It's my bloggy, I can brag if I want to

I've been having computer hardware issues (bad AC adapters) and kid-related computer issues (summer break+two computer-literate kids=much less computer time for mom), so I haven't had a lot of time for blogging, but I needed to do a little updating on the potty front.

First of all, the laptop returned from the dead, for those of you who have been following the saga.

Secondly, I realize that Isaac, at 2-1/2, is a little bit on the young side for potty training, at least for our kids' generation. My mom insists I was potty-trained at 18 months, and her mom says she was potty-trained at 15 months. And I'm sure that if my great-grandma were still alive, she'd insist my grandma was potty-trained before she could walk. Whatever. As long as they're out of diapers before they go to kindergarten, that's early enough for me.

We've been doing the potty thing for nearly three weeks now. After a few days of relative success at the beginning, we hit a plateau. And earlier this week, Eddie and I seriously considered dragging the kid off the potty train and putting him back in diapers. But Isaac was undeterred. He wanted to use the potty and so we stuck it out.

Today, I'm proud to say, we got through an entire day with no pee accidents. I'm even prouder to say that he pooped on the potty for the first time today. I'm seriously considering taking him to the children's museum tomorrow wearing underwear.

Of course, we'll ignore that he was so strong-willed about peeing in the boys' bathroom at the YMCA this morning that I had to go in after him, averting my eyes from the prepubescent boys who looked at me with horror as they changed out of their swim trunks. And we'll also ignore the chant of "I'm poopy!" that met me as I was nursing Maren to sleep once we got home. And while we're at it, let's totally forget about how later this afternoon he pooped on Bryce's bed, carried the poop downstairs to the toilet in his hands, then wiped his dirty bum all over the upstairs toilet. Don't ask me why. Once again, I was nursing Maren and didn't find the disaster until the damage was done. I found a brown log on the computer desk tonight and had a minor panic attack until I realized it was just a brownie. Even still, I couldn't bring myself to polish it off.

But I'm just focusing on the positives here, and keeping in mind that as soon as we're done with the whole potty-training thing, I'm having the whole house disinfected and getting the carpets professionally cleaned.

--originally published 6/7/07