Month 22: Potty Training Treacheries

We're slowly wading into the treacherous waters known as "potty training". Maybe "wading" is a bit too graphic a word for this particular entry, but brutally appropriate.

On his own, over the past few months, Daniel has expressed interest and understanding of the... proceedings... of using a potty.

A few times, I have found him attempting to pee standing up at a grown-up potty... which involves him pressing his stomach to the basin and peeing on the floor at the foot of the toilet. Hilarious. But certainly a product of him watching "how daddy does it". On a daily basis, Daniel notifies us when he needs a new diaper and frequently tells us right before doing #1 or #2. Additionally, we have received notes home from his preschool that he has occasionally accomplished both #1 and #2 in the potty.

All that to say, we decided to make a concerted effort at home to begin the potty training process. We went to Babies R Us and (using gift cards STILL left over from our baby shower!) purchased a nice Baby Bjorn lime green and white potty... very stylish. Daniel was excited to sit on it and quickly named it "Nano's potty". We got home, stripped his lower half and said "let's go potty!" He ran over, sat down and clapped for himself (without actually using the potty).

Success. Kind of. Because then he stood up and ran over to the new bathtub frog we also got at Babies R Us. Unfortunately, it's about the same size as the potty. Also lime green. Also brand new.

In a slow motion moment I will remember forever, Daniel threw a leg over the frog, squatted carefully, and emptied his bladder. The frog is a "bath frog" with a convenient draining system underneath in the shape of a rectangle... a perfect rectangle of pee on my bedroom carpet.

Anyway. It's progressing slowly but surely with the help of "potty snacks" we keep close by for when he sits bare-butt on the potty and counts from 1-10 and 10-1 in English and Spanish.

We've had lots of close calls (and the bathroom rug has been washed many a time) but none compare to the "Green Poop Incident" of 2009. Allow me to paint the picture for you, as graphic as it may be...

In an effort to build excitement and something of a "team spirit", I frequently use the potty at the same time as Daniel. He says "mama's potty, nano's potty". On this particular day, I had just taken off his diaper, and sat down to use the potty myself. He walked to the bathroom door, turned around, clenched his legs together and said "Uh oh! Poo Poo!" He starts walking slowly... legs still clenched together... towards his potty.

By now, I am... in the process... of using mama's potty, and Daniel is out of reach. So I start yelling for Fernando to come help us. He comes running, but too late... as he lifts Daniel by the armpits and swoops towards nano's potty, green poop starts flying everywhere. A really impressive amount, too. All over the carpet. The two of us trying desperately not to breath, and Daniel arriving at his potty in time to squeeze out two teaspoons of pee.

We collected the... treasures... and together clapped and cheered as we flushed them. I think the whole commotion scared Daniel as for the next few days he wanted nothing to do with the potty.

This next year will be an adventure, to say the least!