Dirrrty

Eli loves that word. But when he says it, "doey-tee" is more how it sounds. He will tell you that garbage trucks are dirty. He will tell you that diggers-scrapers are dirty. He will tell you that the dishes are dirty. But most importantly, in recent weeks he will tell you that he is dirty. More specifically, his diaper. (Not that he needs to tell you: this kid is regular with a capital "R". It is extremely rare for him to not wake up from his nap with a "doey-tee" diaper and it is extremely rare for him to go at any other time of the day.)

We've not pushed potty training given changes associated with the move and Maddux, but we do have a toddler seat that sits on the 'potty', and for several months now, we'll put him on the seat for a few minutes before his bath each night and I try to talk to him about it during the day if the subject comes up (not that our conversation usually goes to toilet-talk, but he has a few 'potty' books). A few weeks ago I had Eli up later than usual and he started to make a dirty diaper while we were cleaning up his toys. He told me, "doey-tee" and got that look so I asked him if he wanted to go to the potty. He nodded and away we went. It was sheer luck and timing that got him to make a deposit, but nonetheless, I made a big deal out of it and counted myself lucky for not having to change one more diaper that day. I was still not ready to start the training process because of everything going on in our lives at that time. That might have to change as Eli performed the same trick for Lehr today. This is GREAT news, though I know these are two lucky examples, and still a hard road ahead of us where potty training is concerned.

On a very related note, Eli is showing that he gets the process by role playing with his stuffed animals. Right before his bath tonight I heard him climbing up the stairs saying, "doey-tee" the whole way. When he got to the top I saw that he had Ernie in his hand. He walked right past me and went into Maddux's room where he said, "doey-tee" and put Ernie down on her changing pad. He then proceeded to pull out a diaper and put it on top of Ernie. I snapped a few pictures (out of sight) and then watched him pick up Ernie and say, "doey-tee. Ee-I." (that is how he says, 'Eli', by the way), as he carried Ernie to his room. He then repeated the process by putting Ernie down on his changing pad. This time he pulled out the wipes and everything. I went in the room and took a few more pictures and asked Eli if Ernie had a dirty diaper. He nodded and after a few moments took Ernie to the bathroom as he said, "Potty." Of course Eli then put Ernie on the potty seat. I love watching his little mind work!