Baby Squared : potty training twins

A Potty Training Saga

Roper — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:45:00 GMT

Well, we did it. We survived our hardcore 3-day potty training weekend. And we've got two little big girls in underpants to prove it. It was such an intense and dramatic event, I feel like I should be writing about it in epic poetry form. Or rhyming couplets or something. But I am a writer of prose, not poetry. And I guess potty training isn't quite on par with the Pelopennesian war. Almost, but not quite.

The important thing is that, we -- like the Spartans -- triumphed. To anyone out there who feels like they're not getting anywhere with the gradual approach to toilet training, whose little ones seem perfectly content in diapers and who (like us) haven't been particularly proactive or consistent about making the move to a diaper-free existence, I'd highly recommend this cold turkey training approach.

There are lots of books and websites -- not to mention recent commenters on this blog -- who sell books and eBooks on the subject. We followed the guidelines in one lent to us by a friend. But you don't necessarily have to drop $49.99 on some kind of Guaranteed As Seen on TV Top Secret Potty Training Method with FREE bonus DVD and -- if you order now -- Handheld Diaper Shredder, to do this. It's pretty simple.

Plan to stay home for a few days, and get some help if you can. Put your kid(s) in underpants and explain that they need to keep them dry, and repeatedly remind them to tell Mom/Dad when they need to go pee or poop. Give them lots of liquids so they have ample opportunity to practice. Offer effusive praise and rewards for successful potty usage. And prepare for lots of accidents.

The first day, for us, really was a pee-fest. Lots of puddles on the floor. Luckily, we'd put a waterproof sheet on the couch and rolled back the rug in the living room. (If you have wall-to-wall carpeting...um...good luck! Maybe plan to spend a lot of time in the kitchen / outside if possible?) We did a lot of mopping and panicked grabbing of paper towels. I stepped in pee at least once.

Clio, however, pretty quickly started recognizing when she had to go, and started making it to the potty on time. Alas, then she started saying she needed to go approximately every two to five minutes. "I'm makin' pee-pee!" has become her signature catch-phrase. Better than, say, "Git 'er done!" or "Whaaasssssssup!" but annoying in its own right. She will literally go back and forth to the potty ten times within a half an hour. And sometimes, she'll just say "I'm makin' pee pee!" (Or its goofy variation "I'm makin' pay pay!) for fun, in a silly voice.

The problem, we think, is multifaceted: She doesn't empty her bladder fully when she goes, so she actually does pee some (but not all) of the times she sits on the potty. She also sees the potty ritual as a way to get attention from mom or dad (but mostly mom, at her insistence), and to earn praise -- and possibly a sticker or packet of fruit snacks. You gotta admire the girl's business sense: hmm, either I can go pee all at once and get one sticker and one big kiss from mom, or I can pee over the course of three potty visits and get three! Suckers!! When I'm feeling more generous and patient, I tell myself that she hasn't mastered her body's signals yet, and isn't quite sure when she really does have to go. I also think she's got higher-than-average obsessive compulsive tendencies, even for a two-year-old.

Elsa has the opposite problem (of course). By the third day, she stopped having accidents every time she needed to pee. But she still really resists going to the potty. She crosses her legs and grabs her crotch and dances around. She insists she doesn't have to go even when we -- oh so gently -- suggest that she do so, or try to bring her into the bathroom. I think it's partly because she doesn't want to stop whatever she's doing. But partly that she is a little freaked out by the whole concept. When we've asked her why she doesn't want to use the potty, she's said that it is "scary" or "yucky."

In a stroke of genius (if I do say so myself) I dug out an old souvenir from Russia -- a little wooden bearded guy with a pipe -- and dubbed it a "Potty Wizard" whose power was to make going to the potty not scary. Elsa was very excited about this, and it actually helped for a little while. She is still fond of her potty wizard. However, his power seems to have worn off. And as of this writing, Elsa has still not actually pooped in the potty. That is, not without some of it landing in her underwear first.

