Streaking and Storytelling... Adventures in Pottytraining

Everyone always says that parenting is an adventure that you should enjoy every minute of. That life with your young ones goes by fast and you need to relish in the little moments that make parenting so rewarding. Deep down in my subconscious I know this is true, though days like today make me question if the people who so generously offer this advice have ever tried pottytraining a two-year-old.
Jack began showing an interest in the potty last week. So we took out the little potty for him to give it a try on his own. What we have discovered is that the phrase "going potty" has an entirely different meaning for toddlers. "Going potty" to Jack means asking to go every five minutes, sitting on the potty for twenty minute stretches, and streaking around the house while mommy frantically attempts to wrestle on another diaper. We are a week and a half into it with no "potty" yet. Actually the only one to successfully use the potty so far is big brother Conor who ensured me that it was ok. "I squatted down mommy so it all went in."
The funniest part of it all is that as soon as Jack's little bum touches the cushy foam seat he starts talking. What he's saying, I'm not entirely sure. It's a mixture of baby babble with the occasional word thrown in. All I can make out is "pee coming!" and "I all done" (both of which are never true). I'm sure amongst his friends at daycare he is quiet eloquent, though I find that all I am able to do is smile and nod.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that pottytraining is a chaotic and messy, yet amusing right of passage all parents and toddlers must embark on. I know eventually we will experience success, though when your in the moment it feels as though the "pee will never come". Pottytraining is a roller coaster of little adventures all leading up to the momentus occasion when your little one finally goes "potty".
Hopefully that day arrives soon... ;-)

The wisdom of four-year-olds...

My favorite part of the day is the car ride to and from school with my boys. It's my time to talk to them, find out how their day went, and learn about what makes my inquisitive, impulsive little guys "tick". Jack's conversations are rather one sided at the moment. He will stop, mid sentence to point out the bus down the street (he currently calls school busses "buhbuhbuhkoo"). Conor, however, has profound insight during our daily commute...
Yesterday we celebrated Conor's fourth birthday. This morning on the way to school he asked me if he was a grown-up yet. I was curious why my bright little man was in such a hurry to grow up. He said "I want to be bigger like a grown up so I can cook pasta." Of all the reasons to be an adult I'm amused that this was his choice. Surely I though he would want to be a grown-up so he could drive a truck. He's been waiting to reach that milestone since he could walk. But my wise four-year-old realized something I had not; that life is not a matter of milestones, but a matter of moments. It's the unexpected day to day events that leave lasting impressions.
Here's to finding the extraordinary in simple boxes of pasta...!