Trial Run: Yes, he needs a haircut.
Today was Simon’s last day in the Itsy Bitsy class. It’s hard to imagine, but he spent nine months in Ms. Lana’s class. The day he began, he was 33 ½ inches tall, clung to Dirty Dog like a life preserver, and used a pacifier when stressed. Today he stands over 37 inches tall, piles dirty dog in the corner of his crib with all his other animals, and hasn’t used a pacifier for over seven months.
Still, it’s hard to believe the Itsy Bitsy days are over. I said goodbye to his teachers this morning, read over the camp brochure again, and felt unsettled most of the morning. Simon has always resisted change, a characteristic I’ve always attributed to his father, the second most change resistant person I know. (Mom, you rank first.) Today made me realize that I bear some of the responsibility, too.
So you could say I met the day with some nostalgia for time just ended, a bit of anxiety, and some cognitive dissonance.
Then Simon, as is his wont, let me know that he’s ready to move on to the next phase himself. He let me know by saying “thank you” when I told him he was a sweet boy, the first time he’s acknowledged and appropriately responded to a compliment. He let me know by saying he wanted to read a book on his own tonight instead of sitting in my lap and having me read to him. And he let me know by peeing and pooping in his potty.
Our potty chair has been shoved under the bathroom sink collecting dust for a few months now. Simon seemed interested one day, we bought it, and then he never wanted anything to do with it. Last night he asked to sit on it, and we plopped him down—fully clothed—to get him used to the feel and talk about its purpose.
Tonight he asked again while we were changing his diaper. We helped him sit down, and the next thing we knew pee was running down his leg. Not realizing he meant to use the thing, we didn’t check to make sure his crucial bits were correctly positioned. Once we sorted him out, he surprised us by peeing more and then pooping a tiny bit. Matt and I both got the impression that he wanted to poop more than he had to and that genuine effort was involved.
I still don’t know what this means exactly. It seems unlikely Simon is ready to fully train right now. He certainly has not demonstrated all the signs of readiness. Then again, we can’t pass up this chance to see what he is ready to do. I have no books in the house to guide me, nor do we have pull-ups or underwear. I think for now we’re going to offer to help him sit down a few times a day, offer a small reward when he does, read some potty-themed literature, and see where we end up. I might buy some tiny tighty-whities, too.
Ready or not, he’s clearly let us know that, like a reverse horizon, the hazy future is closer and better focused than we had thought.
As you know, I know very little about little boys – except I do remember how thrilled my (now in colleage) nephew was to have “big boy” underpants – tighty whities just like Dad.