Tinkle Tinkle, Little Star

Dexter has been familiar with the potty for about a year. Over this time, his interest in the potty has ebbed and flowed. When he was interested, Ben and I would invest time and energy in promoting potty use. While Dexter would enthusiastically sit on the potty and read potty books, he never actually produced anything on the potty. Last night I noticed that Dexter was talking a lot about going to the potty so I suggested that tomorrow he should wear his big boy underwear again. This morning Dexter was excited to wear his big boy underpants and picked out blue ones with trucks. Ben and I repeatedly reminded him to let us know when he had to go peeps or poops. Suddenly, without our prompting, Dexter came running up to us, exclaiming "I have to go!" I grabbed his hand to lead him to the bathroom and realized he was running funny. He was running funny because he had actually already peed and his pants and socks were soaked. Take two: camoflage underwear, same story but with Daddy since I was at a doctor's appointment. Take three: blue underwear with soccer, basket, and footballs on them. This time he just came up to me and said he wanted to get new underwear. I asked if he had pooped and he said yes so I told him we'd have to change his underwear in the bathroom. But when I looked, I saw that there was no poop, just a tiny spot of pee. I suggested he sit on the potty and he agreed. More potty books, no peeps. This time I suggested that he not put on any pants or underwear and managed to get him engaged in playing with his Lincoln Logs. He started running around a bit (enjoying feeling pretty free) and then came up to me and said, "I peed while I was running!" I didn't see any pee on the floor but did notice some drops on his legs. Back to the bathroom we went. More potty books, more waiting for nothing. The next time, Dexter came up to me and said he had to go. I helped him onto the potty and we started reading "My Very Own Potty" and while I was reading the second page, I saw a funny look on Dexter's face and heard his pee-pee going into the potty!! We looked at each other with sheer excitement on our faces. I said, "You're going pee-pee on the potty!!! Do you hear it?" "Yes!", he exclaimed with a huge smile on his face. He couldn't wait for Daddy to come home from teaching to tell him all about it. He didn't have to wait long - within 15 minutes Daddy was home and barebutt Dexter was telling him all about how he went pee-pee on the potty. We all had a big parade for Dexter and then Dexter again said he had to go to the potty. Daddy took him this time. We both were thinking this would be a poop but it turned out to be another pee! Then we took Dexter out to eat and celebrate the first day he did a peeps in the potty.

Forever I will associate Leap Year with the first time Dexter ever peed in the potty.

Win-Win

Dexter seems to have figured out a win-win solution to getting out of bed before dawn and being put back in bed by Mommy or Daddy until sunrise. The other morning (at 5:00 in the morning!), Dexter was at our bed saying it was time to get up. I told him that it was still the middle of the night and that he had to go back to bed. I led him back to his room, tucked him in, and told him that it wouldn't be time to get up until the sun came up (of course, the sun is starting to rise earlier and earlier so I was pulling his shades and drapes shut to keep out any emerging sunlight). I went back to bed, pleased that he went back down so willingly. Soon, I heard him playing with toys in his room. A fine compromise I thought and drifted in and out of fuzzy morning sleep. Before long, I heard Dexter's door open and braced myself for getting up with him. But as he was walking towards our bedroom door, I heard him say to himself, "Mmmmmm. I'll close Mommy and Daddy's door." And he did! Then he went right ahead playing by himself in the living room without "disturbing" us. Now we just need to be aware of the fact that he might get up and close our bedroom door without waking us up first...