As for overnight -- the method we used recommends doing nighttime and daytime training all at once. Which sounds like suicide, especially when twins are involved. But the logic of it is reasonable enough -- be consistent. So, for the first three nights, we tried doing underwear at night. We put the potties in the bedroom. We even -- and this was arguably too much change at once -- moved the girls into toddler beds, so they could get in and out of bed more easily, and we could more easily change the sheets if needed. We told them to call us when they needed to go. We woke them up early in the morning to go.

Interestingly, Elsa seemed to do OK with the overnight thing. It was every-two-minutes-to-the-potty Clio that presented a problem. Especially in the middle of the night, when she would wake up wet, then literally not let us leave the room after we came in to change her. One more kiss, one more backrub, and then -- as soon as we left -- "I'm makin' pee pee!" It became not so much about going pee-pee, but a control thing -- right in line with some of the other recent bedtime struggles we've been having. After we'd been in and out of the bedroom multiple times, we tried letting her "cry it out." But it is not possible to win a battle of this sort when Clio is involved. Seriously. We ended up being awake in the middle of the night, multiple times, sometimes for over an hour at a time, until she finally calmed down. And she'd still wake up in the morning soaking wet. (Partly as a result of this lack of sleep, I am now sick with a bad cold, hence my free time to compose epic poetry on this subject.)

So, last night, we said screw it. We're doing Pullups at night. We hoped Clio wouldn't wake up wet, and our troubles would be solved. And -- here's the part where I start laughing like a lunatic because it's more fun than crying -- she did the exact same thing. She woke up in the middle of the night saying -- everybody, now! -- "I'm makin' pee-pee!" so I went in and helped her go to the potty, sent her back to bed with a kiss, and as I was leaving the room: "I'm making pee pee!" No sooner was I back to bed, when she started yelling again. After a few more rounds of this, we decided to just let her yell it out -- as we'd tried unsuccessfully on the previous nights. But this time we meant it. We put in earplugs and everything. (Alastair got some sleep, but I couldn't bring myself to wear two earplugs, just one, so I still heard her.) My friends, she screamed for OVER AN HOUR. Taking occasional breaks for a few minutes at a time, but never letting up. Finally, Alastair went in and rubbed her back one last time, and it seemed to work. But seriously -- how are we supposed to deal with this??

I guess it makes sense that she's trying to hold onto some measure of control in this new situation, testing limits, feeling especially clingy and needy. Elsa has acted out in her own way, being "wilder" and punchier than usual, even lashing out physically. It's disturbing. I hope all this will pass as they get used to and better at living sans diapers.

What I really didn't expect leading up to this milestone (or milestone in progress, I guess) was how emotional I would feel about it. The girls have not outwardly protested wearing underwear, or asked for diapers or anything like that. They love and are very excited about their new "big girl beds." But I've actually found it quite disorienting and difficult. Last Thursday, I was changing the girls' diapers and putting them into cribs at night. Even though I didn't think of them as babies anymore, there were still these rituals and fixtures that have been with us for almost three years. Now, I've got two little girls in underwear and toddler beds. And while it's all good -- who needs the financial drain of diapers, or the physical toil of hoisting 35 pound toddlers in and out of cribs? -- I've found myself feeling rather weepy and nostalgic. This is, I'm sure, exacerbated by the sheer exhaustion of the whole undertaking.

And so, I emerge from operation Potty Training, back to a diaperless version of our everyday routine, victorious, but decidedly weary.

Potty Boot Camp: Dispatch

Roper — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:13:00 GMT

Potty boot camp began this morning at approximately 0900 hours. Elsa was (quote) very excited to be wearing underpants! (end quote). Clio, more reluctant. Sat half-naked on a pair of them for awhile before finally conceding to put on a pair. (Not the pair she'd been sitting on.)

Next maneuver: proceeded to pitch all remaining diapers into a trash bag (to be given to the first worthy size 5 toddler we can locate), pitch the changing pads and diaper pails onto the porch, and start pushing liquids. No action until approximately 1.5 hours later when frequent urination began.

