he's big enough

about a month ago, i decided that for my own sanity, as well as for asher's benefit, i should to get him into some sort of preschool class...just a couple of days a week, you know, to give me a chance to recharge (a little break, if you will), and allow him the opportunity to learn some basics. i thought it would be nice for him to be able to identify his colors, numbers, letters, etc., to learn to follow simple instructions and directions, to discover his creative side, and also just to acquire some social skills - which would allow him the chance to interact, and have fun with his peers.

it was a brilliant idea, but just one thing was lacking...asher was not potty trained...nor was he anywhere close. he has the type of personality that can't be pushed or easily persuaded to do anything he does not want to do. he will not be told what to do. he does what he wants, when he wants, and in his own asher style. i had been told that you shouldn't try to potty train a child before they're ready - meaning before they've started expressing some sort of interest. well, at the rate we were going, asher would have been in diapers til he was five...i just know it. the kid was perfectly content pooping in his diaper, and then letting that poop squish, and smash, and smear all over his buttocks without a single complaint. didn't bother him in the least. he could play all day with wet saggy buns, and never once told me if he needed to go, and never once told me that he had gone. (well, ok, once...but i don' really count it. about 6 months ago we were in the middle of shopping at michael's, when he told me he had to poo, and that he wanted to go in the potty. this was the first i had heard anything like that, but wanted wholeheartedly to take him seriously. i rushed him to the bathroom, pulled down his shorts, removed his diaper, and plopped him on the toilet. and he pooped. just. like. that. but that never happened again. it was a total fluke. total fluke. he wasn't even excited that he had done it. it didn't even phase him...even though i was jumping up and down and clapping like a lunatic in the middle of the dirty, smelly, michael's restroom...asher couldn't have cared less. i knew then and there that he was not ready.)

i contacted my friend who teaches preschool here in the neighborhood, (ruby took from her, and loved her. she's amazing), and asked if she had any openings. she said yes, and that school would be starting in just over a month.
wanting so badly for this preschool thing to work out, i decided to take matters into my own hands. the minute i put my phone down from texting miss stacey, i pulled asher's diaper right out from under him...absolutely no warning whatsoever. he didn't even know what had hit him. we were going to do it, and we were doing it commando style. i simply explained to him that he wasn't a baby anymore, and that it was about time he learned how to use the restroom in a dignified and civilized manner like the rest of us (and i'm sure i used that exact wording, too. ha.) anyway, from there on out, asher became a man. he started pooping and peeing on the potty like it was nobody's business. he didn't even tell me when he needed to go, he would just come and find me, and take my hand, and lead me all excitedly to the bathroom so that i could see the surprise (whether poo or pee) that he had left in the toilet. all by himself. it was crazy how ready he was, and how extremely well he did right from the start...as long as he was nude, that is. for the first little bit, if he had anything on at all...a diaper...a pull-up, even a pair of his favorite thomas the train underwear (that he picked out all by himself), he was sure to have an accident. so i just reenforced the whole going commando thing, and he did awesome! except for the day a little poo pebble fell out of his buns and onto the carpet. i raced him to the toilet so he could finish his business, and when i went back to clean up the pebble, it was gone. dix-d ran away from the scene, smacking his lips together like he had just been given his very own pork chop. gross dog. that was asher's one and only accident on the carpet. one day though, he did something rather unusual (everyone is entitled to an off day, right?) he grabbed a rag, and pooped in it. i was so mad. just when i got it all cleaned up, he grabbed another rag and pooped in it. he did that three times in one morning, and blamed it on dix-d all three times. i couldn't even believe it. it was like for a day or two, he was afraid to go number two in the pot, and then i got him his own little jar of mini candy bars, and told him that each time he dropped his own baby ruth in the toilet (if you know what i mean), he would get a real one to eat. he loved that idea, and has never pooped in a rag again, or in his thomas undies, or in a pull-up. in fact, he doesn't even pee in his pull-ups anymore. when he gets up from naps and bed time, they are completely dry almost every single time.

i really thought this process would be so much harder than it was. it just goes to show that my little asher is bigger, older, and smarter than i thought he was, which makes me sad in a lot of ways.

it's been over a month now, and i'm proud to say that he did it!

he can now poop and pee in a dignified and civilized manner...just like the rest of us.

and now i'm just hoping there's still an opening in that preschool.

if he's big enough to poo in the pot,

than he's big enough for school, is he not?