Potty Training 101

I know that I have blogged about potty training before - I did attempt to start it a couple of times, but truthfully, I got lazy and gave up. But this time, I promised myself I would stick to it and get this little boy trained before Rebekah is crawling around the house and can't be left alone!

I was encouraged by a post on another blog I follow: My Charming Kids
So I pulled the pants and diaper off of Zach, turned up the heat in the house, and let him go naked as we began our adventure into the world of the potty!
















Yes, that's my naked son with a dog licking his foot, and he's lying in the baby bouncer...backwards. I can't defend it, I have no words.

2 weeks and a few dribbles on the floor later, Zach is wearing underwear all day (including during his naps), and only a pull-up at night! He's doing a great job - no accidents in days. I have to admit that I do slap a pull-up on him when we go out anywhere, because I have a nightmarish fear of having to place him on a public toilet...my hands beg to be washed just thinking about it! I'm thinking about getting one of these and one of these to avoid the plethora of germs altogether.

I am proud of my boy, but I'm also proud of myself! I never thought getting my child to use the potty would feel like such an accomplishment, but it does. I really thought potty-training would expose me as a pathetic parent, and that my failure with Zach would ensure that Rebekah would be in diapers until SHE got sick of it. :) But we succeeded, I don't think I've scarred Zach emotionally, and Rebekah shall wear underwear sooner rather than later!

Success smells SO good...well, not really, kind of the opposite.

I know this is random, but I ran across this poem a couple of weeks ago, and it's just so wonderful...I wanted to share it. I especially love the last 2 lines, and would love to stencil that on the wall of Rebekah's nursery.

Song for a Fifth Child.

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

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