persuasion, he happily filled the potty on his own with no accidents. I've been told (often by disgusted mother's of 3 year olds in diapers) this isn't normal, but that's how it worked for us. Just follow her lead, she'll show you when she's ready. My only tip: come up with a fun poopoo song to sing gleefully everytime, cause really, who doesn't like a good poopoo song?
Good for Miss A!!!!!
My favorite potty training trick was to wake my sons up a few minutes early from their nap (and by a few minutes, I really cut it close...I'm not that crazy - I needed their nap time as much as they did) and put them on the potty while they still had that dazed, “what the heck?” look on their face. Inevitably, they'd soon pee. Of course, most moms of boys know this trick. If you’ve ever tried to change a little boy’s diaper immediately upon waking you’ll knows that as they get bigger, so does their bladder. When the reach potty training age, they don’t pee in their sleep and with that fire hose out front – watch out!
My potty training “bad mom” moment? When my son finally peed in the potty, I jumped up and down cheering so excitedly that he stopped peeing and started crying because not only had I woken him from his nap, I also scared him by acting like a crazed woman. LOL
I was stressed about the whole potty training thing too but it's amazing how they figure it out on their own.
I'm surprised (yet thankful) that you did not post the full pot pic! :)
Wow - very encouraging at least!
you go for it Dawn, scrap that poo picture in all its glory!!!
putting A on the potty to poo is a great way to start the potty process...no pressure and obviously you can tell when she's got to go...
great story..
totally been in that spot before!!
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