My baby is not a baby anymore - it's official. I have known it was coming for quite some time, but honestly didn't think it would happen this quickly. I wasn't ready, but he was. Since we were home-bound last week for most of the week, I decided to get serious about potty training. I thought there is no time like the present, it was freezing outside, and I was half sick myself and couldn't be distracted by the phone (I had laryngitis so I couldn't talk anyway), and EB had been using the potty consistently for several months. He had even filled up a sticker "potty chart" about a month ago. I have been watching him closely for a few months and he has been showing me every sign that he was getting close to being ready. He was telling me he needed to go, he was controlling his bladder, I noticed I was changing fewer and fewer diapers during a day, he loved to sit on potty etc...... Someone told me not to wait until I was ready, but to do it when EB was ready. If I didn't do that, then in 6 months when I might be ready, he wouldn't be. I needed to seize the opportunity that was at hand. In my mind I thought this was too early - and, this is my first time doing this so I was still trying to get a game plan of how this was all going to happen. I know for many of my friends this was the most dreaded part of parenthood so I was braced for a really bumpy ride. By God's grace, I stayed completely calm and low key about the whole thing (contrary to my personality - I am a worrier). I am also a strategic planner by nature and need to know that things are going to work out according to a certain plan that I have come up with. Even though that thinking causes alot of unnecessary stress for me, for some reason it gives me security and comfort - though it is a false sense of security. Doesn't Scripture say, "man plans his course, but it is the Lord who directs his steps"?
Anyway, I did something last Wednesday (6 days ago), that completely goes against my "planner nature". I took an approach that I honestly never thought I would ever do, but I was just following my child's lead on this. On Wednesday morning when he woke up and I was getting him out of his wet diaper from the night, I said out loud, "Today you are a big boy! Today you are going to wear big boy underwear and no more diapers except for sleeping"! I was shocked that those words came out of my mouth, because I had not planned to say them that day. But they did come out of my mouth, and he heard them - which meant as a good mommy, I had to keep my promise!! So 6 days ago, we went "cold turkey", skipping pull-ups and went straight to big boy underwear (he had already been taken to the store to choose his very own). He chose Buzz Lightyear, Thomas the Train, and Bob the Builder. He was really excited about wearing them and did not want to get them wet. In my head I was thinking, I am either really brave or REALLY stupid and this could completely backfire on me.
I am so very happy to report that after 48 hours of being home-bound, being taken to the potty every 15 minutes, drinking lots of water and juice, and loading up on chocolate for potty treats, he is officially potty trained (tee tee and poopy), exactly 1 month past his 2nd birthday!!!! It's been a week now, and I still kind of feel like this is surreal. But, he's got it and we are just going with it now. As I think back over the week, I am marveling that never once was he stressed about the whole thing, nor was I. It was as natural a thing as I have ever seen. It just kind of happened. There is nothing "magical" that I did as a mother - Lord knows it was not me. I was just in tune to my child and watched him give me the signs. The bottom line was that he was just ready. Simple as that.
It seems like as soon as your child reaches a milestone, there is another one just waiting around the corner to be tackled. I guess our next hurdle will be losing the pacifier for sleep - he's already lost it for daytime use, and then transitioning to a big boy bed.
But for now, I think I am just going to enjoy the moment and not think about what comes next.
2 comments:
So proud of Elijah. I am waiting for Joshua to do the same, a year later. He actually woke up this morning and went on his own, pee and poop. Maybe these next two weeks we are out of school it will happen. Here's praying. Hope your parties are going well and we get to catch up soon.
That is awesome!!!! Just a heads up, if in a couple months he starts to slide back, just hang in there. With both of my kids they did great and then it was like they got so comfortable with it and the excitement had worn off that they would start to have more accidents again. Don't be discouraged. I just wish someone had told me that when I was potty training! Congratulations and I'm so proud of him (and you)!!
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