Vital stats (as of 1600 hours):

Ounces of liquid consumed: 32 or more per child

Pairs of underpants soaked through: 9

Loads of laundry done: 1

Trips made to potty: too many to count

Trips made to potty that resulted in at least some pee actually making it into potty: 6

Number of stickers rewarded for successful potty trips: 5

Pairs of (adult) socks changed after inadvertent stepping in puddle of pee: 1

Number of episodes of Blues Clues watched: 2 (1 Steve, 1 Joe)

Number of Froot Loop necklaces made: 2

Observations: Family morale: good. Weather: overcast with occasional drizzle (outside). Cabin fever danger level: low to moderate. Expected to rise. Contrary to expectation, Clio seeming to catch onto concept more quickly than Elsa. Parents doing well, but looking forward to a glass of wine.

Back to School

Roper — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:24:00 GMT

I know it's a little early to be thinking about back-to-school season, but, hey, retailers are doing it. So, I'm jumping on the proud American premature back-to-school promotion bandwagon.

In the Baby Squared household, we've got two very significant educational events on the horizon for September, both of which I'm looking forward to, mostly with excitement, but also with a touch of apprehension and sadness. (Isn't that always the case when it comes to going back to school?) They are:

1. Potty Training. Not the sort of half-assed, stop and start, awareness-building potty training we've been doing up until this point. I'm talking the three-day intensive approach, which I've heard has gotten really good results for a number of people I know. (For their children, that is.) I've got a book, I've got the big girl underpants, and I'm ready to roll. The plan is to do it the weekend after we get back from our vacation in New Hampshire, in early September. (We fear that if we attempt it before that, they might backslide while we're on vacay. And also, frankly, we don't want to have to deal with trekking back and forth from our cabin -- or wherever we happen to be during the day -- to the public bathrooms.)

The basic principle behind this approach is that you throw out the diapers, put the kid(s) in underpants, give them lots of water and juice, and tell them that they need to keep their underpants dry. You don't need to plop them on the pot at regular intervals -- thought I've heard some people swear by that -- but try to pay attention to their signals, bring them to the bathroom when they appear to be ready to go, and expect plenty of accidents along the way. This requires, of course, a certain readiness on a part of the child in question, and I think we're there. The girls often announce when they're about to make a pee-pee or poo-poo, and sometimes ask to go to the potty. They've both peed in it, and understand what it's for. I think at this point they just don't like interrupting what they're doing to bother with it. (And I must admit, I feel sort of the same way.) Anyway, it's going to be a challenge, and a two-parent job, no question. It may not work, and if there's major resistance we won't push it. But I think it's time to give it a shot. Especially in light of upcoming educational event #2:

2. Preschool! (Where it's OK for them to still be in diapers, but they prefer for kids to be "in progress" toward potty training.) Starting in late September, the girls will start going to preschool two mornings a week. I have a feeling they're going to love it. They've done some organized playgroups and classes with Alastair -- the kind where he stays -- and really like them. Granted, Clio tends to stick closer to her Dad, but eventually warms up and joins the action. I worry a little bit about how she'll adjust to being left at preschool, and anticipate some rough goodbyes at first.

I think Elsa will do much better on this front. She loves organized activities. The only potential issue for her will be learning to be a part of the group, instead of going up and trying to be right next to the teacher, which she has a habit of doing. The girl likes to be where the action is. (And, of course, my predictions could just as easily be completely and totally wrong. It has been known to happen.)

While I can't help having a touch of sorrow at the move to preschool (my little babies are growing up!) I'm mostly really excited about it, for their sake. Since they haven't gone to daycare, they don't get a whole lot of exposure to other kids their age, except on playdates and the occasional class. As they become more communicative and verbal, I think it will be good for them to start to get a better sense of how to cooperate and share and all that other socializing stuff. I think they'll also really like the change of scene and the stimulation

Oh, and I'll add in a quick #3: Spitting school. Has anyone had any success in teaching their kids to spit? As in, toothpaste? We still use the toddler stuff, which is OK to swallow, and the girls seem to think it's candy in gel form. They "spit" by making spitting sounds, but haven't figured out how to make anything come out. I'm thinking about doing a spitting workshop with applesauce or something. (Water doesn't work -- tried it.) Not that they *have* to learn how to spit out toothpaste anytime soon. I'm just curious about how this curious skill is attained, and when. Any spitting specialists out there?

Completely unrelated photo of me and my girls a couple of weeks ago on the Cape. Sailing school?

