Tales from the side of the road.

Girl makes my heart swell with pride sometimes, as I'm sure all parents can attest to.  She knows her letters, and her numbers up to 10 and now, at 18 months, she is daytime potty-trained (I decided to keep her in diapers overnight, since she sleeps 12 hours and is unable to use the toilet alone).  This is great!  No diapers to change during the day and constant, incessant trips to the washroom from the farthest conceivable distance. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we took the plunge.  My theory is, no matter what age we decided to potty-train, we'd be doing the exact same thing, so might as well get it over with.  But really, do you need to wait unti the least convenient time?  My mom says it's payback for the years of cold food she ate because I'd always need to go right when the food arrived.  I think parents wait for payback.

I suppose I could avoid going places until Girl is able to go on her own, but that would be a boring life.  I'd rather do fun stuff and spend part of the time in the washroom than do nothing and spend part of the time in the washroom. 

My all-time favourite stories happen on the side of the road.  Husband, Girl and I, together with my mom, decided to go to the beach.  It's an hour drive and I had hoped that going during naptime would mean Girl would sleep.  No such luck.  45 minutes into the trip, not a restaurant or gas station in sight, comes the inevitable cry.  Luckily, on a whim I had thrown a small plastic potty into the trunk.  Girl had never used it before, but I had it, and thought it might come in handy.   Husband pulled over, I got Girl from her seat and there she sat, in the sun, on the highway. 

Why just pee when you can do it all?

My mom thought it was hysterical and after we were on our way again asked: "What did you do with the poop?"

"I put it in a ziplock and into the cooler.  What do you THINK I did with it?!"

These are the things memories are made of.  Though, now, whenever Girl is in the car and feels the call of nature...  I hear the same words.  "Little potty.  Road"

Sorry hon.  We can't do that at the mall.