Christopher's new milestones!

Well, Christopher did quite a number of big boy things in the past twenty-four hours...milestones that I am so happy that he has reached, but at the same time sad to see because it means he is no longer the tiny baby that we brought home almost three years ago. Not all of it is going to be for the faint of heart, so if you are easily grossed out, you might want to skip over some of it.

The past twenty-four hours has kinda built up for a couple of weeks now. We had an on-going issue with Christopher not wanting ANYTHING to do with the potty - didn't want to sit on it, look at it, acknowledge it unless it was stuff toiletpaper down and flush until he laughed himself silly. Rather frustrating when your almost three year old is wearing 4T clothing and the Size 6 barely fit him.

So, we had decided to start really putting him on the potty back in early October - those attempts backfired HUGELY and started us on a long road of holding our bowel movements. The past few months, on and off, were spent with his face turning red and him very publicly holding his poops. We spoke to our pediatrician at his 2 1/2 year check-up in November about it - he said back off until his speech improved. We did and his bowel movements improved some.

But then....we started re-introducing the potty in late December and the backfire happened again, despite the books, M&M's and Pingu videos. And much worse this time around - the last 2 weeks where spent with him constantly holding every bowel movement, which resulted in having to change his diaper about 12 times a day. This went on every stinking day (pardon the pun). So, his poor hiney is as red as Clifford, the Big Red Dog - which is painful for is to clean, painful for him to poop...and the cycle goes on and on and on. He is scared to go poop now - and every time the diaper gets whipped off, he starts screaming because he knows he has to get cleaned.

Talk about feeling like winning the Wost Mother of the Year Award!

I called the ped on Friday and was told to give him 2 teaspoons of mineral oil every day (disguise it in food if we had to) and put him on the potty after every meal. So, we gave him the mineral oil in his dinner Friday night and despite half the day yesterday being spent on the potty, he still world not go for us. And, his hiney was not any better.

But, there was a small change that started yesterday...that proved to be hugely helpful today.

While in our 45 minute long potty sessions, he managed to pee twice on the potty - which, when he managed to do that a few weeks ago all he did was cry. This time, he was a little surprised, but not scared. Okay, a good improvement.

Then, in his tub last night, we did what I will call Disgusting Boy Event #1: Christopher ate his first boogey. I am completely grossed out over this - Hubby is calling his dad, beaming proudly. Christopher got to it before I could get the washcloth to his nose... I have a feeling Christopher will be the boy eating paste in kindergarten.

Today, we spent a very lazy morning sleeping in (haven't done one of those since Christmas)...and then the potty sessions began again. Sessions were spent at home and then over at my mother's house. No successes except for the fact that Christopher sat on the potty without screaming. That is always a plus.

Only problem with the trip to Grandma's house was that it was supposed to be a short one... We were dropping off groceries that we picked up for my parents and then we were going to head off to the Nine-West outlet to return the boots I accidently bought that were the wrong size and the pocketbook that has ripped in less than 3 weeks. My mom asked if we could stop for something else for them, but Christopher needed lunch - so, I sent Hubby on the missions and I stayed behind with my mom and dad because neither are 100% up to caring for Christopher yet on their own. As he finished lunch and starting saying "Time for nap," I realized my big mistake: I forgot the BINKY at home.

Insert my second chance at winning the Wost Mother of the Year Award!

So, I brought Christopher into the livingroom and grabbed two blankets to snuggle with and winged it. Within twenty minutes Christopher was out cold...and slept for 2 hours, sans the binky.

We are in total shock - this was his first nap without the binky, ever.

After his nap, we headed home and spent another half hour on the potty with no success. So, we headed out to dinner with the entire Hubby side of the family for our mass January birthday celebration and after dinner, went back to my IL's house for cake and coffee.

When we got to my MIL's house, Christopher started up the anti-poopy dance: turned bright read, started holding it in and moaning (we added moaning in the past couple of days). He has managed to hold those cheeks so hard, I swore that either he was either going to be the Golden Boy Who Laid the Diamonds or would take over for the Buns of Steel videos.

So, I asked him "Do you need to go potty?"

"NOOOOOOO!" was the moaning reply.

I said, yes you do and dragged him in the bathroom with some hearty protest. Out came the M&M's. Out came the books. Hubby and I, with a houseful of friends and family, sat in the bathroom with him for about twenty-five minutes when we started smelling that lovely whafting of burnt tires.

Might we have a success here???

We peeked in behind him with a flashlight and found what will now be termed as Disgusting Boy Event #2: In the toilet was the Big-Guy Mother-Load! I walk out of the bathroom and yell SUCCESS! The entire house starts yelling "WoooHooo! Christopher!" Our big guy made his first guy dump on the potty!

After his success and his ceremonial flushing and bye-bye's to the poopy, we went over to the sink (still nakey) to wash our hands... Then, Disgusting Boy Event #3 occured: The sound of the running water got other things moving along, when we realized he was peeing on my MIL's stink cabinet! Poor thing, Christopher started crying because he didn't do it on the potty. We cleaned him up (after much crying) and he walked out of the bathroom to much accolades.

After cake and presents (which Mommy gets to buy some new things!!), the big evening ended with Uncle Rogie (Hubby's cousin, Christopher's Godfather) teaching Christopher to sing "My Sharona." So, now, any time you start humming the beginning of that song, Christopher will shout out like a drunken sailor, "My Sharona!"

Oh, what an interesting twenty-four hours this has been. I just hope this is the start of Christopher and real potty-training!