Potty Training: Is it time to get serious?

Roper — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:34:00 GMT

Whenever someone asks if we've started potty training the girls, I'm not quite sure what to say. In a way, yes, I guess we have. We try to get them to sit on the potty before bedtime and naptime, which they're usually amenable to, as long as they've got a couple of books to read. Every once in a while, they actually produce something, and they seem proud of themselves. But they seem just as happy to go in the diapers. Elsa does ask to sit on the potty now and then, but more often than not, it's a stalling technique -- she doesn't want to go to sleep or go upstairs and get ready for bed. Still, i's hard to say "no, you don't need to sit on the potty right now." Because every once in a while, she actually does go. She's the girl who cried potty.

During the day, however, when they're happily engaged in playing, the girls have no interest in potty breaks. They like to announce when they're making (or about to make?) a pee-pee or poo-poo, but when I ask or suggest sitting on the potty, they resist. And I'm thinking it's probably not a good idea (not to mention physically impossible) to *force* them, screaming and crying, to sit on the pot.

But I feel like they're getting closer to more "advanced" toilet training. They're starting to learn how to push down and pull up their pants. And God knows, they're obsessed with talking about pee and poop. Elsa's twin baby doll, who she's never really had a name for (she's called her Elsa, Cora -- same as Clio's, and [insert nonsense syllables here]) has recently been christened "Peep." I'm pretty sure this is a reference to pee, as opposed to the Easter-time marshmallow treat. And get this -- Clio has now decided to change the name of her twin baby doll from Cora to "Poop." Yes, folks, that's right. Elsa and Clio have beautiful, silky-haired, American Girl bitty baby twin dolls named Peep and Poop. And there's absolutely nothing I can do about it.

So my question now is, should we be attempting to implement more regular and frequent "potty time" for the girls at this point? Or just continue to let things take their natural course?

I have to admit, that part of why we've been so relaxed about the whole toilet training is sheer laziness. Toilet training with twins presents some definite logistical challenges. If you pop one kid on the potty (I guess I'm saying potty again) you still need to worry about what the other one is up to. And, of course, that other one will inevitably take this unsupervised opportunity to draw on the coffee table or climb up onto a chair and start pulling knives out of the silverware drawer or trip and bump her head on something and start yowling.

The other option is to put twin #2 on the potty at the same time, if she's willing. But inevitably, while you are helping one kid get out of their diaper, the other one will get up off the potty and start running bare-ass naked around the house. And by the time you get her and bring her back -- and hopefully, she hasn't peed on the floor in the meantime -- the other one is up, and waddling around with her pants around her ankles. Like so many things with twins, it's rather like herding cats. Loud, silly, whiny, un-housebroken, disaster-prone, bare-assed cats. (Well, I suppose all cats are bare-assed.)

I know some people suggest letting your kids run around without diapers for a while and just putting them on the potty the second the need for it becomes obvious, but again, I think this would be really tricky with twins. While you're rushing one to the potty, the other one might be soaking your couch. Not cool.

Can I just hire someone to do this for us? Is there, like, Potty Training 911 for twins? The Potty Whisperer? Anything?

A Day of Firsts

Roper — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Yesterday was one of those days where it felt like there were lots of new things going on. (How appropriate for Easter, yes?) It wasn't actually the girls' first Easter, but it was the first one we celebrated. We went to church in the morning, and in the afternoon, the girls partook in their first-ever (chocolate) egg hunt. This was totally a last-minute, minimalist effort -- I'd picked up two baskets and a couple of bags of chocolate eggs at CVS the day before. But the girls loved it.

I feel like it was the first holiday activity we've done with them where they seemed less like"babies," being dragged along for the ride (say Trick or Treat! Open your present! Etc.), and more like kids. When Clio first came down the back porch stairs, she spotted a chocolate egg, picked it up and said "Where did that come from?" (One of her new favorite expressions). Once we gave them their baskets and explained what they were supposed to do, they "got it" immediately, running around the yard and scooping up eggs, each time shouting "I found another egg!" And, like true kids, they were NOT happy when, after they'd each had some chocolate, I put their candy away to be doled out over the next few days (and eaten by me. Ha). In fact, there was a brief but intense crying jag until I distracted them with the idea of going around the living room and "finding" toys to put in their baskets. Of course, with older kids, this diversion technique never would have worked.

