What potty training has taught me (Part 1):

My husband and I recently made the jump into potty training our oldest, Mac who is now 2 years and 2 months old. Falling into the "My child will be exceptional" parenting hole, we had tried several months before the birth of his baby sister Magpie, to no avail. He simply wasn't ready. 

We finally decided to start trying again when he came to me and told me he had to poop. I thought it meant, as it had in the past, that Mac had dirtied his diaper and was asking for a new one. Nope... no poop. I cautiously stuck him on the toilet. No tears! Before this point you would have thought I'd loped off the head of his favorite "woof woof" (a stuffed clifford dog) by the wailing that ensued when "potty" was even mentioned, much less actually sticking him on it. Needless to say there was great success this time.. poop and all. But I have learned some pretty significant lessons I am not even partially done with potty training. 

Lesson #1: Being a mom, or stay at home mom, comes with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. 

Now, I knew this before, but potty training has reaffirmed it in my mind. My husband has repeatedly said he was jealous of me being able to be there for every part of our children's growth and "firsts". I saw Mac take his first steps and Magpie roll for the first time. Sure, he saw them when he got home, but I was front line. However, he did mention this past weekend - as it was his first full time, all day potty watch experience- that perhaps there were drawbacks to being "front line" as well as all the perks. Cleaning up the piddle puddle that surrounds the toilet has replaced changing Mac's poopy diapers as the "Not me!" challenge of our marriage. (In case you didn't know, little boys miss more often then they score... *sigh*). 

So I get to see the first rolls, and jumps, words and wiggles but I also get to be the first to step in a wet puddle on the floor and have to guess what it might be (and fear for the worst while wishing for a haz-mat suit). I get the privilege of teaching patience to a two year old (um... right...) while praying for it myself. I run all day at full steam to feeling like a wet piece of laundry at the end of the day. I LOVE my time with my kids, while praying for Trav to get home so I can switch from "zone defense" to "one on one defense". I don't have to worry about public speaking anymore, but certainly don't get any private time to pee... So essentially the highest of highs and lowest of lows. 

Lesson #2: Be Prepared and Improvise!

I am an over-planner and over-packer by nature. My sister A is a planner just like me so I maintain that it is NOT my fault, but that of genetics. However, I didn't realize until becoming a mom, and this newest potty endeavor, that I didn't just need to have a back-up plan, but I needed to have it prepped and ready by the time someone crawled out of his bed and shouted "potty!" at 7am. 

An improvisation: 

So Travis isn't a huge fan of this (tacky looking but effective is how he describes it), but when the local hardware store has a faucet extender that costs $20... a clean plastic juice container works for right now. I adapted something I saw on pinterest (another addiction) and this works. Now Mac can reach the water without me having to hold him. Although he can't currently turn the water on and off... but that is a blessing right and NOT a bad thing :-).

Preparation: 

1. A basket of clean underwear for him to choose his next pair while doing his jobs on the toilet. For some reason he is under the impression (perhaps from the first day with so many accidents) that he must change his underwear every time he pees... I will not disabuse him of the notion now, but at some point the laundry must stop :-). But he does love to decide if he will wear "Rawrs" (toddler translation: dinosaurs), Buzz, Woody, Star Wars or the many other fun images on his underpants. 

2. Little potty: Currently being used as a stool - but very important for the washing of hands, climbing onto the potty ect... . 

3. Books, and songs and whatever. There are times that Mac decides he is going to potty just enough that he won't explode for the next 30 minutes and then wants to hop off. Being a mommy (and having cleaned up too much pee at 31.5 minutes) I have learned that he needs to stay until his bladder is empty. This is extremely hard when Elmo is on... So reading him books, sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or whatever it takes to keep him "loose" is now my main goal... It has also helped me develop a greater appreciation for moms of older toddlers, how do they EVER get ANYWHERE on time?!

4. Best invention ever is the two in one potty seat. It has a kiddy seat that stays magnetically attached to the lid unless you need it. Mac wouldn't use the potty chair and the ring thing we got him was too unstable on the toilet... this is wonderful! And since we will have small bottoms for years... a decent investment though they are slightly pricey for toilet seats at $36... but not enough to scare us away! 

 

I know I have learned much more than just these things, but since Mac is wrestling his Clifford dog in his room, I am guessing nap time is over and I must end, though I will add more later. 

Ah, the blessing and curse of a house filled with noise. But then again, I wouldn't want it any other way.