That Naughty Little Poopie

Hearing 2YO yelling from across the house, “Mommy I’m finissssssshed,” set off a domino effect of Mommy clanging down her warm coffee mug on the glass table, running on tippy-toes across the house, and triple climbing up stairs. Only imagination could foretell what on this bless-eth planet little-toddler-girl could be referring to as nap time had only just begun. But you know how that goes: that sweet silence that Mommy spends all day craving and might even feel is her best friend can sometimes also be a frienemy, predicting upcoming disaster.

Well, upon opening the door, what would Mommy discover? Would she find a poopie finger-painted everywhere? No, no, that was last year. Surely we have graduated from those days. Would she find diaper ointment squeezed out and slathered on all the dolls? No, that was last month, and Mommy had already taken the appropriate precautionary measures to banish that tube of ointment far from 2YO’s reaches. How about crayons? Could it be new drawings on the wall? No, that was yesterday.

Entering the room Mommy exhorts a sigh of relief in finding little-toddler-girl standing there next to her bed, red faced, glassy big eyes, gritting her teeth: “Mommy, I finished doing a poopie.” Phew. It was IN the diaper! (Yes,  Mommy confesses she makes 2YO wear a diaper during nap time even though she’s mostly potty trained.) You must understand that the fact that the poopie was in the diaper, and not roaming around the room, that is what we call progress! Plus, the fact that 2YO told Mommy she was finished and kept the diaper on, that is also progress! In fact, surely if 2YO could tell Mommy when she did a poopie, well, let’s bring out those princess panties, leave the diapers for baby brother, and call it a day. That is indeed progress.

WAS progress. Immediately after cleaning her up, re-panty-ing her, washing hands, re-tucking her in bed, walking away, and returning to a now-COLD-coffee mug, Mommy hears a small voice from across the house say, “Oh, noooooooo!” Again, Mommy sprints across the house, but this time with even greater fervency. Upon opening the door, poor Mommy discovers a horrific sight: That first poopie had a little naughty friend who decided to escape diaper-land and stretch its little body all over the side of the once turquoise and now brown-stripped sheets.

Is Progress. Was Progress. And a-work-in-progress. All in the same. That’s how potty training goes sometimes. And, also, sometimes how mommy spends nap time.

Posted by Laura