The Potty Chronicles: The Day Mommy Gave Joey A Complex

Ugh! I knew it couldn't all be this easy! Of course .. maybe it could of had I not totally traumatized our child and brought him to the point of uttering, "I/Mommy be better" and "Noooo Mommy. Nooooo" in a sad, dejected and (tiny-bit) defiant voice when I ask if he needs to go to the potty. Cause that's where we are now folks. Insert Mommy's sad face here.

Unrelated picture of Joey demonstrating a "happy face" because I know people just want to see my kids.. and what's a post without pictures? ;o)

Basically, it went down like this. A little less than a week ago, we were in a mad dash to the potty motivated by the urgency in Joey's voice when he said he needed to go potty NOW. Okay, run to potty, rip off J's pants, pull off diaper, insert Sponge Bob ("Dubba Dubba") seat, set Joey in his place, breathe because we made it, and wait. I was waiting patiently as we sang and held hands (all kumbaya, I know, it's a sight) because I knew he needed to go number two (sorry, TMI, but I have a two year old and three month old so it's what my life is made of) and I knew if I was patient enough we'd have a big celebration, and Joey could have "TWO tandies!!!", and we'd all be overjoyed.

Demonstrating a "sad face."

Yeah, well ... it turns out I had not been fast enough in our dash to the potty and the evidence was found hiding under J's diaper.  FOUND BY MY FOOT, PEOPLE! You could probably pretty accurately imagine the scene that ensued.  Lots of "Oh my GOD!"s and frantic washing and throwing things on the back porch and such...

Joey's "angry face." ... Which actually looks a lot like his "smile" face now that I look at it. Ha!.

So basically, my little potty champion observed the whole scene from his perch on the potty.  Asking at one point, in the most innocent voice possible, as I washed off my foot, "Yhat's yong Mommy?" And, really, now that I'm fully recounting this I feel really bad about the whole thing.  Why couldn't I have just smiled and handled this all with grace and giggles?  Apparently, human poop on your bare foot catches you off guard.

Joey's "scary face."

Post Poop-On-Foot Day, Joey has been reluctant to go on the potty.  I was puzzled until I had to change his diaper one day and asked if he wanted to try the potty and he launched into a litany of sad, crazy, phrases that included things such as "Joey's poop on the bact a' Mommy's foot" and "I better now" and "Mommy all better now?" and ugh ... my heart sank. And it was clear what had happened.  I'm pretty sure Joey took my frantic ohmygodIhaveyourpooponmyfoot to be yelling at him and not about the situation.  Which was not the case, but how was he supposed to know that? 

 Don't yell at my brother!

So now potty time involves a lot (a real lot) of protest and tears (Ugh! why didn't I just laugh?!?) and holding it in when I know he really needs to go.  It's got Joe and I shooting each other glances that say, "Ohmygawd ... what do we do now?".  And seriously, we're torn between letting him abandon the whole thing because everyone says it's supposed to be positive and making him work through it now because we don't want this to develop into something even larger.

In an act of solidarity, I will resist all things potty! Don't think you are getting me to poop more than once every three days now!

Add in the fact that Grace has joined forces with her brother in her own sort of protest and basically the little ones have managed to gain all control around here (kidding!).  That and the fact that I have Joey in the most unpractical of potty training pajamas, little footie-one-piece gems, because, A: I have a crazy love of having my kids to match (notice their coordinating jammies??) and B: this is the last year J will fit into them (Tears! My baby is growing up), have created the perfect storm. 

 Who? Me?

So where do we go now? Basically, I cannot buy any more coordinating footie pajamas. They are not helping matters and I must exercise restraint.  (Why did Joey have to start potty training now?! He's putting the kabosh on cute bedtimes!) Anndddd .. I'm thinking we're going to move in the direction of LOTS of sitting on the potty, with tons of making it happy added in, to desensitize him. As of this morning I have Joe adding in a potty dance to the list of rewards which basically has Joey in stitches and me sitting there alternating between thinking Please God don't let Joey EVER mimic this in public and My kids have SUCH a good Dad.

Hopefully this will all be short lived and the terrific twosome will be back to their selves in a matter of days

*Fingers crossed*

You've got to admit they are super cute in their matchy matchy snowmen jamies :o)

Also, Joey fought a sinus infection and won this week.You can kind of tell in his face in this last pic that he was feeling sick.That now makes Joey's lifetime score in the never-ending battle of Joey vs Sinuses, Joey: 2 and Sinus Infections: 8 million. Yay for tubes in the ears! They give my kid a fighting chance.