POTTY TALK

Disclaimer: For those of you who are embarrassed or otherwise uncomfortable with potty talk (and by potty talk, I mean further details on potty training and use of anatomically correct terms), please read no further. This is a post where I record some of the things James has been saying lately, for our own later recollection (and amusement).

First off, James has a pretty standard bathroom routine these days. We sit him up there, he does his business (often times singing or humming to himself as he goes), then he says "All done!" or "I did it!" Sometimes he even tells us "all done" while he's still peeing. Usually, he kicks his undies (and/or shorts) off while he's sitting there, yelling "Off!", because apparently it's easier to pee on the potty without your bottoms on?... Once he is taken down off the potty (or gets down by himself - he is becoming quite the acrobat), he will seriously lean with his head practically in the toilet to check out his deposit. And then he points to it, saying "Pee pee IN the potty!" We're working very hard to get him to keep his hands out of the toilet... Next he'll say "I flush!" And if he forgets? Oh boy, we had better not flush the potty for him. Instant tantrum. He MUST flush it himself! So the reminders are still a constant thing in our house ("Tell Mama when you need to pee pee", "Push all the pee pee's out", "Don't play with yourself, just go potty", "Flush the potty", etc.) Lastly, he always requests "Wash your hands?" after I pop an M&M in his mouth. (Someday we'll get him to say "Wash MY hands?" instead...) What's really funny, is that most times these days, once he is all finished, he will then say "Mama's turn" or "Daddy's turn" - he feels very strongly that potty trips are a family affair...

While he hasn't had a poop accident in nearly 3 weeks (AWESOME!), he still pees himself now and then. He had been doing SO great (he went all weekend, 2 weekends ago, without a single accident, and only had a couple of naptime accidents at daycare last week), until we took the trip to Jackson last Thursday. We had put him in a cloth trainer, since it was our first car ride longer than 15 minutes, and we didn't want a wet carseat. Well, apparently that trainer felt cushy enough (and diaper-like enough) that he peed in it. And he did it again on the way home too. Throughout the rest of the weekend, he had 3 more accidents in the car (in his undies, even though we took him to the potty RIGHT before we got in the car). He peed on the edge of his bed (where the waterproof mattress pad doesn't cover) while playing on Saturday, even though he could see me clearly down the hall. Then he dribbled on the couch at bedtime while snuggling with Jay (SO not cool). So, what is this? Defiance? Or is he reverting? Is he just not fully emptying his bladder? (Hence our new slogan "Push ALL the pee pee's out James!") We are debating revisiting PT Bootcamp this weekend. We are considering sending him to time-out when he has accidents we KNOW he could avoid. We have started using harsher words and tones with him when he has accidents, one of which we picked up from his daycare teacher ("Nasty!"), since yucky doesn't seem to be cutting it anymore. We show him his wet undies and tell him they are gross, and that Mama and Daddy are NOT happy when he gets his undies wet. Anyone out there in blogland have other suggestions?...

And finally, this is the part that might embarrass you. And will probably embarrass James someday. But he's only 2 now. One thing we've noticed over the past couple of weeks is James' escalating interest in himself. We have never stifled his curiosity in the tub or anything, so we think the new "easy access" that he has without being in diapers is a major contributing factor. That, and the fact that he is TWO and is becoming more and more interested in ALL his body parts. We're scientists, and we don't like cutesy, silly names for ANYTHING (let alone genitals), so we use anatomically correct terminology with James, and always have (even when he was itty bitty and not even talking yet). Well, the other night while laying on the couch at bedtime, James started doing some exploring. We quickly told him that his behavior was not appropriate while sitting with us (or Sissy, or anyone else for that matter), and that he needed to go to his room if he wouldn't stop playing. He didn't like that, and kept doing it, even though we kept stopping him and reminding him that he needed to go do that in private. And you know what he told us? With a very stern look on his face? "MY penis!" It was all we could do not to bust out laughing. I mean, seriously though, how in the world is he old enough that we are having these discussions already? Please tell me this is a VERY short phase!