Poopy irony

The Jake has been wearing big-boy underpants -- all day, everyday -- for about a week now. Rarely does he have a pee accident. If he has to go, he'll even trudge into the bathroom by himself and do his business. His brother didn't accomplish that feat until he was 4 years old.

(Well, I say "his brother", but really I mean it took that long for his mother didn't figure out that little boys can and probably should do their bathroom duties without a mommy helicopter. The Isaac, he was my test run. I know better now.)

Pooping for Jake has been another story entirely. He has been interested in peeing on the pot for a couple of months, but never, never pooping. At first, he was so excited about wearing underpants, but so unexcited about pooping in them or the potty, that he simply wouldn't poop at all. For that delightful, screaming spectacle, we went to the pediatrician and then to KMart for stool softener.

Now some grossness barrier has been breached for him, such that he'll poop, but not pee, right in his underpants. He'll tell me when it comes out, and doesn't appear to like it, but the potty alternative somehow seems much worse. Everywhere we go, I must take a grocery bag, ziplocs, and at least one full change of clothes for Jacob, just in case. I thank Gott im Himmel for my big mommy purse.

Yesterday, when he started making other signs that the poop was threatening to emerge, I put him on the potty. He fussed at me, but I encouraged him to do like brother does. I had him push his feet on my hands for leverage to give him something to focus on. And lo and behold, a turd dropped in the pot. Everyone screamed and did a happy dance.

This happened twice more yesterday, including once when he was comfortably bedded down for nap and called me in. "I have to poop, Mommy," he said. I took him to the potty and he promptly did so before promptly returning to bed.

Meemaw insisted we celebrate last night with dinner at Bob Evans and then a trip to a nearby store for some new big-boy underpants. He wanted new Cars ones, just like Isaac has. And while Meemaw took them to the register to pay, I took him to the bathroom, only to find that he had pooped his pants. So, while yesterday was certainly a poopy milestone, perhaps we still have a little ways to go.