Captains Log: I Hate Potty Training.

This might be the most obvious parenting statement ever.

I with every single fiber of my being 

HATE POTTY TRAINING.

I honestly think that's where my oldest developed his negotiation tactics. 

We started E when he was a little over 2...or maybe 2 1/2? Was it 2?

I think my brain may have blocked out some of those memories as a defense mechanism. But I digress...

It was sometime in early 2012 when we started the process. B had just come into the world and I decided: "Alright, Elijah. Lets do this thing."

Well, needless to say, he had different plans. Our first go at it you could compare to me asking him to saw off his own leg and feed it to a hungry tiger.

A few days later he figured that if He can't see me...I can't see him.

He adopted this strategy for about 2 weeks.

Neither of us got anywhere.

So after reading a few how-to parenting articles I tried "giving him a book to relax him" method.

Still nowhere.

A few countless hours of Potty Training Tip Articles later 

I gave the ol' no diaper, no choice but the potty angle a try.

Two things got ruined that day:

Any chance of getting our cleaning deposit back and my faith in parenting articles.

He actually sums up how I felt at that time.

Fast forward 2 years and one move across the country later...

GUESS WHAT?!

STILL. IN. DIAPERS.

When I say "literally" I mean it literally took the better part of nearly 2 years to potty train this kid. BUT IT DID EVENTUALLY HAPPEN in the summer of 2013.

NOW it's B's turn. Noted that I should have gotten the hint earlier that he was ready to start when HE was ready:

I guess the thought of my last baby wanting to potty train was solidifying that he was no longer a baby baby was something i wasn't willing to accept at the time AND my traumatic experience from the last time are what caused my delay in moving forward with it. So about 2 months ago we started actually potty training. And suffice it to say, I missed my window of opportunity. NOW, even though he doesn't mind going potty, our lessons are sprinkled in with more...dramatic? interesting? gross? baffling? circumstances. Examples being:

-Yelling at his reflection in toilet handle, distracting him from getting the job done. 

-Insisting on positioning himself on said toilet, often causing one or both feet falling in.

-Eating (unused, thankfully) toilet paper.

or this new one...

So thus starts the second colorful chapter in my Potty Training Journey. I hope that you stay with me on this what is sure to be, interesting time in our lives. Because, I still have no idea what's going to happen...

Until next time,

Fair Winds.