Bring on the M&M's

We have a lilac bush in our yard.  In the spring it blooms and the scent of lilac fills the air.  I always want to clip a few stems and bring them into the house and arrange them in a crystal vase.  But you know what lurks behind that lovely sweet smell?  That's right, bugs.  Those gorgeous purple blooms harbour teeny tiny insects.

This is how I feel about potty-training. 

On the outside, it looks glorious!  No more diapers!  But when you get a little closer you realize you're going to be cleaning up a lot of pee!

I had no intention of going down the potty-training route anytime soon.  Colin's always shown interest in the potty.  Pat takes him in there all the time, and you hear hysterical laughter. But he's never exhibited the "typical" signs that he's ready. Frankly we don't have the time or energy to dedicate to the process.  It's a heck of a lot easier to change a diaper vs. asking a toddler with a mind of his own to stop what he's doing and sit on the potty 20 times a day. However, Colin has other ideas. 

An incident report came home from daycare a few weeks ago.  Thinking it was just another biting attack, I didn't read it until I got home.  "Colin was bit by another child because they were both fighting to get to the potty".  Wait, what?  Colin goes to the potty at daycare?  Who cares that he got bit!! The next day I checked with his teachers and sure enough he's always attempting to go potty.  Who knew?!  They thought we were working on it at home because they said he's a "pro".  I played it cool, and didn't let on that I was completely shocked and baffled by this development! 

So, we bought Colin a little seat.  For the most part he just casually sits on the potty, looks at his pee-pee saying "go, water, go!", flushes the toilet a hundred times, and then washes his hands.  Oh, and he reads the sports page every once in awhile.

Then, this past Memorial Day after asking to go "pee potty" he sat down, and actually peed.  Granted it was literally a little sprinkle, but I was so excited I think I cried tears of pure joy! He was so proud of himself, and insisted on unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper.  At that point, I didn't even care!  He was laughing, giving me high-fives and telling me he "peed on the potty"!

So, we got out the celebratory M&M's and Colin went to town. I may have set a bad precedent since I let him eat about 1/2 a bag, but hey - it was the first time and we were both excited!



I have no idea if we're weeks or months away from being potty trained.  It will happen in it's own time, trust me, I won't be rushing things. Cheers to our new adventure - ready or not, the Beirne household now has a stockpile of M&M's and Resolve carpet cleaner on-hand!