Thursday, April 1, 2010

... and my universe shifts again

I've been changing nappies for nearly five years now. I can change nappies with them standing up, lying down, awake, asleep, in a car, on a floor, on a table. I can change nappies with my eyes open, my eyes closed, talking, cooking, telling a story, or just plain gazing out the window wondering if this is my two millionth or three millionth nappy. So ingrained in my every day routine, it's on a par with breathing, drinking and eating. It's just what I do. Occupation? Nappy changer. Hobby? Nappy changing.

So even though I've spent the last few months cajooling, negotiating, discussing, demonstrating, bribing, pleading and begging Poppy to consider giving up her nappies for the pleasure of pants, and been met with a definite 'NO!', I haven't been able to envisage a world without them.

And then yesterday my world shifted on its axis. Poppy announced she wanted to do a wee wee on the toilet, strutted off to the loo, promptly did her business, wiped and flushed and sauntered out with that look I've come to know so well. The look that says "on my terms, Mummy. On my terms." Two hours later, a poo was delivered with the same aplomb and we haven't looked back since. And just like that I'm living in a nappy free world. I am no longer a nappy changer. (I'm well aware that in exactly 26 weeks and 3 days it'll all start over, but I can enjoy it for a while!). I'm slightly at a loss.

I shouldn't be surprised though at the suddeness of it all. I saw that same look when I was trying to encourage Poppy to walk. She refused. Point blank. Then one day she promptly got up and strolled into the kitchen with a backward glance to my dropped jaw that said with a wink, "Gotcha."

I have a funny suspicion that I'm going to be gotcha'd quite a lot over the next few years.

7 comments:

  1. That's brilliant!! Isn't it amazing what they do when we don't push them, like eat all their dinner (brocolli and all!) when we don't say a word.
    I'm taking the 26 wks & 3 days to be a good thing... Xx

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  2. so cute! poppy sure seems like she'll have a lot of tricks up her sleeve in the coming years. i love a kid who goes at everything on their own terms. it may have something to do with being a bit like that myself.

    congratulations! for the time being.... ;)

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  3. Oh I LOVE her! That is exactly what Kai will be like with it all. In fact, knowing this I'm not even going to attempt to train him for a while. I know it's going to be on his terms or nothing.

    Enjoy your nappy break! (Hoping everything is going good under your hood there - thinking of you lots xxx)

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  4. That's very good! I'm not Noelie will be like that. She desperately wants to move yet she can't and gets very very frustrated as you know. I'm delighted to see you back! She sounds like a cheeky (in a good way) baby!

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  5. Awww how clever she is to get it in one go and skipping the potty stage and the rest of the rigmaroll - sounds like she just cuts to the chase! And I'm delighted to hear you've almost reached 14 weeks, it must be such a relief. Hope you're feeling good x

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  6. Congratulations. My children covet nudity, so toilet training was easy, they were alwyas half way there!! Just wait until you're in a queue with groceries for a fortnight for the family & then she wants to do a wee, you'll wish you had a nappy on. My 4 all tortured me with that routine. Oh the amount of times i begged them to hang on as we had all the groceries on the conveyor belt. Good luck, bright futures, love Posie

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  7. I can SOOO relate to this. I guess this is just the way second daughters are. Congrats on a few weeks of nappy-freedom.

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