Same Ol' Same Ol' (With a Few Surprises Here and There)

I haven't posted much on this blog; there really isn't much to report. I wouldn't exactly consider my boys toilet trained. In fact, I distrust their little bladders so much that when we go on vacation next month, we will be putting them back in diapers for most of the trip (especially the 10 hour car ride). I don't feel like it'll cause a regression because even now if I put them in a diaper for an extra long outing or something, they are sometimes reluctant to pee in their diapers, and will ask for help to use the toilet. And when we get home from those outings, the diapers come off, the underpants go back on, and the schedule resumes without any hitches. All this of course refers to peeing in the toilet. Pooping is still another matter, which is why I don't consider Drew and Owen totally trained. Owen more so than Drew, but still not really.

Owen actually has pooped in the toilet a few times. He has come up to me and said, "Mom, I need to poop in the toilet. Can you help me?" (That sentence in itself is amazing, because usually when he wants help with something he just yells, "I can't do it!") So I help him sit on the toilet, he does his business and then he hops off and touches his toes so I can wipe him (I have reasons--experiences--for not trusting him to wipe himself yet).

At this point in our training, I'm sort of seeing some of the appeal of the little potties. For pooping, the boys have been using the big toilet with a Cushie Tushie, but it isn't really working out for them. The problem is that when they poop a little pee comes out too (and sometimes a lot), and because of how boys are equipped, it sprays straight out. We've been working on "point it down" but the opening in the Cushie Tushie isn't really big enough for that. So I think I'd like to find some kind of seat with a guard. The little potties have them, but even that feature doesn't override the fact that I just don't want to deal with cleaning the thing.

So I feel like we're a little bit stuck as far as this whole thing goes. I know it's time to do something because the other day on a trip to my cousin's house, Owen came up to me and said, "Mom, I need a diaper change." I was keeping an eye on about five other kids, so I told Owen to take the box of wipes to his dad and ask for help. He said okay, and disappeared. Five minutes later I hear, "Mom! I'm changing mine diaper!" I look up and there he is in the middle of the floor, naked-bottomed, feet up in the air, wipes in hand, dirty (and I mean dirty) diaper next to him on the carpet, changing his own diaper. But making a mess at it. He got it in his hair, on his shirt, all over his legs and belly. Somehow the carpet escaped unscathed. The whole incident made me think to myself, "If this kid is going to be changing his own diapers, he should be able to just use the toilet." But we'll see. It'll probably be more gradual than I'm hoping for. It also really does depend on how ready the kid is. Owen seems really ready most of the time. Drew, not so much. He does fine peeing in the toilet, but can't/won't (I'm not sure which) poop in it. He's generally been a little behind Owen developmentally, but not usually very far, so hopefully he'll get it soon, too.

"Toilet" and "Floor" Are Not Synonyms

I promised that this blog would contain some grossness; this post is not for the faint of stomach!

Drew and Owen have only had one successful BM on the toilet each. They just save up for nap time or bed time when I put their diapers on them (we opted not to spring for pull-ups). Every now and then, though, there will be a surprise in their underpants. I just dump the lump into the toilet and say, "Poop goes here." Then we flush it down and yell, "Good bye, poop!"

Today was different, though. Drew came into the kitchen all excited and yelled, "I poop in the toilet!" When I went to inspect, there was nothing in the toilet. Thus commenced the game of "Find the Fecal Matter." Apparently, Drew for some reason thought it would be a good idea to go into the laundry room (maybe because the cat box is in there?), remove his shorts and poop on the floor. It was easily cleaned; just scoop, dump, flush, then wipe the floor with a Clorox wipe.* But still. Had it not happened at all? Would have been even better.

*During a lesson in church one Sunday, the teacher asked us to think about what items have been invented in the last 50 years that we are grateful for. I don't remember how it tied into the lesson. Anyway, pre-kids, I would have said cell phones, Internet, things like that. I'm still really grateful for those things, but these days at the top of my list are Clorox wipes and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.