Oh boy, Gi has been holy terror these last few days and today was turning out to be no exception. Can't really blame her though...my poor Munch has been sick with one thing or another ever since starting preschool back in September. Beginning last Friday, she ran a fever for about three days and is now on her last few days of antibiotics. So given the scenario I was just praying to get through the week with my wits about me. Anyway, late this afternoon, I was folding laundry while Gi was whining by my feet and looking up at me with a sorrowful face accented by a very crusty nose and a scratched right cheek (courtesy of a classmate). "Mama, Mama, Ma____ma, Ma___ma, MAMA, MAMA" was the mantra of the day followed by no other words or requests. I look down at my miserable baby and suggest that she watch the program on tv, finish her puzzle on the coffee table or go to her room to rest for a while. Of course my dissatisfied Munch wants to do neither of these activities. Instead she starts to take off her pants gingerly as if her size 9 mos "capris" were made of tissue paper that would rip at any given moment. Then she starts to work on her diaper. I momentarily panick thinking that she may have an ugly surprise in there for me. You see, my Munch has a habit of indiscriminately flinging her diaper into outerspace on those occasions that she manages to take it off by herself. I was in no mood to clean up flying poo in my living room. No, not today, please. So when "Mama potty" reached my tired ears, I hurriedly dropped all laundry and happily ushered by number one daughter into the bathroom where her potty has been spending some very lonely days. I joyfully give her an M&M just for sitting on the potty. Gi gladly plops down, mangles one of my magazines and proceeds to put her hand on her tush repeatedly as if wiping herself clean. Like a good mom, I take my rightful place on the toilet seat cover waiting for her to finish her practice run. Gi has done this several times before without ever producing anything. After several minutes of me staring at her with an encouraging smile on my face and her bouncing up and down on the potty, Gi motions that she wants to take the potty to the living room. I am not diametrically opposed to this idea as I know I can try to finish folding my laundry that has been piled high on my sofa for the last few days. While Gi is playing muscial potty by herself, I start to put some of the laundry away. With great excitement, Munch runs after me with her potty wobbling in her hands. She tells me to look in the yellow bowl. Holy canoli! "Is that pee pee?" I ask a beaming Gi. Affirmative. As if my two year old toddler could somehow trick me, I sniff the bowl just to be certain that it is urine. Yup, my Munch just made pee pee for the first time in the potty! She gobbles the additional M&Ms I give her for her excellent effort. I proudly tell her that the pee pee is staying put in the bowl so Daddy could savor the sight also. Munch agrees and confidently tells me that she is ready for her diaper. Later on I make several suggestions for Gi to try the potty again. No go. I guess one major breakthrough per day is enough for my little Munch. Tomorrow is a brand new day and Mommy will certainly keep trying.