The girls also moved into their first home -- of the play-variety, that is: a playhouse, complete with toy phone, doorbell, sink (as Clio pointed out repeatedly), faux fireplace, and working, lion's head fountain in the wall next to the door. It's called the "old world" cottage or something. Really, you'd swear it was plucked right out of Italy or Southern France. That is, if it weren't made of molded plastic andonly four-feet square. (Details, details). Anyway, the girls were totally thrilled when, at last, we'd finished putting the thing together and they could go inside. Elsa gave many of her signature squeals of delight. I love that.

We bought the thing new, which I'm a little bummed about. When it comes to large plastic things, I really prefer to buy them second-hand. I don't like encouraging the production of still more large, plastic things. But our Craigslist effort failed miserably (after we'd already recruited friends and their trailer to help us out) and we're too impatient to keep trolling for another option, and this particular playhouse was on sale. We also figured it will be a damned long time before we can ever take the girls to Europe, much less rent a cottage with a lion's head fountain, so this really is the next best thing. So, if spring ever truly springs (it continues to be awfully chilly here in the northeast) the girls are going to have some kickass backyard days. Next goal: a sandbox. I'd like to avoid a plastic one, if possible, so the mister and I may attempt to build one ourselves. That should be comical, to say the least.

The other first? Clio asked to pee in the potty, and did. Elsa accomplished this feat exactly once, back in January, but this was Clio's first successful, intentional potty endeavor. We are all very proud.

Before I go, just wanted to put in a plug for my friend Anna Solomon's excellent piece in yesterday's New York Times magazine -- a funny personal essay about her experience with the "three-month itch" that she got when her daughter was around three months old; in the haze and fatigue of new motherhood, she found herself suddenly thinking a lot about her exes. I myself did not experience this phenomenon; when I get an "itch" it's generally for people in the past that I crushed on but never dated. Or Matt Damon. But check it out -- I'm sure some of you out there will be able to relate.

Potty Girls

Roper — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:05:00 GMT

Last night marked a momentous occasion in the Baby Squared household: it was the first time that one of the girls (Elsa, namely) asked to sit on the potty and actually produced something! We've had the potties (or "Bobby" as they used to be known) since the summer, and the girls have gone through little phases where they like sitting on them. Often, they'll say "sitty potty?" right as or after they are making a deposit in their diaper, and will go and sit down, diapers still on. We haven't tried to press the issue, because it hasn't seemed like they're quite ready yet.

Then, last night, as I was putting the girls to bed, Elsa started saying, "Elsa make a poopie! Sitty potty! Sitty potty!" At first I thought it was just a ploy to delay bed time; we had friends over, and both girls were totally hyper and wound-up. But she was quite insistent. So I brought her into the bathroom, unzipped her sleeper, unsnapped the onesie, took off the diaper (jeez! so many damned layers!) and sat her on the potty, where she stayed for a few minutes, alternately saying "Elsa makey poopie" and pointing out various items in the bathroom. I didn't hear, see, or smell any evidence of actual poopie-making going on, so after a few minutes, I decided it was time for her to get up, get dressed, and go back to the crib. But when she stood up -- lo and behold! -- there was pee in the potty!

I can't tell you how exciting this was. And how utterly embarrassed I am by the fact that I was so excited. Who ever thought that seeing a little yellow puddle in the bowl of a plastic potty could inspire such joy? I starting hugging Elsa and telling her how great it was that she'd done this, and what a big girl she was, etc. etc. She still seemed to think she'd made poo-poo, not pee-pee ("Elsa makey poo poo in the potty!") but whatever. A technicality. The point is, she asked to sit on the potty and then made good on her intentions.

Since then, she has asked to go a few times, and I have dutifully obliged, thinking maybe she means it. But none of today's seated sojourns yielded any results. Still, I feel like this is a step in a good direction. At least she seems to get what's supposed to happen on the potty, and recognizes the feeling of needing to go -- even if we can't actually get her there in time. And maybe sometimes she doesn't need to go at all, she just wants to sit there on the pot. But that's cool too, right?

