Mummy and me

Watching Monkey grow up

I love watching my son, Monkey grow up.

It never ceases to amaze me what little sponges children are.  He is absorbing all kinds of information and his play becomes full of his wonderful imagination.

I watch my friends babies and it’s quite wonderful to think how much they will learn in the first 3 years of their lives.  We don’t give them enough credit for all the things they learn in such a short time.  We’re too busy moving on to the next thing – teething, weaning, crawling, walking, talking.

As you know, my son has always done things in his own time, hence being later to talk than all of his peers by some margin.  That development in the last year is quite incredible.  He talks clearly, in full sentences and we can now have conversations – what a difference a year makes.

This morning he was downstairs and I popped upstairs to get some washing.  He started shouting ‘Mummy – poo poo!’ I came downstairs, he was in the downstairs cloakroom and was happy to show off his morning ablutions fully deposited in the toilet.  Nothing earth-shattering, until I thought about it.  It was this time last year we started with the dreaded potty training.  Our first attempt was a total disaster.

I held off trying again until last July.  I wanted to crack it before pre-school started in September.  I can remember the first two weeks were awfully trying, not for him, just for me.  Lots of washing, lots of accidents on various carpets throughout the house, dreading leaving the house, then suddenly we seemed to turn a corner.

By September he was doing really well, wouldn’t actually tell anyone he needed the toilet but rarely had an accident if I thought about the time constantly.  Pre-school were great with continuing his training and really helped with the transition to a toilet.  He loved his ‘Thomas’ potty at home and wasn’t keen on really using anything else, anywhere.  But slowly, we cracked that and then bought a cheap toilet trainer seat.  He hated that to start with, would happily go straight on the toilet at pre-school but not at home.  Anyway, as with everything, in his own time, he cracked the idea of using the training seat downstairs and then would quite happily go straight on the toilet upstairs.

It’s taken him a lot longer than his friends to just take himself off to the toilet when he needs to go, but that hasn’t really bothered me.  But over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that next step being conquered. I can’t actually remember now when he went dry through the night (bad Mummy, although it will be in his baby book I’m sure) but what a joy it is when you no longer need nappies and pull-ups.

So, we reach this morning, my son shouting out about his success and looking so pleased with himself.  Time for Mummy to reflect on his journey over the last year and to marvel in all the steps he’s taken to get to this point.  Amazing 🙂

 

18 thoughts on “Watching Monkey grow up

  1. Great post and really interesting to read as we have just started the potty training journey. O think its going to be a slow one but we will get there in the end. He was particularly proud of a poo in the potty on Monday “look at my big poo, mummy -it’s like a snake!”

    1. Oh bless him 🙂 My only advice is stick with it, no matter how many times a day you have to put the washing on, stay calm, take at least 2 full changes of clothes out with you for a while, and just keep telling them how clever they are, every time they hit the target! We took longer than most of Monkey’s friends, but now he is doing brilliantly. It’s such a relief when you reach the other side of it 🙂

      1. Sorry. Only just seen your reply. I normally read blogs via Bloglovin’ on my phone and it didn’t notify me of your reply to my comment. Am on my laptop now though!

        Thank for the advice! We had a little crack at switching to pants over half term and we were just both so fed up by the end of it that we switched back to pull ups. Didn’t help I was stressed that we had a quite a few big days out and long car journeys scheduled for this month. He did make some progress though and I’m still taking him to the potty when I change his pull up, first thing in the morning, before bed and after his nap. When pre-school breaks up for the summer though I think we will go for it properly though and stick with it! Doesn’t matter if he takes longer (or that Monkey did) – they all get there in their own time (I’m sure my panic that he’ll be six and still in nappies is unfounded…).

  2. I found potty training the most difficult of those first steps to deal with. Both of my boys were difficult and it took forever (well it felt like forever!) so this post is definitely a reason to celebrate.

  3. Well done M. We had a gap of a year too before resuming after a Gina-Ford inspired disaster. Like you, we then took things more slowly. It took months, not helped by medication making stools very loose (sorry of that’s too much information). TBH weeing standing up and going through the night were never an issue…it was like J just wouldn’t do anything except to his timetable…,nobody, me, nor Gina Ford, were going to make him go any quicker. Can sympathise with all that washing though!!

    1. That made me chuckle, I have a preggie friend at the moment who is reading up on Gina Ford, little does she know that all children are individuals are some have very strong wills of their own!

      1. Yep. I even took a week off work (cue hysterical laughter). I won’t say what I ended up using the book for (don’t want to be sued!)

        1. I think she has lots of great advice, and I rwad her baby book cover to cover and tried her schedules. I like routine and so does Monkey – they just didn’t match her idea’s! You live and learn. Have friend who followed her to the letter and all was rosy.
          All so different.

  4. Congratulations, as an adult these steps are just a normal everyday thing but to our children they are such Amazing Achievements. I’m dreading potty training and I don’t think we will be doing this for a while yet.

    Thanks for linking up with Small Steps Amazing Achievements :0)
    x

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