Hope and a Diaper Free Future!?

We’ve been trying to get Calvin to use the potty for a long time now! I often think back and remember how hard I thought Jack was and then praise God he came along first, because I may not have him if his stubborn little toot of a brother had been our first child! I think we would have probably stopped with one. He’s hard, I tell ya! I love him with every ounce of my being and there are a lot of times I just look at him a ogle over how adorable he is, and then tell him quite often it’s lucky he is so darn cute. My dad loves to rib me about being a stubborn child, but after spending 4 days with us this Spring in a vacation home, he apologized for thinking I was so hard headed. He told me I had nothing on Cal! One of Aaron’s coworkers told us we gave our children too strong of names. I’m thinking of changing Calvin’s name to Ernie.

Anyway, all that to say... we’ve been trying to get Cal to go #2 in the potty for a long time. I kept getting the, “oh, don’t rush him...” “he’ll get it when he’s ready...” “as long as he’s potty trained by the time he goes to school...” comments from friends and family. Here’s my responses...

One, you don’t have to change his massive poop filled diapers. This kid is not only built like a linebacker, he creates bm’s like one too. Also, all I can really count on him to eat in any given day is fruit, which makes for a wonderful smelling concoction of mush. Sorry TMI?

Two, He Gets It!! His stubbornness is just his driving motivator in all aspects of life. Including this one! He knows I make him sit on the potty. I watch him like a hawk for the illusive poop face. Hunting the poop face is kinda like hunting for Bigfoot. Everyone really wants to find one, but are afraid of the fallout when someone finally does. He will wait for days until he is with another adult, like in the chapel nursery, or alone with daddy and then mess his skivies numerous times. There’s the day we were in the Wal-Mart bathroom on the changing table (that he hangs off of) and I said, “This really has to stop, Calvin. I’m really tired of wiping your bobo.” and he responded with his hands behind his head, “I no go poo poo in the potty. I like lay down up here.” OR in the Target bathroom when he kicked the trash can off the wall. He was mad that I made him sit on the toilet, because I caught him the act. These are moments, I realize through the snarky look on his face, that he “gets” it and he also “gets” how to drive me INSANE! These are just a few examples of his desire to control the situation (and me). After that Target debacle I took the pacifier (aka “Z”) away from him until he decided to poop in the potty (I was a little flabbergasted). It had been three days since he’d had last gone! We spent a lot of time on the potty that evening and then TWO HOURS of fit throwing, intense screaming, spitting, flailing, kicking, and much more before he fell asleep with no Z (don't worry. It was him, not me, throwing the fit). I decided that either way, mommy would win. He’d either poop in the pot or we’d break him of the Z (which was another contention on the stubborn front). He didn’t want to use the potty so bad, the next day he told us he didn’t need the Z anymore and pooped in his pull up at bedtime. I won... right?

And three, we homeschool.

So, after encouraging, and bribing, and dancing ridiculously, and arguing, and watching hours of Ipad while his little legs fell asleep, and setting a good example, and tears, and a mommy with much less hair from all the pulling out I’ve done … it’s been tiring.

But here’s my point. Yes, I have one. And funnily it has nothing to do with potty training.

I had a rough day today. A tired, feeling worthless kind of day. This day had very little going for it.  A mommy needs a drink kinda day. And then God said, “I love you. Chin up. You are doing good.” in the form of a swollen belly, pooped filled, three year old that rushed past me reciting, “It’s coming. It’s coming. It’s coming.” dropping the little elmo skivies in the hallway, climbing on the potty all by himself, relaxing, then squishing up his adorable face and letting go!

It’s funny how God saves certain moments for the days we think we can’t take any more and reminds us how much He loves us. I needed it more today than any of those other days I thought I needed him to use the potty. It gives a whole new take on Jeremiah 29:11 for me... Yes, yes I know that was written for a different time and place, for a different people, in a totally different set of circumstances, but today it’s nice to know that He also knows the plans he has for me! Plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and diaper free future. His plan is to give me what I need as I need it. His timing is better than mine. Did God know about this day when He gave Jeremiah that Scripture? Did He mean for it to give encouragement to this worn out, frazzled mom? I don’t know, but I’m feeling kinda blessed right now. Who’d a thunk poop could make me see this day in a whole new way and get me to stop my moping and my selfish grunting (no pun intended...well, maybe now that I caught it it's intended) and on to praising God instead!