Adventures in Potty Training

This potty training thing is a lot of work!

The other day, I needed to take D for a haircut. Even with two little kids, I was surprised at how much of a fiasco this seemingly simple outing became.

After the requisite "one minute until we put our shoes on!" warning, I proceeded to get both boys bundled up and ready to go. I'm anxiously awaiting the day when G is at least able to sit up on his own, as it's rather difficult to dress a 3-year old with a 20lb baby balanced on your hip, let alone put on your own shoes and coat. In any case, I got the boys in shoes and coats and got myself similarly outfitted. Of course, that was the moment D decided he needed to go potty.

After undressing, pottying, and redressing, we were finally out the door; only about 20 minutes later than I'd planned, which isn't bad all things considered. The "haircut place" as D calls it, isn't far from our house, so I was pretty surprised when D announced, as we pulled into a parking spot, "I need to pee, Mama." I'm beginning to think he just wants to mark his territory wherever we go; that or check out the facilities and make sure they are to his liking. In any case, I quickly unloaded D, got out the stroller and unloaded G into it, and grabbed my purse, diaper bag and a few toys; who knew one needed so much crap for a simple trip to a hair salon! We rush into the shop, ask for the bathroom and I cringe as I see someone come in after me; they'll get on the wait list first and we'll have that much longer in the waiting area. But I'm not about to ask my very newly potty trained toddler to hold it.

Now, going to the bathroom, especially for a male, should be a pretty simple task. Open pants, pull out bits, and pee - right? Not when you're three. Going potty involves taking off coat, shoes, and pants (it would involve taking off underwear if D didn't insist in going commando all the time), climbing up onto the potty (ugh, he's touching everything!), requesting that Mommy leave the room (no baby, but I can turn around for you), and finally, peeing. Then the look of sheer triumph as he happily announces, "Mama, I peed!" Good stuff, baby.

So then he climbs off the potty ("by myself!"), and we proceed to redress him, minus the coat. He makes sure to tell everyone else in the shop that he peed in the potty, and at least one of the stylists was nice enough to smile and tell him, "Good job buddy!" His haircut went fine, other than the fact that G had the crap scared out of him by a hairdryer and pretty much cried the whole time. Luckily D didn't freak out, which has been known to happen, but G crying hysterically in his stroller was bad enough. There wasn't much I could do about it, since D insists that I sit in the chair and have him on my lap for his haircut. It's the only way we keep him looking like a boy.

Once the haircut was done, we went to get the ice cream I promised him for being a good boy. There's a Baskin and Robbins across the parking lot, but it's a big parking lot, so we loaded everything into the van and drove over there. After a nice bowl of rainbow sherbet topped with M&M's (it's about as gross as it sounds), it was time to head home. I asked him a couple times if he needed to pee, and he very seriously said no. So we headed back to the van, I strapped G in, put away the stroller, loaded up the diaper bag and my purse, and was just about to strap D's carseat straps when he says... yep, you guessed it - Mama, I have to pee!

So I had to get him out, get the stroller back out, put G in it, grab my purse and head back into the B&R, hoping they have a public restroom or will at least take pity on a mom with two little kids and a boy in danger of peeing his pants.

Yes, they had one. Off go the coat, shoes, and pants, onto the potty, no Mommy can't leave the room, yes I can turn around, etc. etc. And once again, the sparkle in his eyes as he smiles at me and says, "Mama, I peed!"

Yeah baby, you sure did.