Mo-Mo Potty

Bella loves Elmo. And in this house- as in many with avid Sesame Street fans- he is affectionately known as Mo-Mo. Lily was not much into the goings on of Big Bird and his pals- she was all about Dora and Diego. Keola's mom- in an effort to encourage potty training in the little ones bought us an Elmo Potty that the kids can hi-Five when they are done and he says encouraging things. We tripped over it in the bathroom for a few weeks and then I had a brilliant idea. Whenever the little ones are outside playing in the sprinkler or the pool- the first thing they need to do is go potty. It never fails. NEVER. So why not use the Mo-mo potty outside. I mean after all- with the 2 and under crowd- there isn't a whole lot of notice in the "I have to go" realm. It has been working beautifully. Ola trots over to any vacant piece off grass or nearest trees and adds a little fertilizer. Bella watches it run down her leg. Lily. Now Lily religiously uses the Elmo throne- it is sooo choice. Much more convenient than bothering with the indoor loo. Finally Bella catches on. She now will exclusively use Elmo for #2. If the door is locked and she has abandoned clothing- she might bother to sit on the porcelain variety for awhile- but her first choice is to make the pilgrimage outdoors to visit Elmo. As much as I hate cleaning the thing- it is progress and for our little exhibitionist types- for them it is a pure piece of heaven.

Hands on Potty Training

By denying diapers and underpants- Bella has forced me to throw myself into potty training. This means many things. We go on fewer outings and the carpet shampooer is a permanent fixture downstairs. I am considering selling or trading one of my children for pergo. We were into the evening of a good day. Bella had gone on the potty consistently and I was preparing dinner. She starts doing a little hoppy dance and I know what's coming....Mama! Gotta go poop-poop! Well go on the potty silly.....by the time I had rinsed my hands off ,I hear her perky little voice Mama! I poop-poop in the potty!!! This is a new occurrence, a milestone, a definite step forward. I run into the bathroom with the exaggerated glee appropriate for the occasion and sure enough- she is perched on the potty and there is in fact proof of her deed. But what is that smudge on the counter, ooh on the potty too- and why is she wiping her hands on me- ick ick ick ick. My first thought is she tried to wipe, but nope- no toilet paper. Hmm- I glance in the trash- sherlock holmes has got nothin on me- and there it is-- the pull up with smudges. Yep you guessed it- she pulled the proof out of the pullup- threw it in the potty and hoisted herself up to claim the rewards. I have reached a new low in the battle. I have few reinforcements and morale is low. But today is a new start and she is asking to wear diapers again. I'm guessing my ick ick dance probably freaked her out a little.

You want me to go where???

There comes a time in all potty training fun, that you venture out, without diaper, without pullup- and try to get a good feel for where you stand in the public potty realm. One would assume it would go well since the 2 year olds in my past have felt a need to visit all public restrooms for the mere joy of seeing how many disgusting surfaces they can touch. It does not end well. Phillip's 1st outing- Burger King in Virginia. It was not good. The most memorable for me perhaps was the time we went to the beach and he was finally potty trained and I wasn't really worried about him. He runs up, grabbing himself as boys do- with the declaration that he has to go potty. There were no facilities available- so I do what any good mother would do - I pull him close and whisper go potty in the water! He looks confused for a second- I urge him- Go on, it's okay. So he runs to the water's edge, pulls his trunks down and proceeds to wave the little hose around like a mad man. I think I was surrounded by 3 other moms with a collective 6 boys who all giggled at my embarrassment- mostly because I think they all knew precisely what was going to happen.

There's a Shark in My Tub.

Yep. One of the stages of Potty training. The shark in the tub stage. The good thing is that this stage marks progress. The bad thing is that it is disgusting and it requires a good deal of attention. Bella is there. Usually as I scrub her sister- Mama! Poop-poop coming! Which means the shark is already swimming. This means immediate tub evacuation and child quarantine until the affected area has been disinfected. Fortunately we have multiple tubs and with a towel wrap and help from an older child- the transfer is relatively painless. I try to postpone bathtime until after the blessed event- but her regularity is not so reliable. The other night Elmo was involved in a most egregious shark attack. Do not fear, it was handled swiftly and effectively. Bella was Burrito-fied(wrapped in towel) and watched as Elmo was evacuated to the sink. Fortunately Elmo is Bath friendly and with a good bleach soak followed by a soapy scrub- he was ready for snuggling following Bella's second bath.

A day in the pool....

I got a great deal on a baby pool for the backyard. It's 8 feet wide, so the bigger kids can soak as well. It takes FOREVER to fill up. The whole time the kids are pacing around like caged monkeys. It's been warm - a whopping mid-to high 80's with 60% humidity- I LOVE the weather here. Keola is here for the day and we start the swim diaper/sunscreen routine. An hour later- everyone has gone potty and they are rearin to go. Lily does a running jump into the pool- Bella follows a little more cautiously. Keola requires hand-holding, but once he's in the pool I am allowed to sit approximately 4 feet away in a chair. 5 feet is too far- I have tested the boundaries. AN Jen I swimmin! Yeah good job buddy! Mom! I'm swimmmmmmin! Allright Lily! Bella has that faraway look on her face- Bella DO NOT go potty in the pool! She hops out- Poop poop comin! I change her- fortunately we got her out of the pool in time- but wait- what's that faraway look on Keola's face? Too late this time- he's surrounded by a cloud. Allright everyone to the hose. I hose them off and tackle the pool. I know the lawn needed fertilizer, but this was not the way I was going to go about that. I go inside to grab the bleach spray and when I come out they are all slidin around in the murky dregs in the pool. Oh Gag! Into the tub with all of you.

Welcome to my World!

Hello there! So I am working on potty training #4. You'd think at some point you would get used to potty mishaps- yet each child comes up with new and exciting ways to test my gag reflex. Bella has decided that she no longer wants to wear diapers. Or clothes. Just a pony tail and a smile. She knows she has to go potty. She goes as far as to get the package of diapers, shove it between her legs and carry on with her business. She is shocked by the mess. As are her siblings who start to hoot and holler like a pack of monkeys in heat. So I mop the floor. Lily wants to help and grabs the Lily sized mop...before she can swoosh the mess around I ask her if she could help me by mopping the bathroom. When I pass by the bathroom in a minute she is busily mopping the floor which is now soaked....in the absence of a bucket she used the toilet to wet her mop. Bleach is my friend.