Maybe I seem a bit obsessed with the twins’ potty-training.
The process really has dominated our summer so far. But now they seem to be done. In one week we went from only a third of our children being able to pee in the pot to all of them. Of course all that changes in about a month, but for now, I’m ecstatic.
So ecstatic I convinced Sam and Ellie to give each other a potty-training high five. And since they’re my offspring, and I tend to be a bit clumsy, they missed.
But as long as they can hit the potty, I’m still ecstatic.
The implications of the potty-training development are huge. A case of Huggies from Costco costs $50 for 200 diapers. Each kid went through about 5 diapers a day, so we spent$2.50 a day on diapers. Yes, about $1,000 a year on something that stunk up our house rotting in the Diaper Genie. Oh, I forgot to factor in the liners for that horrendous thing. And the wipes. In the car, in the bag, in the playroom, in the twins’ room, in the living room. Diapers and wipes stashed everywhere. At $.25 a diaper.
But all of this is nothing compared to the beautiful convenience of underwear over diapers. No more bag to carry, no more changing one poopy diaper, only to turn around and find the other twin’s dirty, only to turn around and find the first pooper wasn’t done yet.
One word: flush!
And the changes in our daily schedule! It seems like everything we’re involved in this summer, from VBS to summer camps have the age range of 3 (pottytrained) through 5. It was the parentheses that held the twins back from joining Catie in her activities. Not anymore! The world of safe, supervised play is theirs. Ahh.
Our newfound freedom will be short-lived, of course. We’re weeks from starting all over again, and not only with the diapers and wipes and poop stench from the diaper pail.
No, anyone who’s had a newborn knows about the diaper bag that has to be stuffed with with teeny-tiny nasal aspirators, infant Tylenol, burp cloths, lots and lots of diapers, more wipes, and the kitchen sink.
But it’s only one newborn this time. And that has to be easier, right?
Although also a little sad.
He won’t have anyone to give a clumsy high-five to when he’s finally potty-trained.
