Tinkle Tinkle Little Star

Potty training. It has to be done. No one wants to do it, but it must be done. At 2 1/2 yrs old Kohen was already half way there. He had been doing the dirtier business on the toilet for about a year now (a glorious phenomenon/blessing we kind of happened upon) and I knew that if I didn't take on the rest of the task soon he would get too stubborn and it would be diapers through kindergarten. We actually had a false start a week or so ago when Kohen found his 'Go Diego, Go!' underwear and was adamant he wanted them on. Eventually I acquiesced and soon forgot that he was even wearing underwear until about an hour later when he peed on the wood floor. In that moment I knew that I was wholly unprepared and unwilling to go it alone. So this time:

We Prepared

We Got Inspiration

And We Got UNDERWEAR!!!

So we started last Saturday when Nathan was home and we were able to focus on Kohen properly. He actually had an amazing first day with no accidents even though one of us was taking him to the bathroom every 20 minutes or so. The next day however, Kohen decided to use his agency and had 3 accidents in a short period of time leaving him quite distressed. He kept bringing me diapers and begging me to put them on him. Luckily the phase of rebellion for Kohen (and guilt for me) only lasted about 2 hours and then he seemed to resign himself to learning the new skill. Now -as some of you may know- the mechanics of a boy are quite different from a girl and as it turns out very...unpredictable. The distance and scope they can cover is unbelievable! So just because Kohen would make it on to the toilet didn't necessarily mean that anything made it in! It was after just such an occasion that I was kneeling in front of Kohen -who was still sitting on the toilet- cleaning up the wayward half while enthusiastically praising him for the successful half, when Kohen decided he wasn't finished. At near point-blank range I had little time to do anything...even close my mouth!!!!! In horror I rocked backwards desperately trying to gag and spit at the same time (no simple task) while Kennedy who had witnessed the whole thing comments with controlled disgust how 'it' got on my shirt and pants too! Perfect. A few minutes later as I was brushing my teeth I pondered how they hadn't mentioned this type of thing in any parenting class -and also how someone once told me that urine is sterile and I wondered if whoever had come up with that 'fact' had ever had any in their mouth! Either way I wasn't taking any chances! Later when I relayed the incident to Nathan on the phone he couldn't help himself from laughing and saying it sounded like a 'special treat' before pulling himself together and playing the role of sympathetic husband.

Anyway, I think soon enough Kohen will have completely mastered the technique of using the bathroom. And I am sorry for all of the potty talk, but I did warn you! I think from this I have learned two very important lessons. #1- My son will do probably anything for candy #2- Whether or not you think they have ammo, NEVER BE IN THE LINE OF FIRE!