Andrea’s Weblog

The last few weeks we’ve experienced the joys of traveling with a potty-training toddler. Elizabeth does a good job telling us when she has to go, which is nice except when you’re trying to make good time on the interstate. The frequency of potty breaks seems to increase with the amount of time, so the closer we get to our destination, the longer it takes. We had a potty stop and got back on the road when a few miles later we hear “Mommie! I have to go poo-poo!” We stop, only to find a huge line at the gas station. She clammed up during the wait and we got back on the road without going potty.

Using public toilets is no fun to begin with, let alone with a toddler who doesn’t understand about germs. (The other day she used a wet-wipe to clean the toilet seat and then wiped her face with it. Ack!) She’s taken to holding onto the handicap rails so she can sit on the pot by herself. In some stalls, this involves some contorting on her part, which she is more than happy to do. We’ve run into trouble recently when faced with automatically flushing toilets. Her every movement seems to trip the sensor causing flush after flush. The only way to stop the flushing is if I bend over and put my hand in front of the sensor. This leaves both of us contorting ourselves in the bathroom stall (something that’s not very easy given my big belly).

She seems to enjoy the ritual of going to the bathroom, but doesn’t always fulfill her part of the bargain. Christmas shopping with her involves checking out the bathroom in each store. By the time I cover up the seat with toilet paper, sit her down, get her dressed and wash our hands, we’ve taken 10 minutes. If she actually peed and I didn’t have to worry about her having an accident, I wouldn’t mind so much, but often she won’t even flatter me with a drop!

Fortunately, she’s only had one accident outside the house. It happened when we were at the grocery store. We had already gone to the bathroom once, but she didn’t go. Then, when we were in line at the check-out and had half the groceries on the belt, she announces “Mommie, I have to go pee-pee!” I said, “you have to wait until I’m finished paying.” A minute later, a massive puddle appeared under the cart. I asked the cashier to call for a mop and they closed down our check-out lane so nobody would slip. It didn’t take too long to clean-up because they just sprinkled on some absorbent crystals and swept it up. Elizabeth seemed unphased by the incident, but it leaves me taking every “Mommie! I have to go to the bathroom!” very seriously!