There is definitely a reason for this new potty-philia: the girls have looking at a lot of pro-potty propaganda over the past few days. I went to to the library and got out a a book about using the potty, plus an "Elmo's Potty Time" DVD. What the hell is it with toddlers and Elmo? He's like some kind of demi-god to them. The Oprah of the preschool set. No puppet should have that much power. But, of course, I totally exploited it: "do you guys want to sit on the potty just like Elmo does?" And I actually just bought an Elmo potty seat for the toilet, because Elsa always asks to go on the "big potty." Tonight before bed, she asked to "Go poo-poo on Elmo." Hmm....

As for Clio, she has also shown an increased interest in the potty of late -- and of course, what Elsa does, she wants to do, too -- but so far her zeal does not match her sister's. Interesting, since she was actually the first one to start announcing when she was about to move her small bowels, several months back. I suspect, though, that if one of the girls starts getting the hang of things earnest, then the other one will follow suit fairly quickly.

So...I don't know if this means we're actively potty training the girls or what. My instinct is just to follow their lead, and not push it. Ask them if they want to sit on the potty, let them sit if they ask. But there may be a point where we need to take a more proactive approach. Obviously, I haven't done a whole lot of research on the subject of potty-training (hey, if generations of parents have managed to toilet train their kids sans parenting manuals and the internets, how hard can it be?). On the other hand, the information I have seen hasn't tended to be very detailed. (Should you have them sit on the potty at regular times of the day? When should you start using pull-ups? Are rewards a good idea?) If you've got killer potty training tips, bring 'em on!

Finally, my apologies for not including pictures with this post. It just doesn't seem appropriate. But I promise a plethora of photos next time.

Poopophobia

Roper — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:27:00 GMT

Sorry to post yet again about bodily functions -- I won't do it again for a while -- but with little'uns it's kind of hard to avoid. My apologies, also, to future Elsa. I have visions of her coming home from school on her compost-powered hoverboard, in tears, having just seen this post broadcasted on the web-browser blackboard in her homeroom by some mean, popular hacker-girl trying to sabotage Elsa's chances at winning class president. "Mom, you told the entire world about my elimination habits 15 years ago on one of those "plog" things? What's WRONG with you? Now no one will want to go to the prom with me!" (Because some things will never change...)

Of course, the long-term effects of this blog on my children and their prom date prospects are a whole other can of worms, which I will surely open and examine here sometime, but not today. Today, let's talk about #2. And how lately, Elsa seems quite upset by the whole business of doing her business.

I don't think this has anything to do with Bobby, incidentally; it started before I even really tried getting the girls to sit on the guy (which I still don't do with any real regularity -- ha. Regularity.) It actually began a few weeks ago, when she was constipated. Trying to go was obviously difficult and uncomfortable for her, and many times Jean or I would end up holding her or trying to comfort her while she strained and whimpered and her face turned red. It's really a heartbreaking experience to watch a constipated baby or toddler, as I'm sure many of you out there know. You want so much to help, but there's really nothing you can do. They don't find it particularly funny when you start chanting "Push it out! Shove it out! Waaayy out!" or get excited when you tell them this means they can have all the blueberries and dried apricots they want -- mommy won't say "no more" after a while like she usually does out of fear of the opposite problem.

So, poor little Elsa. Straining and crying and making all manner of weird faces over the course of a few days, until things improved, with help from some pureed prunes and adjustment of the milk / water intake ratio. Now, things are back to normal, er, consistency-wise. But she still gets upset every time she goes number two. Just before, she cries and says "poo poo! poo poo!" Frequently, she won't go, and this happens a few times before she finally does -- and afterward, she's usually instantly fine. I don't think it bothers her to have a dirty diaper. It's just the anticipation and the process itself.

(I'm Sorry, Elsa. This is so not helping your prom date prospects. But you know what? If some guy is so shallow and immature as to let your poopophobia at 19 months keep him from dating you, well, I think you can do better. Anyway, why is he scouring the web for posts about you from 16 years ago? Isn't that kind of stalker-ish and weird? I'm going to speak to the boy's parents. What's their iHologramphone number?)

