Tracking January

I think some things in life never have a convenient start time. It’s never a great time to take down Christmas decorations. It’s never the perfect time to have a root canal. If you are a kid, then it’s never a great time to have your hair washed, take a nap, or pick up toys. But as with all of these things, there is a purpose. Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 so clearly points out, “There is an appointed time for everything.  And there is a time for every event under heaven…”

Yet, the author of Ecclesiastes did not list potty training as a specific event in time on his list. Obviously the author was at work while the spouse was at home cleaning up messes and “Resolving” the carpet. Had he’d been home, it would have definitely made the list. But as I’ve mentioned in this post, potty training is something forgotten into the oblivion of most parents’ minds.

We woke up one morning in early January and started talking about the pros and cons of potty training again, the amazingly cool underpants Grandma got him for Christmas, etc. I asked Ryder if he’d like to give the day a try with underpants. He replied, “Yes, I’d like to use the potty.” Ok then. Simple. As. That. (I’m sure a chorus of laughter just occurred from any parent who has past this milestone…ok, you can stop laughing now.)

Truly, the first week wasn’t that horrible. We were about a 40/60 success rate.

Two days into the exercise this kid was “trying” quite often. I had to explain that manipulating the jelly bean reward program was going to cause it to be forfeited completely. He quickly reneged on that strategy.

I am sure there are a bazillion methods to train a kid to use the facilities. But here are ones that have worked, for better or worse, for us so far:

1. No pull-ups from day one. I wanted this kid to feel the misery of messing ones’ pants. It isn’t supposed to feel good.
2. Peeing on the carpet, pooping on the kitchen floor, or dancing in your PJs a little too long (’cause darn if they are difficult to get off!) are all necessary factors in learning this trait. Let’s not kid ourselves, nothing comes without a bit of sacrifice and crap to wade through.
3. Reward systems, in my house, are acceptable as long as they are effective. There is nothing wrong with working hard for something and reaping a reward. That reward can later be based on purely self satisfaction. But for now, delicious Jelly Belly jelly beans are great motivation; we are aiming for success here!
4. Patience. patience. patience. For me. Wisdom is completely applicable as well.
5. We will work towards no diapers at night or during naps (we are at 50/50 now). Totally different ball game. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I am sure someone pushed for it. Refer to #4
6. The first week, set a timer for 45 minutes at a time. My friend Martha tipped me on this one. Makes me less the bad guy and more the encourager. The down side of this however, was when the muffins were finished the other day and Ryder said “Time to pee!” Ah well, better than the other way around I suppose.
7. As Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus said, “Take chances. Make mistakes. And GET MESSY!”

Other milestones were achieved this month with Rory-girl. She has decided to not be swayed by her lack of teeth and how such a state often assumes a menu of mushy spoon-fed meals. No, no, this girl will take just about anything thrown at her and clean her brother’s plate along the way. We offered her chicken, string beans, mac and cheese and hush-puppies the other day and all that was left was a disappointed Toby guarding the linoleum floor below her high chair. Sadly, good things do not always come to those who wait. Better luck next time puppy-dog.

Rory has also moved on from army crawling exclusively to a traditional knee crawl, pulling up on anything near stable and expanding her vocabulary to “Eegor” (Uncle Ben and Teta Sonya’s black pug), “Ryder!”, and a good bit of French…or maybe it’s an island dialect of some sort, I don’t speak it yet.

There is definitely an opinion in whatever it is spouting from those lips. The pediatrician, at her appointment just last week, was reminding me that her temper will likely show very soon. I didn’t believe him, “Really? her? already?” Yep, just that evening she got aggressively upset at Chris for not sharing the keyboard and got a firm talking to. Ah yes, determined intelligence is now prevalent and its expression shall be refined.

Our month would not be complete without an adventure with cousin Savannah on a Friday afternoon. I packed lunch for the clan (including Uncle Charlie! – Savannah’s Daddy) and we went to visit the fishes at the Virginia Aquarium.

Imagination excursions in the submarine were probably the biggest hit of the day. What better than shark infested waters to excite their minds (and tummies! I swear, a closed-in space, sharks, and intense demands of “dive! dive! dive!” bring out the best farts in children. I nearly died; The Hunt for Red October had nothing on this mission).

There was a close encounter with a shark. But thankfully the piercing scream of a four year old girl will scare any monster daring to encroach.

We ended our adventure by having a quiet moment with the turtles and petting the horseshoe crabs:

January was a fun month of new milestones, favorite adventures to familiar and far-off places. We welcomed gifts of warm “winter” days where we pretended it was summer on the beach.

And we dreamed of eleven more beautiful months to come. Months that will bring birthdays in the spring, swimming come summer, and vacation come fall. Life is good and we are happy to celebrate every day of it!