4/7/06 - Crossing the Line

So here's a question for the ages - should I actually take a picture of Joshua's poop in his little training potty? Because one part of me wants to run for the camera, social ramifications thrown into the wind. And the other part of me . . . the sane part, I guess you could say, knows that somehow it's just not something that people actually do. I mean really, how would you scrapbook that? But isn't it something we're eventually all so proud of?

And while we're on the topic of bowel movements, I'd like to take this opportunity to say that Joshua has had several in his little potty. Not just one or two fluke poops, but intentional ones. He even tells us that he needs to go to the bathroom. "Joshua poopy . . . diaper change." Only I guess it comes out sounding more like, "Dofwa poopy . . . diap-achange." But he's really not poopy yet, so we ask ever so nonchalantly, "Joshua, do you want to sit on your potty?" And oh, the affirmation that comes with that question!

The thing is, I've known for quite a while now that I don't want to be an early potty-trainer, and push the whole process on Joshua before he's ready. And I'm hesitant to say that we're truly potty-training, because we're not. There are several things that need to happen first; Joshua should probably be able to pull down his pants by himself. I'm just guessing, but I would tend to think that the inability to de-clothe would hinder using the toilet. Just a guess.

But enough bodily function discussion. Isn't it amazing how the littlest things in our lives mean so, so much at the time? A year from now I'll read back over this and laugh at how serious I thought it was.

Joshua's many and random obsessions have switched gears again, and now the only things in life that he cares about are garbage trucks, bulldozers, and Thomas the Train. We were able to visit our annual "Touch-a-Truck" event in March, where Joshua got up close and personal with big-rigs of all types, work trucks, tractors, emergency vehicles . . . you name it and it was there. What a neat thing it was for him to be able to climb on the cement truck, and to sit inside the fire engine! He was especially happy to learn about the Anderson Dairy ice cream truck, since he'd never actually had an ice cream sandwich before. In fact, he still talks about the ice cream truck, and the day that he got to go inside the busses.

Trucks almost take a back seat, though, to Thomas. Virtually every discussion we have revolves around Thomas, or Percy, or how Toby crashed into the flour mill, but it was an accident so he said "sorry." We have these conversations mostly at meal times. I'm not sure what it is about meatloaf that triggers thoughts of trains, but it certainly does, and with unrivalled joy he recounts it over and over and over. And as a mother who loves her growing baby oh so much, I relive it with him, moment by moment. I'm truly the happiest when he's so happy too.
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