The Woes of Training!

 October 27, 2020

So potty training with Bradley might be the bane of my very existence.  I am not sure if Bradley and I are ever going to get there...after today, I am thinking that it is highly unlikely...like if we were in Vegas, I would be taking the potty winning odds because I am thinking they are like 100 to 1 against me.  Does that count as betting against myself?  

We started today early with OT, 8:15.  Bradley thinks that is early, I do too - which shows how far we’ve fallen from the mountain top as we used to get on the bus at 7:15.  Anyway, with some struggles and a busy token board, Bradley made ten successful cuts with adaptive scissors across 1/4 inch strips of paper.  Considering Bradley feels about cutting much as he feels about Zoom lessons, I think we can all appreciate the work involved and the triumph in general...he was on Zoom and cutting...he truly felt his day had peaked.  He might have been right. 

He was less than thrilled by the fifteen minute break and return to Zoom to attend class.  Not as successful a token board, as his frustration boiled over to hitting his head with his hand in order to draw mom in close enough to get what he really wanted, which was to pull as much of my hair as possible.  All because the teacher asked him to count.  CURSES!  How dare you?  So Dad calmed him down with some easy ways to get a few tokens and what do you know, he spent the rest of that lesson counting with me...his teacher had moved on, thank goodness.  I just love taking my son off mute so everyone can enjoy his yelling and screeching... sigh...  

Towards the end, I thought he had filled his diaper...the signs were there (green air all around), and then his Chrome Book battery died.  I should put my glasses on when I turn it on in the morning, totally misread the amount of battery power remaining.  So that died, and it was perfect for diaper changing...only the diaper had nothing.  Holy Smokes!  We all know what is coming!  So I asked if he wanted to go potty and Bradley said “Yes.”  And so it began again.  

Bradley sat on the potty, even watched a potty song on my phone.  I feared he’d pee on my phone - but no phones were christened today, thank goodness.  He didn’t poop, but he peed a tiny bit.  

Back to his room, and he started going through his closet looking for his big boy underpants so that he could match the baby on the video.  What followed was probably the BEST part of the day.  Bradley was incredibly intrigued by the different underpants available to him, and even more so by the interesting change in fit that he enjoyed; truly enjoyed, compared to a pull-up.  He tried on five different pairs before he settled on one, and each required a considerable amount of booty shaking and mirror dancing.  Truly a sight to behold.  Got him settled down and started the timer.  

Within ten minutes, we were changed out - he soaked through.  Nothing in the potty, but little stain in his pants...

Fifteen minutes - tiny bit of pee.  But this time, when I put him on the potty, I noticed he had a bit more stain, so I made him sit and wait, and then wait some more.  Eureka!  Splashdown with a sizable donation to the sewage system.  We even sat a bit more to make sure, but he told me Done, twice.  So I took him for his word.  Too bad he lies.  

We get to his room, I want to clean his end, before putting him in something new and dry. While I reach for a wipe, he does it.  I look at the wipes, then look back at him and am stunned by the pile on the rug below him.  And I know how this happens, but it didn’t stop me from saying out loud, “You just went, how did this happen?”  A lot of clean up later...and I tell him no movie til he finishes getting his tokens for his board. 

He went three more times, a bit of trickle the first time, but significant bladder emptying the next two.  He got his movie to enjoy for a little over an hour until therapy.  It was a long morning.  

Fast forward to therapy.  He starts to grunt, so we hurry in, and he goes on the potty.  Nothing epic, but a little bit.  Obviously, his stomach and digestive trac is now working decidedly against him.  He needs a new pull up so we hustle back to his room to get one (I also do not know why I don’t keep some in the bathroom - the bathroom finishing and reorganizing is still a work in progress - pull ups someday, I promise!).  He’s standing on the bare floor because his rug is in the washer.  As I tell him to lift his leg, he drops a prize, again.  Not as much - but enough to make me cringe and gag at the same time.  Wipes! Turn back, he’s dribbling pee now.  GOD HELP ME!  My patience is being tethered to me by sheer force of will at this point.  So I get him up on the table, stepping around the mess, get him cleaned up and covered up.  Then I use other wipes to clean up the mess.  I send him back to therapy and return to his room with Sanitizing wipes to complete that little science project.  

I text my Partner in Crime (Eric - who had to run to work for about an hour today) and tell him that I am considering quitting the potty training portion of my day job.  He marks my text with a HAHA.  He thinks I am kidding.  I don’t think I am.  

He gets back and as soon as he walks in, Bradley meets him in the hallway, side tracked from letting me know that he needs another diaper.  So we go back together the three of us.  We get Bradley cleaned up, and a new pull-up.  Only Bradley immediately pees and fills that one up.  So Eric changes him again.  As soon as Eric pulls his hand away, Bradley pulls the pull-up away from his belly and watches himself pee in this one too.  He has very little left, so it is a mere dribbling - so kid kept that diaper on.  But for Heaven’s Sake!  Really?!  

Good grief!  

I don’t know if we are at the pivotable moment or not.  I’ve been trying to find the positive that he is now interested in what is happening down there; like maybe if he is interested his prowess with the potty will suddenly click in place.  But after today, I am more inclined to be thinking that there are many messes ahead of us, planned events to be as disruptive as possible.  Respond don’t react.  Yeah sure, let’s see how the experts do when their kid decides to pee right in front of them - potentially with purpose.  Or manages to control a poop drop?  He starts dong that with purpose - and it will be straight big boy pants from now on.  Mess and all.  

Yet again...  Bradley 1 Mom 0

I think if I were a drinker, I’d be pouring one tonight.  But since I’m not...guess I’ll make my tea stronger or be wild and have a late afternoon Fizz!  Sigh!!!