I'm wondering if maybe she's still traumatized by the constipation experience, and now associates #2 with pain and suffering. Or is this something else? The anal retentive stage? I thought that came later. And was something little boys were more prone to... Anyway, we just continue to comfort Elsa when she's upset, encourage and praise her for going #2, and for the moment I'm not going to push the Bobby, which hasn't gone over well in these situations. Hopefully, soon, this too shall pass. Just like a ... oh never mind.

Prom is for losers anyway, right?

Introducing Bobby

Roper — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:40:00 GMT

I'd like to take this post to introduce the newest member of the Baby Squared household, Bobby. Who, you ask, is Bobby? Did we buy a hamster? Is it a long-lost cousin come to crash on our couch? Or have I been secretly pregnant for the past nine months and this is our new baby boy? No, no, no. Bobby is bright pink and made of molded plastic. There are two of him, actually -- one upstairs and one down. And Bobby isn't his actual name, it's just what Elsa calls him. It. OK, OK, enough with the personification ruse. I'm talking potties, people.

(You'll forgive me for not including any pictures in this post.)

At the girls' 18-month checkup last month, our pediatrician asked if the girls had started showing any interest in the potty. I replied that besides walking in on me while I was using it (the grown up version, that is...Robert?), and once or twice splashing in it when I forgot to put the lid down, not really. But at around 15 months, Clio had started letting us know when she wanted her diaper changed. First, she'd just point in the vicinity of her rear. More recently, she's started saying, "poo poo" too, as has Elsa, usually just before she's about to go. I told the doctor this, and she said that we ought to buy a potty and start explaining to the girls what it was, and see if we could get them to sit on it, maybe before bedtime.

So, I got a pair of potties at The Baby Superstore Which Must Not be Named and now we occasionally try to get the girls to sit on them, with or without diapers on, just to try to get the idea. I've gotten Elsa to sit a couple of times, but Clio hasn't been terribly willing. (Though she is very interested in taking the inner receptacles in and out.) They do both seem to understand, though, that their potties are for the same thing Mommy & Daddy use the big potty for -- "poo poo" and "pee bee," specifically. If they walk in on me in the bathroom now, I let them watch, and I explain what's going on. (Sorry, TMI, I know, but I suspect this is how they learn....) I've also gotten in the habit of saying "bye-bye [insert appropriate euphemism here]" when I flush the toilet. As a result, they seem to think that's a big part of Bobby culture. (At one point, while we were on vacation, I found Elsa in my aunt's bathroom, waving at the toilet, saying "bye bye!")

I think they're quite a long ways from actual toilet training -- they're only 19 months after all -- but it is cool that they're starting to make the connection between what happens in their diapers and what happens in Bobby. Today, when Elsa started saying "poo poo," I brought her into the bathroom and she sat on the potty on her own, diaper still on. She didn't actually go, but it felt like a step (seat?) in the right direction. And the other night we had an incredibly exciting occurrence: I was giving the girls a bath, and Clio started looking....concerned...and squatting weirdly. I said, "Do you need to go poo poo?" She nodded and said, "Poo poo!" and I whisked her out of the tub, onto the potty, and by George, the girl dropped her little bomb right on target! I clapped and praised her madly, then we flushed and said "bye bye." I was giddy for the rest of the night. (Clio wasn't nearly as excited.)

Now, here's the part where I ask your advice: what exactly is the correct protocol for cleaning these things -- the Bobby, I mean; not the babies -- after use? I know I dump the goods into Bobby Sr., and then do a quick wipe with toilet paper. But then what? Should I rinse the receptacle out in the sink? The tub? (If the girls aren't in it, obviously) The toilet? Should I designate a special Bobby sponge that I use to wipe them down with cleaning spray or something? I've always felt stymied and a little squeamish when it comes to cleaning things that have touched human waste. Like, I'm never quite sure how to rinse off a toilet brush or plunger after I use it, or where/how I should soak the girls' clothes if they get soiled.

I feel rather ridiculous asking, but if there is some standard Bobby-cleaning procedure you have that works, please do share. (Any other potty training tips are much appreciated, too!)